plastic shards, anyone?

There is a tragic story, yet one with a moral of perseverance, in the soup I made last night. After the soup was finished cooking I needed to blend it. I don't have one of those nifty hand blenders, so I scooped the soup into a normal blender. The first batch went well even though hot orange soup splattered all over the stove and fridge. I put it into another pot in order to add the coconut milk later. The second batch in the blender did not go so well. The hot soup made the lid of the blender expand and come loose (thus the splattering) which allowed the small plastic middle piece of the lid to fall in. It was immediately ground up. However, when I pulled it out, they looked like big chunks, so I thought I could just pass this soup through a sieve and into the first batch of blended soup. I did and soon discovered that the plastic was broken into tiny slivers and had gotten into all of the soup. "NO!!" I yelled this, among other things. It was almost two hours later and I had to throw away all of the soup. There was no way I could extract the plastic bits and I would never risk me or anyone else eating them. It was sad rinsing so much time and delicious ingredients down the drain.

So, here is the moral. Don't let a failed soup making attempt get you down - push on! I began again. Although this time, I was not humming or daydreaming as I chopped onion and grated carrots, I was totally focused on making the soup quickly and efficiently. Thus, the second batch turned out to be delicious, but not as spicy as the first and overall with less luster. I truly believe that you can taste the difference in a dish that is made with pleasure and happiness. I am glad I persevered and was able to share the soup with a friend today, but I probably won't make another batch of soup until February's soup cycle.

g'night. shelly