PB&J, Yellow Curry, Gardens, Pho, and Costco

Yesterday, feeling a bit nostalgic for elementary school lunches and also feeling a bit full from being a bit too generous to my stomach with the almonds and popcorn so kindly provided in class, I ate a small peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with a banana for lunch. Simple, delicious, and a fine remedy for a slight case of homesickness and lack of motherly affection. Though not quite cured of my ills, I still felt far more content with my current situation. With this revived spirit, I found myself able to endure my plans for the evening: dinner provided by the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the local Jewish fraternity. Am I Jewish? No, but apparently, due to the supposedly Jewish nature of my last name (Goodman), they assumed that I was. Was it immoral of me to accept their invitation? Perhaps, but they did invite me, I’ve lived in a primarily Jewish community for most of my life, and you don’t have to be Jewish to join the fraternity. Plus, the dinner was free! Who could resist free yellow curry? In the end, it was a fine meal, and I became acquainted with some new fellows in the community.

Today’s food adventure landed me in some unfamiliar territory: Vietnamese cuisine. After class, Jamie and I sampled some Pho from a restauraunt on the Ave. It was a flavor I hadn’t experienced before and was quite delicious. She and I were rather pleased. We learned, though, that the smallest-sized bowl is quite an ample amount of food. Dinner resulted from a trip to the local Costco across the lake in Kirkland. We purchased some water and some bagels…both of which ended up constituting the entirety of our meal. A satisfying meal, however plain and uninspiring it was.

Though I haven’t really been the responsible consumer in regards to what I’ve been eating lately, I certainly was struck by the gardens that we visited today. They were beautiful. It’s wonderful how something can look messy and overgrown, but is much more pleasing to the eye than even the neatest lawn. Plus, they’re so much more useful! I hope to get involved in such a project once I get settled in the city.

I finished the novel tonight. It strongly affected the way I look at the way we produce food. I feel I have a deeper understanding of the organic farming movement and see myself becoming more active in supporting such a societal change.