$47.00!
What the pharmacist told me when I picked up my prescription.
I blurted out, “Are you kidding?”
I’ve never spent more than $6.00 in my life for lotions or pills.
$47.00?
“Sorry. I don’t want that.”
I left w/o the lotion that would [might] cure the 2” square rough patches that showed up, one on each hip.
Eventually, lab results came back: allergic to one of my waistbands.
Will test for allergies.
Meanwhile, got to thinking about that prescription (which the doctor, on hearing of my reaction from either the pharmacist, unlikely, or nurse, sympathetic to my scandal, rewrote, by the way, something for $6.00,) which seems to be working.
But back to that prescription.
And I know that many people have to pay that and a lot more for their absolutely necessary medications.
That’s sad. Very.
But my point is this: does anyone think that they can blithely write a prescription, hand it over to a patient, and not say, “This may be a little expensive?”
Do you live on my planet?
Don’t you ask, “Can you afford this?”
Don’t you say, “This is a little expensive. But it’s the strongest; the most expensive. But if that is difficult for you to pay, there are others less expensive that we can try?”
I mean, does a doctor’s duty end at diagnosing a problem and writing a prescription?
Does ‘holistic’ not come into play here?
Money.
Affordability.
Head in the sand, anyone?
$47.00!
It’s the melatonin syndrome all over again.
For decades complaining of difficulty getting to sleep.
And not once, not one single professional, not a nurse, not a GP, not a psychiatrist ever mentioned the simplest and most natural possibility: “Your body may not be producing enough melatonin.
Let’s try it for $6.00.”
$47.00.
Melatonin, again.
Instead of simple, a solution fraught with some difficulty: cost.
Stop it!
You are just another player, not a false god aloof from all other aspects of life.
Like limited dollars.
Like simple cures as the first to try.
Damn it!
When handing out tickets that cost money, know that your patient has limited monies.
All patients.
Stop it.
Stop not thinking holistically.
Today is Friday, June 8, 2018
Good morning, my friends.
This is my sixty-second consecutive daily posting.
Time is 5.45am
The weather is perfect today and will remain so for several days ahead. Wow!
On TV: “Strangers,” with Farley Granger
I’m at my desk.
Dinner is some extraordinary Minestrone Soup made so from having my own Chicken Stock on hand. Recipe in queue.
Readers’ Comments
This from Tommie Toner, available also on the website under Contributing Wrters, under “So Carolina Homespun.”
Tommie:
I haven't made your chicken yet, but plan to in the near future. Your Marinara Sauce - many times from the recipe in your cookbook which I borrowed from Chris and Leigh and conveniently never returned. It is always delicious and great to keep on hand for unexpected guests. We love it served with gently browned, braised boneless chicken breasts.
Question: What type of container do you use to store your fused oils? You stated "plastic" but I am trying to get away from using plastic. What else do you recommend. How long will the oils "keep" as we southerners say? I love the idea of making my own oils.
Thank you so much for sharing recipes and cooking recommendations. Your words make my "mouth water." And, they motivate me to be more creative in my cooking.
Web Meister Responds:
Love ‘gently browned.’
I use a line of Rubbermaid.
They are plastic.
Please let us know if you find something not plastic and we’ll share your post.
Also, Tommie, could you state why you are shying from plastic?
Not biodegradable?
This also from Tommie:
Another great story of growing up in Boston's North End. It must have been a wonderful place.
Web Meister Responds:
It was.
I am reprinting my book on the North End, a few pages at a time. The June 7th posting has a slice of life from my restaurant in the North End.
Starting today, I’m entering several posts grouped under the title, “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” after one of my favorite country songs ever, by the inimitable: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”
Today’s Post
1. The Recipe – So Easy
"The Gravy"
The Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
If you’ve made our Marinara Sauce you know two things: one, that it’s flawless; two, that it’s simple; and C. that it’s delicious. (My son Dom understands the sentence construction.)
The Gravy is the same recipe as the Marinara Sauce except that when the oil is heated, you fry all the meat and remove before you add the aromatics.
Otherwise, proceed as we do with the Marinara.
And we all know two things about the Marinara. 😊
THE GRAVY:
Gather:
Food chopper
18 cup sauce-pan
Can Opener
Scale
Heat 7oz Italian olive oil in saucepan
Sear three pounds of meat and remove.
Meat may include pieces of chuck roast or equivalent, pork butt, meatballs, spare ribs, hot Italian sausages [or sweet] etc.
Tomorrow's post will detail what meats to use, including recipes for meatballs, braciola, and panzetta.
Add finely-chopped aromatics to the hot meat-seasoned oil:
2oz onions
3oz bell peppers
2oz carrots
2oz celery
½oz jalapeño
1 cup chopped fresh herbs: parsley, mint, oregano, or basil
1oz fresh garlic
3TB tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Infuse the oil by softening the finely chopped aromatics at an active simmer for 7or8 minutes.
Put 2 28oz-cans (56oz total) of whole, peeled Italian tomatoes, from the San Marzano region, into food chopper for 8seconds and pour the pureed tomatoes into the saucepan.
Use ½ cup of red wine to rinse the tomato cans and the food chopper.
Add the wine and tomato residue to the saucepan.
If chicken isn't one of the meats selected, I often add a half-cup of my own Chicken Stock for an additional flavor layer.
Return the seared meat to the gravy and simmer slowly for 90 minutes.
Voila! You’re about as Italian as you need to be!
Post Scripts
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God bless!
Be good.
Be well.
Love you.
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