I wrote an email to McDonald’s today hoping to get an answer as to why my Pet McDonald’s Hamburger has lasted as long as it has. This is what I wrote:

Hi!

A few years ago, well six years ago, I purchased a McDonald’s hamburger (plain) and decided to keep it in it’s original wrapper and bag and not eat it. I still have it, and there is no mold growing on it, no bugs, no funky smell, nothing. It’s just a little smaller from dehydration. So I’m curious as to how this can be. I know if I leave bread out on my counter for a week or so it will grow moldy. And I know that cooked meat will go bad too. Can you please tall me how it is that the McD’s burger looks exactly as it did 6 years ago with no refrigeration/freezing/preservation of any kind by me? I know you only use “100% beef” and that doesn’t make sense to me that it doesn’t spoil. Thanks so much. I really look forward to your response.

I cannot wait to get their response! I got a confirmation that they received the email and hopefully they’ll respond soon!

Today I played in the kitchen making a curry. I’ve never made my own curry before – I think it turned out OK but I’d love to hear your suggestions on how to make it even better! It’s a sweet curry, of course! We’re having it for dinner tonight with garlic naan and some baby spinach that I’ll throw right into the pot when I’m heating the chickpeas. So for what it’s worth, here it is:

Chickpea Curry
Serves 6

Ingredients

3 cups dry chickpeas – you could probably use canned too – I just didnt’ do it that way.
Spices

• 1 T canola oil
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 T ground coriander
• 1 T cumin
• 2/3 t cardamom seed, whole
• 4 cloves, whole
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken up
• 2 t grated nutmeg (I used fresh – yum!)
• 1/2 t black mustard seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t salt (optional, but I think it was a good add)
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Sauce

• ginger peeled, about 2″X2″
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1.5 cups water

Directions

1. Soak the chickpeas in water – make sure they are covered by about 3 inches – for about 2 hours or so. Then cook in water about 1″ above the level of the chickpeas until almost done. Keep an eye on these – it took about 45 minutes for them to be “almost done” but this will really depend on how long you let them soak. Drain out the excess water.
2. Saute all of the spices except the salt and pepper until fragrant.
3. Blenderize the sauce ingredients until fully blended.
4. Add the spices and the sauce to the chickpeas and cook until the chickpeas are soft.
5. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove the bay leaf and anything else you don’t want in there – like perhaps the whole cardamom and the cloves – unless you like biting into those sorts of things.

ENJOY!