Eating things with a face

Last week I went to eat oysters at the Ferry Building in San Francisco which has a lot of high quality food shops. Next door to the Cowgirl Creamery is a butcher shop with cuts of meats on display. Although I enjoy the flavor of beef, this image looks scary to me. The blood, the hooks, the carnage. The shank on the left looks like a face from a horror movie.

Kiki and I have often discussed the idea that people would be less inclined to eat an animal, or they would at least be less wasteful, if they had to kill the animal themselves. At most grocery stores cuts of meat are sliced and wrapped in plastic which, I think, psychologically distances us from the steps to bring meat to your table.

Personally, I don’t have a problem killing an oyster and eating it. Same for a fish. Personally slaughtering a cow? I don’t know if I’d have the heart for it. But a chicken? I think I could do it, but only for a special occasion and giving thanks to the spirit of the chicken.

I know that not eating meat lessens suffering in the world. I’m still working on eating responsibly. Seeing pictures like this helps me.

Focaccia Bread

When I was a kid we ate Wonder bread or Roman Meal ‘wheat’ bread which are very soft and, honestly, very bland. Kiki and like focaccia bread. It’s great for sandwiches or heated up and served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s, though you can sometimes find a good loaf at Safeway. Well, at least at the Safeways in the Northern California Bay area. It might be a little rustic for PB&J sandwiches, but I’ve spread some strawberry preserves on it for breakfast and it was great.

Kitchen Cabinet Spices and Sauces

Here are some ingredients and brands we like. Cholula hot sauce for tortilla wraps and pizza, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for focccia bread. Well, the olive oil goes into nearly everything. Chili oil for pad thai. Many of these come from Trader Joe’s, a great place to get good, healthy food at good prices.

Fresh Basil

I bought this basil plant at TJ’s the other day, I think it was about $3.00. I planted it in a ceramic pot. This should last me throughout most of the summer. After a while these plants tend to get woody.

Next I will plant some Italian parsley.

TJ’s Pizza

A perfect snack to add to the picnic basket. Nice paired with a Cabernet. Kiki and I like to add generous doses of Cholula hot sauce. When I started going vegan, I thought I’d miss having cheese on a pizza, but this is so good I don’t even think about it.

Colorful Peppers

Tasty and full of vitamins, bell peppers are a great addition to your hot and cold dishes. And they are available in most areas all year round.

Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce

Adds flavor to many dishes including phad thai, rice dishes and gyozas.

Seasoning

I couldn’t possibly live without these guys. I use them in virtually all my dishes.

They are salt free and add flavor to any savory meal.  Keep an extra bottle as back up … you’ll need it.