Cooking And Eating....“Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es”

North Indian Punjabi flatbread, called kulcha , brushed with ghee or avocado oil,  piled up with spicy chickpeas ( choley )  & shredded barbecued beef, over romaine lettuce... bathed in a horseradish and beet puree... then crowned with thin-sliced beefsteak tomato slices......  Now.....don't make a 'Mess''.......However, that certain mess, requiring a finger bowl,  is very likely, nevertheless... I suggest eating this  Punjabi Concoction with  your chowhoumd canine, rather than in polite human company.. and reserving your polite fingers for a dessert cookie...or a neatly assembled macaron....                                 and, now, that your fingers are cleaned and ready, once more.....how about wrangling this one!   

  THIN, SHAVED BEEF AND FAVA BEANS.....COOKED WITH TOMATO PASTE, DRIED ONIONS, CHILI POWDER, DRIED CORIANDER, WORCHESTERSHIRE SAUCE, GARLIC & GINGER PASTES, CRUSHED TOASTED CUMIN, TOASTED HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA,   AND PEPPER SEEDS... SERVED IN A WOODEN BOWL... WITH A WOODEN SPOON....MAKE FOR A RATHER UNCOLORFUL BOMBAY ORPHANAGE-LIKE 'MEAL-IN-A-BOWL'.....I CONSIDERED ADDING SOME BRIGHT GREEN ENGLISH PEAS....EVEN SOME GRILLED BRUSSELS SPROUTS, YELLOW CARROTS OR WHOLE BABY OKRA TO ADD SOME VISUAL APPEAL TO THIS GRUELISH GOULASH......BUT RATHER QUICKLY ATE A BOWLFUL, WITH NO ADDED 'DECOR'.....AND, WITHOUT BANGING MY TIN CUP ON THE PLANK TABLE, CRYING OUT 'PLEASE, SIR, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE?'  

  VICENZOVO  ITALIAN LADYFINGER SANDWICH, WITH CHOCOLATE/CASHEW BUTTER,  SERVED ON AN AUSTRIAN SILVER DESSERT PLATTER WITH AN ENGLISH URN OF INTENSE, BLACK SPANISH EXPRESSO....FOR DIPPING...( A MID-AFTERNOON STIMULUS).....EMILY POST SUGGESTED, A CENTUY AGO, THE WEARING OF WHITE COTTON GLOVES WHEN TOUCHING ANOTHER PERSON, BUT REMOVING THEM FOR THE DUNKING.......WHICH IS AN ETIQUETTE CHALLENGE.....AS IMPORTANT AS KNOWING 'JUST WHEN' TO REMOVE THE PATISSIRIE BEFORE IT IS 'JAVA-LOGGED', WITH THE POTENTIALITY OF STAINING ONE'S WHITE-GLOVES, UPON ONE'S LAP,  OR THE BELGIAN LACE TABLECLOTH...... the serving may be lifted, atop a carved wood support,  to bring the foodstuff closer to the lips of one's maw, thereby avoiding the risky, if short, itinerary from table to polite seclusion within the palate.... 

 I FELT COMPELLED TO MAKE A SALTY CAESER SALAD, LATER TODAY......THAT FEATURED BOTH SALTY PARMESAN CHEESE AND BREAD, FIRST SOAKED IN THE BRINE FROM PICKLED PEPPERCORNS, THEN SPRINKLED WITH BLACK PEPPER.......   

 costing less than a buck per serving.....less than the cost of a slice of pizza, kids!     made from chopped, flash-frozen vegetables, a fried pinto bean patty and a slice of tomato.....with lots of tasty, vibrant seasonings........  I calculated the cost of this luncheon bowl, as shown, at about 60 cents!    The addition of salty country ham trimmings....just for flavor and a bit of additional protein......brings the cost up to a buck!