New Foods To Try

I was in Boulder in early November to visit Phil, Deborah, Lennon and Elsa.  As usual, I had a memorable time.  Cooking together was one of our most fun activities.  Phil loves to cook and I do too, so we enjoyed that activity together, and the kids joined in on the fun.  We made two dishes I had never had, bim bim bap and kim chi.

Bim bim bap literally means "mixed vegetables."  In this dish, sushi rice is placed at the bottom of the bowl, and it is topped with any or all of the following items:  sauteed veggies, like bean sprouts, zucchini, broccoli, chili pepper paste (not for me), fermented soybean paste, fried egg or sliced meat.  Phil marinated firm tofu, cut it in pieces, and pan fried it.  He got a nice crust on the tofu, and it was absolutely delicious.  We did not use meat, but topped the dish with a fried egg.  Mix it all together and enjoy.

Phil is a big fan of kim chi, so he added that to his bowl.  I said no to kim chi, but the next day, I helped Phil make some home made kim chi.  It's made from cabbage, sprinkled with salt and allowed to sit for a while, then rinsed, and additional ingredients are added:  lots of garlic, soy sauce, lots of chili powder, carrots.  This is all mixed together.  Then the kim chi is put into big glass jars and allowed to sit for several days before refrigerating.  During this time it ferments, and you can actually see bubbles in the mixture.  Phil and Deborah loved the finished product.  I took one small taste and knew it was not for me.  They said it's an acquired taste.  Not for me.

I forgot to mention the beautiful brunch we had one morning in their backyard, in the middle of November, and so hot we needed umbrellas.  We began with a green smoothie, made from soy milk, lots of green veggies, and bananas and strawberries.  Delicious.  Then we had country fried potatoes, nice and crispy, thick sliced bacon, scrambled eggs, avocados, and a delicious banana bread (Cook's Country recipe), hot out of the oven with lots of butter.  Five adults and two children ate the whole loaf.  Even with a nice walk that I took on Monday, I did not lose weight on this trip.  Food is always an important part of our time together, and this trip was no exception.  Thank you to Phil and his family for making my trip so memorable.