adventures in china

What to do with food that you don’t want to eat is a dilemma that faces only a small portion of the human population. I’m fortunate enough to be one of them, but I try to be conscious about what I do with it.

Some people throw undesirable food in a plastic bag with other things and then have a man drive it away from their house in a big truck so it can be buried in the ground. Others give it to the dog, and a few even throw it outside into a big bin so it can eventually be recycled and turned into more food. But, I rarely need to employ any of these tactics for discarding disgusting foods; my roommates are stoners. They have gladly accepted over-frosted M&M brownies, burnt cookies, endless buckets of Thanksgiving stuffing, and even an occasional curry gone wrong.

Two days ago I tested their appetite with a pie – A French silk pie, handmade by Madison-based LMNO-Pies. On my first bite I determined the filling to be sugar, whipped butter, and hot chocolate powder. There was nothing silky about it. The pie filling had a consistency similar to a mix of Crisco and sand, while the taste was like that of Swiss Mix made by a six year old – sweet enough to soar your throat upon reaching your lips. “Perhaps my roommates will enjoy it?” I thought. But as soon as they took their first gritty bite I understood that this just was a really bad pie.