Well this week has been a bit busy with spring and daylight savings time tempting me to prolonged forays into the out-of-doors. However, I’ve still gotten a fair amount of cooking in despite my limited time at home. Breakfasts, to start, have been pretty typical. Some sort of egg dish, some steel cut oatmeal sweetened with mashed banana and vanilla, and some pan-fried sweet potatoes.
On Sunday I made a delicious vegetable soup from some of the chicken stock that has long been monopolizing my freezer. It was a hasty amalgamation of what I had as leftovers in my fridge at the time – celery, kale, brown rice, tomatoes, black beans, onion, shallot, carrots, and broccoli. Topped with a couple of bay leaves, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and I had a solid soup for a lunch and dinner accompaniment throughout the week.
As for dinner the only standouts (if you could call them that) were:
Monday – Southwest Casserole of sorts. Browned grass fed beef over riced cauliflower with a sauce of tomato, cumin, red pepper, and jalapeno. Baked in the oven and then topped with guacamole, Greek yogurt, green onion, and cilantro. On the side I had some sweet potato chips with a chipotle yogurt dip I had made the week before.
Tuesday – Roasted root vegetable salad (carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, with some cauliflower), vegetable soup, soft boiled eggs on a bed of spinach.
Wednesday – Mussels in tomato sauce (tomato, garlic, shallot, oregano, salt, pepper). Vegetable soup (what a surprise), and for dessert I had roasted pear (with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg) topped with whipped Greek yogurt and toasted sunflower seeds. I put too much hot sauce in the soup and too much pepper in the tomato sauce. As a result dinner was too hot and spicy. Nothing plenty of Greek yogurt on top of the pear couldn’t fix.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Food & Change - A Manifesto
I’ve decided to retool this blog a bit and expand its role from merely a pulpit to more of a running journal devoid of the pomp and finish (yeah right) that it’s possessed up until this point. You may ask yourself, ‘stripped of its previous luster, what’s left?’ Well I plan to leverage this blog for allot more ‘stream of consciousness’ type writing, in addition to a forum to house my culinary ventures, minor trip reports, and a repository for self imposed goals and aspirations (thereby making it more difficult to shirk them at a later point in time). Basically, I am going to drop any previous pretense and just use it as a virtual scratch pad. Therefore, from here on out I am sure you can expect an increasing lack of cogency and coherence, giving rise to ever increasing entropy and clouded vision of purpose.
As mentioned above I’d like to use the blog as a way of tracking my culinary ventures. To that end I intend to dispatch with one of the authorial golden rules and write in ignorance of my audience and use this blog (at least in my capacity as an amateur cook) as a means for my personal edification and advancement. However, unlike any other blog posts on food you may have read previously, mine will be devoid of artfully arranged food photography, helpful recipes, and blissful accounts of the preparatory experience. Rather what you’ll find is a candid look at my forays into the world of cooking taking place in my tiny (and ugly) apartment kitchen, replete with blunders, oversights, and occasional poorly lit photographs appearing to have been taken from a moving car.
What calls for this change? Due to my increased attention to my nut & peanut (the astute among you will recognize they’re not the same thing) allergy I’ve found my options to be largely restricted when it comes to eating out. When combined with adherence to my tenets of healthy eating, I find my diet difficult to cater to unless I wish to prepare all of my meals myself. Out of these requirements has been born my renewed passion for cooking which has spurred me on to become a more competent, well versed, and knowledgeable cook, with a genuine appreciation not only for the food, but the act of preparing it.
Seeing that I intend to introduce cooking as a major player in my blog, I think it’d help to paint, in broad strokes, some of the ideals that govern my food and stylistic choices. I’ll refrain from getting into the basis for these decisions in this post and, in all likelihood, future posts as well.
- Food is Life: Food literally IS life. It fuels our bodies and minds and is the basis for our continued existence. Strangely, food in modern America has come to be treated as a grudgingly necessary component of the overly scrutinized input/output system formerly known as our bodies. As a result, food had become devoid of enjoyment and is a main source of our constant anxiety. Food, in America, garners only a miniscule fraction of the average American’s paycheck – a fact further illuminated by the contrastingly large amount spent by those in many other first world countries (and even more so in third world countries). Coupled with this financial deficit is the lack of enjoyment and time that food sees in this country. (It’s for this reason that other cultures don’t have the weight management issues that ours does -- read “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat”…I didn’t, but I understand that’s the premise).
I am trying to buck that trend and once again provide food the central role in my life that it both deserves and should rightfully occupy. I try to make time and expense secondary considerations when it comes to food. To this same end I make its preparation just as enjoyable and engaging as its consumption. Therefore, I don’t do fast food, 100 calorie packs, vitamin water, or eating in the car. I do sit down meals, everything from scratch, and whole afternoons spent on the dinner to follow.
- Whole Food: I strive with 98% success to eat only whole foods or, in other words, foods easily recognizable in their marketed forms. This means no additives, processed grains or sweeteners, canned produce, or factory prepared items. I also don't do low fat. Never.
- Limited Grains: I don’t really do breads (if I do, they’re sprouted), baked goods, or the like. I do use whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oat groats, and the like on a limited basis. I definitely don’t do processed grains.
- Limited Land Based Protein: For environmental reasons I try to limit myself to only two pounds of land based protein a month. The rest of my protein I try to get from environmentally sound fished or farmed seafood, as well as limited consumption of dairy and eggs.
- Smart Buying (Organic): It’s my informed belief that locavorism and buying strictly organic is not necessarily the most environmentally friendly choice we can make as consumers. It definitely can be, but not always. However, my concern for responsible farming practices often leads me to buy organic foods before making the more environmentally friendly non-organic purchase. Therefore I try to temper buying decisions with a little bit of global altruism married with a little bit of self-preservation.
- Ratios: Ratios may seem like a funny word to use here but I really couldn’t think of a better singular term to describe this aspect of my culinary ‘code’. Besides being a déclassé cook, I am also a committed amateur athlete. The foundation of sound athletic performance and development is a diet well balanced in all the necessary macronutrients - fat, protein, and carbohydrate. By treating this ratio of macronutrients as a formula, many athletes easily achieve their nutritional requirements. However, many of these athletes treat food only as fuel and resultantly become objects of deprivation and self-castigation. I, on the other hand, don’t see a payoff in being an accomplished athlete with egregious deficits in other arenas of my life (see: Food is Life). Therefore, I try to observe ratios but understand that food enjoyed is ultimately the superior ‘fuel’.
- Minimalism: I appreciate minimalism not only as a sustainable means of living, but as an aesthetic one as well. I think doing more with less is a beautiful thing and therefore find I manifest that ideology in just about every aspect of my life. To that end I also employ minimalism in my cooking and am constantly exploring ways to minimize waste, ingredients, and kitchen tools. I think uni-taskers are antithetical to artful cooking and that finding creative ways to do more with less is both a stimulating and gratifying act.
As mentioned above I’d like to use the blog as a way of tracking my culinary ventures. To that end I intend to dispatch with one of the authorial golden rules and write in ignorance of my audience and use this blog (at least in my capacity as an amateur cook) as a means for my personal edification and advancement. However, unlike any other blog posts on food you may have read previously, mine will be devoid of artfully arranged food photography, helpful recipes, and blissful accounts of the preparatory experience. Rather what you’ll find is a candid look at my forays into the world of cooking taking place in my tiny (and ugly) apartment kitchen, replete with blunders, oversights, and occasional poorly lit photographs appearing to have been taken from a moving car.
What calls for this change? Due to my increased attention to my nut & peanut (the astute among you will recognize they’re not the same thing) allergy I’ve found my options to be largely restricted when it comes to eating out. When combined with adherence to my tenets of healthy eating, I find my diet difficult to cater to unless I wish to prepare all of my meals myself. Out of these requirements has been born my renewed passion for cooking which has spurred me on to become a more competent, well versed, and knowledgeable cook, with a genuine appreciation not only for the food, but the act of preparing it.
Seeing that I intend to introduce cooking as a major player in my blog, I think it’d help to paint, in broad strokes, some of the ideals that govern my food and stylistic choices. I’ll refrain from getting into the basis for these decisions in this post and, in all likelihood, future posts as well.
- Food is Life: Food literally IS life. It fuels our bodies and minds and is the basis for our continued existence. Strangely, food in modern America has come to be treated as a grudgingly necessary component of the overly scrutinized input/output system formerly known as our bodies. As a result, food had become devoid of enjoyment and is a main source of our constant anxiety. Food, in America, garners only a miniscule fraction of the average American’s paycheck – a fact further illuminated by the contrastingly large amount spent by those in many other first world countries (and even more so in third world countries). Coupled with this financial deficit is the lack of enjoyment and time that food sees in this country. (It’s for this reason that other cultures don’t have the weight management issues that ours does -- read “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat”…I didn’t, but I understand that’s the premise).
I am trying to buck that trend and once again provide food the central role in my life that it both deserves and should rightfully occupy. I try to make time and expense secondary considerations when it comes to food. To this same end I make its preparation just as enjoyable and engaging as its consumption. Therefore, I don’t do fast food, 100 calorie packs, vitamin water, or eating in the car. I do sit down meals, everything from scratch, and whole afternoons spent on the dinner to follow.
- Whole Food: I strive with 98% success to eat only whole foods or, in other words, foods easily recognizable in their marketed forms. This means no additives, processed grains or sweeteners, canned produce, or factory prepared items. I also don't do low fat. Never.
- Limited Grains: I don’t really do breads (if I do, they’re sprouted), baked goods, or the like. I do use whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oat groats, and the like on a limited basis. I definitely don’t do processed grains.
- Limited Land Based Protein: For environmental reasons I try to limit myself to only two pounds of land based protein a month. The rest of my protein I try to get from environmentally sound fished or farmed seafood, as well as limited consumption of dairy and eggs.
- Smart Buying (Organic): It’s my informed belief that locavorism and buying strictly organic is not necessarily the most environmentally friendly choice we can make as consumers. It definitely can be, but not always. However, my concern for responsible farming practices often leads me to buy organic foods before making the more environmentally friendly non-organic purchase. Therefore I try to temper buying decisions with a little bit of global altruism married with a little bit of self-preservation.
- Ratios: Ratios may seem like a funny word to use here but I really couldn’t think of a better singular term to describe this aspect of my culinary ‘code’. Besides being a déclassé cook, I am also a committed amateur athlete. The foundation of sound athletic performance and development is a diet well balanced in all the necessary macronutrients - fat, protein, and carbohydrate. By treating this ratio of macronutrients as a formula, many athletes easily achieve their nutritional requirements. However, many of these athletes treat food only as fuel and resultantly become objects of deprivation and self-castigation. I, on the other hand, don’t see a payoff in being an accomplished athlete with egregious deficits in other arenas of my life (see: Food is Life). Therefore, I try to observe ratios but understand that food enjoyed is ultimately the superior ‘fuel’.
- Minimalism: I appreciate minimalism not only as a sustainable means of living, but as an aesthetic one as well. I think doing more with less is a beautiful thing and therefore find I manifest that ideology in just about every aspect of my life. To that end I also employ minimalism in my cooking and am constantly exploring ways to minimize waste, ingredients, and kitchen tools. I think uni-taskers are antithetical to artful cooking and that finding creative ways to do more with less is both a stimulating and gratifying act.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Internet Forums
Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a big proponent of internet forums. I maintain that when properly leveraged by a discourse community they can be an excellent tool to disseminate information, dispel rumors, and arrive at a general consensus on topics that are generally too subjective or unwieldy to be tackled elsewhere. Forums, as many internet users know, run the gamut in subject matter, format, and generally accepted etiquette and, as a result, the better of these forums seem to develop their own unique identity and character.
As you can imagine, while I visit and post on forums of all types I spend the greatest deal of my time surfing outdoor sports forums. Some of them are regional, others national, and some even international. While their subjects and geography may differ, they all suffer from similar forms of abuse from internet tough guys, trolls (a role which even I have admittedly taken up on rare occasion), and those who are simply too lazy or ignorant to demonstrate common decency and respect.
I (already having admitted my own complicity in some of the shabby behavior that takes place here on these forums) have grown dispirited by the devolution that allot of my favorite digital stomping grounds have suffered. After a point the same questions have been asked time and again, the same scenarios belabored to the point of absurdity, and the same members banned, slandered, readmitted, and again ejected shortly thereafter. It’s become rather irksome that a resource that was totally unavailable in the not-so-distant past is now taken for granted to a degree so great as to almost render it useless due to the redundancy of the trespasses made against it.
One would think that such a pooling of knowledge would only help to foster a self-sustaining growth of that knowledge, and perhaps even evolve to tackle greater questions and arrive at even greater conclusions. But you’d be wrong if you’d assume that to be the case. Rather, the lazy and ignorant (most often amongst the forums’ newly initiated) fail to recognize the value of the forum as the self-sustained entity that it is and consequently are oblivious to the fact that they may draw from the already existing deep pools of knowledge it’s home to. Rather, they degrade the forum by posting on some of the most academic subjects possible and re-trod ground that’s been covered, ad nauseum, by past similarly self-indulgently negligent queries.
It’s at this point that the greater powers that be, whether it moderators or more senior members, should bear the burden of preserving their past endeavors and excise this redundant extranium from their collective and point the inquisitor to their answer among the past stores of knowledge assembled long ago. However, this is where the greatest offense is often made when the question is treated with integrity it does not deserve, lending it credence, and thereby cementing right alongside the very same knowledge that had already once been shared in the past. The lazy and ignorant have received their justification, and the senior contributors have squandered time and cognitive resources that would have been best spend developing the forum past its status quo.
Why can’t we just delete this rubbish or let it fall to the back page? Why beat the same dead horse again and again? Don’t respond with smarmy remarks, suggestive emoticons, or repetitive advise (as immediately helpful though it may seem to the impatient and lazy). Ignore it and treat it as the non-contributory work that it is. Have more respect for what it is you built and keep your focus fixed on elevating the general level of discussion beyond what it already is. Our internet forums can remain a rich resource for us all if we just let all the detritus sink to the bottom, thereby keeping those topics with potential for development buoyant and lively.
As you can imagine, while I visit and post on forums of all types I spend the greatest deal of my time surfing outdoor sports forums. Some of them are regional, others national, and some even international. While their subjects and geography may differ, they all suffer from similar forms of abuse from internet tough guys, trolls (a role which even I have admittedly taken up on rare occasion), and those who are simply too lazy or ignorant to demonstrate common decency and respect.
I (already having admitted my own complicity in some of the shabby behavior that takes place here on these forums) have grown dispirited by the devolution that allot of my favorite digital stomping grounds have suffered. After a point the same questions have been asked time and again, the same scenarios belabored to the point of absurdity, and the same members banned, slandered, readmitted, and again ejected shortly thereafter. It’s become rather irksome that a resource that was totally unavailable in the not-so-distant past is now taken for granted to a degree so great as to almost render it useless due to the redundancy of the trespasses made against it.
One would think that such a pooling of knowledge would only help to foster a self-sustaining growth of that knowledge, and perhaps even evolve to tackle greater questions and arrive at even greater conclusions. But you’d be wrong if you’d assume that to be the case. Rather, the lazy and ignorant (most often amongst the forums’ newly initiated) fail to recognize the value of the forum as the self-sustained entity that it is and consequently are oblivious to the fact that they may draw from the already existing deep pools of knowledge it’s home to. Rather, they degrade the forum by posting on some of the most academic subjects possible and re-trod ground that’s been covered, ad nauseum, by past similarly self-indulgently negligent queries.
It’s at this point that the greater powers that be, whether it moderators or more senior members, should bear the burden of preserving their past endeavors and excise this redundant extranium from their collective and point the inquisitor to their answer among the past stores of knowledge assembled long ago. However, this is where the greatest offense is often made when the question is treated with integrity it does not deserve, lending it credence, and thereby cementing right alongside the very same knowledge that had already once been shared in the past. The lazy and ignorant have received their justification, and the senior contributors have squandered time and cognitive resources that would have been best spend developing the forum past its status quo.
Why can’t we just delete this rubbish or let it fall to the back page? Why beat the same dead horse again and again? Don’t respond with smarmy remarks, suggestive emoticons, or repetitive advise (as immediately helpful though it may seem to the impatient and lazy). Ignore it and treat it as the non-contributory work that it is. Have more respect for what it is you built and keep your focus fixed on elevating the general level of discussion beyond what it already is. Our internet forums can remain a rich resource for us all if we just let all the detritus sink to the bottom, thereby keeping those topics with potential for development buoyant and lively.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Silent Partner
Goddamn I love top rope soloing.
As a member of an internet climbing forum I frequent often quips, there are two types of partners – the loud and silent. His witticism is especially, well, witty, because it refers, in particular, to the device branded by Wren Industries as the “Silent Partner™”. The device is Wren Industries’ particular interpretation of a solo climbing device but, when left un-capitalized, ‘silent partner’ provides a more generic and all encompassing view of the act of solo climbing. The ‘loud partner’, on the other hand, is the one with two hands, two feet, a mouth, and a whole lot to say.
I always have and always will prefer to climb with a partner. However, there is a unique sort of joy and sense of self-sufficiency to be derived from climbing alone. First, as someone that loves to get inventive, establishing a manageable and safe solo top roping system can be an enjoyable challenge in and of itself if approached with the right attitude. I am constantly refining and perfecting my own system but, as it stands, it’s a pretty foolproof system, although I always strive for a greater form of elegance and simplicity in its construction.
The joys of its engineering aside, the top rope solo system presents a versatility that is uncommon (if not totally non-existent) in a ‘loud partner’. You’ll never find a top rope solo system that has to work late, is sick with the flu, or is going to their sister’s birthday party. In fact, most times I leave mine in the car all day without water and food and yet still find it just as eager to climb as when I left it there in the morning. It seems to generally agree with me when I pick a climb and (while it certainly never encourages me past a thin crux or a sketchy roof), it also doesn’t have a laugh at my expense when I grease off of a 5.easy. It doesn’t get bummed when there is a long approach but, then again, I tend to be doing most of the schlepping. Most importantly, I get to spend most of my time out at the cliffs actually ON the cliff and never have I found myself queued up on a climb when out with the ‘silent partner’.
Since perfecting my setup I’ve been able to get out on the vertical at least 50% more often that I have been, and I think as I continually improve my schedule and setup this number is bound to improve. Relying on my own system has made me a better climber – both more at home on the rock in addition to bolstering faith in systems of my own design.
I still love you ‘loud partners’, but you’ll have to pry my ‘silent partner’ from my cold, dead hands.
As a member of an internet climbing forum I frequent often quips, there are two types of partners – the loud and silent. His witticism is especially, well, witty, because it refers, in particular, to the device branded by Wren Industries as the “Silent Partner™”. The device is Wren Industries’ particular interpretation of a solo climbing device but, when left un-capitalized, ‘silent partner’ provides a more generic and all encompassing view of the act of solo climbing. The ‘loud partner’, on the other hand, is the one with two hands, two feet, a mouth, and a whole lot to say.
I always have and always will prefer to climb with a partner. However, there is a unique sort of joy and sense of self-sufficiency to be derived from climbing alone. First, as someone that loves to get inventive, establishing a manageable and safe solo top roping system can be an enjoyable challenge in and of itself if approached with the right attitude. I am constantly refining and perfecting my own system but, as it stands, it’s a pretty foolproof system, although I always strive for a greater form of elegance and simplicity in its construction.
The joys of its engineering aside, the top rope solo system presents a versatility that is uncommon (if not totally non-existent) in a ‘loud partner’. You’ll never find a top rope solo system that has to work late, is sick with the flu, or is going to their sister’s birthday party. In fact, most times I leave mine in the car all day without water and food and yet still find it just as eager to climb as when I left it there in the morning. It seems to generally agree with me when I pick a climb and (while it certainly never encourages me past a thin crux or a sketchy roof), it also doesn’t have a laugh at my expense when I grease off of a 5.easy. It doesn’t get bummed when there is a long approach but, then again, I tend to be doing most of the schlepping. Most importantly, I get to spend most of my time out at the cliffs actually ON the cliff and never have I found myself queued up on a climb when out with the ‘silent partner’.
Since perfecting my setup I’ve been able to get out on the vertical at least 50% more often that I have been, and I think as I continually improve my schedule and setup this number is bound to improve. Relying on my own system has made me a better climber – both more at home on the rock in addition to bolstering faith in systems of my own design.
I still love you ‘loud partners’, but you’ll have to pry my ‘silent partner’ from my cold, dead hands.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
How To Own Land
Find a spot and sit there
until the grass begins
to nose between your thighs.
Climb to the top
of a pine and drink
the wind’s green breath.
Track the stream through alder and scrub,
trade speech
for that cold sweet babble.
Gather sticks and spin them into fire.
Watch the smoke spiral into darkness.
Dream that the animals find you.
They weave your hair into warm cloth,
string your teeth on necklaces,
wrap your skin soft around their feet.
Wake to the silence
of your own scattered bones.
Watch them whiten in the sun.
When they have fallen to powder
And blown away,
The land will be yours.
Morgan Farley
until the grass begins
to nose between your thighs.
Climb to the top
of a pine and drink
the wind’s green breath.
Track the stream through alder and scrub,
trade speech
for that cold sweet babble.
Gather sticks and spin them into fire.
Watch the smoke spiral into darkness.
Dream that the animals find you.
They weave your hair into warm cloth,
string your teeth on necklaces,
wrap your skin soft around their feet.
Wake to the silence
of your own scattered bones.
Watch them whiten in the sun.
When they have fallen to powder
And blown away,
The land will be yours.
Morgan Farley
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