eG Foodblog: JennyUptown - Fun with food

[JennyUptown]

Short version of story.

Parents divorced when I was young.

After I graduated high school (I'm the youngest of 5), mom decided to start anew and moved to Maine where she was a nurse.

After a few years she decided to take a new tack and, as the saying goes "Got married to Christ"

Thanks for sharing JPW. That alone is blog-worthy. I think you should blog next.

On a separate topic...

I thought I was in the clear. It's almost 4 pm and not a word was said regarding the filched pizza. But then...

<<sound of phone ringing>>

JennyUptown looks at caller id and sees PLM's office number.

Casual chatter about workload issues, the weekend, etc.

Mid-casual chatter, PLM says "HEY, nice of you to steal the pizza!"

If PLM could see through the phone line, JennyUptown would look like

Yeah, so I got caught. I had both seen PLM and spoken to him via phone since this morning so I really thought my offense had gone undetected. Most mornings, I leave for work while PLM is still sleeping and then when it's his turn to get ready and go, he's usually in such a rush to get out the door that...well, I didn't think he'd notice. Nabbed! I told him that the pizza was too salty anyway, but he still gave me grief.

[reesek]

My 2003 calendar was devoted to Spain

spain is wonderful. i was lucky enough to spend a year there and get college credit...fools!

i do suggest you pack a pear or something. this is a country that thinks jamon is a fruit. granted, i had an unusual experience (lived in a dorm - and most of my discretionary income was spent on consumables other than food) but the produce situation was pretty bad.

i remember going to barcelona the first time (an 18 hour train ride from sevilla) and cheering at the sight of the fruit at the huge market on las ramblas.

people in sevilla kept telling me there was a market there, but whenever i went it was just a collection of cracked glass, antique irons and rope.

places i've been and can't be missed - sevilla, grenada, cadiz at carnival!, madrid, barcelona, salamanca, cordoba,

places next on my list - zaragoza, toledo, the north! santiago de compostela to san sabastien.

so many donkeys so little time.

[SobaAddict70]

Does PLM surf eGullet?

Soba

[JennyUptown]

Wouldn't that spoil my fun?

You know, that was the first thought that crossed my mind when he called me out re: the pizza. I figured he came across La Blog. But no, he does not.

[Pan]

If he did, do you suppose he'd learn some things about you he doesn't know?

[Al_Dente]

If he did, do you suppose he'd learn some things about you he doesn't know?

Ah, good question...

[JennyUptown]

Aren't y'all nosy?

He knows me extremely well already - this blog ain't the half of it.

[JennyUptown]

Excellent evening at the home of JennyUptown. It was cold outside, but cozy in my apartment. As I was preparing to make risotto with the last of the prosciutto, PLM called to say he was leaving work and coming over. Changed that 8 oz of rice to 14 in a hurry because that man can eat!

He arrived as I was sauteeing shallots and minced garlic in olive oil. The chicken stock was warming and I felt warm too. Risotto is one thing I feel confident cooking. I love the imprecision of it. Toasting the rice...stirring in a spash of white wine...some stock...stir...more stock...stir...taste...this should do it.

PLM kept whining "I'm HUUUNNNNNGGGRY!" from the living room and said "where are the hors d'ourves?" I appeared with a box of Wheat Thins and went back to my stirring. When the rice had absorbed enough stock, I stirred in butter, a little cream and parmesan, before laying a few thin slices of prosciutto on top. It doesn't take much to make me feel proud of myself. For wine, we had a 1993 Merlot from Lamoreaux Landing (Finger Lakes, NY) that was surprisingly good. A gift from my wine-loving Aunt & Uncle some time ago.

No dessert tonight. I wasn't expecting company, and we were too full anyway.

My best friend Jen from NYC has arrived in town and I'm excited to see her. She's probably tied up until after brunch tomorrow, so I'm plotting what we'll do from there. A noted DC restaurant Palena introduced a bar menu with items hovering around $9 (a real bargain) so I'm planning to see if they are open on Sunday. That could make a nice dinner.

On Monday, we may go to the Bulls/Wizards game at 12:30. Dinner will be Indian food with a group of friends. The long weekend is shaping up nicely.

Edited January 17, 2004 by JennyUptown (log)

[JennyUptown]

This will be an ultra-short post as 1. I'm not sure many people are following the blog (tis day 6 of the blog - I wouldn't blame you if you were bored with me) and 2. I am TORE UP from the amount of wine I have had to drink tonight.

PLM cooked dinner for visiting friend (also Jen) and me. When asked for a recommended menu, I said "let's revisit the pork tenderloin." It was as delish as it was last time and this time we had it with wild rice and asparagus...and wine, lots of wine.

PLM came over right from a long day of work (yes, it's Sunday and a holiday weekend, but whatever - it's what he does). I was excited to have PLM finally meet Jen and it was just gravy that he was here to cook for us. As always the meal was fantastic and the conversation was great.

When dinner was over, we watched the new show, The L Word, about lesbian relationships. Did anyone watch it? Seriously, it was PLM's reward for waiting on us hand and food. By the end of the night, another friend, Roseanne, had joined us and between the three of us, we put away three bottles of wine (PLM had Beck's).

I should not be typing right now and I apologize for any misspellings or misstakements. Back to the usual tomorrow.

[Pan]

Jenny, you'll be amazed in the morning at how well you spelled while drunk!

Do you really think people are bored with you?

[herbacidal]

This will be an ultra-short post as 1. I'm not sure many people are following the blog (tis day 6 of the blog - I wouldn't blame you if you were bored with me) and 2. I am TORE UP from the amount of wine I have had to drink tonight.

About six to nine hours ago I was thinking it's been a while since you posted anything.

Edited January 19, 2004 by herbacidal (log)

[JennyUptown]

Jenny, you'll be amazed in the morning at how well you spelled while drunk!

Do you really think people are bored with you?   

Thanks, Pan! I was trying to type carefully and I think I caught the most egregious errors. When tired (or, drunk ) I tend to mess up one word for another like "timing" instead of "typing." I cannot believe I talked about watching the L Word. What a tangent!!

"Mistakements" was funny to re-read. I meant misstatements, of course, but mistakements kind of sounds like a word that should exist in my world.

Regarding my slacking over the course of the weekend, I have several reasons/excuses. #1 has been the presence of PLM. He has been around Thursday through last night and I feel like it's rude to do blogging in the company of others (coworkers and bosses excluded!). Reason #2 has been that I'm having too much fun with my visiting friend, Jen, at the moment. I have snuck away for 15-20 minutes to do some writing. Jen's in the living room reading magazines and chilling out on the couch. She said she's excited to catch up on the blog so I'm hoping to post something good.

And here it is, Monday...last day of my blog (unless none of you are willing to bail me out - come on, I need someone to take over).

[suzilightning]

i'm keeping that mistakements

but aren't you supposed to "tag" someone for the blog?

[JennyUptown]

Writing this blog for the last week has been like a gift to me. In thinking back about food's role in my memories, I've found myself remembering so much - and I've found myself remembering so much - and not just about food. The more I write, the more I enjoy the process. I want to keep writing until there's nothing left.

When I was growing up, my parents, grandmother and I were what I now consider to be "small town middle class." To some of my classmates, I was rich. My parents both had good jobs, we ate well and occasionally went to restaurants. Life was good. But somewhere along the line, life got even better and we became what I think of us middle class for the rest of the world. Whereas I can remember eating in small, inexpensive locally-owned restaurants or even (eek) Red Lobster for our big night out on the town, in my teenage years, we tended to do it up a bit more, frequenting more upscale eateries.

All the while though, I was the same finicky eater that I still am to some extent today. There are dozens of family anecdotes about my weird food fixations, among them:

* As a kid, I would only eat cheese if it were completely melted. If Nana made me one of my favorite grilled cheese sandwiches and I could see a corner of the American cheese slice (white only, please – as a kid anyway) intact and unmelted. I wouldn’t eat it. I didn't eat cheeseburgers, just hamburgers. Macaroni and cheese (homemade only) was probably the only other cheese I ate until I was in my preteen years. It's a miracle my parents didn't disown me because eating in other peoples' homes was just about out of the question with me around.

* Forget seafood, I wouldn’t eat most vegetables, or even yogurt. My parents were always accused of spoiling me and they didn’t really help matters when they used to try to pay me to try new foods. I can still remember Mom saying “Come on, Jen. One little piece of broccoli…$5…come on!” It didn’t work for broccoli, but I did try yogurt for about $7.

* Although I have always loved kielbasa, Polish sausage, the skin made me squeamish growing up. So did taking the skin off myself. I’ve managed to get my parents to peel it for me. The squeamishness about peeling kielbasa has since worn off, but out of laziness, I still find a way to get other people to do it for me. I’m sure that if I were ever in a position to eat kielbasa outside of Mom and Dad’s house or other relatives’ homes, I’d peel away, but given the circumstances, I have no reason to. Even now that we’re all grown adults, my cousins still make fun of me. They were shocked when I finally admitted that it’s laziness alone that keeps me from making my own damn plate. I’m shameless.

[Tam]

Just caught up, so enjoy your blog. You are very honest in your representation, what a delight. And quoting others, lovely writing.

My food memories:

Coming from a Ukrainian family, bringing borshch to elementary school in my thermos and classmates saying, "Eewww, what's that pink stuff?!" Avoided it for years, make it and love its rich goodness now.

Asparagus growing in two huge plots in our garden. Steamed, with unctuous Hollandaise sauce gently blanketing. Still love it, tend to grill it now.

Earliest memorable restaurant experience at a tiny, unknown Greek place. It was all new to my mother and I, spicy moussaka with its creamy topping, sharp, luscious avgolemono and rich, meaty lamb with lemony potatoes. For a little girl from a small Canadian prairie town, this exotic meal in the big city made me feel so proud and important, like I had an understanding of another culture just as unique as mine. I think that's why I love food so much now, it is like a window into another world/culture. It's a privelege to be offered the view.

My mother's frequent chicken dinner was pieces plunked into a roaster with carrot, potatoe and parsnip and canned mushroom soup dropped over all. The resulting effect was greyish sauce over clammy-skinned grey chicken with bits of orange carrot poking out. Horrid, and I dislike that soup to this day. At the very least, chicken must always be browned!

Happily, most of my food memories are positive and I love the way food has such strong connotations for me. My thanks for challenging my memories, Jennifer.

[SobaAddict70]

If no one volunteers for Jenny or if she fails to tag someone, I nominate Pan for next vic-...er, blogger.

Soba

[hillvalley]

I second the nomination!

Jenny, how did you explain us to Jen? How was Indinique?

[Pan]

I really don't want to do this. I almost never cook, and I'm a bit embarassed about some of my eating habits. Do you really want to hear about delivery from my local Chinese place and a pint of Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt?

[Toliver]

Looks like Al Dente has started a blog. Rest easy, Pan!

[Pan]

If my teaching schedule ends up not being too tight, I may volunteer later. It'll be more interesting, because then, I'll go to Flushing every Thursday and doubtless often go to Chinatown after work on Mondays and Wednesdays for dinner.

[JennyUptown]

Belatedly...now that I have recovered from the night of drinking (Sunday), I wanted to post some photos from Monday night's dinner at Indique.

My visiting friend Jen's last night in Washington was frigid one (DC is starting to get used to this). Some warm, Indian food with a little spice was the perfect antidote.

We started our meal with drinks - pink martini for Jen, cosmo for Joanne, Kingfishers for Anda and me. I'm not a fan of the deconstructed samosa and steer my friends in the direction of the aloo tikki (potato and green pea patties served with chickpeas) and a paneer brochette with peppers, onions and a small amount of rice. Everything was delicious as you can see from the smiling faces in the photos I've posted.

Feeling lazy, we ordered four plates of chicken tikka makhani. Adventurous? Not at all. Delicious? Absolutely. We dove into the entrees so quickly that there are no photos, which is a shame because their plating is really attractive.

Without getting too sentimental, it's fitting that the dinner to send my friend back to New York also wraps up my blog. Fun week of writing, excellent time with friends.

[Pan]

Thanks for the pics, Jenny. Which one is you?

[JennyUptown]

Thanks for the pics, Jenny. Which one is you?

None of 'em as I was the photographer. The avatar I used to use showed me (perhaps too much!).

[Pan]

I disabled avatars a long time ago because of people's penchant to use flashing ones that gave me a headache, so I never saw that pic. [shrug]

You blog was a lot of fun.