Mar 23

Virtual Happy Hour

Just because I’m an introvert doesn’t mean I’m a hermit. This work from home self-isolation stuff, while necessary to flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases, is miserable. The idea of virtual happy hours has arisen to fill the void. The concept has become so popular that The New York Times published an article on how to throw a proper event.

One of my fellow class officers suggested this as a sanity check. About ten of us gathered via Zoom with beverages of choice. Some of the women I’d seen last month in Las Vegas; others weren’t able to attend. The discussion focused on how we and our families were coping with the new abnormal. Most of the celebrants were on the east coast, but three of us were west of the Mississippi. It was a good time. We’ll probably do it again.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/23/virtual-happy-hour/

Mar 23

Tonight’s Festive Repast

We ventured out for groceries mid-day today and stocked up on staples. This was several hours before Washington’s Governor put the state on stay at home orders.

Julian put a rack of ribs into the cart and decided to smoke them for dinner tonight. He used the tried and true recipe with a homemade western North Carolina-style barbecue sauce. The feature of this recipe is that the onion that goes into the sauce is smoked with the ribs before being cut up for the condiment.

As usual, the results were superb. He made baked sweet potato “fries” and green beans alongside. Who says you have to eat freeze-dried dreck when you shelter in place?

Porcine perfection.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/23/tonights-festive-repast/

Mar 22

The New Abnormal

Washington is in near lockdown, as are many other states, due to Covid-19. Restaurants and bars are closed except for takeout. (“Hey, bartender, I need a Malayan Fog Cutter to go.”) Schools, community centers, and gyms are closed. Events are canceled. Hospitals and nursing homes are limiting or prohibiting visitors. Elective surgeries are canceled to conserve limited stocks of personal protective equipment. My friends on the Infection Prevention team are working 24/7 to keep patients and caregivers safe, as are the infectious disease docs.

I’m now in mandatory work from home mode. I have remote access to my work computer, but it’s slow going. I miss seeing my fellow cube farmers. I’m keeping my usual work hours at home. Since I’m a morning person and Julian isn’t, I can get a lot done before he comes down to the office.

Friday afternoon I went outside and spoke to several of my neighbors (with acceptable social distancing). My next door neighbor was planting more stuff on the strip of dirt between our units. She’d gotten some huge ferns for free from a plot of land that was being bulldozed to build more soul-less townhouses. (To quote Malvina Reynolds: “Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky…”) Two other neighbors reminded me why I love our neighborhood: It’s like living in a national park because we’re surrounded by park land with a river running through it.

Luckily, our fridge and chest freezer are well stocked for the moment. We’ve been cooking mostly comfort food that can serve as lunch leftovers. I made baked penne, while Julian made some navy bean soup. Tonight I’ll make quiche with some vegetable and cheese odds and ends. Eggplant parmigiana may be tomorrow’s dinner, as we have two eggplant that need to be used up.

Although things may be ugly for a while, I’m trying to stay optimistic. In the words of our former chief of cardiac surgery, “We shall prevail.”

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/22/the-new-abnormal/

Mar 08

Life and Food in the Time of COVID-19

We live less than three miles from the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington. Responses of locals range from que sera, sera to full-tilt freakout. I’m trying to hew to a middle path. My primary concession to the outbreak is to drive to work rather than take the bus on days when I don’t swim. This was after I sat next to a virus vector last week who was doing everything in her power to infect other passengers.

Large events are being postponed, and schools are closed. The annual Comic Con, where Millennials dress up as their favorite cartoon characters, was postponed at the last minute. My congregation will not have Sunday services until April. There was no coffee at coffee hour today. My workplace has canceled all non-essential in-person meetings. Access to the hospital is limited. Only one visitor per patient.

Businesses are suffering from lack of customers. Asian restaurants are in real danger. Folks think that any Chinese or Korean person must automatically be infected or just traveled from an affected region. We’ve been to two Chinese restaurants in the last two weeks. Yesterday we went to one in our old neighborhood, and we were the only customers there for most of our stay.

In the event of stay at home orders, we’re in reasonably good shape. We’ve stocked up on frozen vegetables, pasta, and other staples. With luck, the crisis won’t escalate to the point where we have to be confined to quarters; however, this outbreak is surprising everyone with its pervasiveness.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/08/life-and-food-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

Mar 07

First Name Basis

When one has nearly 600 cookbooks, you can go for a while without cracking the spine of a few. Others are used regularly. Then there are the ones that I refer to by the author’s first name. Some of them depend on the context. Here are a few cookbooks to which I refer that way:

Irma. Obviously the Joy of Cooking. For the newest edition, Julian referred to it as “Irma’s descendent.”

Mai. This is Mai Pham, author of Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table.

Anya. Anya Von Bremzen has published several cookbooks. Our go-to Singapore chili crab recipe comes from her cookbook, Terrific Pacific.

Steven. Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible.

Julia. Need you ask? Child, of course.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/07/first-name-basis/

Feb 23

Feeding the Red Sauce Need in Vegas

Las Vegas has a variety of Italian restaurants on the Strip, mostly of the yupscale, celebrity chef genre where a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs will set you back at least $50. (Friends, real Italian meatballs are NOT made from ground Wagyu beef.) One of my classmates who spends winters outside the city organized a dinner after our Alumni Leadership Conference at an old-school Italian restaurant called Battista’s Hole in the Wall, a block from our hotel.

Walking into this joint is like going into your Nonna’s attic – if Nonna operated an Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Chianti bottles and other tchotchkes festoon the walls and hang from the ceiling, including a few taxidermied animal heads. My seat faced a stuffed boar head wearing a necktie. Autographed photos of (mostly departed) celebrities line walls above the booths. Battista’s even has a strolling accordionist. The menu is also posted on the walls. Unlike Vegas Strip “trattorias” where everything is à la carte, Battista’s meals include minestrone or salad, garlic bread, carafes of wine (red and white), and cappuccino.

I ordered fettuccine with mussels. Others had eggplant parmigiana and other (mostly red sauce) offerings. I got about eight good-sized mussels surrounding a pile of red-sauced pasta that had a spicy edge to it. The portions were ample. The wine was served in small stemless glasses, as if you were dining at Nonna’s house.

The conversations were lively. Our end of the table (four proudly opinionated women) discussed politics at length. Someone at the other end of the table made a disparaging comment about New Jersey, at which one of the native New Jerseyans took umbrage. The one toast of the evening was to the Garden State.

The tab for the evening was quite reasonable by Las Vegas standards. I’d go back there if I ever found myself back in town.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/02/23/feeding-the-red-sauce-need-in-vegas/

Feb 21

Vegas Again

I’m attending the Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference this weekend. For a change, the meeting is west of the other Washington (DC): Las Vegas. Granted, Vegas is not my favorite city, but I feel the need to see my classmates and other friends. And if Cornell’s going to have the meeting that’s more accessible from Seattle, I’m there.

This weekend may be more surreal than usual in this town. First, the Nevada Caucus is Saturday. Second, the current occupant of the White House, in attempt to divert attention, is holding a rally in town tonight. Alas, I have a prior engagement. (And if I didn’t, I’d make one up.)

The meeting itself may be subdued, given that Cornell’s former president died three weeks ago. Frank Rhodes was installed my senior year, and served through and beyond my tenure in grad school. Even after he retired, he was a regular at Alumni Reunions and this conference.

More news to come.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/02/21/vegas-again/

Jan 16

A Lighter Kugel

Most kugels will stick to your ribs and thighs in perpetuity. The noodles or potatoes are bound together with mass quantities of cheese and eggs, then baked. There may be some raisins or other fruit in the recipe, but the net effect is high fat with a little starch thrown in.
When faced with what to bring to the memorial dinner for the matriarch of our Friday night group, Julian suggested a kugel. “Maybe Joan has a recipe.” Joan is Joan Nathan, author of several Jewish cookbooks. I selected the San Antonio Kugel recipe from her Jewish Cooking in America. The recipe contained only two eggs for a pound of noodles. The main thickening agent was pectin from grated pears and apples. The best part: With the exception of those who were allergic to gluten or eggs, the majority of people there could eat it.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/16/a-lighter-kugel/

Jan 05

Serious Slow Cooking

I never had a slow cooker. So getting a sous vide took some getting used to. Julian found a recipe on the Chef Steps website for braised short ribs that required 24 hours of cooking. Because zipper freezer bags aren’t made for high heat, I double-bagged the ingredients. I had to cover the pot with aluminum foil to keep the water from evaporating over time.

The results were certainly tender, as they should have been for the cooking time. The seasonings were standard. Next time I might try adapting the recipe for Asian seasoning.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/05/serious-slow-cooking/

Jan 05

Paws, Meet Jaws

Bubba Shark meets Luka.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/05/paws-meet-jaws/

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