What's gross and funny and sort of delicious?

Tshoolnt is a traditional Jewish dish known to have caused severe indigestion to members of the chosen people throughout the centuries. It's basically a stew that is usually made of potatoes, beans, barley and gross chunks of dead cow, but you can also make a vegetarian version of it. You can also buy it in a can. The canned stuff is actually vegan, but the vegan police has recently revoked all my super powers for eating some fat free yogurt, so I'll just ignore that aspect of it for now. Here is what the can looks like. The description on the label says: "A traditional Jewish dish with cooked beans and barley seasoned in a tasty sauce".

If it says so on the label, it must be true!

I haven't had this product in at least a decade, because I've only seen it in cans that you have to open with a can opener, which I don't like because can openers are messy and not very lefty-friendly, but a couple of days ago I picked up a can at the supermarket, and what do you know! It had that little thingy on the lid that I like so much! So naturally I had to take it home with me.

My beloved thingy! I mean, my other beloved thingy

The ingredients in this version include water, beans, barley, some kind of vegetable protein (have fun trying to guess which vegetable!), soybean oil, salt, fried onions, spices and a whole bunch of scary sounding additives. Yum!

I hope they don't think cows are a vegetable

OK. Time to lift the lid and take a first whiff!

Hmm.

So far so good. And have I mentioned I'm eating it cold, right out of the can? Yeah. I'm going to eat it cold, right out of the can, hobo style. That's just the kind of classy dude I am.

Hmmmm....

It's orange. And liquid. Let's dig in and see what else is hiding down there!

This sort of looks like a bean!

I guess that sort of looks like the picture on the label. Sort of. The color is kinda off, and there's way too much of that gross looking sauce. But what does it taste like?

om nom nom

Hey, that's actually not that bad!

nom nom nom nom

Very oily and very salty, but not too bad at all!

om nom nom nom nom nom

Those little bits of fake meat feel sort of weird in my mouth, but I think I actually kinda like it!

Almost done...

This was a really good idea. They should have put that thingy on the lid years ago!

Where did it all go??? *cries*

As far as gross canned food goes, this was a pretty entertaining quick meal! I'm totally getting more of it next time I'm at the supermarket, despite the fact that I can already feel a pretty bad case of diarrhea coming my way. Oh well. All in a day's work, I suppose.

Congratulations on a job well done!

Note to self: taking pictures of food while you're eating it is fun. You should totally do it again sometime, with more kinds of new and interesting and gross food!

Note to note to self: good idea. Sounds like a solid plan. See you next time I go shopping hungry!

(update: it's even better when heated!)