Ratatouille Provencale

The Joy of Cookingsays that this is supposed to look like a "colorful cubist still life"... I suppose I could describe it as such, except it just looks like a pile of vegetables on a plate. It also tastes like a pile of vegetables on a plate, nothing special. I've never actually had ratatouille and just wanted to make it because of the movie, which I actually haven't seen either, though I keep meaning to (it's on my 200-movie long Netflix queue somewhere... I think). I put some red pepper flakes on it and just ate it, regressing to basic hungry-person "food is fuel" (aka "Donger Need Food") mode. Plus, they're vegetables, and they have vitamins and make you poop and I don't eat enough of them. Can you tell I'm just trying to make myself feel better?

Note to self: eggplants + vegetable peelers = no. Everyone else: you probably know that you're supposed to use a knife. Another note to self: if you ever want to try it again, try the cute little specialty eggplants at Whole Foods since they probably don't have that nasty bitter taste you get with the big normal eggplants. The cheap bastard approach does not work with eggplants, apparently.

In good news, I chopped two onions up for the first time without tearing up tonight. I'm not really sure how I managed that since it normally gets so bad I have to run to the other side of my apartment with tissues, but I can guess that washing my hands after peeling them and standing way the hell back while chopping helped. I tried the "trick" which involves putting them in the freezer a few times but it's all LIES. I read on some message board or article that some people actually cut them up underwater or at least under running water, which seems like a good way to lose your goddamn fingers (and the bottom of the sink doesn't really seem like a very clean place). Then you have wet onions to dry too. How is that even a good idea? Baffled.

Anyway, I wasn't really satisfied with the ratatouille and went and ate a huge slab of cajun beef jerky I got at the meat market. My next two meals are going to be ratatouille fortified with meat candy. How's that for a combo?