But don't bother ordering fruit like plums or peaches because that is a crap shoot in terms of ripeness and quality. Consistently out of stock: flat noodles, ice cream (every variety conceivable), and fresh corn. Imagining a craze for noodles with ice cream topped with a sprinkling of corn.
And still, forget about toilet paper unless you want the most expensive and most scented variety.
And then there's bok choy, available in abundance and reliably good. As I wrote awhile back, I ordered one and what came was the size of a tuba. Just cutting it up and washing it took fifteen minutes, and I needed my biggest bowl to hold the stuff.
The good news: it's delicious. First night I stir fried some with mushrooms, topped it with fried shrimp, and served it with rice. I stir fried the rest the next night and served it with broiled salmon teriyaki.
Here's my recipe for the stir fry:
STIR FRIED BOK CHOY WITH MUSHROOMS, GINGER & GARLIC
Vegetable oil (enough to coat the saucepan)
2 T finely chopped fresh ginger
1 large (or 2 small) fresh garlic cloves, chopped (you could use garlic scapes instead... they're in season now, but add them chopped up at the end)
1/2 of an oversized bok choy, chopped into bite-sized pieces. (Enough to fill a 2-quart container)
6 or so mushrooms, sliced (shiittake are the tastiest... and even better if you've reconstituted dried shiitakes)
TO TASTE:
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Fish sauce (or rice vinegar)
Hot sauce
1. In a LARGE saucepan, saute the ginger and garlic in oil over medium heat about a minute
2. Add mushrooms and cook until wilted
3. Add bok choy and cook, tossing and stirring until wilted. Try not to overcook.
4. Sprinkle with the remaining ingredients... to taste. A little of these goes a long way and the right balance is delicious.
(Salmon teriyaki: Marinate a hunk of salmon in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar for about an hour. Broil or barbecue until just done. (I cook it skin side to the heat element or coals for most of the time, then turn it at the end to let the unskinned side brown. Take it off the heat when it reaches 135 degrees. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Peel the (charred) skin off. Serve)
How are your adventures in on-line shopping? Are you developing new tastes? Doing without? Have you found fresh corn and tasty peaches?? Or have you thrown caution to the wind and ventured back into the farmers market and the supermarket?
And the question for today's online shopping: WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THESE DARNED PLASTIC BAGS?
