My dad gets his asparagus at this farm stand, which is on a back road between Phoenix, NY and Mexico, NY. Unfortunately, he prefers the bunches with the largest stalks, which his wife proceeds to boil until they are dead, dead, and more dead. I wonder why asparagus is cooked like that when it is so much tastier when lightly boiled, sautéed or grilled.
At least he is getting fresh asparagus. When I was a kid I think my mother bought canned asparagus, which she also cooked until they were well dead. It made me gag and I successfully avoided asparagus for many years.
Lo, those many years later I had a job interview at Western Washington University in Bellingham. For dinner the faculty took me out to a seafood place right on the water. Much to my horror the grilled salmon I had ordered came with a large mound of steamed asparagus. I knew I had to make a visible dent in the asparagus so I steeled myself and hoped for the best. It was better than the best. I actually liked it!
Despite my new found love of asparagus I didn't get the job. It was a one-year temporary position and they really, really wanted someone to teach a soils class. I didn't know anything about soils and was clearly unqualified to teach about them. It would have been fun to live out there for a year.
I was tempted to visit Bellingham when I was out that way this spring. I was curious to see if I would remember any of it from the whirlwind visit in 1990. Alas, I did not budget enough time.
my partner's mother lives in mexico, i'm sending her there
Posted by: carywd | 24 June 2011 at 01:43 PM