My Father taught me quite a bit at a young age. One of the most important things was no matter what was in your pantry, there is a potential meal. Today, my fancy dishes and dinner parties don’t impress Dad very much. He’s happy I’m making friends and happy that I’m cooking quality foods at home but he’s not happy about what “rich” foods are doing to my gut. Sure, I don’t have any of those preservatives or high saturated fat foods but my sodium intake is higher than it should be as every recipe calls for salt.
The truth is, Dad taught more of the basics which, above all, help you in survival and not in entertaining. A friend texted me tonight after hearing my power was out and that my previous plans of roasted lemon zest chicken breast with wild rice pilaf and brussel sprouts were not gonna happen and he asked, “uh-oh, looks like you need to hit McDonalds”
Nope.
I fired up the Mag-Lite and lit my candles. The living room and kitchen are fully illuminated with the scent of vanilla candles and I make my way to the pantry knowing that anything in the fridge is off limits because, you don’t open a fridge when the power is out as it makes cold air escape (that’s a pro-tip for you kids out there).
In the pantry, my possibilities were limitless! I stared at cans of veggies and cans of meat and sauces and spices and my mind began turning in preparation for my first “power outage meal” since I lived with Dad in Florida experiencing year after year of hurricanes. I grabbed two cans of albacore tuna, a vegetarian style baked beans, a bag of tortilla chips and a can of salsa.
The tuna was drained and spiced with cayenne pepper, a dash of soy sauce, a few sprinkles of black pepper and mixed in was a dab of mayo previously unopened in the pantry. The final touch was some sweet BBQ sauce for flavoring.
The beans are, in my opinion, best served cold with a slight bit of mustard mixed in and a dash of pepper. I opened the can of salsa and the bag of chips. Since my well water from the tap tastes bad, I use a Brita pitcher but, that was locked away in the fridge so, what does any man do when water is undrinkable and access to juice is cut off? You have a couple of options. Canned soda (I do have a few Pepsis stored away), bottled water (nope, none of that) or alcohol. So, I opened a bottle of cabernet and bon appétit. Also a tip is that no matter how many electrical things you keep at home, make sure you have old fashioned manual can openers, wine openers and even a propane single burner stove just in case. Boiling water is HUGE when you’re out in the middle of nowhere without power.
What’s remarkable about this meal is it’s actually far healthier than most of my dinners. Dad’s point was that we’re not broke but tuna and ramen each day for lunch & dinner with a protein shake in the morning is a perfect diet for a growing boy doing 2 a days at the gym. Pair that with steamed veggies, multi-vitamins and 10 glasses of water and you’re a well tuned machine.
The tuna helps rebuild the muscle tissue broken down today during snowboarding and the baked beans assist with this as well while providing other nutrients. The red wine has its benefits. The chips & salsa are certainly debatable. Sodium and corn with tomato paste isn’t really a huge help but I did need a side.
I just finished dinner and I’m full and also content. It brings me to my next point. This night turned out absolutely perfect. I got home for a few moments of disappointment that I was going to be without power but, after lighting candles, closing my eyes realizing that there isn’t a single sound in or out of my house aside from a grumbling stomach, it was a calming moment. Living out in the woods means the sounds of the city are over 100 miles away and the lights of the city are much further. The only sound is a car passing once an hour. Yes, you could play an entire street hockey game here before a car passed.
I’m taken back to those times in high school when, instead of going to spring break in Daytona (a 30 mile drive away) or partying with friends or going to the beach and being social, I took times to reset myself. I’d pack up the car, pack some food and venture out into the woods for a long hike. Once, my food was stolen by a raccoon and I went hungry for 3 days. Once, I got completely lost and it took an extra day to find my way back to the camp. Through it all, I was by myself, living on my own and away from cell service, distractions, computers, music and all I could hear was rustling leaves and nearby animals. These technology free weeks really changed my life, and tonight, while sitting here in my home after finishing this meals, the candles lighting the room and only one bar of cell phone reception, I am alone and it’s quiet and honest and real and I’m left to my thoughts.
…and my thoughts are full of joy and happiness.
Thank you.