Moose the Mooche

I passed well into adulthood not knowing how to cook. I could make one or two things, but I didn't really know how to cook. I was taught in Japan by a Chinese person. So I cook Chinese food. Or at least I cook Chinese style. Or my interpretation of Chinese style more accurately. The staple of nearly all Asian food is rice. I eat a lot of rice. My Japanese boss, surprised by this fact, once commented "You are American, you are supposed to eat bread." I said something like "Yeah, I guess" but I was struggling to think of when I ever ate bread in America. Of course I came up with sandwiches and buns of various types, but bread was far from a staple food in my American diet. In fact I probably ate tortillas more often than proper bread. The real staple of the American diet is meat. How great is that? How prosperous. I got real interested in Chinese history when I was living there and read several accounts of people living through the horrible famine years in the late 50's. I remember reading about 'lucky ones' being able to have meat as much as twice a month. I cannot begin to fathom such circumstances. And there's no question such conditions currently exist in various places all over the world. Before I ever left the U.S. I somehow knew that living abroad would give me a new appreciation for what I had in America, but it was impossible to know just how it would take shape. Not that I've had to suffer, but I feel like I have a better idea now of just how rich America really is. And how fortunate I am to have been born there. Anyway, I love meat.