This goes out to all my Star Wars geek friends. You know who you are…
For those of you who’ve forgotten your high school French, it says: “Anakin Skywalker was not born in this house, never lived here, and didn’t die here, either.”
Sep 02
Seen on a Building in Lyon
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/02/seen-on-a-building-in-lyon/
Sep 02
Gallows Humor
The French have an interesting relationship with their heritage. Witness this product we saw in a Lyon kitchen store window yesterday:
The Sausage Guillotine!
Julian said it should have been designed vertically so the blade drops and the slice of sausage drops into a wicker basket.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/02/gallows-humor/
Sep 01
En Route to Lyon
We made it to Lyon, but not without a little suspense: Would our luggage be joining us? We started off at Sea-Tac Airpot. When we checked our luggage at the Air Canada desk, the attendant said that we’d have to claim and recheck it in Vancouver or Montreal. We asked several other people before we took off if that was the case, and nobody could give us a straight answer.
The Vancouver Airport gives Dallas-Fort Worth and O’Hare competition in the unnavigable department. You walk, walk, walk through a maze to get anywhere; then you do more walking. Signage sucks. How anyone can navigate that airport with a mobility impairment to make a flight is beyond my comprehension. To be fair, Vancouver is the only West Coast hub airport in Canada. Growing pains are a part of life; however, hiring someone from the Franz Kafka School of Airport Design is not a good idea to stimulate repeat business. An Air Canada person in Vancouver assured us that the luggage was checked to Lyon, but we were still dubious.
After the wild chase in Vancouver, the Montreal airport was an island of sanity. We found our gate for the flight to Lyon without issue. I was hoping to get a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, but Julian couldn’t find a restaurant that served it. Instead, we had a Korean pulled pork sandwich. Our friends at the Korea House in Bothell would have said it lacked enough gochujang, but it wasn’t bad.
We got to Lyon on time and, miracle of miracles, so did our luggage. More (mis)adventures to come.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/01/en-route-to-lyon/
Aug 24
Map App Muddles
Map applications can be a godsend in unfamiliar areas. We relied on one last year when we were driving around France, and will do so this year. However, map apps aren’t perfect. They often don’t warn you about road construction, or they direct you on a bizarre route. They also may not give you an inkling of the direction you’re going.
This morning on my walk to work from the bus stop, I encountered a woman staring at her cell phone ahead of me. Finally she stopped and asked me, “Where is 700 Broadway?” She was walking in the opposite direction from Broadway. Did she not see the street sign because her nose was glued to the phone?
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/24/map-app-muddles/
Aug 23
Coming Distractions
Next week Edible Thoughts embarks on another sojourn to France. Our first stop is Lyon, where we spent two days at the end of our trip last year. As promised, we’re renting a flat so we can cook with some of the ingredients from the weekend market. After Lyon, we hit the road for points south. Check out the posts in the weeks to come.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/23/coming-distractions/
Aug 21
Distinguishing the Tourists from the Locals in Seattle
It’s high tourist season in Seattle. Cruise ships disgorge their human cargo upon returning from Alaska. Would-be hipsters from Sheboygan, Savannah, and Seagoville arrive in search of legal recreational weed (or to attend Hempfest, which happened to be this weekend). Discerning between the two groups at Pike Place Market is easy.
Definitely a Local
Parks in a nearby garage, takes the bus, or rides their bike
Dresses in flannel shirt with a wool hat, even in 90° weather
Footwear consists of Birkenstocks or other sensible shoes
Keeps to the right
Avoids the area of the Market next to the fish-chuckers unless buying fish from them
Buys flowers, or something for dinner
Definitely a Tourist
Tries to drive through the Market, thinking s/he can get a parking spot on the street
Honks horn to get pedestrians to cross faster (horn honking is a serious faux pas hereabouts)
If a female, totters on spike heels over the cobblestones
Takes selfie at “original” Starbucks (which actually isn’t the original Starbucks), or the Gum Wall (back in gooey, gross splendor after being cleaned last summer)
Stands in the middle of the aisles obstructing traffic
Buys a t-shirt, maybe
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/21/distinguishing-the-tourists-from-the-locals-in-seattle/
Aug 20
Even the Trees are Sweating
It’s been a hot couple of days here. The National Weather Service has issued a severe heat warning through tonight. This morning I noticed an odd thing on the big Douglas fir off our deck: Sap drizzling down the cones. The sap resembles an icicle, but no self-respecting bit of ice could last more than a minute outside today.
It’s a sap-sicle!
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/20/even-the-trees-are-sweating/
Aug 14
Feeding Between the Lines, BBQ Edition
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, many of our friends have food allergies, intolerances, and aversions. This can make menu-planning a bit of a minefield. However, last night’s barbecue at Casa Sammamish was a high water mark. Most of the main offerings accommodated everyone (or we had alternatives).
Julian wanted to barbecue some ribs for the crew. We’d made a recipe with Thai mango sauce from Hugh Carpenter’s Ribs cookbook, and thought it would be suitable for the feast. The sauce was naturally gluten- and egg-free. We left out the garlic from the recipe to allow the allium-intolerant person to try them. We also purchased some hamburger and portabello mushrooms in case the ribs were too weird for the kids. I made a fennel salad with orange and teardrop grapes (purple seedless grapes that are shaped like tiny icicles). Others brought allium-free salads and guacamole. We had gluten-free burger buns for the intolerant/allergic kids. The mom of said children made gluten-free, egg-free peanut butter cookies. (Fortunately, we don’t have any peanut allergies in our group–yet.) And we even had a zucchini-free meal to satisfy Julian and the other summer squash-averse men.
As is typical at these get-togethers, nobody starved. We had plenty of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for everyone. The conversation was abundant. We watched some of the Olympics, mostly on CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Company). We sent the remaining gluten-free buns home with the kids and their parents. Best of all, we have leftovers of the ribs, barbecue sauce, and salad for tonight’s dinner.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/14/feeding-between-the-lines-bbq-edition/
Aug 08
Weekend at Mount Baker
If your idea of a good day hike is encountering busloads of tourists going to the souvenir shops, go to Paradise at Mount Rainier or Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Mount Baker National Forest is a more rustic experience. Most of the hiking trails are unpaved. Access to the trailheads is not for the faint of heart–or vehicle. You will encounter joint-jarring boulder fields, mountain streams, and snowfields in August. However, you’ll see some phenomenal scenery that the bus tourists can’t access.
Mount Baker is better known as a ski resort. Because of heavy snowfalls, its ski season is longer than resorts farther south in the Cascades. Summer is a quieter time in the National Forest. The lodge and lifts are closed. The Highway has some cringeworthy switchbacks and shoulder-less stretches, especially east of the ski area.
We drove up to Mount Baker Friday night after work. We set up at the Blue T Lodge on the outskirts of Glacier. The Blue T is next to the Chair 9 Restaurant and Bar, which boasts the “Last or First Cocktail” depending on what direction you’re traveling on the Mount Baker Highway. After a fine breakfast at Graham’s, we went to the Ranger Station to get a trail recommendation. We chose Lake Ann.
Lake Ann, the destination for our hike.
The Lake Ann trail starts as a downhill stroll through the forest until you reach a valley of wildflowers–and mosquitos. From then it’s a long slog up a boulder field. You also have some streams to ford. Finally, after a short stroll on a snowfield, you see the lake. You can also see the glacier on Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker’s sister mountain.
Mount Shuksan, and its glacier.
As a National Forest, dogs are welcome on the trails at Mount Baker. Not so in the National Parks, unless the dogs are for service purposes. We saw canines on the trail ranging from chubby chihuahuas to German shepherds. We also encountered many hikers with kids of various ages and enthusiasms. One toddler was not happy to be in his dad’s backpack. Then we saw a couple with four little girls, three of whom could have been triplets. These kids were troopers. They passed us at one point, and the girls weren’t whining in the least.
The hike was pretty strenuous for us, since we hadn’t been on a real death march for two years. We drove back to Chair 9 and devoured a pizza, then both of us crashed after dinner. Julian had leg cramps all night. I slept like a rock.
We highly recommend staying near Mount Baker the nights before and after a long day hike. You’ll be able to get an early start. Your legs may be hamburger, especially after the Lake Ann down and up slog. You’ll find numerous condos for rent during the summer, plus a few restaurants in Glacier where you can carbo-reload. Save your driving until the next day.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/08/weekend-at-mount-baker/
Jul 29
Bothell’s Bouncing Back!
Early on the morning of July 22, a fire broke out in a building under construction on Main Street in downtown Bothell. It quickly grew to three alarms. Fire departments from around the area came to fight the flames. Not only was the origin of the fire destroyed, the building across the street was a total loss. It housed a neighborhood café and several small businesses, some of which had no insurance. Luckily, no resident or firefighter was injured or killed. The fire could have been much worse, as many of the Main Street buildings are wood frame structures. Here’s a video link that gives a drone’s-eye view of the damage.
The fire was so hot, even the crane melted.
This is what’s left of the building that housed the Kozy Corner Café and other small businesses.
Since the fire, the city has rallied to support the business folk who lost everything. One brewpub held a benefit earlier in the week. Last night Julian and I went to a block party on Main Street. Surviving businesses were donating a portion of their profits to the cause. The local Rotary Club was taking up a collection for the firefighters’ fund. A band was playing. The Hop and Hound, a local drinkery, hosted a beer garden. And many people, including us, got their first chance to survey the carnage.
The community spirit is what impresses us the most about Bothell. Some of the outpouring is grieving the loss of longtime hangouts, but it’s also supporting folks who may have lost everything. Bothell will bounce back.
The sign sums it up.
An update: Last week’s block party netted over $60,000 to benefit the small businesses that lost everything. Main Street reopened today. Still no word on the cause of the fire.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/07/29/bothells-bouncing-back/
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