Dude! It is totally 420 and I didn’t make this post about weed. Lost opportunity if you ask me. Not really… I haven’t really done any illicit drugs… (by “not really” I mean, “I have not done any drugs ever”. Stay in school kids)... so my responses would be hearsay and conjecture at best.
One of the things I have realized that I really enjoy is cooking. I love it, and one of the things I love about cooking is watching my kids eat the food I have cooked. It makes me feel like a good parent, like I am actively taking steps to keep my children alive. So, this week’s post is all about food.
Thanks this week go to Lsig, Chris Corrigan, The Mikestand, Tom Merritt, the Ex-Wife, and some other guy. Let’s get to it. These questions aren’t going to answer themselves.
1. Why do we get so emotionally caught up in food? What evolutionary purpose does that serve?
Food is something we care for because food is something that takes care to be done correctly. I think it probably goes back to hunting and gathering as our primary vocations. If you spend the bulk of your time tracking prey, killing the prey, and dressing it or if you spend the bulk of you time traveling around the areas you live to gather various edibles (not the 420 kinds, you stoners) you don’t just want to put the food in a fire and eat it. You want to make sure that the effort you put into the process was worth it. You want to make sure you prepare it in the best possible manner as possible. You want to enjoy it.
2. Sweet or salty snacks?
Yes, please. You add fatty to that and you have the trifecta. Caramel Frosted Doughnut with Sea Salt… make that happen, Gluten Free Bakers!
3. What's your favorite thing to cook? Least favorite?
The actual process of cooking that I find enjoyable? Favorite: hmmm Maque Choux. There is some delight in seeing all the ingredients come together. Least favorite: most pastas… booooooring.
4. Do you meal plan? Do you enjoy meal planning?
Every once in a while I meal plan. When I do, it is glorious. It has been difficult this summer because Little Man is doing summer cross country training and his cadre of runners go running every evening at 6. The absolute worst time to go running in terms of meal planning possible.
5. What's for dinner?
Not sure at the moment. I am solo-ing it tonight, so I might just have a cheap frozen pizza. (editor’s note: It was, indeed, a cheap frozen pizza)
6. What’s the food you would love to learn how to make?
Hmmm… That’s a good question. There is not much out there that I haven’t at least attempted. With how much Little Man loves it, I would say Chicken Tikka Masala. The versions I have made have not been great… and Everest Cuisine is around the corner from us and theirs is amazing and not expensive enough to try and figure out how to make it better.
7. On those weeknights when everything is going to hell around you, the dogs are barking, the kids are banging their heads against the walls and the boss keeps texting you, what’s the dish you can make that makes everyone stop and go…”oooooh yeah!”?
Well , everyone but me will say ‘oooooh yeah!” (meaning the kids and the dogs, who get to like the pots and pans). It is Orange Rice. I have written about it before. Little Man has had more means of Orange Rice in his days than he has of any other meal. Q likes it as well. When no one is able to decide on what they want to eat, I can always make Orange Rice and the kids will eat. From the time that Little Man was about 18 months old until right around his 15th birthday, I fixed Orange Rice in the house at least once every two weeks. I would say I have made this meal around 400 to 450 times.
8. Define "American food" in fewer than 25 words.
Hearty, high caloric food that typically involves meat and potatoes and bread in some combination, and often incorporates cheese in some manner. (22 words)
9. How has feeding teenagers changed from feeding children in your house?
They eat so much more and so much more constantly. We have to have waaaaay more snacks in the house.
10. Costco / Price club for regular shopping: Yea or nay?
Nay. But I should look back into the warehouse shopping with two vacuum cleaner kids in the house.
11. Buffet restaurants. Overpriced, or "this is where I win"?
Depends on the buffet.
12. Top 5 burger joints, ranked.
I have to go with the places that I have been to enough as my options
Wendy’s
Steak’n’shake
Ted’s Montana Grill
Smashburger
Five Guys
13. Why we don't eat more dandelions since they are EVERYWHERE?
Didn’t Ray Bradbury write a book called “Dandelion Wine?” (editor’ note: He did. I read it for one of the High School English classes and have no idea what it was about to this day.) The only thing I can think of is that dandelions suck.
14. Why do we have to eat three meals a day? It’s like every time I turn around it is time for another meal.
Three is not that often. Some doctors suggest instead of three big meals eating six to 8 smaller ones.
15. What is a food type that you just cannot get behind? You have tried on multiple occasions and it just doesn’t work for you.
I would have to say most fruits. There is something with the texture of many fruits that just doesn’t work for me. I never got into the habit of eating fruit when I was a kid and have had issues adding it into my life since then.
16. What is holding you back from being a vegetarian or a vegan?
Honestly? Meat. I like the taste and texture of meat. The faux meat substitutes I have had are getting closer to matching that texture and the umami that meat has, but they are not there yet. I have been eating less meat recently in an attempt to be better for the environment, but I cannot cut it out just yet.
17. Is there a type of cuisine that you try to avoid?
I am not great with Indian, but avoid is a strong word. I don’t like it for myself, but I don’t want to get in the way of anyone else who wants to eat it.
18. What is the weirdest thing you have seen someone do for eating?
My dad puts sugar on his salad (which is just iceberg lettuce… he is the boringest and most disgusting eater I know)... just a small bowl of iceberg lettuce with about a teaspoon of sugar on it.
19. Who is the most annoying eater that you know?
Whose eating is the most annoying?
Oh, again my dad. The noises how can I adequately describe the noises… remember the scene in Return of the King where Denathor is grossly eating his meal while Faramir leads a suicide charge against the orcish hoards? That kind of gross noise generation. Uh… Hello, Ladies. I’m single and available.
20. Are there any food that you have an allergy to?
I think I have more intolerances right now than allergies. I avoid peppers and the glutens. I seem to be having less issues with Soy Sauce as of late, so I’m not sure what is going on with the gluten thing.
To recap:
Little Man will be 16 on Thursday
How. The. Hell. Did. That. Happen?
I think this every other week thing will work if I can remember it
Seriously, I did nothing as a kid
Boring as hell
Didn’t drink until college
No drug use
Barely dated at all
My rebellious streak was aiming for a 93 in American History instead of a 100
I was not “straight edge” so much by choice as much as by lack of opportunity
I did not think less of people who weren’t “straight edge”
In many ways I yearned to be one of them
That being said, I think it is probably best that I didn’t do anything seriously addictive as a kid
That thought mainly has to do with how goddamned hard it was to walk away from sodas
Specifically Mt Dew
I miss you Green Goddess... I miss you so much
This is week 3 sans caffeine… I miss it so much, but not as much as glutens
Have a great week everyone
Orange Rice
Ingredients:
1 Uncle Bens Quick Cook Wild Rice Box
1lb Ground Beef (.5 kg)
⅓ to ½ cup milk (or milk substitute) (80 to 120 ml)
1 ½ tablespoon (30 ml) Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning Blend
1 can condensed tomato soup
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
Prepare the rice according to package instructions but replace spice packet with Mrs Dash
Brown the ground beef in a dutch oven
Combine everything in Dutch oven and bake in oven for 30 minutes
Let rest and scoop out Little Man’s favorite meal