Grue

Growing up, my brother and I would shudder in fear whenever my mom went out for the evening as this inevitably meant...dad was cooking. His whole-meal-in-one-dish concoctions were legendary...and not in a good way. I have vivid recollections of what became known as 'grue'. These dishes usually involved some sort of starch or pasta that turned into a lethal weapon upon hardening. Vegetables and some kind of meat were mixed in to provide a well-balanced...lethal weapon.

I think I inherited a bit of my mom's as well as my dad's cooking skills. My cooking skills are hit and miss. I can whip up a delicous meal in a few minutes. I can also spend all day and produce god-awful tasting mess. These usually are of the all-in-one variety. Having four very finicky eaters, finding a meal everyone likes is not easy. Sarah, for all intents and purposes, is a vegetarian. Katie is my carb lover. Syd and Larry are my carnivores. Since moving to China, I have been honing my fried rice making skills. The first few batches would have made Dad's grue look like a Master Chef's best dish. The last batch I made was so bad even Rosie and Peanut turned up their noses. I shelved the steamer in disgust. Unfortunately, I forgot to empty the bowl of the rice-goo. Did you know that if rice is left sitting for several months it actually turns into bluish green powder?

Tonight, after soaking the tainted bowl for a few hours, I tried again with chicken. Three out of five of us ate it. Sarah played her vegetarian card and Katie said she'd rather have leftovers. I guess I'll keep trying.