Washington

It's another boat!'

This Commercially-Available Vegan Fish Substitute Has Gone Nuts!

Maliha A. (original recipe)

What an adorable state! I didn't spend much time in Seattle, which sounds like a scarier Portland, but your coastline, volcanos, and rainforest (you read that right!) are amazing! I'd never heard of temperate rainforests before but my girlfriend at the time grew up in California and knew all about temperate rainforests and was eager to go there, so we did, I can't imagine moving but if I did you are on the short list. So have that pander.

You are kind of like the West Coast New York State, in that you grow a lot of apples. My notes say I should denigrate your apples, but I can't, because who eats Washington State apples?

In the 1990s, you distracted us with grunge music and Magic cards, but if I am being honest, when I think of Washington my mind goes to defense contractors. I'm sorry but if the South can handle the truth (can they?)...

Like the next guy, I think we need to slash military spending. There is probably a lot you could cut, but weapons and weapons systems should be high on the list. Sorry Washington!

I was pretty young during the Clinton administration so my impression might be off but this is my understanding. Clinton balanced the budget in the 90s, with help of the Dot Com bubble, in part by shutting military bases. This is the wrong way to slash military spending. Sure, the military enables stupid and senseless foreign policies, but so do weapons systems while military bases create livelihoods and a sense of duty for people. The military is basically the closest thing we have to guaranteed employment, and while there is room for other forms of service opportunities, investing in people is better than investing in bombs.

Because you are more than the military-industrial complex to me...

I was a little too young for grunge when it came out. I'd heard of Nirvana but I didn't know their music. I remember hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit at a ski lodge as a kid and thinking, this is good. And of course, it is good. Music from Washington has had a big impact and not in small part because it conveys a lot of angst. It makes me think all is not well there, and why should it be? Is all well anywhere? You sing with such a resounding voice we cannot help but listen. I don't have all the answers (I have many questions) but I feel like your music makes sense to me. I will continue to listen.

Unicorn Demonic hordes

I played Magic as a kid soon after it was invented. It was pretty amazing, D&D meets baseball cards. As a kid I pretty much devoured anything mythological beast, and along came this. I've checked back in with Magic recently and it seems cool but it was the earliest sets that really captured my heart. I don't play but I do own a Beta Shivan Dragon in excellent condition, and I think it is possibly the coolest thing made of cardboard. (I'd eat it before I'd sell it.)

And maybe we should revisit your beautiful landscape once more before we go. It would be a shame if someone bombed it to oblivion. Just kidding! Joking aside, it's really very nice and I could imagine living there, I have imagined it. I guess the similarities go beyond apples.

The fish portion of this lunch is very similar to our Alaskan meal so, rather than do the same thing, I will experiment with a commercially-available fake fish. The lentil soup sounds good but I don't know whether I will like the fake fish. Does fishy maple syrup really sound good? (Apparently it does to Washington and Alaska kids!) I will try my best and let you know how it works out. Plopping down the fake fish right in the middle of the soup bowl could take us from crispy to soggy in a fish memory, so I considered alternate plating options. At the last moment I decided the fake fish could stand up to the soup without suffering texturally, which is a better arrangement really, fish in a bowl.

Lentil Soup

Oil

1 small Shallot, chopped

1 3/4 cu. Water

1/2 cu. Red lentils

1/2 medium Russet potato, chopped

1 medium Carrot, chopped

1 Tbs. dried Mint

Salt

Pepper

Fake Fish

Fake fish filet

Drizzle of Maple syrup

Chopped Walnuts

Lemon juice

Preparation

Warm oil in a medium pot. Saute shallot over medium heat for approximately 3-5 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients except "Pepper". Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Cool, transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth. Season with pepper.

Adapt these directions for your fake fish filet's individual cook times. Mine says about 16 minutes at 450 degrees. At some point in time during the second half of baking, flip the filet, drizzle with maple syrup and top with chopped walnuts. When fully cooked, add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve in bowl of soup.

Discussion

I liked it! The fake fish wasn't too fishy. Maliha suggests serving it with a fun crunchy salad, which would be quite nice.

I realized, going down the list of things I liked about Magic, that a big one was that you could play while listening to music. For me, it was heavily Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, a great soundtrack (also, why I wasn't listening to grunge yet). Come to think of it, I didn't really play video games with my friends as a kid, except sometimes Nintendo. I played computer games but I didn't really start playing video games until college. They are a ton of fun and some have good soundtracks but I recommend you build music appreciation into your childhood as well as adult routines. Board games are all the rage. Or paper Magic! Or paper crafts! Anything with paper and/or cardboard. Just don't eat your Magic cards.

Dragon! Baby dragon!