ADDENDA:
Got good sleep, but woke up with a thumping headache, don't know what that's about. I suspect I may be dehydrated? Gonna spend the day active, whether it's job-search or not. Laundry and cleaning the house, bike repair, research book shelf construction, meeting a friend of a friend at 5:30 to help with the assembly of a newsletter.
Weighed myself this morning: 233, I'll assume the 2lb loss is just a natural up-and-down, maybe from being dehydrated, he he. Gonna focus on small portions today. While eating last night's Japanese, the tray of fried tempura appetizer, something I've eaten many times before, just seemed irrationally large for a starter - with a bowl of rice to cut the greasiness, it could of been a meal in itself.
AM DRUGGING: 8:30am, 2 tylenol
BREAKFAST: 10am, homemade pancakes, hunger 4/5
Out of milk and yogurt, used the left over eggwhites and half and half from the ice cream (which B has gobbled up!) The pancakes were flat and dense, but very tasty, the extra fat communicating the graininess of the whole wheat flower in the mix.
AM WATERING: 11:30am, 24 oz tap
LUNCH: 3pm, whole wheat pasta with sweet italian sausage & olive oil, baby carrots & ranch dressing, water, hunger 4/5
Spent a good part of the morning following job leads and sending out resumes. Went out to buy bike tubes and picked up an onion and mushrooms to cook up with dry pasta and some non-nitrate sausages I had hidden in the freezer. Sweated the veg together with a dash of salt and woostechire, made an excellent compliment to the wheaty pasta. Made what was once one large portion for myself, ate half and feel perfectly satisfied.
The sausages were pre-cooked and not so great, but good enough. I sprinkled dried basil about 5 minutes before finishing, and finished the dish with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly grated parm-reg. Upon thinking about, a squeeze of lemon and a shake of wine would of made this dish a lot more interesting.
DINNER: 8pm, falafel platter with humus, babaganoush, couscous, 1 pita, hunger 4/5
On the way home from helping a friend of a friend with some graphics matters, swung by Cafe Rakka on St. Marks for falafel. I used to go here in high school to eat and thought it was the coolest thing in the world, weird Middle Eastern food, cheap as dirt. It's not so weird anymore, but still pretty cool - I guess for a teenager, I didn't have it ALL wrong.
As I was eating this evening, I thought of what brought me here as a kid. My mom introduced me to falafel as a child, the food she remembered from living in Israel. To find this falafel joint independently of her...but still very much of her - like a step towards adulthood. Finding my way, with my recent thoughts of career-changing, I'm still at it.
And I didn't order a spinach pie, extra falafel balls or something sweet to go with it. It was still enough!
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, 1 grape GuS soda, hunger 4/5
Craving sweet, feeling a but hungry. Didn't eat sweets today, so it's not too indulgent.
Monday, February 11
Sunday, February 10
Sunday, Calmer
ADDENDA:
No plans, me and B in da howse. Had strange dreams last night, slept a good 10 hours. Me and B napping in fits. Thinking a lot of the future, though I just watched an episode of 'Heroes' (cheesy, I know) where the arch-villain proclaims that one who pursues happiness is grounded in the present, while he who pursues meaning is obsessed with the past and future. In that case, I should be rather happy, as the present is pretty good. Wonderful wife, great home, good friends, interesting prospects for future doings, and the relatively new discovery of one of the most satisfying food stuffs known to man, grilled cheese....
BRUNCH: 1:30pm, 3 small superhippy grilled cheese with raw milk gruyer and emmenthaller, small bowl of Betsy's sweet potato soup, 1/2 bottle of cherry seltzer, hunger 4/5
Fried bread, melty cheese, crisp and gooey, salty and savory, funky and straight all in each mouthful. B's soup is a bit sweet for my own taste, but it's a simple broad flavor that is direct and authentic. The perfect chillin'-in-the-hood meal after soaking in the tub with the Sunday Times.
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, moderate piece of apple crumble, hunger 4/5
I thought about half the tray was left, but it seems some curly haired nymph snuck in and devoured all but one piece....
DINNER: 7pm, tempura starter, sushi deluxe combo, nori roll, water, hunger 4/5
Lazy night on the sofa with B, no place or time for cooking!
No plans, me and B in da howse. Had strange dreams last night, slept a good 10 hours. Me and B napping in fits. Thinking a lot of the future, though I just watched an episode of 'Heroes' (cheesy, I know) where the arch-villain proclaims that one who pursues happiness is grounded in the present, while he who pursues meaning is obsessed with the past and future. In that case, I should be rather happy, as the present is pretty good. Wonderful wife, great home, good friends, interesting prospects for future doings, and the relatively new discovery of one of the most satisfying food stuffs known to man, grilled cheese....
BRUNCH: 1:30pm, 3 small superhippy grilled cheese with raw milk gruyer and emmenthaller, small bowl of Betsy's sweet potato soup, 1/2 bottle of cherry seltzer, hunger 4/5
Fried bread, melty cheese, crisp and gooey, salty and savory, funky and straight all in each mouthful. B's soup is a bit sweet for my own taste, but it's a simple broad flavor that is direct and authentic. The perfect chillin'-in-the-hood meal after soaking in the tub with the Sunday Times.
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, moderate piece of apple crumble, hunger 4/5
I thought about half the tray was left, but it seems some curly haired nymph snuck in and devoured all but one piece....
DINNER: 7pm, tempura starter, sushi deluxe combo, nori roll, water, hunger 4/5
Lazy night on the sofa with B, no place or time for cooking!
Saturday, February 9
Saturday Calm
ADDENDA:
Yesterday was a great day. Getting out on the bike with a friendly face reminded me of all the good hours I've spent travelling by pedal power, and cooking a semi-decent meal for 8 was a new and fun challenge which I really enjoyed.
I haven't taken a proper bike ride since mid November, a long time for me. One thing Ilsa advised is that I get off my ass and do some things that make me happy. Biking is probably healthier than prozac.
This past week, I've been sending out resumes for project management work, watching too much TV, and I toured the French Culinary Institute and sat in on a class and spoke with career-advisement peeps at the Institute for Culinary Education. I think whatever happens with work, I'll be going to culinary school at the ICE either full time in late March or early May, or if a job manifests going to the ICE part time in the evening. It's exciting and frightening, as the future is uncertain and fuzzy.
BREAKFAST: 11am, 4 potato pancakes with creme fraiche, 1 piece of apple crumble.
The ice cream is just too rich this early.
PM SNACK: 1pm, handful of roasted buttery salty nuts, hunger 4/5
Make yer gay jokes here!
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, small ramekin of vanilla ice cream, hunger 4/5
This is the first ice cream I've made that is still really good after hardening in the freezer - it seems with enough air whipped into it, it doesn't get soooo stiff when hardened.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, 3 potato pancakes, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, 1 slice streetza, hunger 4/5
From my local, nice and minimally cheesy.
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, a few handfuls of popcorn, hunger 3/5
Went to the movies with B to see 'Juno', I walked out after the first 30 minutes, as I found it overbearing and highschoolish.
DINNER #1: 7:30pm, brussel sprouts, shrimp with chorizo, pork empinada, gnochi, venison, hunger 3/5
Tapas bar with B & her friend Dana. Food was tasty, but small portions with large prices attached, and it was so LOOOOUD in there. I don't like brussel sprouts, but I ate a small bunch - I thought if I go to culinary school, I'm going to probably have to try a lot of foods I'd otherwise avoid - it's good to get out of my comfort zone. The sprouts were eh, an earthy sharp bitter undertone I don't dig too much.
DINNER #2: 10:15pm, pint pork fried rice, grape 'GUS' soda, hunger 4/5
What an odd eating day. Needed some comfort food, but no way I was gonna do the Chinese brick - I've come to realize they make me feel crappy for a day afterwards. But a small pint of fried rice hit the spot after that twee tapas food.
I bought a 4 of this soda at WF, to meet my hankering for both candy and soda. Damn, it's good in a straight-up way. Maybe culinary/management will help me think of my own niche produc to unleash upon the world...
Yesterday was a great day. Getting out on the bike with a friendly face reminded me of all the good hours I've spent travelling by pedal power, and cooking a semi-decent meal for 8 was a new and fun challenge which I really enjoyed.
I haven't taken a proper bike ride since mid November, a long time for me. One thing Ilsa advised is that I get off my ass and do some things that make me happy. Biking is probably healthier than prozac.
This past week, I've been sending out resumes for project management work, watching too much TV, and I toured the French Culinary Institute and sat in on a class and spoke with career-advisement peeps at the Institute for Culinary Education. I think whatever happens with work, I'll be going to culinary school at the ICE either full time in late March or early May, or if a job manifests going to the ICE part time in the evening. It's exciting and frightening, as the future is uncertain and fuzzy.
BREAKFAST: 11am, 4 potato pancakes with creme fraiche, 1 piece of apple crumble.
The ice cream is just too rich this early.
PM SNACK: 1pm, handful of roasted buttery salty nuts, hunger 4/5
Make yer gay jokes here!
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, small ramekin of vanilla ice cream, hunger 4/5
This is the first ice cream I've made that is still really good after hardening in the freezer - it seems with enough air whipped into it, it doesn't get soooo stiff when hardened.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, 3 potato pancakes, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, 1 slice streetza, hunger 4/5
From my local, nice and minimally cheesy.
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, a few handfuls of popcorn, hunger 3/5
Went to the movies with B to see 'Juno', I walked out after the first 30 minutes, as I found it overbearing and highschoolish.
DINNER #1: 7:30pm, brussel sprouts, shrimp with chorizo, pork empinada, gnochi, venison, hunger 3/5
Tapas bar with B & her friend Dana. Food was tasty, but small portions with large prices attached, and it was so LOOOOUD in there. I don't like brussel sprouts, but I ate a small bunch - I thought if I go to culinary school, I'm going to probably have to try a lot of foods I'd otherwise avoid - it's good to get out of my comfort zone. The sprouts were eh, an earthy sharp bitter undertone I don't dig too much.
DINNER #2: 10:15pm, pint pork fried rice, grape 'GUS' soda, hunger 4/5
What an odd eating day. Needed some comfort food, but no way I was gonna do the Chinese brick - I've come to realize they make me feel crappy for a day afterwards. But a small pint of fried rice hit the spot after that twee tapas food.
I bought a 4 of this soda at WF, to meet my hankering for both candy and soda. Damn, it's good in a straight-up way. Maybe culinary/management will help me think of my own niche produc to unleash upon the world...
Friday, February 8
Book Club Dinner for 8
BREAKFAST: 8am, wholegrain organic chex with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 10:45am, 2 pieces superhippy bread with freshly homemade hummus, hunger 3/5
About to pedal out to Coney with cousin-in-law, this should help power me through till lunch.
PM SNACK: 1:45pm, half a large chocolate chip walnut cookie, hunger 4/5
Jenni works in a bakery, she helped make this ridiculously large cookie herself. Though it was half a cookie, it was about 1.5 cookies in real life. We ate it on a bench on the Coney Island boardwalk, birds and seagulls begging us for crumbs.
LUNCH: 4pm, half a pastrami on rye, half a portion of fries, half a side of pickles, lots of water, hunger 4/5
Road out to Coney on the commuter back with Jenni, was a lot of fun giving a bit of a saddle-eyed tour of the city to a newcomer. Her goal was to experience Katz's, so off we went at the end of the ride. We shared what was intended to be a meal for one, but it easily satisfied our hunger, with fries left over.
DINNER: 8:30pm, potato latkes with creme fraiche, roasted nuts, fresh hummus with veg, raw millk cheeses, apple crumble and home made french vanilla icecream, 1 glass presecco, water, seltzer, hunger 4/5
Betsy's book club rolled through, and as the support crew, I made dinner for everyone. The last time B hosted, she was living in Brooklyn and the food consisted of ordering in pizzas. I saw this as a great opportunity to try to cook something a little bit nicer for a larger group of people (I usually just cook for 3 or 4 at the most).
The beginings were easy, I whipped up fresh hummus before the bike ride, quickly got the apple crips into the oven before showering after the ride. After the shower, ran the potatoes and onions throught the rotary grater of the mixer, salted it down to sweat it, and stuck it in the fridge, ready to fry. I winged it with the roasted nuts, using butter with a drop of soy and worstchester, salt and dried rosemary.
The day before I cooked the mix for the ice cream (2.5 cups of half & half, 2.5 cups of heavy cream, 8 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 4 tb of vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt) which freaked me out a little - I slightly overheated it and the eggs on the bottom started curdling and smelling like my greatest enemy, scrambled eggs. Torwards the end of the evening, I plated the crisp, and used ramekins to hold what would be a quick-melting icecream. Everyone said the meal was good but I knew it was just ok, the pancakes were a little bit too greasy and not enough salt. However, the ice cream....it was easily the best vanilla ice cream I've had in recent memories. The richness, the deep flavor, creaminess...some one remarked how 'clean' it tasted, which someone sounds suitable. Really over the top.
AM SNACK: 10:45am, 2 pieces superhippy bread with freshly homemade hummus, hunger 3/5
About to pedal out to Coney with cousin-in-law, this should help power me through till lunch.
PM SNACK: 1:45pm, half a large chocolate chip walnut cookie, hunger 4/5
Jenni works in a bakery, she helped make this ridiculously large cookie herself. Though it was half a cookie, it was about 1.5 cookies in real life. We ate it on a bench on the Coney Island boardwalk, birds and seagulls begging us for crumbs.
LUNCH: 4pm, half a pastrami on rye, half a portion of fries, half a side of pickles, lots of water, hunger 4/5
Road out to Coney on the commuter back with Jenni, was a lot of fun giving a bit of a saddle-eyed tour of the city to a newcomer. Her goal was to experience Katz's, so off we went at the end of the ride. We shared what was intended to be a meal for one, but it easily satisfied our hunger, with fries left over.
DINNER: 8:30pm, potato latkes with creme fraiche, roasted nuts, fresh hummus with veg, raw millk cheeses, apple crumble and home made french vanilla icecream, 1 glass presecco, water, seltzer, hunger 4/5
Betsy's book club rolled through, and as the support crew, I made dinner for everyone. The last time B hosted, she was living in Brooklyn and the food consisted of ordering in pizzas. I saw this as a great opportunity to try to cook something a little bit nicer for a larger group of people (I usually just cook for 3 or 4 at the most).
The beginings were easy, I whipped up fresh hummus before the bike ride, quickly got the apple crips into the oven before showering after the ride. After the shower, ran the potatoes and onions throught the rotary grater of the mixer, salted it down to sweat it, and stuck it in the fridge, ready to fry. I winged it with the roasted nuts, using butter with a drop of soy and worstchester, salt and dried rosemary.
The day before I cooked the mix for the ice cream (2.5 cups of half & half, 2.5 cups of heavy cream, 8 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 4 tb of vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt) which freaked me out a little - I slightly overheated it and the eggs on the bottom started curdling and smelling like my greatest enemy, scrambled eggs. Torwards the end of the evening, I plated the crisp, and used ramekins to hold what would be a quick-melting icecream. Everyone said the meal was good but I knew it was just ok, the pancakes were a little bit too greasy and not enough salt. However, the ice cream....it was easily the best vanilla ice cream I've had in recent memories. The richness, the deep flavor, creaminess...some one remarked how 'clean' it tasted, which someone sounds suitable. Really over the top.
Thursday, February 7
Finding My Portion
ADDENDA:
Not feeling well today. Woke up at 8 with B, but no energy, need to be close to the bathroom most of the day. Got out to Wholefoods for shopping, was fun, but found myself drained when I got back.
BREAKFAST: 9am, organic wholegrain cheerios with good milk, hunger 3/5
LUNCH: 1pm, left over roast potatoes with merguez sausage, water, hunger 4/5
Dumped the container onto a plate and zapped it. When I sat down I realized this is a good 3 lbs of food - probably not a reasonable portion, though I could see myself eating the whole thing. After eating a little more than half, I felt content (though not full) and stopped. I imagine a 2nd small lunch may be needed later.
PM SNACK: 5pm, good yogurt with honey, hunger 4/5
Despite shopping for tomorrow night's blow-out meal, didn't pick up anything lunch-worthy!
DINNER: 6:30pm, 5/8s of a large Margerita DOC pizza, 3 pieces of chocolate babka, 1 beer, hunger 4/5
Nice romantic evening at home with the B, nice cap to a day where I was feeling crappy and down. Never drank beer out of a wine glass before! Ordered the pizza from Isabella's, really good, but because it's so thin and the cheese is so sparse (but pleasingly so), eating 5 slices is more like the caloric equivalent of eating 2 street slices. The chocolate babka (purchased from Wholefoods) was good, but not as good as 2nd Ave Deli - would like to maybe try to make my own.
An hour or so later, I was feeling nippy and looked for the left over babka but Betsy claimed she ate the whole thing! I'm not quite sure if I believe her...
Not feeling well today. Woke up at 8 with B, but no energy, need to be close to the bathroom most of the day. Got out to Wholefoods for shopping, was fun, but found myself drained when I got back.
BREAKFAST: 9am, organic wholegrain cheerios with good milk, hunger 3/5
LUNCH: 1pm, left over roast potatoes with merguez sausage, water, hunger 4/5
Dumped the container onto a plate and zapped it. When I sat down I realized this is a good 3 lbs of food - probably not a reasonable portion, though I could see myself eating the whole thing. After eating a little more than half, I felt content (though not full) and stopped. I imagine a 2nd small lunch may be needed later.
PM SNACK: 5pm, good yogurt with honey, hunger 4/5
Despite shopping for tomorrow night's blow-out meal, didn't pick up anything lunch-worthy!
DINNER: 6:30pm, 5/8s of a large Margerita DOC pizza, 3 pieces of chocolate babka, 1 beer, hunger 4/5
Nice romantic evening at home with the B, nice cap to a day where I was feeling crappy and down. Never drank beer out of a wine glass before! Ordered the pizza from Isabella's, really good, but because it's so thin and the cheese is so sparse (but pleasingly so), eating 5 slices is more like the caloric equivalent of eating 2 street slices. The chocolate babka (purchased from Wholefoods) was good, but not as good as 2nd Ave Deli - would like to maybe try to make my own.
An hour or so later, I was feeling nippy and looked for the left over babka but Betsy claimed she ate the whole thing! I'm not quite sure if I believe her...
Wednesday, February 6
Portion Control
ADDENDA:
Met with Ilsa last night for the first time after an intended break. After talking about more general issues, focused on the food - now is the time to perhaps think about weight control - I can eat all the healthy food I want, the bottom line my blood pressure would be best served by slimming down a little.
How does one judge portions correctly? Ilsa is thinking of having me eat all meals out of a certain sized bowl. Thinking of breaking out the free weights out of the closet. Try to do a proper ride once a week, now that my schedule is opened.
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw nuts, hunger 3/5
LUNCH: 3pm, eggplant parm with pasta in red sauce, 2 rolls, water, herbal tea, hunger 4/5
Audited a class at ICE then spoke to a career advisor there. A lot to mull. Went to Patsy's on 23rd, didn't feel like pizza but it was good to be able to sit quietly in a restaurant for a couple of hours and read the paper.
I ordered a lunch special, and on the face of it, it was a lot of food. Still, what is an appropriate portion?
PM SNACK: 6pm, Boylans orange soda, hunger 3/5
170 calories in just 12 ounces! Still, felt maximum enjoyment from this candy drink - I really taste the difference with cane sugar in soda - it's the sweetener of my youth.
DINNER: 9:30pm, tangy shrimp with funky brown basmanti, water, hunger 4/5
Stirfried some raw frozen shrimp with whatever was in the cupboard, the main flavor being vinegar, balanced with some soy, a pinch of sugar, a dash of curry powder, some corn starch, with roasted sesame seeds and cooked in sesame oil. It came out surprisingly well - seems a strict 2 minutes cooking is about right for shrimp this size before it gets tough. Used vegetable stock as the liquid in the rice, and through some dried porcini into the cooker for shits n' giggles. The rice cooker nicely hydrated the mushroom and gave the rice a wonderfully deep meaty (but vegetarian) flavor. Still a little bland, but on the right track.
Met with Ilsa last night for the first time after an intended break. After talking about more general issues, focused on the food - now is the time to perhaps think about weight control - I can eat all the healthy food I want, the bottom line my blood pressure would be best served by slimming down a little.
How does one judge portions correctly? Ilsa is thinking of having me eat all meals out of a certain sized bowl. Thinking of breaking out the free weights out of the closet. Try to do a proper ride once a week, now that my schedule is opened.
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw nuts, hunger 3/5
LUNCH: 3pm, eggplant parm with pasta in red sauce, 2 rolls, water, herbal tea, hunger 4/5
Audited a class at ICE then spoke to a career advisor there. A lot to mull. Went to Patsy's on 23rd, didn't feel like pizza but it was good to be able to sit quietly in a restaurant for a couple of hours and read the paper.
I ordered a lunch special, and on the face of it, it was a lot of food. Still, what is an appropriate portion?
PM SNACK: 6pm, Boylans orange soda, hunger 3/5
170 calories in just 12 ounces! Still, felt maximum enjoyment from this candy drink - I really taste the difference with cane sugar in soda - it's the sweetener of my youth.
DINNER: 9:30pm, tangy shrimp with funky brown basmanti, water, hunger 4/5
Stirfried some raw frozen shrimp with whatever was in the cupboard, the main flavor being vinegar, balanced with some soy, a pinch of sugar, a dash of curry powder, some corn starch, with roasted sesame seeds and cooked in sesame oil. It came out surprisingly well - seems a strict 2 minutes cooking is about right for shrimp this size before it gets tough. Used vegetable stock as the liquid in the rice, and through some dried porcini into the cooker for shits n' giggles. The rice cooker nicely hydrated the mushroom and gave the rice a wonderfully deep meaty (but vegetarian) flavor. Still a little bland, but on the right track.
Tuesday, February 5
Thinking About Bacon
ADDENDA:
The other night when I was speaking to Caroline, the FCI graduate, she mentioned she made her own bacon. Last night when feeling snacky, I fried up 5 pieces of good lower-salt non-nitrite porky goodness, and it was so satisfying.
Make my own bacon - hmmmm. Caroline recommended a book on charcuterie, claims it changed her life. I rember while travelling through Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, every little bo-funk diner's bacon was different than the next. Different smoke flavors, different cuts, different thicknesses, some were more like ham or British bacon - every one delicious. Just as one could obsess about the characteristics of pizza in NYC, you could do the same thing out there for bacon. BBQ too, but that's a whole 'nuther thing.
I imagine books have been written about bacon, as looking back over the threads of my life, bacon runs an interesting line. Growin up Jewish in a non-religious household, we did not keep kosher but bacon and pork sausage was a very rare occurance. I remember mom experimenting with some trendy minced & formed bacon-like substance that was supposed to be healthier that was just nasty. Dad, who would hide pork sausage in the back of the freezer, would make us breakfast of pancakes and bacon when my mom wasn't around - I guess that's why I have such a strong emotional connection to my own pancakes n' bacon.
Today, I'm visiting the FCI for a tour after work, and auditing classes at the ICE tomorrow. I wonder if they teach you how to make bacon.
BREAKFAST: 7:45am, organic cornflakes with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 10am, 4oz of rootbeer, hunger 3/5
Needed a shot of sugar to focus on the task at hand.
LUNCH: 1:30, vegetable ravioli in butter and parm reg, water, hunger 4/5
Boiled up a bunch of frozen ravioli I bought from the market near the Food Network. Very spinachy, B would of loved them.
PM SNACKS: 2-3pm, 1 little crunchy chocolate square, 2 amuse bouches, a couple of crunchy tiny pastry sticks, hunger 3/5
As I was on the tour of the French Culinary Institute, the guide, the chefs and the students kept offering me food. I stuck to the small stuff, but I easily could of wolfed down a lot more. A small sampling of eating habits to come?
PM SNACK: 4pm, half a fresh baguette, hunger 3/5
They grind their own flour at the FCI and this baguette was definitely what I remember from when I wandered outside of Paris city center in search of a simple cheap breakfast back when I was a broke student...
DINNER: 8pm, burger and tater tots, hunger 4/5
Dinner in at my brother-in-law's house, from a limited diner menu. I always enjoy eating horrendously after meeting Ilsa!
The other night when I was speaking to Caroline, the FCI graduate, she mentioned she made her own bacon. Last night when feeling snacky, I fried up 5 pieces of good lower-salt non-nitrite porky goodness, and it was so satisfying.
Make my own bacon - hmmmm. Caroline recommended a book on charcuterie, claims it changed her life. I rember while travelling through Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, every little bo-funk diner's bacon was different than the next. Different smoke flavors, different cuts, different thicknesses, some were more like ham or British bacon - every one delicious. Just as one could obsess about the characteristics of pizza in NYC, you could do the same thing out there for bacon. BBQ too, but that's a whole 'nuther thing.
I imagine books have been written about bacon, as looking back over the threads of my life, bacon runs an interesting line. Growin up Jewish in a non-religious household, we did not keep kosher but bacon and pork sausage was a very rare occurance. I remember mom experimenting with some trendy minced & formed bacon-like substance that was supposed to be healthier that was just nasty. Dad, who would hide pork sausage in the back of the freezer, would make us breakfast of pancakes and bacon when my mom wasn't around - I guess that's why I have such a strong emotional connection to my own pancakes n' bacon.
Today, I'm visiting the FCI for a tour after work, and auditing classes at the ICE tomorrow. I wonder if they teach you how to make bacon.
BREAKFAST: 7:45am, organic cornflakes with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 10am, 4oz of rootbeer, hunger 3/5
Needed a shot of sugar to focus on the task at hand.
LUNCH: 1:30, vegetable ravioli in butter and parm reg, water, hunger 4/5
Boiled up a bunch of frozen ravioli I bought from the market near the Food Network. Very spinachy, B would of loved them.
PM SNACKS: 2-3pm, 1 little crunchy chocolate square, 2 amuse bouches, a couple of crunchy tiny pastry sticks, hunger 3/5
As I was on the tour of the French Culinary Institute, the guide, the chefs and the students kept offering me food. I stuck to the small stuff, but I easily could of wolfed down a lot more. A small sampling of eating habits to come?
PM SNACK: 4pm, half a fresh baguette, hunger 3/5
They grind their own flour at the FCI and this baguette was definitely what I remember from when I wandered outside of Paris city center in search of a simple cheap breakfast back when I was a broke student...
DINNER: 8pm, burger and tater tots, hunger 4/5
Dinner in at my brother-in-law's house, from a limited diner menu. I always enjoy eating horrendously after meeting Ilsa!
Monday, February 4
Floating
ADDENDA:
A very intense weekend, to say the least. The eating day skidded to a halt yesterday, and ended up eating 'breakfast' late in the evening while reviewing Superbowl commercials - made me feel like I should have a big plate of something greezy in front of me!
This morning woke up at 7:45 after a good night of sleep, spoke with my financial advisor about the future, set up some class auditing and career councilling at the ICE. Feel better about things, but still unclear. I almost feel guilty about it, but I'm looking forward to wrapping up at work tomorrow morning so I can go home....and cook!
LUNCH: 1pm, fresh bread, marinated asparigi, portobellos and tomatoey eggplant, fresh fettucine with meat sauce, chocolate gelato, carbonated water, hunger 4/5
Lunch in midtown with the HVS at 45 Bond, the fancy business lunch place off of Times Square. Really good to just go over and recap the weekend and my thoughts on culinary and work to someone who understands, whose been there with me but not every moment. I've also been talking and confiding in Betsy, but that's more of an upclose, ongoing thing, y'know?
The pasta was really good, a nice firm and silky bite, the meat sauce was pleasantly gamey, that balance of pork, beef and veal that Italian cuisine does so well. The marinated vegetables were great, though the eggplant stuff was a bit too vinegary to my taste. I wonder if that's just my personal taste or if the cook made a mistake - is that dish supposed to be vinegary?
DINNER: 7pm, homemade roasted mixed fingerlings with cipolinni onions, merguez sausage, 5 little vegan cookies, water, hunger 4/5
Used a bunch of green market ingredients to make the potatoes. Ran out of olive oil, and found that it's MUCH better when there isn't much excess oil.
EVENING SNACK: 10:45pm, 5 slices fresh bacon, hunger 4/5
Wanted a savory snack. Whole house smelled porky, good thing B was asleep.
A very intense weekend, to say the least. The eating day skidded to a halt yesterday, and ended up eating 'breakfast' late in the evening while reviewing Superbowl commercials - made me feel like I should have a big plate of something greezy in front of me!
This morning woke up at 7:45 after a good night of sleep, spoke with my financial advisor about the future, set up some class auditing and career councilling at the ICE. Feel better about things, but still unclear. I almost feel guilty about it, but I'm looking forward to wrapping up at work tomorrow morning so I can go home....and cook!
LUNCH: 1pm, fresh bread, marinated asparigi, portobellos and tomatoey eggplant, fresh fettucine with meat sauce, chocolate gelato, carbonated water, hunger 4/5
Lunch in midtown with the HVS at 45 Bond, the fancy business lunch place off of Times Square. Really good to just go over and recap the weekend and my thoughts on culinary and work to someone who understands, whose been there with me but not every moment. I've also been talking and confiding in Betsy, but that's more of an upclose, ongoing thing, y'know?
The pasta was really good, a nice firm and silky bite, the meat sauce was pleasantly gamey, that balance of pork, beef and veal that Italian cuisine does so well. The marinated vegetables were great, though the eggplant stuff was a bit too vinegary to my taste. I wonder if that's just my personal taste or if the cook made a mistake - is that dish supposed to be vinegary?
DINNER: 7pm, homemade roasted mixed fingerlings with cipolinni onions, merguez sausage, 5 little vegan cookies, water, hunger 4/5
Used a bunch of green market ingredients to make the potatoes. Ran out of olive oil, and found that it's MUCH better when there isn't much excess oil.
EVENING SNACK: 10:45pm, 5 slices fresh bacon, hunger 4/5
Wanted a savory snack. Whole house smelled porky, good thing B was asleep.
Sunday, February 3
Moody
ADDENDA:Good sleep. Long Island is nice, but I'm glad I don't live there. Grateful to be married. Feel unsettled about my future, professionally. Constantly thinking, weighing.
BREAKFAST: 10am, organic cheerios with good milk, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:45pm, coleslaw, 3 pickles, pastrami on rye, small amount of kasha varnishkes, water, hunger 4/5
Went to look at apartments with B & her mom, then to a deli on the UWS. Not the greatest deli, but a lot of fun to take a parent out, a lot of bittersweet emotions about the ceremony of going out to eat with my own parents. As a very elderly woman struggled to get in the door with both her walker and her health aide, I found myself remembering a lot of the details of my parent's extended illnesses, but B snapped me back into the present! I like the present with B.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, chocolate cake, water, hunger 2/5
Small family gathering of B's clan for a birthday, skipped the champagne, just not hungry. Was nice/anxiety-producing to talk about my job situation/culinary thoughts with a bunch of peeps, though.
EVENING SNACK: 8PM, small green salad hunger 3/5
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, super hippy bread with peanut butter, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 11:30pm, good yogurt with honey and vanilla, hunger 4/5
I'm not good at not eating dinner.
Saturday, February 2
Be My Own Chef
ADDENDA:Saw this corny advert that said 'Be Your Own Chef', while I was pedaling by and in deep thought about culinary school. A lot percolating...
AM SNACK: 8:30am, 3 vegan cookie things, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST: 10am, ham & cheese on a croissant, water, hunger 4/5
At Orchard 88 with friends who are staying with us for the weekend. Sandwich was small, greezy and a big ham and funky cheese flavor. Very frenchy.
PM SNACK: 1pm, veggie booty, hunger 4/5
Went to the farmers market and WF, made a big salad, but felt too lazy to eat any.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, 1 saltless wholewheat pretzel, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 4:30pm, 1.5 mixed empinades, 1 piece salty chocolate cake, hunger 4/5
Ate the leftovers at the end of Reeve's baby shower.
PM SNACK: 6pm, 1 slice streetza, hunger 4/5
Hungry on the way out to a L.I. party. Near the Flatbush LIRR, this rather dirty looking slice joint had a thin, wonderfully snappy crust with just a hint of chew. An unexpected delight.
EVENING SNACKS: 8pm, a few slices snausage, little bits of various fancy cheeses, a few water crackers and onion dip, 1 beer, hunger 4/5
The hostess did a diploma at the French Culinary Institute, chewed on her ear about her experiences and thoughts through the night.
EVENING SNACK: 12:15am, 1 Gus Grape soda, hunger 4/5
After getting home and having such a weird eating day, just needed....something. This lightly sweetened soda was nice...but makes me think I could make it myself.
Friday, February 1
Culinary?
ADDENDA:
Met with an admissions director at the Institute of Culinary Education this morning before work. Sat and spoke for about an hour, then gave me a tour of the facility. Though I stuck to my questions about job placement and career advisement, my gut reaction while seeing cooking classes in session was, "Oh my. This looks like an obscene amount of fun!" I'm considering getting a double diploma in culinary arts and management. Well, if I do pull the trigger, it should make for a very interesting blog...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, curry pork cutlet with rice, miso soup, hunger 4/5
Nice having a work-day lunch with Erikka.
PM WATERING: 3:30pm, 24 oz still
DINNER: 7pm, leftover homemade baked ziti, baby carrots with crappy WF guac, homemade chocolate soy ice cream, hunger 4/5
Baked pastas freeze exceptionally well and come back to life in the microwave without a hitch - gotta make a new batch with the idea of individual frozen servings. Felt the urge for more food and sweets after, so cobbled together the ingredients and busted out the ice cream attachment for the mixer. From deciding I wanted it to eating it was under 15 minutes. I upped the maple syrup and threw in a dash of vanilla extract, it really made the flavor pop.
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, bowl of veggie booty, hunger 4/5
Met with an admissions director at the Institute of Culinary Education this morning before work. Sat and spoke for about an hour, then gave me a tour of the facility. Though I stuck to my questions about job placement and career advisement, my gut reaction while seeing cooking classes in session was, "Oh my. This looks like an obscene amount of fun!" I'm considering getting a double diploma in culinary arts and management. Well, if I do pull the trigger, it should make for a very interesting blog...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, curry pork cutlet with rice, miso soup, hunger 4/5
Nice having a work-day lunch with Erikka.
PM WATERING: 3:30pm, 24 oz still
DINNER: 7pm, leftover homemade baked ziti, baby carrots with crappy WF guac, homemade chocolate soy ice cream, hunger 4/5
Baked pastas freeze exceptionally well and come back to life in the microwave without a hitch - gotta make a new batch with the idea of individual frozen servings. Felt the urge for more food and sweets after, so cobbled together the ingredients and busted out the ice cream attachment for the mixer. From deciding I wanted it to eating it was under 15 minutes. I upped the maple syrup and threw in a dash of vanilla extract, it really made the flavor pop.
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, bowl of veggie booty, hunger 4/5
Thursday, January 31
The Unwork Work Daze
ADDENDA:
Back at the old job, at the old desk, till Tuesday as a consultant. Left my adult sippy cup here, there was some mildew in it, yuk. I feel a bit bummed being back here, but easy money is easy money, even if it's not a 'career move'.
I've realized the emotions I'm feeling - it's like you have a big break up with your significant other, you spend a month feeling low about it, doing healthy things to constructively move on, then all of a sudden you find yourself back together with your ex for an extended weekend of bonking - it's nice, it LOOKS the same, but you know everything has changed, and the weekend of bonking is going to pass and you'll be right back where you started.
BREAKFAST: 10am, bowl of organic wholewheat chex with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: noon, 24oz water
LUNCH: 2:30 lamb on pita, hunger 4.5/5
Almost forgot to eat, but started getting dizzyheaded - how the hell do people forget to eat?! It's like forgetting to breathe! (So sayeth the chubby dude...) Nice to go back to an old favored lunch spot. Watching the 4 guys in the little cart, a tight team...
DINNER: 7pm, crusty bread with fresh ricotta and tomato broth, margerita pizza appetizer, polenta and mushroom appetizer, 2 ginormous meatballs in tomato sauce, shared warm chocolate cake and ammeretto icecream, 1 glass presecco, water, hunger 4/5
Nice relaxing dinner out with the wifey at Apizz in the 'hood. Very good food, very charming room.
Back at the old job, at the old desk, till Tuesday as a consultant. Left my adult sippy cup here, there was some mildew in it, yuk. I feel a bit bummed being back here, but easy money is easy money, even if it's not a 'career move'.
I've realized the emotions I'm feeling - it's like you have a big break up with your significant other, you spend a month feeling low about it, doing healthy things to constructively move on, then all of a sudden you find yourself back together with your ex for an extended weekend of bonking - it's nice, it LOOKS the same, but you know everything has changed, and the weekend of bonking is going to pass and you'll be right back where you started.
BREAKFAST: 10am, bowl of organic wholewheat chex with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: noon, 24oz water
LUNCH: 2:30 lamb on pita, hunger 4.5/5
Almost forgot to eat, but started getting dizzyheaded - how the hell do people forget to eat?! It's like forgetting to breathe! (So sayeth the chubby dude...) Nice to go back to an old favored lunch spot. Watching the 4 guys in the little cart, a tight team...
DINNER: 7pm, crusty bread with fresh ricotta and tomato broth, margerita pizza appetizer, polenta and mushroom appetizer, 2 ginormous meatballs in tomato sauce, shared warm chocolate cake and ammeretto icecream, 1 glass presecco, water, hunger 4/5
Nice relaxing dinner out with the wifey at Apizz in the 'hood. Very good food, very charming room.
Wednesday, January 30
Arancini, bambini!
BREAKFAST: 9am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 3/5
BP 11:30am: 133/90
Haven't been very physical lately, my plan to intensify yoga routed by my employment situation. Too cold to ride.
LUNCH: 1pm, homemade arancini with homemade tomato sauce, water, hunger 4/5
Did a search to find the best way to reheat gluey cold risotto - most said either microwave it or pan heat with a bit of stock. One person said there is NO way to bring risotto back to life - the traditional way of using leftover risotto is to make arancini - rice balls. Basically you mix an egg into the cold risotto, ball it up around a stuffing (I had some mozz lying around), dredge in flour, bath it in egg, coat it in crumbs (I just used wholewheat flour) then deep fry till golden (I only had olive oil around) They actually came out pretty good, though a bit loose and messy - this method of cooking is definitely a feel-thing. I feel like I'm sketching, trying to develop a feel for the tools of this art - only I get to eat the art and judge pretty immediately if it's good or not!
DINNER: 7pm, 2 shrimp spring rolls, baby carrots with guacamole, 1 small piece of thai peanut marinaded mahi mahi, 1 slice chocolate cake, hunger 4/5
Wow, this is my first mid-meal post! After the arancini, I cleaned up then installed myself on the couch to digest, where I promptly fell asleep. I woke up feeling guilty - lazy & unemployed, sleeping the afternoon away when I was planning to make some pro-active motions towards the situation. So I forced myself out of the house at 5pm, rode over to Chelsea Market to buy a new houseplant. Food Network is based there, and I wandered the market looking at people who probably worked there, feeling a bit crummy. Found an Italian-supply shop, wandered in and found a really good price on bufalla moz.
On the way home, stopped by Whole Foods just to buy dinner for tonight. The greezy arancini still rolling around in my stomach, I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to eat...and what I came up with was....carrots and cake (not carrot cake, I hate that stuff!) So I got a bag of baby carrots, some house-made guac (not very good, surprisingly), a palm piece of raw fish, and a container of 2 fresh spring rolls. When I got home, popped the fish in the oven and ate the carrots, guac and rolls. Waiting for the fish to be ready before the cake....
It was tempting to buy some prepared heat n' eat thing, as I didn't feel like cooking, but baking a piece of pre-marinated fish isn't really cooking....and pre-cooked fish is by far always not that great.
EVENING DRUGGING: 10:30pm, 2 tumms
Lots of fried food doesn't agree with me, I'm coming to realize...
BP 11:30am: 133/90
Haven't been very physical lately, my plan to intensify yoga routed by my employment situation. Too cold to ride.
LUNCH: 1pm, homemade arancini with homemade tomato sauce, water, hunger 4/5
Did a search to find the best way to reheat gluey cold risotto - most said either microwave it or pan heat with a bit of stock. One person said there is NO way to bring risotto back to life - the traditional way of using leftover risotto is to make arancini - rice balls. Basically you mix an egg into the cold risotto, ball it up around a stuffing (I had some mozz lying around), dredge in flour, bath it in egg, coat it in crumbs (I just used wholewheat flour) then deep fry till golden (I only had olive oil around) They actually came out pretty good, though a bit loose and messy - this method of cooking is definitely a feel-thing. I feel like I'm sketching, trying to develop a feel for the tools of this art - only I get to eat the art and judge pretty immediately if it's good or not!
DINNER: 7pm, 2 shrimp spring rolls, baby carrots with guacamole, 1 small piece of thai peanut marinaded mahi mahi, 1 slice chocolate cake, hunger 4/5
Wow, this is my first mid-meal post! After the arancini, I cleaned up then installed myself on the couch to digest, where I promptly fell asleep. I woke up feeling guilty - lazy & unemployed, sleeping the afternoon away when I was planning to make some pro-active motions towards the situation. So I forced myself out of the house at 5pm, rode over to Chelsea Market to buy a new houseplant. Food Network is based there, and I wandered the market looking at people who probably worked there, feeling a bit crummy. Found an Italian-supply shop, wandered in and found a really good price on bufalla moz.
On the way home, stopped by Whole Foods just to buy dinner for tonight. The greezy arancini still rolling around in my stomach, I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to eat...and what I came up with was....carrots and cake (not carrot cake, I hate that stuff!) So I got a bag of baby carrots, some house-made guac (not very good, surprisingly), a palm piece of raw fish, and a container of 2 fresh spring rolls. When I got home, popped the fish in the oven and ate the carrots, guac and rolls. Waiting for the fish to be ready before the cake....
It was tempting to buy some prepared heat n' eat thing, as I didn't feel like cooking, but baking a piece of pre-marinated fish isn't really cooking....and pre-cooked fish is by far always not that great.
EVENING DRUGGING: 10:30pm, 2 tumms
Lots of fried food doesn't agree with me, I'm coming to realize...
Tuesday, January 29
Pancakes just keep getting better
ADDENDA:
Betsy made a crack about the other day when I was feeling crappier, worried I was overeating - referred to the pasta I made for lunch as a very large serving and the Thai food I ordered for dinner as a 'brick' - a term I usually reserve for the obscenely dense bricks that Chinese take out comes in. I imagine when I focus on lowering my weight, I'll have to focus not only on making good healthy food, but eating less of it, too....
Still stuffy, but feel a lot better. Slept a little fitfully, but OK.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, home made pancakes and bacon, hunger 4/5
Used whipped eggwhites as a fluffing agent again, I must say these are some of the best pancakes I ever made/ate. Bacon is organic and uncured from WF, salty but reasonably so.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, homemade baked ziti, water,
hunger 4/5
Katya came over to use my computer, made lunch. Actually, it's a baked penne but whose to nit-pick. The sauce was homemade but frozen, and mixed a buffala mozz with fresh cow because WF was out of the good stuff. Came out pretty damn good, pretty too. Bread crumbs were freshly made, too.
Still got a ton of risotto. Guess I'll freeze this jam for when I have less time to cook!
LUNCH #2: 4pm, small green salad, small portion of baked ziti, hunger 4/5
Granted, the portion of ziti I had for lunch was small, I was feeling a bit guilty after B expressed her concern about portion size. But Dinner ain't till 7ish, and I'm hungry. Better a bunch of small meals then a few biggies, right?
DINNER: 6:30pm, sushi platter, water, 1 piece of multigrain bread with weird vegetable spread, hunger 4/5
Nice dinner outwith some colleagues/friends from the old job. Ironically, got a call during dinner, will be going to the office for a freelance project Thurs-Tues.
EVENING SNACK: 10:30, small bowl of risotto, hunger 4/5
Not enough for dinner. Found some interesting recipes of what to do with gluey risotto, looks good for an interesting lunch tomorrow...
Betsy made a crack about the other day when I was feeling crappier, worried I was overeating - referred to the pasta I made for lunch as a very large serving and the Thai food I ordered for dinner as a 'brick' - a term I usually reserve for the obscenely dense bricks that Chinese take out comes in. I imagine when I focus on lowering my weight, I'll have to focus not only on making good healthy food, but eating less of it, too....
Still stuffy, but feel a lot better. Slept a little fitfully, but OK.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, home made pancakes and bacon, hunger 4/5
Used whipped eggwhites as a fluffing agent again, I must say these are some of the best pancakes I ever made/ate. Bacon is organic and uncured from WF, salty but reasonably so.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, homemade baked ziti, water,
hunger 4/5Katya came over to use my computer, made lunch. Actually, it's a baked penne but whose to nit-pick. The sauce was homemade but frozen, and mixed a buffala mozz with fresh cow because WF was out of the good stuff. Came out pretty damn good, pretty too. Bread crumbs were freshly made, too.
Still got a ton of risotto. Guess I'll freeze this jam for when I have less time to cook!
LUNCH #2: 4pm, small green salad, small portion of baked ziti, hunger 4/5
Granted, the portion of ziti I had for lunch was small, I was feeling a bit guilty after B expressed her concern about portion size. But Dinner ain't till 7ish, and I'm hungry. Better a bunch of small meals then a few biggies, right?
DINNER: 6:30pm, sushi platter, water, 1 piece of multigrain bread with weird vegetable spread, hunger 4/5
Nice dinner outwith some colleagues/friends from the old job. Ironically, got a call during dinner, will be going to the office for a freelance project Thurs-Tues.
EVENING SNACK: 10:30, small bowl of risotto, hunger 4/5
Not enough for dinner. Found some interesting recipes of what to do with gluey risotto, looks good for an interesting lunch tomorrow...
Monday, January 28
Monday Make Me Wanna Puke
ADDENDA:
Got to bed around 11, had slight difficulty falling asleep, then had the craziest dreams again. On the sick-couch, I watched the movie 'Deep Impact' then an episode of the L Word, and in my dream I was running away from a giant wave with the characters from the L Word. Also dreamt that I inherited a really old, broken-down car from my father (a black Studebaker with lots of leaves piled up in side, something my dad never had) and I was driving it around Staten Island, trying to clear the leaves off the steering wheel while staying in control.
AM DRUGGING: 7:45am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C, 2 extra strength Tylenol
Woke up several times to blow my nose, very stuffed up.
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, 1 wholewheat saltless pretzel, hunger 3/5
I got up off the couch because I started to feel queezy, then attempted to throw up in the sink - I think the pills on on an empty stomach was a bad idea. The sound of my retching threw me back to when I was living with my mom while she was in the last stages of her cancer - the chemo and pills would make her make the same exact noises. Happy morning!
LUNCH: 1:15pm, homemade mushroom & sherry
risotto, 2 small chocolate ice cream bars, 3/4 bottle of seltzer
Spent the morning doing laundry, food shopping, missing my parents, feeling sorry for myself, so I collected ingredients for a challenging afternoon of cooking. Following Batali's recipe with some necessary adjustments (double the shiitakes, dried porcini for fresh, sherry instead of Vin Canto, vegetable stock instead of chicken stock), and though he calls for 18 minutes of stirring while ladling in stock, to reach the proper creaminess and al denteness of the rice, took an arm-bending 45 minutes. (This would be a great recipe for those with OCD) A lot of cooking involves putting stuff on heat and walking away, this was 1 & 1/4 solid hours of chopping, sweating, browning, stirring then mixing - good for the soul. Even before I tasted it, I was glad to have the distraction.
So I ladled it out, took a picture and ate. I'm not a huge fan of risotto, but I have enjoyed it before. I was surprised by the creamy consistency (as no creamy ingredients were used), the rice-pudding like consistency of the rice, and the fantastic mushroomy funkiness set off perfectly by the sherry. That said, if I was served this in a restaurant, I'd probably not be impressed - but I wouldn't send it back, either! I look forward to Betsy trying it, as I have a small bucket of it left over.
DINNER: 7pm, reheated left over baked potato with sauteed broccoli, mushroom and garlic, 1 small chocolate ice cream bar, hunger 4/5
I'm a bit afraid of the left over risotto, it looks a bit like paste.... so I prepped the other left overs, threw hot sauce & soy sauce on the veg and came out nicely.
Feeling too healthy and craving sugar (baked potatoes have that effect on me), I scarfed my 2nd desert of the day. These ice cream bars are kinda like the Haagen Daaz all-chocolate bars, but smaller and all-organic and less crippity crappity stuff in it. I remember the H.D. bars as a snack making me feel ill, so I skipped them for this brand. Didn't make me fill skanky but wasn't that great, either. Gotta make my own ice cream again, soon.
EVENING SNACK: 11:15pm, small bowl of risotto, hunger 4/5
Feeling nippy - desiring....meat. But this is available. Reheated in the microwave, good, but surprisingly thick and pudding like. Taste the sherry a bit too strongly. Next time I make this it's gonna kick ass!
Got to bed around 11, had slight difficulty falling asleep, then had the craziest dreams again. On the sick-couch, I watched the movie 'Deep Impact' then an episode of the L Word, and in my dream I was running away from a giant wave with the characters from the L Word. Also dreamt that I inherited a really old, broken-down car from my father (a black Studebaker with lots of leaves piled up in side, something my dad never had) and I was driving it around Staten Island, trying to clear the leaves off the steering wheel while staying in control.
AM DRUGGING: 7:45am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C, 2 extra strength Tylenol
Woke up several times to blow my nose, very stuffed up.
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, 1 wholewheat saltless pretzel, hunger 3/5
I got up off the couch because I started to feel queezy, then attempted to throw up in the sink - I think the pills on on an empty stomach was a bad idea. The sound of my retching threw me back to when I was living with my mom while she was in the last stages of her cancer - the chemo and pills would make her make the same exact noises. Happy morning!
LUNCH: 1:15pm, homemade mushroom & sherry
risotto, 2 small chocolate ice cream bars, 3/4 bottle of seltzerSpent the morning doing laundry, food shopping, missing my parents, feeling sorry for myself, so I collected ingredients for a challenging afternoon of cooking. Following Batali's recipe with some necessary adjustments (double the shiitakes, dried porcini for fresh, sherry instead of Vin Canto, vegetable stock instead of chicken stock), and though he calls for 18 minutes of stirring while ladling in stock, to reach the proper creaminess and al denteness of the rice, took an arm-bending 45 minutes. (This would be a great recipe for those with OCD) A lot of cooking involves putting stuff on heat and walking away, this was 1 & 1/4 solid hours of chopping, sweating, browning, stirring then mixing - good for the soul. Even before I tasted it, I was glad to have the distraction.
So I ladled it out, took a picture and ate. I'm not a huge fan of risotto, but I have enjoyed it before. I was surprised by the creamy consistency (as no creamy ingredients were used), the rice-pudding like consistency of the rice, and the fantastic mushroomy funkiness set off perfectly by the sherry. That said, if I was served this in a restaurant, I'd probably not be impressed - but I wouldn't send it back, either! I look forward to Betsy trying it, as I have a small bucket of it left over.
DINNER: 7pm, reheated left over baked potato with sauteed broccoli, mushroom and garlic, 1 small chocolate ice cream bar, hunger 4/5
I'm a bit afraid of the left over risotto, it looks a bit like paste.... so I prepped the other left overs, threw hot sauce & soy sauce on the veg and came out nicely.
Feeling too healthy and craving sugar (baked potatoes have that effect on me), I scarfed my 2nd desert of the day. These ice cream bars are kinda like the Haagen Daaz all-chocolate bars, but smaller and all-organic and less crippity crappity stuff in it. I remember the H.D. bars as a snack making me feel ill, so I skipped them for this brand. Didn't make me fill skanky but wasn't that great, either. Gotta make my own ice cream again, soon.
EVENING SNACK: 11:15pm, small bowl of risotto, hunger 4/5
Feeling nippy - desiring....meat. But this is available. Reheated in the microwave, good, but surprisingly thick and pudding like. Taste the sherry a bit too strongly. Next time I make this it's gonna kick ass!
Sunday, January 27
Casa de Wildman: Overrun with Ladies
ADDENDA:
Slept from 9:30 to 8, had some crazy dreams. I dreamt I went back to college, as a freshman, back to SUNY Albany, living on the miserable campus. Only this time I was black, with mini-dreads, kinda like that horrible 80s movie 'Soul Man'. I had full knowledge of my past, but everyone else I assumed I was an 18 year old black kid with 'wacky' street cred. Weird.
Also dreamt I visited my home in Staten Island, as if both my parents were still alive and never sold the house. For some reason the house was not as I remembered it, becoming more of a Victorian mansion with medieval ramparts at the front. It was pleasingly overgrown with vines and roosting wildlife, and my parents were happy and leading a good life there.
Have a cough, stuffy nose, not so much a headache. Cancelling all plans today and just going to read, watch the tube, read the job listing and snuggle my wonderful ladies, feline and otherwise!
AM DRUGGING: 8:15am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with vanilla and honey, hunger 3.5/5
Despite feeling ill, not affecting my appetite.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, wholewheat fusilli with garlic, oil & mushrooms, half a bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Experimented with this pasta, sweating garlic and onion in olive oil and a pat of butter, a dash of white wine, a dash of sea salt to help sweat the vegetable matter, a sprinkle dried basil, and thinly sliced criminis, all kinda run together under very low heat. Topping the pasta with this and some freshly ground cheese, I was surprised how yummy it came out, definitely restaurant worthy. A great meal to veg on the couch with.
PM DRUGGING: 4:15pm, 2 extra strength tylenol
Headache came raging back when I stood up from the couch and felt light-headed. Still stuffed up and coughy.
PM SNACK: 5:45pm, large green salad with ranch dressing, hunger 4/5
Don't know what to do about dinner so I took this punt...
DINNER: 8pm, shrimp masamam curry with sticky rice, tofu tod, hunger 4/5
Ordered in Thai. Hark, is this a desert free day?!
Slept from 9:30 to 8, had some crazy dreams. I dreamt I went back to college, as a freshman, back to SUNY Albany, living on the miserable campus. Only this time I was black, with mini-dreads, kinda like that horrible 80s movie 'Soul Man'. I had full knowledge of my past, but everyone else I assumed I was an 18 year old black kid with 'wacky' street cred. Weird.
Also dreamt I visited my home in Staten Island, as if both my parents were still alive and never sold the house. For some reason the house was not as I remembered it, becoming more of a Victorian mansion with medieval ramparts at the front. It was pleasingly overgrown with vines and roosting wildlife, and my parents were happy and leading a good life there.
Have a cough, stuffy nose, not so much a headache. Cancelling all plans today and just going to read, watch the tube, read the job listing and snuggle my wonderful ladies, feline and otherwise!
AM DRUGGING: 8:15am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with vanilla and honey, hunger 3.5/5
Despite feeling ill, not affecting my appetite.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, wholewheat fusilli with garlic, oil & mushrooms, half a bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Experimented with this pasta, sweating garlic and onion in olive oil and a pat of butter, a dash of white wine, a dash of sea salt to help sweat the vegetable matter, a sprinkle dried basil, and thinly sliced criminis, all kinda run together under very low heat. Topping the pasta with this and some freshly ground cheese, I was surprised how yummy it came out, definitely restaurant worthy. A great meal to veg on the couch with.
PM DRUGGING: 4:15pm, 2 extra strength tylenol
Headache came raging back when I stood up from the couch and felt light-headed. Still stuffed up and coughy.
PM SNACK: 5:45pm, large green salad with ranch dressing, hunger 4/5
Don't know what to do about dinner so I took this punt...
DINNER: 8pm, shrimp masamam curry with sticky rice, tofu tod, hunger 4/5
Ordered in Thai. Hark, is this a desert free day?!
Saturday, January 26
Gettin' Ill, and Rufus is still a chick.
ADDENDA:
Was gonna hit up the farmer's market, but a lolling feeling of lethargy kept me pinned to the couch most of the day. Forced myself out to a movie with a friend, and felt a lot worse after, physically.
AM DRUGGING: 7am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C, 2 tylenol
Felt crappy, cough in throat, headache. B took my temp but it's normal. Slept well, went to bed at 11ish.
BREAKFAST: 7:15am, organic whole grain chex with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 10am, 1 pint of water
Felt hungry, but suspected it might be thirst - it wasn't.
AM SNACK: 10:45am, 1 piece of superhippy bread with good peanut butter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30, 1 baked potato (with stir fried shrimp, broccoli, mushroom, onion), small block of good chocolate, pint of water
Just kinda winged it with sesame oil, tamari, sesame seeds, Worcestershire, a dash of sugar, cornstarch. Came out weird and crude but interesting. Made 2 potatoes but only ate one - it was really enough. I know when I start focusing on weight loss, I think the main focus will be on portion control. Maybe I should take pics of every meal so internet peeps can judge if I'm eating too much?
PM DRUGGING: 6:45pm, 2 tylenol
Feel run down, light headed, throat is still itchy, hungry and nauseous at the same time. Just saw 'Cloverfield', which is NOT the movie to see if you're feeling woozy! Gonna take a bath and try not to be cranky...
PM SNACK: 7pm, 1 wholewheat saltless pretzel, hunger 4/5
Helped settle my stomach
DINNER: 7:45pm, Ethiopian vegetarian platter, pint water, hunger 4/5
Ethiopian delivers! That's why NYC is a great place sometimes.
Was gonna hit up the farmer's market, but a lolling feeling of lethargy kept me pinned to the couch most of the day. Forced myself out to a movie with a friend, and felt a lot worse after, physically.
AM DRUGGING: 7am, dirtpill, 500mg Vitamin C, 2 tylenol
Felt crappy, cough in throat, headache. B took my temp but it's normal. Slept well, went to bed at 11ish.
BREAKFAST: 7:15am, organic whole grain chex with good milk, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 10am, 1 pint of water
Felt hungry, but suspected it might be thirst - it wasn't.
AM SNACK: 10:45am, 1 piece of superhippy bread with good peanut butter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30, 1 baked potato (with stir fried shrimp, broccoli, mushroom, onion), small block of good chocolate, pint of water
Just kinda winged it with sesame oil, tamari, sesame seeds, Worcestershire, a dash of sugar, cornstarch. Came out weird and crude but interesting. Made 2 potatoes but only ate one - it was really enough. I know when I start focusing on weight loss, I think the main focus will be on portion control. Maybe I should take pics of every meal so internet peeps can judge if I'm eating too much?
PM DRUGGING: 6:45pm, 2 tylenol
Feel run down, light headed, throat is still itchy, hungry and nauseous at the same time. Just saw 'Cloverfield', which is NOT the movie to see if you're feeling woozy! Gonna take a bath and try not to be cranky...
PM SNACK: 7pm, 1 wholewheat saltless pretzel, hunger 4/5
Helped settle my stomach
DINNER: 7:45pm, Ethiopian vegetarian platter, pint water, hunger 4/5
Ethiopian delivers! That's why NYC is a great place sometimes.
Friday, January 25
Rufuses Don't Cry
ADDENDA:Slow morning, an appointment with the dentist in the morning (my eatin' equipment is 100% A-OK), and an afternoon appointment with the vet....
To my shock, my cat Rufus, who've I had now for 8 years, whose previous owner named Oscar....is a chick!! And he passed so well for the rougher sex...should I rename him Rufusina? Should I have him have more 'girls night out' with B? -sigh-
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with raw nuts, vanilla, honey, hunger 4/5
Ahhh, a nice normal breakfast. I could of slept in but felt if I'm going to move forward, shouldn't bury my head.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, leftover homemade calzone, hunger 4/5
A little bit doughy, but held up surprisingly well in the fridge. I think the next time I cook pizza up, will make a few vegan calzones to bring to B and the HVS.
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, large green salad with ranch dressing, 4 vegan cookie things, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, 1 meat empenada, 1 tiny turkey sandwich, 1 glass red wine, hunger 4/5
At a gallery opening in DUMBO. The empenada was homemade, and so much yummier than the ones I buy on 1st Ave.
DINNER: 8:30pm, handful of edemame, small sticky rice with satay and shrimp, water, hunger 2/5
Dinner in DUMBO after, not very hungry. For some reason still tempted to order a 'large' as afraid a small would not be enough, even though not very hungry. Ordered the small...and it was the size what I imagined a large would be!! Oy.
Thursday, January 24
Back Atcha
ADDENDA:
Crazy dreams, involving taking friends on a weird Disney-esque tour of NYC over and overagain, then going to the house I gre up on SI and finding a collection of classic bicycles in the basement that I never noticed before, many not unlike the Amsterdam bikes. Hmmm.
Took today easy, laundry, appointments made for the dentist and vet tomorrow, food shopping, salad making, uhh, blogging my trip, catching up on the L-Word and Idol. The vacation did clear my head of a lot of clutter, and am gearing up for a proper job search.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, 2 slices toasted sprouted whole wheat bread with very garlicy homemade hummus, hunger 4/5
BP: 11am, 128/97
LUNCH: 1pm, 2 Wholefoods shrimp summerrolls, homemade pizza with onion, mushroom and prosciutto, liter of water, hunger 4/5 Skipped making dough this time, just a full-on pizza to the best of my ability, experimenting with cured ham - which came out really nicely, but too salty. The thinness of it became nicely crispy on the edges, and it made it's thin consistency go from ham to bacon in the same bites, really interesting.
DINNER: 8:30pm, salty greasy pita with chickpea mash, shrimp with rice noodle salad appetizer, cod with smashed potatoes, a bit of foi gras and pork loin, peanut butter bombe dessert with bites of chocolate mouse cake and coffee sponge, frozen hot chocolate martini, water, hunger 4/5
Took B and Erikka to dinner at Fr.Og, was good food but not good enough to justify the prices. I usually don't drink kooky cocktails, but the name of this one interested me - unfortunately, it was disgusting - chocolate milk with a large shot of vodka in it.
Crazy dreams, involving taking friends on a weird Disney-esque tour of NYC over and overagain, then going to the house I gre up on SI and finding a collection of classic bicycles in the basement that I never noticed before, many not unlike the Amsterdam bikes. Hmmm.
Took today easy, laundry, appointments made for the dentist and vet tomorrow, food shopping, salad making, uhh, blogging my trip, catching up on the L-Word and Idol. The vacation did clear my head of a lot of clutter, and am gearing up for a proper job search.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, 2 slices toasted sprouted whole wheat bread with very garlicy homemade hummus, hunger 4/5
BP: 11am, 128/97
LUNCH: 1pm, 2 Wholefoods shrimp summerrolls, homemade pizza with onion, mushroom and prosciutto, liter of water, hunger 4/5 Skipped making dough this time, just a full-on pizza to the best of my ability, experimenting with cured ham - which came out really nicely, but too salty. The thinness of it became nicely crispy on the edges, and it made it's thin consistency go from ham to bacon in the same bites, really interesting.
DINNER: 8:30pm, salty greasy pita with chickpea mash, shrimp with rice noodle salad appetizer, cod with smashed potatoes, a bit of foi gras and pork loin, peanut butter bombe dessert with bites of chocolate mouse cake and coffee sponge, frozen hot chocolate martini, water, hunger 4/5
Took B and Erikka to dinner at Fr.Og, was good food but not good enough to justify the prices. I usually don't drink kooky cocktails, but the name of this one interested me - unfortunately, it was disgusting - chocolate milk with a large shot of vodka in it.
Wednesday, January 23
London & Amsterdam (or: Dick Licking, Magic Muffin Munching & McKrokets)
SUMMARY:
So off I went to my friend Tania's, who lives in Kent, about an hour south-east of London. With me were fine friends Danny, Kelly and Karen. Betsy was to come, too, but was held back by familial obligations.
I did not keep a log of what I ate, forgot to take my dirtpills, and totally just put my home stress out of mind.
I've been returning to Tania's once or twice a year for about 15 years now, Gillingham is a small working-class town in an industrial/agricultural belt of the Medway Towns. Her family stretches back many generations in the area, and people have a small-town mentality in the very best sense of the phrase. London can be in any country- Gillingham can only be in England.
A lot of my ceremonial attachment to the place is with food. The first night we were there, we went to a local Indian restaurant. The food was not world-class, but definitely a step above 6th Street. Followed by a very jet-lagged 3 pints, was a fun but draining evening
The main reason for a bunch of us coming over was the event of Tania's 40th birthday. There was a surprise party for her, with about 150 people in attendance at a village community hall. The food comprised mostly of sausage rolls and onion bahji, and I must of downed about 6 pints and a shot of sweat-sock tasting whisky before they shut down at 11pm - after which we went to the local disco which is the only place in 100 miles that has a license to serve till 3am. Had a pint there, then me and Danny did the traditional thing and got chips on the walk home.
Sunday some went into London to see a
museum, while others like me were wrecked with a hangover. We took great pleasure in going to the local supermarket and poking around. Tania ended up making a traditional Sunday roast (cooked to bloodlessness), potatoes, cooked veg, and a desert of Spotted Dick - Dick out of the freezer case. It's basically a fruit cake with syrup and custard - traditionally beef suet, but this industrialized version had all sorts of weird ingredients. Witness Danny and Karen licking their Dicks...
Usually, my last meal in Gillingham is fish n' chips, but between the actual cooking by a friend and the good company, an old ritual can be put on hold. I usually don't drink more than a couple of pints a night, either...
Took the fast train from London to Brussels, and a commuter train over to Amsterdam. Met
Danny and Kelly at the hotel, then walked about until stumbling on a random 'Dutch' restaurant. A 'traditional' Dutch pea soup was pleasantly laden with sausage, but the 'Dutch' fries were only distinguishable from French by the heap of mayonnaise that came on the side.
Tuesday morning brought a pleasant continental breakfast at the cute hotel we stayed at, tucked in a brownstone amongst the canals. Selection of weird wholewheat breads, meats and cheese, granola...I really enjoyed the granola, with raisins and almonds in it, gonna look for a low-sugar version here.
Did the museum and walking thing all day, grabbed a falafel (again, oddly shmeared with mayonnaise) and then we popped into a coffeeshop for tea and a baked good... we skipped out of
the quite skeevy red light district into quieter territories to find a nice, quiet non-descript vendor of THC-steeped goods. Lemon tea, a chocolate 'magic' muffin at 3 pm, and all was well. The muffin tasted good, with a slightly funky aftertaste of mary jane.
We walked about for an hour until we randomly decided to rent bicycles, as our muffins did nothing for us. Then about 10 minutes of riding, heading towards Vondel Park, a huge smile emerged in the back of my throat, radiating tingles up and down the back of my head. It seems the exertion of the riding kicked the muffin into action, and all of a sudden Danny and I had handle-bar mustaches and morning suits, squiring around Lady Kelly in a hoop skirt, all while on bicycles in a park much older than any in the US.
After a bit, we stopped at a market and I wandered in. Got a huge bottle of w
ater and a bag of 'Nibbits', whose squirrel on the package appealed to me some how. The ingredients were in 4 languages, none in English, but I suspect the two main ingredients were dehydrated potatoes and table salt. We stood by our bike wolfing it down, then we decided to take the bikes back. I promptly lost the other two and spent about an hour (or maybe 2, or maybe 10 minutes) stoned out of my gourd pedaling around random streets of Amsterdam without a map, hoping to find the rental shop. A few moments of almost-freak out, but was just enjoying the physical sensation of riding in a new city without a care in the world...
We wandered to a truly mediocre Italian restaurant, then got back to the hotel at 7pm, where I passed out and slept coma-like to 7am. I had a bottle of water by my bedside which somehow disappeared.
The last time I got stoned was in Amsterdam in 1992, where I ate a block of hash resin and basically hallucinated and felt weird for a few hours, this was MUCH more pleasant. Still, unless it becomes legal here, I have no great desire to get stoned on a regular basis. Funny, though, I was pretty ripped on alcohol and I suffered for a day after. Getting stoned, however, gave me a great night of sleep and I felt 105% functional the next day.
The next day, at the airport, I spent the balance of my euros as that most
American outpost of culinary ingenuity, McDonalds. Got a McKroket Sandwich, and though I've eaten it, I'm not quite sure what it was. I think it was a breaded piece of cheese, smothered with that Dutch condiment, mayonnaise. It was....both tasty and disgusting, and I would of expected nothing less.
So off I went to my friend Tania's, who lives in Kent, about an hour south-east of London. With me were fine friends Danny, Kelly and Karen. Betsy was to come, too, but was held back by familial obligations.
I did not keep a log of what I ate, forgot to take my dirtpills, and totally just put my home stress out of mind.
I've been returning to Tania's once or twice a year for about 15 years now, Gillingham is a small working-class town in an industrial/agricultural belt of the Medway Towns. Her family stretches back many generations in the area, and people have a small-town mentality in the very best sense of the phrase. London can be in any country- Gillingham can only be in England.
A lot of my ceremonial attachment to the place is with food. The first night we were there, we went to a local Indian restaurant. The food was not world-class, but definitely a step above 6th Street. Followed by a very jet-lagged 3 pints, was a fun but draining evening
The main reason for a bunch of us coming over was the event of Tania's 40th birthday. There was a surprise party for her, with about 150 people in attendance at a village community hall. The food comprised mostly of sausage rolls and onion bahji, and I must of downed about 6 pints and a shot of sweat-sock tasting whisky before they shut down at 11pm - after which we went to the local disco which is the only place in 100 miles that has a license to serve till 3am. Had a pint there, then me and Danny did the traditional thing and got chips on the walk home.
Sunday some went into London to see a
museum, while others like me were wrecked with a hangover. We took great pleasure in going to the local supermarket and poking around. Tania ended up making a traditional Sunday roast (cooked to bloodlessness), potatoes, cooked veg, and a desert of Spotted Dick - Dick out of the freezer case. It's basically a fruit cake with syrup and custard - traditionally beef suet, but this industrialized version had all sorts of weird ingredients. Witness Danny and Karen licking their Dicks...Usually, my last meal in Gillingham is fish n' chips, but between the actual cooking by a friend and the good company, an old ritual can be put on hold. I usually don't drink more than a couple of pints a night, either...
Took the fast train from London to Brussels, and a commuter train over to Amsterdam. Met
Danny and Kelly at the hotel, then walked about until stumbling on a random 'Dutch' restaurant. A 'traditional' Dutch pea soup was pleasantly laden with sausage, but the 'Dutch' fries were only distinguishable from French by the heap of mayonnaise that came on the side.Tuesday morning brought a pleasant continental breakfast at the cute hotel we stayed at, tucked in a brownstone amongst the canals. Selection of weird wholewheat breads, meats and cheese, granola...I really enjoyed the granola, with raisins and almonds in it, gonna look for a low-sugar version here.
Did the museum and walking thing all day, grabbed a falafel (again, oddly shmeared with mayonnaise) and then we popped into a coffeeshop for tea and a baked good... we skipped out of
the quite skeevy red light district into quieter territories to find a nice, quiet non-descript vendor of THC-steeped goods. Lemon tea, a chocolate 'magic' muffin at 3 pm, and all was well. The muffin tasted good, with a slightly funky aftertaste of mary jane.We walked about for an hour until we randomly decided to rent bicycles, as our muffins did nothing for us. Then about 10 minutes of riding, heading towards Vondel Park, a huge smile emerged in the back of my throat, radiating tingles up and down the back of my head. It seems the exertion of the riding kicked the muffin into action, and all of a sudden Danny and I had handle-bar mustaches and morning suits, squiring around Lady Kelly in a hoop skirt, all while on bicycles in a park much older than any in the US.
After a bit, we stopped at a market and I wandered in. Got a huge bottle of w
ater and a bag of 'Nibbits', whose squirrel on the package appealed to me some how. The ingredients were in 4 languages, none in English, but I suspect the two main ingredients were dehydrated potatoes and table salt. We stood by our bike wolfing it down, then we decided to take the bikes back. I promptly lost the other two and spent about an hour (or maybe 2, or maybe 10 minutes) stoned out of my gourd pedaling around random streets of Amsterdam without a map, hoping to find the rental shop. A few moments of almost-freak out, but was just enjoying the physical sensation of riding in a new city without a care in the world...We wandered to a truly mediocre Italian restaurant, then got back to the hotel at 7pm, where I passed out and slept coma-like to 7am. I had a bottle of water by my bedside which somehow disappeared.
The last time I got stoned was in Amsterdam in 1992, where I ate a block of hash resin and basically hallucinated and felt weird for a few hours, this was MUCH more pleasant. Still, unless it becomes legal here, I have no great desire to get stoned on a regular basis. Funny, though, I was pretty ripped on alcohol and I suffered for a day after. Getting stoned, however, gave me a great night of sleep and I felt 105% functional the next day.
The next day, at the airport, I spent the balance of my euros as that most
American outpost of culinary ingenuity, McDonalds. Got a McKroket Sandwich, and though I've eaten it, I'm not quite sure what it was. I think it was a breaded piece of cheese, smothered with that Dutch condiment, mayonnaise. It was....both tasty and disgusting, and I would of expected nothing less.
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