NaBloPoMo Prompt #2: Last Meal

If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?

I think this is such a weird question. Every time I read it/hear it, it just strikes me as being weird.  What is the last thing I want to eat in my life?  I don’t know.  I haven’t really thought about it that much. I think I would have to say either macaroni and tomato sauce (family recipe) or my mother’s stew.  Maybe some massaman curry or Indian food from Matali East in NYC. When I closed my eyes and thought about what flavor I would like to be my last, those two things flashed in my mind.

Honestly, I don’t think my mind would be on eating if I were going to die in the next few hours.  I would want to go to the beach with my family and friends and spend the day there, near the water, listening to the waves.  I’m sure we would eat, but everything tastes better when you’ve spent the day at the beach.

Clouds and Chipotle

When did "The Cloud" become a regular part of our vernacular?  It just appeared all of the sudden and everyone uses it ubiquitously, as if they know what they are talking about. What the hell is "the cloud"?  I ask this because of the screen shot I am including here as Exhibit A:

I understand that "the cloud" has something to do with storage and the internet, I just don't understand it and why we need it. I think it is weird how everyone just starts using terms when they don't really know what they are talking about.

The first time this happened that I really noticed was when "chipotle" came on the scene. One day, suddenly, there was a restaurant called "chipotle" and there was "chipotle sauce" and chipotle chicken and chipotle chipotle.  It made me crazy. I asked people what it was and no one knew.  Was it a sauce? Was it a spice? If it was a spice, where did it come from? Why were we just hearing about it for the first time?  Was it something that used to be called something else before like Myanmar used to be Burma?  When they started talking about the coupe in Myanmar, I was like..."Um...why have I never heard of this country before?" After a little research, I figured it out.

I feel like I am experiencing some kind of accelerated aging process or something - I feel all crotchety when this stuff happens.  I guess when you roll with the punches, sometimes you get hit. No one likes to get hit. Even a little bit.  Maybe that's it.

So, just to show that I adapt eventually, I thought I would put in a plug for chipotle. I'm sure that in a year or so, I will be ranting about this again and I will be perfectly comfortable with "the cloud" at that point and will point to this post as an example of terms that came before the next one. So, my favorite food with chipotle is Alexia's spicy sweet potato fries seasoned with chipotle.

These are great broiled (they get crispier that way). I have only found them at Fred Meyer's.  Trader Joe's has the regular sweet potato fries, but not these spicy ones. Yummy!

Reverb 10 - Day 26: SOUL FOOD

December 26 – Soul Food

What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

Food is a difficult subject most of the time. Having been called "picky" and any number of other names in my life in regard to food, I have learned to just keep my mouth shut (in more ways than one).  Trying food is not usually fun for me as there are always expectations surrounding such an event.  People are either wanting you to like something so much that you don't want to disappoint them or they are feverish with the excitement of being able to watch you try something you don't like and then can discuss it with you ad nauseum.

This year, I had some food revelations. It was very exciting. I wouldn't say the foods touched my soul - no food can really do that for me...

Green beans almondine
Artichoke heart soup
risotto 

Some of my fondest moments with food are eating Thai food with my friends in Sacramento, eating Indian fare with friends here in Portland. I had a love affair with plums this summer and fresh strawberries in June.  Then the nectarines and the apples. Always, my lovely lemons. Now, I am on to oranges. Salads with lemon as dressing.  Fresh foods are my passion right now. It's the best a non-foodie can do.  

(Author: Elise Marie Collins)

{Future tool: Sark’s MicroMOVEment Support Sheets. For the next 6 days as you round out your year, we’ll share one tool each day to help you plan your year ahead.}

Ice, Art and Chinese Food

Well, I worked from home today because the main road by my house was frozen for a good portion of the day. I'm pretty sure that a lot of the main roads were fine, but it takes a while to actually get to the main roads.  By the time it cleared up, it was hardly worth going in as I was concerned about getting home again. Of course, I always make the decision on the days when it clears up. The days it is horrible, I am usually already out of the house and end up on some hotel. I guess I should have just gone in, but I did get a lot of work done.

I ordered two back issues of Art Journaling from Stampington and Company - I think I have been despairing that my art journals haven't looked perfect or the way I expect - even though some of the pages have come out pretty good. I needed some inspiration that I can make it look any way that I want. In my saner moments, I KNOW this, but for some reason, I need a lot of reinforcement in this area.  I looked through one issue while I was waiting for "Dancing with the Stars" results and I even did a little bit of work in one of the journals I started. Here's hoping I will get back to it - it has been bothering me that I haven't been doing anything, but I couldn't really bring myself to it. I guess everything has its own time and place.

I had great Chinese food from Szechuan House tonight - I thought it was a great choice for Thanksgiving week when all the traditional (and somewhat bland) food reigns. I have been going there for a long time and tonight it was DELICIOUS.  They make a mean hot and sour soup. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend the place. It doesn't look like much in its little mall, hidden back there, but the food was very good.

On My Mind Today

Eggs...I'm allergic to eggs but I can eat things that have small amounts of eggs in them. Since I haven't really eaten an egg in its plain state in years, I'm not sure why the salmonella egg recall is bothering me so much. I think it is bringing home the whole factory farming situation in the U.S. and cementing my decision to buy more local and organic meats and produce when I can - supporting local and family farms is just good economics, in addition to being better for me and tasting better. Don't get me wrong - I like buying my meat wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. I'm not planning on raising, naming and butchering my own dinner, thank you very much. Nor will I be raising chickens for eggs, although today, I spotted two chickens wandering near the road about three blocks from my house.

I hope they figure out the situation and fix it quickly. I heard that in the 1990s, during the Clinton administration, there was another huge salmonella recall and the FDA talked about vaccinating the hens so that they would not produce eggs with salmonella. This would have added about .01 to the price of each egg, so Congress nixed the idea. I'm not sure that is the best answer, but it is certainly one answer. I know many folks are as concerned about vaccines as they are about food-borne illnesses.

Hurricane Katrina hit five years ago. When I was getting ready for work today, the CBS Early Show was interviewing folks about their own experiences, mostly in New Orleans and about their recovery in the years since. They highlighted a band called, "Roots of Music" that is comprised of children who experienced Katrina.  The band provides the kids with a safe space, an outlet and a circle of support. The report said that the members of the band were improving their grades, were feeling less traumatized and more hopeful. That was pretty powerful. There was a story about a man who lost both his mother and his three-year-old grandchild who stayed in New Orleans. There was a photographer who took some amazing photographs of this man and his family. Very moving and shocking to see how devastated many parts of New Orleans, Mississippi and some other places are. There is still a need for help and support and planning for the folks who live there. Just thinking about those people and hoping that there is more light than darkness in their lives now. Wondering how best to help out with the efforts from so far away.

The 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and the March On Washington is tomorrow. I can't listen to the speech without getting chills and teary-eyed. I can't even imagine the courage and faith it took to make the march and to stand up, every day, against such hatred and prejudice. Regardless of the rumors that later surfaced about Dr. King's personal life, I believe he was one of the greatest human beings to live in the twentieth century. I am in awe of his dedication and the dedication of those who surrounded him and supported him. Although the times we are in now are drastically different, there is a similarity of tone. People are afraid, suffering and the divides in the nation are growing ever-wider. Regardless of your political beliefs, there is no way to deny that we are in our own tumultuous time.

There is more stuff on my mind, but nothing I can really articulate right now. Art, books. Time, cleaning, health, stuff...I guess since it is Friday, I'm going to give myself a break and call it good. Weird blogging week, but I think it is all good.

Comfort Food

I'm not much of a cook. I think cooking is fascinating, but I never really learned to cook anything fancy or interesting. I have ventured into culinary land a few times, but I'm really a better helper. I was Roby's detail person - he made the pasta and the sauce and I stuffed the tortellini and rolled the ends. He made the chocolate cake and I painted the chocolate leaves...

There is one thing I can cook though. When people ask me about my favorite food, I often will say Thai food or Indian food or something like that. In truth, my very favorite food, the thing that I want to eat when I'm sick or depressed or just sick of all the other food I could eat but am not in the mood for, is macaroni and tomato sauce. And it is NOT Spaghetti!

Macaroni and tomato sauce (we just called it macaroni when I was a kid) was my family's version of macaroni and cheese. We were not big cheese eaters, so this fit the bill much better. It is simple - some macaroni that is al dente, some tomato juice and tomato sauce, some salt and pepper and maybe some fritos for crunch. Ahh. The perfect meal. I have photos which I will post when I am done throwing a tantrum that it wont work RIGHT NOW!!!  GRRR!!

Gordon Rocks

My celebrity crush is Gordon Ramsay. I love him. I could live without all the swearing and name-calling, but all in all, he is a good guy.

I saw an interview with him one time when I was staying in a hotel in Sacramento for business...he never swears in front of his mom. I love that. He talked about wanting his children to live normal lives, to try diverse foods, to have friends over, to just be kids. I think that is another great quality.

I had the opportunity to interpreting lots of cooking classes and I LOVED IT, which is ironic since I don't love to cook and I don't love most of the food that was cooked when I was interpreting. But it was FASCINATING. I actually learned a lot vicariously and remember teeny tiny pieces that allow me to experiment and try new things.

Mostly, I love to experiment with different spices. I learned most of what I know about the spices from working at Kobo's back in the 1980s, but I never really used many of them. Back then, I mostly did baking - some cookies and cakes. That's about it. I have branched out a bit since then.

Anyway, one of the most fascinating things about "Kitchen Nightmares" is the fact that it is about poor management, not bad cooking, most of the time. People think that passion for food or for cooking equals being the boss of a restaurant, owning or running or managing a restaurant. Sometimes that kind of pressure really takes the joy out of your passion. I love that Gordon can see through all the crap to what is really needed in any given situation. Sometimes, the people are tough nuts to crack, but he always figures out how to get through to them.

Anyway, Gordon is my other boyfriend. After Ryan Reynolds. Haha. ;)

All Thai food is not created equal

Well, as I have already said, I am in Oakland this week.  I'm staying downtown and it is so odd to find that there aren't really any restaurants to note that are open past 7pm.  The last time I was here, I walked about a mile down to Jack London Square and had BBQ when I was looking for an Indian place.  There was an Indian restaurant right by my hotel last time, but when I went there, after 5pm mind you, the employees were there and sitting around eating and talking and when I tried to open the door, it was locked.  So, I looked for hours of operation and it said that they opened at 5:00pm, but it was 5:30pm and finally one of the guys came over, tapped his watch and shrugged.  I left.  I wasn't going to stand around and wait for them to open up whenever they felt like it.   Anyway, last night, I wandered in a different direction round about 7pm (the hotel I'm in only has a "breakfast restaurant"...I've never heard of that in a hotel, really. ) and I passed tons of little Chinese restaurants but all closed. Tons of little stores, all closed.  Finally, I went back to my hotel and ordered delivery Chinese.  It was totally random, out of the phone book.  Food was not bad, but not great.  What I was really missing, though was a beverage.  Everywhere I go, they have coke and pepsi and dr. pepper, but nothing without caffeine..   Anyway, I digress.  Tonight, after not having lunch, I decided that I would eat dinner at 5:30pm and come back to work afterwards.  One of the people where I work said there was a good Thai place about 3 blocks away.  I walked down there and had yellow curry chicken (they didn't have mussaman chicken...my favorite.  They had mussaman beef, but I didn't like that the last time I tried it.)  The sauce was tasty, but like soup and not very spicy.  The chicken was a mix of meat - not all breast.  The servers were very attentive and nice and the atmosphere and the decor was very nice.  I didn't love the food, though.   My first Thai love is in Vancouver, WA of all places.  It is the first place I ever had Thai food and LIKED it.  The first place I had Thai was a chain restaurant and the food was awful.  This little place in Vancouver is really good.  It is family owned by a great couple who are very kind and attentive.  The restaurant is simple but beautifully colored.  They know me by name and voice on the phone as we often order takeout from work.  This little gem is called Thai Terrace (when I get back on Blogger official, I will link them up).   There are a couple of other great Thai restaurants around Portland - my other favorite is in Downtown, near the MAX tracks on like 3rd and something..The first Thai food restaurant in Oregon, The House of Lapthong is pretty good, too, although, nothing can beat Thai Terrace's Massmun Curry with Chicken or their fabulous fried wontons.   Anyway, I am obviously missing home and my standby Thai place.  Will be back in Oregon on Thursday (very late). Looking forward to being home again.

July Nablopomo - FOOD

Food is going to be an interesting theme this month. I think a lot of people will be doing recipes and showing off their culinary skills, of which I have none.

I interpreted in a very renowned culinary school for at least 6 months and I learned A TON. It was quite an experience, really. I didn't think I would like it - when I started I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this? I don't cook. I barely like any of the foods they will cook in a school with a French cuisine focus..." But it was an incredible experience. I would interpret in cooking school again any day. The hardest part was that there were few signs for the concepts we were discussing, so we had to be creative and stay on our toes to remember all the signs we had set up with the person we worked with.

Anyway, I digress.

I'm not sure how food will really play into my Nablopomo experience this time. I'm excited to do it on Wild Rumpusing because I really want to get back into the habit of writing daily. I also really want to participate in the theme, so I'm gonna give it a whirl and try to really keep to the theme.

Wish me luck!