#bean sprout experiment

[presswoodterryryan]

🌟 Growth, Giggling, and Giant Tadpoles: Alice Explores Ariel's Amazing Science Paper!

Discover the wonder of life, the power of potatoes, and the bravery of a bunny named Fluffernutter in this totally true science adventure by Alice! By Alice (with minor assistance from Fluffernutter, Esq.) 🧩 Breaking News: Living Things are Basically Superheroes My big sister Ariel (a.k.a. the amazing Queen of Brains and Butterflies) just finished another mind-blowing paper! This time, she’s…

[tavina-writes]

Hello friends, I have been debating buying a hotpot to make hotpot. Unfortunately, I've never actually made hotpot myself before. (I mostly used to eat it at restaurants and at my one auntie's house) so idk like, what to put in it that would be good.

What are your favorite hotpot recipes and things to put in the hotpot?

Also: if you make your own hotpot soup bases instead of going out to buy them, are there any good recipes for that?

[pocketramblr]

Izuku- I can't bring myself to kill a baby, so I'm going to dump him on my brother

Mirio- I'm going to name him Toshinori!

AfO- Screaming internally

Naming the baby Toshinori is a great idea because:

If AfO kept his memories and is indeed very evil in a baby body, he'll hate being called Toshinori so much he'll be obvious about it

If AfO indeed lost his memory and is just a little baby now, naming him Toshinori gives him an excellent model to try to be like

It gives Mirio the ability to get some revenge on AfO without mistreating a child

It's AfO's fault because they were willing to use his real name but no one knew it due to all the lying. He could have prevented so much of this by but being a bastard but oh well

Literally no one will think this kid is AfO when he grows up again, even with his quirk and appearance, because he's going by Toshinori.

[nightlilly0110]

I’m a stereotypical picky eater that doesn’t like certain vegetables (too bitter for me or makes me sick, depending). I am also an adult, so this doesn’t help make my case because apparently I should just “grow up” and “try something new.” I also unfortunately still live with my parents, so I don’t exactly have choices in this matter.

The amount of times my mom has insisted that she can make brussel sprouts taste good for me is insane. I’ve had them cooked with mustard and garlic. I’ve had them slathered in bacon grease. I’ve had them mixed into a paste with other things. It does not matter what way she cooks them - I can’t like them.

I try it not because I want to like it, or because I think that Attempt #567 is going to be the magic number to get me to like them. I try it because I need to say that I have tried it and don’t like it for her to leave me alone. And then it just happens again the next time. I have to play this stupid game or else I’m not taken seriously, and even when I play the game, my stupid prize is more food I hate.

My mom has now moved on to doing this with kale. She has not given up on brussel sprouts but she likes kale and makes smoothies out of it. Kale is a very acquired taste. Even my dad, who is fine with occasionally just eating raw vegetables from the fridge for dinner will not eat kale. I have tried kale. I’ve tried it multiple times. It makes my stomach churn. I will never not hear that I should try kale.

people are absolutely EVIL about the boundaries of “picky eaters”. no, they do not have to try it. yes, they can know they don’t like it without having eaten it before. no, they probably have not suddenly grown a taste for the food they’ve said they hate. no, they probably are not going to like it in the Special Way This One Place Cooks It. yes, you are being a bad friend if you try to “trick” them into eating it anyway

[variantia]

BELLUM. actual footage of Renata when someone insults one of her patients or someone they care about

this bitch takes no fucking prisoners she doesn't have time or respect for people making someone's recovery harder ! like what do you gain from that ?! ¡¡¡ vete a la mierda !!!

[freshluxbreeze]

as sick as my stomach randomly is acting tn i actually feel a calming healing feeling in my chest doing my hair and watching little gaming videos and opening my window and just laughing at things and talking myself through thoughts and listening to oc playlists like normalcy i love normalcy right now!

[the-s1lly-corner]

A rest well deserved (Astro x reader)

as promised for assisting in me and my friends attempt to get to floor 20! (we failed/lh), here is @dollie-stars one shot! hooray! not my first dandy fic but its the first that is going to be posted! yay! prompt: astro and the reader unwind after a busy day in gardenview notes: fem toon reader, reader is an age regressor, based off of both mine and the requester's experiences woo!, pre game, short and sweet, admin is still trying to figure out how to write astro so his dialogue may be clunky or off, no use of y/n he calls you starshine/starlight, caregiver astro, not beta read we die like men, you both wind down for a much needed nap, admin has never written caregiver fics in long term so this may be hit or miss word count: 1.7k cws: none

Today had been… busy to say the least. Far from the busiest day Gardenview had seen- no new toon had been released and there were no time limited events that were being hosted that’d draw in some extra waves of people.

To the shock of no one the mains were given the most attention- with Astro being swept away almost as soon as he had set out into the halls. Something you’d grown used to even if it never fully dampened the pang in your gut at being separated from him for so long. 

Lunch time was kind enough to grant you about half an hour to catch up over whatever Sprout and Cosmo had cooked up. Something good, usually. 

Pizza and cookies were eaten- cutely enough the pastry was modeled after the mentioned celestial toon…

And right back to work. 

Taking pictures with visitors, signing any merchandise that they approached you with, and sharing the same sayings from lessons you’ve recited over and over again. It was almost a relief when everyone was warned that Gardenview was closing in five minutes over the intercom. 

Five minutes pass, and then a couple more to usher any stubborn stragglers away…. Finally, freedom. 

Your steps echoed softly through the halls are you bid your greetings to passing toons. 

Goob had craft bits stuck in his fluff, and Gigi was sneaking away with all sorts of lost items left behind in her arms. 

“Going up?” Dandy was already in the elevator- Boxten quietly tucked himself to his own corner a few feet away. You speed your pace up to cross the threshold of the door. 

“Mhm,” Your hands straighten out your dress. A yawn is clenched back in your teeth- the flexing of the back of your throat more than a little unpleasant. Dandy said something in response as he turned to the buttons of the elevator- stretching up on his toes before falling still.

“You wouldn’t happen to be going to Astro’s?” The flower shot you a glance over his shoulder. 

A knowing grin stretched over his face as he swayed slightly on his toes. 

Your words stumble slightly. 

“Yeah- yeah, I’am,” You mumble sheepishly. Without any hesitation Dandy presses a button and lowers himself back flat to the floor. “Had a hunch you were,” He hummed and looked over to Boxten. Then back to you. “He’s already in his room,” Dandy added with a wink. 

The elevator shudders to life and begins to rise…. Motion mixed with the creeping sleepiness in your body swirled into an almost disorienting and unpleasant sensation. You’re silently grateful for the rails installed on the walls of the elevator. 

“If you’re lucky you might catch him before he dozes off,” Dandy snickered softly under his breath. You only offer a hum of acknowledgement as you steady yourself. 

Slowly the elevator rises… before finally crawling to a stop- ending with a slight jolt. 

“Thanks,” You give Dandy a sleepy smile as the door cracks open and reveals itself to Astro’s themed floor. Every main had one- two actually, one for the visitors and one as a personal living space for the main. This floor had many similarities to the one allowed to the visitors; really the main difference was there were more resting areas. Bean bags, sofas, things like that. Slightly smaller too. Still massive compared to the rooms the other toons were given. 

You push yourself off of the railing and shuffle your feet forward- the exhaustion no doubt starting to hit in harder waves as your head tries to readjust to being still once more. 

“Have a good night-” You look over your shoulder and give the flower one last wave- one that was eagerly returned in a more exaggerated gesture. “You too Boxten-” You manage to quickly squeak in before the door slammed shut… The music box nearly scrambled out a response… failing before the door cut him off. 

Quiet once more. 

Astro’s floor was cooler compared to the others. That’s how he liked it when he slept- though to be fair he could fall asleep anywhere; and at this point you could too. 

The immediate area is scanned.

No sight of him, yet. 

You bring your hands up to your mouth and cup them. 

“Astroooo?” You call out in a half yell. You never liked yelling around the toon- he wasn’t the easiest to startle but he disliked sudden sounds almost as much as he hated flashes of light. A few seconds pass… nothing… 

You suck a breath between your teeth and prepare to call out again- only to fall silent as the first syllable passes through the air. He had heard you the first time. 

He shumbled slowly into view around a corner. 

“Starlight,” His tired face broke into a sweet smile as his singular eye lands on you. He brings himself closer and closes the wide gap between the two of you. He stops a few steps in front of you… his head is lowered as always, as if it weighs heavy on his shoulders. The sway in his step was apparent as the end of his blanket dragged across the floor. 

“You came here fast, did you need something?” He asked. Had it been anyone else the question may have come off as annoyed or impatient. Astro was never the best with tone but with you misunderstandings like that were few and far between.

He had only ever treated you with softness and compassion. 

“Missed you,” You mumbled and returned his same tired smile. 

Astro hummed softly… and his arms shifted under his blanket. You wasted no time in coming even closer and allowing him to envelope you in the soft fuzzy covers. Two sets of hands gently set themselves on your frame and guide you to the hiding spot the toon had come from. 

“I meant to come down and get you, but I couldn’t find you… I assume you went straight for an elevator?” His eye darts to you before focusing back to the path in front of him. 

You melt into his hold. Like his room he was cool. Not freezing but he wasn’t the warmest. The blanket made up for the chill… it smelled slightly of lavender and jasmine. It was a wonder Astro could stay awake throughout the day while constantly smelling the fabric. 

“I did, it looked like everyone else had the same idea,” You smile as you lean into his shoulder. 

“To the elevator I mean… not to your room,” You added sleepily. 

Astro hummed softly against you. The vibration meshed into your shoulder- another layer of comfort. 

“A sleepover doesn’t sound so bad, it’s been a while,” He turned the corner and while still guiding you he stepped towards the large bed he had made his own. Massive- wide, and absolutely littered with blankets and pillows. No one needed that much bedding… it more so resembled a nest than a bed. 

But it was nice, and cozy. 

“Not tonight,” He added as he gently set you on the edge of the bed. Astro’s arms shifted off of you for a second to adjust his blanket. Your hands reach forward again in an attempt to grab him and pull him back in. 

Astro’s expression softened. 

He allows himself to be pulled in as soon as his fidgeting passed. “Did you have a good day?”

He carefully shifts his legs onto the bed- more than a little mindful of his knees as he clambered in while you slightly tugged him onto the mattress.

Neither too soft nor too firm. It was perfect. 

You shimmy him to the middle of the bed towards the eye of the mock blanket nest. 

“It was real fun,” You let your head come to rest on one of the pillows. The scent of the blanket wafted over you as Astro covered you in it. The bedding carried the same calming fragrance. The lights were dim- fake stars hung around the walls illuminating the space around the bed. Soft music made an ambience for the room. Muffled, quiet, Calming. Comforting. A safe feeling. Almost nostalgic in its own way. Almost like taking a nap while it rained outside. 

“Yeah? What did you get up to Starlight?” His arms reach themselves to the top of your head and lightly pat the top of it… pats turned into light circular rubbing. 

If you were melting before into the bed… you were now reduced to a pubble of ichor under his hands. 

He always loved listening to how your day went, even if he wasn’t much of a talker himself.

“Me and Poppy helped Yatta out with one of her parties- we gave out sodas and candies… Yatta mostly did the candy, though,” You push your face into his shoulder. The toon hummed in response. 

“Yatta does throw good parties, doesn’t she?” His hands slipped from your head down to your back. Any tenseness left behind stood no chance. The massage shifts into a hug… and he doesn’t shift as you wrap around him like a koala. If anything he had grown to expect the move and would’ve asked if you were okay if you hadn’t done it. His thumb gently swipes across your spine in one last final movement before falling fully still. 

“Why don’t we get you some rest, Starshine,” He shifted you around into a more comfortable position. 

You didn’t have it in you to fight back. Even if you did have the energy you didn’t want to wriggle your way from his embrace. 

“We can talk more about it after a nap,” Astro added as he rested his chin on top of your head- comfortably nestling your face close to him. 

“And after dinner?” 

“And after dinner, of course,” He chuckled… then he began to hum a soft tune. 

So it was decided- the two of you would spend more time once you were more rested. The threat of oversleeping not much of a problem knowing Sprout would come looking if neither of you turned up to come eat. 

The promise of possibly seeing Astro in your dreams added extra encouragement to succumb to sleep. 

Not even a minute passed before his humming warbled and gave away to the quiet buzz of white noise in your ears before unconsciousness took over…

[purrestel]

So guess who got all the Nezha sprout bean plushies…

Martial Art AU Notes:

Nezha- MMA/ Specializes in Muy Thai (lots of power, flashy, aggressiveness).

Ao Bing- MMA/ Specializes in Capoeira (graceful, unpredictable and lethal).

Ao Guang- *Vale Tudo / Specializes in Brazilian Jujitsu mixed with MMA overall.

Ao Run- Specializes in Aikido (Using opponent’s strength against themselves), knows Krav Maga.

Ao Shun- Specializes in Silat (Known for his flexibility and his various leg sweeps and kicks).

Ao Qin- Specializes in a mix of Sumo and Judo (Heavyweight advantage).

Li Jing- Kenpo (Dynamic strikes that generate explosive forces, yet also requires high level of discipline—aspects Nezha has taken when sparring with him).

Lady Yin- Taekwondo (Emphasis on kicking, powerful and fast technique—Nezha’s mma experience was also heavily influenced by her).

Shen Gongbao- Wingchun (Uses efficient technique that relies on speed and precise strikes, very straightforward).

Taiyi- Shaolin Wushu/ Kungfu (Balances both offensive and defensive techniques—though he doesn’t fight as much now, his knowledge of various style help round Nezha up).

[spaghoffee]

Finally, meet my Stardew OC, Kyle!

I've also made some more portraits and a wholeass sprite sheet with seasonal outfits and costumes for him, but I'll post those separately! ^^ I've been going insane over him for the past week lol, I wish I could actually mod him into the game ugh

vV Tons More Info About Him Below!!! Vv

-Born and raised in Pelican Town, his café used to be his parents' bed and breakfast. At age 6, his family moved to Zuzu City for several years to give him a proper education, but they kept ownership of the building. After graduating college where he majored in Business Management to follow in his parents' footsteps, Kyle had the old and unused bed and breakfast renovated into his very own Kreamy Kafé, with the help of his parents' good friend Robin, of course! She already started working on the building while he was on his last year of college, so when he moved back in on that winter day it was mostly just to unpack his personal belongings, and he quickly got to work in less than a week!

-The reason why he started a café business instead of just reviving the bed and breakfast is because he's actually autistic and coffee is his special interest! He loves everything about it, from the sprouting seeds to an intricately decorated cup full of the delectable liquid. His café has a mini greenhouse attached to it on the side, where he grows his own coffee beans!

-Despite being transmasc, he doesn't want to have to present as hyper masculine for his identity to be respected. He's quite comfortable with his femininity and his body, and he quite frankly just wishes the world around him would change instead to just accept that yeah this feminine short dude is just another guy .👍👍👍 Which is why he feels closer to the rest of Pelican Town (who welcomed him with open arms) than his own parents, which he never actually came out to because of the mildly transphobic remarks they've made about other trans people when he was growing up, and he decided to not trust them with that information about himself. He'd rather be misgendered by them than disowned, as he is still reliant on them at times.

-Bisexual, falls for people easily but just as quickly makes negative hypothetical situations in his head with that person to kill off those feelings asap 😁👍 that did not work completely when it came to Victor lmao! Loser!!!

-He has a custom latté called Kyle's Special (because he isn't very creative lol) and it gives you +3 speed instead of the +1 regular coffee and triple shot espressos give! The downside (to balance it out) is that it does -30 health and the speed buff only lasts for a mere 30 seconds before your player experiences a sugar crash XP He likes his coffee sweet unfortunately!

-Harvey hates that coffee because it is literally a health hazard, thus they have awkward tension lol

-He's coded as half Filipino, half Italian! Honestly I just got his surname from the dude who invented espressos, Luigi Bezzera, and I took a z out cause that made it look more like a Filo surname LMAO, but after some thinking I gave up and made him half Italian anyway. My poor son is wasian now by an impulsive decision SDKJKSDD

I could add soooo much more info but I'll leave it at that for now ^^ You'll get to know him more in sooner posts!

[foodshowxyz]

Spicy Chashu Ramen with Soft Boiled Egg (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

Ramen Broth (store-bought or homemade - chicken or pork recommended)

For the Chashu Pork:

1 lb boneless pork belly

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

2 tablespoons sake

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 cups water

Ramen noodles (fresh or dried according to package instructions)

2 large eggs

1 can (14 oz) bamboo shoots, sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced (separate white and green parts)

2 sheets nori, cut into thin strips

Chili oil (to taste)

Instructions:

Marinate the Chashu Pork: In a large pot, combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pork belly and ensure it's submerged in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.

Cook the Chashu Pork: Bring the marinade in the pot to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours, or until pork is very tender. Remove pork and let cool slightly in the marinade. Once cool enough to handle, thinly slice the pork belly against the grain. Reserve the remaining marinade for later.

Soft Boil the Eggs: Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and cover for 7 minutes for a runny yolk, or 9 minutes for a slightly firmer yolk. Drain hot water and run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process. Peel and set aside.

Prepare the Ramen: Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions. While noodles are cooking, heat reserved marinade in a saucepan.

Assemble the Ramen: Divide broth between two serving bowls. Add cooked ramen noodles, then top with sliced chashu pork, bamboo shoots, white parts of scallions, and a soft-boiled egg (cut in half if desired). Drizzle with chili oil to taste.

Garnish and Serve: Top each bowl with green parts of scallions and nori strips. Enjoy immediately!

Tips:

Leftover chashu pork can be stored in the marinade in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For a richer broth, you can add a tablespoon of butter or sesame oil to each bowl before serving.

Want to make your own chili oil? Simply infuse neutral oil with crushed red pepper flakes for a few days.

Experiment with other toppings! Popular options include corn, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, and seaweed salad.

[immeasurablesaladagere]

can i just get a mini fic ab viktor regressing infront of all his siblings for the first time. (classification au) and just being really anxious and insecure? Tysm salad!! :))

Order up! Season 1 but he was Viktor the whole time. I bend canon to fulfill my fanfic needs :)

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Word Count: 603

Summery: Viktor regresses after Luther's family dinner idea goes south.

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Family dinner was a bad idea.

Diego slammed his fist down on the table, “Oh yeah, we can all just be a big happy family now that Dad’s gone! Pull your head outta your ass, Luther!” 

“I’m just trying to have a nice family dinner, like the old days! Why can’t you just accept that not everyone is as determined to hold onto this grudge as you!?” Luther shot back, looking around the table expectantly at them for some kind of support.

No one said anything. Viktor kept his gaze glued firmly down at his plate and pushed around the baked bean sprouts. They were still icky, just like they had been when they were kids, but Mama still kept making them. The only good thing about the arguing was that is was keeping his family distracted from his current problem; that he was little. His siblings all knew his classification by now, they’d read his book, but he’d never, ever been small with them before. He didn’t know exactly how they would react if they found out he was small, but he knew they wouldn’t be nice, so he was determined to keep it a secret. Just a few more hours, and he could ride the bus home. Hopefully he’d be big by then, the bus was scary.

Allison had joined into the shouting match now. They were getting really loud now, and it made the shaky feeling in his stomach grow. He wanted to cover his ears but that would give him away, so he just tightened his grip on his fork and bit his lip. He wished he was with Five. He got to skip family dinner.

There was a warping sound, and the table went silent. Five teleported into the room and without a word, grabbed the plate from his empty seat and began filling it with food. Or maybe he didn't?

“Can you all shut up? It’s hard to do world-saving calculations with you all screaming like idiots.” He snapped. He briefly glanced at Viktor as he was taking a scoop of mashed potatoes, then stopped and squinted more closely. Viktor shrunk back in his chair. Please don’t say anything.

“How long were you morons going to argue in front of a regressed little?”

Allison raised an eyebrow. “What? What are you—?” Her eyes landed on Viktor, and suddenly, all of the eyes at the table were on him. “Oh, honey…”

Viktor pushed away his plate, dropped his head to the table, and whined. They were gonna be upset now. He wasn’t supposed to be little here and he was hiding it so well!

“How did you..?” Luther trailed off.

Five snorted. “It’s obvious. He’s pushing around his bean sprouts, which he hated when we were kids, and he was looking at you all like a scared animal. Have any of you guys even been around a little since you were classified?” 

A hand landed on Viktor’s shoulder and he jumped. He nervously looked up at Five, but he didn’t look upset with him. 

“Come on, why don’t you come upstairs with me and I’ll tell you about my experiments.”

Viktor looked around the dinner table. Everyone was staring at him, and he shrunk away from their eyes. “Mhm.” 

He got up quickly and followed Five out of the dining room, fiddling with his shirt. “‘Thought I was doing a good job…” He mumbled.

Five gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Eh, you were. But it takes one to know one, kid.”

Viktor’s eyes widened. “You’re—?”

“Less talkie, more walkie. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

[egoistsarchive]

Interview With Shidou Ryusei (Blaze Battle)

1. Where are you from?

It's Tokyo. Huh? team? I have no team.

2. What is your favorite food?

It's yukhoe! The feeling of the blood dripping makes me feel like a carnivore! These days only a few restaurants are serving it, how boring.

3. What is your favorite animal?

Ever heard of raptor? Velociraptor. They’re small but quick and can eat a person in an instant! Ah, I’m talking about that one movie.

4. What is your favorite subject?

I don’t need them! Well, I guess Physical Education and Art classes can help me kill some time♪

5. What is your disliked food?

I wonder why bean sprouts have such a feeble form. They look like bean sprouts…  is that why they are called bean sprouts?*

6. What is your motto?

My motto is "Everything is for the explosion." Once you experience the pleasure of the explosion, there's no going back.

7. What do you do on your days off?

It’s called days off because you ain't doing anything. There's only one thing I do. Free myself from everything and become nothing. 

8. What are your hobbies?

My explosions. That’s all.

9. What is your favorite season?

It's summer. Every cell in my body is excited♪

10. What would you do if you were given 100 million yen?

100 million dominoes made out of a million bundles! 100 isn't much, huh. Well give me 100 then.

===================================================

Notes....

Q5. In Japan, a person (especially a kid) who is frail, weak, or thin is often called moyashikko (bean sprout-like kid). I think Shidou is thinking about the ‘weaklings’ and why they’re called bean sprouts (because they look weak/feeble?).

[theprinxietycompendium]

Prinxiety Fic Rec Spreadsheet

Hello and welcome!! Here is the link to the Prinxiety spreadsheet! In response to the poll I posted yesterday I'm putting this out early

By some miracle, I managed to get all of the forms I currently have into the spreadsheet! (feel free to submit more!) there are fics I want to add myself, and I'll always be happy to add more if people submit more forms (I've included a link to that in here too just in case :3)

Note:

Unrated, mature and explicit fics are in the second tab on the spreadsheet, please do not go through these if you are not 18+.

TO FILTER THE FICS:

In order to filter the fics to find the ones you want, highlight the columns) you wish to filter and then click on the filter logo at the top of the column you selected and uncheck the options you don't want to see! This should not effect anyone else's experience of the spreadshseet.

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If you read a fic on the spreadsheet and the information I have listed is inaccurate/out of date/theres information missing, please send an ask and let me know! I'll fix it asap.

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@fandombead @just-my-interpretation @moss-sprout @imhere-imqueer-ilikedeer @spacedouterri @cutebisexualmess @hootnhoney @dragonairlce @yourdragonwitchroyalty @shsl-fander

I'll also tag @tsspromptmonth for the Sleepy Bean Cafe event going on right now :3 You may add this to the fic rec pile

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The form to get a fic added to the spreadsheet:

Have fun!

[clairebretecher]

my three sisters garden experiment is teaching me some patience I didn't know I needed.. Last week i was literally digging holes in all the seed trays to see how far the corn had sprouted but that is just fun, i'm exited. The corn is amish country popcorn corn from Oregon I brought home to Denmark last summer. Rainbow corn, I don't even think many danes have ever heard of that.

Now the little corns are out of the soil and i expect them to be 5 cm tomorrow when i come back to work. and when they're knee height which i suspect will be soon I will plant them out in mounds of 3, and then put climbing beans around them in the dirt. and then some winter squash seeds I need to locate ideally in the middle of the mounds. But I have soooo many corn sprouts, like 20 hahaha. I also reread the three sisters chapter of braiding sweetgrass and it was soooo nice.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A large bowl filled with rice noodles, julienned carrot and cucumber, piles of herbs, and grilled 'chicken' strips; a bowl of sauce with minced chili and garlic is to the side. End ID]

Bún sườn nướng chay (Vietnamese rice noodle salad)

This is a vegetarian ("chay") version of bún gà nướng, a Vietnamese rice noodle ("bún") salad with grilled chicken ("gà nướng"). Chewy rice noodles, fresh vegetables and herbs, and a tangy, slightly spicy sauce combine with grilled or pan-seared 'chicken' to create a rich, flavorful, well-rounded dish. A marinade of lemongrass, sugar, garlic, and vegetarian fish sauce caramelizes around the 'chicken' as it sears, creating a sweet-and-savory crispy coating that perfectly complements the bright, herbacious salad. This dish can be made with Vietnamese sườn non chay, or with any meat substitute you have on hand.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the nước chấm (dipping sauce):

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1 lime (2 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/4 cup vegan fish sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

1 red chili (de-seeded and sliced)

3 cloves garlic, minced

Fish sauce doesn’t take “like” fish, merely fermented and intensely salty. You can buy a bottle of ready-made vegan fish sauce from a Southeast Asian brand such as Au Lac, or you can make your own by combining the following ingredients:

For the vegan fish sauce (nước mắm):

3 Tbsp liquid from a jar of fermented bean curd

1 Tbsp white miso paste

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp salt

For the chicken (gà):

300g vegan chicken substitute (I used Gardein), or 100g sườn non chay

2 cloves garlic

1 stalk lemongrass (or substitute lemon zest or a bit of preserved lemon pulp)

Juice of 1 lime (2 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp vegan fish sauce

1 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

1 Tbsp Vietnamese soy sauce

2 tsp vegetarian 'chicken' broth concentrate, or bột nêm chay (optional)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp neutral oil

Sườn non chay may be found in bags online or at your local Asian grocery–the bags will be labelled “sườn non chay” as well as “vegan meat slice,” “textured soy bean protein,” “vegetarian food,” or “vegan food.”

Bột nêm is a Vietnamese seasoning sold in powder or granule form. Vegetarian (“chay”) versions of the seasoning may contain shiitake mushroom, lotus seeds, carrots, tomatoes, and kohlrabi, as well as salt and MSG. It can be purchased in pouches or boxes from an Asian grocery store, or you can use any other vegetable stock powder.

For the salad:

300g vermicelli rice noodles

2 cups bean sprouts

1 large carrot (julienned)

1 seedless cucumber (julienned)

6 leaves romaine lettuce (julienned)

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 bunch fresh rau răm (Vietnamese mint), or mint

2 stalks green onion, sliced

Handful of peanuts

Fresh Vietnamese herbs can be found in the refrigerator section of an Asian grocery store, particularly one that specializes in southeast Asian food. You can also experiment with whatever leafy herbs you have on hand.

Instructions:

For the chicken:

1. (If using sườn non chay:) soak meat slices in cool water until rehydrated. Squeeze out excess water and cut each slice in half along its shortest dimension, to get two blocks of the original height and width.

2. Slice lemongrass. Peel away any tough, dry outer leaves to reveal the yellow-green leaves within. Remove the root end of each stalk, as well as the tough green portion at the top of each stalk (reserve this latter to boil in stocks). Thinly slice the tender yellow portion of each stalk.

3. Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Marinate chicken for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the nước chấm and vegetables.

4. Remove the chicken from the bowl, leaving any excess marinade behind. Heat a couple teaspoons of oil on medium in a large pan then sear the chicken, turning once, until deeply golden brown on both sides (or use a charcoal grill). (If using a pan) filter marinade to remove lemongrass slices, then pour extra marinade over the chicken and cook, stirring often, until coated.

5. Cut chicken into strips, or as desired.

For the nước chấm:

1. Mix vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and add minced garlic and chili. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

For the salad:

1. Boil the vermicelli according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to halt cooking. Toss with a little bit of neutral oil to avoid sticking.

2. Roast peanuts in a dry pan on medium-low, stirring often, until golden brown and fragrant.

3. Julienne carrot, cucumber, and lettuce. Roughly chop herbs.

4. Plate vermicelli followed by vegetables, herbs, chicken, and peanuts. Spoon some nước chấm over the salad and set remainder to the side to serve.

[a-typical]

Let’s instead conduct an extraterrestrial thought experiment.

Imagine a pod of aliens come to visit who derive all their energy and nourishment from starlight and minerals. What would they think of life on Earth? They’d see their cousins—all that photosynthesizes—and delight in their taxonomic diversity, from microscopic cyanobacteria in lakes and ponds to the mighty sequoia trees of the American northwest that live for thousands of years. They would see all other life as hopelessly barbaric, killing all manner of living things for their survival. They would see humans as apex predators—persistent purveyors of violence—dividing themselves into those who kill and eat animals and those who kill and eat plants.

...Our visiting light-metabolizing aliens would be especially incensed by Earth vegetarians for slaughtering their plant brethren. Not only that, human plant eaters take special interest in reproductive organs—the flowers, the seeds, the nuts, the berries—and eat those, disrupting the life cycle of the plant.

Plenty of other fruit-eating mammals delight in such snacks, often swallowing the hard-cased seeds whole, which then pass through their digestive tract unscathed. By then the animal has wandered to new places where the seeds emerge, embedded in free fertilizer. The plant has passively spread its presence across the countryside through a symbiotic relationship with hungry mammals. Isn’t nature beautiful? We humans, however, grind the seeds of fruits and berries to a pulp with our molars. Those we happen to swallow whole don’t propagate the plant’s life cycle because we (generally) don’t poop in open meadows.

It doesn’t end there. Barbaric humans further seek out the youngest versions of plants to harvest. Why else would the produce aisle in grocery stores contain infanticidal packages of baby carrots, baby spinach, baby arugula, baby artichokes, baby squash, bean sprouts. The list goes on.

A blunt truth of human existence: our three sources of energy—protein, carbohydrates, and fat—all come from killing and eating other forms of life in our ecosystem.

— Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization - Neil deGrasse Tyson (2022)