Mothers Day: well fed and very well hugged.

 RantWoman, TRY just to write about Mothers Day. Don't try to boil the ocean.

Mothers Day: The short version

RantWoman and RantMom are now both fully vaccinated. RantWoman took RantMom takeout Thai food. RantWoman visited RantMom in person in RantMom's apartment for the first time since March 2020. RantWoman left RantMom well fed and very well hugged. The RantWomen agree: we must do this again soon. Maybe next time there will even be pictures.

(Little Sister's household bowed out. Little Sister and brother in law are having bad reactions to second shingles vaccines. Nephew is with some buds from church on a serious roadtrip all over the western US. RantWoman is very sorry people are indisposed. RantWoman, humbly, is not sorry to ease gently into lots of people in not an enormous apartment.)

RantWoman observed:

--One of RantMom's neighbors enthusiastically greeted RantWoman during the screen in process at RantMom's retirement community. RantWoman of course did not recognize her because we were both wearing masks, RantWoman's glasses had darkened in the sun, and RantWoman was trying to pay attention to the screening questions, but that was only the first of several highs.

--RantMom laments many difficulties of retirement community pandemic regime. On the other hand , RantMom has discovered seated yoga. More importantly, RantMom has been working on cleaning out the kind of box clutter that at some point in a move just gets deposited to be dealt with later. Her efforts showed! It was very easy to lay out our feast on the table.

--Little Sister was right to reality check about kitchen options when RantMom moved in. RantMom really appreciates having a full if tiny kitchen with stove and full-sized refrigerator and counter space for both a toaster oven and a microwave. The cramped space makes RantWoman think fondly of one RantFamily house where all 5 RantFamily members managed with a galley kitchen open on both ends to bigger rooms.

--RantWoman also observed RantMom shake enough that RantWoman is glad, no matter how good it is for mental function to have to do basic daily activities like cooking, RantWoman is glad RantMom does not have to do all her meals herself.

The Feast

The star of the feast is Isam Thai dinner menu  Isam Thai has only been open a few months. The restaurant has been getting rave reviews from RantMom's neighbors. RantWoman found them easily on the internet. When the party became only RantWoman and RantMom, RantWoman asked whether RantMom might like to dine in. No. RantMom did not even want to hang on the phone and peruse the menu together. RantMom just said Choose something and bring it.

Dgression for an accessibility rave: the website behaves very with RantWoman's level of screen reaer use. It also is wonderful, simply designed with clear explanations of regional origin as well as what is in each dish and clear easy ways to make preferences known about level of spiciness and choice of rice (sticky rice, brown rice or no rice

Isam Thai only serves from the dinner menu on Sundays. For the RantWoman that was a perfect excuse to try appetizers, mushroom fritters and Isarn lettuce wraps, as well as two entrees, minced lamb with Thai basil and chiang mai curry noodles. The menu includes many different Thai dishes featuring seafood, beef, pork, chicken, tofu and a variety of flavors, almost always with Thai chili as one possible ingredient.. 

The takeout presentation reflected so much attention to detail that RantWoman wants to dine in just to see the presentation done as intended. One can't go wrong with sesame and fried; plus the RantWomen were hungry so we made short work of the mushroom fritters. The lettuce wraps were a little more difficult. They came with each ingredient carefully packed for diners to roll themselves Neither of the RantWomen was really into assembling more than one trial wrap. The filling was delicious and as with the entrees RantWoman is glad to adapt something with the leftovers.

RantMom is pretty much a no-spice person so lamb with Thai basil and sticky rice was an easy pleaser. RantWoman made the mistake of specifying one star spice for the Chiang Mai curry chicken soup noodles.RantWoman really enjoyed the dish. RantMom less so. RantWoman gratefully enjoyed the leftovers for lunch.  Next time the RantWomen share, RantWoman will just get her zing from the chili oil that comes with.

RantWoman skipped desserts. For one thing she brought homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies made from the family hack of an old Better Homes and gardens recipe: half the sugar and half whole wheat flour. RantWoman brought containers for both RantMom and Little Sister's household. RantMom was glad to take all the cookies, with some going into the freezer!

The conversation

Conversation wandered a bit.

RantMOM has been talking with her neighbors about the history of redlining in Seattle. Yay neighbors. Yeah, Mom, everything north of the ship canal...covenants prohibiting sales to (RantWoman does not remember which term is used.) The covenants are unenforceable but they still exist. RantMom also notices that most of the residents of her retirement community are white and a lot of the staff are people of color. We will come back to that.

A main theme: the retirement community is planning about two years out a massive construction, either big remodel or tear down and completely modernize as a rebuild. The RantWomen are glad to have time to think about options. 

RantMom misses the diversity of Columbia city. RantMom previously lived near family housing and RantMom also misses age group diversity. More to come on these topics but in a separate post.

In the meantime, RantWoman ate the last of the lettuce wrap ingredients for lunch. RantWoman just munched the lettuce. Then RantWoman broke up the wide rice noodles and threw them in a pot to reheat with the chicken  and mushroom filling and the lime sauce. RantWoman is aware that things meant to be served cold do not always do well when heated. RantWoman is glad she decided to chance it about reheating rather than risk the effects of the food having been out of the fridge for a good bit on Sunday. The flavors were just fine.

So Happy Mothers Day again Mom