h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had a hectic week last week, and that always puts me in a mood to cook on the weekend.

Whipped up a nice hearty stew for Saturday's dinner: cut carrot, turnip, yam, sweet potato and butternut squash into 1-inch pieces and roast in oven until soft. Sautée garlic and leek, added a handful of fresh thyme leaves and a handful of chopped fresh sorrel leaves. 14-oz can of diced tomatoes, about a cup of vegetable stock, a tablespoon or two of apple juice (I freeze juice and stock in ice cube trays and store in ziplocs to be used as needed- I do the same with fresh herbs during winter, too). Salt and pepper. Simmer for about a half hour. Serve with couscous. We sprinkled some grated Comté on top. Yum. But I digress- that meal turned out exactly as planned...



Last night, we wanted pasta. Made my favorite sauce- minced garlic, onion, lots of fresh thyme and coarsely chopped tomatoes, all simmered down to a nice saucy consistency.

I'd sharpened my knife before starting on the tomatoes, and as I was chopping, was momentarily distracted by various feline antics... and accidentally sliced a smallish flap of skin off the tip of my thumb. It bled like hell. I managed to rinse and bandage it, then cover it with plastic wrap to keep it clean while I chopped the onions. It's not as bad as it seemed at the time- doesn't even hurt. K tasted the sauce and asked if I'd done something different with the recipe this time, as it tasted a little different. I repsonded that I'd put a little meat in this time.

He wasn't amused. And he says *I* have no sense of humor!

Sounds tasty...

I did something similar with a cheese-grater

Doesn't happen that often anymore since I have my boys cut the onions.

Och, it's an expected part of cooking. Any half-decent cook has hands and arms covered in scars.

Blame the feline antics. If K will sit there trying to wash his tail whilst you are cooking, it's only to be expected...

zdt

I guess I'm well on my way to becoming a decent cook, then, because just about the time one cut or burn starts to heal, I give myself another.

Battle scars may be the sign of a decent cook, but they surely aren't doing anything for my professional image. And I may as well give up my dream of becoming a hand model. Unless I'm modeling for ads for plastic surgeons.

Once upon a time when I was w*rking for a dubious multinational pizza franchise I managed to get blood all through 20kg of pizza dough. It was an interesting raspberry ripple effect, but I thought it best to make a fresh batch once I'd stopped bleeding. The original plan had been to make vegetarian pizzas with that lot, you see. I do have a faint scar from that episode.

You could have sold the pizzas as iron enriched health food...

>>Battle scars may be the sign of a decent cook, but they surely aren't doing anything for my professional image.

Mental image of that seen in Fight Club when everyone in Ed Norton's office is staring at his bruises.

That's what it was like the last time I had a cat-related injury (when I broke my nose in February). Everyone asked if I'd been in a car accident.

It's just that every few weeks or so I wind up with a sore finger or hand and can't type properly. And today I had reports to put together- very difficult with only one opposable thumb working!

I've never bled in any food other than at home. I did once bleed all over a report I had to turn in to my boss, at a previous employer. But never on a pizza crust!!

Good grief!

I always have trouble with graters and cans.

The grater gets me quite often, too, Lil and Vix. I want to buy one of those plastic thingies with the handle you can use to grate food with, but I haven't been able to find one yet.

Poor you.


I have one of those V slicers and it guarantees a slice of finger with every meal. It does of course come with a plastic thingie, but it's so much less cumbersome to ignore that.

Men have problems with graters. Hence the famous line by Rupert Brooke,
'Grater love hath no man...'

I just bought a new grater a few weeks or so ago. I haven't grated myself with this one yet. Give it time.

The nick on the finger was so clean (thank goodness for a sharp blade!) that I'm able to type without a Band-aid on it this evening- it's already healing.

Last week, I cut my lip with a plastic spoon while eating a very spicy lentil soup. And I once cut my finger badly enough with a plastic knife I needed three stitches. I bet someone here can top that, though!

I fractured my own spine once. Although that wasn't cooking-related.

Don't tell me...you were trying to do that thing in 'Clerks'.

When climbers - or guitarists - cut flaps in their fingers, they seal them with superglue. Not as stupid as it sounds - it's also used in surgery.