Cucumber Memories

I know... Not everybody starts smiling automatically when they see (fresh) veggies, but those who don't get to smile when they look at my spontaneous veg art, created with produce that I had only just picked from my twin sister's 'horta' (vegetable garden), have either gone too much carnivore or have no sense of humor.

Whatever's the case for you, it sure energized me to pick these veggies and add them to my lunch ( a lunch that wasn't entirely vegan, nor vegetarian, I eat by following my gut feeling, whenever I can ).

Today, I improvised some kind of naan bread pan pizza, threw the tomatoes and green pepper in the frying pan for a bit and added some cheese and chourizo to the mix. I topped it off, before the feeding frenzy started, with slices of gherkins ( or 'pickles'. But 'gherkin(s)' is closer to the Dutch word augurk(en) ).
I ate a chunk of the cucumber separately and decided to save the rest of it for later today.

The dish sure made me smile, before and after eating, and being playful with the vegetables, as well as with my cooking, played a crucial part in this.

I realize now that the veggie face above could also have stood for what used to be my dad's expression, whenever he discovered that my mom hadn't cooked any vegetables for dinner but had chosen to go for salad instead. He couldn't stand cucumber and called lettuce types of salad 'rabbit food' that he would end up eating with 'long teeth' ( as we would say in Dutch ). He never ate cucumber. In fact, he once struck a little bowl with cucumber straight out of my hand, when I jokingly passed it to him along the table. The bowl and the slices of cucumber ended up on my parents' living room floor.

I am not my dad though but I do get him haha! Although I do like good tasting cucumber and well-filled salad ( preferably with more ingredients than just lettuce, cucumber and grated carrot)!

I honestly think my father would have enjoyed my veg/cheese/chourizo pan pizza improv though ;<)

And I hope you enjoy(ed) the green(s) and my li'l (back)story!*💚