Recently in Food and Drink Category

this summer, some things have finally clicked for me.  i have heard it said, by a mother who was introducing foods to her son, that before you know whether you like the taste of something, you have to try it 200 times.  this made sense to me as there have been many things as a child that i tasted and didn't like, and yet, one day, there it was, heaven in food form...  dark chocolate.

my mom has always said that if you love the way something smells (concerning food), then you will probably love the way it tastes as well.  she always told me as a child that i would be a coffee drinker.  i loved the smell as a kid.  it was divine.  but the taste, well, it just wasn't right.  her explanation, and i believe this, was that there was a disconnect between my nose and my tongue, and one day, it would just click.

i have always loved the smell of curry and indian food.  i have not had a lot of exposure to it and am always hesitant because it never quite tastes right to me.  the other day, at a waiter's suggestion, i had the curry chicken.  it was DIVINE!  and this evening, i had the tandoori chicken!  OMG, i loved it.

paris this summer has taught me that my nose and my tongue have finally come to an agreement!  hello indian food!

so, i am trying to be more green.  now, whether you believe in global warming or not, you have noticed the high prices in gas.  that gas price causes lots of things to increase in price.

one way of helping the earth and the rising cost of things from the gas economy we live in is easy to do.  i have noticed the amount of people who still go to starbucks, who still make it a point to sit down for twenty or thirty minutes.  i am not going to tell you to stop, by all means, keep frequenting starbucks, but instead of getting your drink in a paper to-go cup, ask for it in a "for here" cup.  that is what they call it, "for here".  novel, no?

i do this every time i am going to cop a squat there.  some of the places (i think all are supposed to do it) also give you a discount for using an in-house cup (which is cheaper for them too).  i have decided to commit myself to carrying a travel mug to the store for those to-go orders.  they are more than willing to make the drink in the mug.

one cup at a time.  by the way, far more civilized to drink out of a real cup...

so the other day i was digging through the smittenkitchen when i found this!!!!



now i have watched it 1000 times if not a million.  so we decided to try it this evening.  well t failed to do it.  i failed on my first attempt, but the second time, when i blew "with gusto" i was jumping up and down because out came the egg!  OMG that was the most fun ever.  now, when i make deviled eggs!!!  or egg salad, or anything that requires a bunch of eggs.... i have a fun way to peel them.

ps. the music rocks my socks!

so today, i managed to forget my lunch.  now normally, this is fine and dandy and i can survive until i can find food.  for whatever reason though, i was starving by the time i made it to the office and could have gnawed off one of my feet.  i was starved.  it felt like i hadn't eaten in years.  seriously, if i had looked in a mirror, i would have seen an olsen twin, that is how hungry i was.

so i made it home and remembered the leftovers in the fridge from my dinner last night.  i already regret eating them for a couple of reasons.  the first being, shudder, they were leftovers, shudder, with meat.  i ate it last night and it was good but i do not like leftovers and i especially don't like leftovers with meat in them.  there is something about it that repulses me to the core and usually i can eat about half of it before i want to gag and end up throwing out the rest. 

the second reason is that i managed to eat the whole container of leftovers and i am now pregnant with a food baby.  (thank you juno for teaching me the term because i totally get the "food baby".)  yes.  my tummy went from chubby from all the lattes and the fact that the weather has been so wonky that i haven't walked to work much (joining gym in may), to now a food baby belly.  i think i am gonna be sick.

if you really want to understand me, then you should read this.  i am not kidding, i understand this to the core of my being and this guy says exactly what i think and feel.  seriously.  except, apply jif where he is talking about that other brand.

since i am complaining about thanksgiving, i thought i would share a story that has nothing to do with thanksgiving.  just because.

a few weeks ago in class, we (my students and i) were discussing a poem.  for prep, the students needed to come up with the qualities of a lamb based on preconceived notions.  so, while the students are doing this in groups, i do the same thing.  it is only fair that i participate.

they start compiling a list of qualities, naive, innocent, sweet, young, soft, white, etc.  they did really well.  but deep down inside, i was slightly disappointed that no one came up with delicious.  le sigh.  they all shook their heads when i made this suggestion.  they take poetry way too seriously.

so i don't get thanksgiving.  i am probably more unamerican than t because he loves it more than most.  it's the food, not the thanks.

i did not really grow up in a big thanksgiving family.  most of my memories were not of this big elaborate meal that had hundreds of people.  it was not this big fun/stressful/awesome family gathering, it was just a turkey, stuffing, and a bunch of other things i hate eating.

that's right.  i said it.  i hate eating that crap.  i don't like turkey (except my mom's and even then i am on a limited turkey diet), sweet potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce.  the other stuff, well, it's salad and dessert and appetizers.  what the hell? 

so here is my ideal thanksgiving menu: a pig roast, with cornbread pudding, egg noodles, salad, deviled eggs, potato salad (mustard based not mayo-based), dips and chips, asparagus, an assortment of cheeses, etc.  but you see... do you see the problem?  what i just described?  that isn't thanksgiving, that's the 4th of july!