internship/weather/fake beef

1. internship

today was my first day on the job at my internship at the Chicago Children's Museum and it was just lovely. the women i am working with are definitely awesome, the children i will be teaching are veritable babies (so cute), and the space is spectacular. i am going to learn a lot about writing curriculum for a very unpredictable audience, and i think a lot more on top of that.

i ate lunch in the navy pier crystal gardens, watching little catholic school kids chase eachother around the palm trees. this is going to be great!

2. weather

whatever it is that has possessed God to give Chicago spring weather in february, i hope it keeps happening. i wore a blazer, and NO SCARF (or gloves!) and ballet flats today. that is UNREAL. then, after work, i went jogging again along the thawed lake, and it was amazing~! the weather has everyone smiling... i just hope it stays around a bit.

3. fake beef

i just want to talk about fake meat. i have never been really into meat--not for any high minded reason or animal rights reason, but just because it doesn't really do it for me. never has. in elementary school my favorite food answer fluctuated between 'lettuce' and 'baked potatoes' and 'soup'. (yes, i was a starving irish child.) in any case... in my adult life, i can probably count the number of times i have cooked meat on my fingers and toes. or maybe even just my fingers.

i don't worry about this AT ALL. i don't think my health is in the least affected. i eat more eggs than Gaston, and if i chance to eat out, i usually order meat because otherwise i suspect i am being ripped off. and, of course, i eat meat when i am at home with my family.

what i do cook myself occasionaly is fake meat. usually just fake beef. which is hilarious, because if i eat meat, it's usually poulty. but fake chicken is not really my style. i think i don't like the seasoning that usually goes with it. fake beef is really quite good. i love seitan, beef-style, and i love general beef substitutes (i also love tofu, but not when it's masquerading as beef).

tonight i am enjoying trader joe's beefless beef strips. one of the best things about fake meat is how cheap it is!!! it's even cheaper than the cheap meat at trader joe's! i fried mine up with mushrooms and onions and A1 and worchestire sauce and chomped it down over penne. good.

funny thing is, i can't even finish my fake meat!!!


-papermoon