#bc i love sharing the joy of good food recipes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cloudy-leonhart · 3 years

Text

AOT Characters with a filipino S/O!

[Author Note: I just made this out of impulse lol, I’ll make a part two with the AOT veterans- if it’s requested then I’ll make a part three with the Marley Warriors- feedback is also appreciated on all my posts :))]

[Summary: It’s just headcanons, AOT with a filipino S/O lol, that’s it. that’s the post.]

Recommended song: Sa Susunod Na Lang - Skusta Clee ft. Yuri.

Gender Neutral Reader.

Theme: Fluff, Modern AU.

TW: Swearing.

Characters: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha.

Eren Jaeger

He probably fucks up his greetings with your parents, surprisingly your dad loves him, both of them talk about basketball and boxing, whenever Many does a fight, you and him come over so Eren could watch with you dad.

This man gets bodied by your dad ALL THE TIME during basketball, it’s valid because your dad used to be a basketball player.

He eats with his hands, yes he also got that from your dad. Your mom always comes up to you, while Eren and your dad talk, she’s happy that you found someone, and that Eren reminds her a lot of your dad.

Mans swallows rice like it was no one’s business, he eats that shit with barbecue and vinegar.

You can’t tell me he gets drunk with your dad and his friends?? They watch boxing matches and eat peanut while drinking beer.

For some reason he acts like he lives there?? Like the whole community knows about him, the kids like playing with him, the guys like doing karaoke and drinking beer with them, and the titas and lolas love talking about your relationship with him and how they would totally marry a guy like that if they ever met someone like that when they were younger.

His favourite thing about the culture? Probably how open the people were, they were very generous and kind.

Armin Arlert

When you first told him, he was kind of like, “okay??” but he also took time out of his day to research your culture, he’s the type to catch you in a sad mood where you really miss your country, and take time out of his day to try his best to make food from your culture.

He’s mastered to cook Tofu Sisig and Halo-Halo. You always ask him to make it for you whenever you’re sad.

He could never understand how your family’s able to sit in your traditional clothing, he tries his hardest not to scratch, he literally looks at you with a look begging for help because he was itchy but he didn’t want to take it off.

You had to explain that he doesn’t always have to participate in your culture, because respecting your culture was enough for you. Mans cried because he thought he was horrible for not wearing the Barong for the whole ceremony.

He does loves trying filipino recipes, he loves seeing you cook adobo or tapsilog in the morning, it just fills the house with an amazing aroma.

he knows how to say ‘i love you’ in Tagalog and he has fully replaced ‘I love you’ with ‘Mahal Kita.’

Favourite thing about the culture? The language, he just loves learning new words everyday, his favourite saying so far is, “Huwag kang mag-alala. Akong bahala.” (Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.)

Mikasa Ackerman

Poor baby was confused, she caught you talking on the phone in another language and she just stared concerningly at you, forgetting about whatever she’s doing.

She was also afraid to try your food?? Until you shove a ube-filled riceball (in filipino, Buchi) in her mouth, she ends up making it her comfort food, she asks you to make Buchi with her, she likes to eat the left over filling.

she actually wants to keep trying some of your culture’s food, her favourites so far is definitely Taho and Kaldereta, and of course Buchi.

She can’t say much in tagalog but she does know traditions, she did the binasuan dance with you once, amazingly she kept all cups in balance for her first time.

She knows how bless and actually calls people tita and tito, or ate and kuya. She was kind of, ahem, convinced, to call your parents nanay and tatay.

Your parents always complain about how you haven’t married Mikasa yet, Mikasa was confused about why she could hear them talking about her, but you reassured her that it was only just your parents egging you to marry Mikasa. In which she blushed in return.

Mikasa also learns recipes from Armin, those two cook for ther S/O’s so much that even their S/O feel like their not filipino enough, they got to try things even they didn’t know filipino culture had.

Jean Kirstein

SUPRISINGLY, he knows what blessing is, went as far as saying “Mano po.” whenever he did.

your dad hates him for some reason lmfao like your dad’s always staring at him with a weird expression.

He’s scared of your dad, no cap. first time you guys went on a date and didn’t have a house together, he almost shit himself talking to your dad.

You tried to teach him to do the tinikling dance and he almost broke his leg.

You and your parents conversed by yelling at each other, like Sasha, he too thought that you were arguing with them and he tapped you on the shoulder like, “Should I leave?-” You were confused as he was, you had to explain that yelling was a way filipinos communicated.

He was concerned when you would hit him while laughing, you also had to explain that was also something most filipino’s communicated.

He tried picking the language up but he just butchers the pronunciation.

Favourite thing about your culture is the places, if he could he probably would’ve bought a private island.

Does this man know how to cook filipino food?? Yessir!! He’s absolute god at cooking, imagine when he finds out we have a whole CHEESE ice cream-

Mans was confused confused, why..would you like cheese ice cream?? surprisingly he likes the ice cream, it’s sweet and salty??

Connie Springer

THIS MAN- he thought filipino was a sexuality?? when you told him, he’s like “so, what gender do you prefer then?”

HE WAS DUMBFOUNDED WHEN HE FOUND OUT WHAT FILIPINO MEANT-

I just know he shared filipino swears with Sasha, he actually grew accustomed to them, once in a while you’ll hear, ‘PUTANGINA’ throughout the house, because he stubbed his toe.

ugh he rocked the barong too, AND HE ROCKED HIS TINIKLING DANCE.

your titas seemed to love him?? Every time you talk to them, they ask if he’s doing okay.

He actually is a simp for filipinos, he was awestruck with how much beautiful women and men there were in the Philippines.

you cannot tell me this man doesn’t watch Manny Paqcuiao’s boxing fights.

In general he tries his best to respect your culture and not disrespect them, but he cannot bless for the life of him.

favourite thing about your culture is the adobo, he says its “bussin’”.

He drinks with your titos and your dad. No way he doesn’t, he also plays basketball with them.

traumatized somehow by the naked children running down the street sometimes- Filipino streets man, a little too comfortable-

He was shocked to find out that some people showered outside?? Like comfortably?

Man covers his whole face bc he feels like a perv.

Marco Bodt

Absolute researcher in your culture, like Armin, he actually makes sure he’s not disrespecting it or anything.

HE DOES THE BLESS GESTURE, but he whispers in your ear about how he accidentally blessed one of your titas too hard

his favourite filipino dish is Buko Pandan, he literally couldn’t help but get seconds when your grandma offered him a cup.

tbh he rocked his barong, he looked so good, like GAH DAYUM.

he picked up some words since he really loved being around your family, you were lively and your family was so open to accepting him.

you and him danced in a barong and baro’t saya for your wedding reception.

genuinely, he was in fearful awe when you caught a rat your parents have been complaining about in their house, remind you rats in the Philippines are as big as kittens

He also calls you Mahal, it’s kinda cringey but you thought it was cute.

Favourite part of your culture, the clothing, he’s always asking to go to parties just so he can wear the barong.

he’s also deathly afraid of the bodies of water the Philippines has, he doesn’t know if murky water scares him more than clear water in the islands.

Mans tried his best to corporate your culture into your guys’ wedding, until your Tito Philip brought a WHOLE ASS LIVE CHICKEN as a wedding gift?!

he was kinda sad y’all didn’t keep the chicken.

Sasha Braus

Sasha honestly didn’t know that your were filipino until you spoke your language with a family member, you guys were yelling at each other and Sasha thought y’all were fighting-

she wants to learn the language BUT ONLY THE SWEARS, connie and her both.

she loves when you speak to her in your langauge, she loves guessing what you’re telling her. SHE ALSO LOVES WHEN UR PARENTS TRY TO SPEAK TO HER AND THEIR ACCENTS COME OUT.

you guys actually went to the Philippines for your guys’ honeymoon. did she almost spend all your money? yes, did you let her? duh.

Her most favourite thing about your culture is definitely the food, and beautiful people like you.

Genuinely rocks the Baro’t Saya, her short hair goes well with the dress, her colour was a dullish-pastel pink, she had a matching fan with it too!

She wore it for your birthday, almost ruined it by almost spilling fruit salad on it.

THIS WOMAN- SHE WAS LITERALLY CRYING TEARS OF JOY WHEN SOMEONE BROUGHT OUT THE LECHON (a whole roasted pig).

Yes, she almost ate half of it, she would’ve probably finished it if it weren’t for her eating everything else, a human compost bin, you got leftovers? She’ll eat em.

She loved going to Jollibee with you, you and her have dates where you literally eat almost everything off the menu.

162 notes · View notes

spicyizuku · 3 years

Text

mha boys & cooking headcanons

hi ❤️ heres my thoughts on the boys and if they'd cook for u!! enjoy -🌶

Includes: Todoroki Shoto, Bakugou Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, & Iida Tenya

warnings: mentions of food

genre: general, fluff, opinion piece

01.04.21

Todoroki Shoto

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

hmm he does sometimes!! he usually makes lunch for you when he has time off, but it's mostly stuff you can make without using an oven. he makes a GREAT sandwich

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

yes! and by yes i mean he watches as you cook. he'll probably prep the kitchen for you- he cleans up the kitchen and helps chop vegetables so you dont take extra prep time

𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤?

hmm i think he'd like baking more! he's not much of a sweet tooth but its easier to mess up when you cook rather than just sticking something in the oven and waiting for it to rise

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥?

he's decent!! he doesnt like handling hot liquids for reasons (except soba duh) but anything other than that hes fine! it might take two tries to get a recipe right. he doesnt really make anything fancy

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

absolutely!! he loves finally being able to sit down with you after a long day. the first words that come out of his mouth is usually "how was your day?" nd you two easily fall into a pattern. he almost NEVER misses dinner

𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞?

you already know!! baby loves his cold soba!!

𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬?

if you had a claim on a room in his house it would be the kitchen. yea he lives there but thats YOUR kitchen.

Bakugou Katsuki

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Everyday!! He strongly believes providing and cooking for you is one of the easiest ways to show you how much he loves you. his food speaks for him. He loves trying out new recipes for u!! nd theres no snark if you ever request something for dinner. When you two first got together he'd make breakfast and then say he "accidentally made too much" so you can have some. It gradually evolved to "What do you want to eat?"

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

rarely. he doesnt want u anywhere near the kitchen. On rare occasions when he's done cooking u make desert, but usually you bake in advance bc he doesn't want anything in his way when he's ready to make something

𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤?

hes the cook and ur the baker!! He doesnt see the joy in baking and thinks it's useless to him since he doesnt really enjoy sweets. that is- until you make KILLER Shu kurimu. he cant get enough of the cream puffs you make and does not know when to stop. u usually only make them once a month. he gets mad if you make them more bc he knows hes going to ignore his meal plan and inhale them lol

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥?

You already know Bakugou is Gordon Ramsey 2.0!! man can make anything. every time you see him head to the kitchen you get excited. you KNOW he's abt to go hard and make the best food you've probably ever tasted

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

hmm not much- You know bakugou is an overachieving perfectionist. He works and works and works until he drops. He doesn't have time to sit down and eat, he's always on patrol. That doesn't mean he leaves you with nothing to eat, though! He'll get up early to make you both bentos and makes sure to prep for dinner if he isnt cooking in advance. On off days (rare) he'll make you American styled breakfast in bed 🥰

𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞?

Tantanmen! its the japanese take on Sichuan Dan Dan noodles. u know baby loves his spices

𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬?

HIS. dont even THINK about trying to get in that kitchen while he's cooking. he needs his space and cooking is his time to shine!! he'll get irritated if ur in the way. he likes when you sit at the bar top of his kitchen and talk to him while he cooks. even distracted he cooks perfectly. he doesnt add much to the conversation since he's still focused, but he loves hearing ur voice and knowing you enjoy being around him enough to just sit and watch

Midoriya Izuku

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

ummm- he tries?? He makes you two a lot of no-cook dinners since hes not good with cooking yet. But babyboy definitely tries!!

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

all the time!! izuku is usually watching you cook. whenever you're in the kitchen, hes there. He watches and takes notes so he can get better. He helps with all the non cooking parts- chops up everything and preheats the oven. He'll help clean up your mess as you go!!

𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤?

hmm both! he's a decent baker but he wants to learn more about both. baby never gives up on learning something new

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥?

hh at first? NO. You're surprised he's survived this long. You have no idea how he follows meal plans to stay in shape for hero work when the man barely knows how to boil water. He's admitted he used to go to Bakugous and annoy him until he was kicked out with a full stomach. but!! Once a week, you'll give him a lesson and watch over as he cooks, you know he'd rather die than give up trying to perfect something. He's a really fast learner and is actually starting to get good!! Next thing you know you'll be coming home from work and finding that dinner was already made- maybe a bit dry, okay. But its not that bad!!

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

He tries- he really really tries. He loves eating dinner with you, but being the #1 hero takes sacrifice and dinner with his loved ones is exactly that. He's too busy for his own good; completing patrols and missions, attending events, making appearances, writing reports??? Its all a LOT. He'll probably come home to eat dinner with you once (twice, if hes lucky) a month.

You know how hard it is on him. He would always sit down and eat dinner with his mom when he was younger and not being able to sit down and relax was stressful. One day you decided to surprise him! You two share your locations so you made dinner and went out to bring him food. You two ate on this agency's fire escape- He was so happy!! You remember that scene when spiderman ate a churro while sitting on the ledge of a building? thats yall. After that, he makes sure these midnight picnics are a daily thing- he wouldnt miss patrol dinners for the world

he always wraps an arm around you when you two eat during a patrol. He gets grumpy because you never bring a jacket and he doesn't have one on him to give you since hes in his hero suit ): you sit side by side, arms brushing against eachother as you two eat whatever you made

𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞?

Tonkatsu!! its one of his favorite foods and it doesn't take that mich effort or time to make

𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬?

Yours!! you're usually in charge of food- he's too busy and if he rushes cooking the food will turn out inedible. He doesnt have time to clean up after you- so he hires someone to clean the kitchen daily. A hero's salary has its perks!

Tenya Iida

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

not usually- its not because he doesnt want to. It just doesn't cross his mind. Cooking for him is more of a chore- He'd rather take you out someplace nice

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

All the time!! You two work around the kitchen with eachother effortlessly- never getting in eachothers way. He'll stop to watch you work your magic sometimes. Cooking with you is such a mundane yet enjoyable experience

𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤?

baker!! he mostly makes rolls and baked goods that arent too sweet. I strongly believe Iida likes to bake bread

𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥?

He's decent- he follows all recipes to a T so if its a bad recipe the food will turn out a little bland. u know when you see a recipe and it has little to no spices so you add some? Iida doesn't do that- a recipe is made to be followed

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

Yes!! You two try to eat together at least three times a week. On fridays his brother comes over for dinner- its always a grand time! The dining room booms with laughter and chatter

𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞?

beef stew!! thats one of the meals he makes thats really really good!

𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬?

shared! you both cook and bake equally and u never kick eachother out the kitchen. He loves being in the kitchen with you!! He'll press up against your back, resting his head on your shoulder and wrapping an arm around your waist as he watches you cook

he's tried being romantic and dance with you in the kitchen. poor baby just doesnt know how to dance. but humor him!! he loves dancing with you! Theres a speaker in the kitchen just for when you want to hold eachother in the kitchen and listen to music

Thanks for reading 🥺 If you wanna leave constructive criticism i'd really appreciate that ❤️ I take requests btw! lemme know if i should do a pt 2 w the other boys & shinsou! hope u enjoy ur day

- chili 🌶

262 notes · View notes

cherryhanji · 3 years

Text

sweet as brownies

bulleted scenario. stray kids (maknae line) x female reader

genre: high school au (time and setting is in high school) lots of fluff (bcs that's what alexa always do)

words: 883 (shorter than i thought hmp)

warning(s): food (chocolates, peanuts)

description: brownies is your comfort food. so what would you feel if someone baked brownies just for you?

alexa's note:

hey thereee! this is the second half of my valentine's gift for my precious friends here💖 I hope this little gift will make u happy today. i love you😘

•••

HAN JISUNG

• a messy guy

• a crackhead who doesn't even know how to crack an egg properly

• seeing their kitchen as messy as him

• "so is there a war that happened here?"

• jisung looks at you, looking so helpless, so being the good friend you are, you decided to help him tidy up

• "so i'm making brownies, then mom suddenly left. I don't know what to do"

• you knew it, jisung will always be jisung

• "did you plan this first? I mean did you even search the recipe and ingredients before doing this?"

• jisung just smiled at you, his gummy smile telling you that he DID NOT plan for this.

• "hey! Mom said she'll help me do it. Then she suddenly left. G-good thing you're here."

• You helped him reorganize everything, since you don't have nothing to do. Besides, you want to taste the brownies he made, being a brownie lover you are.

• "This tastes so good, Jisung! Wow, are you even a first timer at this?"

• Shy boy Jisung just flashed you a sheepish smile. His insides are triumphantly screaming since you loved his brownies

• "actually that's for you. I baked that brownies to give it to you tomorrow, my gift for you. And I'm really glad you liked it so much"

• this boy was way too sweeter than those brownies he made. and you love it.

FELIX

• the school's "brownie boy"

• famous for his brownies because he always shares his brownies to everyone.

• sunshine boy indeed

• "Do I still need to add more sugar? Or chocolate?"

• "Lix, these are the best. Don't doubt yourself, you did great."

• he is also the reason why you started loving brownies

• you are the one who tasted his first ever baked brownies

• your compliments made his confidence in baking escalates and you're glad that you are the reason behind it

• Felix always make sure you are the first one who tastes his freshly baked brownies, and you're beyond gkad that he entrusts you with that ond

• "oh! I have another one"

• the box that he gave you contains a brownie cake that is in heart shaped, with a little note inside the box

• "Happy Valentine's Day, Y/N. I know how much you love brownies and peanuts, so why not combine them? I hope you like it. -Lix"

• "Happy Valentine's Day, because of you I built the confidence to do what I love, and that is baking brownies, so I made one just for you. You are that special to me."

SEUNGMIN

• boy doesn't even know how to give it directly to you

• so he asked hyunjin instead

• "Seungmin said Happy Valentine's Day. Can you please tell him to man up and face you? I can't stand this hide your feelings anymore gosh"

• Hyunjin being dramatic again, gave you a cute box which heightens your curiosity

• Hyunjin just shrugged when you ask him what's inside, leaving you with no choice but to open it.

• Your eyes shooting hearts at the brownies inside.

• And maybe this is the best brownies you've tasted so far

• You want to share this with your friends but also realizing that you can just finish this in one sitting (sorry friends)

• you wondered who made these delicious delicacy

• and gladly, you saw Seungmin walking on your hallway, so you called him immediately, making the stunned boy stop in his tracks.

• "Thank you for this, I really appreciate it, but maybe I'll appreciate it more if you gave this to me personally"

• Seungmin just bit his lip and realized that you're right. Maybe it's better if he gave it to you personally

• "I'm sorry, I just- I don't know how will I give it to you."

• "It's okay. Just know that whatever you give me, makes me happy. But, may I ask, who baked this? It's really good!"

• Seungmin's heart almost jumped out of his chest, you liked it, it means that he did a great job.

• "I baked it, thank you. I'm really glad that you liked it."

I.N./JEONGIN

• "did you received something today?"

• Jeongin's question made you think of the brownies you received this morning.

• It was the best, and it made your sweet tooth scream for joy.

• It was nicely packed, visually satisfying, it's like a professional baker prepared this for you.

• "wait, are those brownies from you?"

• you heard him gasp for a millisecond, before hearing a soft chuckle from the other line.

• "yep, it's from me, I made it. Did you read the letter?"

• his last sentence made your eyebrows knit in confusion.

• so you immediately came back to the kitchen and get the box from the refrigerator to check if there is a letter inside.

• good thing that it was just under the plate.

• "Hey, I made these brownies for a sweet and adorable girl like you, hope you like it. You can just punch me tomorrow because I made your heart jump and put a smile on your pretty face. -innie"

•••

tagging my networks: (bcs sometimes it won’t show up in the tags😤)

@districtninewriters @inkidz @stayhavens @skzwriternet @0325-net

40 notes · View notes

imanes · 3 years

Note

do you ever get anxious or stressed over cooking for others (like friends etc)? i'm okay cooking for my family and stuff but i can't seem to cook or function well when trying to cook for others i feel like i put so much (unnecessary) stress on myself...i really want to host dinner parties and stuff but im terrified! help

hi! hmmm idk if i have any advice bc my state of mind honestly depends on who I am hosting and in what conditions... to be honest and like that’s a mean thing to say but I don’t get often stressed out for the simple reason that whenever there’s a big big big group of people in my house expecting to be hosted my first thought is “did i even ask you to come” akjlkfdjgs. making a dish when you’re stressed and making a dish without stressing yourself out will yield the same result but with the former adding difficulty so why bother? what are the stakes? if they’re disappointed they can eat at their own house next time, I am not a one-person restaurant. when I am with my friends or close family it’s of course different bc we usually end up cooking together and stuff but if I have to (unexpectedly) host extended family or whomstever tf i’m like “you’ll eat whatever I put on the table and say thank you” fjgljds that frame of mind removes a lot of self-imposed pressure I guess.

if you are less mean-spirited than I am (which i am sure you are) i’d say focus on 1. making simple things and 2. elaborating a game plan. if you know something needs to chill for a while, make it first and put it in the fridge. if you know your fridge is full, make space before u even start cooking. if you know a dish requires a lot of spices, prep it all before. the more you prepare and the less space for disaster there is and therefore the less pressure you will inflict upon yourself. prep as many things as early as possible and focus on the fact that at the end of the day the purpose of hosting ur loves ones is to spend time together and show them appreciation. in the process u also have to appreciate your own efforts and treat urself more kindly! nobody is expecting you to host a dinner part for 20 people by yourself and make yourself sick with worry and stress in the process.

third and most important thing to keep in mind: be realistic. if a recipe says that it’ll take 1 hour, rest assured that it’ll take more time than that. if you expect yourself to make elaborate a three-course meal for 10+ ppl without the years and years of training required to know your way to a T in the kitchen then you can put on the apron because that isn’t realistic. for the first few times, focus on things that u know how to do because you’ve done them many times and you own this recipe, don’t try anything new (especially not a new dessert!). if you want to serve something new, make a test version and see if you even like it. there’s nothing more stressful than feelingslike you’ve failed something bc the taste isn’t there yet. so make sure you know which dishes and desserts are ur strong suit, prepare as many things as possible (chop, assemble, measure, make space, etc), and set up a game plan on paper to make sure that you aren’t missing anything and allocating too little time to something (but also to make sure you aren’t forgetting a key ingredient due to your stress).

it’s gonna be ok! food is meant to be shared but it’s not meant to send you into a state of nervousness so great that it removes all the joy from sharing this moment. good luck <3

#Anonymous

11 notes · View notes

kirishwima · 4 years

Note

sooo, for the cute prompts can I request some domestic life scenarios with the RFA? Have a great day/night ♡

YES, this is exacty what i meant when i asked for cute prompts hehe ^o^ I’ll also add Saeran bc well, i haven’t written anything for him before and he deserves love too!!

YOOSUNG:

* There’s two scenarios for this sweet bean; living with him as students, and living together after graduating.

* As students, his scedhule is a bit hectic-he leaves early for classes, comes back dead tired in the afternoon, and honestly he wants nothing more than to just throw himself over MC and rest his head on their chest, taking in their warmth to recharge from the days’ fatigue.

* He loves to be pampered and cared for-if MC offers to rub his back, or help him study/make him some tea or snacks while studying, he’ll be so happy!

*He also loves to care for them though, and as a roommate, although often messy, he’s really caring-he’s usually the one cooking most of the meals, and loves to make MC’s favorites (the smile on their face when they eat something he’s cooked makes him twice as happy really), and will absoloutely cuddle them to sleep at night (aka at 3am when he’s done playing LOLOL, and is this kis a FURNACE WHY IS HE SO WARM)

* He loves to go grocery shopping together! He’ll absoloutely try and put MC in the shopping cart and run down the aisles with them until a security guard scolds them for it lmao

* When living together after graduation, he might mellow down a little-the initial jitters are gone, and he’s more comfortable around MC, especially if they move out and get a flat together-this is now their space, one they worked on and decorated together.

* Will absoloutely bring foster animals home, and even if they make a mess he cares for them so much MC finds it absoloutely endearing. Seeing him chase a bunny around begging it to stop pooping is quite freaking funny though and they do film him doing so and send it to the RFA chatroom lmao

* Honestly. Just an absoloutely sweet boyfriend, he’s just so grateful to have a person he loves to come home to everyday

JAEHEE:

* She’s the one that suggested moving in together, and though excited, she’s a little apprehensive at first

* She’s so used to having her own space and is really rigid about cleanliness even with her busy scedhule, so she’s afraid how she’ll react if e.g MC is a very messy person

* However she eventually learns to compromise, and so does MC-Their house is always clean, even if its’ a little messy at times. Jaehee learns to relax a little, and is just happy to have MC to come home to everyday

* Since they co-own the cafe, they take turns manning the shop and running house chores. She does however love whenever they’re able to go shopping for supplies for the coffee shop together.

* At home she’s always brewing new roasts of coffee or trying out new recipes of cakes and muffins-she loves baking with MC, finding it so adorable whenever they end up with flour on their nose, blushing a furious red if MC tries to feet them bites of the dessert themself.

* She’s not a cuddler, but loves to hold MC’s hand in hers when going to bed-nowdays she actually finds it impossible to fall asleep without the feel of MCs hand in hers

* She’s almost always the first one up in the mornings, and always brings MC a cup of coffee in bed to wake them up, along with a quick kiss

* They have movie nights once a week, and take turns choosing the film-it’s usually Zen’s musicals whenever it’s Jaehee’s turn, but MC doesn’t mind-not when Jaehee cuddles up with them, resting her back on MCs’ chest as they watch, constantly turning around to MC with wide bright eyes to comment on specific scenes.

* Seeing her smile every day is honestly such a blessing who wouldn’t want to live with her aaaaa

ZEN:

* This boy LOVES living with his SO, loves it!!!

* He is however extremely busy....and often comes home late....

* He’s happy MC is so understanding, but he’s furstrated with himself for not spending more time together even though they live under the same roof

* After deciding to live together, he’ll be willing to move out of his half-basement and into a place they choose together-that house holds many memories for him, yes, both good and bad, but he’s ready to say goodbye to that part of his life to start a new chapter fresh with his beloved.

* He’ll have so much fun going furniture shopping-absoloutely he’ll drag MC down with him on every bed to ‘test how comfortable it is’

* MC that’s a lie he’s absoloutely just trying to make sure how durable its springs are RUN-

* Ahem. Anyway yeah creating a place for the two of them to call home is an amazing experience, and he’s very lenient with compromises-he wants MC to be as comfortable as possible in their shared space, especially when he’s often home late leaving MC alone.

* On his free days he absoloutely makes up for his absence, becoming the absoloute boyfriend material-will wake up early and make MC breakfast in bed, waking them up with the sweetest kiss and the smell of freshly baked pancakes, will spend the day pretty much lounging like a big fluffy housecat-he’s s such an active and sporty person, yes, but he’s human too, and we’re lazy by nature lol

* He loves to rest his head on MC’s lap, feel them running their hands through his hair as they watch something on TV. The feel of their hands on him bring him ultimate bliss.

* Honestly just absoloute husband material, if only he had a little more free time lmao

JUMIN:

* He’s also a really busy man, but has the blessing of being able to more or less make his own scedhule, considering his position, so he’s sure to never miss dinner time with MC-it’s his own little ritual with them

* He loves to lay in bed with MC in his arms, stroking their hair as they tell each other about their day. He can’t go to bed otherwise.

* If he’s abroad, he’ll skype MC every night and fall asleep with each other on camera, and he’ll make it up to them a thousand times over once he’s back home

* He loves to bring little gifts and surprises for MC when he comes home-from a bouquet of their favorite flowers, to something he saw that reminded him of them

* On days off, he’ll want to do something creative with them-Jumin’s always up for finding new hobbies and learning new things, so he’s eager to share this joy with MC

* ((his current obsession is sculpting-he’s absolotutely working on making a reailstic life-like sculpture of Elizabeth the 3d to place on their home’s entrance))

* Often he’ll cook with MC, trying out new recipes together, ones they picked up from their travels around the world-he’s not afraid of trying new things, and same goes to flavours. He especially enjoys meditarranean cooking, and will search for the best products to cook with.

* Loves to wake up first simply to watch MC as they sleep-their peaceful expression brings the biggest of smiles on his lips MC wake up you’re missing the purest sight in the whole world

* Such a loving husband, perfect bean, 10/10

SEVEN:

* When all’s said and done, when both he and his brother are safe and he can finally breathe, he’ll absoloutely refuse to live together with MC in the fort he’s lived in for so long. It’s such a dark and gloomy place, he doesn’t want MC, his bright wonderful MC to live in such a constricting place.

* He’s really a family-oriented person-he’ll want a proper home for him and MC and Saeran to live in, one where their lives can actually finally feel normal.

* LOVES looking for a home with MC, viewing different properties and getting a feel of what suits them and what not-when the real estates agent tells them of homes with rooms perfect to eventually become nurseries, he can’t hide his gleeful smile, how he squeezes MC’s hand at the thought of having a home, a family, children-all he never thought he could have.

* Adjusting to a normal, everyday life is hard at first-he’s so unaccustomed to the most basic of things (like a freaking normal sleep scedhule) but with help he’ll get used to them

* Eventually he can’t fall asleep without feeling MC besides him-if he wakes up and finds the bed empty he panics, thinking of all the worst scenarios.

* Sometimes he’ll even get up at night to check that Saeran is alright, the fears of his past hard to completely leave behind.

* Learning to cook with MC and Saeran is a challenge he enjoys-it’s almost like a little cooking class, with MC hovering over the twins trying to make sure neither of them chops off a finger cutting onions or set the kitchen on fire by accident.

* If they have a backyard he’ll love tending to it-he doesn’t know much, but Saeran teaches him, and he has so much fun planting different flowers and watching them grow.

* Going to the supermarket with him is like taking a baby to the amusement park. He’s constantly finding candies and weird foods and stuff and tries to discreetly throw them into the shopping cart-it’s almost impossible to tell him no when he finds something he really wants and makes that cute ol’ puppy face as he clings to it ((that ‘it’ is most often Dr. Pepper and a heckton of junk foods))

* It takes a little getting used to, sure, but at the end of the day, living everyday with Seven is nothing short of an experience, and well, a way to make life fun.

V/JIHYUN:

* Honestly....he’s so caring and loves to have someone to care for and greet each morning every day with, but he’s been hurt so bad by such a person, that he’s really apprehensive at first.

* It took a long time for him to finally ask MC to move in with him-and even then he’s scared, scared of what they’ll see of him, scared of the power they hold over him-it’s like inviting a vampire into your home, a threat and pleasure all at once, and an offer impossible to take back once it’s been given.

* He’s so scared to love and give himself, worried there’s not much left of him to give-it’ll take a lot of patience and reassurance to allow him to open up again, to find who he really is and show his true feelings.

* When he does open up however-oh man. He loves so much and so strongly, and after starting to live with him, it’s impossible to think of how life was before him. It’s so natural, existing in the same space with him, it was as if there was nothing before him, no life to speak of.

* He loves to care for MC in the smallest of ways-from planting their favorte flowers on the windowsill, to softly humming songs to them when they can’t fall asleep, his hands wrapped around them, their head nestled in the crook of his neck as he rubs soothing circles on their hand.

* V’s a giver by his nature-to love means to give, and with MC he learns that to love is more than that-it’s to share. So he learns to share, to give and be given in return.

* He’s not a great cook, and more often than not something ends up burnt when he attempts to make meals, but he makes the most delicious hot chocolate in the whole world, and in the summer, he loves brewing all kinds of different lemonades, sitting out on the balcony with MC on particularly hot days.

* He’s not one that likes to stay home much-his soul is adventeruous, and he always feel a nagging feeling, the need to go out there and explore, see all there is to see-only now he wants MC beside him, wants to experience all there is with them.

* That doesn’t mean that he hates staying at home though-spending late lazy nights with MC, both in their pyjamas as they curl up on the couch-he’ll often smoke during those nights, be it his pipe or cigarettes, leaning closer to the window as they talk with MC about everything and anything. There’s something vulnerable about the night, and they’re the only person he wants to feel this vulnerability with, the only one he’s not afraid they’ll hurt him with it.

* Eventually he’d like to have a family, if MC also wants to-and even if not, he’d like to at least move into a house with them rather than an apartment, no matter how big or small it is-he’d just like a space with a yard they can plant a garden in, take care of it together. He’ll absoloutely grow fruit trees and herbs, bringing in the fresh produce daily to use for recipes with MC.

* He’s such a big softie and perfect husband material just-give this mint unconditional love p l e a s e

SAERAN/UNKNOWN:

* It also takes a l o t to get Saeran to agree to living together with MC. It’s not that he doesn’t want to-he does, more than anything, to be able to wake up everyday to his beloved’s smile, he’s just...scared. He’s not certain how he’d handle himself in certain situations, and living together with someone means they get to see every part of you, the good and the bad, and he’s afraid of how MC will react to the bad.

* They’ll have to remind him that they have seen the bad and the good, and they’re still here, and always will be. Only when he’s truly reassured of that will he agree, and even then he’ll be really shy and closed off at first.

* A place with a garden would be ideal, or somewhere with a view to a forest or away from the bustle of the city-he likes solace, and laying beneath a tree is the perfect remedy for his stress.

* Eventually he opens up, gets more comfortable around MC, starts to show his true self. The Saeran who’s happy, who is curious about the world, who constantly wants to explore and learn.

* He’ll love taking up a hobby like gardening with MC, will spend entire evenings with them on the couch and a book of botanology open on their laps as they sit with their shoulders touching, pointing to different plants and deciding on what they’d like to grow or not.

* He’ll visit Saeyoung frequently because well, he has to (aka he wants to but refuses to say it)), and will often inivte him back to their place, secretly laughing at his brothers’ jokes, enjoying how comfortably he and MC interact, seeing these two people-his family, in the same space he shares.

* It’s scary, to have a normal life after so long-but it’s what he craved the most, and now that he has it, he’ll never let go of it.

i had so much fun writing these aaa~

-send me mystic messeneger headcanons/prompts for characters to react to!-

173 notes · View notes

balkanradfem · 4 years

Text

Okay so here I am, poor and determined to figure out how to survive on food I can grow on my own, with the resources I have. That would be: a spot in community garden, seeds I've gathered by collecting and sharing, anything I can forage, and determination (no gardening experience tho). I realized right away that for a survival you need to have a stash of grains, legumes and potatoes (or similar). Since I don't have garden space to grow large scale grains or legumes, I had to source them from the store, for now. Oil as well, as I didn't get edible sunflowers yet.

But then, for everything else, would a garden be enough? The answer is yes, if you're filled with crazy defiance to buying stuff.

I found that as long as I have grain and oil at my disposal, I can easily go thru summer eating from garden. Last summer I was drowning in tomatoes, peppers and green beans, I had much more than I could eat so I canned a lot of salsa, dried plenty of basil, made some tomato sauce. I got enough garlic for entire year, plenty of herbs to eat and dry, I even attempted to sun-dry tomatoes and failed, but I know how to do it for this year. I froze a lot of green beans and some berries. I had also foraged for, and conserved a lot of fruit! Had a stash of walnuts as well.

I had trouble growing carrots, and my few potatoes got eaten by pests, so I was really missing them that year. I also couldn't figure out how to grow cabbage and cabbage savoy correctly, these crops did badly. Swiss chard and peas got destroyed in road construction. (Which I will never forgive.)

So autumn comes, and tomatoes all die, but peppers are thriving all the way until December. I'm still getting some green beans so I am doing just fine. I re-plant cabbage, cabbage savoy, and broccoli. This time they do better. I also plant lots of onions, garlic, celery, parsley, onion greens. I got a stash of potatoes and lots of swiss chard from friends so I am having a good time. And it's time to harvest all the winter squash I've been growing so now my basement is filled with food.

(Note that I'm still buying beans, rice, split peas, chickpeas, soy, oats and flour, I wasn't trying to survive without protein, only refused to buy vegetables.)

So the winter is here and I'm slightly worried because the garden doesn't seem to produce much, onions and cabbages mostly stopped growing, only thing that's doing well are my two broccoli plants! And those broccoli plants were amazing. I was able to harvest broccoli from them from December all the way to March. I was surprised with every visit that the broccoli just grew new florets and they're all tasty. Hell, I'm still eating it now in May because their seeds grow in little edible pods! And they take a bit of effort to harvest but taste awesome stir fried. Broccoli is a winter friend! (I left enough pods on the plants to still be able to get seeds. They grew thousands of them.)

I found out lots of people were able to grow cabbage, lettuce and other cold-hardy crops by making little greenhouses, just with some sticks and a cover. Keeping them little protected from cold and frost will enable them to grow. I was not yet up to trying that before seeing just what happens if you leave them as it is. Will go for covers next year.

So with the power of broccoli and my food stash, I actually bought next to no vegetables during winter. I think I got some onions and carrots once. Butternut and hokkaido squashes were eaten by March and delicious. Eating salsa was beyond satisfying and eating all the preserved fruit made me feel super fancy. Nothing got spoiled, which was incredible because I'm a first-time cannner.

Spring brought me onion greens and I love them so much I'm satisfied just having them. I can't make myself like lettuce no matter what. Cursed green. I start taking celery, accidental carrots and parsley home and make soups. I can't wait for peas. Strawberries are first to give me fruit. Foraging brings me nettle and dandelion greens and I finally get some calcium into my system.

I get some extra garden space and plant extra potatoes, green beans, squash and even summer melon. I will have zucchini and ground cherry and kale this year. I was trying to get okra but my seeds never arrived in mail. I'm also planting leek, and finally got swiss chard to grow.

I feel greatly optimistic about being self-sustainable with food! The first year was a little rough and I did lose weight when I didn't want to lose any, I was sometimes struggling to make meals because of ptsd, and during crisis my nutrition was awful. But overall, it was great. I got to know how sweet baby peas taste! I got to taste home-grown food all year and eat fresh from the garden. I learned so many recipes, and created lots. If I had soil to grow some corn, wheat, beans, chickpeas, soy, oats and potatoes, I would be all set. Having soil, is in fact, priceless. Soil and seeds. All we need to live.

I still need to figure out how to make salt, sugar and oil, or make replacements for them. I don't think I would need a big amount of them if I had lots of legumes and vegetables, but salt and sugar are necessary for conserving. I found many videos about processing wheat at home and they seem doable! I could have flour for sure. How are oat flakes made tho? I did not find that out.

I don't know if it's just bc I'm out of touch but there wasn't many foods I missed at all. I missed chocolate, but I did have cacao powder and made lots of sweets. I missed bananas but could definitely live without them. I can't think of any other food I lacked. Joy of defying capitalism is greater than joy of having bananas.

When I build a cob house, I'll have tomatoes growing under every window so I can just reach out and grab them for a snack. Strawberries will be covering every bit of available soil. I'll have sunflowers growing in circles, creating shade for me to nap in. I'll lie in the grass and watch tomatoes grow. All as it should be.

#growing food #food security #separatism planning #surviving on garden food #gardening #eating habits #food stash #long post

53 notes · View notes

black-bulls-squad · 4 years

Text

General Zora Ideale Headcanons

My absolute favorite sad bad boy deserves more love (and more screen time in the anime). I’ve got enough of these to write a book tbh but here I will give you these. ~ Admin Scotty.

* Most definitely has a small base somewhere in Clover Kingdom. It is a tree house that hes been working on since shortly after his dad died. It started out REALLY rough, no walls or anything, just a floor and a tarp overhead to keep the sun/rain off. Continuously built on it from scraped parts and stolen money from nobles /royals until it eventually had electricity, water, bare necessities. Kept a pallet and rations in there along with a picture of his dad. The place is completely covered and surrounded by traps, so you’re not getting to it either way.

* He had a little bit of tough time adjusting to living with all the other Black Bulls. After being alone for so long, so much company was a bit overwhelming. It didn’t help that Zora’s social skills weren’t the best from being a loner for so long. Luckily, the Black Bulls have quite a few friendly who made him feel welcome (whether he wanted to be or not.)

* Zora’s closest friends: Magna, Asta, Charmy, Vanessa and Gordon

* Was a little sad to leave his bachelor pad behind when he joins the Black Bulls and finally moves in. Once when Magna convinced him to go out for a drink they swung by there. Magna thought it was “super manly” that Zora had built it all by himself. Magna definitely wanted to turn it into a “man cave” for just them to hang out at. He was very disappointed when Zora declined.

* That being said, I think Magna is one of the first members (besides Asta) that Zora really gets to know when he moves in. Magna gave the most hot-headed reactions when he got pranked by Zora and it made him do it even more. Eventually Zora gets bored with it and the two actually get to know one another. They’re good friends now. Zora and Magna are usually in each others rooms or sat together outside. They like to talk shit about royals and train together (when Luck isn’t around). Surprisingly they have similar taste in music, food and alcohol so they enjoy going out drinking together. (These two are grungy edge-lord bffs and I’ll go to my grave screaming about it.)

* Zora will often “join” Asta while he’s training. And by join he means napping under a tree while Asta practices sword fighting and gets fucking jacked. Zora will occasionally critique his methods or form thinking he’s going to get under Asta’s skin but he never does. Sweet Baby Asta takes the criticism as room for improvement and genuinely enjoys Zora’s company. Secretly, Zora enjoys Asta’s positive and hard-working attitude. His naivety and child-like joy pull on Zora’s heartstrings and make him want to watch his back, even if he’d never admit it.

* Zora can cook and enjoys joining Charmy in the kitchen or taking over and treating her instead. Charmy appreciates any and all food, but food made by someone else just taste better, you know? They swap recipes and try new ones together. They are the only two who know where anything is in the kitchen. Needless to say, Zora always gets the best pieces and the biggest portions bc Charmy always feeds the homies. If asked to cook when Charmy is out on a mission, Zora suddenly becomes incompetent. How convenient.

* Zora and Vanessa are the most mature and comfortable with their sexuality at the base. After a few bottles and one fateful game of Never Have I Ever all the Black Bulls learned that both had been around the block SEVERAL times and had tried their fair share of things in the bedroom. They both share a drink sometimes and gossip a little bit about who they think is cute. ( I see both of them as being Bisexual AF and if you don’t like that we can meet in the parking lot.) Zora has a lot of hang-ups emotionally and has never pursued a serious relationship before. Vanessa helps him work through some of these and maybe pushes him if he finds someone he’s genuinely interested in.

* Zora chose to prank Gordon shortly after moving in. He left him a “present” in front of his room that actually ended up being full of rainbow stink bugs. Gordon fell for the bait but when Zora popped out to laugh at Gordon, he was shocked when Gordon thanked him for the gift and just went back in his room. Turns out Gordon keeps a few bugs and spiders as pets in his room. He now breeds stinkbugs for Zora. Zora was surprised to see Gordon’s room filled with terrariums and by the amount of information Gordon knew about them. Whenever Zora has free time, he sometimes tries to find cool and interesting bugs to bring back to Gordon.

* Moving in with the Black Bulls made Zora realize how lonely he had actually been since his dad passed. He was surprised by how friendly everyone was and how accepting they were of his and everyone else’s quirks. He would never tell any of them but he values their friendship a lot. They all secretly know tho because Zora never forgets to get anyone a present for their birthday and always conveniently “shows up” when one of them is struggling with a task/chore and need help.

#black clover headcanons #black clover imagines #zora ideale #zora black clover #black clover black bulls #magna swing #Vanessa enoteca #charmy pappitson #gordon agrippa #asta black clover

42 notes · View notes

disgrays-on · 6 years

Text

state of grace

Word Count: 4.2k

Pairing: Jason Todd // Reader

Summary: You wonder what you’ve done to deserve this life sometimes, wonder how it’s real, how it’s even possible that you get to wake up to Jason every single morning, so happy and safe and in love and loved.

A/N: god this is probably boring but i just really wanted to write it. had to cut it off bc it was getting too long for my attention span lol this’ll probably look better/make more sense on desktop than on mobile though

The sun pours into the room, flooding it with bright, golden light. Outside, you hear the hustle and bustle of the day, cars as they went by and mild chatter whenever a group of people walk by. You’re still in bed, still in Jason's arms, head propped on his chest and fingers splayed over his steadily beating heart. You breathe the scent of him in, comfortable and familiar and home, letting your eyes fall shut when he nuzzles into you, still half-asleep and drowsy. One of his arms snakes around your waist, keeping you pressed against him almost protectively. You wonder what you’ve done to deserve this life sometimes, wonder how it’s real, how it’s even possible that you get to wake up to Jason every single morning, so happy and safe and in love and loved.

Breakfast is the usual spread, simple and easy. Eggs and different kinds of bread and butter and jam. Tea for you and coffee for Jason. You find comfort in the habit of it all. In seeing Jason’s small smile, the one he reserves for only you, so shy and yet so wondrous and never failing to bring you so much joy. In watching him cook, bare-chested with sweatpants riding low on his hips, even against your better warning. In hearing him hum along quietly to the music playing soothingly from the speakers where he plugged his phone to. He catches you looking sometimes, a glint of mischief in his eyes as they flicker up to meet yours, the smallest hints of a smirk on his face. You try your hardest not to flush under his gaze.

“Talked to dad yesterday.” Jason brings up this morning, eyebrows furrowed and eyes focused on the eggs he’s frying, voice still husky from sleep.

You look up from your laptop, a plaintive hum leaving your lips. Usually, you try not to work at the kitchen table but this time had been an unavoidable case, last minute emails to read and respond to. Jason's back is still against you, one of his hands gripping the handle of the pan, the other holding on to a fork. You take a second to wonder when this could have happened and how you could have missed it. “How is he?”

You can’t see his face but something in him changes, like he’s resigned. He shrugs noncommittally, “He’s alright.”

“You guys aren’t still fighting, are you?” You can still remember how awkward the last family dinner had been, the tension hanging heavily over the dinner table, so thick you could have sliced right through it with a knife. You can still remember how furious Jason had been but at the same time, how lost he had been because he and his dad rarely fought. You can still remember the way he'd clung to you, arms tight around you but still trying to pull you closer.

“No.” He sighs, “It's just- I don’t know. They’re planning on coming over next week.”

“Oh. That’s a bad thing? I thought you missed them.” You sigh when he remains quiet, only the sizzle and hiss of the eggs and the sound of Jason’s soft music filling up the air. “Your dad loves you, you know that? He only wants what’s best for you.”

“I know.” He murmurs, before he shuts off the burner and slides the cooked eggs onto an empty plate. There’s relief in the corners of his eyes and a small smile on his face when he turns to place the plate in front of you. Jason has never really been good with emotions, either receiving or showing them, so you’re not surprised at his sudden change of topic. “Here you go. Better eat up if you don’t want to be late.”

“Thank you.” You beam up at him appreciatively, before shutting your laptop and pushing it aside. He takes the seat across you with a plate similar to yours, the mug of coffee that you had poured for him, still steaming hot, not too far from his reach. Breakfast conversation topics usually range from your plans for the day to weird articles that either of you find on the internet but today, the both of you opt for silence.

“Oh, we’re still on for tomorrow night, right?” You ask afterwards, tilting your head up slightly to meet his eyes. He’s right beside you, insistent on drying the plates that you’ve washed, even though you tell him that he doesn’t need to. You’d actually been really excited for the little date night. A movie and a nice meal, a night when you could forget all your responsibilities for even just a little while and enjoy. Truly, you adore the kids that you work with - and you’d never admit this to them or any of your colleagues - but Jason’s Jason. Nothing could ever possibly beat spending time with him.

“Of course,” He bends down slightly to press a kiss on your temple. There’s heat in his eyes when he looks up to meet yours, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

You roll your eyes, shutting off the tap before flicking the excess water from your hands in his direction, ignoring the twinge in your heart at his burst of laughter.

The little school you work in isn’t too far from the apartment. A few minutes away, past a decently sized park with huge trees and beautiful flowers. You can never go to work without stopping by for a while. You and Jason frequent the place, taking long walks to clear your minds when neither of you can sleep or picnics on bright sunny days. It’s as picturesque as always this morning, clear blue skies and fluffy clouds, the sunlight bathing the landscape, the cool air of the morning filling up your lungs. You spare a few minutes to take in the view before moving on, mentally reminding yourself to bring Jason back for another picnic.

“Can we read this book today?” One of your kids - Little Coraline, your mind supplies, a sweet but shy young girl - ask, peering up at you with shining eyes, a book clutched in her hands. You’d been cleaning up after the last lesson, picking up stray crayons and loose paper. Behind her, a few others look on excitedly. It’s their break time but how could you even say no to their excited little faces? They’re all such a delight, nothing as difficult as some of the students that your colleagues had. They bicker from time to time, but it’s usually over the tiniest matters and they’re easily resolvable.

“Of course,” You smile at the little girl, plopping down to the carpeted floor, “What do you have there?”

“The little red ridin-” Her face scrunches up with effort, mouth twisting into a frown, “Little red hood!”

“The little red riding hood?” You hum as she hands you the book, you don’t remember ever seeing the book in your classroom but the kids brought their own books in from time to time. “Really? You promise you won’t get scared by this one?”

“I won’t!” She giggles, clambering onto your lap as you open the book. The rest of the kids hurry to sit around you, huddling together with sweet grins on their faces.

The rest of the day goes by as quickly as it does whenever you’re with your kids. Jason picks you up at the end of the day, even if you tell him that he doesn’t need to. He’s leaning back against his bike when you first see him, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed thoughtfully. You’re not sure if it’s because of his helmet, but he looks a bit frazzled, hair tousled and form heavy.

“You okay?” You ask him, after he gives you a distracted little kiss.

He nods, finally returning to you, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just work stuff.”

“Okay.” Even after all the years that you’ve been with him, there are still things that he isn’t particularly comfortable with sharing. You’re fine with it, really. Some secrets are better off as secrets. “Well, thank you for taking time out of your very busy day to pick me up.”

He gives you a little squeeze before he hands you your helmet.

Jason’s no longer so preoccupied with whatever it was that happened at his workplace by the time the both of you arrive at a grocery store. He’s enthusiastically telling you about this recipe that he’s been meaning to try as you walk down the frozen food aisle, a dumpling recipe that he found online, fingers intertwined with yours in the pocket of his jacket. The both of you discuss what needs to be bought - fresh ingredients, meat and vegetables and other kitchen necessities - before parting to cover more ground.

When you finally find Jason, all of the items you needed in your arms, Jason’s speaking to a petite old woman with salt and pepper hair, clad in a huge red and blue sweater. You recognise her as one of your neighbours, a few floors below yours, and you’re not surprised that Jason’s so friendly with her. He would never admit it but he had such a soft spot for your elderly neighbours, loved helping them or sitting down for tea with them whenever he could.

“They’re green peas, ma’am.” Jason nods, handing the can back to the old woman.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Her smile is bright, her laughter frail, “Sometimes things just don’t seem right to an old woman like me.”

“Any time.” Jason’s proud smile squeezes at your heart and you have to bite down on your bottom lip to stop yourself from squealing at how adorable he’s being. “Do you need help with your basket?”

“No, I’ll be alright. Thank you, dear.” She gives Jason a few pats on his forearm before she shuffles away, basket and can in hand.

“You’re adorable,” You nudge him slightly after placing all of the items that you’ve picked out into the basket he’s holding. You take a quick moment to see what he’s picked out, a few bottles of seasonings, sesame oil and rice vinegar and fish sauce, the ingredients he needed for his dumplings. You pick out a box of cereal that you’ve never seen him buy before, alarmingly bright in colour and frosted in more sugar than you think is healthy.

“Dick likes those, wanted to try them.” You hear him murmur, and when you look up, his eyes are elsewhere.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Dick?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing.” He shakes his head, “We done?”

This time, at home, you cook alongside Jason. You work on tonight’s dinner, plain old grilled chicken and mashed potatoes while Jason works on his dumplings, hands steady as he pleats his dumplings. You tell him about the silly things your students did today, a young boy and his increasingly ridiculous reasons for not doing his homework, and later in the day, the same one trying to revolt. He chuckles, low and quiet, eyes still focused on the dumpling on his palm, as he begins to tell you about his own day.

“Taste this.” You hold up a spoonful of gravy to his mouth.

There’s a boyish grin on his face after he tastes it, “So good.”

You get dreams sometimes, and it’s always a cycle of the same few.

One, it feels like you’re flying. You feel the rush of the wind against your cheeks, and you hear laughter that isn’t just yours. There’s thrill in your bloodstream, adrenaline fuelling the pump of your heart. Jason’s there too, face pure happiness. But there’s something heavy lodged in your chest, a sadness hanging over your head, almost like there’s an impending doom around the corner.

Two, the both of you are on the ground but you’re surrounded by thugs. Jason’s masked but you know that it’s him. You’re throwing punches and kicks and a quick peek at Jason tells you he’s doing the same. You’re not scared, and it doesn’t seem like Jason’s scared either. The two of you are trading quips, laughing and joking around as if this was something that happened a lot. He tells you that he’s going to finish up first, playful and almost daring you to prove him wrong. You do.

Three, there’s only blood and darkness and Jason’s groans and grunts of pain. You’re gasping and panting for air and you don’t know why, but it doesn’t seem like there’s enough air for you or for him or for anybody. He’s on his back, clutching at his side that’s sliced open and dark blood is pouring out of his wound and you don’t know how you know, but you know that there is no coming back from this. This is the end. You can never shake the panic and you wake up crying every single time. It’s the worst out of the three, you think.

But whenever you wake up from it, Jason’s there. He’s awake and he pulls you back down to his chest, where you can hear the soothing beats of his heart. He curls around you tighter, and he murmurs quiet words to you, comforting and calming. You don’t think to ask him why he’s awake in the first place.

Sometimes, it feels like there are gaps in your memories. You don’t know your family, who or where they are, you ponder as you watch a couple clutching at their child’s hands cross a road. You can tell anyone about a random event that happened a few years ago but you can’t seem to remember what happened before you woke up a few days ago. Sometimes, you look outside and you see darkness, grit and grime and dirt and crime, broken things instead of the peace that you always see and it terrifies you.

At first, you think, maybe it’s you. Maybe there’s something wrong with you.

But there are gaps in your cognition, blurry little slots where memory should be but instead, there is only a void. It's empty, cold and bleak. And you know, you just know, that this isn't possible. That, surely, something should be there. It creates a dissonance within you, a disconnect from the world around you and the one that fills your memories, a thick bold line drawn to separate the two. There's an odd lacking, like the final piece of a puzzle has gone missing but instead of it hiding at the bottom of a box, it's just gone, like it never existed in the first place. And it makes you doubt, makes you so uneasy, makes you think that something's not right. That nothing adds up. That it doesn't feel right.

And you’re not sure why.

Or what to do.

“Hey.” You flinch at Jason’s voice, pulling you out of your little reverie. Water’s still gushing out from the kitchen tap, a pile of dirty dishes still at the bottom of the sink, and you rush to shut it off before turning to Jason.

“Have you seen those books that Bruce gave me?” He asks you, eyes flickering around the room, “I’m pretty sure I left them around here somewhere.”

“Um, no. I-” You furrow your eyebrows, as you take the sight of him in. He looks like how you feel. Lost. Exhausted. Confused at the words that just left his mouth. “Who’s Bruce?”

The feeling is still at the pit of your stomach, discomfort settling in your bones and unease snaking around your heart. It’s slightly cloudy today, dark grey clouds and a dark shadow covering everything. It feels different, like there’s a storm is brewing and there’s this electricity in the air. You bite down on your bottom lip. It just feels different.

“Thanks for your advice, by the way!” Your co-worker smiles at you from across your table. You didn’t even hear her come close. She must have noticed your confusion because she rushes to explain, “Remember the other day when one of my kids got blood on my skirt? Your advice worked! How did you know that the ammonia thing would work?”

“Right.” You gulp, returning her smile with a small one of your own. You don’t remember. You can’t. Your nerves are sharp, jagged glass. “Must have read it online somewhere.”

The date with Jason takes most of your mind off of it, the discomfort slithering away as Jason throws an arm around your shoulder and talks your ears off about a friend at work. The movie is hilarious, a buddy cop adventure turned romcom movie but the both of you spent quite a bit of time making out so you can’t really be too sure. His hands, warm and wandering. His lips, heavy and distracting. You had to put a lot of effort to not just moan out loud. At the end of the movie, he pulls you close to him, hips pressed together, a smirk on his face.

He gives you his jacket a quarter of the way to the restaurant, looks really pleased with himself as you slide it on. It’s huge on you but it makes you feel safe like nothing else ever has. His smile reaches his eyes as you tease him about it, and it’s breathtaking, and gosh, you’re so in love with him. You tell him as much and he tugs you into a kiss almost instantly. He only pulls away after he gives you one final kiss on the tip of your nose.

It’s all well and the feeling of unease doesn’t return until you hear muffled yelling and sounds of a scuffle as the both of you walk past an alleyway. Your first instinct is to turn around, to find the source of the voice and to help but Jason tugs you close and leads you away before you can. You can’t read his face but his lips are pressed in a line and his grip around you is tight. The rest of the walk to the restaurant is spent in silence. (There are flashes. Of the both of you in a similar situation. Except in that one, you’re in the alleyway. And Jason’s masked. And he’s fierce and angry and you can hear bones crack after each punch. You wonder and wonder, and the discomfort slithers back around you.)

Everything goes back to normal when the two of you arrive at the restaurant. Or at least, it seems that way. It’s loud, chatter from all the other patrons and cheery music blasting from the speakers. It’s nothing too fancy but it’s still quite an established restaurant so you settle into your seat quickly. The both of you talk about the movie - 9/10, you’d watch it again - and then move on to random things like the little kitten that you’d seen at the park and Jason’s newest client and their ridiculous demands. About a meal in, the two of you are already laughing and snickering, discomfort and troubles all forgotten, feet tangled underneath the table. He orders a milkshake and you steal it because he teased you about your fascination with him and he deserved it. He orders another one about ten minutes later and he lets you steal that one too.

But the dreams are still there and it’s the same but just ten times worse this time. This time, it just feels all too real. A part of you knows that something’s wrong. Heart pounding, sweating bullets, you sit up. Jason’s not in bed this time to pull you close so you shove away the covers and move to find him sat in the kitchen, a half-empty glass of water in front of him.

“Can’t sleep?” You ask him, taking the seat next to him and leaning your head against him. He lets you, pressing a small kiss before you feel him heave a deep sigh.

“No.”

“Bad dreams?” You press your lips against his shoulder. He rarely ever talks about his dreams or his nightmares but something tells you that tonight would be different.

“Sometimes, it feels like I’m dying while I’m asleep.” He says to you after a stagnant silence and you bite down on your lips to stop yourself from reacting. “And it feels real but I—”

And the thing is, you know exactly what he’s talking about. You wrap your arms around his middle, pressing your face into his shirt. You’re not sure what pushes you to but the words spill past your lips before you can stop them, “You and I…We’re real…right?”

You feel him tense beneath you. You don’t dare to look up, to look at his face and see it flickering like everything around you seem to be doing recently, to look up and see flashes of something else, to look up and see him fading away. You didn’t know what’s happening or why it’s happening or what it means but you just want it all to be alright. You just want it all to be normal again.

He knows too, you think. That something’s not right but neither of you seems to want to admit it. Maybe it’s instinct, maybe you’re crazy but deep down, you know and Jason know that nothing is right. You know that when he’d picked you up that day, when he’d seemed so distracted, it had been him mulling everything over, when everything started to piece together for him. You didn’t know a Dick or a Bruce but he did. And the flashes of dreams are too real to be anything but a memory but it didn’t fit anywhere, like a too-big piece of a puzzle that couldn’t fit anywhere, that belonged to a different puzzle set altogether. The overlaps between your dreams, whenever he tells you about his - the rush of wind, the fighting, the masks - it’s all too much to be a coincidence. Even deeper down, you feel like all of it, this life right now, has always been too good to be true.

“Of course.” He says, voice thin and soft. You’re not completely sure he believes it either.

It all comes crumbling down a few days later, at a coffee shop near your shared apartment, in the middle of another one of yours and Jason’s playful bickering.

“Jason!” You hear someone call out and the sight of him stirs something inside of you. A young man with dark tousled hair, familiar blue eyes and a stature that’s so familiar and yet you still couldn’t quite put your finger on it. There are bags under his eyes, frustration and exasperation in his voice. You know this person. The words you want to say falls away, the conversation faltering.

“Am I supposed to know who you are?” Jason asks, even as the realisation dawns on him and the furrow of his eyebrows smooths out. He knows him. The both of you know him.

Tim.

Dick.

Bruce.

The masks, the fighting, the Red Hood.

And then everything just clicks and suddenly, it feels like the reality you know is falling around you, taking your heart along with it. Your first instinct is to deny everything that he - Tim - is saying as he begins to explain. Because it couldn’t be real, because everything that happened so far had to be real because even if there were moments when you’d been dubious about everything, it had been the greatest moments of your life and it couldn’t not be real. It wasn’t possible. A world where you weren’t actually together with Jason, where you didn’t really live with him or have this perfect domestic life with him where he made you breakfast and picked you up after work and the both of you are happy and safe and in love couldn’t be real.

And yet, it makes perfect sense. With everything that’s been happening, the little moments when your reality seemed to flicker in and out of existence, the emptiness and the dreams and the memories that should be there but aren’t, you realise that it makes the most sense. That being stuck in a weird time pocket, a fantasy alternate world, a different timeline than your original, isn’t so far-fetched. Because deep down, you’d known. And Jason had known.

The memories are quiet as they come back, slow but unforgiving as they crawl back to where they belonged. No matter how much you want it to be true, this world where you were together with Jason, where you lived with him and had this perfect domestic life with him where he made you breakfast and picked you up after work and the both of you were happy and safe and in love wasn’t real. Because in your world, Jason’s birth parents are dead and his relationship with his adopted family is shaky at best and he’d died and sometimes almost dies again when he gets too reckless in the field. Because in your world, there’s pining and heartbreak and blood and tears and pain. Jason isn’t in love with you and the both of you aren’t together and nothing is this simple in the other world.

Your hands tremble in your lap as you hear Tim and Jason discuss how to escape this weird situation that you were in, how to get back to a world where everything is dark and painful, how to get back to a world where you aren’t with Jason and he isn’t with you and it almost breaks you. None of it had been real. None.

220 notes · View notes

tipsycad147 · 4 years

Text

Aquarius January National Popcorn Day

By shirleytwofeathers

National Popcorn Day is celebrated at the end of January, although its exact date is a matter of debate. Various sources report it as January 19; others claim it takes place on whatever day the “big game” falls on.

Why not use this day for some popcorn magick?

Then he thought if he had some milk, he would have popcorn and milk.

You can fill a glass full to the brim with milk, and fill another glass of the same size brim full of popcorn, and then you can put all the popcorn kernel by kernel into the milk, and the milk will not run over.

~from Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Magickal Associations of Corn:

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus, Pluto

Element: Earth

Season: Lammas and Mabon

Deities: agriculture and solar deities

Correspondences: Protection, Luck, Divination, Blessing, Offering, Fertility, Abundance

Popcorn Offerings

I’m not sure if you are aware of it, but nature spirits like popcorn. I have it on authority from Chickadee who has had complex relationship with a number of nature spirits, that they almost all like popcorn, particularly the sea gull spirits. This is a great way to introduce children to the idea of a relationship with the land…however, because of the (practical) negative implications of feeding wildlife, it is important to not leave food out too much or too often and to change the area where offerings are left, so that wildlife do not become accustomed to it.

Popcorn Chains

At Yule, when we decorate our tree, we include a popcorn garland. Part of our tradition when we make it is to use what we add to say a thank you and a blessing for someone we love (not for every single piece, but for our “family strand” of garland that that goes on the top of the tree).

Stringing magic popcorn into edible jewellery is an easy way to add a bit of extra love or joy or healing blessings for the kids, and it even makes a great sibling or parent gift. A few months ago, when my daughter did something especially naughty, got it in her head to make a “sorry necklace” for her brother. After eating caramel popcorn on a string, he was in a better mood to forgive her…

Popcorn Fortune Balls

This should be pretty obvious–think fortune cookie in a popcorn ball. Or, if you are packing a lunch for a trip or a day at school, put in an encouraging note or positive thought. Put a popcorn fortune ball on the end of a straw, and add some pipe-cleaner petals for a edible bouquet gift from the kids. All you need are some small strips of paper with a message written on them, and a popcorn ball recipe–stuff the message in the centre of the ball as you shape it.

Venus Popcorn Spell

Sharing a bowl of popcorn with someone you love is one of life’s simple pleasures. Adding a sprinkle of practical magic may be akin to “gild-ing the lily,” but who doesn’t like to stir up a little love magic now and then? Rent a favourite romantic movie tonight. Pop some fresh popcorn, add butter if desired, and season with love herbs and passionate spices as suggested below. Say as you do so: “Venus, bless us with love and beauty.”

Garlic salt, chilli powder, and red pepper-to rekindle your love life.

Parmesan cheese and dried basil-for Italian style romance

Chilli powder, garlic, and basil-fiery passion.

A touch of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla powder-for comfort and warmth.

More Popcorn Day Activities

Guess the Amount: Fill a container with popcorn kernels and have everyone guess. The winner gets a nifty prize.

Popcorn Air Hockey: Can you “volley” the kernel back and forth 20 times without letting it fall? For this you will need: a flat surface (table), straw (to blow), coffee stirrers (as paddles) or hands (as paddles).

Popcorn Relay Race: Holding popped corn in a spoon, run relay races to see which team can keep the popped corn in the spoon longest without spilling it.

Popcorn Basketball: Can you flick a piece of popcorn into the basket? Muffin tins or small cups can be used for the basket.

Make a Popcorn Word Search: Use these words: popcorn, pop, kernel, explode, heat, moisture, grain, snack, crunchy, butter, oil, salt, fiber, bag, hull.

Write a Popcorn Haiku (5, 7, 5 syllable pattern poem): Like this!

Oil, kernels, heat, time Many loud explosions heard Pop, crunch, snack time. Yum!

How many words can you make from this phrase? “Fresh hot popcorn”, “Popcorn tastes good”, “I like popcorn”, “Hot buttered popcorn”

About Popcorn:

Popcorn has been around for 5,000 years. Archaeologists and researchers believe it to be the oldest of a group of five sweet corns. Popcorn originated in Mexico but quickly spread globally. Popcorn ears over 5,600 years old were found in New Mexico in 1948 and 1950, they are the oldest ears of popcorn known.

Popcorn was integral to early 16th century Aztec Indian ceremonies. Bernardino de Sahagun writes:

“And also a number of young women danced, having so vowed, a popcorn dance. As thick as tassels of maize were their popcorn garlands. And these they placed upon (the girls’) heads.”

In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.

An early Spanish account of a ceremony honouring the Aztec gods who watched over fishermen reads:

“They scattered before him parched corn, called momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower; they said these were hailstones given to the god of water.”

Writing of Peruvian Indians in 1650, the Spaniard Cobo says, “They toast a certain kind of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it as a confection.”

In South America, kernels of popcorn found in burial grounds in the coastal deserts of North Chile were so well preserved they would still pop even though they were 1,000 years old.

Some Popcorn Trivia:

Popcorn is a subspecies of corn called Zea mays everta, and like all corn, it is part of the grass family

An 8 foot in diameter popcorn ball, weighing 3,415 lbs, created in 2006 in Lake Forest, IL is the largest popcorn ball on record

A popcorn kernel needs 14% moisture content to pop

The oldest popcorn popper was discovered in Peru dating back to 300 AD

October is National Popcorn Popping Month!

After bread, popcorn is one of the most popular foods that people feed waterfowl. Unfortunately, feeding waterfowl isn’t a good idea…

Popcorn is the official state snack food of the state of Illinois

Archaeological evidence of popcorn dates back to 4700 BC in Peru

During the Great Depression, popcorn became exceedingly popular due to its relatively low price and was one of a few businesses that did well.

The Science of Popping Corn:

Popcorn works because each individual kernel (thanks to the hard shell) becomes its own pressure cooker, which then explodes, turning itself inside out. Inside the shell is a starchy substance and water. As the kernel heats up, the water turns into steam and the steam cooks the starch into a super hot jelly-like substance that explodes. After exploding, the water evaporates and the starch dries out, leaving the kernel flipped inside out, in the shape we know as popcorn.

Sources:

Web Holidays

LLewellyn Spell A Day

Bay Witch Musings

Popcorn.org

https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/pagancalendar/category/january-holidays/page/2/

1 note · View note

xxogourmet · 5 years

Text

En España, no necesitas pedir comida....

Primero, if there is one conclusion that i have come to during my most recent visit to Europe (and good lord! this is my LAST [and only 2nd, so far] European excursion for a long while) it isssss….. that servers always , always , ALWAYS appreciate un poco propina (ALWAYS!). i don’t care what bourgeoisie member, what aristocrat, what rich pig tells you otherwise. Y tambien no creo que (that) of all the American things that have been exported & have caught on around the world the good ol’ tip is not one that every damn camerero the food & bev world over would not find something to do with, some laundromat to use it in, some vending machine to snack on it.

So, give tips, yall- even when the cheapskates & tour guides say it really isn’t necessary/ or that it is offensive or lo que sea. People need money out here (especially in the service industry.) No es like automaticamente the servers in España or Portugal have way more money than those in the States or occupy some super high status just because they wait tables in Europe.

Por lo menos, servers worldwide work just as hard as any “suit,” they occupy a lower status & therefore make an “okaay ” living but not very glamorous and certainly not luxurious. Servers often are the tour guides, the direction-givers as well - so, shake em some change while your'e traveling! Don’t be cheap/ stingy/ ungrateful for having a meal sans spit. :-)

APPRECIATION: incluye las cosas pequeñas , no solomente los grandes.

PSA>>>>>>>> When in Rome - don’t smoke the cigarettes! It’s still bad for your health, niños! Even though it might seem cooler to smoke in front of ancient European cathedrals & ruins…. I understand.

SPANISH FOOD in my opinion:Simple, regular, count -on-able goodness - not necessarily fresh all the time (ahem, boxed milk) y tambien falta un poco de sazon o sal (a veces) too (pero comida buena - cada. vez.)

Let’s be real, Portugal y Espanya are close enough geographically that their languages, customs & cuisines (the intended subject of this article) are not drastically different, they are not, so i will talk/discuss them together for the purpose of this essay & anyway, i traveled to those 2 places together/during this trip so their comparison is fresh.

Alor…1st impressions: Portugal, Darling…you don’t have enough porto o madeira to maintain your name. I was aghast at how little Port was around, how rarely it was mentioned or pushed on me. I traveled to Portugal expecting to drown in the sweet, sappy goodness!

Segundo, the effortlessness with which you offer/provide pastries Y perfect (!)coffee astounds an American like me who is accustomed to doing LOT for a little bit of good coffee & bread (you share this trait with Espanya.)

In Spain y Portugal, there is a distinct feeling of self-ingratitude or self non-appreciation, self-discounting, self-sabotage (especially w/ the drinking & nonstop cigarette smoking) self-debasement, self pejorativation, bueno…many words i could create for this feeling but i hope you get the idea–a lack of self-esteem which I believe is the reason why Spain y Portugal give themselves away for less (ladies! i hope you hear me!) & by extension, are somewhat looked down upon by some of the other countries in the EE.UU. Bueno quizás it all started bc these countries seem to cheapen themselves! This is very interesting to observe as it is in direct contrast to the American “Puff Fish” mentality - a culture young & hallow that self aggrandizes to cover for a lack of substance, lack of pith, lack of history, lack of self-knowledge or genuine self-belief. Nowmaybeeee, this is a very dramatic overstatement of a social observation.

Back to food- bueno! I believe, this self-depreciation leads to 2 things :

1. Giving away more for free (snacks que vienen con cada cerveza, vino or the tiny muffins that comes w/ coffee)

2. Lack of self-confidence that holds the cuisine in a status quo sin experimentation (the “spiciest” food (read: most interesting food) that i experienced while traveling was Mozambican in Lisbon) ——- i was craving/wondering what the “New Spanish” chefs were creating! But alas, tricky to find those “wild,” experimental restaurants.

Spain & Portugal me parecen muy traditional en muchos aspectos: la comida, la sociedad, los planes de la ciudad. Pero al reverse perhaps it is this tradition, this belief in how things are & have been that allows the cafeterias y cafes to offer a no-buts-about-it, killer product without pretense, without a need for tip or confirmation (they know what they’ve got! Been serving’ it for years!). Knowing that it is good porque tortilla espanola is ALWAYS good (& it’s somebody’s Grandma’s recipe from 1937). But of course this traditional mindset no funciona as well in our times today (i use the word “our” to speak of us youngsters/millennials/kids that want that new-new all the time)

Culinarily, it must be said that traditional approaches to food are generally established on the mistreatment/ over consumption of animals (Did you know that the bullfights still END with the murder of el Toro?! Yo no sabia before this trip…..que triste) For this reason - the traditions. must. change but also our times usher in an exciting space where we require algo nuevo de quality, algo exotic pero mixed with lo que es familiar Y friendly. Our desires are brand new! Complicados? (no), profundos, frescos, diferentes. What we want needs muchos colores y sentidos pero todos los sentidos must feel gooooooooooooooooooood.

Of course, for me as an enjoyer at the end of the day, traveling is a joy & i loved everything that I was blessed to eat- the food & the excess of olive oil pleased me mucho (it’s so good for the hair and skin!) & it’s so comforting with hot, crusty bread!

There is an overall feeling of generosity & hospitality that comes w/ free food in Spain even with the confused & supercilious looks of the locals as I walked down the street in my very ostentatiously American clothing. No dish really blew me away but every dish pleased me at least. I did leave Europe COMPLETELY unconvinced of buying food in upscale, “white tablecloth” restaurants for what they offer in status/look-at-me they could never provide in realness or feeling of how things really ARE in a place. Give me that real shit! Vale, Espanya y Portugal gracias por tu hospitality y basic goodness espero cuando nos reunimos sepáis mas que valor tienen!

Postres + crema

Calamares

Vino + Patatas

Jamon + Queso

Pastel de nata

Pulpo

Bacalao

Pimientos

Tortilla española

Cafe con leche

Pan! Pan! Pan!

Aceite de oliva!

Aceitunas!

#xxogourmet #exxotique #gourmet #food #writer #brooklyn #sabino #smith #afroitaliana #dj turned writer #yum #yumbo #recipe maker #spain #portugal #findings #camino de santiago #delicious #yummy

0 notes

itsfionajayneposts-blog · 5 years

Text

Good evening, it’s been a while but here we are… Tonight we have travelled to two countries and the food was delicious.

Where did you go, I hear you ask? Well our main course took us to Tarragona, the Roman city on the coast south of Barcelona. Our dessert was a delicacy from the shores of the Aegean sea.

As an adult, it worries me when someone tells me something tastes good. What’s good to one person may be appalling to another and I always feel duty-bound to agree that yes, this food does indeed taste “good” even if I do not especially care for it. I don’t really like or want to rain on someone’s taste parade but I much prefer it when someone says something comparable with “this dish is pretty spicy which I love.” This sort of language does not corner me into agreeing, unfairly that I like something or admitting that I do not like something then feeling bad about it. Describing food is something we have to be mindful of and know that no two people taste the same.

However, last evening our son cooked and I was worried, genuinely worried, when I saw what it was. I love fish, love fish curry, but was unsure about whether the combinations of the fish in the dish and also whether or not my husband would eat the monkfish. The picture showed the dish to be very uninteresting and unexciting.

How wrong was I?

This fabulous dish – Romesco De Peix, which translates into Seafood Stew with Romesco pepper sauce was. A well-prepared delightful meal with great presentation and an interesting flavour that I had never experienced before. This classic dish takes its name from the nyora or romesco chilli pepper. The sauce was very garlicky, dense with nuts and fantastically aromatic.

Tarragona is a port city found in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. It was founded before the 5th century BC, it is also the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarragonès and Catalonia. It was previously known as Tarraco. It was the oldest Roman colony on the Iberian Peninsula and turn into the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior, and of Hispania Tarraconensis during the Roman Empire.

Tarragona’s cuisine is an echo of its bygone and ethnic character and as a Mediterranean port, it owes much of the richness to the sea where there is plentiful fresh seafood from Catalonia’s largest traditional fishing port and an absolute abundance of local produce that has given rise to a regional cuisine with a distinctive flavour and genuine personality.

This I totally concur to after last night’s meal, it was the food of the gods and I would highly recommend it to anyone. William cooked a gastronomical encounter that left me full but still wanting more. William certainly outdid himself. It was all lovingly prepared and this dish from Catalonia – which contained monk fish, cod, sea bass, and clams – was without a doubt one of the most scrumptious dishes I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing. I would certainly eat it again. I would recommend you all try it. If you research you could find it could contain any other firm-fleshed white fish, maybe a bit of salt cod. And nearly any type of shellfish, cephalopod or bivalve can be combined, such as mussels, squid and prawns.

Wils recipe came from Sarah Woodward: The Classic Mediterranean Cookbook.

#gallery-0-9 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-9 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-9 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-9 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Dessert was as I remembered it from when I was a student and it seemed to be something we would eat regularly, it certainly was a lip smacking experience and brought lots of good memories flooding back.

Baklava, Pastry with nuts, was originally made up of 40 sheets of pastry, which symbolised 40 days of Lent and was traditionally served and eaten on Easter Day. The popularity of this sublime dessert spread and soon became a favourite of Turkish Sultans, who absolutely loved the buttery pastry and sweet sticky syrup.

Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the Levant, the Caucasus, Balkans, Maghreb, and of Central and West Asia

The word baklava is first demonstrated in English in 1650, a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations.

Although the history of baklava is not well recorded, its recent form was probably established in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The Sultan bestowed trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of the month of Ramadan in a pageantry procession called the Baklava Alayı.

Baklava is normally prepared in large pans. However, Will used a deep baking tray. Many layers of filo pastry separated with melted butter and laid in the baking tray. A layer of chopped nuts, which are typically walnuts or pistachios, but hazelnuts. These are placed on top, then more layers of filo then repeat the process until all ingredients used. Then before baking the dough is cut into regular pieces, often oblongs.

After baking, a syrup, which may include honey, rosewater, or orange flower water, Will’s had rosewater is poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak in..

Baklava is usually served at room temperature, often garnished with ground nuts.

All I can say is that this was the most enticing dessert and was prepared with great care and attention to detail. The presentation and the taste were both perfect., it was nutty, sweet simple and palatable.

Williams recipe is from Sarah Woodward: The Classic Mediterranean Cookbook.

This whole dessert was a divine,combination of different nuts along, sugar, honey which formed the syrup – that came together with the butter and syrup and a well chosen dish.

Thank you Will for cooking and, we look forward to sharing with you our followers again very soon. If you try this let me know and I can share.

An amazing night in Catalonia and Greece Good evening, it’s been a while but here we are… Tonight we have travelled to two countries and the food was delicious.

0 notes