We were just returning from a two-week vacation and the fridge was empty, more naked than our empty stomach. I was grateful though, for having the fridge running, because I faced a powerless fridge the last time I returned from another long vacation. That time the whole house smelled of rotten food, and the fridge was a disaster. This time it was only handsomely naked.
Upon arrival, I went on one big grocery shopping trip with my sister before heading to Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia. My sister was taking me to a high-school friend’s party, with whom we shared many of our friends. She planned to surprise the host, my best friend from high school, by taking me to her house. Everything went well and we had a blast.
One extensive conversation at our party in Vancouver was about an American-style eatery. At the breakfast table, we discussed the benefits and pitfalls of the Canadian and American diets. Everyone complained about the market’s unhealthy and easy-to-access foods, compared to the time-consuming and healthy way of cooking Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food.
We complained about the market’s unhealthy and easy-to-access foods, compared to the time-consuming and healthy way of Mediterranean food.
When I returned to the fridge, this time full of grocery items, over the next two days, we still didn’t have real cooked food. I needed to improvise. I had zucchini, ground meat, onions, mushrooms, and cheese, among other fruits and vegetables.
I love cooking, or planning to cook our next meal. I start from the scratch, using raw materials. If we are on the same grocery trip, and you look at my grocery cart, you might be amazed. There are many vegetables, herbs, and fruits in my cart, compared to already-made foods in boxes that you may find in the cart of many white, American moms. I don’t want to pass judgment here, but I think the feminist ideology has pushed the idea that spending time in the kitchen is a rule made by men, therefore it is a crime to bend to a patriarchal rule.
I planned to make three different meals. Since everything was fresh, I knew the quality was already high. So, to me, keeping freshly made foods in the fridge was a compromise to spend less time in the kitchen.
One of the meals was chili. I washed three cups of different kinds of beans in a large bowl of water. Then, I soaked them in a large amount of water. The beans needed space and water to get soaked. For my Gheimeh stew, I soaked one and a half cups of split peas with four cups of lukewarm water in a different bowl. Next, I washed three cups of rice and soaked them in five cups of water. I know any cooked food needs lots of preparation.
In the late afternoon, after six hours of writing and submitting assignments, I entered my kitchen again.
We made three different foods, with raw ingredients from the scratch, in less than two hours.
Before heading toward the kitchen, I noticed that my 14-year-old, had been in front of the TV for the last three hours. I asked her if she wanted to join me in learning how to make a delicious gourd meat paste. She agreed.
Before going to all the main dishes, my first assignment was to ensure my daughter knew what she was doing. I designated one spot close to the stove for her to work independently. We put her pan on the stove first. She started chopping onions while I was getting to work with all the other dishes.
First, we chopped three large onions. In a large pan, we put oil and batter before pouring the onions in it. The aroma of cooked onion in the kitchen was so inviting. My daughter added turmeric and black pepper before we split the onions for our dishes.
We used some of it for the chilies, some for ground meat and some for the yellow split peas.
The split peas were fully cooked by the time my daughter got her ground meat, onion, tomato paste and salt ready. We mixed part of the split peas with the ground meat. And saved two-third of it for Gheimeh stew.
The project went really well. We made all the food in less than two hours, although I waited for the chili to cook for about three and a half hours before adding salt, part of ground meat, and spices.
My daughter’s food was ready for dinner. She ate her food satisfactorily, proud of having contributed to its preparation.
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