let's talk about ... shrimp?

I love shrimp!  I loved shrimp when I was little – I vaguely remember that.  But then I went through a “no seafood except for fried clamstrips phase,” and shrimp were exiled from my plate.  But they are back, friends!  I don’t remember when I picked them up again, but they have been my trusty partners in foodtime fun for the last eight years, at least.  In particular, I like frozen shrimp.  Maybe they are not as tasty as fresh shrimp (I cannot tell the difference as long as the shrimp doesn’t have freezer burn?) but they are oh so convenient!  I like to have a bag on hand at all times.  They are wonderfully versatile and quickly defrost.  Say you have a dinner guest coming on short notice.  Serving regular red sauce spaghetti just seems so blasé.  Toss some shrimp (and a few other things) in a pan, whip up some pasta – shrimp scampi is totally easy and Olive Garden Classy!  (Which is to say, not really classy at all, but endearing and satisfying, ha.)  Or if you are more adventurous, try those shrimpies in a Thai dish!  Flavor-fest, and probably healthy too, given all those energizing Thai herbs and spices.  If you really love cabbage, put those shrimp in your okonomiyaki batter!  Seriously, folks, Osaka style okonomiyaki is wonderful.  I love the combination of flavors and textures.  As soon as I can assemble all of the ingredients, I’m sure it will be on my frequently-made meal list here in Korea.  I have already seen the all-important nagaimo/yamaimo for sale here, so I know this dish is a possibility.

Okay, when I really think about it, serving any of my suggested dishes to your short notice guest might be risky.  You’d probably want to stick with the spaghetti if you don’t know your friend’s eating habits.  Springing Thai on someone does not always end well, ha.  And shrimp just creep some people out!  Don’t know why.  I guess they look like bugs when they have their shells and they are kind of sweet, which may turn some peeps off to them.