За! Well, I recently went through my cupboard to do a little early spring cleaning, & what I discovered there was essentially a large hoard of delicious American foods that have been sent to me in care packages throughout the past year & a half or so. After decoratively arranging them & snapping a picture (naturally), I have happily begun a grand foray into better living through better eating. For example, several nights ago after the devastating news that the power plant may very well have exploded for how broken it is (perhaps there was no literal explosion per se, but there could have been since the electricity here is worse than a hillbilly's oral hygiene), I decided to use my gas stove to whip up a batch of fluffy just-add-water pancakes using a mix sent courtesy of my beloved grandmother & grandfather. At the prospect of not having electricity until September (which has since been disproved, mind you), a little "breakfast for dinner" was the salvation I needed.
Last night, treating myself to glorious cuisine yet again, I indulged in kembab, essentially seaweed sheets rolled with rice inside which resemble sushi. But was this ordinary, short-grain, round rice only too common in these parts? Nay, for it was jasmine rice, procured by yours truly during my November excursion to UB! In addition, I enjoyed a wonderful Indian dish, dal bukhara, of lentils & beans in a tomato-based sauce, thanks to a care package Sadie sent me over a year ago. I can think of no more lovely a dinner to enjoy on a chilly January evening in the Gobi desert of Mongolia.
But wait, there's more! Thanks to my dear friend Rachel, I also find myself somewhat awash in a several-jars-deep slew of Trader Joe's organic peanut butter made with Valencia peanuts! (More special than those regular peanuts by all stretches of the imagination.) Couple said nutty delicacy with the simplicity of but a small winter apple, & you have, my friends, pure bliss for the taste buds.
What have I to look forward to in the coming days & weeks? Rice-A-Roni, French onion soup, vegetable soup, yet more just-add-water pancakes, two different chili mixes, palak paneer, minestrone soup, Southeastern Mills gravy (goes great with biscuits, apparently), Southeastern Mills cheddar cheese sauce mix, gluten-free organic soybean "chicken" (also courtesy of a care package Sadie sent long ago), Trader Joe's chili spiced mango slices, roasted garlic & cheddar mashed potatoes, dried great northern beans, dried lentils, oatmeal, & more. What more, you ask? In addition to my stock of tinned tomatoes, a can of mushrooms, cans of peas, & cans of corn, I also have a collection of various baking mixes courtesy of my parents. Blueberry muffins, oatmeal muffins, chocolate chip cookies, corn bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread, & fudge brownie mix. Other delicious treats include Ghiradelli 86% "Intense Dark Midnight Reverie" chocolate squares, baby candy canes, smoked almonds, roasted & salted almonds, Santa Fe party mix, dried banana chips, & more spices than I can ever hope to finish while in-country.
Now, for a gal like me trying to save a buck where I can, this hoard-then-indulge strategy seems to have worked out in my favor. Even by just enjoying one item for one meal of the day (generally dinner so that I can look forward to it), I am saving money for the cost of that one meal. Aside from purchasing fresh produce (namely potatoes, garlic, onions, the occasional carrot, oranges when I can get them, & apples when they're available) & a few other little nuances (candles & butane gas for my camp stove, since the power is almost always out), I might actually be able to save some money for the next few months of my service.
This, my friends, is perfect, because I have already reserved a private room in UB for the days before & after the COS (Closure of Service) conference at the end of April ---quite the expense, granted that a private room costs three times as much per night (15,000T as opposed to 5,000T). However, take heed from my sound advice: Beware the Snory. The Snory is a weather-worn traveler who smells like feet, & the Snory, borne from the bowels of Hell, infests dormitory-style rooms guest houses with the sole intent of massacring your dreams with raucous, moist, choking snores several decibels louder than a jet engine that make you question whether or not it is possible for human face to experience flatulence. Believe me when I say this, I loathe the Snory.
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