poverty breeds creativity

i've put myself on a budget. ten canadian dollars a day (which amounts to about 50 cents american). fortunately i can afford poverty, as i've got not much else to do with my day but shop around for deals. yesterday I went to the Jean Talon market and spent three dollars on: a bucket of tomatoes (on their way out), a basket of strawberries, a fresh pineapple flayed in front of me and packaged for immediate consumption. i spent two dollars on specialty egg noodles from a supermarket in little italy, and another two on a perfect cappuccino. a portion of today's budget went toward parmesan cheese and basil.

and so my afternoon was spent experimenting in the kitchen. the tomatoes i purchased, wilted and sunken, like an old woman's liver-spotted arms, needed immediate attention. i decided they would be perfect in the creation of my first (and excellent) fresh pasta sauce. subjecting them to a similar punishment as the pineapple, i removed the skin in a dark kitchen. malicious, but private, and not paraded about for all of montreal to see. here is the process i took. this is mostly for my own reference:
*dice tomatoes and let them soak in olive oil, salt and pepper (of the freshly ground variety), rosemary and thyme (sorry parsley and sage)
*sautee garlic and onions
*add the tomatoes to the sautee, topped off with basil before serving
*rock the casbah
*pat myself on the back

i'm enjoying this culinary experimentation. and poverty, in its own way. it's civilized at some level. and i couldn't be happier with the day's budget-inspired treasure hunts.