Thursday, February 01, 2018

There is little to report today, but that little, good.

I passed all sorts of landmarks today with the borders of the baby shawl: (a) I turned over from page 3 to page 4 of the old mimeographed pattern which I am finding so much easier than the new charts; (b) if I were still using the charts, it would be true to say that I have finished F and embarked on G – the final one; (c) the current ball of yarn is about to expire. The yarn is wound on cardboard cylinders, so the balls never seem to get smaller – but suddenly the cardboard shows through. I should polish this one off tomorrow, if not this evening.

I’m currently engaged with row 85. Row 99 is the last one with lace in it, although, as I’ve said, some decrease rounds follow.

Otherwise it has been a peaceful day of non-achievement. I must face up to those papers I told you about finding. Tomorrow I am having lunch at the Portrait Gallery with Greek Helen and an old friend from both Kirkmichael and Edinburgh. The climb up that hill will do me good.

I have missed the Mindful Chef. It seems a long time until Monday when I will have him back again. I made myself a tasty chowder for lunch today from a recipe in the newspaper, but it involved not only a trip to the corner shop for a missing ingredient, but also (somehow, worse) having to rustle around in my own larder for a chicken stock cube and some chilli flakes.


That’s interesting that you found jackfruit to be trendy, Mary Lou (comment yesterday). I’m not aware of having heard of it either, until the end of last month. I would say it’s dull as dishwater. I can imagine that it might be sustaining if one was on a subsistence diet, but for that purpose I would vastly prefer freshly-dug potatoes with salt and pepper and – if one were lucky enough to be acquainted with a cow – a bit of butter.  

6 comments:

  1. There seems to be a strange trend for trying to make vegan food have meat-like qualities - hence the sudden appearance of jackfruit. One of the - many- articles recently about eating in order to live forever mentioned including foods eaten by one's own ancestors. For me, that would certainly involve porridge twice a day.

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  2. Hah! Shandy that means I get freshly dug potatoes and butter. Lucky me! We have a 'vegan butcher shop' here that offers meat-free meat. Seems odd to me.

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  3. Eat what one's ancestors ate? How far back do we need to go? If only a couple of generations then I get beef, corn, and veg. plus apples and grapes. Lucky me!

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  4. I'm a Jackfruit lover but I buy mine either fresh out of that giant spiky pod it comes in or frozen. It has a heavy 'meaty' texture but is delicately flavored with a citrus tang when fresh. But I love fruit - even persimmons.

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  5. Okay, Mary Lou, you got me - "meat-free meat." Sounds like an oxymoron to me. And how can you call yourself a butcher shop if you don't sell meat? That's like calling yourself a yarn shop and selling buttons! I think I am getting too old for the world today.

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  6. Anonymous3:16 PM

    Baked eggplant has a very meaty texture, especially when drenched in spicy tomato sauce to hide its vegetable nature. Maybe you can get some cheeseless Parmesan from the meatless butcher to completely your hearty vegan meal. (Personally I love the original recipe. Just want to aid my vegan brethren.) Chloe

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