Posted on by Gary

Jemima the duck

Jemima the duck is apparently a thing. I’d never heard of Jemima the duck until this week.

Jemima the duck

Wednesday tea. Sous vide duck breast and kale sprouts. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #sousvide #duckbreast Duck, Kale sprouts G’day food lovers I’m not feeling terribly hungry today. That said, I need to dedicate this meal to a work mate. Today we were discussing some taboo foods and when I mentioned that I was planning duck tonight my friend exclaimed that I shouldn’t eat duck because ducks communicate. She explained there are ducks in literature which speak and she sent me a picture of a duck named Jemima which is apparently a famous duck for children. I’ve never heard of Jemima the duck so I’m dedicating this meal to my work friend and naming my sous vide duck breast, Jemima. Jemima was cooked sous vide for 2 hours at 76 °C. I chilled Jemima in the refrigerator and then removed Jemima from the vacuum bag and dried Jemima’s surfaces with kitchen towel. I heated up a frypan so it was smoking hot and seared Jemima all over. I then sliced Jemima with my Dick™ butchers knife and ate Jemima with some oven roasted Kale sprouts which I’d doused with rice bran oil and iodised salt before exposing to 200 °C dry heat for 15 minutes. Jemima was delicious. Have a good one.

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I was having a conversation at work this week and we started talking about taboo foods. I explained, that if I was in the correct cultural setting, if I was offered a food which the majority of people in Australia felt was unethical or abhorrent for me to eat, that I’d still probably go ahead. Unless it is balut. I’m not doing that.

An example would be if I was in the Torres Strait and if I was in a community setting with local people and if they were eating dugong and turtle, I would accept their hospitality. I have no craving for dugong or green sea turtle. I would just not want to be rude to gracious hosts. I can go to my grave not ever having eaten dugong and green sea turtle, but also, if the situation ever occurred then I would go to my grave not being unhappy.

Children’s story books

Apparently Jemima the duck is a character in a children’s story book. I’d never heard of it. I remember reading Richard Scary books and stories to my daughters. There were cats and other animals but I can’t remember a duck.

Anyway, based on the horrified looks I was receiving about my revelation of what I’d be prepared to eat if offered to me in a culturally appropriate setting, I said, it’s okay, I eat basic things at home and mentioned I was eating duck that night.

There was a muffled shriek of horror from one work mate who exclaimed that I can’t eat duck because ducks communicate. Then I was informed about Jemima. There were more horrified looks when I said the only Jemima I knew was a stuffed toy from Play School.

Needless today, I felt bad that I’d upset my friends, so that night when I ate my sous vide duck breast, I made a video and dedicated it to my work friend and named my duck, you guessed it, Jemima.

People leaving

Work has been quite sad over the last few weeks. Some of my dearest work friends have left or have announced they are leaving to bigger and better things. I feel quite good for them because they are all leaving to begin new and exciting work.

When these things happen, it does make me pause to reflect. I’m very happy with my current jobs, so I’m not going anywhere. I just wish I could transplant everything in Canberra (except the Canberra Raiders) to Far North Queensland or the Top End so the weather would be pleasant rather than the horrid dry weather all year around.

This is NOT Jemima the duck

Dead Duck Dilbert and coffee

Say hello to Dead Duck Dilbert. If you’re on Instagram, check out #deadduckdilbert to learn more about this little travel duck.

I’m showing him here because he may be going on another little adventure soon.

What have I watched this week?

Veronica Mars the Movie (2014)

I’ve now watched the four seasons of Veronica Mars and enjoyed them. Especially the 2019 series which was made more than a decade after the last season went to air. What I didn’t realise when I finished the fourth season was that a movie had been made in 2014.

I’d wish I’d watched the movie before the fourth season. It would have helped with continuity.

I know some people don’t like movies that have been produced as a result of a successful TV series. I really like them. Mainly because I really like all the Star Trek movies, even the movies which the critics don’t like. That’s because, all Star Trek is good.

One of my greatest disappointments was when Star Trek: Enterprise was axed after only four seasons. It wasn’t rating very well and some people didn’t quite understand why a prequel was being made. I loved Star Trek: Enterprise. It is one of my favourite TV shows and as far as Star Trek captains go, Jonathan Archer is my favourite Star Trek captain. In addition, the NX-01 is my favourite Star Trek starship. It has such beautiful lines.

Anyway, I wish the producers had been able to tie up loose ends with one or even two movies after the fourth season rather than leave things hanging like a gaping wound.

Last Man Standing

I’m enjoying seeing actors from Home Improvement make appearances on Last Man Standing.

I know Tim Allen isn’t regarded favourably in some circles. I still find his humour enjoyable.

National Rugby League

The Brisbane Broncos were embarrassingly defeated by the Canterbury Bulldogs. I hate the Broncos Board for letting Mr Bennett go.

What have I listened to this week?

There hasn’t been anything extraordinary to report on this week.

What have I eaten and photographed this week?

Videos

Photographs

This is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and scroll through the rest of them.

Astute readers will note there are fewer photographs of the Belconnen Owl Statue. That’s because I’m still coughing during the evening and even though I wake up at 4 am, I just cannot be bothered walking out into the cold dry air which will trigger more coughing.

  • Monday tea. Baked salmon with kale sprouts and slaw. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #salmon Salmon, Kale sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Red onion, Olive Oil, Lemon juice, Tomatoes, Avocado, Almonds, Peanuts, Dates G’day food lovers It’s Monday and I almost always have salmon on Monday. Rather than pan-fry my salmon, tonight I oiled up a fillet of salmon as well as some kale sprouts and put them into a hot oven for 15 minutes. I shredded some red cabbage, sugarloaf cabbage, carrot, and red onion to make a slaw which I dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I also added some cherry tomatoes, avocado, and dates plus almond flakes and crushed peanuts.
  • The Little Local Texas Cookbook by Hilah Johnson
  • Tuesday tea. Pork belly and avocado. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #porkbelly Pork, Avocado G’day food lovers I had a huge lunch. I had leftover slow cooked brisket and prawn cabbage laksa soup. I don’t feel that hungry so I pulled out a strip of pork belly, put it in the oven for 45 minutes at 200 °C and when it was cooked cut it up and ate it with avocado. Have a good one.
  • Leftover brisket and prawn cabbage laksa soup. Asian reef and beef.
  • Wednesday tea. Sous vide duck breast and kale sprouts. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #sousvide #duckbreast Duck, Kale sprouts G’day food lovers I’m not feeling terribly hungry today. That said, I need to dedicate this meal to a work mate. Today we were discussing some taboo foods and when I mentioned that I was planning duck tonight my friend exclaimed that I shouldn’t eat duck because ducks communicate. She explained there are ducks in literature which speak and she sent me a picture of a duck named Jemima which is apparently a famous duck for children. I’ve never heard of Jemima the duck so I’m dedicating this meal to my work friend and naming my sous vide duck breast, Jemima. Jemima was cooked sous vide for 2 hours at 76 °C. I chilled Jemima in the refrigerator and then removed Jemima from the vacuum bag and dried Jemima’s surfaces with kitchen towel. I heated up a frypan so it was smoking hot and seared Jemima all over. I then sliced Jemima with my Dick™ butchers knife and ate Jemima with some oven roasted Kale sprouts which I’d doused with rice bran oil and iodised salt before exposing to 200 °C dry heat for 15 minutes. Jemima was delicious. Have a good one.
  • Celery Carrot Coon™ Dates
  • Thursday tea. MEATER™ made chicken and cauliflower. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #meatermade @meatergram @meatermade Chicken, Cauliflower, Avocado G’day food lovers I’m again not feeling terribly hungry today. I got home still feeling crook so I stuck my MEATER™ wireless meat probe deep into a chicken thigh and cooked it according to the MEATER™ app. At the same time I cooked some cauliflower florets. I served the meal with some avocado.
  • Celery, Coon™, Carrot, and Dates
  • Friday tea. MEATER™ made chicken and kale. #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #meatermade @meatergram @meatermade Chicken, Kale, Tomatoes G’day food lovers I’m again not feeling terribly hungry today. I had a huge lunch at Garran Kitchen. Check out my Instagram feed for the photos. I got home still feeling crook so I stuck my MEATER™ wireless meat probe deep into a chicken thigh and cooked it according to the MEATER™ app. At the same time I cooked some kale. I made kale chips by putting kale leaves in the baking tray under the chicken, adding a squirt of Queensland nut oil, and seasoning with iodised salt and pepper. I served the meal with some cherry tomatoes.
  • Steamed duck and mushrooms and mixed vegetables
  • Steamed duck and mushrooms and sizzling tofu with chicken
  • Crispy lamb, steamed duck, and sizzling tofu with chicken
  • Saturday tea. Old Bay Hollandaise salmon with kale chips and potato mash. Video at https://yummylummy.com/YT2019-09-07 #yummylummy #foodphotography #ManFlu #salmon #hollandaisesauce #potatomash Salmon, Fennel, Old Bay, Eggs, Lemon juice, Potato mash, Pistachio nuts, Kale, Parsley, Queensland nut oil, Hollandaise sauce, Butter, Dijon mustard G’day food lovers Tonight I made baked salmon, Old Bay Hollandaise sauce, potato mash, and kale chips. The salmon was baked for 15 minutes at 200 °C. I made stick blender Old Bay Hollandaise according to the recipe you’ll find on the blog post later. The kale was baked along with the salmon after I’d squirted it with Queensland nut oil and seasoned it with iodised salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The potato mash was cooked with microwave radiation and garnished with pistachio nuts and parsley. Have a good one. This is the last video for a week. Catch you later.
  • Saturday tea. Old Bay Hollandaise salmon with kale chips and potato mash. Video at https://yummylummy.com/YT2019-09-07 #yummylummy #foodphotography #ManFlu #salmon #hollandaisesauce #potatomash Salmon, Fennel, Old Bay, Eggs, Lemon juice, Potato mash, Pistachio nuts, Kale, Parsley, Queensland nut oil, Hollandaise sauce, Butter, Dijon mustard G’day food lovers Tonight I made baked salmon, Old Bay Hollandaise sauce, potato mash, and kale chips. The salmon was baked for 15 minutes at 200 °C. I made stick blender Old Bay Hollandaise according to the recipe you’ll find on the blog post later. The kale was baked along with the salmon after I’d squirted it with Queensland nut oil and seasoned it with iodised salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The potato mash was cooked with microwave radiation and garnished with pistachio nuts and parsley. Have a good one. This is the last video for a week. Catch you later.
  • Saturday lunch. Celery, Carrot, Triple cream brie, Dates, and Cherry tomatoes. Celery, Carrot, Brie, Dates, Tomatoes #YummyLummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar
  • Dead Duck Dilbert and coffee
  • The Owl Statue on Saturday morning
  • Saturday breakfast. Steamed egg with Coon™, on wilted spinach and cherry tomatoes. Egg, Coon cheese, Spinach, Tomatoes #yummylummy #foodphotography #lowcarb #noaddedsugar #ManFlu #hdr

Yummy Lummy this week

Old Bay Hollandaise Salmon

Old Bay Hollandaise Salmon Thumbnail

The cookbook

Hmmm…nothing again. I wonder if I need to add a Jemima the duck recipe to the book.

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Final thoughts

  • Do you eat taboo foods?
  • Have you heard of or read about Jemima the duck?
  • Do you like it when a movie is made as a result of a successful TV series?

11 Replies to “Jemima the duck”

    1. Thanks, Sue. Yes. Apparently I have a deficient childhood because Beatrix Potter wasn’t featured in it. I’m also a deficient father because I didn’t read Beatrix Potter books to my daughters. I asked them if they felt deprived when I shared this story with them. I was told they enjoyed the stories I made up for them.

  2. I’ve never heard of Jemima the duck either. I was born in Eastern Europe so we eat everything available, so I eat heaps of things that would be considered taboo. I must admit I’m surprised at the strong reaction you got to eating duck. Just last week I went on a work social outing to a Chinese restaurant and several of us around the table enjoyed the duck.

    1. I think amongst Asian, duck is a favourite. I know many people I associate with are transitioning through various stages or limiting forms of meat and some have gone to vegetarianism while some have adopted vegan lifestyles. They are all happy in their choices. For me, I’m pretty happy trying to find the right balance of meat, vegetables, and fruit.

  3. Like you I have not heard about Jemima the duck, and the only Jemima I know is the one from Play School. I grew up in a Chinese family, and eating duck was as common as eating chicken. Roast duck, steamed duck, duck congee, duck skin…duck is great 😀

    1. Apparently Jemima is from Beatrix Potter. Like you when I heard the name Jemima I thought of Play School.
      I love eating duck.

  4. Piffle. Eat and enjoy. (Jemima is from Beatrix Potter. The duck wears an apron and a bonnet. I recommend removing those before cooking) One of my favorite kid books scenes was when Amelia Bedelia ‘dressed’ the chicken for dinner. Richard Scarry was just great fun. So much was going on in each page!!!

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