Taster Spoon

Primarily because of the sesame seed duvet

Did you know the Hamburger Bed is my friendster?  Or Facebook stalkee, whatever.

It totally almost made a headline.

http://www.oddee.com/item_96623.aspx

I'm actually a big fan of the molecular bed now.  I wonder if it is accepting Friendsters. 

RAW IS WAR

What do you do when all your girlfriends are on the verge of delightful motherhood?

You console yourself by doing all the things pregnant girls can't do!  Go wild!

Like, buy raw milk at the farmer's market.

Hippie? 

Even lowest-common-denominator RealAge published an article suggesting that if you are going to drink milk at all, at least some of its nutritional benefits are destroyed through pasteurization.  It may help with allergies.  On the flip side, the New York Times depicts devotees as death wishing crazies.  But I'm young, I'm single, I have life insurance!

A quart of skim and a quart of whole were both $4.25.  A pint of cream was $10.  Naturally I got the whole.  I figured I could separate my own cream, thanks anyway, nice try. 

I was kind of excited by the prospect of un-homogenized milk, ever since I went to the San Mateo country fair last summer.  I prefer skim anyway, but was completely converted when I looked at a homemade sign made by a little girl for a 4-H project, explaining how milk is obtained and prepared.  She described the milking process and the pasteurization process, and then, just as straightforwardly, explained the homogenization process, which distributes the cream and remaining white blood cells throughout the fluid.  White blood cells?  You mean pus?

If that doesn't turn you off milk, nothing will.  My solution was to stick to skim, in the hopes that nothing was distributed throughout the milk, no pus mixed in with the cream.

It was fun - so olde tymey! - to see the layer of yellowish cream on top of the whiter skim in my glass bottle of milk...only I had no idea how I was supposed to "skim" it off.  I don't have a cream skimmer.  I can't even do the butter churn on the dance floor.  And I've had enough experience pouring things to know that you don't always get the top layer, or the bottom layer, or whatever layer you're trying for.  And then I remembered - my gravy separator!

I poured about half the bottle into the separator, only couldn't see the clearly delineated cream layer anymore.  So I put it in the fridge, and lo, what was left in the bottle sure looked like skim milk.  I had a small glass.  Would it taste strange and funky like that time I got 16 ounces of goat milk yogurt?  Would it taste "ethereal" like the milk in that New York Times article?

I have to be honest with you.  It just tasted like milk.  Skim milk. 

Pregnant ladies can relax.  You're not missing anything over here. 

I think I'll go pour myself a cocktail, light a cigarette, have some sushi and dye my hair.

I need to figure out where Lancaster CA is.

And take my Civic there!

This, that, and the other.

This might just be my first meme ever.  Why this one?  I have no idea.  Maybe it has topical relevance to my user name?  Maybe I'm desperate for a procrastination tool?

I know I still owe Vaguely Urban my six-word life summary, but seriously, I have trouble enough coming up with my Facebook status reports.  I think of funny ones in the shower, and then they slip away by the time I'm in front of a computer.  And Angela has indicated her weariness of unsolicited political commentary, so I'll let the droll one I was smirking about this morning slip away as well.

Here are the instructions - jump in!

Copy this list into your blog, including these instructions.
Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

1. Venison - I feel like my dad went hunting with my brother at some point when we lived in the midwest and brought back deer.  But I could be imagining it - maybe it was just a fishing trip.  In any event, Tied House has a game burger that rotates among deer, buffalo, moose and ostrich, so I'm pretty sure I'm covered.
2. Nettle tea- no, but people talk about it all the time on Sharon's blog, so I need to find some nettles.
3. Huevos rancheros - nothing against them, but if I'm getting two eggs sunny side up, I'd rather have Eggs Benedict.  I've had a breakfast burrito, though, which I think has all the same constituent parts.
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile - Navy Pier, Chicago.  It was dry.
6.  Black pudding - I avoided it when I was in the U.K. - it struck me as akin to chewing on a scab.  But then they had it at the college debate world championships at Princeton and I made like I was cosmopolitan. 
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht - I made my own and was throwing up all night.
10. Baba ghanoush 
 11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich - So this is the UK version of the list.  Is this meant to be a foreign novelty? (See: Krispy Kreme.)  I remember when we first moved to Japan and my mom hadn't yet found the Western grocery store.  She looked all over for peanut butter to make us school lunches and finally came home with "peanut cream" from a drug store.  I'm still not sure what that was.
14. Aloo gobi.  Ace's favorite.  I prefer the paneers. 
15. Hot dog from a street cart 
16. Epoisses - the picture sure looks like stuff I've gotten from the Milk Pail, but I couldn't confirm.  Ace would prefer to ban all stinky cheeses from the house.
17. Black truffle - I have black truffle olive oil in the cupboard, and I've gotten stuff with it shaved on top.  It tastes distinctive, sure, but I don't know what all the fuss is about.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns - My brother's and my favorite treat when we were children in HK.  Ace and I have three bags of frozen ones in the freezer right now.  He will accept only one brand of frozen BBQ pork buns: O'Tasty brand.  Because they're Irish.
20. Pistachio ice cream - my grandmother's favorite flavor when we'd buy scoops, but not one she ever kept at home.  So it tastes of family trips to me.
21. Heirloom tomatoes - I am buried in heirloom tomatoes right now. 
22. Fresh wild berries - most recently, last year in Oregon while exploring the USAT nationals bike course.  They were tart.  But the roadside berries in Oregon were amazing.
23. Foie gras - at Miho's wedding.  Again - what's the hype?  It's just a big slice of fat.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese  - This was on the menu at Cafe des Artistes, and I'd always wondered.  So we asked our waiter, who opined that it was available just for people who wanted to pretend to have rarified tastes but was basically a bunch of boiled trash.  I was tempted so I could 'check it off my list,' but he advised pretty strongly against. 
26.  Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper.  Oh.  It's a habanero?  Why didn't you say so?  I feel no need to eat one raw. 
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda 
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi - Mango lassi, though. 
34. Sauerkraut - it's all the rage right now!  Fermentation is totally in.  I have half a cabbage in the fridge and wonder if it's worth the bother.
35. Root beer float - a.k.a. a "Black Cow" 
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - Not at the same time.  Just a couple of puffs.  Worst morning breath ever.
37. Clotted cream tea - Did you see the Girls Next Door when they went to London and ate the clotted cream?  Hilarious. 
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43.  Phaal.   
44. Goat’s milk.  Goat cheese is fine. Goat yogurt is nasty to the max. 
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - I guess it depends where you buy it!
46. Fugu 
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - I have so far purposedly resisted the "Hot Now" ones, however, because I assume I'd fall in love with them. 
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear - you mean tunas?  I bought a couple from the Milk Pail once but didn't figure out what to do with them before they went bad.
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - I'm such a liberal elitist.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine - see # 55.
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads  - why?
63.Kaolin - The Chinese warrior monks?  Oh.  Isn't that like asking whether I've been exposed to asbestos?  I have to assume so.
64. Currywurst - I'm going to have to go do the U.S. version.
65. Durian - like with the truffles, I'm not sure what all the hype is about.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette 
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe - our neighbors keep saying they have it, but have yet to put out.  
74. Gjetost, or brunost  - sounds intriguing
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu 
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail 
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini 
81. Tom yum 
82. Eggs Benedict 
83. Pocky - there seems to be a preponderance of Japanesey foods on this list, wouldn't you say?
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - I'm cheap.  Remember?
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare - oh, rabbit.   Can you believe I looked that up?  I'm pronouncing it "ha-ray," and thinking it's some middle eastern curry or something.  Hare.  I always think of that scene in the Michael Moore movie about Flint, what was it called?
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse - arbitrary, I know, but I'd feel bad.
90. Criollo chocolate - what an odd website that was.  "Efficient" chocolate?
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa. 
94. Catfish
95. Mole Poblano - get the chicken mole burrito here.
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor - see # 55.
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - yes!  I have had Tia Maria! 
100. Snake 

67%.  Now I have to see how I do on the U.S. version...hm, only 63.   I'm so very continental!

The temperatures risin', it isn't surprisin'

We've been having a bit of a heat wave here in Northern California.  Ace did the "World's Toughest" duathlon on Sunday as temperatures hit a record high for the middle of May.  It's even been eerily warm at night - usually it's sweaters and jackets once the sun goes down, even in summer.

Anyway, sweltery days and hot nights really spell summer for me, and I've been getting into the spirit by making big jugs of sweet iced tea.  I thought Southern-style "sweet tea" was some secret process, but I got this recipe from a Loulies e-mail.  It's as easy as falling off a log.  Bring half a pot of water, a whole bunch of (4-8) tea bags and some (1/4 cup?) sugar to the boil, turn off the heat and let it sit there and steep for ten or twenty minutes.  Serve over ice or shove it in the fridge.  In a recent decluttering frenzy I apparently gave away all our cheapo pitchers, so I've been storing mine in mason jars.  Seems extra down-home that way, and also they're a good size for bringing to work.  Dr. Oz informs me that tea makes me smarter.

You can excite things up by adding to your boiling pot of tea bags a bunch of mint or other herbs; you can squeeze a fresh Meyer lemon into your icy glass - delicious!  I just got a bag of dried lychees from Trader Joe's; I might add those to my next batch.  The glass I'm drinking now is infused with chopped up lemongrass.  It takes me back to that February wedding in Thailand - on that hot, hot day the hotel served iced lemongrass tea between the Western ceremony and the Thai water ceremony.  And I realize I never shared pictures from the latter two thirds of my trip!

Today I'll finish up the Bangkok/wedding portion of the recap, then maybe in...August or so...I'll finish up with the group honeymoon in Phuket.

After the dust, bugs, aching feet, retrospectively embarrassing emotional meltdown of yours truly in Ayutthaya and the gridlocked traffic returning to Bangkok - we arrived...in Paradise.  The taxi pulled up to the Peninsula and flanking the door were two urns overflowing with orchids - bouquets that were about 12 feet tall.  The lobby area, where a man was playing piano, was a wall of glass onto the Chao Praya river, but all the noise and dust and kerosene fumes were blissfully absent.  In those magic surroundings, I felt like a sloppy, dirty greaseball.

The lady at reception finished up with the German-speaking guests in front of us, gave directives to a staff member in Thai, had a brief conversation in Japanese on the telephone and turned to welcome us.  Her voice was mellifluous and clear, and barely above a whisper.  We took the elevator to a floor that was so high it might as well have been heaven, and we padded down the hall on two inch thick carpeting. 

Our room was quietly appointed.

 The view looked out over the river, where we were happy to let the world hustle and bustle without us.

We were busy playing with the amenities. 

Ace opened and closed the drapes from his bedside table and flickered on and off the room, side table and "mood" lighting.  I lolled in the jetted tub, fooling with the radio and the television (!) hidden inside the wall and debated pressing the valet button when I realized I'd forgotten to bring my razor and would have to walk all the way across the room to get it. 

 

That big red one rings for the valet.  Instead I just telephoned Ace in the next room.

Ace and I took the hotel's private ferry over to the Skytrain Station so we could pick up Ace's brand new tuxedo for the wedding.

I found the signage for this hairdresser's shop, in the station, unduly distracting.

The wedding began in the middle of the afternoon, with a Western-style ceremony in the Peninsula's courtyard.

This was followed by an outdoor buffet of snack cakes and refreshing beverages - like lemongrass iced tea!

From there we went inside to observe the Thai-style water blessing ceremony.  Google it if you want a real explanation, but from what I understand this is the opportunity for the new couple to benefit from the experience of their elders.  I don't know whether, in Thailand, this is in lieu of a "wedding," is part of a wedding, or is the wedding.  On this occasion it basically stood in for a receiving line.

Miho and Roy, freshly changed into Thai-style ensembles, sat at the front of the room, cupping their hands over basins of flowers.

Guests then received a shell filled with water, and poured it into the bride and groom's hands as they bestowed a pearl of wisdom about life, love and marriage.  Wisdom was dispensed in order of seniority.

 

Roy's mom and dad are both doctors, and there was a convention in Bangkok that weekend on bird flu, so they had a million and one friends and colleagues in town who came by to celebrate.  In addition, although the tradition is for only the couple's elders, and married ones at that, to render water blessings Roy's dad decided that everyone should have the opportunity to share their love and good wishes.

So as you can imagine, the process took a lo-o-o-ong time.

I have gotten so damn much wear out of that dress.  Thanks, Santa Monica Promenade! 

From thence to the decadence of a multi-culti dinner buffet, during which Thai professionals performed a very stylized dance (I can show you the basic move - Roy's mom beat it into us at the rehearsal dinner) and Roy's best man played a gorgeous Claire de Lune on the piano before an excellent live band pulled everyone to the dance floor.

I was delighted at this wedding to reconnect with high school friends that I haven't seen since we graduated. 

Everybody's grown up, gotten gorgeous and has found love and careers and families...

while still staying essentially the same.

We woke early the next morning to get some exercise before we had to pack up to leave. 

Excepting that Hash House Harriers "run" we did, getting a workout in Bangkok is a real challenge, what with smog and traffic and sheer humidity. 

Bangkok is city as far as the eye can see.

For an example of traffic, let's see if this video, taken at 9 am from our window on our last day, works.  Traffic leaving the city (heading right) is moving fine; inbound traffic (heading left) doesn't budge.

We did a lot of walking anyway, so exercise for its own sake was not a big priority on this trip.  We used the hotel pool one day, but it's not really long enough for swimming laps.  Though the website touts it as "88 meters long," it actually comprises four or five pools connected by an underground channel. We made a game of swimming all the way from one end of one to the other end of the farthest one - but that's only fun the first couple times.  

So on that last morning, Ace and I used the fitness center.   As we entered the air conditioned suite, the attendant offered us each a pair of headphones with fresh foam ear covers, a towel and a bottle of chilled water.  The attendant then accompanied us to the treadmills and offered to start and speed them up for us. Literally, he was about to push the "start" button so we wouldn't have to.  We insisted we were capable of handling it, but I was kind of tempted to ask him to fan me gently with a big palm frond as I jogged.

We packed up, said a sad goodbye to luxury and hopped a cab to BKK.

Goodbye, Bangkok!  Hello, Phuket!

  

 

 

Holding pattern

I keep coming up with things to talk about, funny observations, shocking revelations, vegetable discourse, and then when I get in front of my computer, all I can come up with is:

Yuri's Night

I'm going to this tomorrow.  You should totally come!

2PM–2AM SATURDAY 12 APRIL 2008NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOFFETT FIELD, CA

I also really want to win the Zero-G ride.  Therefore, what should I wear to the spacewear competition?  Yes, yes, the gold boots.  But what else?  I haven't seen Barbarella in a while.

I prefer the Little Twin Stars

I neglected to mention, but Sanrio stuff in general, but Hello Kitty in particular, was huge in Japan.  Huger than it was when I was a girl and really interested in Sanrio and also living in Japan.  And when I say it was huge in Japan, I mean there were entire sections of the gift shops (as exiles from the Red Carpet lounge we had a lot of time to kill) with Hello Kitty themes, and numerous souvenirs, including food, crafted into Hello Kitty likenesses. 

When we finally boarded for Bangkok, I claimed the window seat, and looked out to see:

 

Paradox

The funny thing about blogging is, the more interesting and active your life becomes, the more boring your blog becomes.  Sorry, guys, I'm in the thick of things.  I may not be back for a week or so. 

Number Six

Did I ever tell you about the time I tried to make shrinky dinks?

Now that we're well into the holiday crafting season, I'll share with you one project that may inspire you to make your own stocking stuffers. 

At the end of a barbecue last summer, a woman who taught 7th Grade Science was scurrying around before things were thrown away in the hopes of snagging cookie boxes, fruit salad containers and the like that were made from number 6 plastic.

As you probably know (and she told me), the different numbers of plastics relate to their recyclability; you probably also recall from your own 7th Grade Science class that there are a few types of plastics - those that soften when heated, and can be softened and molded and hardened and softened repeatedly (softer plastics), and those that you heat up and blow into a shape, but then harden there permanently (brittle plastics).

I asked the teacher what she wanted the containers for, and she explained that you could make shrinky dinks with the number sixes.

Armed with this little information, I scrounged around at work, in the recycling bins and peeking underneath people's lunch containers.  Lots of number fives...lots of number ones...

Finally I came across a huge, black tray that had held sushi.  Turned it over, and sure enough:

I tried to imagine what I could make with black plastic, and decided to go with the Rocky theme.  And by Rocky I mean my family's black lab mutt.  I thought tree ornaments, refrigerator magnets and keychains might be handy. 

I found a nice dog silhouette online and traced some shapes. 

I made everything extra big, expecting each shape to shrink by half.  I colored in his white patches with a silver sharpie.  I punched out holes for the ornament strings and key rings, and popped them in the oven.

The kitchen began to stink of toxic fumes, and as I peeped in the oven, I thought maybe I saw them curling a little.  So I walked away. 

When I came back ten minutes later, I guess the shapes seemed a little smaller, but nothing like how shrinky dinks used to shrink.  I left them in maybe ten minutes longer, but continued to see no change.

Finally I took them out and inspected what I had.

The shapes had shrunk, but only by about 2%.  They had thickened, too, but only by about the same amount.  The pointy edges had softened just a little.  It was nothing like those plastic sheet-into-glass transformations I remembered from my youth.

Looking more closely, it appeared that there was a clear plastic film layered on top of one side of the black plastic.  I peeled it a little, but it was stuck on pretty permanently.  I theorize that the extra plastic layer was not #6 and did not shrink, and prevented the base #6 plastic from morphing much.

Disappointing.

Since then I have sporadically collected #6s that I come across (not that common!), and then gotten annoyed with my own tendency to save trash and thrown them away.  This season I'll start keeping my eye out again and maybe be able to update you by trying it again!