You'd think I've run out of ways to be puzzled by Farmer H's behavior. But you'd be wrong. Every day is something new. Some weird detail that a normal person would never imagine to use in daily life. Especially a normal person of Farmer H's years.
Thursday night, we had chicken tenders for supper, picked up at Country Mart on my errand day. There were seven chicken tenders in the clear plastic deli box. I told Farmer H that I was warming four of them for him, and then I'd have the other three later.
I made some spicy mustard sauce in a ramekin for Farmer H. The Pony showed me how when he first moved back from college. It's delicious! Garlic aioli, brown mustard, mayo, yellow mustard, horseradish. The first two ingredients are equal parts, but the other three vary every time I make it. I don't measure, just put in enough to fill the ramekin. Then stir it up with a fork to mix everything. Mmm!
Farmer H also had some slaw with his chicken tenders, but didn't want anything else. When he brought his plate to the kitchen, he held the ramekin under running cold water. Duh!
"Just set that in the sink and fill it with water! It's not going to rinse clean. It has MAYO in it! I'll use hot water later, or wait until I do the dishes."
Of course in doing that, Farmer H managed to get pieces of the batter that fell off in the dipping sauce rinsed down into my sink drain for me to clean out. But THAT is not what surprised me. That's an old trick that Farmer H won't unlearn.
"I couldn't eat all of them. Do you want me to leave this one for you?"
"If you couldn't eat four, I don't think I'll eat four. Just put it in a baggie."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Farmer H getting the baggie from the bottom corner cabinet next to the sink. I wasn't really paying attention. I was still scratching my lottery tickets. This was around 6:30.
At 8:30, I got up to start making my own delicious spicy mustard sauce. I turned on the oven to warm it for my chicken tenders. And I saw, sitting beside the sink, that lone chicken tender in a baggie!
"What in the Not-Heaven? WHY would you put that extra chicken tender in a baggie, and LEAVE IT ON THE COUNTER?"
"Huh. I guess I just forgot."
How can he get so distracted, from putting a tender in a baggie, setting it down, then turning to go directly to FRIG II for his nightly dessert of a Little Debbie Fudge Round? It's not like an emergency called him away. He was headed to FRIG II from the sink.
I don't know how Farmer H has lived this long without poisoning himself, or being murdered by someone he tried (or didn't) to poison!
4 comments:
Well, he put it in a baggie like you told him, but you didn't say to put it in the fridge, so of course he didn't think to do that. That doesn't make it your fault though, he just needs to remember things like that on his own. Do you have one of those benchtop toaster ovens? Or do you turn on the big oven to heat three little chicken tenders? I used to do that for garlic bread, but now don't use the oven unless I am baking more than one dish, electricity is too expensive here.
I am all too familiar with this behavior!
River,
I guess Farmer H thinks leftover meat is stored on the counter! I don't have a toaster oven. Everything goes in the big oven. The chicken tenders take 5 minutes at 350. I also use it for garlic toast, which takes 6 minutes at 400. I don't let it pre-heat like The Pony used to. Turn it on, put in the food. It works fine without waiting for that little red light to go off!
Kathy,
I am sure you are!
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