Category: food

No fresh bananas on a space rocket

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I ate a banana this morning

it was perfectly ripe

what a supply chain miracle

to pick green bananas

thousands of miles from me

pack them into refrigerated containers

move them by ship to a port

transport them to a ripening center

then to the local supermarket

where I can buy them fresh

the whole journey can take many weeks

with carefully managed processes

different people involved in packing and transporting

all working towards bringing me a banana for breakfast

it would be nice to thank them

tell them I appreciate what they do

but its unlikely I will ever see any of them

except perhaps the lady at the checkout

maybe one day I will visit a banana plantation

pick out my own bunch of bananas

ride with them on trucks and ships

a sort of banana road trip and cruise

saying thank you to all along the journey

finishing at the supermarket

smiling at the checkout lady

before devouring my banana for breakfast

it will taste even more delicious

having seen it on a tree

and having followed it all the way to my home

banana tours will be more fun than space travel

no fresh bananas on a space rocket

Good health but short memory

Ian Hunter1 Comment

good health

most of us take it for granted

until you get sick or injured

then you realize how truly precious it is

you start praying for a speedy recovery

making promises that you will change your lifestyle 

if you get well its a real blessing

suddenly you feel reborn again

fleetingly toying with goals to exercise more and eat a healthier diet

you quickly go back to your old routine

you get busy and forget about your good health

bad lifestyle habits creep back in

until the next time your health deteriorates

break this cycle

before it breaks you

your poor lifestyle is not the problem

its your memory that needs fixing

from cocktails to heaven

Ian Hunter3 Comments

its cocktail hour

pour stiff one

reflect on day

light conversation

light hors d’oeuvres

whet the appetite

dinner in the oven

aromas fill kitchen

roast garlic scent

fresh chopped herbs

smells leak out

towards dining room

drinks evaporate fast

pour second one

peek in oven

baked salmon happy

looks so divine

back to conversation

enquire about dinner

origin of recipe

source of ingredients

fresh local vegetables

from farm stand 

fish from boat

farm to table

sea to plate

finish hors d’oeuvres

cocktail last sip

open wine bottles

dinner is served

pour wine slowly

pause a moment

look at plate

hold hands together

give sincere thanks

compliment chef

taste salmon

slow blink

eat vegetables

slow blink

sip wine

close eyes

gone to heaven

open eyes

not a dream

drink wine

eat salmon

sip water

still in heaven

Spinach and speedos*

Ian Hunter4 Comments

I just finished

All my spinach

Been a tussle

Growing muscle

Wannabe a tough guy

Biceps like Popeye

Despite the toil

Limbs like Olive Oyl

Its a mortal sin

Arms stayed so thin

Belly is fat

Instead of flat

Mr Universe dream

Ran out of steam

Fat ass now on couch

500 reps of slouch 

Diet stuck in first gear

Open another beer

pass the remote

Snacks down throat

Wearing loose clothes

Over my speedos

Dinner is always the winner

Ian Hunter1 Comment

Breakfast is an anomaly 

Despite being the first meal of the day

It always comes in last

The innocent victim for guilt ridden calorie counters

Ignored and neglected by many

Mostly consumed under severe duress

The main target for distraction hijackers

Breakfast TV keeps your eyes off the plate

Checking emails makes it hard to taste anything

Morphs into lunch when taken late and leisurely

Lunch is always second best

Usually taken against the clock

Sometimes taken on the run

Frequently skipped on busy workdays

Rarely taken with alcohol

Gatecrashed by breakfast on brunch weekends

Bored housewives time for gossip

No such thing as a free lunch

The favorite meal for speed dating

Its just lunch

Everybody looks forward to a nice dinner

Savored at a slow pace

The best food is reserved for dinner menus

Good company is often invited

Mixed with alcohol and lively conversation

No equal opportunity commission for mealtimes

Dinner always gets the best deal hands down

Being at the end of the day

With no fixed time limit

Dinner is always the winner

Put some travel in your belly*

Ian Hunter4 Comments

I have been so fortunate to travel extensively

exploring many places and seeing spectacular sights

tasting some incredible food along the way

the pandemic put a big damper on all travel

I had to find other ways to satisfy my travel urges

travel documentaries are fun but its not the same as being there

I seem to gravitate toward travel shows with a culinary theme

then the penny dropped

I can still travel around the world while staying at home

I just have to eat my way to different places

some nice fresh sushi sends me to Japan

moussaka magically has me mingling in Greece

nasi goreng has me noodling around Indonesia

swedish meatballs send me to Sweden

a rice and beans dish races me to Mexico

pho floats me all the way to Vietnam

pizza and ice cream puts me firmly in Italy

Irish stew with a Guinness has me shipped to Ireland 

kibbeh kicks me over to Lebanon

ceviche has me salivating in Peru

I can sip a fine port and be pondering in Portugal

a spicy chicken vindaloo curry whisks me off to India

magret de canard with a glass of Bordeaux makes me go to France

tapas takes me straight to Spain

moules frites has me mulling around Belgium

doner kebab delivers me to Turkey

poutine has me plodding around Canada

hot dogs heroically have me habitating in USA

Peking duck propels me to China

roast beef dinners religiously deliver me to England

haggis and a fine single malt heave me all the way to Scotland

pad Thai puts me perfectly into Thailand

dim sums deliberately drive me to Hong Kong

when my travel belly gets really big and pendulous

I check myself into solitary confinement for some dreary travel free dieting