Frozen Psuedo-Meatloaf August 2004

I dripped tomato "gravy" from this "dinner" all over the preliminary plans for the house at Shangri-La Trailer Park Ranch. The best part was the whipped potatoes, which were just about the size of the master bedroom.

Meatloaf (The Tiny Series) Redux, September 2004

What is it about a buttered frozen pea? Sometimes they just hit the spot, or, like this time, they hit two spots.

Smoked Turkey on Sourdough, August 2004

I shoved this down the craw while wondering why the Olympic women track stars compete in bikinis.

After that I wondered why I had put a slice of Swiss cheese on there, because I don't like Swiss cheese with turkey.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi Taco, Side-O-Guac, Honeydew Agua Fresca, Chango's South Lamar

With no small regret I decided against the delicious but gastrointestinally problematic fried shrimp tacos. I am happy to report that the mahi was entirely satisfactory, although remind me next time to order it without cheese, as milk curds do not belong near fish.

While I ate, I reflected that the taco is humanity's greatest contribution to the cosmos. I then contemplated inaugurating a brilliant new obssession: Twisty's Taco Stands of Austin. But the next day I had lunch at Las Manitas (see below), which, though initially a shining example of the breed, nevertheless gave me cause to reconsider the scheme a couple of hours later.

Beef Tacos and a Cantaloupe Agua Fresca, Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, Downtown

Las Manitas is the old-school Tex-Mex diner a few blocks down from the capitol building. As I got outside of these tacos, down-home plain-talkin' celebrity ex-governor Ann Richards sauntered in, guffawing because the guy with the clipboard outside on the sidewalk had asked her to support W in the November election.

Previously Frozen Leftover Home Cookin August 2004

Meatloaf (The Tiny Series), Gravy, Twice-Baked Potato, Frozen Cut Green Beans From A Bag

I got outside of this humble-seeming yet oddly complicated repast while absorbed in that gripping episode of "Law & Order SVU" where the first suspect's alibi checks out, then Ice-T says something street-savvy about drugs, then the real killer is found but the judge rules the gun is inadmissable, and then, at minute 57, it turns out the killer's wife is the real killer. Whoa! Never saw that coming!

Hey, If you had some fresh green beans, would it ever occur to you in a million years to cut'em up like this?