Friday, April 27, 2007

I could go on, and on, and on...

Food is the one thing that I can easily talk about for hours. I'm in love with the stuff. Really, any kind of cooking method, any kind of recipe, ingredient, flavoring or hardware -- I'll gab to the person closest and most interested. Which is why I was likely stunned this morning when I sat down next to what looked like a punky, disenfranchised gal. I chose her because I had inadvertently left my iPod at home (in my godforsaken gym bag!)and she appeared to be the least likely person to bother me on my downtown-bound train ride. I was wrong.

I quickly fell into the seat next to said punky girl, unzipped my case and unsheathed my dog-eared copy of Family Circle, which I subscribe to mostly for the recipes and home tips. As I was leafing to the back to scope out the recipes, Punky queried, "Do you cook?" Flabberghasted by the sound coming from Punky's direction, I slowly turned my face to hers and said "HUH?"

Yes, I love to cook, Punky. She then asked me a whole bunch of questions like, what do I like to cook most, am I married, does my husband appreciate my cooking (to which I registered a resounding "Of course!") and did I learn to cook from my mom (yes and no; I learned a few key things from mom, like how to follow the directions on the box and that to make fluffy scrambled eggs you add water, not milk, but I did not develop my passion for cooking until much later). It was a very pleasant conversation, and to think I would have completely missed it had I remembered my iPod, which is still lodged in my godforsaken gym bag!

We parted ways and she said that she appreciated the tips on flavoring rice and using a slow cooker, and that she was thinking about moving to Austin, mostly for the nicer political climate and environmentally savvy politics. Yeah, I'd move to Austin, too, Punky, but then I'd miss out on experiences like our little chat.

7 comments:

Olivia said...

Doesn't it just make your day when you have impromptu social exchanges like that?

To a Londoner, living in a city where no one smiles at each other, and today I heard that in a train stuck for an hour no one spoke to each other, hearing that it can be similar in Dallas puzzled me. Mind you, it wasn't such a friendly city, compared to...well you know where I mean :)

Miss Dallas said...

Most days people talk loudly on their cells and have earphones lodged in their skulls in a flagrant attempt to ignore as many people as possible. But last night, my iPod wasn't working, so when I boarded the train car that reeked of fried chicken and sat down, I opened up a magazine and soaked in the trans-fat-laden scene.

I swear I gained a pound by just breathing!

MattJ said...

hey! whats that about the eggs?! I use milk and cook it in butter y'see? I also add a few dashes of tabasco, which isn't nearly as repulsive as it sounds.

How much water?

I don't care for food myself..... :p

Olivia said...

Mmmmm....think I might make some soft scrambled eggs tomorrow with cheese.

Miss Dallas said...

To cook perfectly light and fluffy eggs without all the fat, add a teaspoon of water per egg scrambled. Whisk them vigorously until there is no separation and the eggs begin to foam at the edges of the bowl. Pour over skillet on medium heat and cook until brown around the edges. Flip to cook through.

Miss Dallas said...

Oh and Liv,

Add feta to your scrambled eggs with just a few chopped Kalamata olives! So divine!

Olivia said...

That sounds good. Ironically though, I am moody with Greek ingredients...

I am naughty and like to use stretchy melty cheeses like Port Salut or cheddar :P

Unfortunately, being single, a lot of the food I buy goes bad coz I just can't finish it fast enough. That goes for feta, halloumi. I end up freezing shredded cheddar, now that works. *sigh*