So Obsessed

Answers to this week’s questions at the friday five. Picture from Pixabay.

1) What is your favourite food?

When I go out to eat: Lehtipihvi (I think that’s minute steak in English? That very thin steak that’s grilled) with french fries. When I make it myself: mashed potatoes with real butter and milk. And I LOVE home made bread.

2) What is your favourite food preparation method?

I don’t really prefer one method over the other. Grilling/barbecue is rare (I and the people I visit don’t own a grill) so it’s always a treat when I get it somewhere.

3) What is your favourite cuisine or style of cooking?

I guess what I mostly grew up with. We didn’t have foreign cuisines here back in the 70s/80s (Chinese, Italian etc.) so we mostly ate just regular Finnish food. Potatoes, fish fingers, meatballs with gravy, various casseroles, boiled rice with oven cooked chicked. I’m a picky eater, not adventurous at all and I don’t like cooking (baking’s where it’s at!) so I usually stick to about a dozen dishes I like.

4) Do you have any dietary restrictions and if so what are they?

Yeah, I had food allergies as a kid, used to be really allergic to citrus fruit and still can’t eat them too much or I might break out in a rash. I also have some considerations due to Crohn’s Disease which change depending on how bad my Crohn’s symptoms are. Such as sima (mead) which I can have none at all if the symptoms are really active, or a conservative amount a day if Crohn’s is good at the time (meaning not as much as I could drink a day back when I didn’t have Crohn’s yet). It’s better now that I was 5-10 years ago because my Crohn’s is better under control now.

5) If you could introduce the whole world to one ingredient to improve their culinary experience, what would that be and why?

I can’t think of a single thing. I think it’d just recommend trying things like mashed potatoes or steaks without gravy (gravy hides the taste IMO). Also maybe try to use spices other than salt and pepper to season your food – at least that’s something I could do better at!

Answers to this week’s questions at the friday five. Picture from Pixabay.

1) What’s the furthest place you’ve traveled to in the last 12 months?

About 30 minutes in a city bus… so not far at all!

2) What’s the most interesting small town within driving distance?

I don’t know! Nothing’s ever stood out to me…. but then I’ve always been more interested in going to Helsinki or Tampere, or going to see a cool nature place or a ruin, and those tend to be outside towns.

3) What’s the coolest tourist attraction in your city?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s the Turku Castle! I love castles 😀 I suppose we also have nice museums and museum ships, and also the church (Tuomiokirkko) and old town of Turku, and even sports. There’s probably something for everyone!

4) What was your favorite road trip you took as a kid?

The one in the mid-80s when went on a camping trip all the way through Finland up to Lapland 😀 The trip took 4 weeks and I loved everything about it!

5) How often do you feel like you’ve got to get away?

Physically? Occasionally. That also usually means I a need see and talk with family and/or friend in person – I don’t mean things like a few nice words exchanged with the cashier in the grocery store, but really talk with someone.

Mentally? Every week. I’ve always loved immersing myself in fiction, especially when they take place in a location unknown to me, but if I’m unable to read fiction or fanfic for whatever reason, or just too busy to do it for like a week, I’ll get twitchy! It’s like an holiday from my own mundane life, first because I hated school as a child, then because of unemployment and then, especially in the last decade, when all the health issues I have started piling on.