No shortage of cookware or laughter at senior center

As we recover from Thanksgiving and start worrying about December meals, this kitchen conundrum from The New Yorker may ring true for more than a few cooks, a “simple dish” that requires more pieces of large cookware than you actually own. “What Not to Cook This Week,” The New Yorker, Jan. 21, 2020.

Volunteer cooks at the Charlotte Senior Center can tell you that there’s no shortage of cookware in that well-stocked kitchen. Go enjoy a meal there, and you’ll see that there’s no shortage of laughter either.

December Monday Munches at the senior center offer a great range of international fare. For a fascinating exploration of language and food, look up both “tzatziki” and “quinoa” at Wikipedia and then go enjoy these international flavors at the great Dec. 2 Monday Munch.

Certainly worth noting: Quinoa was nicknamed by the Incas as “chisiya mama,” meaning “mother of all grains.”

The venerable flatbread probably originated in the Fertile Crescent, spreading to Mesopotamia, Egypt and then the rest of the world. Its interesting history can also be found at Wikipedia, where over 100 flatbread varieties are listed.

When my college history professor learned that I’d married an Armenian, he sent me his Armenian cookbook, and ever since, I’ve made lavash.

Upcoming Monday Munches at the senior center offer more international fare. From Mediterranean Quinoa to Italian sausage soup to Mandarin oranges and a caramel delight, you will enjoy many food flavors from around the world right there on Ferry Road.

No matter your opinion on traffic speeds on Ferry Road, rejoice in the fact that we don’t have the problem faced in a Texas highway stretch a few months ago. This headline offers a summary: “North Texas freeway reopens after truck spills load of chicken and alligator parts.”

It took four hours to clean up the mess.

The picture accompanying the story on Fox News showed a mass of chicken “remnants” and, yes, an alligator head.

Maybe it was just Texas being Texas, but there was no explanation of how or why the truck happened to be hauling an alligator head.

Speaking of Texas, one food feature there that seems both to be banned and a living legend is the cow’s head barbecue. Cows’ heads are wrapped in water-soaked burlap and maguey leaves and buried in a pit heated by wood embers. The pit is covered with more maguey leaves, and the swaddled head is left to cook for hours until the meat is very tender.

“Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide,” which is stuffed full of unexpected, often amazing, food stories, offers a full description of what they term “every delicious part of that head.”

The whole thing is eaten. “Tongue, lips and even eyes have an a la carte price.”

You can read all the details in Texas Monthly’s “How to Cook Authentic Barbacoa” (https://tinyurl.com/knmcjjy9).

A better idea is to relax and enjoy Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center. This lets you forget any worries about cookware, cooking, cleanup, stray alligator parts or cows’ heads.

And be sure to drive carefully on the full length of Ferry Road.

End-of-the-year tip for those who save old wall calendars: Your 2014 calendar will work fine in 2025.

Monday Munch
Dec. 2, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Mediterranean quinoa with roasted vegetables, flatbread with fresh tzatziki, tossed salad and caramel cookie bars.

Monday Munch
Dec. 9, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Italian sausage soup with white beans and spinach, holiday salad (greens with pecans, mandarin oranges and cranberries), bread, beverage and dessert.

Men’s Breakfast
Friday, Dec. 13, 7-9 a.m.
On the second Friday of the month, the men gather for breakfast and conversation. All pitch in to prepare the meal, set tables, or clean up. Doors open at 7 a.m. Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. 

For December, there will be no guest speaker scheduled, but rather this will be a social breakfast as an opportunity to slow down and connect during the hectic holiday season. If you are planning to attend the men’s breakfast, please email by Tuesday, Dec. 10. Registration required by Tuesday for the Friday breakfast. Suggested donation: $6. 

Note: My latest book is “Trump, Trump, Trump: The Swan Song.” Contact me for a copy. Also available: “The Little Red Book of Trump Quotations.”