What Are You Afraid of?

Often, if I can't get out to the beach and surf, you'll find me here:

This is the Surfline cam of Venice Beach, where you can get an idea of what conditions might be like.  Or you can gaze at at the cam longingly, wishing you could be out there.  See, even for crappy surfers, it can become an addiction, or at least something you spend a lot of time thinking about, more time then you should, probably, because you should probably be working, or doing something productive like cleaning out a closet, or tidying up the office or giving the beagles a bath.

Somebody recently asked me what took so long to get into surfing, because I didn't start until a few years ago.  Well, there's a simple answer:  fear!   Although I have always loved to swim and the beach has felt like a second home, I harbored a kind of secret ocean phobia.  Why?  One word:  Jaws!  I mean, c'mon, who didn't see Jaws as a kid and swear never to set foot in the ocean again?  Seriously, Jaws scared the shit out of me, and  I can't be the only one, right?  Plus, there was an incident at summer camp with a rip current when I was a kid, and that scared me silly too.

But living in California you come across surfers all over the place, especially if you spend any time at the coast because there they are riding waves.  I always wanted to try to surf, but the truth was I was just really, really afraid.  Then we moved to Malibu for a year, and we were minutes from this really awesome beach called Little Dume.   Here it is:

So I started dipping my toes in the water, literally. Then I started to swim a bit. Then came a boogie board.  Finally I decided why not take a surfing lesson already (thank you Kai and Zuma Surf and Swim school, which can be found here:  www.zumasurfandswim.com.   Anyway, that first lesson was all it took to start getting me hooked.  The point here is probably something you already know -- fuck you, fear!  Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and do something that makes you uncomfortable.  Why?  I don't know, because, for me anyway, it makes me feel really alive.  Seriously, it does.  If you don't believe me, do something you're afraid of.  Really, just try, and get back to me.

But while thinking of stepping out of comfort zones, I started thinking about comfort food, and there's one I have that's total Surf Dude Food, in my opinion.  It involves this:

Yep, Ramen!  No, not the kind you go to a noodle joint for (we'll talk about a couple of those later for sure). Yep, those cheap little packages you might have eaten in college.  Actually I never ate them in college, or even shortly thereafter, as far as I can recall.  But somewhere I developed a taste for Ramen and I did a bunch of research (okay eating) and I found the brand I like best is Sapporo Ichiban, the ones in the red package.

Now, before you get all foodie and look down your noses at it, it's not just me. I mentioned Roy Choi in the previous post, and he includes a recipe in his excellent book L.A. SON that uses packaged ramen, so get over it.  Oh, btw here's a link to Choi's book, which is such a great read:  www.harpercollins.com/9780062202635/l-a-son.  Anyway, my way of eating ramen includes only a couple of other ingredients so here goes:  (oh, a note on ingredients -- try to get the best quality you can.  If you can buy eggs at a farmers' market, for instance, do it.  Conditions for factory farmed eggs (and meat) are abysmal.  You will pay a little more, but you will also notice a difference in taste.  Really, if you don't believe me, try.  Also, the chickens will thank you.)

Anyway, on to Surf Dude Food/Ramen.  You will need:

1 package Ramen noodles
1-2 eggs (depends on how hungry you are)
1 tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsps chopped cilantro
Sriracha (Huy Fong -- sorry Paul Epstein if you ever read this)

(Side note:  did I mention I am having a love affair with this guy?  Don't worry, Sam knows all about it.  But I love this stuff).

so, to continue:

1. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan.  When boiling vigorously, add ramen and set flavor package aside.  Stir the noodles to break them up. Then simmer for about three minutes, or until the noodles are done to your liking.
2. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium high eat and add the butter. When sizzling, break the eggs into the skillet. Season the eggs lightly with salt and pepper, then cover the skillet.
3. When noodles are done, add the flavor packet and stir.  Pour the soup and noodles into a bowl and allow to cool a bit.
4. When the eggs are cooked to your liking (I like the whites firm and the yolks a little runny) slip them out of the pan and lay them on top of the noodles and broth.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and add as much sriracha as you like
6. Slurp!

Here's what the finished product looks like.

It's really tasty.  Try it yourself and see.  (Here's one last secret!  I like to eat the egg first, then most of the broth, and then the noodles last.  Just saying.)

And the recipe couldn't be easier, huh?  Okay, until next time…Mahalo!