Rethinking my next steak

[Jenise]

Somewhat like Karen, I think, I braise beef more often than I grill it, and I do either as rarely as possible these days in trying to keep everything that's wrong about eating beef out of my life.

But the next time I grill a steak I'll do so in honor of Trevor Reed, the marine who was just released from a Moscow prison in a prisoner swap. In his interview with Jake Tapper which aired on CNN this weekend, he described the hell that for three years was his Russian diet. A fit and muscular 175 lbs when captured, he weighed a scrawny 131 lbs the day he came home. Dinner was "either cabbage or potatoes" and fish prepared one of three ways, all terrible: in a cake, full of bones; baked whole with head and tail measuring about 8 inches total; and what he called salt fish, wherein the fish had been brined/poached in salty water.

The prisoner swap occurred on some air strip somewhere. Each country delivered a plane, the prisoners left their respective planes and criss-crossed on the tarmac between them, and then flew away in the other.

Footage taken at the time showed that Trevor could not really walk from one to the other unsupported. But his Russian counterpart, a substantial man not fat but clearly not missing any padding, was healthy and fit, walking easily on his own.

Once on the plane, a large private jet, Trevor was served steak. He choked up remembering it: "It was the best meal of my entire life." I'll have that in mind the next time we dine on steak.

This last post reminded me of a date I had with my husband over 60 years ago. He took me to a nice steakhouse and since steak was not something I grew up with, I ordered it along with a baked potato and salad. The steak was ok, but I really loved the loaded baked potato and salad. I announced I was full after eating everything but could not eat the rest of the steak. Gene spoke up and said "well, why didn't you eat the steak instead of the potato?" I was shocked at this and considered not ever dating him again. Later, I told him If he wanted me to go out to eat with him, I would eat what I wanted and no comment was to be made on my choices. I later found out he and his dad owned a well known meat processing plant in our town and serviced all the restaurants, hotels, and more in town. He also was a big eater of beef. I really knew almost nothing about beef as we usually had chicken, rabbit, fish, and lots of vegetables all grown and raised on grandpa's property. After we had dated a while and things were getting serious, my mom and I decided to invite his parents over for a nice dinner. We served his parents cube steak!!!! Oh, the looks on their faces told it all!

[Jenise]

Cute story. I recall you telling us about Gene's gull-wing Mercedes back then. He must have been the biggest catch for miles around!

Steak has never been my idea of the best thing possible either. And baked potatoes are something we eat as a main course with a green salad, but I literally never serve them as sides. Yet for our closest friends, that's THE meal. It's what they make at home for every birthday or anniversary, and when they go out to celebrate? They order steak and baked potatoes there, too. There's no second choice.

Jenise, yes he was the biggest catch around, even had a single engine Cessna, and kept a boat up at Shasta Lake in Redding. We flew from Eureka to Redding a LOT to play here. But none of that was my reason for dating or marrying him. I knew what I wanted in a man and was very fussy on who I dated. I was often told I was more mature than the other girls my age. Probably why, the two men I was engaged to (different times of course) were businessmen and eight years older than me. I also had to get along with their parents, that was very important to me. No marriage is perfect, for sure, but we've had a good run. The best thing though, was raising three great kids, no drugs, no real drama, all good citizens raising great kids. They all have good work ethics, too!