Kitchen Knives

Kristen surprised me earlier this year with an excellent gift (for our anniversary, my birthday, Christmas, etc.). She snuck over to KNIFE one day and picked up a starter set of water stones and a gift certificate for a sharpening class with the proprietor of the store, Eugene.

credit: Spotlight Toronto

This past Wednesday, we made the trip downtown to attend the 2-3 hour private lesson to get a rundown of the basics of water stone (or whetstone) sharpening with Japanese knives. I had watched countless hours of sharpening videos leading up to this and it made a big difference to see it in person, feel the blade and stone feedback, and receive expert direction on the spot. We got to put some new life into a couple of Kristen's mom's worn down blades as well.

Military Diet - Day 3

Day 3:

As a result of my adventure yesterday with so much cottage cheese, vegetables, and Asian lactose intolerance, I made a poo mountain this morning (no photos -- you're welcome). It was peppered with carrot chunks (because I did not chew excessively) and looked like a decent chili.

Breakfast: 1 slice of cheese, 5 saltine crackers, 1 small apple

8:40 am - No egg =(
8:42 am - cheese with crackers tastes pretty good with water.

Summary: This day looks like it will be relatively lame overall.

Lunch: 1 slice of bread, 1 egg

12:00 pm - EGG! on toast! I have good toast.

Summary: Egg is satisfying.

4:39 pm - I am very hungry now. Only an hour to go until tuna.

Dinner: 1 cup of tuna, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

5:09 pm - So hungry that I ate the banana first to tide me over
5:30 pm - Cooking the copious amount of tuna with a pan.

Summary: That's a lot of tuna. And now I'm done.

Military Diet - Day 2

Day 2:

Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 a banana

8:50 am - to eat boiled egg whole, or not to eat boiled egg whole...
8:55 am - I don't like to live on bread alone.

8:57 am - I should not be a food photographer

Summary: If (when) I do this again, I will distribute the yolk better.

Lunch: 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1 hard boiled egg, 5 saltine crackers

1:45 pm - This was the meal I dreaded the most. 5 saltines? not an even number? 1 whole cup of cottage cheese?
1:51 pm - Cottage cheese is not half bad... It's got cheese lumps that remind me of poutine curds. Is there a poutine diet?
1:55 pm - Cottage cheese is whey good as a saltine cracker dip.

Summary: 1 cup of cottage cheese really feels like 2 cups towards the end.

Dinner: 2 hot dogs, 1 cup of broccoli, 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream

6:30 pm - hot dog good

Summary: hot dog good

pocketfish Returns: Military Diet - Day 1

Pocketfish hasn't been closed down due to inactivity yet! So I'm going to add some activity.

Today, I started the Military Diet. It is a US government sanctioned three day meal plan to get soldiers to meet weight requirements using a precisely calculated and chemically compatible set of foods. There is the potential to lose up to 10 lbs after those three days without strenuous exercise. I will be logging the meals and any interesting notes -- interesting to me, that is-- that might come up.


Why am I doing this? Because it looked like a useful challenge. Each meal comes out to under $3. I do feel (and look) a bit flabby. The only item that looks like suffering might be the tub of cottage cheese I'm slated to eat for Day 2's lunch.

Day 1:

Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit, 1 cup of tea/coffee, 1 slice of bread, 2 tbsp of peanut butter

8:35 am - I went with green tea. This is more of breakfast than I normally eat.
9:51 am - My burps smelled funky with the mix of grapefruit and peanut butter. It was otherwise delicious.

Summary: I really like grapefruit. It was well chosen, and supremed.

Lunch: 1/2 cup of tuna, 1 cup of tea/coffee, 1 slice of bread

12:34 pm - Eating tuna out of a can like a hobo (with a can opener), and an open-faced mayo-less tuna sandwich.
12:37 pm - I miss mayo already.
12:40 pm - There is a marked difference between toasted tuna, and straight-from-the-can tuna.
1:00 pm - Is it okay to not drink the tuna can juice?

Summary: I hope I don't smell like tuna all day. I am looking forward to that half steak for dinner.

Dinner: 3 oz of meat, 1 cup of green beans, 1 small apple, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

6:10 pm - Angus Inside Round Steak, baby

$7 for half a kilogram of steak, but $3 off because it's best before date is today

6:34 pm - There is so much steak left (for after!) 3oz is only 1/6 of the package.

6:45 pm - Fruit is an excuse to knife things

Summary: I like steak.