Spring Heat Wave Saves

It’s too damn hot. Yep. That’s me. Complaining about the weather again.

There seem to be two kinds of people in the Capital Region. Those who delight at complaining about the weather. And those who delight in their aggravation towards those who complain about the weather.

I’m all about letting people speak their mind. Really, who wouldn’t complain when the wind gets so cold that it feels like needles piercing into your eyeballs. Sure, on some level we’ve all chosen to call Upstate New York our home. But that doesn’t mean that we always have to love every little thing about it.

Spring heat waves? They are fundamentally worse than summer heat waves, and here’s why.

When it’s hot in summer, you can cool yourself down with all kinds of seasonal foods. Those cucumber and tomato salads? They are marvelous. And there are all kinds of things that are just perfect for preparing on the grill. That August corn is simply phenomenal. Plus there is watermelon.

Man, I love watermelon. So much. Especially when it’s hot. I’m not entirely sure where or how those early season watermelons are grown, but they pale in comparison to the real thing which comes just in time for the summer heat.

It doesn’t help that there’s a game we play in the Fussy household, and it’s one that other hardy folks around the northeast know well. It’s the how-long-can-we-go-before-turning-on-the-air-conditioner game.

Growing up in Miami, it seemed as if we had the air conditioner on all year long. So I don’t quite fit in around those sturdy northeasterners.

I mean, seriously. What a stupid game.

Still, I do try to adjust my cooking and eating styles to the weather. So when a spring heat wave rolls around, that makes things extra tricky. Because it means staying away from using cooking devices indoors that make heat. Yet at the same time, there aren’t a lot of things one might want to grill outside.

The past couple of nights, we have found ourselves eating at drive-in type creameries. Eating burgers and fried things outside on shaded picnic tables, followed by ice cream.

Young Master Fussy was having a hard time weighing the relative pros and cons of visiting Mac’s versus On the Farm. The Latham spot won out because it was just a few minutes closer to home, and that would mean he would have more time to play video games.

The upside for me was that I was finally able to try the Farmatti, which is a refreshing combination of italian ice and soft serve. It’s a treat sized for sharing, so Mrs. Fussy and I split a mango and vanilla one. I’d love to go back and try the lemon and vanilla, with the hopes it might have more of a true fruit flavor. But regardless, this was a delicious treat.

I still haven’t quite cracked the burger code there. I went for fried onions on the double cheeseburger. But more than anything else, these burgers just need salt to give them greater depth of flavor.

Also, while I continue to have great affection for the double cheeseburger, I’m starting to think that there may be other criteria to consider regarding when it should be ordered. Yes, that layer of melted cheese between two juicy patties is the stuff of legend. But if that deliciousness is drowned out by a mountain of meat, then the point is lost.

Anyhow, I need to get back onto a healthier eating regimen. So unlocking the key to brilliant burgers may have to wait.

It’s very possible that today I’ll subsist entirely on yogurt, granola, iced coffee, cold roasted chicken breast, sardines, apples, walnuts, and Ak-Mak crackers. Maybe one of the avocados will be ripe. And there will be beer. Beer is food too.

Plus I got some limes for cooling fizzy drinks. And I may even try taking some of that Leopold Aperitivo and making it into a spritz.

Whatever you do today, just stay cool out there.