Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Series of Me

This was also my experience in St. Joseph, MN. The highlight of it actually was playing with this halo.

I don't fancy myself photogenic. And it's hard to see my face as a photo over ... well, my face. But I started applying these filters to the original image and suddenly I loved the series. A series of me.
Weird. Maybe even weirdo.





                                                          


















A Culinary Rebellion

I just got back from Saint Joseph, MN.
Aloud, that sentence is always followed by "where's that?"
I spent the last 10 days there and I'm not sure even I know how to answer that.
I mean... geographically, I'd answer "Near St. Cloud".
Then I'd hear, "that's like.... west, right?"
"Yeah, northwest. 75 miles up I-94"
"Oh.... what's in St. Joesph?"
That's where I don't know how to answer.
The College of St. Benedict I suppose.
There's a Taco John's and a Montessori.

I've never lived on campus.
Ever.
Not even during college.
I just did.
I made the right decision to not do that.

For 10 days,  I gained weight on campus dining service food. For a vegetarian that means salad mostly. A ton of salad to gain weight off of. The weight gain, I'm sure, had little to do with the content and more to do with the culinary context. 3 square, scheduled meals a day. Like clockwork... we'd wake, we'd eat, we'd work, we'd eat, we'd work, we'd eat, we'd work, we'd sleep. Meals were at 8am, 12pm, and 5pm on the minute stroke.

I got home and I longed to feel hunger.
I longed for culinary liberties.
To satisfy a craving.
To eat against the norm.

So this morning, waking up in my own bed that smelled only of me.... and then laying in that smell until 11... then showering for 30 minutes in my own bathroom among my own lotions and potions.... I decided today I was going to break all the meal conventions placed upon me the last 10 days. Today, I rebel.

I let myself starve until 1pm.
My 1:10 breakfast was chex mix.
There may have been some chocolate in there.
Who am I kidding?
There was chocolate in there.
And by two o'clock I wanted the ultimate rebellion to all I have eaten since June 8.
I needed the most ridiculous vegetarian meal that St. Joe's has never seen.
Could never even dream.

I wanted marinated tofu.
AND PROTEIN!
Protein of every kind.
Give me BBQ mock duck.
Give me Thai.
Give me Japanese noodles shop.
Give me stinky Greek.

I knew I needed to go big, go extreme. Even extreme for me. To prove to myself why I can never be a small town girl. That simple life can't always satisfy. So I set out.... to confuse my taste buds.


I ended up at Birchwood Cafe.
Looks unassuming. You think you have me pegged... oh veggie burger w/ ketchup.

Nah... I'm way more hardcore than that.

Black Bean Quinoa Burger.
Strawberry-Rhubarb compote.
Bib Lettuce.
Red Onion.
Provolone.
Parsley-Fennel aoili.
On a multi-grain bun.

Compote, you mean - stewed fruit.... on a burger? Yep, this is the weirdo shit I was craving.

The order of ingredients were important. The roof of your mouth hit the compote first. Sweet and tangy, feels like the kind of fruit laden drizzle you'd find on a summer salad. Perhaps with candied nuts and twice baked brie. Your brain stays there as your teeth ripped the bib lettuce. Hmmm... refreshing. Ok, I'll buy it. What hits next is the red onion, with the piercing bite that only raw red onion knows how to deliver. Then you reach patty. Rather smokey in flavor, and the provolone is really just adding the warm gooey texture while letting the smoke of the patty do it's thing. Any other cheese would over power. The bottom of the bun spread lightly with the crisp parsley-fennel aoili, almost acting like a citrus kicker at the end.

A well rounded experience I'd have to say. And satisfying no less. My only critique is the substantial bun in combo with the hearty patty, left a bit of a dry finish at the end. I might even goes as far as suggesting it open faced. Thank goodness for the dill and vinegared cucumber, glad I saved that as my juicy last bite.

In homage of today.... my dad would say.... "And you actually liked that weirdo shit?"