Family Restaurant

[baymule]

There were 2 ALDI stores in Tyler, none here. Closest one is in Conroe, 11/2 hours away.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I love aldi! My German friend shops at lidl whenever she is in Atlanta and she always brings us the most amazing German chocolates and pickles.
Anyone that had not been to aldi before, bring your own bags! They don't bag the items, you have to do that. Oh and bring a quarter so you can rent a cart you get the quarter back when you return the cart.

 

[Phaedra]

I got all those 50% discounts at Lidl. Most of the Lidl shops will try to reduce their loss so one or two days before the "best before date", they will put the "Ich bin noch gut (I am still good) 50%" stickers during 6~7pm.

I always take a note on my google calendar when I see a good amount of meat or seafood close to their best before date. We will visit the shop one day before. As shops are closed on Sunday, Friday/Saturday evening is often the best time for a treasure hunt. However, weekdays can be good too, like yesterday.

Besides those chickens, we also got these, very satisfying.

Aldi is the biggest discounter in Germany, and they have some products with very attractive prices. Like these gardening tools, each costs 1.99 Euro.

However, their foods are much more expensive (and keep increasing prices). Lidl has much fewer choices (especially lack of those global wellknown brands), but well, I am not willing to pay for the marketing expenses for those huge brands.

So, Lidl wins my heart.

 

[Phaedra]

Cooking time!

I just finished one copywriting project yesterday, so the only things I am willing to do today are play in the garden and kitchen.

First, "trim" those scallions. The tips are trimmed for chicken food; lower parts with roots are recycled as they can soon grow again.

The keys: (A) Cut their roots short, long roots will become smelly in no time. (B) Give them very little water - only roots need to have direct contact with water. Many people will soak the stems in the water, fully non-sense, and it will cause only trouble.

Okay, VIP members are all on board.

Doesn't this feel a bit Christmas?

Trick: Put some shrimps at the bottom so after turning it upside down, the final look will be nicer.

After transplanting half of the plants in the greenhouse, I harvested some veggies. Most of them are winter vegetables.

The main dish is veggies , served with pan-fried boneless chicken thighs.

The young leaves of fava beans, so delicious!

 

[Phaedra]

he is fortunate and i'm glad that he still remembers his son. we have too many elderly friends now who are going through this and it is so sad when they can no longer take care of themselves. in some cases the people have an inner self that is not pleasant and they can be argumentative and/or violent. i fear as my Dad gets older it will be like this, even now he's rather hard to stomach at times and i rarely spend time around him (he also lives a long ways away and i have no desire to visit). as he gets even older and more expressive of his bigotry and hatreds i want even less to do with him. as i live here with Mom and she also has some of this inner problem and i've been very up front about not wanting to ever hear about it. so i'm hoping if she ever goes through the stages of dementia that she will not be like my Dad. the older generation just is not at all happy with change or when things are different. sadly i have no answers to them other than things do change and there's no reason to be hateful and negative about it. the hate and negative does nothing to improve the world a bit. let it go. find other things to do that will make you happy. turn off the hate-tv and find a better life.

I can somehow understand. My own family is a mess and all I want from the first day I can be independent is to leave as far as I can. Well, now I am really far away.

I agree with you that some older generations used to soak themselves in the complaints and all kinds of negative thoughts. My mom is my dad's third wife (three wives exist simultaneously, so, in fact, a "mistress"). Some of their problems came from their cultural or social background, which almost no one else can change how they decide to behave or live their lives. Like many Asian parents, things they love to chase are exactly what I want to avoid - endless parties and superficial relationships, flattering. Their holidays never belong to the family, only to "friends." It's somehow sad, but also a bit funny - the holiday I love the most is Christmas, which is never an actual holiday in Taiwan; but all those lovely stories I heard about family togethering and warmth are what I dreamed of when I was young.

Well, it's not about right or wrong. My parents are capable adults who can make their choices. Every choice has its consequence, and the consequences, like I am not close to them, are what they have to be accountable for.

What's past is the prologue - I am grateful that I know what kind of life I want from them.

Find other things to do that will make you happy - that is so true.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Taiwan. My dad spent 18 months in Taiwan as a squadron commander for the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He LOVED Taiwan back then. It would be the late 60's. He didn't love the losses of his airmen during that time.

 

[baymule]

I’m glad you found your family. Family is not always the one you were born to.

 

[Phaedra]

Today was a super windy day, but before the storm arrived, I harvested part of the mustard leaves from the garden in Cologne. "Green in Snow" is such a pretty plant!

I will absolutely plant them again in autumn.

The vegetable for this dinner

Today's lunch is quite successful, too.

Leek, cabbage, bacon, and a bit of Garlic - this dish is loved by all family members.

FIL's lunch, a boiled egg, fish steak, bacon+vegetable, grape juice
I would always like to ensure he has sufficient dietary fiber in his meals.

He loves fresh fruits now and always looks for his daily fruit plate.

A good supply of turmeric also arrives!

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

ohhhh...fresh turmeric! I saw so much of that every where when I visited Bangalore India two years ago.

 

[baymule]

I never tried fresh turmeric. I’ll have to try it.