Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Day 10: Temp X and Trader Joe's Project

Dinner:  Chilaquiles 

Refried Black Beans: $0.99 (16 oz.)
Scrambled Eggs: $1.49/dozen
Nachos:  $2.49 (16 oz.)
Salsa: Maybe $0.30 worth.  Extra spicy.


Yeah, I know.  More brown food.
WHY THIS MEAL WORKS?
There's something about Mexican food that's relaxing.  I liken it to comfort food that you can unashamedly serve with alcohol.  As I reconsider this logic, maybe I just want a meal I can drink with.  Well, that's neither here nor there.  Chilaquiles is beauty in its simplicity.  It is to food what a fart joke is to comedy -- it's easy and it works every time.


WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT MYSELF?
I already knew I can eat Mexican food -- or at least my version of Mexican -- any meal of the day.  But what I'd not realized until today is every time I eat this particular dish, I'm reminded my travels to Batopilas, a tiny town in Northern Mexico that's hardly touched by modern stresses.  It was there that I'd had chilaquiles for the first time.  While my version doesn't hold a candle to the one I had there (fresh ingredients apparently make a bit of a difference), it still delivers the feeling of serenity I had back then.  It's comfort food in the truest sense of the term.


Traffic jams don't exist here.
HOW DOES THIS HELP ME IN HOLLYWOOD?
There's a lot to be stressed about in Hollywood.  It starts with the traffic jam on the way to work and only gets more challenging from there.  If a meal comprised of eggs, beans, chips and salsa can deliver the smallest bit of peace and tranquility to your life, have it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

if you want more brown food from TJ's, I highly recommend the mushroom risotto!

Anonymous said...

I decided to go to tj. This is the 4 person/blog to recommend. I must have went to the wrong one because tj is a spartan(michigan generic) store with organic food. I was excepting loads of choices. Coming from metro detroit I demand a lot of selection or a great specialty experience, if I want to buy an outfit and eat a gyro at 3am I could do that. I guess coming from a place with multiple farmers markets has jaded me. But the prices are ok. Now, I miss home.
I have no idea how your lunches fair but your dinners are becoming more and more sad. You might as well go to a soup kitchen. I looked at the plate and thought "he made this up". You should just go on a juice diet.

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