Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Even the Cat Wouldn't Touch It


I threw some pre-cooked shrimp and green onions into the rice cooker last night, and we had an Asian supper. (OK, actually we also had grilled cheese sandwiches, because we're gourmets like that.) It wasn't that bad, but didn't have a whole lot of shrimp because most of it was freezer burned. (Like rubbery bright white patches) Rachael Ray needs to visit western Oklahoma before she writes her next book. ("They'll have pancetta in your deli section and Romano cheese in the specialty cheese aisle." Yeah right!)

As much as I love my life, there are definitely frustrating things about living out in the sticks. I've mentioned that we don't have a grocery store or convenience store of any kind in our town. We have to drive to W'ville for anything like that. But W'ville, as grand and glorious as it is, has its own problems. There are two supermarkets, so plenty of food is available, with lots of selection. However, you never know about the quality. Things like milk, eggs, bread and the basics are fresh because they get rotated out, but you're on your own for "specialty" things like whole-wheat flour, shrimp, and fresh produce. They have them, but they may have been there for a while.

Maybe every grocery store has problems with that kind of thing. I don't know. It's really not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but it can be annoying when you've planned to cook or bake something, purchased the ingredients, and started mixing things up, only to discover that one of your ingredients is "off" as the British say.

Anyway, we ate what I could salvage from the freezer-burned shrimp, and I gave the rest to Gatito, thinking he would be in kitty heaven. (Isn't shrimp a flavor they put in cat food?) He wouldn't touch it. He sniffed it a second or two, gave me a dirty look, and turned around and sat with his back to it on the porch.

Some fat, lazy cat is getting too big for his own bri..er...fur.

4 comments:

Sara said...

I checked out RR's videos at the library. When I went in search of things and thought I found them, it wasn't right. I also assumed the proscuitto ham would be easy to find. Come on the deli has to have it. No luck.

We're gormet like you also. We've been known to have mac and cheese, grilled cheese and hot dogs with things you woulnd't pair it with. I may want different, but the kids don't.

Lilibeth said...

There are few things as smelly as fish that is "off"; however rancid cheese should have balanced that. I'm not a cook either, as you well know, but I plan to be better now that I have an Alaskan Cajun (Isn't that a contradiction in terms?)cookbook.

aftergrace said...

Well, I'm sure that your dish was fine. It is tough when you can't get the specialty items called for in a recipe. Don't fret, even in the "big city" some of these items just can't be found.
Not to mention, cats can really persnickity.

Qtpies7 said...

you need a dog, they'll eat freezer burnt meat!