Serious Withdrawls:
Serious Withdrawls
10 things it was hard to go without.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Behold the power of flour. It gives life to tortillas; it makes it possible to break bread. Alas, most domestic wheat is grown out of state. Best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver, who spent a year eating locally, allowed her family to use grains (they baked their own bread) and oil from outside the area just to help them stay sane. Each family member also was allowed a luxury item; Dad chose coffee, the kids dried fruit and hot chocolate. Here’s what would top my luxury list – in order of what I missed most:
1. Tapatío There’s only one Tapatío, and only one supplier of its ingredients – in Mexico.
2. Spices This was Kingsolver’s “luxury” item(s). I get it – garlic is great, but a little curry or Italian herb can really lift a dish.
3. Flour tortillas Quesadilla, I took you for granted. Burrito, come back to me.
4. Bread At one point I might’ve swapped my passport for a good sourdough melt.
5. Rice So versatile, so easy, so affordable, so long.
6. Beer English Ales in Marina and microbrews to the north and south do delicious elixirs, but they get their barley and hops from far off.
7. Pepper jack There are a few local cheeses, but no PJ.
8. Condiments Making mayo from scratch and styling salad dressings without spices is a lot harder than advertised. And this amount of fruits and vegetables beg for a decent dip.
9. Bananas Called the Humvee of food miles by some, the banana still holds a place in my heart.
10. Coffee and tea Ranks at the top for most folks, for obvious reasons.
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