Z is for Zero
As in, I have Zero idea what to write about today.
I could tell you why I hate Zebras (short answer, don’t watch nature programs if you don’t want to suddenly hate an entire species. Also orcas, same reason.)
I could tell you that I am not the biggest fan of Zucchini, because it can be bitter (like me after watching a nature video with Zebras), though if it’s cooked correctly and generally if the Zucchini are smaller, this isn’t an issue. There’s a place nearby that has pretty amazing deep fried Zucchini that they serve with ranch dressing, though in that situation I could probably just eat the fried batter and the dressing, it doesn’t matter what’s in it. Zucchini bread is pretty awesome, too.
We could discuss David Bowie’s excellent album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and then I would confess that while I had a huge crush on Mr. Bowie, I wasn’t the closest fan, and my favorite songs on the album were definitely the hits. Moonage Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, Starman. Probably Moonage Daydream is my favorite.
Perhaps I would try to show off a bit and ask you if you’ve ever cooked using Za’atar, a delicious spice blend. Then I would have to admit that while I have used this blend, it’s been many years and I don’t currently have any in my cupboard. Perhaps I should buy some and make a roast chicken with it, or add it to some hummus. I could then tell you about the delicious restaurant, Zatar, in Berkeley, that we tried many years ago after it was featured on a local restaurant review show, Check Please, Bay Area. It was really good, but expensive and only accepted cash for payment, which is an awkward combination. They shut down, and I wonder if this was part of the reason why.
We could then veer into a conversation about Zoos, and whether they are cruel or conservation or perhaps both. We have two Zoos around here, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco. Of the two, I far prefer the Oakland Zoo, the animal enclosures are larger and it’s less depressing. Still depressing, but less so. Then we could talk about the sex-ed lesson we had at the Oakland Zoo when Maya was quite young. We were on the gondola, above the camels, and one of the males was on top of a female, (which was kind of interesting because her hump was squashed to the side, I wonder if that was uncomfortable?) and the other two camels in the enclosure were running around the perimeter yelling in excitement at what was going on. It was impossible to ignore. Maya asked me what they were doing, and I didn’t know what to say, so I said, “they’re wrestling”. She sighed, clearly disappointed and perhaps exasperated and said, “No, Mama, they’re mating, so they can have a baby.” What is there to say to that, except, “Oh, you know what? I think you’re right.”
I can’t really think of anything to follow up THAT story, so I’ll end it there. If we were discussing Z, what topics/ideas/etc would you bring up? Zealotry? Zippers? Zesty things?
32 Comments
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I like zebras; they are so stripey and photograph well. I have never been to the Oakland zoo and may have been to the San Francisco one when I was young but cannot remember. I am not a huge fan of zoos. When I lived in New Orleans, the giraffe enclosure was on the edge of Audubon park and when I ran there, I would sometimes stop and watch them from the fence, but I don’t reallly love seeing animals in boxes. The most depressing zoo I ever went to was in Beijing where they literally had the animals in a concrete square that was basically the size of their body. These lions looked SO DEPRESSED.
I like za’atar but never went to the Berkeley restaurant; however, there is a Turkish restaurant in San Francisco (A La Turca) that used to put it on their hummus which was a nice treat!
J
You are right about zebras photographing well! I love that about them. Giraffes are one of my very favorite animals. When my daughter was little we got to go ‘behind the scenes’ at the Oakland zoo and feed the giraffes. I love their weird blue tongues and their loooong eyelashes.
Suzanne
For having nothing to say, this was certainly a delight to read! My daughter had a Syrian friend when she was small, and while my kid was eating PB&J sandwiches, her friend was eating sandwiches made with cream cheese and za’atar.
The only thing I can think of that starts with Z is my zooper. (https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/a-zooper-recommendation/) After owning it for many years, I think it is finally starting to lose its suction and I may need to replace it. Sigh. But I can’t live without it! I use it multiple times a day!
J
Oh, cream cheese and za’atar? Once I get some, I am going to have to give that a try.
I went and read about your Zooper, too cute! I’m sorry that your faithful helper is losing its umph. That’s sad.
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
Hang in there Julie! The last few days of NaBlo feel long but it will be Dec 1 before you know it.
I restocked our gallon ziplock bag supply yesterday. We ran out over the weekend but it took me a while to remember to put them on the grocery list. I’m debating whether I want to visit a zoo or not for the same reasons that you mention. I haven’t so far in my travels.
J
Ziplocks! Yes, that’s a great Z word. I love ziplock bags.
nance
I am a big fan of Zucchini. I buy them small, about 5″ long, and I stuff them. I scoop out a trench in their middles, making them into a canoe of sorts, and place them in a baking dish. I use the food processor to shred the zucchini I removed and put it into a bowl.Then I pulse some mushrooms, onion, and a bit of garlic. I add it all to a pound of Italian sausage, toss in some breadcrumbs, parmesan, chopped kalamata olives, and 4oz. of shredded mozzarella. I fill the zucchini generously, and make meatballs with whatever is left over, nestling them in the baking dish. Ladle a favourite marinara sauce over everything, sprinkle with 4oz of shredded mozzarella and more parmesan, if you wish. Bake covered at 375 for about 45 min, or until sausage is done.
I also like to marinate small zucchini, sliced lengthwise, in Italian dressing or balsamic and olive oil, and then grill it.
J
It’s pretty early in the day here for zucchini, but that sounds delicious and I would totally eat it for breakfast if we had the ingredients.
nance
**Oops. I need to add that you should saute the shredded zucchini, onion, and mushrooms in some olive oil until the onion is translucent before adding it to the sausage. That keeps the filling from being too wet and mushy. Sorry!
Margaret
I’m curious about the zebras now. Are they predatory? I love zucchini in all its forms but much prefer the small ones. The big ones are seeds and water, mostly. My older daughter frequently uses that spice and her cat’s name is Ziggy. (but it’s short for Ziguinchor)
J
I saw a nature video once where there was a huge herd of different animals on the Savannah, and a little baby wildabeast was separated from its mother. It was crying out for her, and the zebras felt threatened and that this would attract predators to their area of the herd, so they killed it. I will never forget the horrible video of them kicking it through the air like a soccer ball. Just horrible. I couldn’t stop crying, and now all zebras are tarnished for me.
I agree with you about the zucchini, I like the little ones!
Daria
Zeppoles!!! At the Jersey shore, it is THE best dessert. After funnel cake 😉
https://www.cucinabyelena.com/zeppole-recipe-easy-italian-donuts/
J
Oh goodness, those look amazing!
Jenny
I would say you found plenty to write about! So now we’ve made it through 26 days and I’m curious about what tomorrow will bring on your blog…
J
Jenny, only a few more days of NaBloPoMo! November has really flown by.
coco
i would tell you that Zootopia is one of my favorite cartoon movie of all time!
grilled zucchini is also pretty good, epecially for sandwiches and salad.
J
Coco, I like grilled zucchini in a sandwich, you are right! I haven’t seen Zootopia.
Meike
I have never been to Zatar but there is a mediteranian restaurant called Zaytoon in Albany. So many Z’s. The zoo story sounds so familiar (for us it was the bears in a zoo in Germany) and hilarious. I have not been to the zoo in quite some time now but they have the zoo lights during December and January in Oakland in the evning. I am contemplating to try it out this year (at least if I can get tickets).
J
Yes, zoos can be quite the education, can’t they? Another time at the Oakland Zoo, a male elephant was urinating, and it was a LOT of pee. His penis was almost to the ground, and a little boy (3 or 4) asked his dad, “Um, Dad, is that a boy elephant, or a girl?” His dad said, “That’s a boy.” LOL.
Nicole MacPherson
No zebras for you, hmm, do I WANT to know why? Maybe I don’t!
Where would we be without zippers? Such a great invention.
J
Nicole, NO, you do not want to know. If you are really curious, look at my reply to Margaret, above, but you will wish you hadn’t.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I love Za’atar. I have had it first when visiting Israel in 1992. We than dremed about this dish Labane for years until I went back in 1997 and we brought some back home. It was impossible to get in the 90s in Germany. No we can buy it but I still have ome (very old) jars in my spice rag that someone brought back from Israel some years back. I even posted a recipe of this Labane https://www.craftaliciousme.com/canned-summer-or-post-aus-meiner-kuche-pamk/ because my mom figured out how to make it herself. I’ve done it a couple times. So good.
Do I have anything else to say about Z?!
Zorro, zeppelin, Zirkus (that is German), Zimbabwe, … OK, I reached the end of my z-brain.
J
Oh, I’ve had Labane, once at a restaurant. Really tasty!
Lisa's Yarns
I feel kind of guilty saying that I love our zoo. I feel like it’s really well done, though, with huge areas for the animals to roam. I selfishly like it because it is something our boys love to go to. But I know that some zoos are not well done and can be very problematic. So I understand the critique.
My Z story is that when I was a child, my dad would wake us up on Sunday mornings for church by singing, “zippity do dah, zippity day.” I did not find this as endearing as a child as I do looking back at it as an adult… I was not happy to be woken up and the singing did not help matters…
J
I really like the Oakland zoo for exactly the same reasons. My daughter loved it, the enclosures are large. The San Francisco zoo is depressing, it is too old and no room to really expand.
Ally Bean
Great story. I’m laughing here at Maya correcting you. OBVIOUSLY you were confused.
J
Clearly!
San
Ha, you came up with a lot of “z” words to talk about. I love zucchini (one of my favorite vegetables) and I love zebras (to look at, they’re so pretty, but apparently just “animals” like so many in the wild).
I also had to chuckle about the zoo experience with Maya – I am glad she knew what was up with the camels LOL
J
I will admit that zebras ARE pretty. As Kyria said, they’re so stripey!
Allison McCaskill
I have used za’atar, and still have some, but it’s also very old. I don’t want to know why I shouldn’t like zebras – many aesthetically pleasing things in nature do not bear up under closer scrutiny, I find.
We had that very puzzle when my kids were little.
I did the alphabet thing for NaBloPoMo one year and can’t remember what I did when the letters ran out.
J
Regarding Zebras, YES exactly. Regarding the puzzle, someone was giving it away on my Buy Nothing Facebook page, and I took the picture for my blog. 🙂
I’m going to need to buy some za’atar, clearly.
Ernie
That camel story is hilarious. How funny that she was sort of testing you to see what you’d say. If I had to write about Z, I don’t know. I might right about my 5th grade teacher, Zita is her first name. We’re still in touch. She just emailed me the other day after seeing the link to the newstory or seeing Coach and I on the news. I have a few funny stories about her and how she was a friend of my parents.
Well done on the alphabet posts.
I’m trying to find your email address so I can send you an invite to my temporarliy private blog, but I can’t find your email. It might be that I’m crazy tired. This hasn’t been the most condusive situation for sleeping.