Wednesday 6 December 2017

#334 Tis the season to eat garbage

I was thirsty. I knew I was thirsty because I was drinking water. I used to drink nothing but water until 2015, when I briefly dated a medical doctor. She drank squash the whole time, probably because it helped to keep her awake and was always available in the hospital. I figured if a doc could glug artificial sweeteners all day, they probably wouldn't kill me either.

It was the pepperoni. That's why I was feeling so parched. I'd taken myself to Pizza Express, the same place I'd eaten for my first night on the Isle of Dogs. A regular choice back when I'd been working, I'd been taken to that same branch to mark the end of my Lehman Bros secondment. My parents used to love Pizza Express too.

As I sat at the familiar marble table, I thought about what a cheeky restaurant it had become. There was the launch of its prized Romana range, which was essentially just an ordinary pizza base rolled more times so that it looked bigger. Then there was the magic low-calorie pizza, which was again just a regular base with the middle cut out and filled with salad. The middle is the best part... why not cut the crust off instead?

Most recently they had started distributing through supermarkets too. Only two weeks ago, I'd found the same pizza in Asda on promotion for about two quid. With the added advantage that there was no risk of Alexandru messing the order up. Fortunately it was fine. If a little bland. The green chilies weren't really doing much and neither was the chili oil. Even though I'd drenched the whole thing in so much of it that I was practically drinking the stuff.

There're no calories in oil, right?...

5 comments

Running on empty said...

Back in the day, I worked with doctors and nurses that smoked. It was do as I say, not as I do. I wouldn’t go by what she did.

What is your level of cooking? Do you follow cookbooks/websites?

Fizzfan said...

My diet is pretty unaffected by Christmas. I eat rubbish and good stuff all year round. I figure most things are fine in moderation.

Still waiting to be wowed by a pizza. My most memorable one was ordered by my son and delivered by Dominos. I ate one slice and felt nauseous from the overwhelming amount of fat in it. My son loves them but thankfully his obsession with them is largely over. They are not cheap!

Did have a mad moment today and ordered a Chateau Briand joint of beef to go with the Chicken on Christmas Day.
Turkeys are too big, too expensive and taste too much like chicken but in a way that’s just drier. Not sure what the point of them is really unless you’re catering for loads of people and need to feed en masse.

No oil is definitely completely calorie free:)

Profound Familiarity said...

Cath, I've never really cooked using recipes that much. Occasionally I'll look something up and make it but that's rare.

Fizzfan, I agree about the moderation approach. Dominos are indeed not cheap. I find Papa John's similar but it's not exactly the same.

Ooh, I don't know where the turkey comes from either. I've just tried Googling it but the three results I checked seem to have the question in the title but then they ignore it and start focusing on related details without actually explaining why people chose turkey.

I would quite happily have chicken instead of turkey too.

Fizzfan said...

Home cooking is the best and just must be better for you.
I do buy ready made sauces when they’re on offer and just add my own mix of fresh ingredients and cupboard flavour boosters like oyster sauce, chilli flakes, creme fraiche etc, and curries and stir fries are a breeze. 15 mins. Done.

Must admit I buy microwave rice now. 2 mins! Supermarket brands are only about 60p and can stretch to a serving of 3 people.

Leftovers can be reheated the next day, no probs.

Profound Familiarity said...

I like boxed meals although the artificial ingredients in some are a concern.

Do you like Indian food Cath?

I agree home cooking is usually healthiest.