Monday, July 26, 2010

The Greasy Five: Great "Session" Foods

Last week I sat for 30 minutes in my local Borders debating whether to buy a magazine about beer or one about cheese.

This is my goofy world.

I figured purchasing a magazine about cheese was a little weird and if I went down that rabbit hole, I would eventually end up with a herd of cows in my backyard, and cheese making in my future. Therefore, I opted for the beer magazine.

I've always had an appreciation for good beer, but I'm no expert on the brewing craft. The magazine has served as a good primer on the specifics of brewing, especially the terminology. In the issue of this magazine I was introduced to the term "session" beer, which is defined as follows:
  • "A session beer is anything that is meant to be consumed in quantity - lower alcohol, usually lightly hopped. It can be an ale or lager, it just has to be lighter drinking."
I like this term very much because now I have the terminology to organize my beers. In my reckless youth, all beers were session beers, but with age, I've started to divide my beers into session and non-session beers. In a later post, I might reveal my favorite session and non-session beers, but for now I want to get to point of my post.

I thought it would be interesting to apply the term "session" to food and tie it into this edition of The Greasy Five, so I brainstormed a list of foods that can be enjoyed in large quantities without causing extreme physical discomfort.

My Five Favorite Session Foods

  1. Crawfish: In 2003 I traveled to New Orleans to watch KU in the Final Four. One afternoon we ate at a cinder block restaurant that didn't have a name. I just remember there were like three mountains of oyster shells standing guard in the parking lot. Inside, they poured buckets of boiled crawfish on the table. We spent about two hours eating crawfish and washing it down with Abita beer.
  2. Sunflower seeds: I don't have a story to tell; I just like sunflower seeds.
  3. Chips and Salsa
  4. Popcorn
  5. Watermelon: I could eat a watermelon a day. Each time I take a bite of watermelon, I think of Mr. Mark Twain's words:
It is the chief of this world's luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented.

What's your favorite session food?


I apologize for the choppy post. I'm just trying to find my mojo. I'm shooting for a post a day this week.

never eat anything bigger than your head,
muddy


P.S. If I did have cows in my backyard, I'd name each one after my favorite female singers, Patsy, Billie, Loretta, and Nina.

5 comments:

holybovine said...

The bovine names are adorable. That's all.

Anonymous said...

definitely chips and salsa or guac.

rainier cherries?

garlic bread, maybe.

gonna have to think about this one ...

Ruth said...

I remember when there was a cow in your back yard.

Kristin said...

Do plain M&Ms count? Could eat those endlessly as well as Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies.

Kevin said...

"One afternoon we ate a cinder block restaurant that didn't have a name."

You must have been real hungry to eat that restaurant. I bet it was hard on your teeth.

I don't think you have room for cows but you might fit in a few goats.