I’ve decided to go ahead and blog every day that Tara is gone, just for posterity (not to mention a public record of how unwell I function in her absence…humility be damned, I’m going for it!). These posts won’t be as wordy as usual, as I’ll basically be recounting my day. Not every day is worthy of recounting, so this should be interesting!
The first post is coming to you courtesy of a few glasses of wine, so pardon me in advance for any errors.
Believe it or not, Tara had to work yesterday morning. A few things needed wrapping up, so she went into the bank for a couple of hours before hitting the road at approximately 12:45. She arrived in Evanston, Wyoming shortly after 9:00, where she spent the night. While she was busy driving, I ran errands. A friend on Facebook asked what special dish I was cooking last night, and I replied, “Chinese leftovers!”
Food does seem to be a theme here, doesn’t it? I’d alluded to the fact that Tara is a picky eater, and Bijoux, a blogger who has followed me for almost 10 years now (!), commented, You need to do a post on what Tara won’t eat. It sounds fascinating to me because I feel like you guys are really into food? Or maybe it’s just you?
Dear Bijoux: It’s just me.
While it’s true that Tara and I launched a food blog in 2013 where we celebrated every U.S. food holiday for a full year, there is only one adventurous eater in this family, and his name does not begin with a T or end with an A.
Tara won’t eat beans, of potatoes, or anything spicy. She is very particular about chicken, and will trim not only the fat, but at least a 1/2″ area in proximity to the fat, on any cut of meat. She wrinkles her nose whenever I offer her a sip of whiskey, and wouldn’t touch almonds with a 10-foot pole. I often joke that it’s easier to list the foods she doesn’t like rather than those she does, ha. And yet, in some cases, she surprises me. She won’t hesitate to swallow a raw oyster, for instance. That’s a tough sell for a lot of people.
In stark contrast, I will eat anything. Seriously. And I love everything, with the exception of watermelon. I’m almost ashamed that this is something everybody else seems to love, and yet, I despise it. And because our tastes change as we age (I used to despise broccoli and Brussel’s sprouts, and now they’re two of my favorites) I always make it a point to give watermelon another chance every summer. I will take a bite of fresh watermelon, hoping that this is the time I will finally like it!. That has ever to be the case, but I’m an optimist.
When I was post-divorce, pre-Tara, I got pretty adventurous in the kitchen. During this 5-year period, I had several go-to recipes, things that I always enjoyed. One of them was adobo, a traditional Filipino dish that I was introduced to during my first marriage. Adobo is technically a method of cooking, as it can be made with both chicken and pork (I like them both, but always preferred pork). It’s one of those meals my ex-wife made often, and was in regular rotation on our menu. The thing about adobo is, it’s got very assertive flavors: it’s essentially a 50-50 blend of soy sauce and vinegar. I have always been a fan of strong flavor (I revel in the Umami game!), but Tara? Not so much. I have not made adobo in many years, but as I am writing this post, there is a batch simmering on the stove.
I am also currently watching a DVD, Cinderella Man, in the basement. Because it’s another hot day and the basement is cooler by a solid 8 degrees this time of year.
I’ve been watching the radar, and an impressive line of thunderstorms passed just to the north of me a little while ago. Looks like the mothership!
I’m disappointed that it missed us. After two wet years, we’re officially in a moderate drought now and could use the rain.
Tara called a few minutes ago. She has reached her Nevada destination. Whew.
Hey, look at me, building a post out of a comment. With that in mind, and since I’ve got eight days worth of posts to fill, feel free to ask me a question. Anything you’re wondering about me, my life, hopes, dreams, aspirations, winning Powerball numbers next week, etc.? Go ahead and leave me a comment.
I’ll check in with you again tomorrow.
Mark My Words 
What are your favorite foods ?
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Good one! I’ll address that later today.
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Mark, I have to say that I’m more like Tara when is comes to food. And although I am a “foodie”, I’m picky about what I will and will not eat. However, I do love beans and potatoes. But not anything spicy whatsoever. Curry is the “devil” to me. HA!
Gorgeous photo of the sky. WOW!
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How about a milder yellow or green curry? Would you eat that? Tara actually makes a chicken recipe that uses curry powder, so I guess not ALL is lost with her!
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I’m with Tara, a meal that’s 50% vinegar? No thank you. And to prefer that over a sweet juicy hunk of watermelon? Madness.
Maybe you should lace it with rum. Rum melon is a summer staple.
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That was a bit of an oversimplification on my part. The sauce is 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 cup water, garlic, onion, and peppercorns. But yeah…it’s still got a punch.
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I was fed an oyster once by this guy back in my FlightSafety days who came to my place with lobster, oysters and vodka. Plus lemons. He made me oyster shooters. Um… Lol
It was an interesting night. 😳😛
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This sounds like the beginning of a soft-core porn flick, lol.
I love oyster shooters! Of course.
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Well it wasn’t THAT. (not exactly…) lol 🙄
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Welp, that was informative, Mark! And the things Tara won’t eat are rather shocking. I mean, as much as I love almonds, I can’t say they really have that much flavor?
My son’s college gf was the pickiest and wouldn’t eat potatoes, either. Made no sense because it’s so versatile and wouldn’t taste the same no matter how you made them. His wife literally eats anything. Including bunny head, which I think we’ve talked about?
Q: In a non-quarantine world, where would you like to travel to next?
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And yet, the flavor is exactly what she doesn’t like. Anything marzipan, for instance: forget about it. But I agree with you. These things perplex me to no end.
Thank you for the question. I’ll address it tonight!
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My husband also says I am a picky eater. But my husband is also of Cantonese descent, and the Chinese have a saying: “The Cantonese will eat anything with four legs except a table, anything that swims except a submarine, and anything that flies except an airplane.” And, yeah, he will eat chicken feet, animal brains, fish eyeballs–literally anything.
He could have destroyed the competition on “Fear Factor.”
Which is why he can’t understand why my son and I hate onions.
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LMAO!
I love that saying, btw. I have never heard it before, but it’s a philosophy I could embrace!
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Do you plan to hide mini flamingos around the house to surprise Tara with when she gets home?
(I have done vaguely similar things to my friends.)
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I love this idea!!!
Buuuut….she reads the blog, so it wouldn’t be much of a “surprise” at this point. 🙂
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Dang it! But also it’s great she reads the blog 😀
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I think we got that storm that missed you. It was a doozy!
Food preferences are a funny thing. I’m pretty picky about chicken fat, too. Not as much as Tara, but close. Also, no veins!!! Ewww! Can’t do veins in my chicken. Or my shrimp. Just gross.
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That one missed us, but (spoiler alert) Monday evening made up for it.
I’m with you on the veins. Just…no!!
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I also eat EVERYTHING, very adventurous eater. I don’t much care for cooked beets, nutella, mango, or lamb, but I’ll still eat those things out of politesse. I like that you keep trying the watermelon. For years, I didn’t like strawberries. I know, right? And I loved mango. And one summer they flipped. I couldn’t get enough strawberries and as a person who used to eat even the mango skin, I despaired when my mango smoothie was foul, but only to me. Sometimes there’s a trade, I fear.
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Try putting salt on the watermelon.
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I have, per Tara’s suggestion. Still wasn’t a fan. However, one time I actually liked it. Interurban in Portland had watermelon slices dipped in habanero oil and topped with feta. THOSE were good!
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