Thursday, March 5, 2009

Q & A

Lara of Overstuffed interviewed me!  Well, not just me.  She'll interview you, too, if you want her to.  Here are my (rambling) answers to her questions:

1.  What has been your greatest accomplishment?  (Having children doesn't count:  I think of them as a work in progress that will someday be my greatest accomplishment...don't you?)
Accomplishment, eh?  Well, that word is kind of a tricky one for me.  It implies both a) starting and b) finishing something.  Frankly, I'm not all that great at either.  
I really don't know what to answer.  Oh, I know!  It's not having children in the sense of having a family, but having David and then Aaron naturally when I have a very low tolerance for pain was quite a feat (understatement of the world).  Although I admit I would never have done it if I'd had a choice.

2.  What is one thing people can appreciate about you?
Hmm, let's see.  I say what I mean.  You will never have to wonder if I'm just saying something to be nice, or in order not to offend someone.  Sometimes I don't say anything (rarely) but when I do say something it'll be something I really feel.  So I'd say "people can appreciate [that] about [me]".  Or they can hate it.
 
3.  What is your favorite comfort food, and what is your strongest memory tied to it?
Well, I find brownies to be rather comforting.  Apart from that, I really dig potatoes.  Not literally, of course.  I only ever get them already dug.  But I like 'em quite a lot.  We don't eat them all that often, though, as I just hate peeling them.  And I don't do the kind from a box of any sort.  So we eat a lot of pasta.  Not as good as potatoes, but still kind of comforting and muuuuuuuuch easier to prepare.  Oh, and when my tummy hurts I love mint tea.  That's comforting.  It's not a food, though.  Plus I already mentioned three comfort foods when one was only wanted.
 
Oh yes, and a memory tied to potatoes.  When I first got to Ricks College I thought, since I was in Idaho, I should learn to do stuff with potatoes.  I ate them at least once a day, usually just in the microwave mixed with sour cream and cheese.  Yummy.  I think I know why I put on a bajilli or 15.

4.  If you could meet anyone (living or dead) who would it be and why?
Sheesh!  I would have to think about this one for a week or two.  I'm not sure.  I really love the founding fathers (I know, generic answer) and I could stand to meet any of them.  Maybe Benjamin Franklin.  Or possibly Tadeusz Kościuszko (not a founding father, but a close friend of Washington's.  Plus he's Polish and helped us win the Revolutionary War.  And my AP history teacher loved him, too).
 
5.  What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Butter, milk, cheese, yogurt, ketchup, mayonaise.  Okay, okay.  We usually have pickled herring, which is LOVED by all members of the family except for me (yes, even Aaron).  Because why in the world would you eat that stuff?  You look at those silver scales or whatever it is shimmering there, and you smell that sour, bitter smell then you rip and tear to get a piece off because it's tough (I think).  It's just gross, if you ask me.  But we don't have any of that in our fridge right now.  
One thing that we do have is 4 bags of carrots.  Like real carrots. You know the kind with the peel on and the place at the top where the greens came out?  Or have you forgottent that that's what a carrot is?  (Just kidding, I'm only making fun of American produce.  But really I'm just jealous that they don't have baby carrots in Poland.)  We always have/need carrots.  It's the go-to veggie if I don't have any other fresh vegetable to cook and serve with dinner.  I just grate it up on the little side of the grater, squeeze on a lemon and a bit of sugar: SALAD!  I know, lame.  Well, often we run out of carrots and the last 4 times I went to the store I forgot that we had neither a) run out, nor b) almost run out and I bought some anyway. Again and again and again.

16 comments:

Pancake said...

My fav is number 2. I LOVE iT when people are honest and tell you like it is! Then I know the truth!!

Barbaloot said...

I would love to meet the Founding Fathers, too! I don't know if I could pick just one of them...but maybe Thomas Paine or Patrick Henry? I don't know!

Heidi said...

These are all evidence of why we love Lisa!

Annette Lyon said...

My mom used to make a similar salad--only she'd add crushed pineapple and raisins to it. I'd totally forgotten about it until now.

Lara Neves said...

Love your answers!

I practically lived on potatoes microwaved and then smothered in cottage cheese when I was in college. That actually sounds really good right now.

But pickled herring doesn't.

Melanie Jacobson said...

I'm a total potato girl, too. And I have no idea who I would pick to meet. Maybe the president? Now THAT'S a generic answer.

TisforTonya said...

I've always preferred meeting living people to dead people... but that's just me...

but potatoes - I think I could live on them... I practically did during my first pregnancy. There was more than one night that my entire meal was potato based... a tray of tater tots? absolutely, yum!

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Mmm...brownies...

...mmm...potatoes...

eh? wot? that's not what this post was about? er...

Love ya!

Erin said...

You're kids must be true Poles to like pickled herring.

Kazzy said...

I love all things Revolutionary War related. Huge George Washington buff. It would be unreal to meet some of those men. If you met B Franklin you would have to watch out for the flirting and pinching, but inspite of that I am sure he would be an interesting conversationalist!

I am doing this same interview over the weekend. Thanks, Lisa.

Elizabeth said...

I would have to say that REAL carrots are much more tasty than the baby ones. They have a sweeter taste I think. So, be thankful that the poles don't carry them that way. Plus, pickled herring? Are your kids crazy, or just really polish? I couldn't handle that stuff!

Alison Wonderland said...

Pickled herring= gross.

But potatoes are good.

Little GrumpyAngel said...

I honestly appreciate you for #2. Literally digging for potatoes---ha-ha! That cracked me up. And carrots are my go-to veggies, too. It's a veggie everyone in my house can agree to eat, that's why.

Randi said...

Hey, I love your recipe for carrot salad!
What an inventive idea!!

And I also love your #2. My best friends are people who just say what they mean. I hate having to guess...

Anonymous said...

Found you through "Heater of the E"

Good catch...

I feel doubly unsophisticated when I read about Polish heroes. You know some stuff.

Emily said...

The freshman fifteen. I didn't think it'd happen to me, but it did! Ehh what can you do.

Potatoes are very comforting. Mashed potatoes are the best. Do you ever roast fingerling potatoes? You don't have to peel them and they get nice and crispy in the oven. Rub them with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, mmm.