Category Archives: food & drink

food shopping

29 Friday Sep 2006

Posted by in food & drink, life stuff, sevilla

≈ 36 Comments

shoppingcart.jpg Nog and I love food shopping!

And for a household that just has the two of us in it, we seem to do a lot of it.

Usually every two weeks or so we do a ‘big shop’ at a supermarket that delivers to the house. Very handy as we live on the third floor (fourth floor US & Cdn) without a lift. So we prefer big burly guys lugging up all the heavy stuff for us.

In between the big shopping expeditions we visit the fabulous markets here or small local fruit & veg shops for fresh produce and especially fish, which is much fresher and cheaper than at the supermarket.

But there is something very pleasant and satisfying about shopping for food. And at times like now (just after a ‘big supermarket’ thang) our fridge and cupboards are stuffed full of amazing things to eat. So when it comes time to decide what to have for lunch we often feel a bit overwhelmed by choice options.

So, is it just us or do other people enjoy this too?

easy open?

28 Thursday Sep 2006

Posted by in food & drink, life stuff, rants

≈ 21 Comments

easy-open.jpg Yeah sure . . .

Why is it that so many of these new ‘easy open’ products end up being anything but?

To be fair, the round flip top tins do tend to open quite easily, but rectangular tins usually get stuck at about the 2/3 open point so you end up having to dig out the sardines (or whatever) with a fork while you risk having your thumb sliced open by the sharp edge of the partially opened lid.

But the worst offenders have to be the tear-off tetrabrick packages which usually end up with a small fountain of juice, etc landing all of the kitchen work surface (and often on oneself). And that is only if it can be torn open – usually scissors are required.

Then there are the ‘easy open and re-sealable’ cellophane packets of pasta. Ha! These seem to have been sealed with superglue so that when you gently pull the top open the cellophane rips half-way down the packet and meanwhile the ‘re-seal’ sticky tabs immediately lose all stickyness and so even if you managed to get the thing open without destroying the packet a clothespeg is required to seal it up again.

I know it’s a silly rant, but it’s the blatant ‘false promise’ by these marketing guys that mostly annoys me. Like, who are they trying to kid? f_cross.gif

a perfect day

22 Friday Sep 2006

Posted by in food & drink, life stuff, musings, sevilla

≈ 8 Comments

perfect.JPG Isn’t it great when they just happen?

And it wasn’t any big thing in particular that made today feel so perfect. Just how it all ended up fitting together.

Got up at the usual time, Nog made coffee and fed the cats and then I made brekky before he went off to teach his one class of the day (I’d have normally had a class too but my student is out of town). On Fridays we usually only have morning classes.

While Nog was away I pottered around here and made more progress on organizing the bookshelves! Also managed to put away the dreaded mountain of laundry (eep!).

When Nog got back we decided to go out to the viveros to get some new plants for our balconies and also for the bathroom, but when we got there (hefty 45 minute walk) it turned out there was nothing there we wanted. But then I remembered this little tapa bar my friend Agustín has been telling me about for ages that isn’t far away from the viveros, so we decided to check it out (as it was about 2pm and we were HUNGRY).

And wow! Fabulous food. Crap ‘ambientation’ but who cares? The staff were very friendly and the food was totally f_drool.gif. We’ll definitely be going back.

Since we had our little shopping cart with us (to carry plants and soil home) we decided it would be a good time to get our shopping done for the anniversary – mostly having to do with stocking up on f_bubbly1.gif and a few other treats. So we did that and then came home, feeling quite good for all the walking we’d done.

Then I decided to dye my hair (deep chestnut) and we did a few chores.

I had a doctor’s appointment at 7.30pm so around 6 we went out again to run some errands, pick up my passport photos 🙄 and then spent some time at a bookshop.

After the doc’s we came home and made a nice meal and … oh, I dunno. It was like everything we did today just happily slid into the next thing and all of it was quite pleasant. Just a day totally working out. And also totally enjoying each other’s company, having lots of laughs and chats. We had so much fun just doing ordinary stuff and it was lovely.

Oh, and the weater was also perfect.Not too hot, bright and sunny and very comfortable for walking.

Off to shower now … 😉

favourite brekky

13 Wednesday Sep 2006

Posted by in food & drink, miscellany, musings

≈ 41 Comments

brekky.jpg On Ivan’s recent posting which is Absolutely Not About Prunes 😉 , the question was raised about why certain foods are considered proper breakfast food and others not. So I got curious as to why it’s somehow okay to eat bacon & eggs for breakfast but not, say, spaghetti and meatballs. Like, how did that happen?

Why corn flakes and not deep-fried spicy prawns?

Perhaps it’s because most breakfast food nowadays is quite fast and simple to prepare – bowl of cereal, toast, yoghurt & fruit, etc… Is it just because we tend to be so rushed and bleary-eyed in the morning that we can’t put together anything more interesting or more complicated than those few options? Or are there specific foods that are actually better (healthier) to eat first thing in the morning…to break one’s fast?

What’s your favourite brekky and why?