GARBANZO!

At The Farm on Cortelyou, I was looking for something lite and meatless, but the salads sounded a little skimpy. I didn't want to recreate an experience at this forgettable place in Park Slope where the salad was basically a super-giant pile of spinach. So I ordered Chickpea Fritters. What?! I should really stop being surprised at myself, and at food in general. But in the past year or so I have developed a pretty stable relationship with chickpeas. I remember the first time I tasted hummus. I was at a place that, at the time, seemed incredibly fancy. Too fancy for me! I was fresh off the boat, so to speak, and what was probably a menu of tapas sounded completely foreign. My fancy friends convinced me to try a few things, and I remember being less than convinced that hummus was "good."

Cut to, oh I don't even know when! But somewhere along the way I started eating hummus. Was it the homemade variety at that little film shoot in a friend's apartment? Was it Hummus Place? Was it just a tub of Sabra? The world may never know. Either way, I have a fondness for the many flavors now.

It was probably Rachael Ray telling me that another name for chickpeas was garbanzo beans. Beans? Hell to the no. And even though I've neglected this blog for quite some time, I'm at least remembering to update the status of my bean eating. I'm happy to report that me and beans are getting along just fine. Baked beans, black beans, even some white beans in this frozen Green Giant dish and pinto beans in these frozen Amy's burritos. Also I'm eating lentils! Which I don't know if those count as beans, but like chickpeas, they are close enough and no longer scary.

Me and meat, though? It's rocky. I don't want chicken at all, and bacon is slightly offensive. But I think I would break my meat celibacy for a nice filet, or for any truly special beef or pork dish that is either made by or highly recommended by a trusted friend. But so far, my only major exception was the plate of meat served at Medieval Times. I guess it wasn't the best use of meat's Get Out of Jail Free card, but hey, I was turning 30 and it seemed appropriate.