Well, I'm stumped. My dad has decided that this project is something that I should do on my own. The only problem is, he was the inspiration of this project in the first place! Recently at the bar he works at one of the bartenders left for a better job. Now, my dad is stuck working his shifts, which make him very tired. Instead of working occasionally, he's working four days a week.
Now to us that doesn't sound like a lot really. I would love to work four days a week and call it good, but it is a lot more difficult for those with a brain injury. The commotion of bar/restaurant leaves him tired after a short shift, so he usually goes to bed almost immediately after getting home. With his work schedule the way it is I'm going to have to take on this whole cooking/eating project on by myself.
I'm planning on cooking tomorrow or Saturday. So I was wondering if any of you guys had a good idea for me! Like I said in the beginning of the blog I'm down for anything so wild suggestions would be great! If not, no worries, I'll find something myself. :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sushi should be spelled d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r..
Once, I begin this I do apologize for the lack of blogging, onto the story!
Sushi making was a complete disaster! I can't even begin to explain how badly this went. My father and I have sworn to never try this again.
We were going to try to make the simplest of all the recipes. Vinegared, steamed white rice with salmon, wrapped in seaweed. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.
Everything that could go wrong, did. First, the rice was absolutely dreadful. We tried everything completely original, so we didn't try minute rice. That was a mistake, it turned out hard, and super vinegary. Yuck. Secondly, the fish we bought was not the best thing I've ever tasted, and I usually like salmon! Just not, raw, I suppose. Lastly, the seaweed wrap we used was the stringiest, most vulgar thing that has ever passed through my lips. And the best part about it all? It didn't even stick together. It crumpled. I'll be uploading pictures later, so you all can see exactly what I'm talking about.
But, the best part about this all was the laughter. My dad and I were literally, almost crying at how terrible these turned out. Even though the recipe was a complete bust, which I won't put up here, because no one should waste their time with it, he and I had the best time together. I couldn't ask for a funnier night.
Sushi making was a complete disaster! I can't even begin to explain how badly this went. My father and I have sworn to never try this again.
We were going to try to make the simplest of all the recipes. Vinegared, steamed white rice with salmon, wrapped in seaweed. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.
Everything that could go wrong, did. First, the rice was absolutely dreadful. We tried everything completely original, so we didn't try minute rice. That was a mistake, it turned out hard, and super vinegary. Yuck. Secondly, the fish we bought was not the best thing I've ever tasted, and I usually like salmon! Just not, raw, I suppose. Lastly, the seaweed wrap we used was the stringiest, most vulgar thing that has ever passed through my lips. And the best part about it all? It didn't even stick together. It crumpled. I'll be uploading pictures later, so you all can see exactly what I'm talking about.
But, the best part about this all was the laughter. My dad and I were literally, almost crying at how terrible these turned out. Even though the recipe was a complete bust, which I won't put up here, because no one should waste their time with it, he and I had the best time together. I couldn't ask for a funnier night.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Back in the game!
After a long week dealing with health issues, my dad and I are back in the game. There were a few scares in there, but we're all doing just fine.
Now, back to the food. And I have one word, Sushi! I've wanted to try authentic Japanese sushi for years, but living in the UP you can't get a decent Japanese, or Chinese, meal to save your life, so my father and I are taking that into our own hands.
I don't know a lot about sushi, but I think it's interesting. So, I researched it, intensely, I want the best sushi, ever. Not some nasty fish guts.
Sushi began as a method of preserving fish, but soon changed into an interesting dining experience. In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice as a way of making it last. Seaweed, or nori, was added later so people's fingers wouldn't get sticky. The word sushi refers to the rice, the Japanese word 'su' means vinegar and 'shi' is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, so basically, sushi is 'vinegared rice.' But as time has went on sushi went from meaning 'vinegared rice,' into the colorful and distinct pieces of edible art we see today.
I cannot wait to try this! Wish me luck. :)
Now, back to the food. And I have one word, Sushi! I've wanted to try authentic Japanese sushi for years, but living in the UP you can't get a decent Japanese, or Chinese, meal to save your life, so my father and I are taking that into our own hands.
I don't know a lot about sushi, but I think it's interesting. So, I researched it, intensely, I want the best sushi, ever. Not some nasty fish guts.
Sushi began as a method of preserving fish, but soon changed into an interesting dining experience. In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice as a way of making it last. Seaweed, or nori, was added later so people's fingers wouldn't get sticky. The word sushi refers to the rice, the Japanese word 'su' means vinegar and 'shi' is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, so basically, sushi is 'vinegared rice.' But as time has went on sushi went from meaning 'vinegared rice,' into the colorful and distinct pieces of edible art we see today.
I cannot wait to try this! Wish me luck. :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
It's more than food now..
So this week, I'm in charge of my own food experiment. My Dad has decided that he doesn't feel like it. This may sound harsh to some of you, but in all honesty, it's not. It's something that I've dealt with for the past 5 years. After our short trip to Miami, my Dad's brain just decided that it was tired, so it was done. That's what happens, in some cases, when you have a brain injury. Hurting your brain isn't like hurting your arm, if you break your arm, you can fix it. If you break your brain, there's no turning back.
Think back to your morning. You probably got up, showered, had breakfast, made your way out of your dorms, or drove to class. Thoughts probably ran through your mind of what you have to do today, what happened last night, or about that asshole that just cut you off. Now, imagine that once you had those thoughts, you could never recall them. Imagine reading a book, then picking it up later that day, and not recognizing a thing. This is what my dad deals with every single day of his life, and will deal with this until the day he passes.
My dad has a cognitive brain injury, and short term memory loss. It takes months of repetitive practice to make something "old memory." So, when his brain "tires out," or things get too hard, he quits. Our vacation was too much for him to handle, so he quit. That means my mother and I have to pick up what he lacks and move on. This happens once or month or so. I'm grateful though because he is still here and I can still see him, but sometimes it's so hard it's unreal. And what kills me even more is that I wish I could help him. Just give him a pill to fix his brain, or some surgery, but there is absolutely nothing we can do. And as he grows older his brain will deteriorate, causing his moods to change, completely changing the man I know as my father.
When I started this whole shenanigans I expected to eat some gross food and try to remain composed, but this is completely different. It has made me grateful for the simple things I can do in my life. Never take life for granted, ever. Though I've grown up with these issues for the past five years, no one will ever "get used" to this situation. My brother and I try to work with him as best we can. He can function completely fine by himself. Driving, cooking, whittling, he can do it, but when he's tired, he's done. Now for those of you married, or in relationships, imagine the man, or woman, that you're with changing in an instant. They're not longer the person that you fell in love with, welcome to my mother's life.
My mother has taken this all in stride and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's one of the strongest people that I know. This experiment has opened up my eyes to the things that I didn't want to realize, the things that I didn't want to think about. It was just easier to cover it all. But, you guys wanted my dad in this blog, and here he is.
Think back to your morning. You probably got up, showered, had breakfast, made your way out of your dorms, or drove to class. Thoughts probably ran through your mind of what you have to do today, what happened last night, or about that asshole that just cut you off. Now, imagine that once you had those thoughts, you could never recall them. Imagine reading a book, then picking it up later that day, and not recognizing a thing. This is what my dad deals with every single day of his life, and will deal with this until the day he passes.
My dad has a cognitive brain injury, and short term memory loss. It takes months of repetitive practice to make something "old memory." So, when his brain "tires out," or things get too hard, he quits. Our vacation was too much for him to handle, so he quit. That means my mother and I have to pick up what he lacks and move on. This happens once or month or so. I'm grateful though because he is still here and I can still see him, but sometimes it's so hard it's unreal. And what kills me even more is that I wish I could help him. Just give him a pill to fix his brain, or some surgery, but there is absolutely nothing we can do. And as he grows older his brain will deteriorate, causing his moods to change, completely changing the man I know as my father.
When I started this whole shenanigans I expected to eat some gross food and try to remain composed, but this is completely different. It has made me grateful for the simple things I can do in my life. Never take life for granted, ever. Though I've grown up with these issues for the past five years, no one will ever "get used" to this situation. My brother and I try to work with him as best we can. He can function completely fine by himself. Driving, cooking, whittling, he can do it, but when he's tired, he's done. Now for those of you married, or in relationships, imagine the man, or woman, that you're with changing in an instant. They're not longer the person that you fell in love with, welcome to my mother's life.
My mother has taken this all in stride and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's one of the strongest people that I know. This experiment has opened up my eyes to the things that I didn't want to realize, the things that I didn't want to think about. It was just easier to cover it all. But, you guys wanted my dad in this blog, and here he is.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Change in Scenery
Being in Miami was a very different experience for my family and I. The trip was hectic and unfortunately we didn't get to try any different food! What a bummer, hey? But, what I did get to see was the change in price from here to there, and a few other food related details.
First, I was able to see how different things are down there. The food that they offer has more of a Cuban feel to it. I thought it was really cool, and I'm so pissed I didn't get to try any of it. I thought it'd be an interesting experience.
Also, there food is more seafood based than up here. Obviously because they have the resources, living next to the ocean and all! I saw signs offering shark fins and alligator. Something that we were never imagine seeing up here.
The variety of restaurants down there is almost overwhelming. You have your plain Jane McDonald's and Burger King. But then you also have places like Pollo Tropical, a Mexican chicken based fast food restaurant. It just shows how isolated we are up here.
Lastly, the food was so expensive it was mind blowing. My family, including my aunt, had a meal that served five people, 110 dollars! And that's not the worst, we reviewed different menus and there was a place offering a Kobe steak, imported from Australia, for 100 dollars alone! And the saddest thing was? People were actually buying this crap! I'm sorry, if I'm going to eat a $100 steak, it better be covered in gold.
I'm just glad to be home, with my cheap, lame food. And my Dad and I have been working on a recipe for this week, so I'll be back in the ball game!
First, I was able to see how different things are down there. The food that they offer has more of a Cuban feel to it. I thought it was really cool, and I'm so pissed I didn't get to try any of it. I thought it'd be an interesting experience.
Also, there food is more seafood based than up here. Obviously because they have the resources, living next to the ocean and all! I saw signs offering shark fins and alligator. Something that we were never imagine seeing up here.
The variety of restaurants down there is almost overwhelming. You have your plain Jane McDonald's and Burger King. But then you also have places like Pollo Tropical, a Mexican chicken based fast food restaurant. It just shows how isolated we are up here.
Lastly, the food was so expensive it was mind blowing. My family, including my aunt, had a meal that served five people, 110 dollars! And that's not the worst, we reviewed different menus and there was a place offering a Kobe steak, imported from Australia, for 100 dollars alone! And the saddest thing was? People were actually buying this crap! I'm sorry, if I'm going to eat a $100 steak, it better be covered in gold.
I'm just glad to be home, with my cheap, lame food. And my Dad and I have been working on a recipe for this week, so I'll be back in the ball game!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Hiatus
I apologize for the hiatus that I'm on. When in Florida there was no crazy eating, I actually found out via text and Facebook that my friend died. I'll soon update. It's been a very long week. Once again, I apologize.
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