Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Way Of The Bungee!

WalMart is my most favorite store in the world! Lower prices....clean bright stores....terrific products! I have bought a couple of essentials both at a store and online to use for my addressless adventure, that have been instrumental in my survival.



A few months back I bought this “fridge” for around a hundred bucks delivered. It’s one of those thermo-electric models. I have had these in the past and those worked o.k. However this one keeps stuff colder than anything!



It’s paid for itself already, in that, I was spending 2 to 4 dollars a day on ice, and that wasn’t doing the job very well for food. Ice would melt, food gets ruined. Not with this big boy!



I also bought this electric space heater. It modulates, so it spreads the heat around the conversion van quite nicely. In fact, even in 30 degree weather, I can sleep in my unmentionables under my comforter/sleeping bag.

SIDETRACK: I am not such a fan for Target. They don’t price match, they are a bit more expensive, and those damn shopping carts. Who thought a hard plastic cart was a good idea? They lie in wait for you to extract them from one another doing the butt rumba, and when the flippy part comes crashing down in a recycled red plastic orgasm, they announce you are in the store. No matter how many times a minute this happens, it still makes people turn and stare at you.

Odd thing about WalMart is how many of the customers transform once they pass the electric doors. Inside they are rude, pushy, oft times vulgar, and never watch where they are going with the non-recycled red shopping carts. But once they leave the store, the “I’m With Stupid” T-Shirts revert back to the plain but tasteful clothing they usually wear.

Anyhow....


Notice in this picture how close those 2 items are to one another. Add to that the need for sustenance....and innovation is born!

How to cook what’s in the “fridge” with the modulating space heater.



SIDETRACK REDUX: As I had mentioned in this blog VERY early on, this is my second venture into vanning it. When last a nomad, I bought a bag of bungee cords at an overstock kind of store in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. for whatever reason. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Never really used’em for anything and they sat in the conversion van some 16 years.

My problem was how do I use the heater for warmth and cook with it at the same time??



The Way Of The Bungee!






Using between 2 or 3 depending on what I am making, I dangle the food wrapped in foil right on the front of the heater. And depending on the shape of what I am cooking, I can still use the modulation feature. The “hook” on the bungee locks in to the slots on the heater.











So far I have reheated a cheese steak and baked ziti from takeout, and a can of Chef Boy-R-Dee Beef Ravioli. And I don’t mean this got warm like when I cooked with my engine. I mean these came out HOT ! Last night for the first time, I had a salad, heated roll and butter, and ravioli, all prepared “in house”! I mean, it wasn’t glamorous....I ate the ravioli out of the can....but it was a full, hot, meal!

Truth be told, I gave up on thinking I would ever be making anything hot while living in the conversion van. I have this one mid row seat that needs be out so I will have room to set up a tiny kitchen. Thus far, have been unable to see where I unlock and remove it. Figured it would have to wait until I got a full fledged R.V.

Just when you think you can’t go back to something you had, inspiration comes along and you find a way. One can always find a way. You can go back to something you had before, and was sustaining to you.

Sometimes wonder if you can call....upon those things. I say, go for it.

Until Next Time....

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