Matt realizes how cool his blog can be and saves himself from starvation.
Whew! So here I am world — an actor in New York City. You want to know what it’s like? The crazy people I meet, the struggling and starving? Well I’m prepared to give it to you. My cousin informed me yesterday that my life seemed like something out of a Seinfeld episode (which also took place on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.) In just a little over two months time, I’ve been threatened coming off the Subway because I “been messing wit’ [some gentleman's] bitch.” I’ve hung out with a really nice chap with strong anti-American sentiments from the UK and India. I’ve gotten and lost three jobs, been cast in one show that I turned down, been hit on by several people in “monogamous relationships”, escaped from a quid pro quo audition, was hoodwinked into thinking a tourist was a native (for several days) and oh yeh… lived on free samples for about forty-eight hours. It’s been tough so far but I’m here and determined to be successful. Stick with me and I promise you you’ll watch me go from a poor nobody, to a well fed somebody performing his dream roles.
As you can see I’ve got plenty of stories to tell and I’ve decided that it’s time to start writing it all down. But I’m afraid that if you want to truly get the experience, you’re going to have to stick with me for the more mundane tasks as well. As they say, show business is not always glamorous. While I’d love to tell you about the Wurlitzer organ I found on the street the other day or sneaking into see Bon Jovi, right now I need to talk about food…. I’m so hungry. Since moving to New York I’ve lost 15lbs — not good. While my kitchen’s not necessarily well equipped for cooking, I’m going to need to start using it in order to get the most out of my money. Today I lit the pilot light and I’m off to get all the ingredients to make pasta faggiolli from a family recipe.
Pasta Faggiolli (4 servings — plenty for me to eat during the week)
- 2 cans small white beans
- 1/3 cup before cooked tubetini
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- generous 1/4tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried red peper flakes
-8oz can of tomato sauce
Combine oil, water, salt, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper, and tomato sauce. Simmer gently for 20 – 30 minutes Add beans undrained simmer for another 15 minutes. Place pasta in boiling water cook al dente. Reserve 1/2 of water to add to bean mix with pasta. Serve immediately with a loaf of crusty french or italian bread and a hearty red wine. (My grandmother wrote the part about crusty bread and hearty wine — she likes to pretend she’s Julia Child.)
After I get back from the store… I realize, I have no can-opener, measuring spoons, mixing spoons, salt or measuring cups. After paying through the nose (12.99) for the only can opener I can find (Gristede’s — yuk), I return home — I’ll have to make due without the rest for now. I’ll estimate measurement based on smell/taste.
Now, in addition to saving money, particularly if I expect to be an actor, I need to be sure I’m making healthy choices when it comes to meals. I’ve got to maintain my health, stamina, and dashing good looks (I mean that with all the modest irony that’s required of such statements). So let’s talk about this dish health-wise for a moment, we’re getting some carbohydrates from the pasta and some protein from the beans. We’re also getting a really good source of fat from the olive oil — it’s mostly monounsaturated fat — saturated fats wind up increasing our cholesterol and raising our blood pressure. Monounsaturated fat on the other hand has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and it’s speculated that it raises good cholesterol. Read more about the importance of fat in general here. The beans are particularly good too, they’re a good source of protein, they contain lots of fiber, and they’re rich in phytochemicals such as antioxidants. The pasta is a simple carbohydrate and while it would be nice to have some complex carbohydrates, both kinds of carbs are very important to our diet despite what Dr. Atkin’s tells you. Carbs are our bodies main source of energy. Protein are the building blocks that make up our body. So what are my main disadvantages with this meal? Too much sodium — a problem with anything that comes in a can. I’ll need to be sure to get plenty of water. Also, nothing is fresh so I’ll need to be sure to get some fresh fruits and vegetables during the day. If you know of any other pros/cons to the meal let me know. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be eating a lot of it until money improves. I doubled the recipe and for all of the ingredients it cost me $15.80 at Trader Joes.
Anyway, with some food in me, I’ll be ready to audition for Hair the Musical tomorrow.
