Text 4751, 103 rader
Skriven 2008-03-30 23:15:00 av JOAN MACDIARMID (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av RUTH HAFFLY
Ärende: Fishin'
===============
 Hi, Ruth,

 RH> At least your family was spending time together
 RH> in the great outdoors.

 JM>  Yeah, my folks were good that way. They took the time
 JM>  to do a lot of stuff with us kids, all as a family. We
 JM>  took those fishing trips (usually midmorning, picnic

 I do appreciate that, especially now, even if I have
 "issues" with my Mom's tendency to dominate. Now
 that I have read stories about other people's
 childhood experiences (not so much here, but in
 the newspapers and general), I realize my childhood
 was comparatively idyllic. My parents worked things
 out when they disagreed, but didn't fight physically
 or even loudly in my presence, and didn't think of
 divorce. They disciplined us kids when we needed it,
 but not physically for the most part. I think I was
 spanked maybe twice.

 JM> No fancy picnic stuff, just cold
 JM> sandwiches like egg salad or tuna salad, potato chips,
 JM> maybe a can of pork'n'beans or her very good potato
 JM> salad, and a can of (usually store brand) soda pop
 JM> each. But excellent to me!

 RH> Most of our "picnics" were if we were going to visit dad's relatives
 RH> or take/fetch my mom from summer school.  Dad's family was all out
 RH> around North Tonawanda & mom went to summer school in Geneseo.  All too
 RH> far to get to without stopping for a meal so my mom would pack
 RH> sandwiches and a jug of kool ade.  Depending on when we'd get away,
 RH> we'd try to stop at the parking area near the Elmira airport for lunch.
 RH> It was always fun to watch the planes come in, seemed like we could
 RH> just reach up & touch them.

 Yeah, we did picnics like that, too. My family
 originated in Michigan, but we migrated to Alabama
 when I was 6YO, following Dad's career. So every
 vacation was spent travelling to Michigan to touch
 base with the rest of the extended family. Being
 thrifty, we often packed a picnic lunch for the
 first leg of the trip. That was OK, and it got us
 out of the car. But the deliberate picnics in the
 park were more fun, because they were just for fun!

 RH> Sound like you're going to be eating good. We looked
 RH> at corned beef a few weeks ago but decided against

 JM>  Look too much like ham? I bought way too much that

 RH> No, looking at all the fat on the pieces in the store and the list of
 RH> curing chemicals.

 I look for the leanest one I can find that's not
 too big for me, but accept they will always be
 fatty and that's part of the essence of them. And
 the curing chemicals on the package of corned beef
 I am finally cooking tonight don't scare me. I see
 "Water, salt, brown sugar, sodium citrate, natural
 flavor, sodium nitrite, citric acid, sodium
 erythorbate, polysorbate 80, sodium diacetate."
 The first 3 are natural enough to any of us without
 specific medical prohibitions. Citric acid (covering
 sodium citrate) is natural enough in many fruits.
 Nitrites have been used for ages to cure meats, like
 sausages. I must admit, I don't know precisely what
 erythorbate is, but I think it's a modified sugar.
 Polysorbate doesn't bother me much, because in the
 first place it is a polymer of a known sugar, and
 in the second place, our bodies will not absorb it,
 because as a poly-mer, it is too big to be absorbed.
 What there is of it will go down the sewer. Are
 you worried by "diacetate"? There is probably some
 in natural vinegar, dilute acetic acid. Actually,
 the only part of the ingredients listing that bugs
 me is "natural flavor"! That says "Trust Me" too
 much to trust, because I cannot look it up.

 RH> Do you have room in your apartment for a small freezer?  Sounds like
 RH> one would be a good investment if you do.

 No, and I would just fill it up and get into the
 same quandaries. That's why I don't encourage Mom
 to get a freezer, either.

 RH> Sounds good.  We've cut way back on the amount of meat we are buying.
 RH> I thought I wasn't going to get any on the last commissary run but they
 RH> had turkey pieces on sale. I got turkey Italian sausage, turkey wings
 RH> and turkey breast cutlets. The last ones will be made into schnitzel.

 Ha, ha, ha! The "sales" demons get to you too!
 That's what got me into trouble, bargains I
 couldn't get later and wanted! I managed a
 second week of grocery shopping without any
 meat purchases, just apples, green peppers and
 celery from the Farmers Market and milk, sandwich
 buns and lightbulbs from Wegmans.
 Joan

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