a bone to pick with "American" fruit

I am about to sound extremely pretentious.

It's hard to find good fruit in the States and if you've never eaten fruit in another country/a locale close to where the produce was actually picked and vine/tree ripened...dude, you are missing out!

I grew up on iceburg lettuce as a staple.  Cheap.  Easy.  Done.  Rodolfo won't touch the stuff...he grew up on locally grown, happy, healthy, hippy, fancy schmancy greens without even knowing it and for less cost than a round cabbage-esque head of iceburg with 5 times the flavor....because he was in Chile.  Lucky, lucky man.  It's from him that I've gained my pretentiousness with foods.  He's ruined me!

Let's face it, the grocery fruits here are all from Chile as well, they are just picked under ripe and sent on an airplane/truck/boat to get here...I don't smell very good either coming from Chile!

Rodolfo refuses to eat peaches in the midwest.  He tries once a year and then gets disappointed when it doesn't taste of pure sugar..he's frustrated when he doesn't have to eat it over a sink...because it doesn't ooze down his arm with every bite.  It ruins his day.  Yes.  He's a peach snob!***  And a tomato snob, etc. etc...he can go without, but when he finds the good stuff, it makes him so so happy!  Like he's won the lottery!

Like I said, this is all very pretentious!However, I have backup!

She's called Julia Child!  And thanks to Candace for letting me borrow "My life in France" she's got my back!!!

page 25:  "In America, grapes bored me, but the Parisian grapes were exquisite, with a delicate, fugitive, sweet, ambrosial, and irresistible flavor"  (Happy 100th Julia, rest in peace dear heart)

What a description!!!  Delicate, fugitive!!!  Ambrosial....damn girl....you've got it!
A description I would never use for a grape purchased in the mid west!  She's right!  They're boring!

Now...granted, the farmers markets are getting better and better!  Thank god!  So now, at least half the year, we have access to local tomatoes,  zuc's, cuc's, herbs, melons, corn, eggplant, etc.. but when it comes to winter, our hearts get heavy and our palettes get depressed.

Perhaps this is just what we get for living in an area of the world that becomes inhabitable half the year, but isn't that the same for France and all those other lovely countries in Europe that turn out incredible produce and food experiences year in and year out?!?   What's our excuse?

My point?  If you haven't traveled out of the country at least once, do it!  Not necessarily just for the culture, the traditions, or how good it is to get outside of your comfy zone, do it for your PALETTE!!!!  To appreciate life to its fullest, it's important to try one grape..a single grape you could describe as "fugitive"  I mean...seriously!  

Your palette will thank you a hundred times over when you bite into a peach and it's the best peach of your life!!!  The next trip we take...it's not about the place (or it is, but that's secondary), it's about the FOOD!

 ***The one exception to this rule was when we went to California and we bought some peaches from a stand the morning after we arrived.  Let's just say he pulled a Julia in experience, but without the beautiful words...only noises..."mmm...oh!....mmmm...wooooow!!!!  Shlurp."  Now, he's definitely not willing to buy a peach in the mid west!  California should not count as part of the States in this scenario....it's some happy hippy utopia...why aren't we all there?

week day weekends

There are pros and cons to food service depending how you look at it.

The busiest part of my work week is the weekend....this can be a big bummer for spending time hanging out with friends and making night time plans, especially when I need to wake up at 6am on a Sunday morning.  Something I used to love about working at the credit union was getting a full two days off Saturday and Sunday to cavorts and saunter around with the R man...farmers market plus brunch on a Saturday morning, partying til the wee hours on a Saturday night, recuperate on a Sunday and be fresh and ready for Monday...

well...

that doesn't happen anymore.  But!  This does mean I get a full fabulous day off during the week!

Of course this leads to activities and fun of the individual variety as R man is usually off industrializing himself, but honestly, I kind of like to have a full day to myself....for errands!  A full stress free day to get stuff done!  The Minnesotan in me is beaming!

• bike rides as long or short as I'd like
• laundry day
• my credit union is actually open!
• two hours in the grocery store wandering about  *btw, who the heck are all of these other people shopping on a week day at 3pm?  Are there that many of us with a week day off?!?
• time to sort out paper work and organize the house
• cooking for the week
• mowing the lawn
• catching up on emails and facebook and blogs!

I really feel like everyone needs a day like this to get stuff done.  The weekend just isn't enough!  Well....it could be, but when do normal people get to go to the bank?  Or shop?  Or....cook?!?

Btw, here's some pics from my last week day off:

Some friends of ours recently moved and she happened to be my size and just last week the rules were changed at work where we can wear whatever we want...and I didn't really have any clothes that weren't for traveling or for a wedding!
I know!  What luck!!!

 

I also made a salad for lunch from the basil and cucumbers from our garden!  (the bread is from my bakery)  Our herb plants of Basil, Oregano, Mint and Sage are doing great!  We're getting about a cucumber or two every few days and the tomatoes are beginning to change to a lovely orange!  I managed to kill off most of my zucchini plants by adding espresso grounds to the dirt, thinking I was aiding in their growth...nope....not so much.

R man just returned from a Bachelor's weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza.  Many a beer was drunk, a grunt was made, a concert was experienced and a video game played.  He was very happy to come home and eat one of his famous "mega salads". 

Just like how I very much enjoy my week day weekends....the man is very much allowed to go off and explore the world and enjoy his weekends!  The joys of marriage...interdependence and all that good stuff!  

Well, it's my day off today!  Time to start some laundry!

***30 minutes later***....upon further intensive thought on the unfairness of doing laundry on my day off verses R man partying for 3 days straight for his days off and the conversing of this fact between us....I will not be washing his dirty underwear today!  He'll do it later.  Time for pilates!