Flexitarian Menu

This is about using ingredients I already had. And planning ahead by getting organized to be able to whip it up in a flash by premixing the spices until ready (instead of scrambling around the kitchen looking for them right before they are needed like I usually do) because…

I’ve lost my patience, in a very bad way (and if you have too you should scroll all the way down to the recipe outlined in brown because you otherwise won’t get there for a while). In a way that manifests itself in harshly criticizing children being generally combative. The less patient I become, the more they push, and the harder I verbally rebuff. For the first time, ever, I’ve begun to feel that I’m doing something wrong. That I’ve learned only to abuse my power. I’ve forgotten how to keep open lines of communication available and how to maintain order through fair and consistent disciplinary measures.

I’ve been writing more and more about my job as it comes to a close because the moments I cherish most, and there are certainly many, are starting to fade. And suddenly, I’m desperate for the last day of school. Maybe it’s apprehension that my entire worth as an educator is based on one exam–that I take much too seriously. That I’ve taken so seriously my students have come to despise me. Test mania aside, I know that my personal popularity will not guarantee me the test scores I’m forced to seek. And so I press myself on realizing that I must let go and take control, for real.

It’s about a sales pitch. The one that I’ve lost the steam to carryout. It’s about spinning what I have to say in a way that makes it more important than anything else my students have ever heard. It’s about making them think I’m right all the time, but encouraging them to question me anyway. It’s about telling them that my test is the most important because it can show college admissions committees that their sub-1000 SAT scores are indicative of test bias and not substandard skills. That’s it. It boils down to persuasion, and now that I’ve lost my ability to persuade, it’s time for a break.

So I’m taking a break from the pressure of testing, and the pressure of my Master’s project, and ultimately the pressure I impose on myself which includes the pressure of cooking for this blog. And so I’m going to be cooking simply and quickly for the next week with few ingredients, until I get myself together. Because I simply can’t go on, losing my patience, with something that mostly matters.

My mother use to make a very simple dish like this for me as a child and taught me how to make it when I went to college so I could manage to feed myself with few ingredients, little equipment and minimal skills. The dish literally consisted of three ingredients: soft or silken tofu, frozen peas and carrots, and sesame oil. I would add the peas and carrots to a small amount of oil and stir fry until almost cooked. Then I’d add a package of soft of silken tofu, a tablespoon or so of sesame oil and mix everything together very well. Depending on how much liquid was in the dish, I may have added a bit of cornstarch and water. I’d season with salt. And I’d eat this over rice. A batch would last about two meals, and it tasted surprisingly good.

I’ve made a slightly more interesting version of this for myself that’s possible simply because I have the spices on hand. This is one of those comforting dishes that doesn’t really photograph well. I chose to go with silken tofu to really make it a truly creamy sort of dish. It’s soft and smooth, and a little sloppy. It’s versatile, and it’s healthy. And, it’s perfect over a bowl of rice.