The Way We Roll

Well fans, today we have a guessing game. What is in the picture above, besides a couple of glasses and salt and pepper shakers? What's in the dish?

Ice cream? Nope. Guess again! It's...butter!!! Now, I'm all for butter. I think it's a great fat with which to cook and bake, and it also makes a simple, tasty topping for bread, toast, pancakes, waffles, croissants, rolls, etc., as it is meant to be here. My parents and I were three people. We had, maybe, two pieces of bread each, and all of that butter at our disposal. It just blew my mind.

The second interesting thing about that particular dining experience was the menu. There was a portion of the menu entitled, "The Lighter Side" where the first item was an 8 oz. steak. Now, to be fair, we were in rural South Dakota at the "nice" restaurant in town. They cater to us solid body construction Midwesterners that come in with big appetites and certain expectations about not going home hungry. And I understand that. But I still have a hard time putting half a pound of beef in the "light" category. I pointed out this seemingly paradoxical menu item to mom and dad who hadn't given it a second thought until I said something. They chuckled and shrugged, maybe a little sheepishly, and then pointed out that an 8 oz. steak was light compared to a 12 or 16 oz. steak.

Well, they have a point, I suppose. To quote a Texan I met once, "The only thing better than steak and potatoes is steak and steak! With prime rib for variety!" (Still one of my most favorite quotes of all time.) That's how folks around here roll.

Weird.