barry IS ridiculousness.

so you know those people who can't make up their mind? everything sounds just dandy to them, and if they choose one option, that means forgoing the other, which is truly catastrophic and can't be imagined, so when you ask them "chicken or beef?" they just say "yes please". you know, those people??

well, clearly i'm one of them.

case in point: sunday. lovely day, sunday was. the sun was shining, it wasn't too cold; it was a day for grocery shopping at superstore on 51 avenue, without a care in the world...except for the fact that i forgot to eat before i went there.

damn.

shopping hungry is truly a massive mistake. what isn't a massive mistake are frozen kiwi mussels for $2.98. delicious, cheap, and uber tasty in a white wine sauce, served with garlic toast for dipping. nice? try frickin' amazing! who can pass that up? clearly, not i, which is what i started off the day with thanks to a super simple recipe from the reluctant gourmet.

what a delightful meal, yes? one that should have satisfied me, but was it enough? of course not! not when i could also be eating triple chocolate haagen-dazs smothered in brandied cherries. it wasn't as if i was even hungry, but the very thought of going another minute without tasting this delightful pairing was unimaginable.

dear god - i'm like a hobbit. soon i'll be eating second breakfast, followed by elevensies, lunch and first tea. why should i choose between one decadent dish, when i could have two?

...or three...

there was no stopping me.

you would think that, stuffed with mussels, cherries and ice-cream, the madness would end, but no: i needed vegetables. and steak. and why would i have a simple, boring steak salad with just a few key ingredients when i could have them all combined together in one "holy hell!" dish?

first, i started with garlic mashed potatoes, that were no ordinary garlic mashed potatoes...

there were potatoes. there was garlic. and there was cauliflower, celeraic and dill.

then there were roasted beets and grilled onions.

there was steak.

there were tomatoes and corn, spinach and shredded red cabbage.

there weren't croutons made out of sliced cheese bagels, smothered in garlic butter and toasted, but that's only because i forgot.

there was brie; there was blueberry-cinnamon rolled goat cheese.

there were apples and guacamole.
finally, there was a dusting of cinnamon and a drizzle of mustard vinaigrette.

and yes, i ate it all. and yes, it tasted damn good. and yes, i am ridiculousness - hear my stomach roar.

barry recaps his central american culinary adventure in haiku.

hey boys and girls. i should just clarify that my obsession with food during my travels into costa rica and nicaragua meant fewer food pictures than i would have liked - i was far too busy eating. but i did like the food - even most of the food at the resort i stayed at. enjoy!

costa rican fare,
so tantilizing...mostly.
load me up with pork!

oh, calamari.
breaded to oblivion.
do you see the grease?

imperial beer!
beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer!
you were good to me.

sketchy bus depot,
selling bagged meat with veggies.
oh, nicaragua!

curious pink stuff,
i wondered just what you were.
disguised coconut.

breakfast at le mar,
fried plantains, fried cheese, beans, rice!
your taste is sinful.

nicaraguan pop -
bottle pepsi delights me!
oh - bottle's reused.
:S

the beef makes me cringe,
the pork excites my tastebuds.
to them, chicken's king.

to monteverde,
where coffee is best - but wait!
just eat the sweet fruit.