#goodbye jambalaya (probably)

[southernfoodtournament]

3 hours to go at 55.9% to 44.1%... but is there an upset in the making?

[kill-your-authors]

SNK Rare Pair Week - JeanConnie - Seasoning

  (Rated T, no content warnings)

          From the kitchen, I listened to Jean talk on the phone with his mom. Since quarantine started, he’d gone from calling her every few weeks to calling her almost every day. It’d been over a year now since he’d flown home, and since then we’d gotten engaged, and we were waiting to tell her until we could see her in person. He was impatient, of course. He was always impatient, that didn’t surprise me. But he was also homesick, something that I had never witnessed in him in the five years we’d been together. He hadn’t liked growing up bi in the south, to say the least, and ever since moving to Chicago for school, he’d been much happier.

           Granted, meeting me and us getting together probably had a lot to do with that.

           On the stove, I stirred the Southern jambalaya I was making. When Jean introduced me to his mom a few years ago, his mom prepared this for him because it was a family recipe, and because she was the only person alive who could get it right and because it was Jean’s favorite. By the fifth or sixth visit to his childhood home, his mom had figured out we were pretty serious even if we hadn’t yet. During that visit, Jean happened to go to bed early one night, and I was comfortable enough to stay up with his mom without him.

           “Come here, Connie,” she said to me, after the first snores from Jean’s childhood home rumbled down the hall.

           I followed her into the kitchen where she pulled a notebook out from one of her cupboards. She flipped to the page she’d written the jambalaya recipe down on.

           “Can you cook?” she asked.

           “Uh, absolutely not,” I blurted.

           She laughed warmly. “Well, this was the first meal my mom ever made for my dad. When I was your age, she taught me how to make it for Jean’s dad. Now I’m going to teach you how to make it for Jean.”

           We spent the rest of the night cooking. I made frequent mistakes. I had never before chopped vegetables and I cut myself. My fingers burned from the peppers. I put too much thyme in and undercooked the rice. We had to throw the batch out, but his mom reassured me that she wasn’t expecting me to make it for Jean that night. She was expecting me to make it for him someday.

           “Why someday?” I asked.

           “Well, to put it bluntly, it will take you years to perfect it,” she said, and I got the distinct impression she was holding back that it might take me a couple more years than it had taken her, because she didn’t want to be cruel, which I was grateful for and aware of anyway. Then she added, “But also because, this is a family recipe. The only people who cook this meal are in my family. Do you understand?”

           My eyes widened. “Mrs. Kirstein, I –”

           “Shush. I know. You’re not ready. He’s not ready. But you will be, and when you are,” she said, lifting the notebook, “Here’s the recipe.”

           “How will I know I’m ready?” I asked.

           “When your relationship is seasoned enough,” she said, like that made complete sense. I was tempted to explain to her that I was not the brightest bulb, and that she needed to spell it out for me, but seeing my expression, she laughed and added, “And you’ll know when that is.”

            It took until earlier today, when I saw Jean curled on the couch, burrowed into a blanket, and pouting because he missed home, to realize now was when that was.

           Well, it took that, and a conversation I’d had with Sasha earlier this week. She was seeing someone again, and of course, filling me in with all the details. The dates, the gifts, the sex, etc. She was smitten. Heartsick. Gross, and I said so.

           She scoffed. “Like you and Jean weren’t gross at first.”

           I realized, abruptly, that she was right. It felt so long ago now, but when we first started dating, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Could barely stand to spend the day apart. When we were apart, I couldn’t stop talking about him with her. If I was alone, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

           Of course we were gross then. New love was like that. Fresh love, raw love, was like that. And while you were in it, that love felt like the deepest, truest, most meaningful love in existence.

           But it wasn’t, not really. Love like that was insecure. It was naïve. Fragile. All the touching, all the talking, the thinking – it made up for a weak emotional connection that would take years to strengthen.

           To season.

           I grinned now, lifting the ladle from the Dutch oven and tasting the broth.

           “Needs something,” I said, and glanced along the countertop scattered with various seasonings Jean likely had no idea we even owned, because I kept them way in the back of one of our cupboards, behind ingredients we were much more likely to use in our kitchen on an ordinary night like this one – ingredients like peanut butter and ketchup, for example – all so that Jean would never suspect I might have learned to make this meal in secret.

           I reached for the salt and sprinkled more in. As I did so, I heard Jean say goodbye to his mom on the phone.

           “Connie?” he called a second later, from the living room. “What’s that smell? I thought you were gonna make –”

           And then he was stepping into the kitchen, and I spun to face him. I could see the recognition in his eyes as he inhaled. He tilted his head to catch sight of the stove.

           “Is that –? How in the hell did you…?” But he didn’t finish. He walked up to me and placed one hand on my back, and with the other reached for the ladle so that he could sample it too. Immediately, he moaned.      

           “Oh my God, Connie,” he said, around another spoonful. “I love you. I love you more than I ever have.”

           I snorted. Blushed. Looked away from him. I couldn’t stand to let him see what that meant to me.

           “Your mom taught me,” I said.

           “She did?” he said, lifting another scoop up, this time with some sliced andouille sausage.  “When?” he asked, mouth full.

           I shrugged. “Years ago.”

           Jean shook his head. “I’m starting to think she’s not going to be surprised when we tell her we’re engaged.”

           I laughed. “You know, I think you might be on to something.”

           He put the ladle back in the Dutch oven and then pulled me into him by the waist.

           “Thank you for this,” he said.

           “I wanted to give you something from home,” I said.

           “I am home,” he said. Then he leaned forward, and I stood on my toes – a gesture that we used to struggle to get right, used to fumble with, and was now as natural as breathing, borderline instinctual – so that we could kiss long and deep and thorough.    

           I could taste the seasoning on his lips.

[maybesimon]

maybe i should do like the 70-years old married couple on the farm who eat either mashed potatoes with kale or mashed potatoes with carrot every evening and stop worrying about going to stores and having a varied diet.

when i've ran out of bread there's always this daemon process in my brain like 'should you get bread now? what's for dinner? when are we having lunch?'

which is weird, because it's not hunger that drives it, i have enough other food in the house, but it's routine and logistics.

like, idk what i'm going to eat tonight, i shouldn't order takeout because i already overspend my takeout budget this month, so goodbye see you in januari, delicious pokebowl with spekkoek :( so i can go and get a frozen pizza, which is okay but unhealthy and low effort, maybe i can make something else that's warm and doesn't take too long, oh I can make jambalaya but then i have enough for tomorrow + ingredients left over and i'm leaving to visit my parents for a week tomorrow, so then the food will spoil and i will be sad. so i should get something that doesn't spoil. idk, it will probably be pizza.

or i can make one of those picky dishes with soup and small bread pieces and greens. a plate? i'll do that. soup's warm, then some green shit and i still have cheese so i can make a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. with some vegetables. okay, that's a plan.

so its really more about logistics and food waste than it is about the actual food. anyway, that was kinda a ramble but i guess the logistics-daemon in my brain is satisfied now. finish the tea and go to the store to buy the shit, get coffee after. cool.

[clatterbane]

I just noticed after I got a pot of jambalaya on cooking that the smoked sausage I put in there was NOT the usual (Polish) brand after all. The package looked similar enough that I didn't notice until I was putting the leftover half a pack back into the fridge, and doing the usual compulsive label rechecking in the process. Nope, that's a different brand with freaking wheat fiber listed way down in the ingredients! Goodbye big pot of jambalaya I was looking forward to. At least there are multiple other things I can eat, without too much effort. Because I was already about out of spoons before I saw that. (Did I eat a piece out of the pan already, when it was browning? Of course I did 😱) Feeling like a gigantic idiot about now, but at least I think the meltdown is averted. For the moment. Probably better get in some different food and pain relief as soon as I can handle it, though. Dipping blood sugar and pain rarely help matters.

[itdisneymatter]

Day 20 - Magic Kingdom

TLDR: An amazing jam-packed final day at Magic Kingdom. We done LOADS of rides, met some lovely princesses, watched a show or two, had an awesome lunch with Tigger and friends and stared in wonder at a fantastic fireworks and light show. If Carlsberg done final days...

So I sit down with the last glassful of the Woodford Reserve I have left, now well into the wee small hours, to finish writing up the final full day.  Magic Kingdom. The last day before going home tomorrow. The last day we got to experience the Disney Magic. It's been a fantastic holiday and we were determined to make the most it.

As we shared the responsibility of the Fun Fact with Grace the other day, we said that Robert would get a turn today and he pretty much shouted it out as he woke up, so here it is:

Robert shares the same birthday as Walt Disney!

You have reached your destination, or maybe not...

Very apt for today. So we all got ready, jumped in the car and plugged Magic Kingdom into the Sat Nav as per usual. I had my phone all set up to video the big Walt Disney World sign as we drove underneath it, but it never came. On this particular occasion, for some unknown reason the wee sat nav wummin (which is what we called her), took us a weird route and we missed the WDW sign completely. Which was a shame, but we also seemed to bypass the Parking gates and their $20 fee, which might have just evened things out a little. We turned into a Disney resort to make a u-turn and the security guy just said just to park there (even though he wasn't supposed to let us, wink wink). And it was right next to the parking and transportation for Disney! Woot!

We traveled over to Magic Kingdom on our last day, like we did the first, by Ferryboat. Probably takes the same amout of time as the Monorail but its way more scenic. We arrived and got through the gates of the park with less than 15 minutes to spare on our first Fast Pass - Splash Mountain. Grace wasn't too fussed, so me and the boys ran (RAN!) through Adventureland and into Frontier land, making the queue with minutes to spare (they're are very strict on their FP timings, one minute out and you dont get in). This is always a good one to start off with and the regular queue was sitting at 75mins already so FP is always a good option here. Robert now accustomed to higher and faster rides wasn't fazed at all, as the ride photo shows...

So the plan was to grab some Dole Whips when we entered the park but as our times were pushed back slightly, after Splash Mountain we met back up with the girls and grab them, then. Dole whips - pineapple flavoured ice cream and a MK favourite.  We sat down to savor the deliciousness of it. Just what you need for breakfast on a super hot day like today. As we were finishing up we noticed a secret path, straight through to Frontier land, which is where we were going next. Each time we are here, we learn new things which all adds to the experience for next time. Major things to call out like this are Olive Garden, this secret path and the comic book book store of course (next time Gadget, next time).

Now in the interests of time and as we’ve been here before Im running through the next few rides. Im not cutting corners, Im just saving you from me going through the same stuff I’ve went through a number of times before. I may also use this option again, later on in this update, so this is your heads up. Big Thunder - DONE! Haunted Mansion (3rd time) - DONE! Its a Small World - DONE!

Everything except the Hunny

At this point in time, we were hungry. Instead of grabbing a snack we though it would be a good idea to see if there was availability at any restaurants in the park and we were in luck - Crystal Palace had space (a place we had booked but later cancelled due to conflicting plans).  We reached the restaurant just as it started to pour from the heavens :) Lunch was actually a huge buffet and it was filled with Winnie the Pooh and friends, who visited each table to sign autographs and get photos taken. First things first, the food. It was freaking amazing, and I dont think Ive ate so many veggies the whole holiday. HUGE Langoustines, Flank steak, Jambalaya, Chicken, Salmon, potatoes, rice, salad and fifty other things you could pile on to your plate again and again. Ive never seen such an elegant buffet. This is Disney though, I wouldn't have expected anything less. Yes, it was a little more costly than usual, but this was our last day and the food alone was worth it. Buuut, you didn't just get that, you got character(s). Yup, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Eeyore all came around and cuddled the kids, signed their book, posed for photographs and all larked about with them - it was brilliant! For this being an off the cuff booking, the kids went absolutely wild for it (and in particular Grace). So glad we did this and we were all stuffed as we left back into the wet, pelting rain.

Two pretty princesses up next, Rapuzel & Tiana. Inside, so that was good. Photos and autographs and back out and during the course of that whole process, the rain had stopped - FINALLY! (Forecast said it wasn't meant to rain at all today, HA!).

Our last Fast Pass, Seven Dwarves Mine Train up next. The first time Grace went on this, she was a little apprehensive, by the time she finished this time, it was her most favourite ride. She wanted to do it again right after but we just didn't have time.

Next up we had some gentler rides. Dumbo - wee fairground, roundabout type ride. Then Journey of the Little Mermaid. A ride which takes you through Ariel's journey of the film. We then met Ariel (but  I didn't get a photo with her, :wee sad face: ). Then we got the steam train around the park (expected more scenic stuff - it was literally a train from A to B and back to A). Then Tomorrowland Speedway - GG and me in car, she started steering but got bored after 10 secs and I had to drive... whilst videoing the whole thing! Then I wanted to see Merida but she was gone (double :wee sad face:). Then Winnie the Pooh, the story of which I didn't actually pay close enough to, so I cant tell you about it, soz. The spinning teacups in the Mad Hatters tea party! Phew, we did a LOT today!

We then stopped for a refuel and the kiosk attendant was called David and he was from Glasgow!!! We all ordered drinks and ice-creams and he just turned round and gave it to us FOR FREE!!! We were all wearing Celtic shorts today so he mustve been a :P (he actually gave Ann and Grace a free drink which we were in Space Mountain last time we were here too - cheers Davido).

Last few attractions in before the fireworks. Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. So. Funny. A stand up show with monsters including MIKE WAZOWSKI in which they interact with the audience for some laughs. I was proper laughing out loud. And then Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, a shooting game where you get points for shooting targets. You know how this works by now. You know what though, the scores dont matter today, so Im not posting any leaderboard. We all just had a great time :)

Baby, you're a Firework!

We were running late for the Fireworks show, so we got in the best position we could (which wasn't all that great, well for photos at least). Awesome display, which weve come to expect so great we got to grab it on our last night here. And then, the show Ann was holding out to see -Once Upon A Time. This is where they project images onto the castle itself which tell a story, which comprised of several different Disney princesses and their related songs. We managed to move to a better (read great) location to see the castle this time, so we were all left in awe. In fact, it got a little too much for the kids who had a little tear or two, realizing that this was their last night and their last time at Magic Kingdom this time around. As we have proven to ourselves time and time again though, we belong here and this will be far from our last visit. So we all say a quick goodbye and headed off to the Monorail to the carpark (secret free location of our car). One last thing to mention before I move on, Gary our Monorail attendant noticed the kids a little upset so he told them to write down all the happy things they did during their time here and then write down all the things they missed, which would be included in our plans for next time. The attention and service from all Disney staff is always like this, you cant quite believe how good it is.

Before we headed home, we need to make a quick pit-stop at Walmart to pick up so additional carry on bags (we need to maximize our carry potential and even out our weight distribution if were ever going to make it through the airport tomorrow). Two cases and some sweets for work picked up and headed home to sleep and pack. And its getting quite late, so I'm calling it quits here, there are likely more than usual typing and grammar errors and less pics posted than I would have liked (even though we took loads today), but I'm up in about 3 hours and we have a long day ahead of us. Ill post a final update and summary tomorrow for day 21 (at some point), but for now, ciao!