Dearest Rachel – All too often, when we would bring home a certain local foodstuff from one or another of our travels, it would get lost in the back of the pantry and just go stale or otherwise bad. Sometimes, it would be due to a fear of never be able to have it againContinue reading “Once Burned”
Category Archives: Quarantine Quisine
Food at Home
Dearest Rachel – It’s so memetic that there isn’t a single iconic image to represent it; all there is to it is a basic script. Child asks for restaurant food (usually from a low-grade fast-food place – and yes, I know that’s something of a redundancy), to which the mom replies that “we have foodContinue reading “Food at Home”
Cheaper Than Miami
Dearest Rachel – It so happens that, not only have Daniel and I been eating out a bit more than usual lately, but we’ve been making a point of checking out places we’ve never been to before. Moreover, several places have been unapologetically… let’s just say ‘carnivorous,’ and add that one of the places wasContinue reading “Cheaper Than Miami”
Hoover Parenting
Dearest Rachel – It should hardly come as breaking news that, with a few exceptions, I’m no fan of leftovers. There’s something decidedly distasteful about being obliged to eat more of the same meal you couldn’t finish the day or two before, simply because if you don’t, it’s going to be forgotten about in theContinue reading “Hoover Parenting”
Not Perfect, but Simple
Dearest Rachel – The house still smells a bit too much like curry for an early morning, but I suppose that’s on me. It’s a pervasive scent, whenever it’s used in cooking; some people find it objectionable, while to others, it’s a way of life. I don’t fall into either of those categories, but ifContinue reading “Not Perfect, but Simple”
Not a Bad Meal In the Lot
Dearest Rachel – It hardly needs to be said that the food on a cruise ship is expected to be, if not always gourmet (after all, the kids have to have their hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders and pizza, and I don’t have any objection to those items now and again, either), at least topContinue reading “Not a Bad Meal In the Lot”
Dessert Pizza
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know if I’m going mad from dieting (or attempting – and failing – to fast beyond twenty-four hours this weekend), but last night had us in one of my more unusual dreams together. It wasn’t the sort of dream where things were all happy and joyful that you and IContinue reading “Dessert Pizza”
Filling Vacuums
Dearest Rachel – It’s said that the shopping mall is one of America’s major contributions to civilization, right alongside baseball, hamburgers and the internet. But while there’s certainly something to be said for having a collection of shops all in a single (albeit large and labyrinthine) place, such locales appear to be dying out inContinue reading “Filling Vacuums”
Jackson Pollock Morning
Dearest Rachel – It’s six o’clock of a Saturday morning, and with it comes this sensation that I really don’t feel like doing anything just yet. Not heading to work out (despite registering my highest weight in several days), not wanting to write you (more due to not wanting to bothering with having to write,Continue reading “Jackson Pollock Morning”
They Don’t Make It Like They Do Over There
Dearest Rachel – It’s wild for me to realize at this point that I’ve now been back home for almost (but still not quite yet!) as long as I was abroad on that Asian cruise this year. And while I’ve still not gotten around to getting myself a deep-dish pizza like I said I wasContinue reading “They Don’t Make It Like They Do Over There”
What Would “Uncle Ho” Think?
Dearest Rachel – Technically, we’re in the municipality of Phu My (and please, don’t ask me to pronounce that). It’s not all that unusual; many of the cities that we are visiting are separate from the port we actually dock at. Consider Keelung and Taipei, for instance, or even Yokohama and Tokyo, for that matterContinue reading “What Would “Uncle Ho” Think?”
With Time to Spare (Barely)
Dearest Rachel – As much as I’ve been trained to try and get every place I mean to be as early as possible, sometimes that just doesn’t work out. I’d spent the entirety of yesterday evening uploading the mall footage from Hong Kong, and this morning dealing with the Kai Tak rooftop garden video. TheContinue reading “With Time to Spare (Barely)”
A Day at the Beach
Dearest Rachel – The phrase is a literal metaphor for an easy thing, not unlike “a piece of cake” or “a walk in the park.” And given that I’m still clawing my way back to health, it’s probably just what the doctor ordered, to utilize another common phrase – I’d have to check with LarsContinue reading “A Day at the Beach”
Too Early And Too Late
Dearest Rachel – Morning in Airlie Beach, and I’m not sure what to do with myself. My excursion doesn’t start until almost half past ten, although they were starting to call off those with tender tickets shortly after seven. On the other hand, I’m still trying to juggle breakfast and a phone call from Lars,Continue reading “Too Early And Too Late”
Mall Walking
Dearest Rachel – It’s something I’d never think of doing at home – at least, barring extreme circumstances, such as losing a tire outside of one and having to walk home in a light snowstorm (yes, I remember that trip, even to the point of one of us observing that Chompers would be getting franticContinue reading “Mall Walking”
Well, Ain’t This a Crock
Dearest Rachel – Even before you had to go, I’d been known to say that misadventures make for the best stories. They aren’t fun when you’re in the middle of them, but some of the ‘best’ (if you can call them that) ones make for uproarious tales, at least in retrospect. Most of them have to doContinue reading “Well, Ain’t This a Crock”
Food for Thought
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what sort of manna or ambrosia you get to eat where you are; I assume that, since heaven still contains most of the truly good things in life, you’re able to eat and enjoy things (and hey, Jesus ate fish after His resurrection, so why not you?). And whileContinue reading “Food for Thought”
For Future Reference
Dearest Rachel – I propose that New Year’s resolutions are difficult to keep in part because we tend to put the bar way too high for our own safety. We make these grandiose promises to ourselves as to what we plan on doing in the coming year, only to be discouraged as it becomes evidentContinue reading “For Future Reference”
Making the Most of Last Call
Dearest Rachel – So this is it. Effective the beginning of next week, the law comes down, not only in Chicago itself but throughout the entire county: no one may go out in public unless they have proof of vaccination. What that means is that Daniel will not be able to go out to aContinue reading “Making the Most of Last Call”
It Takes More Than Just Me
Dearest Rachel – I mentioned last night about how I needed to get this written down in some way. For whatever reason, I can’t seem to find the book in which this recipe is written, and it is one of those few responsibilities I have with regards to cooking as part of our family traditions.Continue reading “It Takes More Than Just Me”
Cheap Eats, If You Need Them
Dearest Rachel – So I’m back to the hotel yet again this morning, and it’s barely ten. This time, at least, I’ve gone through the antigen test (there was nobody in line! It pays to wait!) – turns out, they only needed to swab one nostril rather than the two we had to do backContinue reading “Cheap Eats, If You Need Them”
Basel Street Food
Dearest Rachel – So this isn’t really part of the series as such; but, since one still needs to eat, I might as well tell you about the food on the streets. It’s not as if I’d gotten ravenously hungry over the course of my wanderings this morning, but, with all the passing by thisContinue reading “Basel Street Food”
Last Supper Here
Dearest Rachel – Just to set the record straight, I put the word ‘Here’ in the title because well, it is the last time I’m going to bother with room service, especially considering I’ve gone through basically anything on the menu that’s interesting (okay, I admit to debating about two entrees tonight, but we’ll getContinue reading “Last Supper Here”
And Then There Was One
Dearest Rachel – Like you, I grew up with the understanding that one needed three square meals a day: the whole breakfast-lunch-dinner thing. I was a card-carrying member of the Clean Plate Club, and always tried to get my money’s worth out of the meal plan back in college. My point is, I come byContinue reading “And Then There Was One”
Relaxing the Rules
Dearest Rachel – This is the fourth in our serious on life – specifically, eating – in quarantine. So for today’s story about the things I’m eating, I have to issue a confession. I assumed that, under the American breakfast, I was only allowed to choose one of each category. You know, one of beverages,Continue reading “Relaxing the Rules”
A Little Lighter Fare
Dearest Rachel – It seems I am being encouraged to continue writing about my meals as I go from day to day. So you can consider this a third in the series. It may not be the most exotic of food, but some of it is not likely to cross my plate if and whenContinue reading “A Little Lighter Fare”
On Today’s Menu
Dearest Rachel – Since for now, the only thing that changes around here from day today is the food that I’m eating, I might as well keep you up-to-date. So, consider this to be part two of the series; part one, if you skipped over it (it was pretty long – sorry about that, that’sContinue reading “On Today’s Menu”
At Least My Tongue Can Travel
Dearest Rachel – Since I’ve now been confined to this hotel room for the next week and a half, there isn’t going to be much to report as far as actual goings-on are concerned. For all I know, you may get to read about me going stir crazy as I either convalesce from this cold-that’s-not-a-cold,Continue reading “At Least My Tongue Can Travel”
Letters to Rachel 