66. BETWEEN REINDEER DATES

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon Jane (Posts 41, 14, 12, 9, 8, 7, 2)  rummages through my kitchen cupboards. She loves to cook and considers herself something of an international foodie. However, Jane has come into the habit of buying pre-made spice packets (think desi taco seasoning), adding chicken and calling it dinner. So I had no choice but to burst her bubble and explain Indian cooking was a time consuming and arduous process. It is not like opening a can and poof, Manwiches are made!

First there is the chopping of onions. Then the onions are browned with ginger, and sometimes tomatoes and garlic. This is followed by the addition of spices and then the sloooooow cooking vegetables or meats over a low flame (assuming you have a gas stove). Five hours later, dinner is served.

Since I asked Jane to stop purchasing bastardized desi cooking products from Trader Joe’s, I felt obligated to show her what real desi women stock. This is why jars of brown, red and yellow spices are displayed on the counter. I want her to see and smell cumin, paprika, turmeric, and coriander in order to appreciate robust desi flavors.

When the phone rings I glance at the number, squeal (and scare Jane) and run into the other room. “Hello?” I ask hoping he cannot hear my delight. “How are you today?” Reindeer asks. “Great! And you?” I ask. “Good, good. So I was thinking since you don’t eat meat on Tuesdays, how do dosas and Brazilian coffee sound this coming Tuesday?” Uhhmm, let’s see…PERFECT! I am OVERJOYED to FINALLY meet a man who is attractive (despite his outdated photos and bald spot) and LISTENS to me! Calmly I respond with, “Sounds nice.”

Wow…am I glad I quit drinking on Thursday! My stars must already be cleaning themselves up! Had I known dates would come so easily sans the vino, I should have stopped drinking a long time ago!!!

Manwich