Saturday, May 31

Silly Things

I'm a bred consumer. I have this on good authority, from my ex-husband who grew up in Czech under the communists. I admit it. I was raised with wanting-stuff indoctrinated into my tiny little brain. I know this must be so, because when my life goes completely wrong, my plans to dig myself out of that hole invariably include some shiny toy or appliance that will help me change my life.

I could use dumbells and cinderblocks, but I'd rather dream of Soloflex. You get the idea. I see those commercials with pumping big-drama music as sweat and shadows play on someone's perfect and tanned muscles and little stars enter my eyes like a disney cartoon character. It's a good thing I don't have TV anymore. I'd be even more broke than I already am.

It reminds me of the time my little girl saw a pair of high heeled all-lucite shoes. They looked like some kind of shiny princess shoe from a fairy tale. She tried to use my visa to buy it online. Fortunately I found this out as she'd mucked up the effort -- too young to know how, and the company understood. I wanted to be mad at her, but when I saw them, I just couldn't help but understood how this had probably affected her brain.

So on the endless list of ridiculous toys that I totally don't need but decided to spend my precious money on anyway, this month we had: the hamburger patty press and papers.

Yes, it's true. I spent money on a piece of plastic that probably cost 4 cents in china to manufacture, all so that I could make something by hand with a tool rather than making it by hand with my hands.

But oddly enough, it inspired me a little more than doing it by hand seems to.

And it packs them densely so they are easier to handle in storing and cooking.

And I can spice the burger in a big bowl first so they taste better.

And it's a lot faster and way less messy when making burger than doing it on the spot.

And it stores more easily due to consistent size.

And since they're consistent the cooking time is always the same.

And they're a nice size for dropping a slice of cheese over the top.

And I know exactly how many burgers I'll get out a given package of burger.

The burger doesn't stick to the press (as I worried). The papers are a few bucks for 1000, more than I might ever use. It's easy to wash.

I'm on a new wave of effort to EAT MEAT. While I realize burger is possibly the worst on the list, it's what I can afford and I'm just going to start sucking down fish oil to work on those Omega-3s. Being able to quickly cook something to eat gives a much higher probability I will eat at all.

**

I've had a lousy week for some reason. More emotional than anything, although I think that doing a few highcarb days just as I'd hit ketosis and then dropping back to LC did not help AT ALL (my poor body). I'm so glad the week is over!!

This weekend I hope to do lots of 'oopsie roll' experiments, savory and sweet. Then maybe we could have hamburgers ON something.

PJ

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have no idea what you're talking about. *cough*

I went through this recently with an Excalibur dehydrator. Beyond low-carb, my diet is extremely restricted and I loved the idea of having a dehydrator to make flax crackers, dried veggies, jerky, etc. Portable stuff I could keep with me and treats I can't buy at the grocery store.

A small one costs $100. It adds to the electric bill and American overconsumption of energy. It's one more stupid kitchen gadget taking up space. Conventional logic says it's a waste of money.

But you know why I got it? Because my food life is already difficult enough. If there's some gadget out there that makes it easier for me to be healthy, then I don't feel too bad about getting it. I think of all the boxes of crackers, candy, and processed junk I'm NOT getting. So the dehydrator ended up being one of the most worthwhile and most-used purchases I've made in years.

If your hamburger press adds to your culinary life significantly, then IMHO (ok, remove the H, I admit I'm not in a humble mood), then you should be able to use it and enjoy it without feeling guilt. After all, where do most people get their burgers? McDonald's :)

I'm looking forward to your experiments with rolls. I may not be able to try any of them, but seeing other people think creatively helps me stay creative, too.