DEEP POOLS OF GREASE

One conversation yesterday was about white women who have unique food things going on in their lives. "Hi, I'm allergic to gluten, peanuts, citrus, and I can't have dairy, commercially raised beef, or seafood. What can I eat here?" Crow, sweetheart, you can eat crow. The door is right behind you. A person of Brahmin background stated that his daughter in law was the only white woman he had met who could cook. Not only cook well, but had no fear of spices.

He normally lives on the East Coast, so he may have met far too many serious Protestants. He even knows Afrikaners, some of whom are severely Dutch Calvinist squared in triplicate. Flavour, some Christian sects believe, comes from the Devil. Many Karens have kept that idea from their ancestral religious traditions, while rejecting all the rest.
It's a modern form of Puritanism.

Having worked part-time at an Indian restaurant, I have met my share of such people.
To the best of my knowledge I don't actually know any now.
Which is intentional.


By the way: If the first thing into the pot is ghee, the food is often suitable even for Brahmins. Ghee is the great purifier.

Other things that go in are guajillos, dried New Mexico chiles, and D'Arbol.
But that's just a personal preference, really.

Garlic, ginger, and black cardamom.

The key thing for any late night sanckies at an Indian or Pakistani restaurant are, of course, good breads. Naan, kulcha, or rumali. Or excellent parathas. Ideally also a small plate of fresh green chilies, raita, and an achar. Avoid beer, it's bad for the digestion at this point. Finish with some hot masala chai, and rosgollah.

[Chilies are a vegetable. You need a vegetable.]

Come to think of it, that's also an excellent lunch.


"Hi, I'm allergic to gluten, peanuts, citrus, and I can't have dairy, commercially raised beef, or seafood. What can I eat?"


Absolutely nothing. Go back to the Midwest.
That is what it's there for.
I'm so sorry.



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