So there's this whole phenomena of food blogs out there right now, several of which I am a fan of, one in particular, www.oopsiatetoomuch.blogspot.com is a particular fave of mine(probably because it is written by my bestie, but also because she makes beautiful, mostly vegan fare).
Food blogs are seductive. They usually have really awesome, drool inducing pictures, and they always consist of a generally beloved-by-most-humans thing, food. It is no secret that food blogs, cooking shows and in particular cooking contest shows have become ever more popular as of late. Phrases like "foodie" and a burgeoning interest in specialty, artisan foods and the 'slow food' movement are suddenly part of our everyday lives...I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that the economy has tanked and now people really need to curtail their spending on the non essential, and what little they can spend they will indulge on a necessity, such as good food bought at the grocery store or a nice meal out. I know personally I don't have much income to spend on say, paying down my credit card debt, but you best believe I eat like a baller every day. Fo'reals.
I just gotta say it, food is cool. I haven't always held such a high opinion of food...having once been one of those girls that was like really, really concerned with the scale, I for many years denied myself the divine indulgences of snacks and fab and fulfilling meals. And while I'll always be conscious of what I'm eating(I'm still kind of a vegan), I now take the approach that food is not only useful for nourishment, it also gives us a social springboard. A reason to get together, a means for celebration.
But I didn't start this post as means to tell you all that I am going to be turning meowinginmysleep into a food blog. No sir. No way. Nuh-uh. I do not have the patience, time or money to do that kind of shit. You need to be SERIOUS to do that kind of thing. You need to plate. You then need to make sure you don't start eating it before you get a good picture of it. Lighting, this, that and the other thing. You need to be consistent. Me? Consistent I am not. And while sometimes I do make really nice meals for myself, I am also just as likely to pull together the most half ass meal you could think of. 1 piece of toast with a "chik'n" piccata fillet, 2 pieces of avocado and slab of veganaise and hot sauce. BAM! Dinner. Or vegan alfredo sauce over anything. BAM! Dinner. Half of bottle of chardonnay and a cucumber with hummus. BAM! Dinner. A full bottle of chardonnay, an entire container of edamame (squeeze some lime over that shit and its gourmet), a third of a bag of pita chips with hummus...BAM! Dinner. A six pack of beer and a bowl of cereal 3 hours later....BAM! You get the idea.
Damn, all of the sudden I am so hungry. Must power on.
I've always really enjoyed making food for others. When I first went vegan I went on an all out spree of cooking for people, forging many a friendship in the process. I am the only person in the entire world who has gained weight as a vegan. And no, for your information, its not because I eat pasta everyday. Not even close. It's just that, when you all of the sudden really have to consider how to make good tasting food without relying on meat and cheese to do all of the flavoring for you, you learn a lot about some really amazing food. And to be honest, going the vegan route has really turned me on to a wider range of food than I had ever eaten before. Wanna learn a lot about different kinds of food? Shun meat and cheese from your diet. You'll be forced to discover what else is out there.
Sorry, I just went on a vegan rant. I won't do it again.
But what I really set out for when starting this post, was to write about the Pink Squirrel.
You deceptive little piece of shit pink drink.
I was out with some of my buddies this weekend and we went to Highland Kitchen, this awesome, little pseudo retro very hipster place in Somerville that is home to my new favorite food, Buffalo Fried Brussell Sprouts. This place is known for making some fancy drinks, and when I saw the name the Pink Squirrel written on the chalk board, I just knew I had to try it.
I'm usually pretty discerning when it comes to things I'm about to ingest. I like to ask a lot of questions, make sure theres nothing in it that I don't want there, and way back when I began my no dairy odyssey, I was down right diligent. Questions all the time. Now I don't know if its laziness that has set in, or if my mind is getting slower, or what, but for some reason, it was like I didn't even care what was in the Pink Squirrel. I just wanted it. Disclaimer: I was no where near drunk when I ordered this drink. My first beverage was a very conservative PBR tallboy.
When my boyfriend ordered the drink for me at the very crowded bar, my first sign of trouble should have come with the bartenders cock-eyed, very concerned look for a man who would order a drink called the Pink Squirrel. It was at this time that I was really, really glad that Adam was not ordering this for himself. I realized that I was in for a very, very girly beverage. Which is fine, because the fruitier, sweeter and more colorful the cocktail, the happier I tend to be. My favorite drinks usually taste like bananas, if that tells you anything.
And then I saw the martini glass being pulled out, and I was all like, fuck dude. I hate drinks that come in martini glasses. a) it means its going to be really, really girly and b) it means I'm going to be done with it in like less than 30 seconds.
But then the real shock came when the bar tender poured what appeared to be pepto bismol into that little ass martini glass. The other people sitting at the bar began to laugh. Adam practically threw the drink at me so as to be seen handling this atrocity of a drink. I'm not exaggerating when I say the color of this was no different from pepto bismol. Light pink, completely opaque, seemingly viscous and frothy on top. Ewww. And it was at this point that I was really mad, cause I knew that this drink obviously contained dairy.
I made a resolution this year to quit being such a bitch about the whole dairy thing. I can't tell you how many times I've sent food back into the kitchen because it came out with a little bit of cream sauce, or a sprinkling of cheese. I should have realized then that I was just trading a negligible amount of dairy for a mouthful of hard to see (and prove) disgruntled kitchen spit.
So here I was, with a bar full of people and my friends laughing at me as I had to down this shameful, shameful drink. It didn't even matter what it tasted like, because the visual was so disconcerting. Shoulda stuck with the tallboys.
Well, from here I moved onto the Dorchester, a very tasteful (and tasty) drink thats really just glorified boozy lemonade with a couple of cucumber slices in it to remind you that you're drinking a $7 cocktail and your feeling all fancy in your fancy shoes. Why its called a Dorchester I don't understand. And why Dorchester isn't pronounced 'Dooster' is another one that I still can't quite wrap my head around.
Behold, The Pink Squirrel.
Cheers!
Food blogs are seductive. They usually have really awesome, drool inducing pictures, and they always consist of a generally beloved-by-most-humans thing, food. It is no secret that food blogs, cooking shows and in particular cooking contest shows have become ever more popular as of late. Phrases like "foodie" and a burgeoning interest in specialty, artisan foods and the 'slow food' movement are suddenly part of our everyday lives...I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that the economy has tanked and now people really need to curtail their spending on the non essential, and what little they can spend they will indulge on a necessity, such as good food bought at the grocery store or a nice meal out. I know personally I don't have much income to spend on say, paying down my credit card debt, but you best believe I eat like a baller every day. Fo'reals.
I just gotta say it, food is cool. I haven't always held such a high opinion of food...having once been one of those girls that was like really, really concerned with the scale, I for many years denied myself the divine indulgences of snacks and fab and fulfilling meals. And while I'll always be conscious of what I'm eating(I'm still kind of a vegan), I now take the approach that food is not only useful for nourishment, it also gives us a social springboard. A reason to get together, a means for celebration.
But I didn't start this post as means to tell you all that I am going to be turning meowinginmysleep into a food blog. No sir. No way. Nuh-uh. I do not have the patience, time or money to do that kind of shit. You need to be SERIOUS to do that kind of thing. You need to plate. You then need to make sure you don't start eating it before you get a good picture of it. Lighting, this, that and the other thing. You need to be consistent. Me? Consistent I am not. And while sometimes I do make really nice meals for myself, I am also just as likely to pull together the most half ass meal you could think of. 1 piece of toast with a "chik'n" piccata fillet, 2 pieces of avocado and slab of veganaise and hot sauce. BAM! Dinner. Or vegan alfredo sauce over anything. BAM! Dinner. Half of bottle of chardonnay and a cucumber with hummus. BAM! Dinner. A full bottle of chardonnay, an entire container of edamame (squeeze some lime over that shit and its gourmet), a third of a bag of pita chips with hummus...BAM! Dinner. A six pack of beer and a bowl of cereal 3 hours later....BAM! You get the idea.
Damn, all of the sudden I am so hungry. Must power on.
I've always really enjoyed making food for others. When I first went vegan I went on an all out spree of cooking for people, forging many a friendship in the process. I am the only person in the entire world who has gained weight as a vegan. And no, for your information, its not because I eat pasta everyday. Not even close. It's just that, when you all of the sudden really have to consider how to make good tasting food without relying on meat and cheese to do all of the flavoring for you, you learn a lot about some really amazing food. And to be honest, going the vegan route has really turned me on to a wider range of food than I had ever eaten before. Wanna learn a lot about different kinds of food? Shun meat and cheese from your diet. You'll be forced to discover what else is out there.
Sorry, I just went on a vegan rant. I won't do it again.
But what I really set out for when starting this post, was to write about the Pink Squirrel.
You deceptive little piece of shit pink drink.
I was out with some of my buddies this weekend and we went to Highland Kitchen, this awesome, little pseudo retro very hipster place in Somerville that is home to my new favorite food, Buffalo Fried Brussell Sprouts. This place is known for making some fancy drinks, and when I saw the name the Pink Squirrel written on the chalk board, I just knew I had to try it.
I'm usually pretty discerning when it comes to things I'm about to ingest. I like to ask a lot of questions, make sure theres nothing in it that I don't want there, and way back when I began my no dairy odyssey, I was down right diligent. Questions all the time. Now I don't know if its laziness that has set in, or if my mind is getting slower, or what, but for some reason, it was like I didn't even care what was in the Pink Squirrel. I just wanted it. Disclaimer: I was no where near drunk when I ordered this drink. My first beverage was a very conservative PBR tallboy.
When my boyfriend ordered the drink for me at the very crowded bar, my first sign of trouble should have come with the bartenders cock-eyed, very concerned look for a man who would order a drink called the Pink Squirrel. It was at this time that I was really, really glad that Adam was not ordering this for himself. I realized that I was in for a very, very girly beverage. Which is fine, because the fruitier, sweeter and more colorful the cocktail, the happier I tend to be. My favorite drinks usually taste like bananas, if that tells you anything.
And then I saw the martini glass being pulled out, and I was all like, fuck dude. I hate drinks that come in martini glasses. a) it means its going to be really, really girly and b) it means I'm going to be done with it in like less than 30 seconds.
But then the real shock came when the bar tender poured what appeared to be pepto bismol into that little ass martini glass. The other people sitting at the bar began to laugh. Adam practically threw the drink at me so as to be seen handling this atrocity of a drink. I'm not exaggerating when I say the color of this was no different from pepto bismol. Light pink, completely opaque, seemingly viscous and frothy on top. Ewww. And it was at this point that I was really mad, cause I knew that this drink obviously contained dairy.
I made a resolution this year to quit being such a bitch about the whole dairy thing. I can't tell you how many times I've sent food back into the kitchen because it came out with a little bit of cream sauce, or a sprinkling of cheese. I should have realized then that I was just trading a negligible amount of dairy for a mouthful of hard to see (and prove) disgruntled kitchen spit.
So here I was, with a bar full of people and my friends laughing at me as I had to down this shameful, shameful drink. It didn't even matter what it tasted like, because the visual was so disconcerting. Shoulda stuck with the tallboys.
Well, from here I moved onto the Dorchester, a very tasteful (and tasty) drink thats really just glorified boozy lemonade with a couple of cucumber slices in it to remind you that you're drinking a $7 cocktail and your feeling all fancy in your fancy shoes. Why its called a Dorchester I don't understand. And why Dorchester isn't pronounced 'Dooster' is another one that I still can't quite wrap my head around.
Behold, The Pink Squirrel.
Cheers!
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