Glacial Erratics

Some years ago, way back in the dark recesses of solitary living, I ate a lot of ramen. Not because it was cheap or because I liked the taste but because I could put it in a bowl, add some water, stick the whole lot in the microwave and be sated some short number of minutes later with just the bowl and spoon to clean (not that I did).

Problem with this is that ramen is rather boring: Noodles and salt. I like salt plenty and noodles are okay, but there’s nothing happening there. I must have realized this the same day that I realized there wasn’t enough protein in my diet because I stuck some tuna in there.

And it was good.

I don’t mean it tasted good, at least not at first, but that it satisfied. It fixed what ailed me. It granted depth to my eating experience and returned meaning to my cooking.

Thus began a long series of experiments to see what could go with tuna and ramen to make it good. I started with soy sauce, various hot sauces and the like, but that wasn’t quite enough. First came canned peas. Then came a raw egg dropped into the water with everything else (it comes out cooked in the end). Or combinations thereof.

I mention tuna and ramen because the initial reaction from the public was one of disgust and dismay: "That stinks, how can you eat that? Gross!" As time went by, however, converts were made, brought around by the convenience and the satisfaction. Maybe you can be a convert too, or maybe you found this, or similar, path independently?

Since the early years, I’ve branched out to other forms of food in a bowl. For example, put tuna, peas, salt, pepper, hot sauce and sesame oil together in a bowl. Microwave for a bit. Stir. Enjoy. I’ve even been so bold as to sometimes use a plate. And every once and a while I’ll boil something on the stove or use the frying pan or a wok.

But I’ll always know that my own true cooking-tool love is the bowl.

Tonight’s creation in a bowl, the one that inspired this entry and creation of a new MT category, is new:

• Get a bowl.
• Put in a small amount of dashi concentrate. Do not overdo or suffer the fishy consequences.
• Add a reasonable amount of memmi by whatever definition of reasonable you find reasonable.
• Stir in a dollop of garlic red chili sauce.
• Dump in a small can of tuna.
• Nuke for a while.
• Drop in a handful of frozen veggie dumplings (gyoza sorts of things).
• Nuke a while longer.
• Eat.

Turned out surprisingly tasty. I made too much broth this time around so I’m going back for a second round of dumplings here in a bit to finish it off.

I’m home more often now. Maybe there will be more experiments.