I Have Nothing to Say

Green bean tempura/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

When I was a boy, my father looked at me in the rearview mirror and asked why was I so quiet.

I said, “I have nothing to say.”

Sometimes I have something to say, and I get overheated. Right now, I have nothing to say. Unlike a daily newspaper that has to say something on schedule, has to lead with some story, I don’t. I’m a strong believer in not speaking generally (there’s too much noise as there is) but especially when I have nothing to say. (To be honest, I wouldn’t even be typing this except that I can’t stand Friday’s picture of Rose’s grenadine any longer.)

I suggest that whenever you have nothing to say, you fry something in oil, such as green beans dipped in tempura batter, which was how we got our daughter to eat green beans when she was a child.

While you are eating them, you will probably have something to say to the person you are eating them with. But if you don’t, just eat. Sometimes it’s good to just sit quietly and eat.

Quick Tempura Batter

From Ratio

Mix 2 parts flour with 1 part cornstarch, and add sparkling water till you have a light batter.
Dip vegetables in batter and deep-fry them in vegetable oil.
Serve them with a light soy sauce seasoned with vinegar.

 

If you liked this post, check out these other links:

My video post when I had something to say.
Take a look at Iron Chef Morimoto’s restaurants.
Humble Bean is a blog that focuses on Japanese cuisine.

© 2013 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2013 Donna Turner-Ruhlman. All rights reserved.