#used beef chorizo and bacon

[joy-drops]

realized i never posted chili day ヾ(・ω・)

[petermorwood]

Food on St Patrick's Day (in the USA)...

...is usually Corned Beef & Cabbage, which is the Irish-American version of the original Irish boiled bacon & cabbage, but while the celebratory Irishness is still going strong, try something a bit more authentic.

A nice warm coddle. Not cuddle, coddle, though just as comforting in its own way. (Some sources suggest it's a hangover cure, not that such a thing would ever be necessary at this time of year, oh dear me no.)

Coddle is a stew using potatoes, onions, bacon, sausages, stout-if-desired / stock-if-not, pepper, sage, thyme and Time.

You'll often see it called "Dublin Coddle", but my Mum made Lisburn Coddle lots of times, I've made West Wicklow Coddle more than once, and on one occasion in a Belgian holiday apartment I made Brugsekoddel, which is an OK spelling for something that doesn't exist in any cookbook.

*****

I do remember one amendment I made to Mum's recipe, which met with slight resistance at the time and great appreciation thereafter.

Her coddle was originally cooked on the stove-top, not in the oven, and nothing was pre-cooked. Potatoes were quartered, onions were sliced, bacon was cut into chunks and then everything went into the big iron casserole, then onto the slow back ring, and there it simmered Until Done.

However, the bacon was thick-cut back rashers, and the sausages were pork chipolatas.

Raw, they looked like this:

...and the bacon looked like this:

Cooked in the way Mum initially did, they looked pretty much the same afterwards. The sausages didn't change colour. Nor did the bacon.

While everything tasted fine, the meat parts always looked - to me, anyway - somewhat ... less than appealing. "Surgical appliance pink" is the kindest way to put it, and that's all I'm saying. This is apparently "white coddle" and Dubs can get quite defensive about This Is The Way It SHOULD Look.

I'm not a Dub, so I persuaded Mum to fry both the bacon and sausages first, just enough to get a bit of brown on, and wow! Improvement! I remember my Dad nodding in approval but - because he was Wise - not saying anything aloud until Mum gave it the green light as well.

Doing the coddle in the oven, first with lid on then with lid off, came later and met with equal approval. So did using only half of the onion raw and frying the other half lightly golden in the bacon fat.

Nobody quoted from a movie that wouldn't be made for another decade, but there was a definite feeling of...

*****

There are coddle recipes all over the Net: I've made sure that these are from Ireland to avoid the corned-beef-not-boiled-bacon "adjustment" versions which are definitely out there. I've already seen one with Bratwurst. Just wait, it'll be chorizo next.

Oh, hell's teeth, I was right. And from RTE...

Returning to relative normality, here's Donal Skehan's white coddle and his browned coddle with barley (I'm going to try that one).

Here's Dairina Allen's Frenchified with US measurements version. (I feel considerably less heretical now.)

And finally (OK, not Irish, but it references a couple of the previous ones and is a VERY comprehensive write-up, so gets a pass) Felicity Cloake's Perfect Dublin Coddle (perfect according to who, exactly...?) in The Guardian.

*****

Returning to the beginning, and how boiled bacon became corned beef (a question which prompted @dduane to start an entire website...!)

The traditional Irish meat animal for those who could afford it was the pig, but when Irish immigrants (even before the Great Famine) arrived in the USA, they often lived in the same urban districts as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.

For fairly obvious reasons pork, bacon and other piggy products were unavailable in those districts, but salt beef was right there and far cheaper than any meat Irish immigrants had ever seen before.

Insist on tradition or eat what was easy to find? There'd have been contest - and do I sometimes wonder a bit if sauerkraut ever came close to replacing cabbage for the same reason.

The pre-Famine Irish palate liked sour tastes: a German (?) visitor to Ireland in the mid-1600s wrote about about what were called "the best-favoured peasantry in Europe", and mentioned that they had "seventy-several sour milks and creams*, and the sourer they be, the better they like them."

* Yogurt? Kefir? Skyr? Gosh...

Corned beef and Kraut as the immigrants' celebratory "Irish" meal for St Patrick's Day? Maybe, maybe not.

Time for "Immigrant Song" (with kittens).

*****

Corned beef got its name from the size of the salt grains with which the beef was prepared. They were usually bigger than kosher salt, like pinhead oats or even as large as grains of wheat, and their name derived originally from "corned (gun)powder", the large coarse grains used in cannon.

BTW, "corn" has been a generic English term for "grain" for centuries, and "but Europe didn't have corn" is an American mistake assuming the word refers to sweetcorn / maize, which it doesn't.

Lindsey Davis, author of the "Falco" series, had a couple of rants about it and other US-requested "corrections". As she points out, mistakes need corrected but "corn" is not a mistake, just a difference in vocabulary.

*****

In Ancient and Medieval Ireland pig would have included wild boar, the hunting of which was a suitable pastime for warriors and heroes, because Mr Boar took a very dim view of the whole proceeding and wasn't shy about showing it (see "wild boar" in my tags and learn more).

Cattle were for milk, butter, cream and little cattle; also wealth, status, and heroic displays in their theft, defence or recovery. It's no accident that THE great Irish epic is "The Cattle-Raid of Cooley" / Táin Bó Cúailnge (tawn / toyn boh cool-nyah).

Killing a cow for meat was ostentation on a level of lighting cigars with 100-, or even 500-, currency-unit notes. Once it had been cooked and eaten there'd be no more milk, butter, cream or little cattle from that source, so eating beef was showing off And Then Some.

Also, loaning a prize bull to run with someone else's heifers was a sign of great friendship or alliance, while refusing it might be an excuse for enmity or even war. IMO that's what Maeve of Connaught intended all along, picking undiplomatic envoys who would get drunk and shoot their mouths off so the loan was refused and she, insulted, would have an excuse to...

But I digress, as usual. Or again. Or still... :->

*****

For the most part, "pig" mean "domestic porker", and in later periods right up to the Famine, these animals were seldom eaten.

Instead, known as "the gentleman who pays the rent", the family pig ate kitchen scraps and rooted about for other foods, none of which the tenant had to grow or buy for them. These fattened pigs would go to market twice a year, and the money from their sale would literally pay that half-year's rent.

For wealthier (less poor?) farmers, pigs had another advantage. Calves arrived singly, lambs might be a pair, but piglets popped out by the dozen. A sow with (some of) her farrow was even commemorated on the old ha'penny coin...

What with bulls, chickens, hares, horses, hounds, pigs, salmon and stags, the pre-decimal Irish coinage is a good inspiration for some sort of fantasy currency.

But that's another post, for another day.

[pizza-pie-in-the-sky]

La Cantina Meyhane - Lahmacun and Arabic Pizza

Here you can read my thoughts and feelings about the restaurant we held our second meeting at - La Cantina Meyhane and the gluten-free, turkish pizzas!

~ Alex.

The restaurant we went to on January 2nd 2024, is La Cantina Meyhane, one special restaurant. It specialises in italian cuisine the same as other italian restaurants, however this one offers every position on the menu as gluten-free! It is therefore including of people who can't have gluten, as well as offers vegeterian and vegan options in there menu! About the location, it just great; so-called New Town located in the centre of Warsaw and it's really close to both metro and the bus stop!

Other than the classic pizza, the meal of the week was Lahmacun. It's a Turkish kind of pizza, which originates from Middle East - specifically from Levant region - but due to being highly popularized in Turkey, it's usually named and recognized as Turkish pizza. What's specific for this kind of pizza, is that it's not prepared with cheese and its crust is thinner. It is usually made with minced beef or lamb, minced with vegetables, and then herbs are added to it. it is usually eaten rolled up! Other than this pizza, we also tried another kind of turkish pizza - Pide Caprese!

As you can easily guess from the paragraph above, we made a good decision to order Lahmacun and Arabic pizza, as well as some classic choices: pizza e pistachio, focaccia, and capriciosa. Benath this paragraph, you can see the photo of us making these tough choices, haha (tough, because really, there were so many other, tasty-sounding options to pick from!):

The wait for the pizzas didn't feel long at all to me, when they were served it felt like it was right on time :). I was really impressed with the amount of food we ordered and how good it all looked. You can see it beneath, as well as us starting to eat the pizzas <3:

So finally, here are my thoughts about these special pizzas <3:

First, let's talk about the Turkish pizzas! The important thing to repeat here: they are just as gluten-free as other positions in the menu at this restaurant <3:

Lahmacun - this pizza had ingredients of beef filling with traditional spices, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and lemons. I found this pizza part spicy, part sour, sometimes sweet, and I did not expect it to be as dry as it was! It's a positive aspect of it, I found the taste of this pizza very specific, very interesting, and very tasty!

Pide caprese - oval pizza with ingredients such as tomato sauce, fior di latte, tomatoes, and basil pesto. It was not as dry as the first one felt to me, and the fresh tomatoes were delicious!!! I even caught myself wondering why am I finding this one so good… Well, it's obvious, haha! The tomatoes were sweet, the shape of the pizza itself made me happy, so I can openly say I fully enjoyed eating it <3.

Now, let's move to the classic gluten-free pizzas, that were just as good <3:

Pizza e pistachio - this pizza had ingredients of bacon, corn salad, a cheese I don't know anything about, buy which I think was delicious, and, obviously, pistachios! To be honest, I found the combination of the unidentified cheese and pistachios to be weirdly tasty, which went, suprisingly, extremely well for this pizza in my eyes, and is the reason why I think this one is my favourite!

Focaccia - I think we all know this one, I'd say it's one of the most basic pizzas to ever exist, but it still got me. It was a nice meal, a change of taste between the other pizzas, while also giving something special from its own ingredients combined together <3.

Capriciosa - the pizza with the ingredients of tomato sauce, fior di latte, ham, chorizo, eggs, dried tomatoes, mushrooms (champignons), and olives. I love the mix of mushrooms and ham, sue me, of course I loved it! And yes, again, the tomatoes of many kinds made this one ideal for me too, haha.*

This is what our table was like after we were done with these tasty-sounding (actually being, of course) options :3:

All in all, I'm happy to say this meeting was one of the most interesting ones yet! Sure, it was only the second restaurant, but I found it to be a curious case for me regarding all the pizza-related surprises and new experiences <3. So, I am ending this blog post thinking this meeting was a greatly positive one, and looking into our pizza-filled future with just as big optimism!

~ Alex.

*All ingredients come from the website of the restaurant.

[nuaghtylilgirl]

Thin sliced beef chorizo bacon onion bell pepper Muenster cheese garlic powder Lawson's seasoned salt an hour of prep because have to cut the meat have to cut the veggies have to find the pans have to get different pans LOL finally slice all veggies and then cook in stages got to get all the beef cooked then cook the bacon then cook the chorizo then cook the onions then throw the bell peppers on and then smother it in cheese and now the cheese melts and then you wrap it in a tortilla........crap gotta make tortillas!!!! And boom dinner is done lmao....... I have once again made enough for a small army anyone willing to use their teleport pad time my pads code is ......#im starving and wanna play games*** lol oh and sweet potato casserole for dessert!

[onedirectdeals]

Delicioso Picos Artesanos Mini Breadsticks Bag 200 g (Pack of 10)

Price: Buy Now Last Updated: From the brand Smoked Asturian Spicy chorizos 2XTHREE SPICY SMOKED SAUSAGES 250G ASTURIAN SMOKED SPICY CHORIZO THREE SPICY SMOKED SAUSAGES 250G High-quality vacuum-packed spicy smoked Chorizos from Asturias. Made by a small, family-run company famous for the quality of its products using best quality pork loin, bacon, beef, hot paprika and garlic, then oak-smoked.…

[theahole]

Two good recipes

One I tried last night, and one I have heavily revised and will be cooking again tonight.

The first one is modified from the recipe I got in the notes for this video, a few notes on my experience with it will follow.

LUMBERJACK MACARONI

Hot boiled macaroni (8 oz uncooked) 1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/4 c chili sauce Justice seasoning and pepper to taste 1/2 c hot melted butter

Spread macaroni out on a hot large platter. Sprinkle with cheese, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, and seasonings. Pour hot melted butter over all. Mix with 2 forks until sauce is creamy. Serve at once on hot plates.

I mixed this in the pot I cooked the noodles in. I cut the butter by a third, because the version I tried was too greasy. Store brand chili sauce cost me a buck eighty, but if you don't want to buy something new for this I'm pretty sure barbecue sauce has almost the same flavor profile as the stuff I bought. And of course, if you don't have Penzey's Justice seasoning, just use onion powder. I like it with white pepper. Anyway, this really is delicious. However, I did not get it to "creamy". My cheese didn't really melt. Oh, already-cooked bacon bits are a tasty addition, if you have them.

My main issue is this being called a "budget" recipe when the original calls for about $1.50 worth of butter..

I had to fuck with this next recipe a lot to cut the salt down to a manageable level. One key is to use fresh chorizo, rather than cured. Some places sell chorizo by the pound, or you can buy links and cut the meat out of the skins.

I use ground chicken in this one a lot, partly because the flavor is so strong you can't really tell the difference, and partly because ground chicken is often on sale for cheaper than ground beef. As always, it's up to you.

I used to use a box of strained tomatoes to make this sauce, but then I ran out of the case I brought with me when I moved. I'm trying a 28 oz can of tomato puree tonight. You could also use crushed or whatever you like.

Chorizo Tomato Rotini Pasta

4 oz chorizo 1 lb ground beef or chicken 1 bunch green onions or 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 26.46 oz box strained tomatoes, or 28 oz can tomato puree 8 oz rotini pasta, cooked 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated or shredded is best, you should probably use less if you have the shelf-stable kind) 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tube basil puree, or 1 tablespoon dried basil mixed in with the meat

Cook the pasta and rinse it in cold water, it can sit in the strainer while you make the sauce.

Chop the onions, if using.

Put the chorizo and meat in a pot with high sides, and add the spices (and onion). Cook the meats, breaking it into manageable bits, until no pink is showing. Pour in the tomatoes and stir, then cover the pot and cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Once it is thickened to your liking, add the parmesan and basil (if using fresh or tube) and stir to combine. Mix in pasta.

I always cook the pasta first and use the same pot to make the sauce.

[manicscreeching]

Additionally, to everyone thinking "Jerky and hardtack" as the only alternatives, I would point out that traditional pies were often the food of choice for people traveling for one or two days.

Hot water crust pies were originally a way to keep the filling safe and unspoiled for a few days; the crust itself would be thick, tough, and generally unpalatable, because it was supposed to be durable enough to withstand jostling about without breaking. Then, when someone wanted to eat it, they would crack it open and eat the filling, the crust being as basically inedible. Of course, the crust was often eaten as well, but that wasn't the intent. It's a similar idea to cornish pasties, which were taken into the coal mines by cornish workers. The outer crust would be ruined by coal dust, but the miner could still break it open to get at the still edible filling. The filling could even still be warm from the oven by the time they did.

Also, I would like to draw attention to the fact that dry food is far more varied than just jerky and dry bread. You have smoked meat and sausages cured with salt and spices, everything from bacon, to fatback, to chorizo, to kippers. There are fermented foods, cheeses, picked vegetables, jams, chutneys, and more. Even if they are not the most portable options, there is nothing stopping travelers carrying some to make the majority of their fare a bit more palatable. There's also nothing stopping them from carrying a bit of salt, or some dry herbs and spices. Vinegar too, be it to help purify water or just give a bit more flavour to their food. Lard and oil, be it animal or vegetable, also keep well, and are extremely enegy dense. Travellers may not be carrying a huge pot or cauldron, but chances are your travelers would have some manner of pan they could use to fry or shallowly boil in. Relatedly, dried grains, barley, rye, oats, rice, etc, or legumes like chickpeas and lentils were light and readily available. They could be soaked/boiled overnight to make porridge. If your travelers are part of a larger caravan, chances are they're eating salt pork and salt beef from a barrel, because they are far cheaper than other preserved foods. Dry soups and pemmican are also an option to give travelers some solid pre-prepared food. Even if we restrict it to just air dried meat, there is a world of variety from hams to fish to your classic jerky.

My point is, while you dont have to go into massive amounts of detail regarding this sort of thing, please dont fall into the trap of thinking that flavour is a nineteenth century invention and that before that, all anyone ate was bread, water, and maybe the occasion turnip. People have always wanted their food to taste good and have always had the means to do so.

So this is a stupid thing to be thinking about while I'm trying to work but I'm thinking about that one post...

You can, 100%, have stews in your fantasy fiction. The issue older readers have with it is not the stews themselves, it's where the stews are eaten.

See, back in the 90s - 00's, I don't remember which, there was a biiiiig high fantasy boom. Some of these books were good. Some were bad. Most were just mediocre. A lot of these books were written by, I'm assuming, men who didn't do much cooking. They'd have their adventurers out traveling the world, then when night fell they'd make a campfire and sit down to 'a hearty bowl of stew'.

If you're familiar with cooking, thing about that for a moment, and see if you can see the problem.

Give up?

Stews are meant to make tough meat edible and tender. It takes hours to cook a stew, even with modern day equipment like slow cookers. There's also the issues about the equipment needed to cook the stew. Your stereotypical chosen one is probably going to choose a sword or more healing potions rather than a big ass cooking pot.

Stews are a sign of civilization, like spices and fabric. They are something your weary ragtag team is looking forward to at a tavern rather than something they'd cook on the road.

(Travelers also probably aren't shooting a lot of deer on their trip because the meat would go bad or be wasted in other ways [unless you make the deer tiny in your story.] Like, deer are a lot bigger than you think. But that's a whooooole other thing.)

I might be fuzzy on some of the details - I'm not an Olde, I'm only 31, remembering the many livejournal pages I read in my youth. If there's someone who could expand on this, I would love to read it. It'd be a pleasant blast of nostalgia. And to everyone else: there's at least three lessons to be learned here. I don't know what they are but I hope you find them.

Okay rant over back to my writing.

[brookpub]

Christmas Party Bookings with the Best Food Packages at the Brook Pub, Cambridge

To celebrate the arrival of the holiday season, why not have your Christmas party at The Brook Pub? Our facility will be open from November 25th through December 24th, turned into a winter wonderland fit for hosting amazing events. If you are looking for a venue for Christmas bookings with best food packages then the Brook Pub Cambridge is the place to host a party for your dear ones, friends, and colleagues.

Customized Christmas Party Bookings Packages at the Brook Pub:

Here at The Brook Pub in Cambridge, we know that everyone has their tastes and interests, so we do our best to accommodate them. If you want your Christmas celebration to be unforgettable, pick one of our carefully crafted packages.

Package 1: 

CHOOSE 6 - £18

Those looking for a lovely assortment of canapés to tantalize their taste buds will find what they're looking for in this package. There are six delicious choices, so your visitors may enjoy a wide variety of flavors.

Package 2: 

CHOOSE 8 - £24

The Select 8 package is perfect for individuals who can't decide between multiple delicious options. Your guests will never forget the symphony of flavors they experienced at your celebration, thanks to your expert selection of eight canapés.

What is the Christmas Festive Canape menu?

The term "canapé menu" is commonly used to describe a Christmas-themed assortment of small, bite-sized appetizers or hors d'oeuvres. These appetizers are frequently uniquely designed to reflect the Christmas season in terms of ingredients, flavors, and presentation. They are designed to be eye-catching, tasty, and simple to eat with your hands, making them ideal for holiday parties and gatherings.

A holiday canapé menu may include:

Savoury Canapés: 

Appetizers can be anything from small sandwiches and skewers to tartlets and even smoked salmon on crackers made from shellfish.

Vegetarian Options: 

Stuffed mushrooms, grilled veggie skewers, and bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella are all good examples.

Sugary appetizers: 

Miniature versions of seasonal sweets like mince pies, chocolate truffles, and gingerbread cookies might be shown.

Charcuterie and cheese: 

In addition to the usual assortment of finger foods, a festive canapé meal may additionally have cheeses, cured meats, and condiments like chutneys and crackers.

Presenting Creatively: 

Canapés can be artistically displayed on themed platters or serving trays to set the mood for the holidays.

Festive Canapés: A Delightful Culinary Journey

Our party canapés are made with meticulous attention to detail and inventive ingenuity, guaranteeing your guests will have a wonderful time. Our menu features a variety of delicious dishes, from tender meats to tasty vegetarian alternatives. Your guests will be treated to a symphony of tastes and sensations that will leave them wanting more.

Brook Pub Christmas Canape Menu:

Let us take care of the details so you can relax and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones, friends, or coworkers, no matter the occasion!

You get to choose from our perfect Canape Menu along with drinks for your Party!!

Let’s check out what we serve for this Christmas Season:

ROAST TURKEY ON MINI-YORKSHIRE AND STUFFING

FESTIVE SLIDER: BEEF, BRIE, BACON AND CRANBERRY SAUCE

PORK SLIDER: BBQ PULLED PORK AND APPLE SAUCE

CHORIZO AND CHEESE PUFF PASTRY WITH PLUM AND APPLE CHUTNEY

SMOKED SALMON TARTINES WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE, DILL AND CAPERS GARLIC AND CHILLI TIGER PRAWNS ON VOLA AU VENTS

PRAWN COCKTAIL ON BABY GEM, MANGO, AND RED PEPPER SALSA (GF)

MACARONI CHEESE BITES (V)

TANDOORI PANEER SKEWERS WITH MINT AND CORIANDER CHUTNEY (V) OKRA AND ONION BHAJI WITH MANGO CHUTNEY (VE)

APPLE CRUMBLE MINCE PIE (VE)(GF) MIX BERRY 

TRIFLE (V)

CHOCOLATE SNOBINETTE WITH WHITE, DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND HONEYCOMB (V)

CRANBERRY AND STILTON ON BREAD (V)

Toast with Joyous Beverages:

A Christmas gathering isn't a success until the drinks are just right. We have a variety of Christmas beverages at The Brook Pub that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Our drink menu includes traditional mulled wine as well as original twists on Christmas classics to ensure that your holiday celebration is complete. We at the Brook pub will help you choose the best food and wine combination for your evening.

Book Your Unforgettable Christmas Party:

Don't pass up the chance to throw a Christmas party that everyone will be talking about. From November 25th to December 24th, The Brook Pub offers appealing canapé packages, perfect for securing a date. Raise the mood with our celebratory beverages and spend quality time with those you care about.

We also provide a great selection of Wines, Whiskies, Gins, Pitches, Best Cask Ales, and Best Cocktail bar drinks to complement your meal. We'd like to know which food package you're interested in purchasing so that we can provide you with beverages that perfectly complement your meal.

If you haven't already done so, it's time to start planning your Christmas and New Year's Eve festivities. Join us as we celebrate the Christmas season at the Brook Pub, widely regarded as Cambridge's greatest Pub. Make sure your Christmas party is one they'll never forget by reserving your space with us today. Let's make Christmas at The Brook Pub one for the ages!

[kingjamesroystonpub]

Best Pub in Royston | King James Royston a gastronomic paradise

Food is more than just fuel; it's a multi-sensory adventure through different tastes, smells, and textures. King James Royston, one of the Best Pub in Royston is a gastronomic paradise that promises to satisfy your taste buds and fascinate your senses, is waiting for you in the heart of Royston.

Best Pub Drinks in Royston

An Intersection of Tastes and Traditions:

Among the bustling streets of Royston, you'll find King Jame, a veritable melting pot of cuisines. The interior design conveys a story as soon as you enter inside, blending contemporary style with references to the past. The menu reflects this mashup by featuring various meals that use regional ingredients and international flavours and techniques.

The Culinary Adventure Begins:

Get your taste buds ready for what's to come by sampling a wide range of appetizers. The alternatives, which range from savoury samosas to bruschetta with a unique twist, reflect the chef's imagination and commitment to creating an exceptional meal.

Once the main course arrives, you'll experience a symphony of flavours that will stay with you forever. King James's dedication to quality ingredients and culinary skill is apparent in every bite, from tender steaks cooked to perfection to aromatic curries that transport you to other countries.

An Amazing Place for Both Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians:

There's no need for vegetarians to feel left out of the feast; King James Royston provides a wide variety of vegetarian options that are as delicious as the meat dishes. The vegetable biryani, with its rich spices and tender rice, is a meal that really shows off the chef's skill. Meat eaters have several options, including spicy chicken bites, grilled chicken wings, filo prawns, and many more.

Delicious Sweets:

King James recognizes the importance of concluding a meal on a sweet note, and we provide several tempting options. From crowd-pleasing standards like chocolate cake to out-of-the-box delights, the chef's dedication to excellence is fully displayed in every sweet treat.

If you're looking for a nice place to eat and drink, you've found it! In addition to our famous gourmet burgers, we also offer a variety of delicious appetizers and small plates. 

We have a beer garden for those warmer days and our inside bar and dining facilities. Furthermore, we welcome dogs.

King James Royston Food Menu:

Starters Menu:

We are happy to serve some of the best starters, starting from Battered Halloumi, Grilled Chicken Wings, Spicy Chicken Bites, Nachos, and Filo Prawns, all served made from fresh ingredients. We understand what our customers want and prepare the dish according to their spice level.

Main Course Menu: Main & Burgers

We serve some of the best burgers in Royston, along with main course and side dishes. Let's check out what we do starting from:

All-New Bacon: Smashed Beef on a Bun with BBQ Sauce, Chilli Jam, Onion, Cheese, Maple Bacon, Slaw, and Pickles

House King: It is a burger topped with a patty made from Angus beef, chipotle mayo, caramelized red onion, chorizo, house slaw, and gherkin.

Cheesy Chic: Topped with blue cheese sauce, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, and house slaw.

Classic Chic: Traditional and classy, this Burger has a hot chicken patty, burger sauce, tomato, onion, lettuce, and house slaw.

Hearty: Delicious and filling vegetarian or vegan Burger with vegan mayo, relish, onion, lettuce, and house slaw.

Hot Chic: Sandwich made with hot, crunchy chicken, spicy mayo, jalapenos, onions, lettuce, and house slaw.

Chicken Curry Bowl: Chicken curry over rice in a bowl, cooked traditionally and served with Mango Chutney, Paratha, and Popodum.

The Crunchy Chic: It comprises fried chicken, barbecue sauce, lettuce, onion, bacon, cheese, tomato, and house salad.

Lamb Keema Bowl: Served with Rice topped with a homestyle medium curry. Prepare a Mango Chutney, Paratha, and Popodum.

Beer-battered cod and fries: Doused in tartar sauce and accompanied by mushy peas.

Apart from the above pub food, we have one very hot Burger to handle. You heard it right. The name of the Burger is 

CAN YOU HANDLE ME!! Burger that is “Hottest in Hertfordshire”. Our secret extra hot sauce, onion, tomato & lettuce. Beef or plant-based.

The items on our children's menu were chosen with their particular tastes in mind.

Spaghetti Bolognese with Garlic Bread, Spaghetti with Meatballs, Spaghetti with Garlic Bread, and Cod Fingers with Fries.

Here's our lunch special:

Monday through Friday from 12 to 3 pm, get a second burger for only £1.99 when you buy one.

Here's our Evening Special:

Enjoy our Burger Meal And A Drink For £12.99 from Monday To Friday from 5 – 7 pm in the evening.

The Culinary Adventure: More Than Just the Food

The focus at King James Royston isn't just on the food but the entire experience especially Cask Ale Week in Royston 2023. The pleasant ambience complements the delicious tastes on your plate thanks to the attentive service, well-designed décor, and careful presentation. Whether you want to mark a particular occasion or have a fantastic supper, King James will not disappoint.

A Trip Well Worth Taking

King James Royston stands out as a venue that allows you to embark on a gastronomic trip in a world where culinary possibilities abound. Flavours come to life, and memories are built here because of the restaurant's commitment to quality, innovation, and the fine art of culinary storytelling.

Visit the realm of King James Rosyton Pub near Hertfordshire if you are in the Royston area or are just looking for a memorable meal. Your palate will be grateful, and your senses will never forget the exquisite experiences they had here.

King James Royston Pub events:

Karaoke, live music, open mic, and quiz nights are just some of the events we put on for our patrons. There's always a good crowd at the bar on Open Mic, Quiz evenings, and Rugby world cup live screening evenings. Those who wish to participate in the quiz must assemble a team of six members and correctly answer the questions posed to be eligible for a delightful surprise. 

We appreciate everyone who came to the open mic night and sang or recited poetry to amuse us. Those passionate about singing are welcome to join us and delight the listeners. If you are in town this time, visit our King James Royston, a gastronomic paradise, to experience the ambience, food, drinks and, of course, entertainment.

[lansdellicious]

Burger Battle 2023, Round 15 - No. 4

A few of our foodie friends have No. 4 firmly in their favourite restaurant slot. It's not quite there for us, but we have had some wonderful food here.

In the past couple of contests, No. 4 has fallen afoul of my cardinal rule: pickled jalapeños. They also really like putting pepperoncini on the side, but that's fine. This year's offering is the Cowabunga: 4 oz pepperoni spiced beef and pork patty, double smoked bacon, crispy pepperoni, San Marzano tomato sauce, spicy basil aioli, mozzarella, red onion & pickled banana peppers.

Aaaaaaaah pickled peppers again! In fairness, the issue in past years has been the volume in which they are used and not just their mere presence. The goal here was clearly to evoke feelings of a pizza burger, and possibly specifically the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And they absolutely nailed that. The pepperoni on the burger was indeed crispy, and the ratio of pepperoni to beef in the patty was just about perfect. So many of the chorizo burgers this year have been heavy on the chorizo, and that is one dominating flavour.

The mozza on here had clearly been broiled or torched and it was just this wonderful gooey blanket of cheese that held everything in place. the tomato sauce...this sounds weird, but it was so beautifully warming even on a hot burger. I don't really have a better word for it.

I cannot say I detected much of the basil aioli or (thankfully) the pickled peppers. I think the aioli in particular would have amped up the Italian and pizza feels considerably. I also felt like the burger really needed another note to it. What was on it worked so well, but ultimately I just felt like I had taken a pepperoni pizza slice and wrapped a burger in it. Maybe more aioli or even some pesto would have made that difference.

That said, this is still a very good burger and one that I feel a lot of folks will like even more than I did. There's no reason to avoid it, I just think it could have been even better.

[pizza-pie-in-the-sky]

SECOND STOP - LA CANTINA MEYHANE

2nd January 2024

Second meeting happened at La Cantina Meyhane, a restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine and Turkish pizza.

La Cantina is located on Nowy Świat Street close to the Warsaw's Old Town and it's known for gluten free and vegan options.

We ordered 5 dishes:

Lahmacun (beef, traditional Turkish spices, tomatoes, onion, parsley, lemon) - Turkish style pizza, a bit sour after adding lemon (for obvious reasons)

Capricciosa (tomato sauce, fior di latte, ham, chorizo, egg, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, olives)- salty pizza with no ingredient standing out

Focaccia - Italian chewy snack, a bit salty

Pizza e pistachio(basil pesto, fior di latte, bacon, corn salad, pistachios, some kind of cheese we forgot the name of) - pizza with the most delicate taste out of them all

Pide Caprese (tomato sauce, fior di latte, tomato, basil pesto)- Turskish style pizza, tastes like a typical pizza, just has a different shape

I gladly recommend this restaurant to people with food allergies, but I must say that this place isn't accessible for people using wheelchairs.

Nina's post

[tastesoftamriel]

Is there any notable fusion cuisine in Tamriel?

Like culture, fusion food is in constant flux and Tamriel is lucky to be full of it! The most unlikely clashes of culinary creativity can be found everywhere, and these are my top picks.

Altmer

Altmeri food is known for being pure and using ingredients unique to the Summerset Isles. When given access to Dunmeri ingredients though, magic happens. I thoroughly enjoyed a three-course meal of indrik cheese and scuttle soufflé with comberry sauce, seared swordfish with ash yam dumplings, and marshmerrow pudding on a rosewater and guava granita.

Argonians

As Argonian cuisine is extremely region-specific, those living away from Black Marsh have had to adapt their favourite dishes to suit the locality. Keerava at the Bee and Barb in Riften makes a wonderful poached fish, Stormhold style, using fresh salmon from the lake. It's served with local greens, chickpea mash, and tomato chutney (and a baked grasshopper too, if you want the proper Black Marsh experience)!

Bosmer

The wonderful thing about Bosmeri cooking is how easily it segues into other cuisines, as the Wood Elves are masters of cooking meat in any way, shape, or form. I was pleasantly surprised in Marbruk by a big lunch of thick slices honey-roast ham and radishes, smoky pulled pork, and eggs florentine. It was the perfect mix of classic Bosmeri and Breton, and was a great meal!

Bretons

I love the food in High Rock as it's delightfully complex, with a focus on rich flavours. Crossing Breton and Khajiiti food may sound a bit odd, but the moon sugar creme brulee with swan egg and the best Wayrest cream still haunts my dreams. It was flavoured with exotic cardamom and cinnamon, giving this traditional Breton dessert an Elsweyr twist!

Dunmer

Like the Altmer, the Dunmer also do not enjoy mixing their cuisine with others. However, refugees and generations of Dunmer who fled Vvardenfell during the Red Year didn't just wind up in Skyrim. Dunmer in the Alik'r make the most of what they've got to replicate Morrowind favourites. It's camel instead of guar, goat instead of nix-hound, harpy eggs instead of kwama eggs, and goat cheese in place of scuttle. The Sentinel take on Hlaalu-style guar involves roast camel with a goat cheese and harpy egg creamy sauce, with a serving of imported saltrice when available (chickpeas or polenta stand in nicely too).

Imperials

Cyrodiilic cuisine has always been a fusion of all the other Provinces, but there are a few exceptional combinations that continue to astound diners at the King and Queen Tavern in the Imperial City. Popular in Orcish flavours such as wrathberry, juniper, thyme, and mint make traditional Imperial dishes pop, like a juniper and venison tagliatelle in a smoked snow truffle and chanterelle sauce. Other notable dishes include horse carpaccio a la Wrothgar, spinach tortellini with echatere cheese sauce, spicy chorizo kebabs with radishes and potato, and stuffed pigeon with wrathberry raisins.

Khajiit

The food in Elsweyr is peculiarly sweet and as such is often off-putting to outsiders. However, tone down the moon sugar and you'll find some wonderful dishes to work with. I like a traditional roast bristleback basted in coconut water, chili, and salt, but used in a Redguard-style tagine with cous cous, dried fruit, and sliced almonds. The two cuisines complement each other perfectly, and I enjoy combining the two sometimes myself!

Nords

Since Nord food is notoriously bland, it really gives one a blank canvas on which to work culinary magic! I like to cross a Haafingar barbecued horker with mudcrab gravy with Dunmeri influences. Rather than plain horker, it is seasoned with smoked saltrice grains and barbecued over coals and hot stones as they do on Vvardenfell. The mudcrab gravy is also given a bit of zing with a twist of comberry jam, spicy crushed fireblossom petals, and a good spoonful of ash-smoked bacon lardons.

Orcs

Orcish food is known for being hearty, which makes a cross with Imperial cuisine almost unthinkable. However, sometimes it just works! Wine-stewed beef or mammoth tail with sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, Orcish ale, juniper berries, and black olives. It's a surprising combination of flavours that works, with the ale and wine coming together in perfect harmony.

Redguards

Aside from combining Khajiiti and Redguard cuisine, I also like creating dishes based on the fusion food you'll find at docks across Hammerfell. One of my favourite Stros M'Kai specials is a combination of Nord pickled fish (I know) that's surprisingly palatable when deep fried in batter, with seasoned grilled cod, spicy potato wedges, and a chili-dill mayonnaise. Talk about a culture clash!

[veronicasvanitycc]

This post is specifically for other CC creators. If you can/would make any of these items for the Sims community, I would lose my mind. Or if you know where they can already be found, please let me know! ❤ All credit of course will be given and you will be shared on my tumblr and patreon. I am also a member of TBS/DSC on facebook so you will be shared there as well when I post! If you see anything on the list that you would love to see in the S4 Community, reblog pleaseeeee!

If any of these items are found, I will update the list with a link for everyone. ❤

Lot Traits

Aquarium

Stripclub

Fraternity

Sorority

Dispensary

Psychologist

Elementary School

High School

Waterpark

Salon/Nail Salon

Tattoo Studio

Low Income Housing

Apartment Building

Bachelor Pad

Farm

Deco Sims

Sitting Santa (LP Photos)

Models

Male Strippers

Toddlers (Daycare)

Babies (LP Maternity Ward)

Gothic/Emo

Celebrities

Zoo Keepers/Amusement Park Workers/Disney Characters

Homeless

Casino/Resort Workers

Dentist/Psychologist

Basketball/Football Players

Teens (Prom/School/Having Fun etc)

Prison Inmates

Band "Geeks"

School Jocks

Cheerleaders

Tanning/Waxing Salon Clients

Tarot/Paranormal Sims (Tarot shop)

Fishing

Security

Maids

Singers

Church (Pastor/Choir/Confessional)

TSA/Airport Staff/Judge

Postal Workers

Edible Foods & Recipes

Beef & Cheddar Sandwich (Arbys)

Gyro

Baklava

Curly Fries

Chili Dogs

Spanakopita

Cheese Curds

Fried Okra

Garlic Parmesan Fries

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Honey Walnut Shrimp (Panda Express)

Crab Rangoon

Teriyaki Chicken

Fried Cabbage W/ Bacon

Brisket/Cornbread/Collard Greens

Corn Dogs

Funnel Cake

Mushroom & Swiss Burger

Colesaw

Taco Platter/Rice/Beans

Chorizo/Egg/Cheese Burrito

Biscuits & Gravy (I thought I saw this released???)

Sweet Potatoes W/ Brown Sugar & Marshmallows

California Sushi Roll

Shrimp Tempura Sushi Roll

Philadelphia Sushi Roll

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Sloppy Joes & Chips

Mexican Red Rice

Toastadas & Ceviche

Taco Salad

Carne Asada Tacos

Birria Tacos W/ Consumme

Dolmades

Honey Biscuits (Churchs Chicken)

Dirty Rice (Bojangles/Cajun Style)

Souvlaki

Loukomades

Sub Sandwiches (Subway Build)

Bratwurst W/ Saurkraut

Carnitas W/ Red Rice

Waffle Fries (Chick Fil A)

Swedish Meatballs W/ Butter Noodles

French Dip Sandwich W/ Au Jus

Seafood Boil

Chicken Fries (Burger King)

Spicy Chicken Sandwich (Popeyes!!!!!!!!!❤)

Whopper Sandwich (Burger King)

Salt Fish & Cabbage

Jambalaya

Dumbo

Cobb Salad

Creamy Chicken Over Rice

Ackee & Salt Fish

Boiled Peanuts

Sweet Tea

Hushpuppies

Objects

Functionality is hard so decor items are are just as good!

Diving Cage (Decor/LP Use)

Waterslides (Is it possible to make other designs through necrodogs functional water slide?)

Earring Display Turnstyle (Claires Build)

Ear Pericing Gun

Earring Stud Stand (Choose your studs before you get your ears pierced lol)

Ear Cleaner

Tattoo Goo

Incense Tubes (Retail Style/Pick & Choose)

Aquarium Touch Pool (Anything works for this!)

Wall Candy Dispensers

Prison Visitor Phone (Anything for a visitation room)

Dunk Tank (Necrodog Fair Pack Add On?)

Whack a Mole

Tall Froyo Ice Cream Machine

Ring Toss (Necrodog Fair Pack Add On? Jcope?)

Goldfish Toss (Necrodog Fair Pack Add On? Jcope?)

Kiddie Coster (Necrodog Fair Pack Add On?)

Balloon Darts (Necrodog Fair Pack Add On? Jcope has one, but something not as circus related?)

Bumper Boats ( I am dyinggggg for this!!! Even if its decor only)

Cornhole Game (horseshoe toss style)

Snow Cone Machine (This would be dope to be functional!)

Coin Operated Rides (outside of stores)

Functional/Non Functional Casino Stuff/Games Etc

Wet Bar (Sims 3 Conversion?)

Freakshow Decor (Venice Beach Freakshow)

Bingo Ball Spinner/Cage/Caller? (What do you call it lol)

Bingo Cards

Plastic Surgeon Chair

Sol De Janeiro Stuff (I need!!!)

Fake Nails (Boxes for retail)

Body Jewelry Decor Displays

Store Signs

Del Taco

Whataburger

Bojangles

Burger King

Churchs Chicken

Jack In The Box

Culvers

Golden Corral

Cheesecake Factory

Cracker Barrel

In & Out

Dairy Queen

Raising Canes

A&W

Texas Roadhouse

Zaxbys

Carls Jr,

Captain D's

Bush's Chicken

Blockbuster

Seaworld

Disney World

Horrorland (Goosebumps Style)

Cascade

Ulta Beauty

Museum Of Death (LA Museum)

Claires

Shady Acres (Junky Sign/Trailer Park Build)

Jelly Belly

NFL Store

Spelman College (Britechester/Foxbury Text Override Mod)

Morehouse College (Britechester/Foxbury Text Override Mod)

Michael's (Craft store)

Hobby Lobby

Caesars Palace

Hells Kitchen

Party City

American Girl Dolls

"The Boardwalk" (Like the Santa Monica Pier Arch)

Charlotte Russe

Motel 6

Good Burger

Mondo Burger

Planned Parenthood

Sanrio

Rainforest Cafe

Universal Studios

If you know of any place I can find these items, please let me know!!! If they are used in any of my builds, I will give you that entire build early access as well as share you all over and probably obsess over you for the rest of my life. ❤ (creator or not) I am aware that this gives away my future ideas, but oh well. We can all win yall.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

insurrection chili, i guess

Make it for when your country throws a coup and you need something incredibly idiot-proof but also very satisfying.

BASIC CHILI

Acquire the following between 10 AM and noon:

one or two onions, chopped (I use white onions but whatever you’ve got)

kidney beans and white beans and maybe also black beans, if you’ve got an excess of beans and you’re looking to get through them (whatever amount you have is fine)

corn of some kind (I do like one can of corn per three cans of beans)

chili peppers if you’ve got them (however many of whatever pepper you know your family can handle eating, I do like three jalapenos but then my girlfriend and boyfriend are afraid of spicy food)

However Much Crushed Tomato Fills The Rest Of The Crock Pot (or pureed, or diced, or I guess even canned whole tomatoes if you’re willing to squish them yourself later, Idk, I just usually have crushed tomatoes in the house)

Put all of the above in a crock pot.  Like, the biggest crock pot you have, as a present for Future You.  It should be liquidy enough to stir easily but not watery.  If it’s too wet, cook it with the lid off for a while.  If you can’t stir it, just put water in it.

Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and cumin, in whatever amounts speak to your soul.  More spices are good.  Probably more chili powder than any of the others.  Sometimes I put garlic in there if I remember.

Add salt.  It’s mostly tomato, so resign yourself here and now to adding more salt every time you taste it for the next few hours.

Set crock pot to high (if cooking for 4-6 hours) or low (if cooking for 7+ hours).

Ignore the chili while you doomscroll news sites.  Whenever you start being able to hear your own heartbeat, step away from the news for long enough to taste the chili and inevitably add more salt.  Maybe make cornbread if you really need a minute.

IF YOU WANT TO PUT MEAT IN YOUR CHILI

I personally don’t put meat in a food that I intend to make into a psychological crutch during a coup, because meat requires slightly more babysitting, but whatever works for you, my dude.

Acquire the following:

chorizo, any chorizo is fine, precooked, uncooked, whatever (chopped into like whatever size feels bite sized)

bacon, but probably only like half a pack of bacon, with the rest to be used for whatever moment you decide you really need bacon in your life (chopped into squares)

If you’re cooking the chili for like 8 hours, just chuck the chorizo in your crock pot at the bottom of everything, even uncooked.  If less, do uncooked chorizo in a pan first, then chuck it in there.  Ignore the chili for a couple hours, then stir the chorizo in with everything and go back to ignoring the chili.  Just check the chorizo by cutting it in half or maybe sticking it with a thermometer later.

If you’re dealing with cooked chorizo, just throw it in the pot and get on with your life, it’s already cooked, it doesn’t care.

DON’T COOK THE BACON FIRST, that’s a bad instinct and it makes shoe leather.  Layer the bacon on the bottom of the crock pot, put everything else in, set the crock pot to HIGH for an hour or two.  Then go back and mix everything together and (if you’re doing the chili for a long time) turn it down to low.  Then ignore the chili.

As yet a third option, you can do ground beef, which you can add like chorizo--either at the bottom of a crock pot for a long time, or in a pan ahead of time.  I personally don’t like ground meat but you CAN do it if you don’t like/can’t eat chorizo or bacon.  

Eat it when you get hungry.  If you’re so caught up in the news that you forget about it and make something else or don’t eat dinner, it’s fine.  Set it on low and eat it for lunch.  One time I forgot it for twenty-five hours and it was fine.  It’ll be kind of a darker color but it’s still chili and it’s still fine.  The world outside might be the first five minutes of a dystopian apocalypse flick, but the chili is fine and you probably can’t fuck it up no matter what you do, so take some comfort in that, I guess?  I don’t know, I do.

I guess if you’re doing meat in your chili, you probably CAN’T forget it for twenty-five hours without doing something weird to the meat.  But like.  Somewhere between 4 and 12 hours is probably the right amount of time.  Do whatever, as long as your meat is cooked through.  

You’re fine.  

The chili is fine.  

Eat something while you doomscroll.  

I love you.  

Drink some water.  

Bye.

[andmaybegayer]

@caprice-nisei-enjoyer said

Tell us about it lad

Made bacon and egg fried rice to use up some leftover rice, it came out pretty nice, although I could have let it crisp up more before adding the onion. Used about 40g which was a bit too much for a single serving, I could have cut that in half.

My main exposure to cooking with pork (and beef) in general has been watching cooking YouTube and my thoughts on bacon and other cured meat products is that they're best used more like garlic or ginger than like more traditional bulk meat products. Great spice, lots of flavour but you don't need a ton of it.

I've used chorizo before and it's very similar. I like that it brings its own fat along, very convenient. I recently learned the whole trick of starting cured pork products in a cold pan to render out fat before it cooks.

My parents mainly cooked extremely lean bacon by sticking it in the oven which in retrospect explains part of why I do not like bacon, but I also rarely like traditional breakfast style bacon. I think it's just bad on its own. Use it as a component of something else. I might use up the rest of this in some kind of noodle dish.

cooked bacon for the first time

[sockparade]

tips for surviving the pandemic: things i learned from my immigrant parents

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a little over a week since the WHO announced that the coronavirus (COVID-19) was officially a pandemic. This has been a long, challenging week for a lot of people and it is nothing short of terrifying to read reports of what is happening in Asia and Europe as many predict that we’ll likely endure a similar fate here in the United States. In the midst of all of this chaos and uncertainty, I’ve been reminded of so many lessons that my Taiwanese immigrant parents taught me. I’m sharing them here so that others might also benefit. Thanks Ma. Thanks Daddy.

你昨天已經出去了.

“You already went out yesterday.“

1. Learn how to stay home. Our family is eight days into self-isolating at home and Tony asked me this morning if I had cabin fever. And strangely, the answer is no. I’m not. Not to downplay the difficulty of this moment but my experience with this “shelter-in-place” ordinance reminds of pretty much all my summers between kindergarten and 8th grade. Both of my parents worked full-time so summer was just three blissful months of nothing. No structure, no plans, no camps, no playdates, and no responsibilities. My parents never made me feel like I was missing a thing by staying home and I don’t remember ever feeling bored. There were always library books to read, stories to write, and thoughts to journal. Hours were spent playing school with my big sister (now a first grade teacher!), making up random games like who can avoid touching the carpet longest, learning Kim Zmeskal’s latest gymnastics floor routine, writing lyrics to Kenny G saxophone solos, and rehearsing for our variety show that we would perform to our tired parents at the end of the day. And that’s not even including the hours we spent watching The Price is Right, CHIPS, Knight Rider, and Airwolf (yep, no cable).   

As a teenager I carefully plotted all my hangouts with friends so that I didn’t have too many consecutive days when I was out of the house. Whenever I asked my parents if I could hang out with friends, they would always say, “But you already went out yesterday. What’s wrong with staying home? Why do you always have to go out?” It was as if having too much fun two days in a row was off limits. If there was a big party on Friday, I would purposely make sure I stayed home Wednesday and Thursday just to increase the chances of being able to go out on Friday. I know a lot of people talk about how awful their high school years were but I was one of those lucky kids who had a really great group of friends that made me feel seen, loved, and cared for. The downside was that I couldn’t get enough of it. I was always thinking about the next hangout, the next event, the next thing. It took me all the way until my late twenties to fully appreciate the fine art of staying home and to finish my unexpected transformation into the expert homebody that I am today. 

I’m reminded of that old quote by Blaise Pascal, “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." 

It’s great to be out and about, but it’s also really important to learn how to stay home.  

______________________________________________

晚上要吃什麼？清冰箱.

“What are we eating for dinner?” “Cleaning the fridge.”

2. Be creative with what you have. I love food. Not in a foodie sense, but I get a lot of pleasure out of eating. I’m not a food snob by any stretch of the imagination. I thoroughly enjoy a Stouffer’s frozen lasagna or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as much as I enjoy a fancy, inventive, Michelin-starred meal at Commis. What’s hard for me is when food is eaten as sustenance rather than with delight. But my parents taught me that you can always take pride in preparing a meal. No matter your ingredients.

My mom is an excellent cook. I know a lot of people think their mom is a good cook but my mom is legitimately skilled in the kitchen. There were some nights when I’d ask what was for dinner and my mom would just reply, “Cleaning the fridge.” 

Now for some, this might sound terrifying. But my mom could honestly make something out of nothing. I still crave my dad’s simple egg and garlic fried rice. My parents raised me to be able to make an tasty meal just from rummaging in the pantry and fridge for random leftover things. There were plenty of summers where lunches and snacks were an individual culinary adventure for each of us kids. I still remember the day I witnessed my baby sister add a Kraft single on top of her onion ramen noodles. She saw my confusion, shrugged and said, “You should try it, it’s good.” 

With all the hoarding folks have been doing during this pandemic, I’ve found myself feeling quite anxious. Trying to calculate if we have enough food. Estimating how many more meals we can eat at home before we need to make another grocery run. As someone who struggles with a scarcity mentality it has been hard not to panic. But then I keep reminding myself that I know how to make good food using just whatever’s available. 

You know, I was pretty disappointed with Mary H.K. Choi’s second novel, Permanent Record, given how much I enjoyed her debut novel, Emergency Contact. But I was absolutely thrilled with the shine she gave to what her protagonist calls “Hot Snacks”.

Here’s an excerpt from Permanent Record that is a beautiful ode to creative food mashups and immigrant kids everywhere: 

“I edit and post a Shin Ramyun Black video set to music. My favorite instant noodles with three flavor packets and so much garlic. It’s a classic Korean HotSnack, especially when you throw in cut-up hot dogs, frozen dumplings, extra kimchi - and this is where the artistry comes in- eggs, cheese, corn from a can, and a drizzle of sesame oil on top. And furikake if you’re feeling wealthy. The next night I put up a bacon, egg, and cheese not in a bagel but in a glazed honey bun. Laced with sriracha and pan fried on the outside. Then it’s chilaquiles with Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos and chorizo. Jamaican beef patty casserole disrespected with a smothering of Japanese curry and broiled. With Crystal Hot Sauce over the top and pickled banana peppers. I’m trolling with that one but the controversy is berserk. When I run out of old videos, I make saag paneer naanchos with Trader Joe’s frozen Indian food, and it’s a hit. Especially when I add yogurt and a thick layer of crushed-up Takis on top.”

______________________________________________

看連續劇.

“Watch soap operas.” 

3. Find a way to escape. I’m generally pro technology but I’ll admit I’m a little bummed at the way iPhones and iPads have made TV viewing such an individual activity. I like how Disney+ has gotten some families back to watching TV together again. Although I will say, we really coddle our kids these days. I grew up in a time when movie ratings only applied in the theaters and we watched movies with our families like Alien, The Fly, and Gremlins. We were scared out of our minds and sometimes could only watch through the cracks between our fingers covering our eyes because it was so scary. Okay, this also might be why I can’t watch horror movies as an adult. 

From a young age, my parents taught me that watching other people’s drama unfold on screen is one of the best way to escape your own drama. Some people say binge watching became a thing when the TV networks started releasing shows on DVD. Others give credit to Netflix releasing their original content a whole season at a time. But truth be told, I first learned how to binge watch from my parents. 

We would rent 30-40 VHS cassette tapes from that random spot in Bellaire Chinatown. Can you picture it? You needed multiple plastic bags to transport that many VHS tapes. 

Do you remember the one about the dying mother who needed to find homes for each of her 7 children? I don’t think it’s normal for a 10 year old to cry so much but you better believe it’s made me learn the true value of a soap opera escape hatch. 

Are you in a pandemic? Now’s the perfect time to pick up that YA novel, binge that reality show, start that kdrama, or rewatch all six seasons of The Sopranos again.

______________________________________________

下個禮拜會下雨.

“It’s going to rain next week.”

4. Be informed about what’s ahead. If you ask either of my parents about the weather at any given time they can reliably tell you the daily percent chance of precipitation and humidity for at least seven days out. They’ve always been this way. They would inform me of the weather at various points throughout the week. They planned their yard work and car washes around the weather forecast. There’s something about the way the weather forecast is available to everyone. And it feels like it’s just a matter of making the small extra effort to access it and gain a slight advantage. I feel like so much of the immigrant mentality is to be diligent in making the right choices to not screw yourself over and seizing opportunities whenever you can. And it wasn’t just weather but this is such an obvious example of it. 

I remember my dad saying to me once, "Can you imagine if someone decided to read every book in their local library? If they just went shelf by shelf and systematically read all the books? You could do it, you know. It’s free, it doesn’t cost any money to check out a book from the library. But no one really does it.” 

I think immigrant parents get a bad reputation for forwarding chain letters and health/science hoaxes they get on email, WeChat and Line. And in a pandemic, yes, they are definitely susceptible to misinformation, rumors and flat out untruths. But the thought behind it seems right. 

The mistrust of government leadership is actually quite relevant right now in this pandemic. Many immigrants left countries with governments that were overtly corrupt, oppressive, and used propaganda to influence its citizens. And while many Americans still take pride in living in a country that verbally champions freedom and democracy, the truth is that our government has already failed us and lied to us in many ways. During this pandemic, we cannot wait on leaders to tell us what to do. We must be diligent in reading for ourselves, seeking experts, using our critical thinking skills, and making preparations accordingly.

______________________________________________

會不會冷?

“Are you cold?” 

5. Check in with yourself. Check in with others. I have so many memories of my parents walking through the living room and asking me and my sisters if we were cold. It felt like they couldn’t walk past the thermostat without asking us if they needed to raise it or lower it. As if they couldn’t hear us sneeze and wonder if they needed to turn off the ceiling fan. They couldn’t see us sitting in a dim room without turning on a light for us. There are so many times I fell asleep reading on the couch and woke up with a blanket over me. Or sometimes I was fully awake doing something random, like playing Egyptian Rat Screw with my sisters (a cardgame for the uninitiated), and my mom would walk by and wordlessly drop a warm, heavy blanket over my shoulders. That’s care, y’all. Consistent, immediate action, and often without words.  

The tip here is to pay attention to your discomfort during a pandemic. There’s this immigrant stereotype of stoicism and that’s true to some degree but maybe the resilience is made possible not because of unnatural toughness but largely because immigrant parents can also be so incredibly perceptive and tender in some very tangible ways. 

When everything is chaotic around you and you’re busy multitasking these next few months, don’t ignore your needs. Notice how you’re feeling. Physically and emotionally. Where are you carrying your stress and tension in your body? You don’t have to tough it out. Oh and remember to check in with your people on how they’re feeling. Is there a light switch you can turn on for someone? 

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笑死人.

“Laugh to death.” 

6. Laugh to survive. Look, we didn’t have the perfect family or anything like that. We’ve definitely had our share of difficult times, financial stress, health issues, arguments, and pain. But my parents also really knew how to laugh and taught us to laugh with abandon. Like, bent over, tears running out of your eyes, can’t breathe kind of laughing. Our dinner table was kind of like a writer’s room. It was difficult to tell a mediocre story. You had better come prepared with a punchline or a point. It was a tough crowd, every night. On many occasions I stopped myself halfway through a story upon the self-realization that there was no real way to land the plane. Polite laughs were nowhere to be found, except perhaps a charitable smile from my baby sister. But it didn’t stop us from trying. I think my sisters and I are all probably better storytellers for it and we definitely have learned to try to bring humor into difficult times.  

I know that this pandemic is so incredibly dark and depressing that it can sometimes feel disrespectful, inappropriate, or childish to laugh at anything. But my parents taught me that you laugh to survive. Nothing is ever so dark that you can’t find a reason to laugh. And sometimes you really need to find something to laugh about.

I’ve been taking long breaks each day from major media news outlets but I have been finding such joy and laughter from the meme creators on IG and the comedic geniuses on Twitter. In Taiwanese when something’s really funny, people will say a phrase that is imperfectly translated as laugh to death. Like you killed a person it was so funny. Now’s the time to find that content or those people who will get you to laugh to death. 

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我要去挪車.

“I’m going to go re-park the cars.” 

7. Go to bed with a plan for the next morning. I grew up in a suburb of Houston, Texas where one property developer built the entire neighborhood and used the same eight or nine floor plans for all the houses but changed up the brick and trim color to keep things interesting. Most homes have a long driveway that connects a garage set near the backdoor of a home to the street. By the time I was driving, we had four cars in total -- two in the garage and two on the driveway. At the end of the day when everyone was home for the night and my dad was getting ready to go to bed, he’d announce, “I’m going to go re-park the cars.” Then we’d all kind of stop what we were doing and rearrange the order of the cars to match our morning departure schedules. This meant figuring out who was leaving when in the morning and sometimes also prompted brief check-in conversations about any changes in our usual routine. 

In a pandemic it can sometimes feel like there are a million different things to attend to and large conceptual concerns that demand your attention. But there’s something calming and centering about spending a few minutes each night thinking through specifically what needs to happen just tomorrow. Not the day after or next week. Get super tactical and specific about what tomorrow morning looks like. Check-in with your partner about any aberrations to your schedule (e.g. I have a super important conference call at 7am tomorrow) to minimize any unnecessary surprises. There’s something magical about setting up your morning that helps you rest just a little easier at night. 

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星期三我們有禱告會.

“On Wednesdays we have prayer meeting.”

8. Make time for your spirituality. Growing up my parents both had physically demanding jobs. My mom was a seamstress for many years, providing alterations at my aunt and uncle’s dry cleaners. She later worked in an elementary school cafeteria and then eventually became a classroom aide for special needs students. My dad worked at that same dry cleaners for years until he got a job at the post office. He then became a letter carrier, delivering mail on foot. The summer months were especially grueling, carrying a heavy sack of mail in 100 degree, humid weather, and walking until sweat soaked his shirts and blisters formed on his feet. They had every excuse to skip weeknight events. But unless they were sick in bed, I can’t remember a time when they missed their weekly prayer meeting with their friends from church.  

Pandemics have an unsettling way of forcing us to confront our mortality and can trigger a bunch of unresolved shit that has been bubbling underneath the surface. We’ve lost some of our usual coping mechanisms and it can be super hard to quiet the anxieties, fears, and other demons that we usually try to keep under control. This isn’t a lecture about a particular faith or belief system. It’s just a reminder to prioritize your existential questions, your interior life, and your connection to things much bigger than yourself -- whether that’s a community, a yoga practice, a faith group, a tradition, or something else. 

I have a fledgling meditation practice that I’ve been trying to strengthen since last year. When I say fledgling I mean that sometimes I bail before the ten minutes is up and check my phone. Even though I’m not very good at it yet, I can really tell the difference on the days that I make time for it. Our church started hosting its weekly Sunday service online and that’s challenging for me because a church service feels like it’s designed to be so much about the physical rhythm of going to a place, seeing faces of people I love, hearing their voices co-mingling with mine in song and in prayer, and tasting the bread and wine in my mouth. The online service was short, and just for viewing through a zoom conference call, but there was still something meaningful about setting aside that time Sunday morning, asking our wiggly kids to be present, and saying the liturgy out loud knowing that in homes all across the country, other people are doing the same. 

If things are really going to get as bad as some are predicting, we’ll need the spiritual strength to make it to the other side. Those habits are hard to form overnight. My parents taught me that you really have to make the time for your spirituality non-negotiable, so that you won’t abandon it when it’s inconvenient or when you are too tired.    

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沒辦法.

“What choice do we have?” 

9. Rise to the occasion. Whenever my parents are telling old war stories about things they had to do to get to where they are today, inevitably one of us will say, “Man that’s crazy, how did you manage to do it?” And instead of pointing to some super personality trait of theirs or some complex self-help principle, they always say, “We had no choice.” It’s not said in a defeated way, but in a posture of accepting that life can be cruel, unfair, and capricious. And that it’s not helpful to dwell too long on the why’s and how’s. My parents taught me that you can’t stay in despair mode. You eventually have to push yourself into problem solving mode and you do whatever it takes to move forward.  

This coronavirus is so unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in our lifetime. It is so unprecedented for me that my brain is having a hard time processing the reality of what’s happening right now and the rest of my lived experience. I spent the first few days of this week just being overwhelmed, anxious, angry, and irritable. At this point though, I’m in go mode. I’m doing what needs to be done for our family and taking care of business. What choice do we have? I can hear my parents saying it. One day, if we’re lucky, we’ll say it to our kids too.