Posts Tagged ‘food’

Today’s list, “Things I’m good at”, would generally be one of those lists that I would snark my way through, because I really dislike patting myself on the back. But you know what? I think for today, I’ll just STFU and straight-up talk about the things that I actually am pretty damn good at.

Writing. I can write, and I can write quite well. I might be unsure of it at times, and I might downright suck at it on occasion, but for the most part, I am a good writer. Even if I typed “I can right” first. That’s okay, though… Let’s face it, I did not say “I can spell,” or “I use proper grammar.” I merely said that I can write. And I’m good at it.

Cooking. I can cook up a storm when I feel like it. I use fancy-ass ingredients and cooking methods, I make up recipes, I plate with a flourish and I serve with a smile. I think I can safely say that there hasn’t been a dish that I can remember that hasn’t turned out at least satisfactorily edible. More often, the food I prepare is just plain awesome.

Making people laugh. I think I’m good at this. If I base it on the number of times people laugh when around me, then I would have to say that I am good at it. Unless all of those people are laughing because there is a sign stuck to my back that I’m not aware of. Which would kind of suck. So I shall just carry on believing that they are laughing with me. Not at me. Unless I want them to laugh at me. That should be perfectly clear now, right?

Music. Yes, I am good at music. I am good at putting on my headphones, I am good at turning up the volume to the correct level, and I am good at picking out a song that I want to listen to that is mood appropriate. You might think that I am being a snarky bitch when I say this, but that’s not the case. I am good at music. I research new stuff, I look up related artists, I am on the lookout for all genres of good tuneage. I am a good judge of good music versus bad (and NOT just in my opinion, thank you) and I know a fucking lot about music. I am not some snot-nosed fifteen-year old music critic wannabe discussing who has more musical talent – Justin Bieber or Willow Smith. I don’t have to do that. I know the correct answer is that they both suck encephalitic elephant balls.

So those are a few of the things I’m good at.
What are you good at?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

I wouldn’t call myself a foodie.

I mean, sure.
I look at food porn.
I read recipes like novels.
I have a serious collection of cookbooks.
I post picture of dinners that I’ve made on twitpic.
I have recipes that I’ve made up posted on cool sites.
I have daily discussions about food and cooking with a certain friend.

But um…

Okay, so maybe I’m a bit of a foodie.
Whatever.

Today’s list concerns food. Namely, foods that I have eaten that are so good that other people could hear how much I was enjoying it. I assume this means that I was so audible in my enjoyment, that it was plain that the food was simply delicious. The alternative – that I eat with my mouth open, making icky slurping sounds – isn’t something I do, no matter how good the food is.

Shrimp Scampi, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Haleiwa, Hawaii. I am a fan of seafood. I am a bigger fan of fresh seafood. And it doesn’t get fresher than Giovanni’s. Yeah, this ‘restaurant’ looks like a hippie nightmare, but honestly it was the best meal that I had in Hawaii, and that includes the restaurants at the five-star resort that I stayed in. When I took the first bite of Gio’s Scampi I thought I was going to die of mouth induced tastebud-gasms. Thankfully, I was not the only one moaning like a virgin with a vibrator. And yes. My name is scrawled on that truck someplace.

Seafood Platter for Two, somewhere in the jungle in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Yeah, I don’t know the name of the place. I also couldn’t take you there if I had a map of it tattooed on my ass. This was the day that Laurie and I went on the tequila factory tour, so admittedly by the time we got to the restaurant, we were a little on the tipsy side. All I do know is that it was in the middle of nowhere, and there was a river, and a jungle. I also know that the seafood that we ate that day was to-die-for tasty, and that both Laurie and I died when we saw the size of the platter. There was moaning. There was licking. There was sucking. And that was just the crab legs. Just sayin’. Oh, and yes. That picture is the actual platter that we were served. Just in case you were wondering.

Barbecued Buffalo Ribs, Chez Moi, Alberta. So, um… Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I am an awesome cook. I tend to just toss things together and have them work. I picked this particular dish for two reasons. The first reason is that I love it. Beef or pork ribs, this freakin’ sauce is fall-off-the-bone, finger-licking, straight-up fucking stellar. The second reason is that everyone else thinks so, too. In fact, the best friend loves it so much that every time she calls to tell me that she is coming out to visit, and I ask her what she wants for dinner, this is the meal that she asks for. I have to make lots, because they are also so good that eating them cold out of the fridge for brekkie is de rigeur around my place.

Yeah. Lots of yum happening right here at home.
Okay, maybe I am patting myself on the back.
But just a little.

Oh. There is one more thing that I very audibly enjoy.  The first sip of a cup of coffee, anywhere, first thing in the morning. Yeah. I moan every single time. Mmmm… coffee.

What foods make you go yummmmmmmm?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

I’ve had some good ideas in the past.
I guess.

Some ideas I have – like going on tour with Bon Jovi – never quite came to fruition. Well, at least not yet. I’m still working on that one. They need me. They just don’t know it yet. But they will… Someday…

Anyhow.

I learned to cook. And I don’t just mean that I learned to follow a recipe. Anyone can follow a recipe. I mean that I learned not to be afraid of cooking outside the lines. I play with recipes. I play with flavours. I add and delete ingredients at will, and adjust cooking methods. I have even made up my own recipes from vague ideas that have been suggested to me. And I’ll be damned if they didn’t turn out really good. Just ask Chrissa! I’m quite happy with my skills in the kitchen. Realizing that the worst that could happen was having to order a pizza was a very good idea.

Learning to play the guitar. Okay, this wasn’t so much my idea as it was my brother’s idea. But I went along with it, so I’m totally counting it. Learning to play the guitar has given me not only a greater appreciation for music on the whole, but has also given me another way to relieve stress. The only downside of this is that it causes me some pain. I don’t practice as much as I should, so I never really build up a nice set of calluses. Which means that when I play, my fingers get really sore. And sometimes they get little owie blisters on them. Did I mention the owie? Kiss them better please.

Starting a damn twitter account. I know. But honestly, that’s allowed me to meet some very, very interesting people. People that have come to mean a lot to me. People that I share my daily life with, and will continue to share my life with. People that I can’t wait to meet in person. Also, it’s been fun seeing all the fuckbuckets fuck their buckets. Nothing is quite as entertaining as watching people wallow in their own sewage. As long as I’m far enough away I can’t smell it.

Deciding I no longer give a shit what other people think of me. I don’t mean that I don’t care what the people I love think. I will always care about what they think. I mean that I no longer give a flying fuck what other people think of me. I just flat out refuse to measure my own value based on what other people say. The people that love me already think I’m valuable, and they make me feel that way. Everyone else? They can hate on me all they like. As long as they keep it to themselves. You want to start bashing me in public? Be forewarned. I might bash back. And even if I don’t, I won’t forget it.

Yes, I have had very good ideas in the workplace. But those ideas are boring. No one wants to know about those. Even I don’t want to know about most of those anymore. Y’know, until someone asks me that stupid question in a job interview. Cuz I’m pretty sure those people aren’t going to care about my twitter account.

Asshats.

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.