Here's a picture of the tasty chicken stir-fry I made two nights ago. I make this kind of meal quite often to use up the vegetable odds and ends that would otherwise go to waste in my crisper. In this case, it was a handful of bean sprouts, 3 mushroom caps, one baby bok choy, and red bell and poblano pepper fragments. But, it's more than just avoiding waste. I feel guilty when I throw food away before it's had a chance to be made into a dish. It's my belief that the food didn't have a chance to fulfill it's culinary destiny, and like some Disney movie plot, feels anguish because of that. And so, now you know this very silly thing about me, which is perfect because three lovely bloggers, Candy at Eat Here Get Gas, Meghan at A Craving For Perfection and Eunice at Lemon Almond, tagged me for an 8 Things You Didn't know About Me meme. Stop by their blogs and check them out. Now, if you want to learn more absurd things about me, read on.
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Here goes.
1. Irrational belief that food has Disney suffering if it gets thrown away before being used in a recipe. A carrot lying in the bottom of the garbage bin weeps in bitter despair, "I could have been a contender..no one could have been better in a stew than me...if I had just been given the chance."
2. I have the same zany (I think "zany" sounds better than irrational) ideas about other inanimate objects, including toys, and pottery. Ever read The Velveteen Rabbit? I did, and never recovered. Right now we have a full sized store mannequin, named Stella, that my sister "rescued" from the garbage years ago. Stella has lived with different family members over the last 20 years, and has her own extensive wardrobe and wigs. She spends most of her time in our den, looking out the front window, scaring delivery men and other people who come to our door and see her peering at them.
3. I used to play the violin.
4. I was a ballerina a LONG time ago.
5. I don't like liver or sweetbreads--but I love heart.
6. I rarely eat chocolates with cream fillings. I like nut and caramel centers.
7. I can't drink much alcohol or I get tipsy. One glass of wine is fine, but more than that and I get sloshy. I once had the wine tasting option at The French Laundry and drank a cumulative total of about 8 glasses of different wines--and almost passed out on my table. Never again, no matter how great the wine tastes.
8. I don't kill spiders in my house. I capture them in a glass and release them outside. It annoys people a lot when I shout, "No! Don't kill it! What? You stepped on it? Do you know how many insects the average spider kills in a year?? Well...I don't know either, but I'm sure it's a lot."
OK, I tag 8 people for this meme. You know who you are. I've got my eyes closed and I'm sending out my positive, super dooper, mental tagging waves................... Tonight as you sleep, you will feel an overwhelming urge to do this meme.
Bean sprouts, carrots, red bell peppers, mushrooms and bok choy all happy to fulfill their culinary destiny.
i love the velveteen rabbit too! i also anthropamorphize sp? everything. yum, stir fry looks awesome :)
Posted by: aria | July 13, 2007 at 05:55 AM
I took ballet too, as an adult actually, but I certainly couldn't call myself a ballerina. It was fun though, and I always enjoyed going to the ballet after I had taken it myself. Fun learning more about you.
Posted by: Kalyn | July 13, 2007 at 07:12 AM
Ha! I do the same spider thing. At work, people know to come get me when they find a spider. On the downside, there was a day when somebody came to get me for a roach. Yuck!!
Onto tastier subjects, I love stir-fries, but Dave doesn't. I will continue to live vicariously through yours.
Posted by: s'kat | July 13, 2007 at 09:04 AM
I do the spider thing too.
Posted by: Julie | July 13, 2007 at 09:06 AM
Thank god you rescued these veggies from utter despair and humiliation. They got transformed into something completely drool worthy. I think our environment likes it when we include the various elements within it, into our attention! Long live whimsy
Posted by: Callipygia | July 13, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Wow, that was fast! I took ballet a long while back, too. It was interesting reading your Meme, since I too feel remorse over wasting food. Mine stems more from the whole "There are starving children in Ethiopa" diatribe I always got from my mom for never finishing dinner, though.
Posted by: Mehgan | July 13, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Actually, I have an overwhelming urge to eat that stir fry!
You may come to my house and free all the spiders... I have an irrational fear of them. The only reason that I allow the centipedes to live is that they eat spiders.
Alright, I only allow them to live if mon mari's not around to dispatch them....
Posted by: Katiez | July 13, 2007 at 12:34 PM
I also took ballet many, many moons ago but graceful, at that time, wasn't part of my vocabulary. Yoga worked, though, and I'm proud to say I can still balance several books on my head.
As to spiders, I'm with Katie. Mr CC has to remove them or I can't sleep. :)
Thanks for more insight into you!
Posted by: Christine | July 13, 2007 at 01:38 PM
Rudy and I do the spider thing too. She finds them and I save them.
Posted by: Lianne | July 13, 2007 at 05:10 PM
Oh man, I am with you on the inanimate object thing. The Velveteen Rabbit nearly killed me! I chalk it up to a very active imagination. Your mannequin story is hilarious!
I played a violin too. I would love to take it up again, but it's been 25 years.
I don't care to kill spiders, but I won't touch them either. I just try to pretend I don't see them.
Posted by: kate | July 14, 2007 at 06:36 AM
Love the mannequin!! I am the same way about truffles...I wish I had your problem with wine!
Posted by: Tartelette | July 14, 2007 at 11:33 AM
That's fabulous. I'm with you on the chocolates!
Posted by: Tanna | July 14, 2007 at 04:42 PM
Love the Disney characterizations! I also like caramel centers too and never recovered from The Velveteen Rabbit. But someday we will have to throw some things away, gasp!
Posted by: Glenna | July 15, 2007 at 05:47 AM
OMG - 1 and 2...i can totally relate. Wait...should I admit that?
If there is only one cup in the dishwasher, I have to get out another one and put it in there so it doesn't get lonely...that kind of thing.
I know, I'm insane.
Posted by: Kristen | July 15, 2007 at 07:12 PM
OMG your chicken stir fry is making me salivate! Yum!
You were a ballerina huh?? I used to dance a lot too, took a few years of dance myself. I'm more of a hip hop/jazz girl myself. My daughter LOVES to dance too, and loves hip hop dance. :)
Posted by: Jennifer | July 16, 2007 at 04:41 PM
beautiful stir fry! i also make stir fry when i have "left over" veggies.
thanks for playing! you're 8 things are very interesting.
Posted by: candy | July 16, 2007 at 08:29 PM
You didn't tag ME! (what's the deal?? - just kidding) Still, I'd like to respond to a few of your points:
Points 1 & 2 - I get the same sentimentality about unchosen Christmas Trees! I feel so sorry for them. I picture them all going to live with the Misfits in "Rudolph."
Point 8 - I'm with you again. At our recent July 4th family gathering, I was going through the food line and there was a big bag of sandwich buns under the buffet table with some ants milling close by. My Aunt was instructing me to "Kill! Kill!" I wouldn't do it. Zen has truly transformed me; I've become the proverbial "wouldn't hurt a fly" guy. I truly believe in the circle of life, and that everything we do affects our Karma for better or worse. To my surprise and delight (and to my Aunt's perplexed chagrin), my cousins wouldn't kill any insects either - ha! Maybe humanity really is evolving toward enlightenment. Anyway, it's a nice thought. : )
I love your blog. : )
Posted by: John | July 31, 2007 at 06:10 PM