I tried to, but he was closed

B got me this book, and it's the first book in quite a while that from the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down until the last page -- not a typical response to a cook book, but this isn't just a cook book, more like a mash-up of cookbook, both memoir and screed of a very skewed but cool philosophy of food and life. Shopsin is a self-invented master cook and master of his small but soulful restaurant space; he personal cooked up a menu of over 900 items. He's famous for things like his pancakes, which he proudly states that he uses frozen Aunt Jemima pancake batter, because he used to make it from scratch...but this stuff is just as good so why bother?! He loves being a contrarian, something I can get with.

Some basic things I've extracted from culinary school he discovered for himself, and took that knowlege in very odd, creative directions. Part of the reason for his large menu, he claims, is that he doesn't measure anything, and no dish ever comes out the same twice -- he'd rather a customer order different things every time so he's not responsible for consistency.

In recent years he's moved operations to a stall in the Essex Market, which happens to be about a 10 minute walk from my front door. I zipped over there for lunch, but...he's closed Mondays, according to his website! Drat! He has 5 kids, now all adults, and wrote a lot about raising them in the restaurant. In the book, he also discussed why he had kids: it's an excuse to live your life a 2nd time with out the falseness of nostalgia.

ADDENDA
Weird, I'm losing weight, feel healthy and positive, and yet I'm worried that I'm eating way too many sweets lately. This morning I was 221.8 pounds, I don't think I've ever lost weight while not pro-actively trying to lose it. I'd say, baaaah, I'll probably gain it back in a week or something, but I'm seeing Ilsa tomorrow and don't want her to scold me for my fat-person way of thinking. My secret plan is to feed her lots of pumpkin pie until she weighs more than me.

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, organic cornflakes with good milk, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 1:30, spring rolls, mashed taro treasure boxes, mock shrimp in rice paper, mini steamed rice in lotus leaf, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Since Shopsins was not available, made it to Chinatown for some vegetarian dim sum.

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies, .25 bowl, hunge 4/5

PM SNACK: 6pm, boca burger on rye, small portion of rice and beans, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got hungry waiting for B to show up.

DINNER: 7:45pm, hot italian sausage cooked in homemade kraut and cider, 1 homemade chocolate chip cookie with ice cream, 1 bowl, hunger 2/5
Sauteed onion and apple before searing the sausage. Still, didn't enjoy it that much because just wasn't hungry enough.