adventures in reklame.

I was very happy to see zeeuws spek in the Reklame bin last night. This is basically an unsmoked, rindless bacon originally from the province of Zeeland in the southwestern part of the Netherlands, and what's distinctive about it is that it's been marinated in a mix of (at least the modern version is something like this): mustard powder, pepper, paprika, soy sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder.

I bet if you made this yourself at home with non-powdered ingredients, it would be great. But what you normally get in the store tastes something like a barbecue-flavored potato chip without the smoke. Sounds kind of nasty, but wait.

I tasted this for the first time on New Year's Eve, and even though it had just been served naked, in thick slices, it was good. I mean, of course it is, it's bacon. But that industrial marinade needed something.

And that something is? Frying. Once you crisp this stuff up in a pan, you're all "industriwha???" Chomp chomp chomp. Although it still pretty much tastes like a potato chip flavor. But I like potato chips.

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Speaking of our noble (I almost typed nubile) friends in pink, I've got to try one other thing before my vegetarian holiday: Homesick Texan's Mexican hot dog with pineapple salsa and chipotle mayonnaise. No, I'm not high.

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