Slogging with Burritos
Posted
Mon, 03/24/03
Most people assume because I run a food-related web site that I love to cook. Nothing could be further from the truth. While I do love experimenting with new dishes, varying ingredients or creating my own recipes, I despise the daily slog of cooking meals. "Meals" refer to breakfast, lunch and dinner – the same old foods and routine day in and day out. I avoid those rituals like the plague, much to the chagrin of my long-suffering husband.
Long before all three of my weddings took place (1982, 1990 and 2002 respectively), I made it clear to the specific groom that I was not put on this earth to cook for him or clean up after his messes. Men are grown adults just like the rest of us, for God's sake, and I won't waste precious time or sacrifice my own happiness for someone who needs to be treated like a child. If they need such an arrangement, perhaps they should live with their mothers until the end of days or hire a cook and a maid. It's just not for me.
However, I love throwing together a dish I've envisioned. I'll make time for such forays, mainly because the "idea" will find its way onto Food Fare eventually. I don't suddenly acquire the patience of a saint for the experiment. There is always a purpose behind my machinations.
Tonight was an example. My husband hinted around that he was hungry, so I offered my stock reply: "Make yourself something, then." Neither of us felt like cooking. Sometimes I'd rather not eat in order to avoid dirty dishes in the sink. One of my "peculiarities" is that all dishes must be washed, dried and put back in their proper place before I go to bed, no matter the hour or how tired I am. Quite often I won't cook even a mere scrap, leaving my husband to exhale loudly and start slapping pots and pans around, muttering under his breath.
This evening, I pulled out a package of frozen beef-and-bean burritos. They are bland looking caricatures of food. The only way to make them edible is to dress them up a bit. El Monterey is one of the few brands that don't taste like paper towels soaked in refried beans. Tonight I sliced mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, onions, lettuce and black olives, topping each burrito with the mixture. Microwaved or baked, the result is the same: a tasty meal without too much preparation and fuss.
Boring and bland it was not. While I don't advocate eating in such a way every night, there are times when it fits the bill.
