21 drumstick salute

Tonight, the country is electing a replacement president. Thousands of people are crowded into bars, making whooping noises each time their candidate is the projected by a TV network to have won a state.

When all is said and done, it's not much different than when your team wins or loses. It's not really your team. It is a group of people who are paid to play a game and wear an unseemly uniform in exchange for money. And when you wake up tomorrow, you will have the same pair of shoes and your hair will be 0.4 mm longer.

My point here, if I must have one, is that what impacts your life the most is what gets talked about the least. What happens in DC will not determine whether the bus arrives on time, the condition of the sidewalk, when the bar makes last call, or whether it's legal to build a tool shed in your backyard.

Am I advocating that you become a local activist? Not really. If you feel the draw of civic duty, I applaud you. But once you have your fill of dedicating free time toward making infinitesimal change, you may want to focus on those things that will make your life simple and delicious.

Given that we are heading into a period of protracted economic hardship (aka: The Lesser Depression), you may want to begin with a focus on what you can eat that is inexpensive, healthy, and tasty. After all, what you put in your pie hole today will have a lot more bearing on your overall happiness than whatever a bunch of thick-necked lawyers argued about in DC.

Tonight I am roasting 21 drumsticks. I paid 5 bucks for the package and the seasoning cost 25 cents. Including electricity to power the oven, my total cost is about 28 cents per drumstick. I may steam some broccoli, or perhaps I will keep it simple and eat a few sticks with a fine glass of malbec. That glass of wine, which I purchased at an outlet store, will cost under $1.50.

So the point here, if I must have one, is that I will dine marvelously for under 3 bucks. And this is not an anomaly. Other than an occasional splurge on a restaurant meal, it is quite feasible to eat well on less than $10 per day. If you enjoy what you are putting between your lips and it is not mutiliating your wallet, life can be splendid. So ignore the bozos in DC and have a drumstick.