magicbeans. nothing if not awkward.

Dan came to my houserewarming party bearing the gift of fake human meat. I used to have an across the board negative view of fake meat in general. I was repulsed by the idea of eating flesh since I first realised that it was flesh, at about two years old. I stopped eating it as soon as I realised it was a valid dietary option, at eight. Why on earth would I want to eat something that was manufactured to remind me of what it was like? But, it's been over 20 years. I am so removed from real meat that mock meats are no longer mock meats to me, but simply different alternatives to approaching vegetable-based protein. That said, there is still a slight gut reaction to things that look or smell as if they could be from an animal. Whether that hypothetical animal is a cow or a chicken or a human doesn't really make much of a difference though, so I've got nothing against trying fake human meat. And who's to say that the backstory is real and not just a clever niche marketing ploy.

I stir-fried it with some vegetables, in a hot and sweet chili sauce, and ate it over pasta. It wasn't bad, maybe worth revisiting in a few dishes, but good old-fashioned, extra-firm tofu is still my soy product of choice.

With a good dose of my typical trepidation surrounding telephones, I called Marisa tonight, who I haven't spoken to in months, to wish her a happy birthday. I think about her from time to time and still feel like I've really missed out on connecting with someone who I should by all accounts, be friends with. I left her voicemail, I'm sure she was out having birthday fun. I told her I'd try her again and hopefully talk soon.