Thursday night and Karen is at work so I am on my own for supper. No hardship though. Tonight I am cooking comfort food: stir-fry venison with onions, garlic, carrots from the garden and celery. Brown rice tossed in and topped off with chowmein noodles. Yum! Yum!
The first time I ever ate anything like this was over 30 years ago when my friends Curt and Larry rented a shack north of town. The shack was one of many 'rental' properties owned by Old Man Fairbanks and his wife. Lots of college kids paid rent to the Fairbanks. The old man was a huge man, hulking in appearance but not threatening. His wife was tiny, quiet and wore a scarf on her head. The shack is now gone but used to be up near Red Pine Lane. Curt and Larry thought they were in hog heaven. The had a hand pump outside, an outhouse, a cold drafty shack with about 3 low-watt bulbs and a tempermental woodstove. Curt was an accomplished camper and backpacker but he grew up in West St. Paul. Larry, grew up on a farm in the Red River Valley. When Old Man Fairbanks learned Larry was a farm boy he clapped him on the shoulder and said "they'd be all right".
Being a farm boy meant he had lots of homegrown beef, especially burger and that is what Larry used in the first stir-fry I ate. I still remember those meals as being some of the best and it is the memory of the food that keeps me cooking my own version after all these years.
It is not just the comfort aspect I am after tonight. I apparently have some kind of intestinal distress and I remembered the acronym BRAT, stood for ???, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. Damned if I can remember what the B is supposed to stand for but I substituted beer instead. My tummy has been yucky all day and our trip to the Cities yesterday did not go off as planned because of the 'blizzard' and because I was really sick yesterday morning. I feel better today except for my tummy. If I had a complete gut I would probably have the shits or something nasty. As it is, I have my own ostomy version.
Being sick is no fun. Everyone knows that. Our concern is that this is a new chemo related side effect. In that case, we have lots to look forward to over the next few months. The best case scenario is that I got a touch of the flu; maybe because my blood counts are low or something. Well, the beer is getting warm and the stir-fry is getting cold. I still don't know what the B stands for though...
Peace,
Mike
4 comments:
Bananas!!!!! Beer, heh, that will do you wonders I bet :) Sorry to hear you are feeling punky, no fun! So I don't suppose you get much of a gut ache but I can imagine you still get a funky tummy, yuck. I may be stopping over tomorrow and will bring you by some crystallized ginger, it works great to settle stomaches.
Hope it's not the chemo.
BY God, Susan, you're right. It is bananas! How could I forget? I did eat a 'naner earlier today and I could eat one now cuz I am still a bit hungry. But hey, the beer was pretty fine, too. I do like ginger. Thanks for thinking of it.
Mike
Ok, one possible, rare, perk of an ostomy...not getting the shits.??
I think Karen taught be the BRAT diet but I like your version even better.
Here's to you having the flu and feeling better soon!
Becca
Hey Mike! Thanks for the tipi advice yesterday (or was it the day before...). Bummer about the bellyache -- and I agree, a little ginger if it's not too spicy is good...but may give you the burps! Also some peppermint or chamomile tea.
We're working hard on the tipi and put the tarpaper and floor insulation in today. Going to be cozy soon!
Thanks to you both.
-katie houg
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