Tag Archives: Food

I Hate Being Dumb

Posted in Clintons by

Subtitle: I hate doing dumb things

My wife really likes Krystal’s chilidogs. Okay. I do too. But I was more in the mood for a couple of Cheese Crystals. So we got in the car and went to Krystal’s. It was the logical thing to do. I ordered two chili pups for my wife and two Cheese Krystals for me.

Don’t know why. Maybe the clerk just didn’t understand me or maybe I was the one to make the mistake. I think I am going to get me a pad and start writing my orders on paper. Maybe it’s my age but there seems to be a lot more misunderstanding of orders these days.

Regardless, we got four chili-dogs and two Cheese-Krystals I figured no big deal, we would eat what we could and take the rest home. So it was when we were done, I gathered it all up, went over and tossed it in the trash. I started back over to the table and realized, I really did put it all on the tray and I emptied it all into the trash, including the chilidogs I intended to take home.

Then, it dawned on me. I did something dumb. The first thing that came to mind. You know all those starving children I was told about when I was a child. Then I had a question: Is there a way I can mail about a dozen chili-dogs and Cheese-Kristals to the starving kids in Africa? No fries. They would just get soggy.

Not going to happen. Impractical to package such a thing. Worse, it would never reach the ones who really need it. They would be intercepted by a bunch of wealthy folks who really don’t need them.

Well, maybe I could just buy a plane ticket and put the food in a couple of suitcases. After handing out the food to those who looked like they need it, I could then hand out the food and return. Perhaps an expensive method, but I would think I would be doing better than the Clintons. Their methods of charity is even less efficient than mine. Less than 50% went to the “needy.” Truth be known, most of them were likely not that needy.

Let me see. Is that what is known as a slush fund?

I hate being dumb. Still: I would rather be dumb rather than ruthlessly power hungry and dishonest as the dems are.

Brown-bagging it Without the Brown Bag

Posted in Uncategorized by

Some of “brown-bag it” to save money. I can’t imagine there are many out there that don’t know what brown-bagging it means but, just in case, this is the explanation. When in school, some of us ate in the cafeteria. Those that were not able, frequently carried lunch boxes to school. Those who could not afford lunch boxes, carried our lunches in brown bags.

Then there were those of us who could not afford brown paper bags. We carried out lunch in our plastic see through bags. Sometimes, I could buy a carton of milk, but I was always required to take the plastic bag home. It would be washed and reused the next day. I got weeks of use out of my plastic bags.

When my wife and I first moved to Desoto county with our two sons, I didn’t make much so my older son qualified to for cost free lunches. He really liked it because he traded for hamburgers. One day he had five of them, which made him sick. (He still likes hamburgers) After, he was told no more trading.

At any rate, as time went by, I started receiving promotions and, of course a larger paycheck. Then one year, we no longer qualified for free lunches. Strange as it seems, it took us about a week to get them to discontinue them. I suspect that no one would have ever said anything if I said nothing and let my sons receive the lunches. Thing is, unlike many, it does go against my grain to receive the free lunches. Besides, it hurt my ego. I did work hard for the privilege of paying for the lunches myself.

Now, once a day, my wife and I go somewhere to eat. Today, we went to McAlister’s Deli. I had one of their stuffed potatoes, which I could not finish. My wife had a cup of potato soup and a half ham sandwich. I paid for it. Right there at the counter, I pulled out my debit card and waved it over their magic reader. In a while, of course they brought us our dinner. I figure you ought to know. I mean the tax payers did put the money in my checking account. Shouldn’t I explain what I am doing with the money?

On the other hand, there are those who think they need not explain what they are going with the tax money entrusted to them.

By the way, I do want to thank everyone for the lunch.

Really Wished I Liked Avocados

Posted in Food by

Throughout third grade and through graduation, I had a friend who had an avocado tree in his backyard. At that time, avocados weren’t the big thing they are today. From what I understand, they really are healthy, though you really need to know what you’re doing to get one of them open. A person could easily lose a finger.

I don’t really hate them. I just don’t really care for them. Maybe if I had been eating them from the cradle I might have liked them more. Some people about go nuts over them.

Nowadays, I have even less desire for them. It seems that they have gained some value. I go into Subway, and they ask if I want avocado on my sandwich. Can’t blame them. They are out to help folks get healthy.

Who knows? If I had eaten them all my life, I would maybe be healthier. I might even live longer. On the other hand, there have been doctors who have said a little chocolate is healthy. It has anti-oxidants, you know. I really do need a daily portion. Not too much, just a little.

I have really taken a liking to bell peppers lately. For years, I avoided them. I couldn’t imagine them actually tasting good. Then one day I went to a big dinner where they served stuffed peppers. I figured I should at least eat the stuffing. Then I realized that the good unusual taste that was being transferred to the stuffing was from the peppers.

Since then, I haven’t eaten many stuffed peppers. Not many folks make them and I don’t really know how. However, I have frequently eaten the peppers. I found two restaurants that make a gravy with them that would cause me to overeat if I let them. In addition, Subway will put them on my sandwich without charging me one penny more. Sometimes I can talk them into putting extra on there. I find them especially good on their tuna sandwiches.

Going back to the avocados, does anyone know any way of making them taste good, as good as bell peppers. I suppose it is asking too much to make them taste as good as chocolate. Has anyone ever tried mixing avocados with chocolate? Maybe mix chocolate chips into them.

Take Care, Things Are Not Always as They Appear

Posted in Being woke, Cancel Culture, Christian values, Communism, Deceit, Food, Going Green, Memories, Mistakes by

The prompt about making food reminded me of something that happened a very long time ago. Well, maybe not so long geologically speaking. Let’s put it this way. I am now 76 and it happened when I was yet in high school. That would make it early 60s. I am sure to some of my readers, that is ancient.

Regardless, I had made a yellow cake. While it was cooling, I started on the frosting, chocolate. I had made a syrup of coco, water, a little salt, vanilla and water. My younger sister had entered the kitchen and I could see she was eyeing the my little mixture. I warned her that she wouldn’t like it if she got any of it. I turned to prepare the confection sugar and out of the corner of my eye I saw my sister move suddenly. Yup, from the expression on her face, I could see she tried to raid the syrup.

I got a pretty good laugh and my sister got a long drink of water. She didn’t even bother with a glass. She drank it right out of the faucet. I am sure if she could, she would have liked to be able to undo that function. I suspect she wished she had a backspace key. Fortunately, five minutes later, it was just a bad memory.

I must admit, I would have been tempted too. That little mixture I made up really looks good. But it is the ultimate in bitterness. The chocolate frosting that I put on that cake was mixed with sugar. In fact, it was mostly sugar. It wasn’t truly chocolate, but chocolate flavored.

You know, a lot of life is like that. It looks so-o-o good, but, in the end, it is very bitter. I don’t know about you, but it seems I need to learn that lesson over and over again. The sweetness of chocolate is only there after the sugar is added. Somethings in life remain bitter, regardless of how much sugar is added.

Food. Now That’s an Interesting Subject

Posted in Uncategorized by

I must admit I had to wrestle mentally with this prompt. Then it all became clear when I substituted the word do for the word would. I hope that will be okay. You see, if I would like to make something, I usually do. About the only thing I haven’t tried is homemade pie. Something about that crust that scares me. If and when we do make a pie, we buy the crust as well as the filling. In my book, that does not qualify as making a pie.

Right now I’m considering making a beef stew. When we bought the slow cooker, it came with a recipe that is great. The hitch is that I keep putting off the trip to the store. I am always putting off trips to the store these days. When I finally go, I spend $250 just for my wife and me. Then, it seems I got so little.

Mostly, these days, we eat out. With just the two of us and my wife eating so little these days, a lot gets wasted. She just loves chili dogs so we open a can of chili now and then. To keep it healthy, I generally open a can of veggies or pull out some that are frozen. I don’t know. Seems to me corn and peas taste better when frozen. (heated of course) To me, carrots and cabbage have to be fresh.

I try to keep raw hamburger patties in the freezer for those days when we just just don’t don’t feel much like going anywhere. It really is sirloin but in a different form. A little gravy, a little mashed potatoes or baked potato and we have steak dinners.

A couple of interesting stories about the potatoes. My wife’s grandmother was one of those who did not like the modern stuff. You know, before she visited us, she insisted on baking the potatoes in the oven and boiling the potatoes first for mashed potatoes. Before she went home, she loved the 7 minute potatoes that come out of the microwave and she was amazed at how we got the potato flakes to taste so good. The secret, add a slice of Kraft American cheese before adding the hot water.

Every now and again, we like the red potatoes too, you know the little ones. Add a few spices while they boil and they can really spice up a meal. Hint: don’t peal them.

It just is, it’s not nearly as much fun cooking when it’s just the two of us. Moreover, it’s no fun cleaning up after.

Therefore, when we go to a restaurant, I always thank them, not just for cooking my food, but also for doing my dishes. It does sometimes confuse them, but one day, they will figure it out.

Daily writing prompt
What foods would you like to make?
View all responses

Comfort Food

Posted in Fast Food, Food by

I’ve heard the term frequently, but I can’t say I knew what it means, although I guess I did have a vague idea just from context. When I decided to reply to this prompt, I decided to look it up. They had a lot of examples, most of which I must admit presses my button.

One of the examples was chicken pot pie, which I really like, for sure. However, I prefer just chicken pie. Let me explain. There used to be a few restaurants called Three Sisters and they had the best chicken pie. Then, naturally the restaurant went out of business. That is not fair. That is not right. They should have given their recipe to another restaurant… or me.

It also reminds me of. the time I was going through the line at Kentucky Fried line, I spoke to myself, “I could make a meal off mashed potatoes and gravy.” Suddenly, from behind me, I heard a woman voice her agreement. “So can I.” I didn’t know anyone was eavesdropping on my private conversation. It was alright. I looked back and saw her smiling. I love it when I can make a person smile or laugh, even when I don’t mean to. Still love mashed potatoes. I’d just about have them with every meal.

I discovered fried rice when I was stationed in Japan. My wife doesn’t like it so I don’t get much chance to eat it. Maybe it’s a good thing. I would really put away a bunch of it. That and egg rolls.

Love roast beef when it is done right. Arby’s does not do it right. Used to like Denver’s. There was one a couple of miles from here as well as four or five in Memphis. I guess they have all disappeared. That seems to be the case. I find a restaurant I like and then they go away. I have found others that have roast beef but not nearly as good.

When I was stationed at MCAS, El Toro, the PX had a restaurant the served thinly sliced roast on two slices of bread with mashed potatoes and gravy over it. I am sure they are responsible for the 5 or 10 extra pounds I carried around at the time. Incidentally, I am not the only one that ate it. They had a huge following.

I guess, right near the top, has to be pizza. There’s just nothing like a pizza with pepperoni and pineapples all over it. The trick of course is, I have to order extra pineapples. My wife steels them off the instant I look away. I also like the pizza with the works on it, but I don’t get a chance for it that much. My wife doesn’t like it.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your go-to comfort food?
View all responses

Small Drink / Large Drink

Posted in Uncategorized by

The restaurants have me confused. I thought the idea was to sell the most possible on each transaction. Yet, when I say a want a large drink, they want to sell me a small or a medium one. Well, it actually isn’t that way. I order a hamburger, a small fry and a large drink, they come back and ask, “Would you like the combo?”

I say, “No. I want a large drink and a small fry.”

“You will save (such and such amount) by getting the combo,” comes the reply.

“But I don’t want a large fry. I will just waste half the large one. I do want a large soda because, even though I can get refills, I do not want to be going back to the fountain every ten minutes.”

Maybe it doesn’t always go like that, but it would seem they all have pretty much the same dialog memorized. In many cases, to avoid angering the person behind the counter, I just order the large combo and waste the fries.

However, if you stop and think of it, it is to the advantage of the restaurant to sell me the larger drink. Let’s say, for convenience, the small drink is 50 cents and the large one is a dollar. If there is no charge for refills, I can drink one gallon (Sometimes I get thirsty just before eating) for the price of a small or a large. However, in the one case, it is a gallon for 50 cents and in the other it is a gallon for a dollar.

I mean, that is the way I figure the math. This makes me wonder all the more about the math the restaurants are using. Well, just maybe the difference is their cost of the large cup. Could it be that the larger cup is more than 50 cents more for the large cup. Could it be that they are afraid that I will drink more because I get a larger cup. Then, too, isn’t that kind of the idea.

Either way, why should I have to argue with them to get what I want. The irony of irony is that when I order the burger, small fries and large drink, they give me the large fries anyway, sometimes knowing I paid for the small one. By the way, it doesn’t do any good to tell them. I know. I tried it.

And so it is that I end up tossing half the fries they give me. Pardon me if I say, I really don’t understand their math. I really don’t understand their business plan.

Does That Include Tomatoes

Posted in Uncategorized by

I have heard that some folks say tomatoes are not fruits but veggies. I don’t know. I’ll just call them fruits for now. They are very good you know, on salads, hamburgers and sandwiches. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I simply chop them up and eat the pieces. Sometimes I eat them with my sausages and eggs for breakfast. It sort of depends on if I have any.

I have tried to grow them. I’ve been told it is easy. That, I guess, makes me a total failure as a farmer. With two plants I had two decent sized tomatoes. They were pretty good though. There is something to be said about a tomato fresh picked.

The place I lived out in California had a banana tree that grew small bananas. They were small but they were very good. Again, It’s likely because it is right off the tree. I do believe bananas are best on cereal. When I use bananas, I don’t use sugar at all on my cornflakes.

Strawberries are great. A neighbor had a patch of them and let me pick one now and then. It spoiled me. I like store bought berries but I miss the neighbor’s berries better. We tried one year to grow them. End of story.

Love grapes in almost any form. I eat them off the clusters as raisins and in grape juice. Well, I drink the juice. You get the idea.

As I mentioned before, I really like pineapples on pizzas. My wife does like to steal them all, so I have to be fast. They are also good on ham and slow cooked chicken. Occasionally, I’ll eat a few pieces by themselves, but I am not one who for things with strong flavors.

Now, let me see. I think that is already five but let me add one more. We used to have an orange tree in our backyard when I lived in orange county. Now, isn’t that something. Good food on the tree. All I had to do was reach up and pick it. The only work was peeling it. I did get good at it. I had lots of practice.

There was a small problem though. Every time I bit into it, I got the juice all over my hands and face. I guess, I am just one of those complainers. Always have to find something to complain about.

Daily writing prompt
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
View all responses

McDonald’s Error

Posted in Fast Food by

I noticed on the news is McDonald’s is making changes. I would guess they are having problems, which is no surprise to me. I mean when it takes 15 minutes, literally, to serve a barely warm Big Mac, they are headed for real problems. Marketing is important but it will only go so far.

The company broke into fast food by serving good tasting food fast. Now there are many “nice sit down” places that serve food faster. As a matter of fact, I just visited a good Mexican place that served me a good meal in less than the 15 minutes. It does make me ask, why should anyone go to McDonald’s when we can get a much better meal at not much more cost?

Personally, I have found when I am in a hurry, it’s hard to beat Subway. Unless they have an unusually long line, I’m usually eating within 5 or 6 minutes after entering the door. Chick-fil-A is fast too, but I usually have a long walk across the parking lot. I suppose it is a reasonable price for popularity.

At any rate, it’s sort of difficult for the McDonald’s employees to provide reasonably good service when they are so busy talking amongst themselves. Many-a-time, I have had to wait for the conversation to be completed before I could expect any attention.

Mostly, if people have to wait 15 minutes for less than hot food, McDonald’s will likely just fade away, regardless of any marketing methods.

As an aside, the same thing can be said of other fast food places too. I mean it is basic. People go to fast food places to get food fast.

Define Processed

Posted in Uncategorized by

Many moons ago, can’t remember how many, I saw an interview of a woman who emphatically said we should never eat processed meat.

The interviewer asked, “Suppose I have a 1 lb sirloin and put it through a meat grinder. Is that now processed meat?”

Without hesitation, she replied, “Yes.”

More and more, there are people telling us we shouldn’t eat processed meat. In this case, I guess we should all throw the meat grinders away.

On the other hand, if the young lady was wrong and grinding meat is not classified as processing, just what is processing? Indeed, the first place our steer goes is to a “meat processing plant.” Does this mean we must intercept the chickens on the way to be slaughtered.

In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus quotes the father when he tell the servants to prepare the fitted calf. Just how is this to be without processing the meat?

Really, I don’t mean to be facetious, but those in favor of putting an end to processing meat need to clarify themselves some. When you come down to it, cooking meat is processing it. On the other hand, eating it without cooking it can make you sick or even kill you.

During WWII, soldiers lived and thrived on C-rats for years. Some people, as me, even liked them and all the food in them was processed. I have known people with type II diabetes who ate nothing but frozen diners. Seemed to be just the right amount to control their weight. By controlling their weight, they were able to avoid all the meds.

Does anyone really want those diabetics to go back to being overweight and taking the overpriced meds.

Perhaps we do need to cut back on processing a little. However, if so, let’s get more specific and let’s make sure we really know what we’re talking about.

Let me add one more important point. Regardless of what we eat, we need to thank God for it and ask his blessings on it. We all need to remember who provides, not only our food, but all our needs continually.