JasmineL

Re: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People I knew I recognized him from somewhere...they made a feature film from that book. Ugh...I hate myself for having watched it. Now that I know he is "that guy", I can see that he is working really hard to maintain his image of douchebaggery.

What does "bougie" mean? ← Pretentious; excessively aspiring (clicky). Derived from bourgeois. ← Bingo!

The snack of the evening is rippled potato chips (buffalo wing and blue cheese flavour). Edited to Add: I don't even like potato chips. [Moderator note: This topic continues here, PMS: Tell it Like It Is. Your cravings, Babe (Part 2)]

The Dulce de Leche cheesecake was a bit sad. The Dulce de Leche was delicious but the crust was cakey and super thick. There was barely any cheesecake to be found. I think they should have called it a Dulce de Leche cake with cream cheese centre...because that is more accurate. I won't be buying it again unless they change the ratio of cheese to crust.

I just had a flashback to childhood...so much effort...so little ice extracted from my Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker.Suffice to say, when I add an ice crusher to my kitchen...it will be automatic.

The funniest and simultaneously embarrasing moment I can remember happened approximately 10 years ago. I was out with a couple of new friends at a hotel bar. One of the girls wanted to order a bottle of wine. We were all very young (20-ish) and new to the wine thing. She perused the wine-list and proceeded to ask the server questions. While doing this she is acting all "bougie". Of course, she settles on a niiiiiiiiice white zinfandel...cheapest on the menu. That would be all fine and good if she didn't make such a spectacle of herself. Even my young and unsophisticated palate knew we were ordering the kool-aid of wine. That was not the embarassing/funny part. The moment of shame came when the server brought the bottle over and poured her a small amount for tasting. She looked at the glass...looked at the server...and said in the loudest and rudest tone..."I want more than that!". I lost it, it was rude of me to laugh at her...but she was really putting on airs. I'm sure the server thought we were all idiots. In the category of "annoying ex-boyfriend behaviour". I had a boyfriend who would only eat at Denny's or similar establishments. Everything else was to fancified for him. When we were at Denny's he would make his own "cappuccino" by biting tiny holes in the little plastic creamer cups and squeezing a stream of creamo into his coffee.This made a huge mess and attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

This happened to me. It took me ages to get the smell out of the refrigerator. It makes me heave just thinking about it.

Perhaps it's Vancouver's dark and gloomy winters that drives us to the cheescake and manhattan combo.

I think my dad will find this programme amusing. I'm sure it will bring back memories of his childhood in rural Zambia. I know he has eaten elephant (specifically the heart) and more than a little bit of bushmeat in his lifetime. My brother ate bushmeat when he travelled to our village a few years ago. I was spared the exotic proteins, but I was constantly worried about foodborne illness.

Lastnight I had cheesecake and a manhattan (or 3) for dinner.

One of my favourite meals is a Zambian stew made using peanut butter, chicken, tomato paste and spinach. It's so delicious! I just wanted to thank everyone for this incredible thread. I can't think of a story to contribute, but I have enjoyed reading all of your horrors.

The Purity Wheatlets should be at just about any grocery store...they come in a bag...hot cereal section. I'll give you my recipes, but I'm not a chef so don't hate me for my lame directions... The recipe for Nshima is basically boil 3 or 4 cups of water...and then start adding wheatlets gradually...you should get a good arm work out as you stir and add wheatlets until it's very firm. It should be firm like play-dough. Once you have a firm pot of Nshima, you put it on a plate...spread it out and put another plate on top to let it set a bit. I'm a wimpy city girl, so I can't handle the hot Nshima on my sensitive fingers...but my relatives can eat it hot off the fire. Ifisashi: Ingredients: Chicken (whatever part you want...cubed breast, bone in thighs) Onions (1 biggie) Spinach (1 bunch...or a bag of the baby stuff) Water (4 cups is a good start) Natural Peanut Butter (I like crunchy...you will probably use 2/3 of a jar) Tomato Paste (heaping table spoon) Salt to taste Cayenne Pepper to taste Directions: Put the chicken, water, onions and tomato paste in a big stew pot and bring to a boil. Cook until the chicken is nicely poached, reduce heat. In a bowl mix some peanut butter with hot water from the pot. The goal is to thin the peanut butter so it is easier to mix in to the stew. Gradually add the peanut butter mixture back in to the pot. You want to end up with a thick broth...watery is bad...creamy is good! Once you are happy with the texture, start adding salt and cayenne to taste. Once you are happy with the level of heat and salt...add the spinach and allow it to cook down. Give it a final taste...and your done. It's pretty simple...add more water if it gets to thick...add more peanut butter if it's too thin. I hope that helps!

I will eat like nobody is watching. Just kidding. I will eat roughly 80% local and seasonal food. I will make my lunches in order to save money and my waistline. I will find more food-friendly friends...especially those of the single-male persuasion. *sigh* I will learn the basics by enrolling in an amateur cooking class. I will teach my dog to cook me dinner. It's about time she started pulling her weight! I will read the old recipes and home economic books I inherited from my grandmother.

Here are some food related pictures from my Village... My aunt and neice scaling fish: The fishermen would come by every morning and try to sell us his catch: This contraption crossing the river is used to catch fish...watch out for the Crocodiles when you go to check your nets: This is one of the many poultry gifts I was given while visiting: This is me standing in my maize field! I am the proud heir of a 300 hectare farm! We saw this man making Nshima and my dad just had to get a picture...because Zambian men do not make Nshima. Every morning my little cousin's would bring me a basket full of mangoes:

I am Zambian...and I happen to live in Vancouver. I grew up here in Canada, but we did eat Zambian food growing up. I will agree that you pretty much covered the cuisine in the first post. When I went to my village in the Copperbelt last year, this is what we ate: 1.Nshima, nshima, nshima. 2. Tilapia cooked in onions and tomato and salt. 3.Ifisashi (I cook this at home all the time...with Chicken) 4. Chicken or Duck with onions and tomato and salt. 5. Fried dough (sweet and served with tea) 6. Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes! When making Nshima in Vancouver, my family has always used Purity brand Wheatlets. I will post some pictures from Zambia relating to the food in my next post. I just have to find them! CdnLifeguard...let me know if you need a coach when making your dinner...I can make Ifisashi and Nshima in my sleep.