Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Cooked Part II: the Cookpot

Michael Pollan describes the transition/evolution/transformation from barbecue to pot cooking as - masculine into feminine, external into internal, and I might add, tribal into familial. Rather than leaving barbecue behind he argues with aristotle's claim of boiling to be a higher form of cooking. Mr. Aristotle never got to try true southern barbecue, he reflects.  As so, this section, Part II, brings a steamy balance to the infernal Part I.

I love how the tension now mounts as his four elements take relationship.  Fire and Water, masculine and feminine, and as tarot would describe, swords and cups (like spits and cookpots).  These simple elements are  dividing like  sacred geometry, unfolding from the unity of fire, into the dyad of man and woman.

He does, though, hint at the triad, calling the pot harmonizing as  the ding, the Chinese cauldron with three legs, that symbolizes the well-governed state.

But what of the secrecy of the cooking pot when trust is compromised? Does the trusted mother becomes the evil witch. He describes the eating from the pot as Dionysian soup a leap into unknown waters.

I can't wait to try making dashi.

It is hard to stop the BBQ while the weather is so nice though,

Catharsis

Catharsis « You Are Not So Smart:


David McRaney seems to suggest that catharsis is harmful, mostly that the expression of anger breeds more anger. My experience has been to try and transcend anger, but this has led to depression and stagnation. There must be a middle path. One where the flames of anger are not targeting a person, but toward a broader change. But it must be a broader change that will sustain the coals of warm justice. I believe it must be a shared tendering of this volatile fuel.
…exposure to media messages in support of catharsis can affect subsequent behavioral choices. Angry people expressed the highest desire to hit a punching bag when they had been exposed to a (bogus) newspaper article claiming that a good, effective technique for handling anger was to vent it toward an inanimate object.- Brad Bushman, Roy Baymeister and Angela Stack, from the study on catharsis
How can we reframe our emotions to line up with our true desires in life?  In Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg talks about expressing emotions fully.  He has a formula for recognizing the underlying needs that emotions point to.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Cooked by Michael Pollan, review | Michael Pollan



Cooked by Michael Pollan, review | Michael Pollan:

Fire. Water. Air. Earth.     This is food alchemy.


As I slowly make my way through this book I am enticed by the careful thoughtful process Mr. Pollan leads.  "Fire" is the section devoted to the long traditions of barbeque, and the author's quest to recapture this magic to enhance everyday lives.  Like waiting for a slow roasted barbeque, I savor each page which seem to lead to a certain justice in our relationship with food.

"Not just our money, but our power flows toward them [corporations] whenever we cannot supply any of our everyday needs and desires ourselves,"Pollan explains that cooking can be a vote against specialization. I prefer to see it as a vote toward my own humanity.

My own experiments with Paella on the grill.

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Creating Sustainable Cities Through Cultural Placemaking | Sustainable Cities Collective

Creating Sustainable Cities Through Cultural Placemaking | Sustainable Cities Collective:

"A diverse crowd of people and restaurants offer different kinds of cuisines and have catalyzed this area as a cultural incubator. The ease with which people interact with each other has increased the use of public space much more powerfully than in a suburb."


"Is ‘awesome food’ the reason that the neighborhood can boast of its lively and divergent culture? It’s probably true, who doesn’t like good food? Will people hop on buses, bikes and Segways to stand in line for awesome food? Yes! This is how folks roll in San Francisco. It is quite possible that the relationship between awesome food and cultural diversity is causal."

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Home Grown Food Products

Out of McMinnville, this innovative kim chee blasts a delightful accompaniment to most dishes.  I, however, found myself just eating it right out of the jar. It is that good.







Home Grown Food Products (Facebook Site)

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Quinoa bad for Bolivian and Peruvian farmers? Ignore the media hand-wringing.

A strange blast at vegans and vegetarians for possible causing the decline of Peruvian civilization...but the latest news lets us know:


It’s OK To Eat Quinoa

Don’t buy the media’s hand-wringing about Bolivians who can’t afford quinoa. The real effects of Western demand are complicated.

By 



This in response to (the accusation):

Quinoa Not As Keen, If You're Peruvian

Vegans may be responsible for the decline of Peruvian culture as they gobble up quinoa and force poor Peruvians and Bolivians to eat clucking chicken - the irony of it all.
Author: Stephen Alexander 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Curry and Comfort: Traditional Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry

Curry and Comfort: Traditional Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry:

I made a version of this with one of my early unnamed roast curry batches.  The salting of the eggplant is key (Still I'm not sure why Ramona adds turmeric at this stage).  Just make sure you dry off the water that the salt pulls from the eggplant.  This will facilitate the crispiness and keep your face free of spattering grease.


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