peanut butter

today i spotted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the lunch table at work. on white bread. in denmark, any bread that is white is usually labeled with the all-encompassing word, 'franskbrød' which directly translates to 'french bread.' this was not french bread (authentic or otherwise), but snow white sandwich bread with empty calories. immediately i asked the owner "are you american?" in danish. she said yes, and it turns out she is from virginia and training at our hospital for one semester. we talked for a few minutes while a couple of our coworkers watched in silent surprise. normally i don't talk that much and she doesn't speak danish so it must have been a shock to the other nurses to see us chatting so comfortably.


in typical american style, i absolutely love peanut butter! in desserts, in sauces, on slices of apple for a quick breakfast. but even though i like it so much, i understand how weird it seems to other cultures. i remember on my last day of work at another hospital in denmark, my boss brought a jar of peanut butter just for me to our breakfast table. all the nurses wanted to be good sports and try a bite. the reactions were similarly disgusted; a couple of them spit their peanut buttered toast out into a napkin as politely as they could. oh well, at least i got to take the rest of it home with me, hehe! before i left, one of the nurses asked me "so... what's it made of? is there butter in it?"


last week i made gado gado for the first time. it's basically vegetables, maybe tofu or egg, rice, and sauce. just like bibimbap, the name means to mix! only the sauce for gado gado is mostly peanut butter. it was incredible! the taste was very familiar... i'm pretty sure i had it a couple times at the villas my family and i stayed at in bali. i feel like i could eat that sauce with anything... on noodles, in sandwiches, over pancakes...! (:


i served gado gado with the lovely coconut rice from ottolenghi's cookbook, plenty. can you tell i love this book? the aroma from the rice drove me crazy; it was so delicious. the taste is very subtle but it still came through the peanut sauce. whenever i smell rice cooking, i think of my mom. when i was still living with my parents, my mom would almost always start dinner right after she got home from work. even though she has a demanding job as a nurse, she still put us over herself. now that i've moved away and my little brother is going out at all hours, my parents told me they go out to restaurants much more often and my mom cooks less. though it's pretty inexpensive to eat out in orange county, it makes me sad to hear my mom doesn't cook as much anymore!


mom, i miss you! i can't wait to eat your cooking again, even if it's just rice and some week-old banchan you made. ^^