Sunday 24 June 2012

Ecoli

Okay. So where do I start with this one. The cooking situation in SA was simple. Every Sunday was a big lunch tradition. We would make a huge lunch with at least one roasted chicken, roast potatoes, rice, veg, a pot of hot mutton curry, roast leg of lamb and fried fish. We were only 3 persons in the house but always expecting visitors with bottles of whiskey to come by. The blessing with all the left over food is that most of it is placed straight into the fridge so no one cooks Monday to Wednesday. This is a really easy equation allowing for instant food that only needs heat.

Roast leg of lamb
   

What a tradition to continue right? Oh no. Not in Canada. Here meals are slightly different. When cooking is done here there is absolutely no food left any where. What? How so George? Well.....let me tell ya what it is. If you 4 at dinner. You will only cook 4 of everything perfectly so there is no left overs. So once you finish that 1 piece of chicken on your plate you shit out of luck. If you anything like me you would be placing covert reconnaissance on those empty pots of food hoping there's a forgot piece of chicken that accidentally slipped through the portion control. You know its a long shot but your stomach is saying "what the fok dude?" So getting near the pots is easy. Just start picking up the plates and offer to wash up the dishes which gets you in a perfect position near the stove to take one good look in the pots for more food. And once again its a FAIL.

Anycase.....now in my own home I cant leave any food in the fridge for more than one day then into the bin it goes. Throwing away food like this is out of control and too much pressure of an African. In SA I have left food in the fridge for months and was always perfectly fine after reheat. I cant be cooking everyday so I make extra to heat up later. No. Dont ask me to make one piece at a time. Iam cooking the whole cow and warming the left overs tomorrow, because nothing is more logical or satisfying.
Not me by the way.

   





I work in hospitality and clued in with temperatures ripe for Ecoli growth but that only effects people in First world countries and not to a hard living South Africans like myself. Never in my life heard about anyone getting sick from eating a steak which fell on the floor or from that last piece of chocolate that fell out your hand. Normal germs have no chance against my consistency, especially since I was brought up eating delicacies like cows feet, sheep intestine, fish heads, giblets, tongue and all sorts of livers. Oh damn now you know where I come from. At least I never tried fried chicken feet, but one day I will.




So to my beautiful loving wife. If you throw out any of my perfectly good left overs that is less than 3 weeks old we gonna have problems :)









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