Saturday, November 11, 2006

Four more years

It's been almost four years since I last ate meat, but I've recently started craving it again. I saw a picture on a food blog of a roast chicken, marinated in a garlic lemon brine, that got me salivating, and every time I saw pheasant on a menu, I have to force myself to look at the veggie options. Perhaps it's got something to do with the dip in temperatures and the wonderful pictures of roast or braised meats in Nigel's Kitchen Diaries. It's not so much the meat itself as the rich, sticky goo that comes from slow cooking it; tofurkey simply doesn't give you that. And of course there's the smell. Not only do I have to contend with evil neighbours who insist of frying steak as I return home from the gym, but I pass an eco-butcher's shop each morning, and quite often they're frying their sausages, ready for the day. Meat. Smells. So. Good! However, I'm sticking to my semi-vegetarian principles and keep finding images of cute cows and pigs online as a reminder of why. Food with a face, people!

Luckily, there are some alternatives. A chilli sin carne made with tofu crumbles was pretty damn special, particularly when spiked with a tin of earthy, Spanish smoked paprika that I found at the back of a cupboard.



And the deep-fried tofu with amber sauce that was part of last Sunday's Ozu-inspired Japanese meal was delicious; a light cornflower crust and savory sauce really lifted the bland tofu.

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I just wish that the government would outlaw frying sausages (or bacon) in public places. That sort of sensory overload is so unfair!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job finding all those fish without faces to eat!

Norfolk Dumpling said...

Hmm, fish don't really have pretty faces -- perhaps I should have been more specific. But, good point, well made etc.