Life of the Lintee Bean

A friend recently chastised me for publishing photos of my food on Facebook.  Coincidentally (?) another friend posted a list of “losers” on Facebook – one category of which was the loser that photographs their dinner.

I guess not everyone is interested in food.  I am.  I’m interested in food ALL THE TIME.  I’m especially excited about food when I’m going to the effort of eating “real” food – food that actually has an expiration date and/or is created by nature.

However, given the limited interest my pictures of food seem to generate on Facebook, I’ve decided to put them on my blog!  Because, let’s face it, my blog is all about me and what I am interested in!

In that vein, I’ll start with my trip to Tony’s Finer Foods last night.  I went late, after work, because I knew snow was in the forecast and I’d be too lazy to shovel the alley so I could get my car out of the garage for a trip this weekend.  Plus, I have two new FAVORITE things, one of which seems only available in “fresh” form at Tony’s.

I grew up in small town Nebraska, where my exposure to “produce” seemed limited. On occasion I get adventurous and try various items available in the “big city”. Tony’s has a particularly diverse produce section, due in part to the large Hispanic and Korean population in this area.

To make my post EXTRA fun, we’ll make it a game.  How many of these items I bought, rather randomly, can you identify?  (Many of these items I have never purchased or eaten before, so this weekend will involve research on “what do I do with this thing?”)

Guess the produce #1 – I’ve never had this before, but could not resist his little grumpy face

Guess the produce #2 – One of the inspirations for the trip, one of my new favorite things

Guess the produce #3 – These are… interesting… and come in pretty colors… I am assuming I need to peel them?

Guess the produce #4 – I don’t know… I had no idea how to pick good ones… and unlike Trader Joe’s, standing bewildered in the produce aisle does not result in helpful lessons from staff

Guess the produce #5 – Second inspiration for the trip, another of my new favorite things – hint: these are not bananas – one is a mutant Siamese twin, cool!

These are bananas – I love bananas, but all the bananas were yellow, I like a bit more green, so only purchased two, not twenty-two

I also bought frozen foods, as I am lazy and often avoid making the trip to the store – frozen sugar snap pea blend for stir fry or curry

I have never had okra before, that I can recall – breaded okra? worth a try

Greek yogurt – yum

In case you think I only eat “healthy” or “clean” – my favorite brand of chocolate bar, Tony’s only carries the big 3.2 oz bars

After arriving home and unpacking, I cooked a yummy dinner.

soy “Italian sausage” with red pepper and mushrooms, and asparagus – this was followed by Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.. and a bag of Trader Joe’s roasted plantain chips

Guess the produce answers:

1. chayote squash
2. pomegranates
3. prickly pears
4. persimmons
5. plantains