Monday, June 18, 2007

Racing Form and Meatless Burgers

I went to the races for the first time this weekend. Thoroughbred racing. No matter how often I do or don't see horses live, their power and grace never fail to leave me in awe.

Of course I did the first-timer thing and bet on horses because their names appealed to me. I'll study the form a bit more closely next time, and maybe one - just one - of my horses will do okay! Poor Big 'n' Bold... his review said he had trouble with turns. Or rather, had had trouble with the turn in his ONLY OTHER RACE. But I bet on him at 20 to 1 (and how often have I heard that phrase so just had to try it). He was leading down the first straight, then I lost them at the turn... they appeared again and he was... DEAD LAST.

I felt so bad for him. I wonder if horses get embarrassed? I'm sure animals do. Tibbles the cat is like that. He'll do something silly like inadvertently fall of the sofa, and immediately walk to the edge of the room, his back to all of us, earnestly licking his paws as though to say, "Stop laughing please... I meant to do that." I hope Big 'n' Bold doesn't feel too bad about it.

Either way, he's unlikely to end up in my hamburger, seeing as we're not big horse-eaters in this country. But... as it happens this weekend I tried PC's World's Best Meatless Burger. And lo I cooked it, and lo I ate it and... lo it was GOOD.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beba falls off the sofa too. It's hilarious. While most animals have an innate grace and dignity, many also have an innate clownishness. It's an irresistible combination.

Anonymous said...

That is so weird! I was just talking to Derek this morning about wanting to go to the races. I have never been and told him that I think I would like the sound of their hooves hitting the dirt track. As for eating horses, I hate to admit it, but I like that too. I used to work with a Belgian fellow in Sudbury who dared me to try the horse-meat sandwich he had brought to work. It was, in a word, delicious. It tasted like Marmite. Very salty and beefy. Guess you could say I was Trigger happy.

Anonymous said...

On meatless burgers: Some of them can be pretty tasteless and with weird texture, but on the other hand, there are many that are just great. Ones I have tried and can heartily recommend include the presidents choice portobello mushroom burgers. They are fantastic, chewy and dense with mushroom flavour. The Licks brand veggie burgers are also quite flavourful, although they can be hard to find. Have a look in your grocer's freezer.

Speaking of 'meatless', I just read something pretty scary today. An article on shoddy food sold in some parts of Asia. They've busted a ring in China that was selling phony 'tofu' which turned out to be a mixture of paint, gypsum and starch. Egads!

Anonymous said...

Dear Blogger, you always come up with such cute and clever titles for your posts. Well I just thought of one too. For a post on Japanese food: "From Here to Teriyaki"
tee hee!

Anonymous said...

"From here to Teriyaki"... hmmmm, I have visions of being swept up by Burt Lancaster AND the Pacific Ocean. Knowing my luck, it would be more like the scene in "Airplane." Not that I'd have a problem with being seized in Robert Hays' arms (wonder what happened to him), but I don't like seaweed in my nethers.

As for horse-meat... Barbara, you said the magic word! MARMITE! I feel a post coming on... ooohh.. here it comes!

Anonymous said...

Funny, I too have a large ginger cat. LOVE THAT CAT!!

Anonymous said...

check Tibby out here http://foodfilmfiction.blogspot.com/2007/04/tibbles.html