Feh and Recipes.

[stoney321]

Oh, it's the birth day for two people I quite admire: janedavitt and xochitl42! I hope today is lovely for you both. *staples a dollar to your b-day bouquet* Um, y'all don't do that up north, huh? (You should! It's fun. Plus? Free money, what?)

I've had this twitch in my eye about the whole "rise above it" and "always stay polite" type posts I've seen cropping up all over and I figured out why that gets under my skin. To me it smacks first and foremost of "be ladylike." Especially when I read somewhere that "dog piling" is a feminine trait. Um, excuse me? It's not called girl piling. And what, boys don't gang up against each other and beat the ever-loving tar out of one another? Or is it cool that they use their fists and we use words, which is bad, mm'kay? *sucks in breath* That's one of the most backward things I've read in a while, and I've read some stupidity over the past week. Don't tell me I should be polite. That being polite and watching my tone (ahem) is the key to winning an argument, or at least, the only way to be able to live with myself.

Maybe it's the Texan in me (Molly Ivins, any one? Ann Richards?) but I speak my damn mind. Do I mess up because of it? Yeah. Do I feel good about myself, because I say what I feel? Hell yeah. Have I hurt people? Yes. But I have no problem admitting mistakes and saying "I'm sorry" if I have hurt someone. Do I think you (who I'm talking to) will feel better knowing how I really feel instead of being a snitty, back-biting pompous snot? Yeah. I do, actually. Remaining ladylike and watching our tone is what leads (sorry, but it's true) to "Keep Sweet." (For those not following, that's what the fundie LDS women are taught. I'll let your minds fill in the blanks.) That crap makes me think of my devout Uncle who berated his daughters for not putting on some "damn lipstick and looking like a lady should look." Maybe it's because I grew up in a cultish organization (LDS) where women are taught to not work, to be quiet, to follow our men blindly, and we can only be honored if we are stay at home moms. To, you know, a million kids. [/exaggeration. only a thousand.] Read between the lines: Keep Sweet. (aka: shut the hell up and where's my dinner?)

I don't believe I have to suffer fools. I don't believe I have to always turn my cheek. (Hell, no.) I don't believe I have to always be polite. (Please note I'm Southern. I'm almost ALWAYS polite. But still. I can cowboy up, you know'm sayin'?) Notice I'm using "I don't, I feel" and I'm talking about me. I'm not telling the people at large how they "should" behave, or what is ultimately the way to be. This is how I feel. Take it for what it's worth, ignore it, it's your brain-meat. But please. Don't tell me how I "should" be. When I gave up my membership to one of the most misogynist religions/cults out there, I was officially done with people telling me how I should behave, I thank you very much.

Now who wants some yummy Thai recipes?

I was wary. I told my kids they wouldn't have to finish their soup if they didn't like it. They all had seconds. This was so refreshing and light... I'm going to have the leftovers cold today to see if that's equally as good. I modified the original recipe, and put in notes to remind myself.

SHRIMP AND LIME SOUP

1 1/2 lb raw shrimp
8 C water
6 small Keffir lime leaves or 1/4 tsp lime rind (this was the outside of one lime - I didn't have the leaves, obv.)
1 TBSP chopped lemon grass, or 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind (again, used the rind. Forgot to get the grass)
2 tsp. nam pla , which is fish sauce (We thought it needed WAY more. I put in 1/3 cup. Perfect balance.)
1/3 C lime juice (this was three limes for me.)
4 TBSP chopped cilantro leaves (two hands full)
3 TBSP sliced green onions (three stalks - they were massive, though)
1 red chili, seeded and sliced into 1-inch strips (I ommitted this because of the kids. I added red pepper flakes to my dish and that was tasty)
salt-pepper
slivers of green onion for garnish.

1. Peel the shrimp, de-vein if desired (eh) wash under cold water and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Heat water in large pot until boiling, add the rind/leaves/grass, whichever you're using, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the nam pla and cook another 5 minutes. (Mmm, the gym socks smell. *G* Tastes so good, though)
3. Add the shrimp and lime juice to pan and cook gently over low heat until shrimp firm up and turn pinkish. Take off heat.
4. Add chopped cilantro leaves, green onions, and red chili strips. Check the seasoning adding S&P if needed (a pinch of each at my end) and serve immediately. Garnish with onions, if wanted.

Serves 6. So. Freaking. Yummy. I do think it would be even better with the chili strips. But my kids are all "My mouth is burning!" and "It hurts, mommy!" and "I can't see, I can't see!" and "call 911." Whatever. They're so soft and weak. (Hahaha.)


Oh my gosh, my cookbook has a recipe for MONKEY. We're not trying that. :( Poor little :(|) It's Chiang Mai Jungle Curry, ftr.


SPICY SHRIMP CURRY contains no monkey.

3 1/4 C coconut milk (they have a recipe for making it on your own. Pfft. Note: get the FATTY kind, not the light kind. I know.)
2 TBSP green curry (ditto. Again I say: pfft. My store has it, and it's good. Note: this amount is HOT. If you don't like it that hot, make it tsps, not TBSP.)
2 tsp ground galangal (or ginger, fresh)
1 1/2 lb raw shrimp, shelled, de-veined if necessary. (Suck it up! Be a man and rub some dirt on it.)
2 TBSP nam pla (fish sauce)
rice to serve

Garnish: 1 TBSP green chili, cut into 1 inch strips, 4 basil leaves, shredded. (mmmmm)

1. Put the coconut milk in the fridge and chill for 1 hour, or until the milk fats rise to the top. Scoop about a third of the milk off the top and put it in a wok. Save the rest for later.
2. Bring the milk to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (no ass in that - got it in one \o/) until the coconut oil begins to bubble at the surface and the liquid reduces to a quarter of its original volume. Add the curry paste and galangal (ginger) and bring to a boil. Cook over medium to high heat until most of the liquid evaporates.
3. Pat the shrimp dry (so it doesn't pop/crackle and burn you) and add to wok, stir frying vigorously for 3-4 minutes until firm and pink.
4. Stir in the remaining milk and the nam pla and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve garnished with the chile strips and basil leaves accompanied or over rice.

Serves 4-6. Fan. Freaking. Tastic. You could shortcut with the coconut milk and use the lighter stuff, but you'll get a runny curry, and the flavor won't be as intense. On this dish, it really made a difference.



RICE VERMICELLI IN COCNUT MILK (sensing a theme? The kids love the coconut, what can I say. So does their mom.)

8 oz. rice vermicelli
2 tsp oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 C coconut milk (again, they want me to make this from scratch. Hahaha. No.)
1/2 C roughly chopped onions
8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled you know the drill
4 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
4-5 C bean sprouts (mmmm, crunchy)
3/4 C chopped green onions

Garnish: 3 TBSP chopped cilantro leaves, 2 red chilies, seeded and sliced

1. Soak the vermicelli in a bowl of warm water for 15- 20 minutes (um, I thought this was too long. I soaked mine for 8 minutes the first time, and it was fine. I also used boiling water from a tea-kettle, like the package said to do. *shrugs*) Bring a large saucepan to boil and the soaked vermicelli and cool, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Drain the vermicelli WELL and set aside. (I have a large wok, so I used that, to keep from dirtying up another pan.)
2. Heat the oil in an omlet pan or small frying pan and add the eggs. Tilt the pan to form an omelet, lifting the side of the omelet to allow any uncooked egg mixture to flow underneath. Remove the cooked, set omelet from the pan and slice into thin shreds. Keep warm.
3. In a large wok or sauce pan, bring the coconut milk to a boil. Cook over high heat for 10 minutes, until a film of oil forms on the top. (I used the thinner milk for this, and it tasted just fine.) Stir in the onions, shrimp, soy sauce, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes, then transfer half of the mixture to a bowl and keep warm.
4. Add the vermicelli to the remaining mixture inthe wok, mix well, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in half the bean sprouts and green onion. Pile the vermicelli mix onto a serving dish and top with the reserved shrimp mixture and shredded omelet. Garnish with cilantro and chilies, serve with the remaining sprouts and green onions.

Serves 4.

I'm going to make this tonight, and this time add a few squirts of chile sauce (yuuuuuum) to the omelet for some heat without the chiles at the end, because again, the kids are pussies. :D Tomorrow we're making crispy noodles with more vermicelli. Emily (my 6 year old) is very excited to watch it blow up in the pan. \o/



A massive storm with hail and potential tornadoes is getting ready to roll through. How happy am I that I have a new roof now? Pretty happy. Also, Imma go batten down my hatches. Have a GOOD and HAPPY day today. *smooches*

Comments

[xochitl42.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! :D

I think you should try the recipe for monkey. I mean, monkey can't be all that far removed from blog-commenty people what tell you how "a real lady" behaves.

OMG I can totally see those little southern ladies with their eyebrows straining towards heaven, eyes tightly shut, in the universal sur-Mason-Dixon line gesture of dissapointed disdainful disapproval. (That's what Tri-Delt REALLY means.)

Screw them.

Some people aren't happy unless they're unhappy; some people aren't happy unless you're unhappy. Proven wrong. About everything. The way you live, the way you think. Your place in the world. The particular set of molecules you just happened to inhale this morning upon waking.

Screw them.

...Oooh, hey, sorry about that, I seem to be set to RANT this morning.

HOORAY for coconut milk! I lurve the stuff. If you boil chicken in it, with a little bit of salt and lime and lemongrass (and chili of your choice, yeah!), the Greek gods descend from Mt. Olympus and duly declare that ambrosia is crap.

And the chicken gets so moist that it's almost like a confection....

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Always being polite and watching my tone are a recipe for being patted on the head and ignored. I'm seldom rude, but if the circumstances warrant it I will be terse. I've been known to tell a mechanic to stop being condescending or an insurance agent to stop blowing smoke up my ass. It's not political, but I like being taken seriously when I'm being serious. I'm just saying.

All those recipes sound fantastic, and I have everything on hand except the limes and bean sprouts! Oh, and no monkey. The Oriental market was out. "Maybe next week," the monkey monger assured with a shrug.

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

I think there's an important flip side to the fact that "boys gang up against each other"; boys also gang up WITH each other, and every time a girl "rises above it" or "just stays out of it", there's probably a FRIEND of that girl who DOESN'T get the support she wants/needs. I really think it's a shame that in contemporary debates about feminism, for example, and how it should involve both sexes (I heartily concur), the point almost never gets made that women should stand up for other women. I know positive discrimination etc can cause problems, but I was always brought up to believe that Girls Are Best, Boys Are A Pest (popular playground rhyme c. 1990 and also something I managed to carry into my personal life, whee! *snorts*), and y'know, Sisterhood etc. So I am a fan of wading in. Certainly in a lot of situations a bland and deadly courtesy/sarcasm is much better than just outright yelling, but outright yelling also has its place, depending on the situation (and really, I think there's less excuse for not speaking up online than in real life, because online you can write stuff out and read it back in a way that my brain-to-mouth filter doesn't permit usually...).

Also I've found a really nice little Malaysian place in town. You would like. It is tiny and v reasonably-priced and does many things with shrimp.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

See, you have the PERFECT BLEND of Texas Woman and New York Woman, and I like it. And honey, you can rant in my LJ any time.

Um, you wrote up a recipe for HAPPINESS there, you did. (I like to make a coconut-curry-chicken soup that's a little bit like that, but yours with the lemongrass and chile and lime? MMMMMM.)

Have a GREAT BIRTHDAY today!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

And yeah - sometimes you have to get "terse" as you put it to be taken seriously. We still live in a world where women have "expectations" and female bosses are "bitchy" instead of "aggressive." Fie.

And make sure they don't undercut you at the Asian market by pushing Baboon on you. It's just not the same.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

YES YES YES. Women should stand up for each other! And it seems like there's always that one woman that is either unsure, shy, or just so brow-beaten to think one way that she's trying to get us all to "shhh!" Hahahaha, yes that little schoolyard rhyme certainly had an affect on you, huh? :D

Oooh, excellent point about speaking up online. I didn't think of it that way, and that makes sense.

Mmmm, Malaysian! Oh, so yummy. I'm a big fan of all the cuisine in that region. So fresh and delicious and flavorful. *mails myself to your place in time for dinner*

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

YES. Because um, being a woman is still sometimes really hard [/states obvious]. I always hated being told off for not being "lady-like". My problem is trying to speak up and remain coherent at the same time. We just had local elections here, and I get to vote at home and also in Oxford. And of course it's insane because there's a very active Conservative Association, Liberal Democrat Club and Labour Club, as well as some representatives of the Green Party, and everyone's talking politics days aside (which totally reminds me of that soul-destroying discussion of politics in Little Men where Nan is almost allowed to talk about feminists before Daisy "begs" them all to stop talking because everyone "argues" and "calls names" if they talk about politics). And, like, the Conservatives are always the most eloquent, and arrogant, and spout all this awful stuff and have pre-prepared answers for EVERYTHING and know what YOU'RE going to say and so I invariably end up squeaking (or yelling) "BUT YOU'RE WRONG YOU'RE JUST WRONG" because somehow Young Conservatives learn from their faher's knee to have all the answers and to have no passion about their beliefs, just terrifying logic and a script.

Well, and. ...it's not REAL, also. You don't actually have to be polite because it's Aunt Wotsit or Thingy that you sit next to at work. So all the more reason to be honest.

*takes you out of envelope, feeds you dim sum*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Right! There's clearly a distinction between screeching incoherently (or ad hominem attacks, etc.) and shouting coherently with purpose.

And it's interesting that the Conservatives seem to be the same, here. See: Ann Coulter. It's just all of this horrible, mind numbing, soulless rhetoric that is spouted from all of their mouths like a hydra.

DIM SUM. Mmmmmmmmmmm. One of my favorites of the treats. Oooh, I finally found a place here that made my beloved jellyfish strips. Cold and crunchy and tasty. (Cherusha turned me on to it in Chinatown, NYC.)

[jennem.livejournal.com]

What I find incredibly ironic is that the "calls for niceness" are basically asking people to be passive aggressive instead of forthright.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Yep. And the other thing, why should I not be emotional about something? And why can't those emotions be anger? Or other aggressive emotions? It's admirable in a man when he pushes. I just have reeeeeeeal issues with someone explaining slowly with small words that it's unseemly to come crashing in and say "This is wrong. Here, let me show you WHY." And it's especially wrong if there's any TEMPER in my words.

o_0 STFU, you know?

[lynnenne]

Every word you say just makes me love you all the more.

[jennem.livejournal.com]

Yup.

We're damned if whe are "forthright," and we're damned if we're not "forthright," because then we're just being passive agressive bitches.

Personally, if I'm going to be damned for something, I'd much rather have it be on my terms, than the idiot who chastise me no matter what I did. :D

Plus, you know, there's that whole part of my personality wherein my initial, gut instinct is to tell you that I have an opinion, and I don't care if you don't like it, I'm going to say it out loud and in your face. And, if you don't like that, you can go DIAF.

:D

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

By the way, the pic of the remarkably three dimensional squirrel in my journal also shows what happens if you plant Campanula "Birch's Hybrid" and let it grow into dry-laid brick.

Your description of the Perfect Mormon Wife is so much different than Miss Perfect's BYU Drama MFA teacher- who is loud, rude, built like a tank, and has worked all her adult life, even with six kids. It's people like here that give me hope that LDS can normalize, but then, what? Wikk it be more like a protestant version of Rome, or Southern Baptists with a Temple, and which would be worse? Discuss?

Julia, 1/8 slice of toast and three pills from turning off the computer and starting launch sequence

eta, must remember to show Miss Perfect the recipes, as she starts cooking Sunday

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I love you, Lynne!! And really, the whole "don't be angry, don't get in people's faces who deserve it" is ultimately nothing but the "Tone, people, tone!" argument.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't think the LDS church can normalize until it becomes something like Six Sigma - a plan to be successful in whatever. They need to drop all the religion from their dockets, imo.

The BYU drama teacher is a rarity. Thank god she exists!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my PA days are way behind me, and I have no intention of returning to them. And despite earlier depictions of me on the internet, I'm not a "mean girl." I'm OPINIONATED. There's some real deep-seated fear in the term "mean girl" that angers me, actually.

I don't wanna go to your tea party and make small talk and shy away from "emotional discourse." Or, if it were a bunch of men, "discussion of interesting topics." :D

[tabaqui]

I definitely believe that, to a point, and in certain circumstances, being the polite one wins. When you can say something absolutely true and absolutely cutting *without* breaking out the four letter words, i think it sometimes makes the point in a much....sharper way.

BUT.

If you push me and you cross a certain line with me, i will *fuck you up*, and it may even get physical. And i can curse like the daughter of a sailor, ah ha, so yeah, i'll go there if.

'Keep Sweet' makes me gag simply reading about it. Dear fucking *gods*, why do men hate women so?

[tabaqui]

OH and!
Wanted to add...i *do* tell Monstrous to 'act like a lady' sometimes. And by that i mean - "Don't turn cartwheels in your skirt, please, in the front yard, dear gods." And also "Please sit up at the table and *close your mouth*, i have no interest in seeing how well-chewed your food is, plus, please, the chomping/slurping noises are putting me off my feed."

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

You gotta consider the source of those 'ladylike' posts, and then take them for what they are worth. Which is approximately 7 cents and a fuzzy tic tac that smells like the bottom of someone's purse.

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

No, they are people BEING passive aggressive.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

And I'm certainly not advocating busting into someone's home (metaphoric or literal) and shooting off guns and telling every one to fucking shut up and fucking listen (even though that would make an awesome scene in a movie. I'm just saying.)

But yeah, the idea that at NO POINT in the argument, it's distasteful for me to get angry and cuss? No. And I'm like you: I can cuss. :D

Keep Sweet. What's sick, as slasheuse and I were discussing is that it's other WOMEN telling us this, instead of supporting us in saying our opinion, being emotional, whatever.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, that's just keeping things in line, that's all. I tell my girls to "keep their business personal" meaning: can you PLEASE not spread your legs in a skirt? Please? (They're tom boys, but like skirts. I approve. As long as they're not flashing their' lady business. :D)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Bwah!

It's just so opposite of the idea of what we're all doing here: finding our voice. Sometimes they don't come in pleasant, dulcet tones.

[tabaqui]

Yeah, i really don't like that, either, this sort of self-policing 'thing'. I'm all for good manners and whatnot but...don't tell me i can't be pissed, or curse, or behave badly. I *can*.
And i just might.

Just thought

[azryal.livejournal.com]

you'd like to know that you make me happy.

Mae