Dept. of Sunday

[kaffy_r]

Observing the Oncoming Storm Week

I'm almost afraid to say this, kinehora, but I'm feeling better about myself than I did at the end of last week. That took working some self-imposed non-paid work-related overtime this weekend (about 11-12 hours over two days), which has caused BB to side-eye me a bit, but ultimately he understood that, if it took that to stop me beating myself up about the work situation, then it was - barely - worth it. As a union rep, I should be reading myself the riot act, but mental and emotional self-care trumps the contract - something I wouldn't tell many of my younger colleagues, who routinely let themselves be coerced into working hours and hours without putting in for the OT. They're getting coerced, though, so I have to stand behind them and give them the strength to resist doing that. What I'm doing is, as I've said, quiet self-care. 

Yeah, sure, whatever, dude. So long as you believe it.  

We're having corned beef and cabbage tonight, two days too late, if one believes strictly in holiday-centric menus. I used to dislike boiled cabbage with a great and adolescent hate. As I've gotten older, I've discovered that I like it every so often. Today is "every so often."  

So tonight I'll spend a little time with BB and go to bed early so that I can get up and take a running leap at the week. Wish me luck - and may your week be a good one!

Comments

[shanghaied]

May I wish you yourself, so you can make your own luck? ;-)

Corned beef and cabbage, as I imagine you know, is one remove from proper Irish food. Back home we do bacon and cabbage, and by bacon I don't mean that horrid Ahh Murkan rasher stuff. My previous mother-in-law did some of the best bacon-cabbage-and-spuds of a Sunday. Mine was also awesome, or so I'm told since I never could get my head around the whole Meat of Pig texture thing; instead, I would let H2 eat all the bacon he wanted and for my own part just horse in to the cabbage, which was cooked in the cooking water from the bacon, and the spuds. Well, a bit of spuds. Unpatriotic as it may be of me, I've never been a great spud fan. Give me pasta any day...

Night-night and sleep well, I hope!

[kaffy_r]

If the bacon wasn't rasher (which has its own attractions when I'm in a bacon-and-eggs mood), are we talking what Americans somewhat oddly call Canadian bacon? I say "oddly," because I never ran into that type of bacon until I moved from Canada to the States.

I can see the enjoyment factor in bacon and cabbage; that's a little like southern or urban black cooking, where they put bacon (or pork hocks)k in with their greens; it gives it a bit of a meaty flavor, getting the maximum use out of pieces of meat that everyone else paler and richer ignored.

I was chatting with BB about your comment, and it occurred to me that perhaps the corned beef and cabbage thing came about over here as Irish immigrants and Jewish immigrants interacted in the New York of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Corned meat of various types was something you found in Jewish butchers, grocers and delis, and maybe at some point Irish immigrants liked the idea of using it instead of bacon? I'm not a culinary historian, so this is just curious maundering on my part, but it could be there's a grain of truth to it. Maybe.

[shanghaied]

are we talking what Americans somewhat oddly call Canadian bacon?

Er... um... I'm not at all sure. In the various years I was out your way I was veg, and even though I'm technically a meat eater now I've never been interested in pig-meat or sheep-meat*** so my knowledge of Ahh Murkan bacon, apart from recognising what rashers look like on people's plates, is extremely limited. But I think 'Canadian bacon' is more like what we call gammon - can anyone else help me out here? Irish bacon OTOH comes in big chunks, so it's probably from the shoulder or the haunch of the pig... I think...?

getting the maximum use out of pieces of meat that everyone else paler and richer ignored

This. Because ss mentioned before, my distaste for meat is a texture thing :-)

B's corned beef theory sounds plausible. Hmm, anyone got Mark Kurlansky's phone number? He seems to know a lot about USA food history - I've read several of his books (including the one about North American cod fishing, by the way).

[kaffy_r]

This appears to be one of the better explanations I've run across. It seems that "Canadian bacon" and "Irish bacon" are close relatives, and now I know where in the pig American and non-American bacon comes from. I'm still hornswoggled about why they call Canadian bacon Canadian. In all the time I lived in Canada, and I lived in four of the 10 provinces whilst I was a cognizant being and two others when I was a less-than-cognizant one, I never saw the stuff that is referred to as Canadian bacon.

[shanghaied]

How odd - I've never come across what I'd call 'main meal bacon' being served with a Full Irish note: I tried to eat one once, about 25 years ago, just to say I had; for me, it was a weird and exotic meal and something I never intend to repeat, but I've seen a LOT of other people's Full Irish and Full English brekkies being served and know well what they look like). It's always our take on rashers, which is thinly sliced pig-meat with a little bit of fat, i.e. the opposite of the Yoosay version. But at least we both now know what part of the pig Irish bacon comes from. Assuming the writer was correctly informed!

[kaffy_r]

Well, I'm sure the writer would probably be gainsaid in any number of corners, but it seems as decent an explanation as any of the others I ran across.

[shanghaied]

'Canadian bacon' is probably like 'French toast', which isn't. Or like certain diseases that get named in country X as being from country Y, where Y = 'we don't like those people' :-)

[kaffy_r]

Ah yes, "The French Disease" in England, "The Dutch Disease" in France, etc. etc.

[maruad]

When cook cabbage, I chop it, salt it and let it stand for a while before rinsing it. Then I fry it in butter, eventually adding sugar and some times a bit of vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste during the cooking process. I had found this in an old recipe book though I no longer remember the book nor the name of the recipe.

Shanghaied idea of using bacon sounds excellent as well though I am more likely to cook my bacon separate (in the oven) and then chop it up and serve it over top the cabbage.

[kaffy_r]

I meant to tell you that this sounds really, really good. When we eat cabbage, we usually cut it up on our plates and sprinkle vinegar over it (along with butter and, in my case, some celery salt), so vinegar sounds completely natural.

You bake your bacon - does that cut out some of the grease factor?

[maruad]

My son introduced me to the idea. I guess that is how they did it where he was working.

I don't know that it reduces the grease but it allows me to cook more at one time while reducing the need to fuss over it. 18 mins at 375 F worked like a charm (I use nice heavy slices I buy from Millers Meat on St Marys).

After a moments thought, a far bit of the grease stays on the parchment (I cover the cookie sheet with parchment) so I guess it may help... but i really do it because I get more evenly cooked bacon with less fuss.

[kaffy_r]

Evenly cooked bacon is something to be appreciated. Also bacon that doesn't spurt hot grease at you when you're in short sleeves. Ahem. So I might try that.

[lilacsigil]

I'm glad you're feeling better about your work situation even if you had to spend your weekend on it.

[kaffy_r]

Thanks; it's not something I normally do, but it was necessary this time. Also, it's helping me get used to getting up early. Since I still have a couple of really, really busy days coming up, that practice is coming in very handy.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Wishing you luck!

And, yes, mental and emotional self-care trumps the contract when they conflict. Here's to them not conflicting as the future unfolds.

Love you!

[kaffy_r]

Hi there, my dear - I think my strategy, which was physically wearing, ended up being the right thing for me to do. And yes, I'll lift a libation in hopes of not having to contravene the contract I fought so hard for in future.

[liadt]

Good luck!

I'm glad you're feeling better. Don't mind a bit of cabbage myself.

[kaffy_r]

The cabbage was quite good. We still have a few leftovers, but today was not a day for leftovers. (It was a day for some salad and some antipasto.)

[liadt]

Mmm, salad. Still too cool for a salad over here yet, but soon!

[kaffy_r]

It's probably still too cool for salads over here, but we have them anyway. Heh.

[liadt]

Rebel;)

[kaffy_r]

:P