Skip to main content

Tuna spaghetti: draft

I have friends who are working on a zine about food and death, so here's my draft of a piece for them.

Dearest Emily and Joey,

It's no secret that my family doesn't have a ton of recipes so I wasn't sure at first what to pass on to you, but tuna spaghetti is a classic. Emily, you are part of my family and Joey, you're marrying into it so it's only right that you two have it. I hope you like it :)

Love,

Holly

My family doesn't have many "family" recipes, but here is one that my dad, brother, and I cooked together when my dad was still alive and well (that and is vital). I found the original recipe in a book of gathered personal recipes that was given as a wedding present to two of my friends. I went through and made some necessary changes and added in commentary (which the internet tells me is the only way to have a recipe).

Ingredients:

  • 1.3 1 boxes of spaghetti (preferably Barilla, otherwise you will notice the difference and you'll comment on it to your dad's performative dismay)
  • A sprinkle of salt (you'll honestly not remember if your dad salted the water)
  • Spoonful of margarine or butter (olive oil works too, but, let's face it, butter is better)
  • 1 bunch of parsley (you have known people to try basil or spinach, but parsley is traditional)
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic (or as much as will make you smell so much like garlic that your mom will comment on how you smell when she picks you up from your dad's)
  • A splash of olive oil (maybe listing this isn't necessary, but I hate it when everything isn't listed)
  • 2 lemons (you will forever associate the smell of lemons while cooking with your dad)
  • 1 2 cans of tuna (despite what your brother told you that one time, the aquarium does not sell their dolphins to be used as tuna, so never fear)
  • Parmesan to taste (and extra parmesan so everyone can add to their taste)

Instructions:

  • Cook pasta in salted water and drain (honestly, this part takes the longest)
  • Put pasta in bowl and mix with margarine/butter/olive oil
  • Wash then Cchop and ook sauté the parsley (leaves not stems as much as possible) with the garlic (chopped) in olive oil
  • Slice and Jjuice lemons
  • Add parsley and garlic, lemon juice, tuna, and parmesan to pasta (your brother ups the ingredients even more, but it's really a preference thing)
  • Mix (until you get too tired and call it good enough) and enjoy (hopefully, it will help you feel closer to your dad who died less than six months ago)! 

(Prompt by me by also kinda Rian Lussier and Danika Jackson)

"Spaghetti with Tuna" by Piero Damora. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

15 things you'll think about during your dad's latest hospital stay

This is meant to be a related piece to "15 things to do in your dad's hospital room," "15 Things You Find in Your Dad's Hospice Room," and "15 Things You Find When You Clean Out Your Dad’s Apartment" .  The Christmas lights at the nurse's station that should really have been switched for saccharine cupids by now What team decided to hang up a clearly labeled DRAFT safety sign Who comes up with the aliases they seem to use for trauma patients and how they decided on Redstone for your dad That his skin either looks like a bruised elephant or like sickeningly conflicting colors of thin paper mache Where you can possibly get food--you're shaky The patient in the ER somewhere with a lot of ammo, but no gun, or so they say Why the staff is being so happily loud and swearing...it feels discordant The used bandaid and gauze that are left on the floor of his ER room as he moves to his hospital room...the last proof he was there Having to do this a...
Post a Comment
Read more

15 facts about my dad

Just been thinking about some lighthearted facts I know about my dad lately. When he was young, he had a goldfish named Lysander He introduced me to Star Trek At Christmas, he would tear up at It's a Wonderful Life He used to send me articles from his Yahoo email account that he thought I'd like We used to play a game called "Nightmare" where he would lie down and we'd jump around (and sometimes on) him He would clip possible recipes for us to try out of newspapers and magazines We bought him a Paddington Bear to take on trips because we feared he'd be lonely and he always took it He had teddy bears for three different holidays We once had such a hilariously difficult time building a gingerbread house that when some frosting ended up on the counter, I plopped a gumdrop on it and we laughed until we cried He and his sister were born about 11 months apart We would try recipes from Top Chef He kept gifts I made him, even when they weren't great At Christmas, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

15 more facts about my dad

Just been thinking about some lighthearted facts I know about my dad. You can read "15 facts about my dad" here . He took piano lessons as a kid He sang in the church choir as a boy in Tennessee He had more than one glass pyramid home for tiny shrimp He had several lava lamps as I grew up He commissioned art based on a photo he took of the reflection of sun setting on his apartment building's windows He took me to see a live alligator at some sort of animal show He liked Turkish Delight He loved my grandma Helen's mac and cheese recipe (although he and I modified it to include more bread crumbs) He made my brohter and me tuna spaghetti pretty much once a week (though the exact origin of the recipe is forgotten beyond "found it in a magazine") He took my brother and me to a sleepover at the Field Museum (we slept by the totem poles) He took my brohter fishing and I was super jealous My grandpa Mischa used to buy him books consistently as gifts My brother wrot...
Post a Comment
Read more