Sleep eludes me.
Well, not exactly. What eludes me is a regular sleep cycle.
Of course, it could simply be a prolonged state of jet lag. I have been traveling to and fro for three months.
But it has been two weeks since I returned from China. My circadian clock should be on Melaque Standard Time by now.
Whatever the reason may be, I was up until 4 on Monday morning. That did not keep me from a getting a good seven hours of sleep. But it also meant I got a slow start on finishing up the chores I did not complete on Saturday.
The big one was buying groceries. I cannot recall the last meal I cooked for myself. It has been at least three months. Maybe more like five.
Instead, I have been eating plenty of restaurant food and snacks. As I have mentioned a couple of times, my waistline is Exhibit A of my need to return both to the stove and the road. The road for exercise. The stove for cooking meals a little less heavy on the fats served at local eateries.
So home I came on blistered feet with a roasted chicken and rice from my favorite grilled chicken stand, and onions, zucchini, carrots, jalapeños, and garlic from the greengrocer.
Well, not exactly. What eludes me is a regular sleep cycle.
Of course, it could simply be a prolonged state of jet lag. I have been traveling to and fro for three months.
But it has been two weeks since I returned from China. My circadian clock should be on Melaque Standard Time by now.
Whatever the reason may be, I was up until 4 on Monday morning. That did not keep me from a getting a good seven hours of sleep. But it also meant I got a slow start on finishing up the chores I did not complete on Saturday.
The big one was buying groceries. I cannot recall the last meal I cooked for myself. It has been at least three months. Maybe more like five.
Instead, I have been eating plenty of restaurant food and snacks. As I have mentioned a couple of times, my waistline is Exhibit A of my need to return both to the stove and the road. The road for exercise. The stove for cooking meals a little less heavy on the fats served at local eateries.
So home I came on blistered feet with a roasted chicken and rice from my favorite grilled chicken stand, and onions, zucchini, carrots, jalapeños, and garlic from the greengrocer.
One of the advantages of living in Mexico is that most of the vegetables (with the glaring exception of tomatoes) are extremely tasty. The fact that most of them are grown locally means they are also fresh.
The better the vegetables taste, the odds of me eating them will increase exponentially. And they are far better for me than prepared foods.
And that is what I did today. Out came the wok. In went the olive oil. And bit by bit, in went went the ingredients until I had a great dinner -- with four or five more servings for the remainder of the week.
I usually add red and yellow peppers and a tomato or two. But I can whip that version up some time in the future.
For now, I am back to basic Mexican-Chinese-Italian-Pacific Northwest cuisine. I just may give fusion cooking a hyper-hyphenated name.
The better the vegetables taste, the odds of me eating them will increase exponentially. And they are far better for me than prepared foods.
And that is what I did today. Out came the wok. In went the olive oil. And bit by bit, in went went the ingredients until I had a great dinner -- with four or five more servings for the remainder of the week.
I usually add red and yellow peppers and a tomato or two. But I can whip that version up some time in the future.
For now, I am back to basic Mexican-Chinese-Italian-Pacific Northwest cuisine. I just may give fusion cooking a hyper-hyphenated name.
