Food is my friend . . . and my hobby, and quite frankly, one of the great joys of this frail existence. I especially adore experimenting with healthy foods inspired by other cultures. (This is not to say I don't appreciate and happily consume less-healthy delights -- a piece of high-quality chocolate is a daily routine and I will occasionally indulge in greasy, salty, sugary, loaded-with-all-the-stuff-that'll kill-you options.) However, I do maintain that it's the healthy food graced with color, texture, and variety of flavors that really satisfies me. For instance, when you eat a plate of brown rice and black beans mixed with bits of mango, fried plantain, a handful of peanuts, and some fresh cilantro, it's a total sensory experience that makes the cells of your body vibrate in approval. "Thank you," they seem to say, "and for this we shall give you long life and inner peace." The crunch of the peanuts, the sweet, smushiness of the plantain, the vibrant yellow-orange tanginess of the mango, the refreshing scent of the cilantro -- all this as the rice and beans fill the empty caverns of your stomach. It brings enough harmony that I am nearly compelled to assume a yoga pose (except that "downward dog" is the only pose I can assume without serious bodily damage and it just doesn't quite convey the desired effect).
Since I can't show you photos of my children, I shall show you photos of my food. I could carry on about how fun and easy it was to cook and how each meal cost less than $2, but I'll leave that to your imagination.
Inspired by our friends south of the border: Black beans and brown rice with fried plantains and a salad made of broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, and a southwestern olive oil vinaigrette.
Homemade falafel (garbanzo beans mixed with yummy Mediterranean spices) inside homemade whole-wheat pita bread garnished with peppers, tomatoes, and a cucumber-yogurt sauce. A taste of middle-eastern cuisine for a winter day in Michigan.
And finally, a Chinese smorgasbord cooked by a dear friend. (I was one of two Americans at an otherwise Chinese party. Great fun!) Everything was delectable -- but don't ask me to vouch for the spicy pig ears.
How about you? What is your happiness food?
2 comments:
I don't know what my problem is; I never experiment with food. You are an inspiration! Perhaps you should invite me (and by writing this I am inviting myself) to participate in your next creation. :)
I just don't know where to start if it's not with a recipe.
Okay, this made me laugh out loud--in part because it is so witty, and in part because it is so true!
I also now see that you may have contracted gradschlitis--classic symptoms include imaginary food friends, hearing voices, and extreme sensitivity to sensory stimuli (presumably caused by the solitary confinement and traumatic stress that typically accompanies most graduate work).
Sooo, at the risk of being accused of Gulliverian tendencies, I must admit that I did find myself wishing I could eat your "children!" ;-)
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