Dear Tuna...

...and so, we meet again. This dish is sitting here before me, and I wanted all of you to be here with me as I face my foe once again. Current status: TERROR. Alright. Here we go...

First bite: not bad. Still can't get the thought of tuna out of my head though. Let's continue. Second bite: still alive. Tried it with a little less of the pesto so I could really get the taste of it. I had a bite of my Brussels sprouts in between and those have turned out to be an excellent compliment to the dish. We progress. Third bite: gag reflex is setting in. I don't think I can do this. Fourth bite: last bite. The fact that I bit my lip really hard in the process was the tell-tale sign. Alas, tuna, we will just never be friends.

I think that may have been the last time I will try tuna. For awhile at least. I'm sitting here having cleaned all the dishes from that endeavor trying to keep my food down. I just glanced through the index of Everyday Italian and saw that there is one more recipe requiring some canned tuna, and I think I may substitute either chicken or another kind of fish for that one. In the words of a post-it not from Sex and the City, I'm sorry...I can't...don't hate me.

The grilling of the tuna was quite simple. I should mention here that the Grilled Tuna Steaks recipe is from the "Everyday Grilles and Sautees" section of the "Everyday Entrees" chapter. The steaks are brushed (or in my case, sprayed) with some EVOO and seasoned with salt and pepper. Giada recommended cooking them about two minutes on each side so that the outside was browned, but the inside was still pink and rare. I personally can't even eat a beef steak that's pink in the middle, so I knew I couldn't handle one made of tuna in that state. Therefore, I cut the steak in half to make it thinner so I could cook it through the whole way.

It turns out I'm pretty bad at trying to cut tuna steaks evenly, so one half was thinner than the other. I decided I would cook one well done and leave the other slightly pink in the middle, but unfortunately, I couldn't get through the well done one in order to try the slightly less done steak.

After allowing the steaks to sit for about five minutes, I had to slice them and drizzle them with some lemon juice. You then serve them with some basil pesto (rather than using Giada's recipe for basil which I've yet to encounter in the "Everyday Sauces" chapter, I just bought some from the store). Thankfully I also served the steaks with some roasted Brussels sprouts (which are quite filling thanks to their abundance of fiber) in case I didn't like them.

The rest of the story you already know. I was successful in cooking the steaks, however, I just did not like them.

I was having a pretty decent day until this point. Especially now that I feel sick. Allow me to share this day with you.

It started with me attending the induction for Lambda Pi Eta (of which I am already a member). The ceremony was very nice, and from there I took the bus downtown. I went into my favorite little bookstore on Main St. and bought Julie & Julia at last! I went to the coffee shop next door and got some Maple Nut iced coffee and a garden salad for lunch. I sat alone at a table in the back corner eating my lunch and reading my book. Honestly, it was one of the more enjoyable things I've done lately. I got through about three chapters of the book in my own little world in the back of the coffee shop. Through my reading, I realized that the only thing that Julie Powell and I really have in common is our love for food and admiration of chefs.

I found that the two of us also enjoy reading cookbooks (I've been known to read through really anything that's on the kitchen table while eating breakfast in the morning, but it's always a plus when a cookbook is out). Aside from that, we are quite different. For starters, she had to go through a billion excuses before biting the bullet and just visiting her family back in Texas. If someone told me I needed to go back home and visit, I would be there in a heartbeat. I love visiting home and spending time with my family. Not to say that she doesn't love her family, but she didn't seem all that thrilled with seeing them.

Another difference: Julie Powell was filled with negativity prior to her cooking project. Seriously, reading the book, all I could think was "find something good about your life!" But that's just how I am. I pride myself on finding the silver lining in most situations or least finding something to be thankful for. I can recognize that there are much worse things in life than anything I could be going through.

To top off her negativity (or maybe the reason for her negativity) is Julie Powell's lack of belief. She did say that cooking was more of a belief system for her, but for me, it's the other way around. There's times when I cook something and it tastes so good that I know I can't be the only one responsible for it being so.

I should mention here that the reason I was able to recall the above points is that I made a note of them as I read in my iPod Touch. I felt like such a hotshot business person making notes in my PDA (my business casual attire that had been required for the induction could have also contributed to this).

At 3, I went to my roommate's wind ensemble concert at a local church and I was probably the youngest audience member in attendance. The concert was very good despite the fact that the iced coffee came back to bite me mid performance. Not knowing where to find the restrooms in the church, I waited till the end then went on the hunt. I did eventually find them in the basement through some creepy dark rooms. The bathrooms themselves were also dark. I decided not to use them for fear of some sort of ghost walking in on me.

Long story short, I ended walking a block or two to Walgreen's to use the bathroom and bought my roommates some Christmas peanut butter cups so I didn't feel guilty about using Walgreen's for their bathroom.

I think this saga of a blog entry will suffice for tonight. That tuna is still haunting me and wreaking havoc on my stomach as I type. This is all for tonight, check back on Tuesday for more food fun!

P.S. This has nothing to do with what I just wrote, but I love it. And this sort of thing is probably more dangerous than texting while driving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsvDvEatBUs