Tenderizing

Further experiments with papaya nectar. A piece of top sirloin, half-way between a roast and a steak, was in the discount pile, $3.16, I couldn't pass it up. Almost two pounds, no waste, four meals for me, with mashed potatoes and whatever vegetable Ronnie has at the farmer's market. He's good to me because I amuse him; usually, whatever I get from him, he says "That'll be a buck". Mixed some Tonic Water with the nectar, added some green chili powder and a squeeze of anchovy paste, fresh black pepper, a dash of balsamic. Today, I took it out of the marinade, patted it dry and rubbed it with an unholy mixture of pepper powders that sundry 'friends' had sent me. You can go way overboard in this case, because you want to slice it very thin, at least a 45 degree angle, so you get very little of the crust with any given bite. Over a hot hickory fire I grill it for eight minutes a side, let it rest. While it's resting I boil the marinade with the sauce, mash some new potatoes. The meal is so good I have to reconsider my place in the universe; like something you'd eat in your next life, or something you ate in an alternative reality. Into the nether regions of what good is. I can't help but treat myself this way. It's a matter of course. I'm not a river-boat pilot, I'm not even a good carpenter. I just string words together, as if I were being paid by the inch.