FoodBlog

Damn.  I just realized it's been almost a month since I last posted.  Sorry folks.

  My cousin Roxanne was asking about the food situation here in Ulaanbaatar (UB) so I figured I'd dedicate a post to the subject.  When I first moved here I had problems finding an acceptable source of vegetables which kinda freaked me out.  Apparently Mongolians have been living on a meat heavy diet for several generations and their breed has developed a tolerance for meat that others such as myself don't posses.  I think this might have something to do with the scarcity of arable land.  They have a saying here "Grass for cows, meat for humans."  I believe that around here it must be true.  The sparse vegetation that clings to life on the steppe is not suitable for human consumption, so they employ the use of ruminates who are in turn slaughtered for their valuable fat and protein.  In order to acquire the appropriate vitamins from this diet one would need to consume a great deal of meat which may in turn account for Mongolians tremendous appetite.  I don't know.  Just speculatin'.

  Anyhow, back to the veggies.  The few stores that I did know of had their veggies wrapped in shrink wrap which scares the $h!t out of me so I tend to steer clear of that.  I was also warned of the fruit vendors who set out their wares on the sidewalks.  Allegedly their food comes directly from China which would account for the cheapness.  Mongolians would  have you believe that the Chinese are a cruel race of baby slaughtering, dog eating barbarians who are incapable of producing anything good, particularly vegetables.  Another more reliable source told me that the Chinese production machine has to feed billions so the food system is corrupted with gross pesticides etc. whilst Mongol soil is completely untainted.  Seriously though, pesticides and the like have never been introduced so the soil here is more organic then anything in America.

  Well, I've finally found a store that sells trustworthy vegetables so I'm breathing more freely now.  I've been making salads and a lot of stir fry to balance out a previous diet that was heavy on meat and junk snacks.  I was elated to find an abundance of Lambsquarters growing in the area.  Lambsquarters or Goosefoot is a cousin of spinach but grows as a weed.  You can find it almost anywhere in the world, growing in empty lots and "disturbed soils" (what does that mean?  All the edible plants books mention disturbed soils but to me it means nothing.)  Here in UB nobody puts forth any effort to eradicate weeds so Goosefoot is thriving rampantly.  

  In twenty short minutes I'm able to harvest enough plants to feed me for a week.  I usually find a healthy looking plant and pluck it from the stem leaving the root buried in the soil.  This allows it an opportunity to grow back.  I then take these trimmings home, pluck off the leaves, rinse them and dry them on a towel in open air.  Once dry they are ready to eat or can be refrigerated for later.

  Today I'm making a reduction from the remaining stems and using this to boil my potato.  I'm hoping this will inoculate my potato with the rich deposits of iron, vitamin B-12, phosphorous and whatever else.  All I know is: this stuff taste awesome, its free and its rich in vitamins and minerals.  Don't believe me?  Look it up yer damn self.  Peace! 

http://www.prodigalgardens.info/june%20weblog.htm#Lambsquarters