This Little Piggy Went to a Party

Last Friday evening, Matt and I attended a fundraising auction for my daughter's school.  The theme was a country hoe-down.  The theme was really raise as much money as possible, but the decorations and food need better direction than that.  On top of the checked table cloths was quite a spread.  Hummus, couscous, and fig & goat cheese sandwiches - because you know all the best cowboys come from the Middle East.  Wine tasting, whiskey tasting, beer tasting - it is thirsty work spending money!  It was really was a lovely evening.

I was doing so well until the passed hors doeuvre's came around.  I skipped the turkey meatballs, said no to the chicken on a stick, even refused the tiny steak sandwiches.  Then, then the man said those magic words, "Mini hot dog?" and held out a tray filled with small dough-wrapped bits of wonder.  Pigs in a blanket!  What kind of evil person says no to pigs in a blanket?  They are pigs, wrapped in a tiny blanket, just for your dining pleasure!  He even offered spicy brown mustard in which to dip these precious bites.

I will not say how many I ate, and whatever my husband says is not true (too low, I ate more when he wasn't looking.)  It seems hot dogs are the meat I cannot live without.  I'm not sure it is even meat.  If you don't know what is in the meat dish, does it count as eating meat?

Colored Eggs and Ham

Last weekend, I hosted Easter dinner for some of my extended family, 10 diners in all.  Among my guests, diet restrictions galore: gluten free, lactose intolerant, low-salt, Passover observance.  Add in some seriously picky eaters and others who demand certain foods for certain holidays (Easter = ham or lamb), my vegetarian needs were pretty low on my list of criteria for choosing a menu.

I made a ham, but I did not eat any of it.  For my first major holiday since I gave up meat, I was happy with this compromise.  I also served a chick pea rice pilaf which I ate as my main dish, but other people tried it and seemed to enjoy it.  I started with a leek and potato soup and an antipasto platter (a must at all Brown family events).  I served carrots, string beans, asparagus and baked potatoes.  My mother brought candy for the kids and some Peeps ended up in the microwave.  No one went home hungry and no one complained.  Trust me, this group would have let me know if there was a problem.

Most importantly, no one asked me about the vegetarian thing.  My eating was not a topic of conversation.  I was grateful.  My family can be pretty hard on anyone trying something different, so it was a big step.  I will see if that remains true when I go over to someone else's house for a holiday.

Same Time Next Year

Over the weekend, I was listening to an interview with author Delia Ephron.  She made an off-hand comment about how "no one makes tune-noodle casserole anymore."  At that very moment, I was cooking tuna-noodle casserole.  Sure, it is a dish out of the 1970s, and I have modified the recipe to make it tastier and healthier, but I love the stuff even if no one else eats it anymore.

Which got me thinking about food fashion.  I am not talking about weight-loss diets or restaurant fads, but the food we eat at home on a regular basis.  Some things will change based on changing notions of health - remember when eating liver was considered very healthy?  But even if you factor in that element, what we eat changes over time.  Why is that?

I am sure some of it has to do with the availability of ingredients, and the influence of immigrant groups, and changing lifestyles.  But beyond that, do people change what they want to eat?  I have made a decision to not eat meat, so of course my diet will be significantly different than it was even a year ago.  Will my vegetarian diet change in ten years?  Do taste buds change over time?  Will I like the same foods next year?

Will eating differently cause me to want to eat differently?

Is my tongue changing?

Now I made myself nervous.  I have to go spend some time staring in the mirror to make sure my tongue has not changed.  I'll let you know.

One Potato, Two Potato

Over the weekend, I made baked potatoes as a side dish for dinner.  I cannot remember the last time I made a baked potato, ate a baked potato or even thought about a baked potato.  My parents were coming over for dinner and I did not have a lot of active prep time, though throwing things in the oven to cook without me worked well, thus baked potatoes.

The baked potato made me so happy!  I don't put anything fancy on top of it, not even butter or sour cream, just a little salt.  Something so simple tasted so good.  I have been trying to cook such complex meals lately I have forgotten the joys of simple food.  I need to remind myself that I don't need to cook exotic flavors or fifty ingredients into a dish to make it work.  I do not need to compensate for the lack of meat.  Meatless food is delicious and healthy just as it is.  Meals can be satisfying in their simplicity.

Up next: peanut butter and jelly sandwich.