When Kyle and I first met, we ate out a lot-it was summer, we worked hard, there were lots of good places to eat.I was so nervous to cook for him the first few times since he had already cooked gourmet meals for me and I knew what I was up against. I remember the first meal I made for him: pan fried rainbow trout. It was pretty good!
As I stuggled to find yummy things to make, I remembered a great recipe for Mac and Cheese, a perrenial favorite, a luscious comfort dish for New Englanders. I told Kyle I was making Mac and Cheese for dinner and he looked at me and said "and what else?"
Me: "Probably a salad?"
Kyle: "And what else?"
Me: "Um, well, what else do you need to have with Mac anc Cheese? It's a meal in itself."
Now, if you know Kyle, you know this was his way of trying to tell me something without actually just coming out and telling me something. Sometimes you have to read between the lines with the man, god love him. Finally, I keep pushing him, and he says:
"Macaroni and Cheese is a side dish. It's like a vegetable. You don't eat it as a meal in itself. It's a side dish."
Me: "What the hell are you talking about? It's not a side dish, and it is certainly not a vegetable."
Kyle: "It's a 'three' as in a 'meat and three'."
Me: speechless. No idea what he is talking about.
Kyle: "In the South, you go into a restaurant and you get a 'meat and three': you choose a meat and three sides..usually you have a choice of mac and cheese, butter beans, rice and gravy, collards, cream style corn or mashed potatoes."
Me: Arteries hardening, I say something like "Oh. Ok. Well, we're not doing a meat and three here and that list of side dishes is a laundry list of carbs, so I'll give you that we should have some protein with our Mac and Cheese but I'm not willing to relegate it to a side dish nor am I able to call it a vegetable. We'll have to agree to disagree. And I think maybe you are kidding anyway"
Then we moved here and I realized that he wasn't kidding about any of it. Not only can you buy a NUMBER 10 CAN (aka restaurant-sized, big ass) of butter beans but also a 25lb bag of SUGAR, too. AT THE REGULAR GROCERY STORE.
sO, What constitutes veggies in Your corner of the world?
4 comments:
OMG. Am speechless about the meat and three. And the 25 pounds of sugar.
Mac and cheese IS an entree. Sometimes I mix in peas to make myself feel better.
Love this story!
So what is your recipe?...
Yeah - please share your recipe. I am always looking for new ways to cook this fall and winter MEAL (not side dish). One of my absolute favorites!
I, of course, agree with the mac and cheese entree sentiment...I do the same as anna...sometimes, only sometimes, add peas. Added asparagus once...not great.
I wish we had been in the South at the same time...
How about there not REALLY being any pure vegetable dish served in establishments...Even spinach contains traces of ham for "flavor" !
Given that I was eating most meals in hospital cafeterias, you can ONLY IMAGINE what I was ingesting on a daily basis. Hope all is well. M
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