Going Veggie

[teacake]

I haven't understood who is making money on the horse meat.. is it horses that would have gone to pet food and are now being sold for a higher price as human food? And are the people who are substituting it for beef paying less for it, hence the appeal? I would think a siphoning off of horses destined for dog food is the only way to get enough horses?

[lurok]

tbh, I'm not entirely sure other than what have read, and presumably why there's an investigation. But the current issue seems to be one of supply conspiracy and possibly labelling: i.e., bargain beef foodstuffs containing up to 100% hm but no mention on packaging. Presumably the supermarkets thought they were paying for another product but are getting a cheaper substitute? (hence someone is making a profit somewhere!). Anyway, didn't really want to derail meat-free zone () but thought Peyton's veggie comments interesting.

[teacake]

And now to continue teacake's adventures with fruit..

The Dragon Fruit. Presumably because it looks like a dragon egg. This is the fruit of a cactus and grows commonly in southeast Asia as well as northern Australia, South America and Mexico.




A very pretty crimson.. and inside:




They peel with no effort at all..




Another fruit seen in often in science fiction fruit bowls

Texture is soft, slightly crunchy, light. Not as dense as a kiwi. Taste is pretty much nothing, watery, barely sweet at all. The seeds add some nice texture. This would look very pretty on a fruit plate.

[Gul Re'jal]

In HK, we cut them to halves and then use a spoon to eat the inside.

There's also a variety with deep purple inside, but I don't see a difference in its flavour.

[J. Allen]

Mmm... I love Dragonfruit. It's nature's cookies & creme.

[teacake]

I bought one with crimson inside once. And yeah, doesn't really taste any different but beautiful to look at.

[J. Allen]

teacake wrote:

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I bought one with crimson inside once. And yeah, doesn't really taste any different but beautiful to look at.

Actually, your picture above is the first time I've ever seen dragonfruit as anything other than crimson on the inside, so that's neat for me.
Also, you don't find that they have any kind of marked taste? I find them to be very flavorful, with a bittersweet, tropical tang to them.

[thestrangequark]

teacake wrote:

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I love it! It's the exact color scheme of my wardrobe in 1988!

[Sector 7]

thestrangequark wrote:

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I love it! It's the exact color scheme of my wardrobe in 1988!

That's about the same pink as Dad's race cars. I've had dragonfruit flavored drinks, but never tried the fruit.

[teacake]

I've been eating a lot of fruit lately so maybe it doesn't taste that distinctive in comparison. It's still sooooo pretty.

[lurok]

The durian and dragonfruit are on this list: 9 bizarre fruits that belong in a SF movie.

Nice to see one called Gac! I think starfruits are pretty sf too.

[teacake]

The GAC!!!!!!!!! My god! It's like the heart of something.

I must eat this before I die.

[lurok]

Me too! One downside of veggieness that occurred to me is all the frakkin' preparation. Say, if I want a steak, I just unwrap it, maybe a little seasoning, but basically just throw on barbie/griddle pan, sear and eat. Nom. If I want a thai or papaya salad, I have to wash and grate that thing till my hands are aching . And that's just for starters. Still, guess it burns a few extra calories...

[teacake]

Well I'm eating a fresh papaya and drinking a glass of sauvingnon blanc right now for dinner. Preparation time: 2 minutes. Scrape out most of the seeds (I like a few left) and that's about it. It is one of the most delicious things ever. But I know a lot of people can't just eat a plate of steamed broccoli or a papaya for dinner. I do eat a lot of really simple dinners in between bouts of elaborate cooking experiments. Slab of dark rye with cheese on it, brown rice with sweet soy sauce and chillie, black bean tacos, bowl of pineapple, cucumbers and lychee salad.. it does help to have beans and rice ready to go in the fridge from cooking a few days worth. I think there are vegetarian equivalents of quickly cooking a steak, but they not be to everyone's tastes and needs.

[Emher]

Did another round of tsqs chili yesterday. Let it cook for a few hours longer, skipped the jalapenos entirely (yes, I know, I'm a wimp) and went a bit heavier on the chili spices instead, also no meat this time and went with four cans of beans. Turned out delicious and just spicy enough for my tastes!