Freeze that meat!

I can confirm that chicken meat absolutely keeps when frozen. No problem at all. Go to your local Costco and buy it in bulk.

Of course you probably didn't need me to confirm this. There’s nothing wrong with frozen meat! Did you know that fresh tuna comes into the docks frozen? I saw frozen blocks of bluefin tuna ready for sale at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.

Today I thawed chicken thighs that were bought 10 months ago out of the freezer. Eight minutes on each side in a fry pan, and the chicken did not taste any different from the day I bought it. (From a Costco, of course.) Good thing chicken is produced here in the States, because you know damn well if it were imported, our current President will find a way to put a tariff on it.

And if he were going to, I’d be first in line at Costco to buy a whole bulk for freezing. And if I were to ever afford a house with a garage, there will for sure be a chest freezer unit in there for long term meat storage. Maybe a few guns and bullet boxes too (in the garage, not the freezer), if I were to dive deep into the doomsday prepping rabbit hole.

In these inflationary times, I’m afraid it’s chicken and pork only as the source of meat protein. We are priced out of beef and fish. Bluefin tuna sushi is delicious, no doubt, but having money in the wallet is also delicious.

Pork is not a consolation! You can never go wrong with pan-fried pork belly, Korean BBQ style. My only problem is that it creates a bloody mess with all the smoke and splatter. When you live in a tiny studio apartment like I do, that stuff lingers for quite bit afterwards. A guy can only dream of a properly separated kitchen.

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Where are the buttons?

Chicken and Accutane

The rotisserie chicken at Costco remains one of the best food deals on the planet. Six dollars for two pounds of cooked chicken meat. Weightlifters looking to gain mass on the cheap should move next to Costco just for easy access. Have a hot dog and soda while you are at it, too.

It is somewhat bothersome that the chicken is put into a plastic bag. A piping hot roast straight out of the oven and into something entirely plastic. I’m no evangelist against polyurethane, but that cannot be completely healthy, right? I’ve stopped heating up food in the microwave with any sort of plastic container or wrapping a long time ago, and so should you.

Costco should use a paper bag alternative, or a compostable container. Raise the retail price slightly if you have to. I’d gladly pay for more for zero heated plastic.

Two months into the Accutane treatment for my chronic acne, and a new side-effect has materialized. Accutane causing intense dryness for the entire body is well-known and par for the course. I’d thought that meant my skin would become dry and cracked like on a cold winter’s day. I was wrong: my dry skin is showing up in the form of tackiness, a mild stickiness to the epidermis. Crossing my legs would cause the thighs to adhere to each other like velcro.

The skin is also fragile, too. Not just towards sun exposure, but impacts. Small abrasions that usually wouldn’t amount to anything can now wound the skin. I am definitely not going on mountainous hikes wearing shorts during this Accutane cycle.

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Snake oil.

I like eggs

Are there eggs available for purchase at your local grocery store? Reads like there’s an Avian flu outbreak amongst the chickens in California, and the supply of eggs is threatened (and chickens-related food products too, presumably). All appears to be fine at our local Whole Foods this past Saturday, and supply at Costco looks to be healthy that Sunday as well. But, as a daily eater of eggs, I bought more than usual at Whole Foods, just in case.

Eggs are obviously an excellent source of protein. Since my high hemoglobin A1C results from last October, I’ve been eating scrambled eggs as a substitute for white rice (mostly the dinner meal). At a rate of at least two eggs per day, I go through the supply quite quickly. Be that as it may, I still do not buy in larger bulk from Costco. I greatly prefer the eggs from organic-fed, free-range chickens. Those are only available at the likes of Whole Foods. It may be the money talking, but I can definitely taste the difference.

Not that I am the stuck-up picky type. I don’t go to my friends’ homes and lament they only buy non-organic eggs. I’ll eat them all the same.

I asked my mother whether or not she stocked up on eggs, in case of imminent shortage. She said they (my parents) do not eat much eggs, so didn’t feel the need to do so. I reminded her that eggs are great for protein, and that she and father should eat more protein now that they are both retired. I feel like I’m going to be a broken record, the nagging parent (how the turntables) when it comes impelling my parents to eat more protein (and less carbs). It’s such a crucial nutrient as they age into their golden years.

We have to eat our proteins, too. Sure hope the egg supply stays consistent through this mini crisis!

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Strawberry moon one scoop.