food – Lorin Duckman Today

Bok Choy

So, last night as I prepared dinner, I noticed how beautiful the Bok Choy looked. Slated for a stir-fry to accompany lamb chops, baked potato, and creamed spinach, I decided to take a picture of it and then cook it.

Alas, I got the shot ready by putting the Bok Choy on a stand and left the kitchen to grab a camera. During the trip, I forgot about the shoot and went on with the rest of the meal prep. Its write-offable as a senior moment or pills + a glass of sparkling wine.

Upon arising this AM, there on the kitchen counter, stood the noble Bok Choy.. Its expression? What happened to the fridge, it asked, throwing up its arms, looking for divine help.

Me? Not a believer in my own prayers helping out. I just looked for someone to blame. May it taste as good tonight with dinner.

Bar B Que for Dinner

Made to order in the parking lot of our favorite spirits store. So, we will sip some bubbly and eat pulled pork and ribs. Add some slaw and corn bread. Mmmmm boy.

Almost Salad

When the hot, humid, uncertain weather forces indoor activities, cook, watch a movi, and make a still life of the ingredients first. Broccoli Rabe has a personality of its own. So do garlic, onions, fresh corn and a legacy tomato.

Make Mine Medium

Marrakesh meat market fare.

WAITING

Bread line, bathroom, …. We spend much of our lives standing in line, doing nothing. (George Segal, Breadline at Steward Johnson Museum).

Grab Heat and Eat

We wonder why medical costs are so high? People with jobs who don’t sit at desks take meals on the fly. The fare at some service stations is designed to sell, not to fuel the body with nutritious foods. Grab it, heat it and eat it.

DUCK’s New Grill

So, in Burlington, we lived in a condo on the third floor. No grills allowed, at least not ones with charcoal or gas. Had an electric grill which sort of boiled stuff. No lines or burn marks. Now, back in a home, I got a grill.

Now, I am not one of those champion grillers. I like chicken and steak, veggies, corn. Don’t have dry rubs or special marinades, except for one made with Jack Daniels and maple syrup. I can turn out a meal for two, eliminating the need for a giant unit. Not really invested in the skill, but love to cook.

Have given away all my tools. Need a fork, spatula and tongs. Wire brush. Cutting board. Cover. All new stuff and an extra tank. Feel like I live at Home Depot.

Bigger question: will we cook. Down here, everyone goes out to dinner. Early bird specials. Off season reductions if you pay cash. Not so easy to find locally grown stuff or prime meat. But being home has its benefits, especially since we pay so much for Comcast and A/C. Best thing: no drinking and driving.

Butter or Beer

Sharon and I volunteer at the Burlington Emergency Food Shelf. If you have stuff which people can use, I will pick it up and distribute it. Call me. Someone will use it.

A lot of people I have photographed on the street come for breakfast and then, if eligible, pick up food and supplies. Today, Rich Fish came in. He has a place to live, though not one where he feels he has enough safety and structure. But he has a place to cook and a place to store food. The last time I shot his image, he was cooking franks down by the Coast Guard Station on a grill. I found him, delivered a print, which he lost when someone stole his backpack, or maybe he left it somewhere.

He couldn’t find butter in the cooler. He needed to cook noodles/pasta, which will stick together without it. Previously, I had given him a dollar which he had designated for a beer. Now he has a problem: he needs another dollar, some butter or he can settle for sticky noodles. He thanked me for the dollar and headed off with his groceries. No longer homeless, he can only come every two weeks and what he gets ain’t much. But, in this weather, he’s a lot better off than he was and not as good as he will be now that he is off the streets.

Earlier in the morning, I had given a dollor to a person who didn’t want it. The guy, whom I have seen on the street, said to give it to someone more worthy. I don’t know his name and he hasn’t let me take his photo. But he always says hello, sometimes calling me Dick, instead of Duck. I told him he could give it to someone worthy and refused to take it back.

As the morning shift wore on to its end, I saw the guy give the dollar to a woman who was picking up for herself and family. She accepted it, graciously, walked over to me and handed me the dollar. “You deserve this for helping us.”

Cheese Whizzed

So, I need to go on a diet. Just not comfortable with the weight. Better to do it before the Holidays. Got to cut out cheese, all kinds of cheese. I like the artisan cheeses, the low fat cheeses and the artificial cheeses. No more junk food. But, if you had to guess, would you believe the phony stuff goes back to the 1800’s. Yup. They have been Cheese Whizzing us for more than a century. Damn. Here, I was worrying about genetically modified foods.