There’s an old saying, something about becoming what we eat.
In which case I’d be scratching around the backyard, flapping my wings, laying a few eggs and waiting for the next person like me with a penchant for drumsticks to come along and issue me my last rights.
That’s when I’d suddenly become my other go-to food of choice, the potato. I’d be hiding in a corner of the couch insisting the chicken was a figment of their imagination.
It is true, as I enjoy the routine of my retirement years, that we come from an era of conservative eaters.
The “meat and three veg” era, a thought not lost on me when I look around the lunch tables at the club to see sexagenarians and septuagenarians focused on pinning peas to a fork prong as they delight in the daily roast.
Who could blame them? I’m not quite sure when it was, but a time comes that dinner no longer remains meal of the day. Lunch takes over, and it makes sense to let the gristle of the beef settle before turning in for the night.
It’s also cost effective, our club putting a full meal on a plate for less than $10. There’s no need for cooking, and I’ll volunteer to do the washing up.
It comes as no surprise then, that the Heart Foundation’s “What Australia Eats 2022” report has people in a pickle about ways to best cook beans, lentils and chickpeas.
When some people’s idea of a foodie adventure is a fourth veg, and a culinary delight is a trip to the local Chinese takeaway, it’s no wonder people’s idea of a chickpea is something they might find at the bottom of the plastic container from the Indian bain marie.
This latest report came out only on Friday and it relayed some insights that would have Sherlock Holmes rolling his eyes.
If, as it says, a quarter of us find it challenging to reduce our red meat intake to the recommended 350g per week – despite trying – then maybe the club could look at more pork crackling and a spot of turkey on Wednesdays which is normally reserved for the hind quarter of a Darling Downs Hereford.
If, as it says, we choose what to cook at home primarily by how good it tastes, then they haven’t tasted my sister-in-law’s cooking.
Proof is in the pudding and I’ve often favoured a packet of crinkle cut crisps over the poor dear’s dried out bread and butter pudding laden with sultanas she chooses to sprinkle after the custard’s cooked, rather than including them in the cooking process. She says it’s her secret weapon but I’m much more into traditional peaceful outcomes.
If, as the report says, the price of food is another key factor in determining what people buy and cook with, I’m not surprised I couldn’t find any milk arrowroot biscuits on the supermarket shelves last week.
If, as it says, people want fresh, unprocessed ingredients, they must have overlooked the stack of braised steak and onion cans in my pantry.
The Heart Foundation has some recommendations, most of which include lentils, chickpeas and beans. I’m not overly sure whether the first two are on a vine, tree or uprooted from a mound of dirt. But if the Heart Foundation says it’s a good thing, I’m willing to listen.
Oh, and when they say “beans”, not all of them are long and green.
- Add beans to your taco mix
- Add lentils to spag-bol to stretch it further
- Add any of the three magic ingredients to soup, either whole or blended
- Add canned beans to salads
- Blend them up to make plant-based burger patties
- Bake canned chickpeas in the oven with olive oil, herbs and spices
If all this canned produce is okay, then my take-out is that the braised steak and onions can stay, providing I don’t exceed the weekly beef intake.
Hey Wanda, there’s roast chicken on at the club today. Want to pop down for a meal?
