Traveling: ramen and chili
They say flying isn’t fun any more. It wasn’t much fun in the first place, but what the talking heads mean to say is “flying isn’t fun for the airlines anymore.” They’re losing money, and we pay more for an inferior experience.
If I must fly, I bring supplies. You never know how long you may be delayed, and most of the food in the airport will either kill you or your wallet. Bring fruit, trail mix, crackers and firm cheese, sandwiches, whatever. Then sit back and dream of the great food you’ll have once you get to your destination. Chowhound.com’s message boards are a wonderful resource when planning travel.
I flew to Anaheim a couple weeks ago for business and pleasure. I gave a speech at the annual summer conference of the American Library Association about podcasting. I’ve been pretty busy lately making films at work. You can find them easily in ITunes U or You Tube. Aside from the conference, I visited Shane, a good friend and musician, in San Diego.
We started our visit with some wonderful Japanese food. This pork and tofu ramen was especially memorable: spicy, strangely sweet broth, with the firm ground pork, soft tofu, and slick noodles. Shane described Chopstix on Convoy St. as working-class Japanese food. That part of town is packed with Asian restaurants of every stripe, and the cramped competition fosters great food.
We missed a planned trip to Hash House A Go Go, but my breakfasts are satisfying. I like to scramble eggs with salsa. I cook the water from the salsa out and add butter and the eggs. Much better than watery eggs. Shane needs a toaster. I was too hungry to use the oven.
The Horny Toad Chili struck again in Sand Diego! Here’s I’m cooking the veggies and letting the cooked meat cool off.
Aww, shucks. I used a little bacon grease to start the chili, and crumbled the crispy bacon onto the cornbread before baking. It is a nice treat without adding much grease. Besides, it looks cool. Next time I’m stuck at the airport, I’ll imagine this meal.