Food for Thought

There was a news item a couple of days ago regarding the current high level of food wastage, citing "Bags of Salad" as the most common throwaway. That's as maybe but it has brought to mind two instances here in my own Kitchen of waste not, want not.

A) Rummaging through the fridge recently I came across a vacuum-packed pack of Smoked Mackeral and noted that it was one month out-of-date. I was about to consign it to the rubbish bin when I thought "hold on a minute, smoking is a centuries-old method of longterm food preservation and vacuum packing is a modern technology and this pack combines both, it has still got to be good". And it was. Those two Mackeral fillets and some salad made a delicious meal, keeping me from starvation rather than trying to kill me!!

B) Just yesterday I found a box of dried Marrowfat peas at the back of the cupboard - TWO YEARS out-of-date. Drying is probably older than smoking and if it worked for Neandertal Man then it must be working for me. Two pints of Pea Soup have been rustled up and stashed in the fridge and 2 bowls on I'm not being food poisoned.

The article went on to mention that the Government Department concerned with wastage was trying to dream up initiatives to bring back the thrifty attitudes so prevalent during the war when, if every part of your ration allowance was not used you would go hungry. Well, here's my twopennyworth. Abolish use-by dates and cut down on pre-packed portions. I'm a single person and pre-packed produce is just about always too much for me to use before it goes "off" (especially here in the Mediterranean heat).

Larisa's bout of Flu is clearing up. I had a message on Sunday to say that she was a little better and was I still working. I sent back that I'd just finished work (it was 21:30) and was going home to cook and eat. Perhaps this weekend we'll see each other if she's up and about.

I had a good session in the bar yesterday, but it was overshadowed by two 'officious looking' people coming in at about 5-30pm and on finding out that I wasn't the Owner asked about when they could see him. They were told "about 9pm". I waited for awhile after I had finished but they didn't return. Problem being that Favio is breaking the terms of his Licence and they may have been Town Hall personnel out to check etc etc. Worrying.

My idea about putting up a page on the website remembering the Red Lion may have to be shelved because contributions are not forthcoming. Perhaps I'll try a request page on the site itself rather than rely on the (single) posting here on the blog.