FRIDAY THOUGHTS: EATS

During the pandemic, I conducted a personal experiment. I tried not to order out, or buy any extra food, until I’d prepared and eaten what was already here. 

It was a “stone soup” kind of time, figuring out what meals I could create from what was available. I realized that I’d become a bit of a grazer/nibbler, and letting salads suffice sometimes. Of course, there was always popcorn. I had some great sandwiches, and made oatmeal raisin cookies for the first time, too. Turkeys ran the full gamut, from accompanying the sides on the day of, to turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, and turkey soup.

Yes. I still take my multivitamin each day, but my eating habits then and now, are such a departure from the daily, three hearty square meals—meat/carb/veggie/ dessert and a snack-- that my parents championed. 

The stove of my childhood was turned on every day. Meals were fresh. I suppose I don’t think about how my plate and palate has changed, or what constitutes a sufficient meal, these days, until holidays roll around, or I’m in a restaurant. 

Recently, I dined with friends at The Grille located in the SW DC Waterfront. There was skirt steak, home fries, salad, string beans with almonds, roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms, creamed spinach, and raspberry sorbet, all washed down with sparkling water. It was divine--and totally doable at home, if I wanted to take a crack at it.

I laugh at my own hypocrisy, considering how I used to hate hearing my parents say, “We have food at home”, as we sailed past my favorite, childhood McDonald’s (which, incidentally, is getting a makeover, but I digress.) 

A few weeks ago, I was taken aback by the light bearer, that was my empty refrigerator. That day, I had 2 boiled eggs and a cup of strawberry yogurt for breakfast. 

I made a rosehips /hibiscus/ lemon/cranberry/honey frozen concoction, and munched on peanuts for lunch. 

For dinner, I jazzed up a can of chicken noodle soup with the last of the frozen veggies.

The next day, I woke to my stomach playing a rumbling symphony. I declared that my experiment, like the pandemic, is officially over. But, when did I resume it? 

“This is ridiculous”, I thought to myself. “You used to cook regularly! There was variety! Planning! Prepping! What happened? Why is it so hard to figure out what you even want to eat?”

Is a fickle appetite, grazing, and a changing palate, a sign or symptom of aging?

And another thing—What has happened to my shopping mojo? It’s not just with food, either. When is the last time I entered a shoe, or department store? 

Do I not remember growing up in a house with fully stocked, organized cabinets, refrigerators, AND a freezer in the basement (from which I was often sent to retrieve one of many homemade sweet potato pies, loaves of bread, ice cream, or packages of cleaned, dressed catfish (sent all the way from Louisiana)? 

HOW do I not have popcorn in here, today? Who am I?

Speaking of catfish, last Wednesday, one of my Art students suggested dining in at The Crafty Crab in Largo, and it didn't disappoint. The portions were generous, the garden salad was particularly fresh, the fries were just the right combination of crispy and light, the catfish was seasoned well, and fried perfectly---and anybody who can make a delicious honey mustard dressing is alright with me.

Instacart, DoorDash, Amazon, and Peapod, have been great (and have made me a bit lazy, no matter how I tell myself I’ve been contributing to the economy), but neighborhood grocery store, here I come. 

Will I shop like my parents did, strolling slowly up and down every aisle, as if they were on the Champs Elysee? No. 

Will I have coupons, look at expiration dates, nutrition facts, and compare prices? Yes. 

Will I continue to dishonor my responsible parents, by not keeping even the basic staples on hand, like flour, milk, sugar, tuna, bread, beans, rice, canned salmon, some kind of pasta, and every McCormick spice known to man? No. 

They say that one shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry, so fixed myself a sandwich, then I messed around, in senior citizen fashion, and sat down. 

Maybe I'll go to the grocery store tomorrow...lol