The loss of the recluse. I learnt english where it originated England but you notice that I am tolerant of American spelling because I have more important things to do in life than comment on others spelling unless I cannot understand what they have written. Reclusive life frequently results in restriction of perspective and I'm sure that compared to city dwellers who encounter far more daily impositions than I do in the country they, city dwellers, equally find my views constricted.

@FrayedBear It was not a condemnation of Brit (your) spelling, I commented only because I find Brit spelling interesting. As Winston Churchill said, "The British and Americans are similar peoples without a language in common." No need for you to take offense.

Microwave kills a lot of nutrient. Our imported foods are radiated on entry to prevent their growth. The noise also is not useful listening to conversation. The beauty of the basket is that you choose how long to leave it in cooking so if you like your veggies al dente rather than soggy mush you merely whip it in and whip it out!
But thanks I forgot to put the last step of the meal in which is to ladle the cooking stock out and drink it as a soup now flavoured as vegetable, meat or fish.

@FrayedBear So much I need to learn about cooking!!!!

@GipsyOfNewSpain lesson 1 go back to childhood and remember what you liked and wanted before someone introduced you to sugar. Lesson 2 beware of recipes put out as promotion of a ready made sauce, can of ... etc.
Eat organic not GMO.
Being a navy man you probably had little need to learn or actually cook unless in the galley and a lot of those were cooks not chefs or nutritionists. Talk with the local girls who still cook traditionally and ask to be shown and given introductions - Dolores specialises in deserts, Maria does incredible stuffed chicken etc. You won't have time for your regular dancing you will be too busy dancing them round the kitchen between dishes prepared. Enjoy!

@FrayedBear fruits man... in the island you have bananas, mangos, pineapple, all kinds of fruits I don't know name in english... fruits man.

@VirginCotton can i follow instructions? I was married for 19 years and some ladies still consider me "trainable".

@GipsyOfNewSpain ROFL

@GipsyOfNewSpain An excellent starting point. How many ways of serving/ presenting fresh fruit can you find? A local favourite is Pavlova. These days the sugar & cream content does not help my longevity but who wants to live forever? I love mangos and a fruit I used to have growing pulling the wall off the house. I knew it as monstera deliciosa. Its fruit ripened off the plant one inch at a time ... fantastic. Unripe it shredded your mouth with little glass like hairs. Ripe it was a cross between banana, peach and an orgasm.
[bostonfoodandwhine.com]

@FrayedBear There is a banana that tastes like apple... as a matter of fact the skin instead of being yellow is reddish and even the shape turns to be a like a fat banana. We also have the midget bananas. Very small and pouchy like. we love to eat them green boiled, and we have the big cousins of the bananas... the larger than life plantines or machos. Bananas are a whole universe of them... we even used the leaves to wrap up our most puerto rican dish... pasteles.

@GipsyOfNewSpain Pasteles - do you have a fail safe recipe? And will I be able to get the ingredients here do you think?
We only have about 3 varieties of bananas grown commercially way north of Victoria in the sub tropical zones. One is called Lady Fingers.

@FrayedBear Pasteles may be difficult is complicated but can be in different ways including with rice but I will get you recipe. about bananas... since we boil green bananas and with onions and olive oil. we call it "escabeche". If you can get plantines... who are big, huge bananas. you can fry them in a pan... if they are green... you slice them and squeeze them flat and fry them. you soak them in garlic and can be... I will dig out some recipes and pass them on to you.

@GipsyOfNewSpain Thanks. Let me make enquiries about getting your plantines here before you go to too much trouble. It sounds very different to anything that I have experienced.

@FrayedBear, I don't know where you are...but you should lobby to have the obcence practice of having your food products irradiated stopped. that's a horrific practice.

@Alchemy Australia. Microwaving food (nuking) is a long standing bio protection to prevent disease + unwanted species growing in the country.
Sadly it has failed with the current pandemic.