Cycle 3 – Item 345
15 (Sat) December 2012
Stew
2.5
by me
at the cabin
-Changchon, Seowon, Hoengseong, Gangwon, Republic of Korea-
with the Family
Project 30/30/30: 45 of 45 (see also 45/45/45)
Throughout the past November, I challenged myself to eat 30 dishes from 30 countries over the course of 30 consecutive days – and succeeded. I tried to continue the project until I ran out of dishes or countries or restaurants or steam or money, aiming for 50.
Ireland is the 45th country.
“Irish Stew” consists of lamb and potatoes in a thick broth. Of course, to paraphrase Chandler Bing, the Irish themselves would probably just refer to it as “stew.”
Here, my rendition comprised cubed lamb, seasoned with salt/pepper/thyme and dredged in flour, arranged in a casserole along with sliced potatoes and carrots, submerged in beef stock, covered and simmered for 2 hours in the oven at low heat, garnished with fresh parsley, and served. Amazingly simple, no fuss. The meat turned out luxuriously tender. And it all tasted like canned soup – and I mean that in a good way, seriously. For now, if only for purposes of the project, I’ll assume that it was indeed Irish. The nanny and I shared the dish, along with a loaf of Russian bread, while W and DJ ate something else.
After 4 months of a self-imposed moratorium on the cabin, we decided to venture a visit. My mother, who’s generally one of the nitpickiest people on the planet, has been especially sensitive about the cabin, the construction of which she’s overseen since its inception, so now she dotes on the place the way that a dandy would pamper his new bespoke suit. Hopefully, enough time had passed, allowing most of the cabin’s initial creaks and groans to settle down; in fact, during our absence, several minor catastrophes had transpired (e.g., pipes leaking, floorboards warping, wallpaper mildewing) that certainly would’ve been blamed on us had we been there. If only to see what else could go wrong, we gave it a shot.
With equal amounts of regret and relief, I am forced to conclude the project. Tonight was the final installment. Done!
(See also BOOZE)
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
