That's a Crock

It's the simple things in life that make me happy. Take crock pots, for example. Having to work each day until 5:00 makes getting dinner on the table a bit of a nuisance. Add to that, the challenge of grocery shopping and cooking on a two-burner stove and an oven the size of a microwave and you understand why a crock pot might make me overjoyed.

As Jack described earlier, we have been blessed with a source where we can purchase large supplies of meat at a discount. The stew meat, I have found out, when cooked in a shorter period of time can be a little tough. Hence, I am very excited because today I managed to pick up a used crock pot for a bargain price with the hopes of more tender meat in the future.

You see, I have become an avid internet garage-saler, so-to-speak. As Jack mentioned, there is a website where expats wheel and deal in all kinds of things they no longer need or want. I have tried to comb this site each day for a few things we need--especially the free listings. The challenge becomes claiming items before someone else does and then figuring out where in this vast city I might meet up with them to claim my new purchase. It's kind of like a treasure hunt.

Being the Sabbath, I must confess here, that this new Crock Pot did involve me texting during church. I'm hoping that since I was being a good steward and actually ended up purchasing it from another believer on her way out of church, there will be extra grace extended.

It all started at 6:30 this a.m. when I texted a response to an ad and asked if the pot was still available. Once we were in church I received a response that it was. I had become aware earlier that the seller was on Hong Kong Island, where we would be attending church, so I was hoping it would work out to purchase it today since it would save me a 45-minute train ride later. So, there I was, texting (only twice!) in church and setting up a time to meet her just two train stops away once the woman was out of church. Thank goodness for our detailed map of HK, because she gave me some landmark at which to meet her which was a five-minute walk from the train station.

It couldn't have worked out more smoothly. After putting in a small plug for her church, we exchanged money and parted ways. So, for US$12.00, my family will have some tender stew meat. I have to tell you, slow cookers are not common here, and to purchase one new would be about $80.00. So, yeah internet garage-sale-ing!

As a bonus, we got to explore a little bit of the city we had not been to yet, so that was fun too.

Here's to a future of yummy stews and soups!

Feel free to send me your favorite Crock Pot recipe.

-Julie