Shaking hands is such a crazy phenomenon to me. I have found myself paying more attention to people’s handshakes now that I am meeting so many new people out here in DC. Are you the kind of person who is eager to shake someone’s hand or do you hesitate? How long is appropriate for a handshake? How gentle or firm? Are you supposed to shake everyone’s hands once you start shaking one person’s hand, how many times and at what speed do you shake and what’s up with those people who shake your hand with both of theirs, its creepy weird. I know that people use a person’s handshake as a quick read on their personality, and some people do the same with a person’s shoes. What is mine saying about me?
I wonder if there is someone who is like a “handshake whisperer” and will shake your hand and tell you all the deepest and darkest secrets about your personality. Because, I mean, you can’t shake your own hand and figure out if you are doing it wrong. You need someone to tell you, a trusted friend.
I could be that person. I am always the girl telling people that they have stuff stuck in their teeth or that their zipper is down. We Lebanese have this delicious spice blend called ZaTaar which is the main ingredient in Manaeesh (common for breakfast), it gets stuck in your teeth super easy. We cousins always check eachothers teeth after we eat to make sure we don’t look like we have some crazy zombie gum disease.
Don’t you hate it when you go into the bathroom and see that you have toothpaste on the corner of your mouth or that your slip has creeped all the way up and then feel so dumb and mad at everyone for not telling you, well, you should. Someone should have told you!!! I would have told you. Just sayin.
On to something that is NOT awkward and embarrassing…
Farro is a whole grain that I personally eat often. It is very similar in consistency and texture to brown rice. The most amazing quality is that Farro doesn’t continue to absorb liquid once it has finished cooking, so you can add it to soups, stews or drench it in sauce and then put it in the fridge and when you eat it the next day it won’t have all fused in a giant over saturated rice blob. Yes, that is the technical word for it. Are you stunned right now?! Because you should be.
Farro is also amazing because it was one of the first plants ever domesticated. Think about that, there were bunch of tribal people hanging out in the fertile crescent and they were thinking about what foods they would really like to have around ALL the time and they picked Farro. Because they were smart. Follow suit.
Boil one cup of Farro in salted water for about twenty minutes and then strain.
Add a little Olive Oil to a pan and saute 1/2 cup onion, 1 scallion and 3 cloves of garlic.
Add 2 links Italian sausage.
Add 1 cup chopped Crimini Mushrooms.
Add a little vegetable stock.
Add the Farro.
Add shredded 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese and about 2 TB chopped sage.
Mix after each addition and top with a crispy lace-edged olive oil fried egg. Share with someone who would tell you that you have lipstick all over your teeth before your speech or that you have a creepy weird handshake.
