Dear Eduardo: The Food Entry

Dear Eduardo,

I bet you'd just about given up hope of me writing to you again, huh? I'm sorry to have ignored you and the blog which you so meticulously maintain for so long; I've been busy to say the least. There are so many new developments and I don't have time to discuss them all now (I'm busy after all!), but rest assured I'll find some time over this coming weekend to regal you tales of West Coast happenings such as Bay to Breakers Freedom Day, Celtics in the NBA finals, three new roommates, field epidemiology training, kickball in the park, The National at the Fox Theater, and of course my trip home to Rhode Island (I guess that's more of an East Coast happening).

Anyways... this entry will be short and delicious, since its devoted to food. Why food? Two reasons:

1. Now that school is done for the summer, I suddenly find myself with time on my hands. I've been filling this 4th-dimensional gap by cooking more often. I've really missed it.
   
2. I saw this story on NPR's website today and was filled with feelings of nostalgia, homesick-ness and hunger. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127481915

Providing that link to the NPR story was half the reason for this post. The other half is to inform you that I recently made some pulled pork that I was particularly proud of. I used a North Carolina-style vinegar sauce for the first time and think it came out pretty well. Of course, anytime you have the patience for something to cook in the oven for six hours, it better be tasty. I'd provide you with the recipe, but I forget what it was. Plus its nothing special. I also shredded a head of red cabbage and mixed in a bit of cider vinegar to go with it. Yum.

So I've spent the past few days doing my best to consume five pounds of pulled pork without getting sick of it or because of it. Some of my solutions: pulled pork sandwiches with cabbage (duh), pulled pork omelette with cheddar and red onion, pulled pork and cabbage on polenta patties, and finally tonight pulled pork soft tacos with shredded NY extra-sharp cheddar, peach mango salsa, chopped bacon bits and of course, shredded red cabbage. Stick that with a limited-release Lagunitas 'Undercover Investigator Shut-Down Ale' that weighs in at 9.75% ABV and you've got yourself a solid Friday night dinner. Here is a picture of said meal before I conquered it in less than 10 minutes...

Until next time...