rue-madame's Diaryland Diary

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Freako suave

Yesterday, I got to spend the day in my studio with TA. He was doing his homework! He�s practically 40 years old, and I can�t helping thinking it�s cute.

One thing he had to do was set up some blogs. These are for his classes, and it�s how his professors track his work. How 21st century is that? His first assignment was to write his impressions of this, and I was jealous I couldn�t go to Central Park with him. At least I got to read his take on the stroll, and look at his photos.

His second homework assignment was to write a simple software program. Watching him concentrate reminded me so much of when we were in school together, collaborating on papers and trading feedback on design projects. I started to kind of miss school a little bit�

For TA�s birthday last Friday, we went to a Mexican restaurant that had been highly recommended to us. We had low expectations, and it�s a good thing because the food, she was terrible. The chicken on my taco was cloaked in some kind of mystery cheese sauce that tasted suspiciously like Velveeta, the salsa had no cojones and tasted like it�d come out of a jar, the chips were supermarket-grade red, white and blue corn and had no snap.

I kid you not, the waitress pronounced chimichanga like �chim-ee-tchang-guh� with the �tchang� like �dang� or �wang.� It was totally weird.

To restore order to the world, we made our own enchiladas on Sunday night using sauteed mushrooms, carne asada, goat cheese and green sauce (that�s what we had in the fridge). Even that funky interpretation tasted more authentic than Friday night�s food. I�m telling you, if we opened a quesadilla shack here, we�d make a killing. These CT people have no idea what Mexican food is supposed to taste like!

You know who else couldn�t tell you the difference between a taco and a taquito? The French! We�ve often thought of opening a quesadilla shack in Paris, actually. For what is a quesadilla but a new world cr�pe? You can pretty much put anything in a tortilla and it tastes good. Fry up a flour one with butter, sugar and bananas, and you�ve got dessert. Steam a corn one, throw on some green chile, roasted corn, chopped tomato and sharp cheese, and you�ve got a portable lunch. A tortilla with the French standard ham and gruyere tastes pretty damn good. Far be it from me to suggest that another American multinational export a franchise, but seriously: what is Pepsi waiting for? Paris needs Chevy�s. Or someone in Paris needs to buy one of those tortilla-making machines.

In additional to the Quesadilla Shack, we�ve thought about the Float Shack. This would work in any culture provided that culture has the ability to make fizzy beverages and refreshing frozen things that can be scooped. I know root beer is an acquired taste, but who doesn�t think a float made with vanilla bean ice cream and Orangina sounds refreshing? Or one made with raspberry sorbet and vanilla Coke? Or saffron/cardamom ice cream (from Bombay Ice Creamery) with black tea and seltzer?

I�m a regular idea hamster. Too bad there aren�t any �idea hamster� job listings.

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