MARKET DAY

I hit the ground running when I started work at the farm. Today, March 6, I did the marketing myself because I received a tall order - reform the farm kitchen. I have to admit I am not an exciting cook (I cook for myself and a very few friends whose taste buds don't rebel much against what I come up with), but there is a need to do something about the kitchen here quick because the cook - or the non-cook - is starting to produce viands out of giniling na baboy with disturbing regularity. The last cook had the same problem - she was cooking sinigang every day. Needless to say (but I'm still saying it), she got fired. I don't want to fire the current cook because she's really nice and jobs are hard to come by these days for the less talented (and I don't want to ever, ever fire anyone) so I want to help her.

First, I crafted a two-months' worth menu grid so that meals will wait for a month before they are repeated. I wish to learn more meals from other households (like J's where food seems to be so much healthier and comforting) and Selina's where food definitely is to die for (pun not intended).

Second, I had to take over the marketing myself because for the farm owner (I hope is not reading this), who has lived all his life in the US and Hong Kong eating practically nothing by muesli and pasta (the sauce is bottled), marketing can be quite a challenge. The other day, we were served what was supposed to be Monterey chicken tocino but we were taken aback by the strong salitre flavor. It was so horrible that a cat would have dropped dead in an instant if it were fed that meat. I inspected the pack in the freezer and the smell alone told me it was carabeef, no doubt about it. And it definitely wasn't Monterey. From that point on, I decided to do the marketing myself.

Today, I was driven to the nearest Cherry's Supermarket and I got food to last 11 days. Several kilos of fish (three kinds), chicken (three cuts), and pork (2 cuts). I got tofu (a great meat substitute) and vegetables (yellow ginger for the curries and marble potatoes so the skin can be eaten as well for its fiber content, etc). During event days, the farm serves food to at least eleven staff hence the bulk.

Tomorrow, lunch would be curried chicken (I didn't find green curry, sad). I am keeping my fingers crossed that she does it right this time. God help us.