i need to join the gym

once again my spirits are lifted by food and food-related gadgetry. this past weekend was an extended dose of sunshine, and i got to try foil dinners for the very first time. i am knowledgeable about a few subjects but extremely retarded in so many others. outdoors skills would be one of such things.

(immediately after building a campfire)
me: so, how do we cook this food anyway? can't we just put the packets in now?
p: no, we gotta wait and cook them over coals.
me: (frantically looking through our stuff) did we bring coals???!

apparently, 'coals' to anyone with even an iota of campfire experience means the logs in the fire that gets so hot it burns bright orangewhite. i was thinking of charcoals for a grill. the last time i went camping was my freshman year at USC in Los Angeles, and 10 of us idiotically and unsuccessfully attempted to start a fire for 2 hours. no thought about brush or making it triangle shaped or what-have-you. we just piled anything wood or wood-like in a circle, wasted like 7 firestarters, and generally dicked around scratching our heads absolutely stymied. finally, a nearby camper realized we had crossed the line from entertaining to just plain pathetic and built it for us.

long story short, these foil dinners were so delicious. and we made them gigantic; they reminded me of shiny christmas packages both in appearance and my anticipation in opening them. i want to try pit cooking sometime (to sum up - a hole in the ground, hot stones, wrapped food, green vegetation or a bowl of water, cover, then wait a few hours or a day), but i think if i tried that here on a warm summer day, the bears would get my feast.

to round out my food mania, i bought a new garlic press, a case of my favorite hot sauce (belizean heat), a new french press, and a rapid food chopper. the only other kind of shopping that gets me this excited is for school supplies. i am such a fat nerd.