Potowatami

I'm not feeling particularly clever today because it's hot. I did, however, take pictures of last night's meal and I am feeling a bit cranky (also from the heat), so I guess I will just rant.

This heat wave, which from daily visits to check the weather seems to get one day longer every day, is the kind of October swelter that, as kids, we called "Indian Summer." By the time I got to college in the 90s, "Indian" had been replaced by "Native American," and the former reverted to its pre-Columbian meaning, referencing the Asian subcontinent, except in the context of gaming. I certainly am no fan of the PC movement (BoW used to refer to "womyn" as "wom-whines"), but I was fortunate enough to attend a Big Ten University (we were much higher than 14 on this list in my day) where that kind of liberal claptrap was tolerated only in classrooms and maybe the freak dorm.

But back to gaming for a minute. The reexamination of our national history brought about an extraordinary amount of liberal guilt and lobbying that ultimately resulted in, for example, the remaining 100 speakers of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation opening a Casino (and Bingo Parlor -- it is in Wisconsin, land of cheese). Here again, when I was a kid, Potawatomi was a zoo and has thankfully retained that moniker in favor of the more PC "wild animal park," which would apparently require the purchase of a fleet of Segways. 

Now, on with the food. Last night was the house stir fry, affectionately known as "Meepo dofu" despite lacking any resemblance to the actual dish from which that name is taken except maybe tofu and soy. Normally, this is just a simple stir fry, using whatever fresh Asian veggies look good at the market, baked tofu, and a brown sauce based in soy, mirin, and sake. In the summer, long beans are plentiful. Ginger, garlic, and something sweet (honey or ketchup) are the other flavors. Jalapeños are nice for a little punch. Prep is key when you are stir frying. 

I also usually serve it with noodles. Here, I've used wide udon, which is actually flat instead of round and functions very much like a starchy fettucini. If the veggie is Chinese broccoli, I prefer to use rice noodles and call the dish "pad see mee." Here is the final dish, served in an awesome vessel that I believe we got from Starts with M.