Jul 22

Sanity Maintenance

There are days when I swear things are going to Hell on rocket-powered roller-skates. Some pundits describe the daily disclosures from DC as “drip, drip, drip”; to me, they look more like deluges. It’s easy to get sucked into incessantly watching or reading the news for fear of what’s next. Sometimes you just have to unplug. These are my main sanity maintenance strategies.

“Watching the river run (an old Loggins and Messina song).” The parade of boats, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and birds on the Sammamish behind our home calms me down.

The pool. In addition to lively locker-room conversations, the early-morning lap swims are essential to reducing stress. Unfortunately, my pool will be closed for major maintenance for nearly eight weeks starting in early August. This means my major sweaty sanity maintenance mechanism will be…

The bike. There have been times this summer when getting home on Flash (or Flash plus light rail) is faster than driving or taking the bus. I often mute the cell phone on my commutes and weekend rides to avoid interruptions. Last Thursday I had my first Himalayan blackberries of the season on the ride home. I also assisted three tourists who’d taken the light rail from the airport to the University of Washington find their way to the bus to the Fremont neighborhood. And then there’s always…

My own two feet. Sometimes when I take the bus to work I walk downtown and catch a bus home from there. We haven’t done any hiking so far this year, but the Burke-Gilman Trail is just a block away.  I can also find lots of blackberries along the trail. One in the bowl, two down the gullet…

Passive pursuits. Some nights the best I can do is watch reruns of Seinfeld or The Big Bang Theory. Since I didn’t watch the shows when they were first broadcast, they’re not reruns to me. Last night I watched a documentary on Israeli cuisine.

Experiments in cuisine. When I’m working on a new recipe, I try to keep distractions to a minimum. The TV may be on in the background, but I’m only half-listening.

Finally, sleep. I can ignore the lunacy for seven hours. I get into my nightshirt, read a few pages of an apolitical book, and turn out the light.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/22/sanity-maintenance/

Jul 22

Might Be Pesto Time

Basilicious

The warm, sunny summer has resulted in a bumper crop of basil on my upper deck. I also have two Thai basil plants going crazy. And my padron pepper plants are being fruitful. Not bad for a small patch of sun.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/22/might-be-pesto-time/

Jul 16

Spiedie 101

This weekend we hosted the annual Spiediefest extravaganza. This event may be more popular than our Super Bowl party, especially for our friends who hate football. The weather cooperated, so some of the revelers kayaked or paddle boarded on the river prior to eating.

Water sports prior to Spiediefest.

For those of you who didn’t grow up or go to college in upstate New York, I wrote a spiedie explainer two years ago. The recipe is quite simple: Marinate lamb, chicken, pork, or beef chunks in a vinaigrette made from olive oil, garlic, vinegar and/or lemon juice, and lots of dried herbs. Parsley, basil, and oregano are classic additions. Mint can be added to lamb marinade. Thread the meat onto skewers and grill. Serve the meat on a hot dog bun, using the bun to steady the meat while pulling it off the skewer.

Chicken spiedie meat awaiting the skewers.

A few tips and tricks for spiedie splendor:

  • The rate-limiting step is cutting up the meat. If you buy a boneless leg of lamb, expect to extricate lots of fat and connective tissue off the meat. Don’t cut off every bit of fat, however. The melting fat will keep the meat moist on the grill.
  • If you make chicken spiedies, use thighs. Chicken breasts have too little fat and too little flavor. We’ve never tried making spiedies with turkey; I’d still use thighs in that case. Again, just cut off the largest globules of fat from the meat to reduce flareups on the grill.
  • Beef and lamb can easily be marinated overnight with no loss of quality. Poultry should only be marinated 4 hours at most, regardless of what some recipes say. The only thing worse than a dry spiedie is one with a pasty texture to the meat.
  • Don’t crowd too many chunks of meat onto a single skewer. Four or five pieces will work on the average hot dog bun.
  • Some people set aside a portion of the marinade (pre-exposure to meat) to brush on the spiedies while they’re on the grill. Julian did this for the lamb skewers, but I skipped it for the chicken.
  • You can make vegetarian spiedies using extra firm tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables. Don’t bother marinating, but brush the skewers with unadulterated marinade while on the grill.
  • In New York, spiedies are usually served naked and unashamed. However, you can put onions or pickled hot peppers on the spiedies if you wish. You can also dab a little of the non-raw-meat-exposed marinade on the finished product.

What to serve with spiedies? This is a summertime dish in upstate New York. (Especially in my hometown, where you have to shovel through several feet of snow to find the grill in January.) Our friends brought assorted salads. Another made a stir-fry from sweet corn, green beans, mushrooms, and fennel. If you want to go full-tilt Upstate, you can make salt potatoes. These are new potatoes that are boiled in a briny solution, then drained and served with enough butter to send your cardiologist’s kid to Cornell for a semester. Beer is the standard beverage to accompany spiedies, but you can also drink wine, water, or iced tea. Fire up the grill and enjoy!

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/16/spiedie-101/

Jul 08

A Butterfly and its Bush

Butterfly bushes are considered noxious weeds hereabouts. We have one that’s blocking the Sun in our front yard. When I returned from a bike ride this morning, I saw a butterfly sipping nectar from its namesake plant. I saw a different species of butterfly on the plant when I went out to get the mail, but didn’t have my phone with me. I don’t know what variety of butterfly this is. My nephew, the amateur lepidopterist, needs to weigh in.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/08/a-butterfly-and-its-bush/

Jul 08

Seen at a Vancouver Restaurant

See below for the other side of the sign.

This restaurant was in Gastown, near the vegetarian restaurant we ate lunch at last Sunday.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/08/seen-at-a-vancouver-restaurant/

Jul 04

More Canada Day Weekend

Sunday we walked over to Gastown and Chinatown. Both are older sections of town, similar to Pioneer Square and the Chinatown/International District in Seattle. The Vancouver neighborhoods are rapidly becoming gentrified. For example, we saw a “Vegan Supply Store” in the midst of Chinatown. It was down the street from the infamous “lizard on a stick” purveyors. Lunch was at a vegetarian restaurant called Meet. The barbecue veggie burgers we had weren’t bad. The burgers came with salad and fries, so we left feeling almost virtuous. Curiously, Meet is around the corner from a restaurant called L’Abbatoir (French for slaughterhouse). As one might predict, this establishment’s menu is heavy on animal protein. Is the landlord trying to have it both ways?

Our main shopping spree of the trip was at the Ming Wo kitchenware store. We always find bargains there, particularly with the current exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars. Julian found espresso cups with saucers for 49 cents for EACH set. We also got a large stoneware salad bowl and a teapot to replace the one he broke last month. I got a couple of small saucers for cat food bowls. It’s easier for them to eat from than regular bowls.

We got back downtown in time to watch the Canada Day parade. Along with marching bands and Mounties, the diversity of Canada was on full display. Large contingents of Asian cultural associations marched, played, and danced their way down the route. A Filipino percussion group (drums and glockenspiels) played the traditional Philippine favorites “O Sole Mio” and “Tequila.” Julian took these two pictures of tykes on both sides of the parade.

Mini-Mountie.

This little one kept trying to join the parade.

Dinner was at Forage, a restaurant we’d visited on our last trip. The holiday décor was gone, but the locavore cuisine remained. We got duck, a charcuterie and cheese plate, and gnocchi. We left this time without dessert.

Monday brought the sad news that Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks had closed earlier in the year. According to this Vancouver Sun article, she couldn’t deal with the aforementioned exchange rate and the Seattle-based online bookstore that rhymes with mama-san. Dejected, I walked around the 4th Avenue Kitsilano shopping district with Julian. We bought a couple of neck pillows at a travel shop and had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant called Chi. The noodle bowls and the homemade ginger beer were good. The service was a bit flaky. We had to remind the waitstaff to bring our drink orders. Then they couldn’t find the stash of extra paper for the credit card readers and had to run to a nearby office supply store for refills. If nothing else, the delay kept us out of the usual Everett and I-405 traffic jams on the way home. A quick dive into Costco in Bellingham didn’t hurt, either.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/04/more-canada-day-weekend/

Jul 04

Vancouver vs. Seattle Smackdown!

You’ll recall I did something similar last year with Paris and Lyon. Today we’re comparing and contrasting closer to home.

Demographics. Vancouver has more Asians than Seattle, and more Caucasians as well.

Markets. Vancouver has Granville Island, Seattle has Pike Place. Both can be mobbed with tourists, especially on summer and holiday weekends.

Restaurant scene. Asian restaurants dominate in Vancouver (see demographics, above). Korean food is taking over from Japanese cuisine. Seattle has a bit more balanced set of restaurants.

Housing, and its costs. Both downtowns are filling up with high rises. Vancouver’s ahead of Seattle on the high-rise score – so far. Both cities are expensive, which partially explains the next bullet point.

Homelessness and drug addiction. Sadly, both cities are even. At least Vancouver has facilities where addicts can inject safely and where they’re monitored to prevent overdoses.

Car culture. Seattle is Prius- (and now Tesla-) crazy. Julian has commented that he’s seen more high end sportscars (Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and the like) in Vancouver than in any other city.

Fashion. Vancouver’s a little better-dressed, courtesy of Asian twenty-something women who wear full regalia and makeup to pump gas. The guys take after their Seattle counterparts.

Public parks and open space. Vancouver has the massive Stanley Park, on the west edge of downtown. Seattle has the Sound-facing Discovery, Golden Gardens, and Carkeek Parks, and Lake Washington-facing Seward, Magnusson, and Leschi Parks.

The score is roughly even. We love both cities, warts and all.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/04/vancouver-vs-seattle-smackdown/

Jul 04

Thoughts for the Day

This July 4th, we need to recall some voices from the past to bring us back to our best selves as Americans. These quotes were originally published in The Nation in 1991.

“The term ‘patriotism’ seems to be raised most often in the context of military action and at times has been used as a test of support for our country’s military activities. But I understand it to include a respect for contrasting viewpoints, an acceptance of dissent, a tolerance–and even a welcoming–of the clashing diversity of voices that is uniquely American…. A proper patriotism would recognize that there are no absolutes when it comes to solving our social and international problems, except the standard by which we must judge all goals–our willingness to help one another, and to help others.” – Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York

“I believe patriotism is best expressed in our works, not our parades. We are the heirs of the most magnificent political legacy any people has ever been given. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident…’ It is the constant struggle to protect and enlarge that legacy, to make sure that it applies to all citizens, that patriotism lies… Vote, write, speak, work, march, sue, organize, fight, struggle – whatever it takes to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” – Molly Ivins

My pitiful prose can’t compete with Mario and Molly, but I second their emotions. Happy Independence Day!

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/04/thoughts-for-the-day/

Jul 02

Canada Day

July 1 was Canada Day, the anniversary of when Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were merged into one dominion under the British Empire in 1867. As the sesquicentennial of this act, this year’s Canada Day festivities were huge. Vancouver’s celebration was second only to Ottawa’s in size.

We drove up to Vancouver from Seattle on the 30th. Unlike earlier trips, we had company in the car: Julian’s cousin Kitty and her friend Ank, both from the Netherlands. The logistics were complicated. We had to pick them up from the cruise ship terminal in the morning. We got a quick lunch, then went to a hand surgery appointment for Kitty. (She’d broken her arm the week before when she was visiting us, after a fall at the Edmonds train station to pick up Ank.) The appointment was delayed by an evacuation of the clinic building. We never found out why, but I’m guessing a toaster may have been used too close to a smoke detector in a break room. As a result, we didn’t get on the road until 4 pm. Thanks to holiday weekend traffic, the 3-hour trip took nearly 5 hours. We dropped them off at their friend’s house in the suburbs and headed to our hotel in the city.

I mentioned in a previous post that Vancouver was being overtaken by high rise condos. This year we’re staying at a hotel in the midst of Robson Street. This is the view from our 9th floor suite.

So much for a view.

Canada Day in Vancouver was a sea of red-and-white-clad natives and tourists, not to mention shameless commerce. Robson Street had vendors, musical acts, and other entertainment on nearly every block. We first stopped at the Roots store so I could get some shirts for my niece and nephew in NY.  (Fun fact: This quintessential Canada retailer was founded by two guys from Detroit.) Later we took a water taxi over to Granville Island. Big mistake: About 150,000 other people had the same idea. Moving around was a challenge, let alone finding lunch. The line to take the water taxi back downtown snaked across the island, so we walked back downtown on the Granville Bridge and up Davie Street. We stopped at the Transylvanian Traditions bakery to pick up some post-fireworks desserts. We chilled briefly at the hotel while plotting dinner and fireworks strategy. Most of the restaurants on the Robson-Denman drags had long lines, but we found seating at the Legendary Noodle. Although the noodle soup wasn’t transcendent, it at least calmed down my queasy stomach and cured my dehydration.

The fireworks were set off from a barge near Canada Place. We watched from a bridge in Stanley Park on Coal Harbour. Some of the pyrotechnics closer to the water were obscured, but the show lived up to its billing. Congratulations/félicitations, Canada! May you remain nice.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/07/02/canada-day/

Jun 28

Worst Case Scenario

Let’s say that some nightmare of a Republican “health care” bill manages to pass both houses of Congress and gets signed into law. Who will lose? Here are my predictions:

The elderly won’t lose. They vote. The AARP will lobby every last member of Congress and state legislature to make sure that any Medicaid cuts don’t hurt them or their loved ones who live in nursing homes.

Low-income children will lose. They don’t vote, and their parents may not as well.

The disabled will lose, especially in states that make it difficult for them to cast their ballots (limited absentee ballots, short early voting times, other devious disenfranchisement devices).

The mentally ill and opioid-addicted will also lose big time. The effect will be most pronounced in states that took advantage of the Medicaid expansion and have large populations in this demographic (e.g., Ohio, Kentucky).

Rural hospitals and the residents who rely on them will lose. These facilities are often lifelines for older and low-income patients. The loss of rural hospitals will have a ripple effect on the economies in the areas they serve. Nobody wants to move to an area that doesn’t have a hospital that offers basic services.

Urban hospitals that deal mostly with low-income patients will also lose. It was estimated that Harborview Medical Center in Seattle would lose about $600 million if the House of Representatives-passed bill became law. Other public hospitals such as Parkland in Dallas and Grady in Atlanta stand to lose 9-figure sums.

Is it any wonder that the Senate’s Better Health Care Act has such wide disapproval among the public, even in a Fox News poll?  Even cockroaches and mosquitoes would outpoll this bill. However, this does not mean letting one’s guard down. Raise hell with your Representative or Senator during the July 4 recess. Keep emailing or phoning. Don’t let these so-called reforms become law.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/06/28/worst-case-scenario/

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