add it up.

hey duders!
these last few days have been BUSY!
for real.
get ready, because before we talk about dinner last night
(and i promise we'll discuss it)
i've got a problem, and i don't see a solid solution at present-
soooooo,
i've been cranking out tattoos left and right,
squeezing in walk-ins,
telling jokes on jokes on jokes to so many folks,
and the whole time getting a hard frowny-faced, squinty, squinky stink-eye
from the one person who might've stood to have been at least a little impressed.
mmhmmm.
i can almost respect it, y'know?
the refusal to be appreciative of the last man standing,
still steady grinding away at the workload every day....
i mean,
i understand the motivation.
here's the thing-
when you just genuinely dislike someone,
there's nothing they're gonna do that you're gonna see as positive,
and moreover,
anything done that you don't agree with becomes an actionable capital offense.
rules is rules,
and not for nothin',
but OFF THE LIST does mean OFF THE LIST-
i get that.
i'm just a little confounded by the applicability.
i'll explain:
90% of the existing workforce exited en masse,
high and dry,
over and out,
don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you, et al.
and mean ol' mr. milky way man stayed on,
holding fast,
and doing all the things that need to be done.
i'm no hero for doing my job.
not one bit.
you don't get a reward for performing the tasks you've agreed to do.
that's crazy talk.
but,
while it's not heroic to fulfill your obligations,
i'm also not the bad guy, the scapegoat, the whipping boy,
or even the sounding board for any gripes and grievances
that may arise from the original premise that nothing is any good
if it's done by somebody you think is a d!ckturd.
i got it, i get you, but i don't have any interest in fielding those conversations.
sorry,
but i'm too busy workin',
and workin' it,
and workin' out,
to be burdened by MORE bad feelings, bad blood, and bad business.
there's work to be done,
and i'm doing all that i can,
the best way i know how-
my ungentle words aren't the intentional undermining they're perceived as.
that's real talk.
what's that old saying?
ah yes:
....everybody thinks they have a sense of humor,
even when they don't.
i tell jokes, jerks.
if you don't get the punchlines,
don't make me your punching bag.
word.
***********
yikes.
that's a helluva way to start a blog that usually just talks about food huh?
i'll try to make it up to you.
ready?
check the teleport:

big pan-asian MANbowl magic for making everything taste better,
if not actually making anything better.
it's got a LOT going on in there.
the whole bottom is full of spiced sriracha and chili garlic ho'sauce-activated
holdover seitan broth,
packed with red onion, red cabbage, green onion, chili peppers, bell pepper,
black pepper, GPOP, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, and huge chunks of garlic,
plus, a bunch of crawnchy asparagus spears,
bent and twined around a batch of THICK udons.
the big ropy cords of wheaty, gummy, slurpable sexxiness
are reliably the best choice for a bowlful of burly, brothy, vegetable victory.
added into that,
there's broth-braised broccolini and cauliflower,
juts soft enough to be supremely biteable,
but not all blarpity and mushed up.
there are also soy-glazed steamy brussels sprouts,
similarly softened,
but with a little hot-pan fry-up on the edges.
that's expert.
and that big beige biscuit?
c'mon.
that's a sliced up slab of crispy sesame-seared seitan steak.
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn,
i doo-doo that freaky sh!t!!
it's good to make the best of the available options-
especially when i'm clearing out the fridge to make way
for some new and improved ingredients.
use it up, wear it out, make do,
or do without.
that's some sort of hippie sh!t, but, it works well in this instance.
so,
i made do,
and we did,
and it worked.
the garnishes helped a whole bunch too-
spicy radish discs,
cucumber slices,
pea tendrils,
lime,
and scallion, fresh torn basil, AND cilantro sprankles!
WORD UP.
too much is the right amount,
and that's always what i want-
on the ones,
over the top is how i'm livin',
because my life is like a steel cage match, bro.
*
today is another 'nother day,
and there's MORE of all of it to be done...
it's gonna be busy, again,
and it's gonna be crazy, still,
but,
it's ALL really happening,
and good, bad, ugly, dope, dopey, or doughy,
there's a whole lot of real life unfolding here at a pretty alarming pace-
it's big bangin' and outward, upward, onward expansion is what's up;
never quiet, never soft.....