Holiday Greeting

Hi everybody!

I was under some stress, and apparently it prompted me to do some deep thinking.  One result was a really cool "Holiday Greeting" which I sent to my Dad and Step-Mom.  But I think the messages are so interesting I would like to publish this letter...if for no other reason so that I do not lose track of it...

************begin letter**************

There are many ways to spend time.  Music, art, science, baking,…I am glad you have chosen to spend some time with us regularly.  It is not easy figuring out why we are here and what we are supposed to do.  Life seems to be amorphous in absence of habits and opinions and actions and thoughts and feelings.  But with these things life becomes yours and recognized as such.  And interactions with others are complex too:  there’s the mad rush to work, the anger, the occasional kind gesture.  There are misunderstandings, there are opinions, there is apathy, there is vindictiveness, there is kindness, there is lust, there is insecurity, there is envy,…

All these things are at odds with one another swirling like a tornado – just try to make sense of the delirium!  There is the whole mortality issue…what will our legacy be, if any?  Will the house that we have improved be considered by future people?  What will take our lives?  What will be our tiger in the tall grass?

And what about peoples’ opinions of us?  Do these matter?  Surely in some respects it does:  whether we get promoted, how we are treated, how pleasant our life may be may all depend on that opinion.  I would like to think that if we are nice enough we will get good things in life…but I am not sure it is that simple…what about how energetically we approach life?  What about how disciplined we are about doing the right thing?  What if our judgment of what the right thing is, is correct or not?  What about how funny we are?  Is it worth something to make people happy?  Laugh?  What about honesty?  Is it always good to be honest with people?  How about tact?  Is that good?  How about communicating clearly?

I have other questions.  Is there a god?  Is life pre-determined?  What is the right way to live?  Will my demise be scary?  What about my kids?  Will they live a happy, good life?

Daily these questions amaze me.  I am glad today we are here with each other though, sharing some time and food and conversation and music and laughter and discussion together.  I am glad that we are all more or less healthy. 

Thank you both for loving us.  Thank you for giving us your wisdom, your thoughts, for demonstrating good ways to live your lives, for being examples for us to consider and to factor in; thank you for the food, for the money, for the love and hugs, for the honesty, for the warmth and kindness and patience and the butt-kicking and the shelter.

May your days be great.   May your travels be fruitful and wonderful!

************end letter****************

About Rice Krispy(tm) "treats"

So...RK treats.  More bland Americana that is bad for you, and will make you fat and unhealthy...so I am going to write about it.

These concoctions are not too hard to make...puffed rice cereal, margarine,  and marshmallows.  

I think I am somewhat bitter about being deprived of these things as a child, because my mom was worried about our welfare and our pancreas surviving to a ripe old age.  Damn her!

Rice, especially white rice, has a high glycemic index (GI), which means that it puts a gob of sugar into your blood all at once which plays hell on your poor pancreas. 

One site defines "glycemic index" as The glycemic index is a measurement of the type or quality of carbs in a particular food, and how fast 50 grams of this carbohydrate raises blood glucose levels, (and consequent insulin secretion and effects produced by the pancreas) as it is digested. (link)

Sugar is the standard for glycemic index, which has a GI rating of 100.

Rice Krispies comes in at 82.  About the same as most pizza dough.

Cake is about 60.  CocaCola is 63. Ice Cream is 57...

 Carrots are about 35.  Lettuce is almost 0.   Peanuts are 7.  Are we getting the idea here?

So let's add to that 82, marshmallows, which are mostly sugar, and GI gets higher still!  Then throw in some margarine...one of the worst kinds of fat for you...and what do you have? 

It seems irresponsible for mothers to make this shit for their kids, but many times mothers are portrayed as providing cookies, cake, candy, sweets, etc. for their kids.  Perhaps this teaches kids "all things in moderation"...

But mostly I think it contributes to the continued increase of health problems for our kids in this society.

Add to that, that most kids are extremely energetic naturally anyway; and when you add a sugar bomb like RK treats, especially, unrestricted access to a platter full of this crap, you get hyper kids with behavioral issues because THEY SIMPLY CANNOT CONTROL THEMSELVES AFTER EATING THESE BISQUITS OF DEATH...

Maybe we should just let our kids chew on a roll of caps so they can really feel the damage they are doing to their body.  That way they would not have to wait until they are fat and out of shape as adults to feel resentment toward their parents for not teaching them better...

Yes, It's true: Green Bean Casserole is an Abomination

You know the stuff I am talking about!  It is bland, mushy, devoid of food value, and morally corrupt.  It is invited into people's homes for the holidays, and some people love it.  It is green bean casserole, my friends; quake in fear!!

Public Enemy #1

This stuff is not exciting.  There are so many things one can do with food in this life, and this is the most boring.  Green beans, cream of crap soup, and deep fried onion bits.

The really odd thing about this is that people are polarized about it.  Some people have orgasms at the mere mention of it.  Others,like me, hate the dish with a passion.

Maybe if we put some pico de gallo on it?  Perhaps chocolate sauce?  Probably can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, though.
Anybody have ideas to make this stuff even slightly interesting?  How about some habanero peppers?

I think I have a problem with two of its three ingredients.  Cream of whatever is kinda wrong by itself.  It's primary flavor is salted fat.  There are usually chunks of whatever you are creaming; and the fact that you are creaming it probably means that whatever you are creaming is not really considered pleasant to eat by itself by the people the people doing the eating.

This either vilifies the eaters or the dish, either way it pisses me off!!

Deep fried anything is the same:  salt, fat, designed to disguise whatever you are wrapping this stuff around; and not very good for you.  Finally there are green beans.  Nothing wrong with these...unless they have the living shit cooked out of them!!  Put all this garbage together and what do you have?  A meaningless journey into the vacuous land of comfort-foodish, bland, white-trashy, death in a casserole dish.  It might be good for soaking tired feet in after a long day, but that is all.

Yep.