still cooking

By anders pearson 08 Jan 2002

i’ve been pretty good so far. a few more trips to the grocery store and my kitchen is actually starting to fill up. my fridge actually has more in it than just a six-pack and butter.

<p>i&#8217;ve actually even been cooking stuff for dinner. on saturday i made Mapo tofu from a recipe on the back of a flavor packet that i bought at an asian food store. Mapo tofu was my favorite dish in china and, happily, the version i cooked myself was probably the closest to authentic that i&#8217;ve had yet in the US (except for the time that my friend Cho-nan cooked it for me); every time i order it in restaurants they refuse to make it as hot as they do in Sichuan.</p>

<p>the biggest problem with cooking i&#8217;ve found so far is figuring out what to make every night. i think most of the menu determination process is driven by the question &#8220;what do i have in my fridge that might go bad if i don&#8217;t eat it really soon?&#8221;.   so for the last two nights i&#8217;ve had sandwiches and salad because i have bread and lettuce that might not last too long.</p>