Last Gasp of Summer

Summer Garden Salad with Chili-Garlic Shrimp Last month, in addition to this last ditch, food-centric attempt to INSIST that it was still summer, I was forced to conclude two things: 1) my iPod is really and truly gone, *sniff* stolen by some rat bastard who, though I don't believe in Karma, had better suffer for that, and, 2) fresh corn on the cob tastes better than canned corn and is worth the extra trip to the grocery store.

Against my will, I obliged and made a special trip* to Safeway for the corn as we had all the ingredients for this "summer" dish and had missed just this item and the fresh lettuces meant to support the salad from below. I begrudgingly admit that it was worth it. It seems strange that we so rarely come across a recipe we don't like so I'd like to suggest a tool for clarification: in my mind, all food exists on a Continuum of Like (see below). For the record, there is only a miniscule percentage of consumables that I would not even make an attempt at consuming and which, therefore, fall off the far left end of the Continuum. This percentage contains, so far, the following: - live octopus - live crickets - live snake - severed, marinated duck heads - duck fetus, still inside the egg (I mean no disrespect to the duck, it's other parts are very enjoyable to consume.) Love exists in a category all on its own. Lobster Sauteed in Butter and Brandy with Tarragon falls into the Love category. Using this tool, I would argue that this recipe falls somewhere between 'Like' and 'Really Like'. Because of all the vegetables, the salad was hearty enough to be supper and strong-willed enough to stand firm until lunch-time the next day; not many salads can do that. The shrimp were just this side of spicy but what pushed them closer to 'Really Like' was their flavour: chili-garlic sauce mixed with cumin makes for a sweet-ass marinade/cooking liquid for shrimp. Also, it should be noted that avocado were a part of this recipe and, though I would never say this to their face, the salad wouldn't have been that different if they weren't there. In fact, I might omit them the next time we make this next summer (a.k.a. forever away). But don't tell them I said that. * The amount of whining associated with this chore was surpassed only by The Petulant Peanut Trip of June 2005, which shall be remembered in perpetuity.