Fingerlicking food!

Sometimes it is just nice to break away from the everyday routine, and just go somewhere different. Just for the change of scenery. Saturday we went to Düsseldorf, which is about 2 hours drive from here. We used to go to a Japanese restaurant in the center, a bit outside "little Tokyo", where the food was great and quite cheap. But they have closed that restaurant for some unknown reason. So, after a period of mourning for that loss, we have had the courage to go back a few times already to find a nice replacement, which we found in once again a Japanese restaurant, Sushi this time.
Quite funny, all our trips end up in being small food excursions. When we go to Paris (both times), we always NEED to visit one particular Japanese restaurant, which got simple but great food. Also Düsseldorf is always the same. We always visit the Japanese restaurant for lunch, and then to the Starbucks for some good quality coffee (the only good coffee from USA). We still need to find something for dinner over there, but we hardly eat dinner there, because we are always still full from lunch. Therefore we always end up at the McDrive, to great happiness of His Royal Naughtiness.

At work we have some sort of lunch service, where a list of available (and not available) sandwiches is passed around, we mark what we would like to have, we fax it, and around lunchtime a big box is delivered at our door. I always end up having 1 sandwich with egg and 1 various (sometimes meat, sometimes French cheese etc).
Even though the sandwiches are good, sometimes the one with egg is a little bit too heavy on the pepper and salt. Today a representative of that company stopped by to ask what we think of their service. So I told her that they could ease up a little bit on the pepper and salt.
Somehow I guess that remark didn't go so well with the person in charge of the pepper, AKA the "Pepperspray", because the egg sandwich I had, had enough pepper on it to last me a life time.

All this talking about food makes me kinda wonder......Where does food come from? Last month was already all about natural and biologically grown food. We have been picking apples and sweetcorn out in the field and stuff (I wanted to write something about it, but never got to it,
shame on me!). It was pretty nice, also for Alec. This way he learns that apples don't grow in the supermarket, and that chickenbreasts don't end up at the butcher's already cut up etc.

But back to the question at hand....where does food comes from? And I don't mean, apples grow on trees and the cow gives us milk. Everyone knows that (or will learn eventually). No, what I mean is, what made us eat those apples and drink that milk?
Maybe in ancient history 2 guys were sitting in their cave, saw a cow pass by with the milk- factory dangling underneath in full view. Do you think the one would have said to the other:"what if we pull those things? What will happen?". Luckily for us, they had a cow that was in a good mood, otherwise we might never have heard of milk.
Or how about this scenario? "Hey Johnny, I just found some berries on the ground, wanna try?".....one hour later "John,....you not dead yet? Hmmm...I guess those berries are eatable then"

I guess it must have all been a process of trial-and-error. Someone trying a kinds of mushrooms. Probably the last entry on his notebook was: "Avoid the red and white ones".
And how about all the herbs and spices, or tea and coffee? Who on earth would come up with the idea to throw a coffee bean in the fire, grind it and pour boiling water on top of it?

About the Chinese they say: "if it moves they'll eat it". Well, that's nice, but if I see a tarantula, the last thing on my mind would be:"how would it taste like, when it's deep-fried?"
Luckily I haven't seen those in Beijing, but there were centipedes and even complete baby-sharks on a stick.

And about meat. Somewhere along the line, someone must have put it on a stick and hang it in a fire. But why? Weren't they happy eating raw meat? Where they so desperate to try something new, that they would sacrifice a good piece of meat? "I have had enough of all this raw meat! I am gonna throw it in the fire, and see how it taste like!....No, don't try to stop me, I made up my mind."

Maybe there have been many studies about the subject, but so far haven't seen any.
Anyway, it is fun thinking about this, and come up with some other ways on how food was discovered.

For now, here are some funny jokes about food:

* "Jacky, aren't you gonna pray for that food?", "I did, mommy, but it's still there!"

* "Some people ask the secret of our long marriage, We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."

* A waitress walks up to one of her tables in a New York City
restaurant and notices that the three Japanese businessmen
seated there are furiously
masturbating.

She says, "What the hell do you guys think you are doing?"

One of the Japanese men says, "Can't you see? We are all
berry hungry."

The waitress says, "So how is whacking-off in the middle of
the restaurant going to help that situation?"

One of the other businessmen replies: "The menu say, FIRST
COME, FIRST SERVED!

* An atheist was walking through the woods one day when suddebly an 8-foot grizzly bear began to charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could down the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was rapidly closing on him. Somehow, he can't ran even faster, so scared that tears came to his eyes. His heart pounding in his chest, he tried to run faster yet. But alas, he tripped and fell to the ground. As he rolled over to pick himself up, the bear was right over him, reaching for him with its left paw and raising its right paw to strike him.

'OH MY GOD! ...' Time stopped.......... The bear froze ........... The forest was silent...........Even the river stopped moving ...

As a brilliant light shone upon the man, a thunderous voice came from all around, 'You Deny My Existence For All These Years, Teach Others That I Don't Exist; And Even Credit Creation To Some Cosmic Accident. Do You Expect Me To Help You Out Of This Predicament? Am I To Count You As A Believer???'

Difficult as it was, the atheist looked directly into the light and said, 'It would be hypocritical to ask to be a Christian after all these years, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?'

'Very Well.' said The Voice. The light went out....... The river ran....... The sounds of the forest resumed and the bear dropped down on his knees, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:

'Lord, thank you for this food which I am about to receive.'

* An Arab diplomat visiting the US for the first time was being wined and dined by the State Department. The Grand Emir was unused to the salt in American foods (french fries, cheeses, salami, anchovies etc.) and was constantly sending his manservant Abdul to fetch him a glass of water.

Time and again, Abdul would scamper off and return with a glass of water, but then came the time when he returned empty-handed.

"Abdul, you son of an ugly camel, where is my water?" demanded the Grand Emir.

"A thousand pardons, O Illustrious One," stammered the wretched Abdul, "A man is sitting on the well."

And some funny links:

http://www.hungrymonster.com/humor/Jokes.cfm?jid=17
http://www.hungrymonster.com/humor/Jokes.cfm?jid=59

BREAKING NEWS!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!
I got a job! Finally! And it was pretty fast also. I think within 4 days, from the phonecall from the job agency till the signing of the contract. And I had to start at the 1st of October, so we only had 2 weeks to find a good daycare center for Alec. And those of you living here in Holland know that that is almost a mission impossible. Maybe for two days, or three at the most, but a full week?
We called all DCC in the area. Eventually we found 2 which we have to combine. Monday, tuesday and thursday Alec is going to one, and wednesday and friday he going to the other. Not the ideal situation, but hopefully we can change this lateron to a better deal.
Anyway, I still have a trial period, so we'll see how things are going.