Never Say Never

I was chatting with my son about our days living in the Catskills in New York, and what some of his classmates were up to. We had moved there shortly after 9/11, along with everyone else who thought it was a good idea to get away from living near New York City.

Where we moved to was inhabited by two main groups of people: the “locals” who had lived there for generations, and the “flatlanders”, people who owned vacation houses and came up on the weekends. And then there was a smaller population of people who were “transplants”, people who moved there but had no roots or family. That was us.

Long story short, the living was not easy for transplant families. The was a lot of resentment and animosity from the local population. And the weekend tribe did treat many of the residents with disdain and looked down on them. We just didn’t fit in.

Many of the “transplant” students in my son’s class couldn’t wait to get out of the Catskills. They had not grown up there, and many had traveled and had life experiences that were not available to them in this small rural town. They went off to college and moved to metropolitan areas. We relocated as well to the Philadelphia area in Pennsylvania.

So imagine my surprise when my son told me that one of his classmates, Alexis deBoschnek, had returned to the Catskills. Alexis was a highly motivated young lady, and completed high school in three years just so that she could leave the area. She had gone to college in New York, and had moved to Los Angeles and was in charge of the test kitchen for BuzzFeed. So what was someone who had lived in the two biggest cities, was creating content for BuzzFeed and had worked with Marcus Samuelsson doing back in the rural hills of the Catskills? I had to find out.

I caught up with Alexis last month to see what she was working on and what had brought her back. A little more background:

Alexis graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, but rapidly discovered that the fashion world was not as expected and the “glamour of the fashion industry was shattered”. Interested in cooking, she went on to receive a certificate in Culinary Techniques from the International Culinary Center. But she found that she didn’t want to be in the restaurant industry. Then she discovered Ruth Reichel, who had gone from working in restaurants to becoming the editor for Gourmet Magazine until it shuttered in 2009. Alexis found her niche in the world of food writing. She moved to LA and became one of the culinary influencers of Tasty, creating videos of recipes and techniques like the perfect pancake or roasted chicken. She also had her own video series, “Chef Out of Water” where she has to create a three course meal using only a coffee maker or an iron. You can watch the coffee maker video here. Alexis has great screen presence, and is delightfully funny in this series. Alexis says she is really “quite shy” but her videos say otherwise!

Enter the pandemic. With changes in her employment, Alexis decided to head back to the Catskills for six months. Her mother still lives there, and she felt it made sense to go ride out the pandemic with her. But still thinking of it as a temporary move. Reminder, this area is remote. The closest Target is ninety minutes away… not lying. So moving from LA is beyond a big adjustment. It is culture shock. She was concerned about moving back to a place where she had very little in common with the people who lived there, flashbacks of high school and her escape. Alexis was now doing freelance work and creating recipes. Her recipes have been featured in Food52, The Kitchn, BuzzFeed’s Tasty, Chowhound, and Tasting Table. Her mother has a beautiful home with amazing gardens, and Alexis found a great sense of place and balance, which allowed her to concentrate on her creative side. The area has changed, with a larger and more diverse population now living there. Since the world has finally embraced remote work, it is now possible to live in a place like the Catskills and have your career.

Six months became several years. It’s now 2022 and Alexis is still in the Catskills. She has found her creative groove in the mountains. When I asked her what was a source of inspiration, she said ” Most definitely, my Mom’s gardens.” Alexis’ mother is a landscape designer, so she is surrounded by beauty and bounty.

When I asked her about her perspective on food, she said” It is so important to use all of the ingredients so that there is no waste.” In her experiences in the food industry, she was appalled at the amount of food waste. This became her inspiration to write her first cookbook, “To the Last Bite“. Growing up with her Mom’s garden, Alexis learned how to make every ingredient last. The cookbook focuses on using the entire ingredients to cut down on food waste, save money and have an impact on climate change. Go to her website to learn more about Alexis and her life in the Catskills and to order her cook book.

I was delighted to hear Alexis’ story, and how her path has lead her full circle to a place she never expected to live in ever again.

You just don’t know where life will take you, so Never Say Never.

Travels Abroad-Tales of Mistaken Identity & Math Problems

It finally happened.

After 2 plus years of being extremely careful, I finally caught COVID. I am now a member of the BA 4-5 Variant Club.

So while I was in quarantine, and I couldn’t leave the house, I started reminiscing about traveling. Of course you crave the one thing you can’t do. This story does relate to food, so hang in there…

I went through my photo album of a trip to France that I took with my son and my sister. We had rented a house in the south of France in the Languedoc region, in the beautiful town of Beziers. We would take day trips to local sites every other day, and explore closer to the house on off days. We saw castles, old medieval villages where the Crusades stopped to rest, ( Always need a break form robbing, raping and pillaging…) The Pont du Gard aqueduct. The Languedoc is west of Provence. Not as much cachet, but just a beautiful and less expensive.

Before we left for the trip I told my son that we WOULD NOT be eating any American fast food. None. He was going to have to try what was in France, as food is one of the reasons to travel. Much to his credit, he was completely on board.

On the days that we would stay close to home, someone in the house-there were ten of use- would cook dinner for the entire group. This meant a trip to the Beziers market, which was brimming with all fresh and local produce, meats, cheeses, seafood. Just an incredible bounty.

Les Halles de Beziers

Story One

It was my sister’s turn to prepare the evening meal. I was going to stay at the house by the pool, so my son went with his aunt to the market. When they returned, my son was completely despondent and crying. I mean really, really upset. “What is the matter? Why are you crying?” My son replied in absolute horror- “They eat dogs here!”

WHAT??? I assured him that they DO NOT eat dogs in France, but he insisted that he saw a whole dog butchered and for sale at the butcher shop. He was inconsolable even with my assurances. Well, we needed to get the bottom of this. I had no idea what he saw, but the next day we went back to the market. We walked up to the butcher shop and he pointed-“There! There is the dog!”

Sure looks like a dog…

But not a dog. The butcher was selling whole rabbit. He had never seen a rabbit before, so yeah, I can see where he thought it was a dog. Once I explained that it was a rabbit, he was immediately relieved. He was able to resume eating like a native. In fact, he had rabbit pate’ the next day. Crisis averted.

Story Two

It was my turn to make the evening meal so I headed off to the market. I was in my glory! There is a traditional dish made with mussels and served over string French fries known as Moules et Frites. It is like a street food, with the mussels cooked in wine, cream and shallots and served over the fries. The dish originated in Belgium, but is also popular in France.

Moules et Frites

I spoke high school French, so I could muddle my way through ordering what I needed. And I had my handy dandy Francais/English dictionary on hand. I get the ingredients I needed for salad, and the potatoes, and head over to the fish monger to get my mussels. I go to place the order and am stopped dead in my tracks. No language issues, but I was roadblocked by…

The Metric System.

Yes. Mussels were sold by the kilo. A kilo??? Is that larger than a pound, smaller than a pound? I have absolutely no frame of reference for the quantity I needed. Plus, I suffer from math anxiety-(it’s a real thing, go Google it) so I am at a complete loss. All of the shopping euphoria I had experienced was gone in a flash, replaced with paralysis. English is not widely spoken in this region, so I couldn’t just ask. I dug through my dictionary hoping that they had the foresight to add a metric/pounds conversion chart, but nope. PS- dictionary publishers, that would be a GREAT addition to your book…

What to do? I finally arrived at the solution. I managed to piece together in my limited French that I needed enough mussels for ten people. Fingers crossed that the fish monger wouldn’t oversell to me, but at that point, I honestly didn’t care. I got my mussels and headed back to the house.

To the fish monger’s credit, he sold me exactly the amount I needed. Dinner was delicious, paired with the incredible wine from the region. Another great day in France.

This trip was a great adventure for my son and me. I believe it is so important to travel, to see the world and experience it though other’s eyes. It’s especially vital for children. My son’s world opened up. I truly believe that travel makes you open to different ideas, and creates curiosity. Knowledge in our world creates empathy and understanding, something that is sorely lacking today.

So travel when you can again. Go someplace you have never been. Try foods that you have never eaten. Make new friends.

Just remember to bring a metric conversion calculator.

It’s Been a Minute…

Photo by Tom Swinnen on Pexels.com

Or longer.
As with the rest of the world the pandemic threw me for a loop. And I haven’t made a post to this blog in over a year. Finding the motivation has been difficult, and 2021 into 2022 has had a streak of losses and challenges.

First set of challenges:

I’m an animal person. Our family had 2 dogs, 2 cats and my beloved horse. From August 2021 to March 2022, I lost 3 of them. I know pets are not people, and I am beyond fortunate that I didn’t lose any family or friends to COVID. But this hit me hard. My sweet Welsh Corgi, Abby ended up with an incurable genetic disease. My beautiful cat, Bandit ended up with lymphoma. And my partner of 18 years, my horse Hugs, at 28 years old, was failing and we lost her in March. I believe in being a good steward to my animals and made the hard decision to painlessly end their suffering and was with each of them as they passed. But the loss has been profound.

Bandit

Abby

Hugs

Challenge # 2-The Job:

Due to the pandemic, I joined the many who worked remotely. And also like many, discovered that my job was sucking the life out of me. Lots of changes within the company compelled me to make the big decision to join the Great Resignation. I retired, earlier than planned, but there was no moving forward in my current role. The stress was no longer worth the paycheck.

So here I am trying to redefine myself.

The one thing I did love was writing my blog, so it is time to get back to it. My posts may not be as long as my previous ones, maybe only a snippet here and there, but it is my way of finding connection in a disconnected world.

The focus of my blog is the rituals of what we eat and why. But we can “Bring Something to the Table” in so many ways.

Here is a quick ritual of a meal that I love–grilled sardines.

When I was in Portugal I dined on these delightful fish. We all think of sardines as little fish packed into a can. Those are fry-basically baby sardines. Mature sardines are about 6 inches long. They are only harvested in the spring and summer, when the sardines are plump after feeding. It is a simple recipe; simply clean whole sardines, removing innards and scales but leaving the heads and tails on. Rub them with kosher salt inside and out and let them sit for several hours. After they have sat salted, rinse them under water and pat dry. Brush them with olive oil and grill on an oiled grill, 2 to 3 minutes each side. I cut up fresh thyme and oregano, bruise the herbs in a mortar and pestle and add to the olive oil. Serve with a vegetable of your choice and crusty bread. Allow 2 to 3 sardines per person. You will be able to pull the entire set of bones out starting from the tail. The flesh is tender and smoky-sweet.

Portuguese Grilled Sardines with Green Beans

It’s good to be back to writing. I hope you will continue to follow me as I venture forward into what we eat and why.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” _Joseph Campbell

Give it a Go

Being stuck at home has forced me to change pretty much ALL of my routines. We are all going through a huge upheaval in our favorite rituals. No date nights at the movies, no Happy Hour with friends, no birthday parties at your favorite restaurants. And being creatures of habit, we do love our routines. And I know that many of us have gotten creative about substituting an old ritual for a new one.

My husband and I do love to cook, but even so, we had fallen into a rut of making some of the same things over and over again. Partly because we have pandemic fatigue, and partly because we don’t want to think any more. We are both exhausted after a day on Zoom.

But the same old, same old is boring. We have scads of cookbooks and subscribe to cooking magazines. We watch cooking shows. We have the resources, and clearly, now we have the time. So we made a pledge to try one new recipe each week that we had never made before. Enter, New Ritual.

On the weekend, we take time to go through our cookbooks or magazines and select something to try. It can be something that we have had but never made, or something we have never eaten. This forces us to dig into what interests us, what we are curious about. We have some successes, and some questionable results. Here’s what we have been up to:

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

When I worked in Philly, there was this Jamaican food truck that made the Best Oxtail Stew. Tender braised meat, so flavorful. I would get it for lunch whenever they had it. So I thought we would give it a go. First, I had to find oxtail, which is not your everyday cut of meat. Originally it was from an ox, it is now cow tail. And before you wrinkle your nose, it is just another cut of meat. It is one of those castaway bits that cultures have adopted and used. It is similar to the African one pot dishes that developed out of the slave culture in the Caribbean. We located oxtail at a great local butcher shop. No longer inexpensive, it was close to $10 a pound!

I used a recipe that was for my pressure cooker, but if you don’t have one, you can do it in a slow cooker. The oxtails are very gelatinous, and need to cook for a while to get to that tender consistency. The flavors are a combination of sweet and savory, with garlic, onions, allspice and either habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper and some butter beans. The results:

Delicious. It was easy to make in the Insta Pot, and only took 45 minutes. Unfortunately, as much as I loved it, the cost of oxtail has relegated this recipe for special occasions, but well worth it! Get the recipe here.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Rabbit Season

While we were shopping for the oxtail, I also found rabbit at the butcher shop. I’ve never had rabbit, so we added that into the shopping cart. Funny rabbit story-we were in France in the town of Bezier, and they have a wonderful market there. A group of us had rented a house and we took turns cooking. My son, who was about 12 years old, went to the market with my sister. He came back totally distraught. “Mom, they eat dog here!” He was inconsolable. I assured him that dog is not eaten in France, but he was unconvinced. We went to the market the next day, and I had him show me the alleged dog. It was a whole rabbit. He saw the skinned whole rabbit with no ears and he thought it was a dog. Crisis averted.

In honor of the French Rabbit episode, I decide to make a Rabbit Pot de Provence with Potato Fondant. The recipe has the typical southern French flavors; tomato, fennel, olives, a little orange zest and is a simple braise in a Dutch oven. I had to cut up the rabbit into pieces, but it is very similar to cutting up a whole chicken, so no big deal. The potatoes are also a French recipe, with them being first browned and then baked in chicken stock. You can do a rustic cut or a more fancy cut on the potatoes. We went rustic, since the rabbit was a rustic stew.

The results:-Rabbit- very tasty! The meat was tender, and the flavor is mild like chicken but with just enough of a slight gamey flavor and texture. This recipe combines such lovely flavors with the fennel and the tomato blending beautifully. I do want to find locally sourced rabbit. What I didn’t notice was that the rabbit that I bought was sourced in China. I’ll reach out and find a local source. The carbon footprint alone makes me feel guilty for not reading the label better. You can find the recipe here.

The Potato Fondant-not as successful as I had hoped. The recipe calls for 4 waxy large potatoes, like russets. You shape the potatoes and cut them in half, then brown them in butter on both sides. Then into the oven for 30 minutes. Even after 45 minutes, the potatoes weren’t cooked through. I think my potatoes were too large, so I suggest going for a medium size potato. I’ll give it a go again, they flavors were delightful. You can find the recipe here.

Rabbit-a home run . Potato Fondant, not so much…

Duck Season

Since the holidays this year were a bust, socially, I decide to try something for New Year’s Eve dinner. I have always wanted to cook duck breast, so here we go. On the search for duck breast for 2 people, I discovered that it was absurdly expensive for such a small amount of meat. I went to another store, and they were out of duck breast, but hey! Whole duck and it was on sale! The breast was going to cost $20 and I got the whole duck for $28. Cue foreboding music…..

I found a whole roast duck recipe that involved salting the duck for 6 hours prior to roasting. And then you had to submerge the legs into a Dutch oven and simmer the tough parts, keeping the more tender breast out of the water. Then, you moved the whole bird to a V-rack and finished it in the oven. Okay, kind of involved, but it’s not like I’m doing anything else. So I take the duck out of the package. And I notice that it smells kind of..gamey? I’m in unknown territory, and I know how fatty they are, so I chalked it up to “if it smells like a duck, then it’s a duck.” More foreboding music. So I salt and I simmer and I roast and I glaze. Really committed to the process! And it looks AMAZING!

Looks fantastic, right?

But it still smells. Only worse. I mean, what a weird, unappetizing stinky odor. But I refuse to give up. So I make the wild rice and make some gorgeous roasted golden beets. We plate it up and it really looks like something you would order out.

So impressed with myself!

So we sit down and dig in. And it still stinks. But now the whole house stinks. The odd thing is that it tasted fine. So, I don’t know if the reason it was on sale was that I should have cooked it that day, or if that is how duck smells. So much air freshener…

The result? Calling it a technical epic fail. But I have another whole duck in the freezer, so I am going to try again. Consider it research… You can find the recipe here.

Here, Pig Pig!

Not what you think, this is a different kind of pig-tale. I used to live in Denver and I would go to a little place in the 5 Points neighborhood called Casa de Manuel. The specialty there was a wet beef burrito with cheese, smothered in green chili. They are so good, that when I visited there one time, I order 10 and froze them and flew them home. But this story isn’t about the burrito..

Next to the restaurant was a Mexican bakery and they sold a cookie that was like gingerbread and always in the shape of a pig. After consuming said burrito, I would always buy a bag of Ginger Piggies. The spiced cookie settled the tummy after burrito consumption.

I left the Denver area and moved back to the east coast, and really didn’t think much about Ginger Piggies. Years go by, and after living in a remote part of New York for a number of years, we rejoined civilization and moved to near Philadelphia. In our area, we have a number of small central American food shops. One makes totally kick ass tamales on Sunday mornings. Get there early, they will sell out. This brought back my fond memory of the Ginger Piggies. I looked in several stores and asked, but none of them made them. Time to make them myself.

I went recipe hunting and found a simple pan dulce recipe for Marranitos, the official name. It is a soft cookie, fragrant with spices and molasses. They are wonderful after a meal, or with coffee or tea. I did purchase the pig cookie cutter, got to be authentic! You can find the recipe here.

Plate full of Ginger Piggies, plus some honey bees with the leftover dough

Fear not the Unknown!

I’ve had some successes and some failures in to this foray into the unknown. The successes were fun, and I loved going to where I had not gone before. The failures? Eh, no big deal. Because there is NO PROGRESS WITHOUT FAILURE. Read that again. No failure, no progress. You just have to give it a go. And cooking is a great way to fail. Yup. Because it will be obvious. Cooking will show the failures in taste, texture, doneness and smell…like stinky duck.

So while you have some time on your hands with the pandemic keeping us home, give it a go. Try something. Fail at it. And learn. And try again. Don’t worry about what others think, and please don’t judge yourself. There is a world of difference when you DON’T know what you DON’T know, to when you DO know what you DON’T know. And once we can get back into the world, you can share what you learned. So give it a go!

Blog, Interrupted

What a year.

My poor, poor blog, so neglected.  2018 was not kind to my blog.

My year began with being really, really busy at my job.  Actually, busy is  an understatement. The company I work for is growing at breakneck speed and my job is to oversee the design, construction and move-in into new laboratory and office space. Because this is a young company, they don’t know what they don’t know, so things got very hectic. Honestly, this was the most difficult project in my career. So I spent many, many hours in meetings, talking , redoing stuff, fixing stuff, etc. This went on from February until mid November. Finally, things have slowed down and I have some space in my brain again.

I was also very involved in our local politics. Here in PA, I live in a county that ends up being pivotal to elections. I decided to help make the change I want to see, and ran for a local office, which I won. OK, so I ran unopposed, but hey, I made the commitment and now have to  fulfill local responsibilities for the next 4 years. And I have learned so much about how very critical and important local, county and state elections are. I also volunteered on  a campaign for a candidate who was running for State House of Representatives. Like me, she had had enough, and against all odds ran and won.  She will represent us well in Harrisburg, and that effort was so inspiring and gratifying.

The state of our country and the world has been draining for me this year. With the current insanity in the White House, I have been angry, depressed, frightened, and just plain pissed off. Every day, or multiple times a day, things got worse. Gun violence, children separated from their parents and then dying, lies from the President, a complicit Congress, more lies. Just when I think I have seen the worst, it gets worse. Never have I felt so disenfranchised from my own country.

So when I would try and write a blog post, I struggled. I mean, people are dying, losing their homes to floods or fires. It felt trivial to write about some type of ritual or story and  food.  People are suffering, how can I expect people to want to read about  local ice cream or my latest favorite cookbook author? Writing my blog made me feel like I was being disrespectful to all of the troubles in the world.

It felt insignificant.

So, I didn’t write.   I guess it was a form of writer’s block, but I couldn’t find anything that felt valid or inspiring enough to put out there.

But then I found the fix.

I was listening to a podcast the other day, and they were talking about that annoying topic of New Year’s resolutions. But what one of the guest said was transformative to me.

She said she doesn’t do resolutions; she does intentions.

Think about that for a minute.

A resolution is an act-I’ll go to the gym more, I’ll quit smoking, I’ll spend more time listening to my kids. An intention comes with something you value. It includes what you find ethical or moral. Intentions require more of you. More thought, more purpose, more conversation, more soul searching.

Instead of a making a resolution to write more blog posts, I will have intentions of writing what speaks to me.  I’m going to turn off the judgmental internal critic that held me captive this year.

And I will write. Because I love what I write about. And I hope you will too.

Wishing everyone an inspiring, loving and Happy New Year, filled with all of your intentions for 2019.

Taylor Pork Roll-the Meat, the Legend, the Regional Ritual

Memorial Day weekend was coming up and I was looking for something to do.  On my way to work, I heard about a festival that sounded perfect for my Regional Ritual type of blog post.

The Taylor Pork Roll Festival. For those of you from Jersey and the southern Pennsylvania area, you get it.  For those of you who aren’t from here, let me give you some history.

Taylor Ham, as it was originally called, was made by John Taylor in 1856. He kept the recipe a secret, but was force to change the name to Taylor Pork Roll in 1906, as the product did not meet the definition of ham in the new Pure Food and Drug Act. It was made in a cloth sack for easy transportation, and was rumored to have been a provision for soldiers in the Civil War. Production was set up in Trenton, NJ, where it remains today, made by Taylor Provisions.  It still comes in the sack, but also come pre-sliced and ready to fry or grill. Tradition dictates that you cut a slice in the the edge of the round pieces so that it will stay flat when you cook it. Looks like PacMan…

 

 

 

So what is in it?  The recipe is still secret, but it is similar in consistency to SPAM. A blend of herbs and spices, and ground pork.

Whether you call it Taylor Ham or Taylor Pork Roll depends on where you are from.  Central and northern New Jersey tend to call it Taylor Ham, but South Jersey and the Philadelphia area call it Taylor Pork Roll. You can check out the divide here.

So, off we go to Trenton, NJ.  The Taylor Pork Roll Festival is sponsored by Trenton Social , a bar and restaurant who has been hosting the festival for 5 years. The festival invites local vendors and food trucks to set up and offer their specialties, but they must include pork roll. My first stop was a Bloody Mary, with a tiny pork roll sandwich as a garnish.  Great way to get started!

 

 

Off to what looked to be all thing pork roll,  The Pork Roll Store located in Allentown, NJ. I met Robbie, the self proclaimed “Pork Roll Princess”. Her family has owned their store for 98 years. Robbie is a bubbly ambassador of pork roll, and will gladly tell you all about her family’s business, which she now runs.  They were grilling up Pork Roll kebabs, which consisted of pork roll, pineapple and a cherry.  The combination of the salty pork roll with the caramelized sweetness of the pineapple is quite a taste treat.

 

 

Delorenzo’s The Burg food truck was offering the traditional tomato pie (another food ritual I will save for another blog post) with pork roll included.  If you read the Stephanie Plum book series by Janet Evanovich, you will understand the reference to “The Burg”.  The Burg is the nickname of the Chambersburg section of Trenton. A diverse neighborhood, it was home to Poles, Slovakians, Germans and Irish before becoming predominately Italian.

For the classic pork roll sandwich, it has to be Johnny’s Pork Roll.  Johnny’s has your  pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll, but also offers variation on the traditional, like the PBLT-pork roll, bacon, lettuce and tomato; The Western-pork roll, provolone, pepper and egg; and The Reuben-pork roll, kraut, Russian dressing on rye bread. Johnny’s embodies the story and the love of pork roll. Check out the video here.

There was also pork roll versions by the Bacon Broads, and all types of hot sauce to try on your pork roll by Dirty Sexy Sauce.

But you have to have dessert, right? Go for the Pork Roll Ice Cream. Yup. Made by Jake Hunt of Windy Brow Farms, the ice cream had a bourbon-y-caramel-y base with chunks of pork roll in it. Salty and sweet, it was delicious! Don’t knock it until you have tried it.

This had everything a food festival should have. Recipe contests, music, and the crowning of the Pork Roll Queen. What’s a festival without a pageant? Oh and every festival needs a mascot. Not sure what he was called, but Trenton Social is located near the courthouse, so hence the”Meat of Justice”.

So why does pork roll rate a festival? South Jersey and Philly folks are passionate about their food products and sports teams.  We are a scrappy bunch.  We love our pork roll and our Eagles. Any reason for a party. Super Bowl win or Pork Roll Festival, we are there!

The summer is still young, and there will be more food festivals to attend. Check out the link here in the Philly area.

Which food festivals are in your area?  Go check them out, and post about them here! Would love to see what is your favorite.

Sidenote: We had to try the pork roll kebabs ourselves, so here is a picture of our version. We still had the pineapple, but added yellow pepper, and mushrooms. It is brushed with a Mandarin Orange Ginger salad dressing while grilled, which added a sweet and tangy punch to the kebab. Grilled eggplant was the side.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Coffee EcoTour in the Dominican Republic

If there is one thing that I love in the world-its coffee.  Ask my husband, as I push him out of the way to get to my coffee pot each and every morning. If you look back at my blog post “New Year’s Resolution-Not” you will see that coffee is at the top of the list of food/drink I cannot live without.  We were on a cruise in the southern Caribbean and  the opportunity came up to tour a coffee farm in the Dominican Republic. I was all in.

The ship docked in Puerto Plata and we boarded a bus for the trip to the mountain coffee farm. We traveled past the resorts, and headed up dirt roads, winding our way up into the mountainous canopy.  This was not just a touristy-tour.  We were going to assist in the planting of coffee seeds for a new crop of coffee trees.

We arrived in the town of Pedro Garcia, a rural town  in which coffee growing is its mainstay.  The area in the past had suffered a blight on the coffee trees called “coffee leaf rust”  This fungus would cause all of the leaves to brown and fall off, killing the tree. With the loss of so many coffee trees, the people of Pedro Garcia began to leave the area.  In order to help the towns like Pedro Garcia, the government stepped in with a reforestation program to bring the coffee trees back.  Towns like Pedro Garcia are uniquely suited to grow the particular variety, Arabica Tipica, given the climate, altitude and the canopy required.

Coffee Tree Facts

Coffee trees are rather a finicky plant.  They have to be grown at high elevations, no lower than 350 feet above sea level.  They also need to be grown under other higher trees.  Coffee farmers will co-mingle their coffee trees with higher growing crops like citrus and avocado.  A coffee tree is more like a bush, and grows to about 11 feet in height. It takes a coffee tree 3 years to begin bearing fruit.  The tree will bear productively for up to 20 years, with one harvest per year. But here is the fact that  blew me away:

How many pounds of coffee does one coffee tree produce annually? Ready?

Three.

That’s it. Three pounds of coffee per year.  So the 25 pounds of coffee I personally drink in one year requires NINE trees.  According to a San Diego State University study, the USA consumes 12 million pounds of coffee annually. Which comes out to 4 million trees needed to supply that demand.  Yikes.

Coffee Seedling 3 months old

On to the planting.  We were brought to an area with a large amount of compost.  Small black bags with drainage were filled with the compost, and a coffee seed was pushed down into the center.  The bags are then brought to a nursery, which is shaded with netting to filter the sun.  The trees  will grow in the nursery for about three months before being transplanted into the field. Our groups set to work, and planted 359 seeds into the bags.  Our tour leader told us our group had set the record for planting the most seeds!

 

Compost and the Seedling Starter Bags

After planting, we went to see how the coffee is processed.  The beans are hand-picked and spread out to dry for several weeks. They are raked several times in order to dry evenly.

Once dried, the beans are hulled.  The beans are run through a hulling machine to remove the outer husk.  The hulls are then ground up and used as natural fertilizer.

Hulling Machine & Box for Dried Beans

After hulling the beans, known as “green beans” are sold to coffee buyers.  In Pedro Garcia, the beans are loaded into a wooden box that holds approximately ten pounds of beans.

The beans are then roasted  to the desired level.  Once roasted, the coffee is ground and ready to be brewed.

At Pedro Garcia, the farmer demonstrated how the beans are ground locally with a giant mortar and pestle.  The thumping noise from the grinding alerts neighbors that coffee is brewing, and a gathering usually happens.  After grinding, the two local women brewed the coffee through  mesh bag, and served the fresh coffee for us to try.

Roasting the beans, the mortar & pestle, me pounding the beans, brewing the coffee.

In a word, heaven.  Rich, beautiful aroma, intense flavor but not bitter.

The final product. Divine elixir.

We were then treated to a local stew that consisted of  root vegetables and braised meats.  The broth was fortifying, and the meats were tender and flavorful.

The view from the porch where we had lunch was spectacular. Rain showers were rolling through the mountains and valleys. We were treated to this beautiful rainbow below us.

Our adventure took place at the Tubagua EcoLodge. Tim Hall, owner and founder, has created a place to relax and to learn about  the ecology of the area.  He is passionate about continuing the agricultural legacy of Pedro Garcia and offers a variety of programs at the lodge. He is hoping that the expanding interest in Eco-tourism continues to grow and will bring more people to visit Pedro Garcia.

For me, while it was fascinating to learn more about coffee farming, I was very glad for the opportunity to contribute to the reforestation project. Farming here is such hard work, and by us providing labor, the farmer was able to get trees started and actually make money at it. I was happy to spend my dollars this way, as opposed to buying a Tshirt or  yet another refrigerator magnet.  Plus, I got to see where my coffee comes from. We are so disconnected from all of our food sources. Every time I have coffee now, I think of the trees I help plant.  I am hoping I started enough trees to cover my consumption.

If you would like to take a trip like this, look at the many ecotourism trips that are available around the world.   You get to learn, and you get to contribute.

What could be better?

 

 

2017-The Five Tastes-with a Twist

I haven’t written a post in a while.  Here’s why.

I wrote my last post about my trip to New Orleans in September.  Since then, it seems like the world as we know it has turned completely upside down. People are angry and afraid, myself most definitely included.  And writing about food rituals, or trips or recipes seemed to be either:

• ignoring the changes in the world and sticking fingers in my ears
• just really trivial and trite

So, I didn’t write anything, because I couldn’t come up with anything that felt relevant or meaningful. This past year has hit me hard.  I campaigned for Hillary Clinton and was crushed by her loss.  Every day, EVERY DAY, feels like we are losing everything we have stood for as a country and as human beings. The lack of empathy from the White House, Congress and regular citizens is beyond shocking. I went to the Women’s’ March in January and did feel uplifted. But with immigrants being posed as a threat to American jobs (they aren’t) with Dreamers possibly losing the only home they have ever known, with the mass shootings by white guys (if I hear “thoughts and prayers” one more time with no action from Congress). White supremacists are being championed by Trump. The free press is under attack.  Lying is the new normal.

Basically, WTF, America?

So I have felt sad, depressed and afraid. Not conducive to writing a blog about food rituals. But it is the last week of 2017, and I didn’t want to let the year end without having a final word.  So I am basing my final post of 2017 on The Five Basic Tastes, with a twist.

Here goes.

Our taste buds are able to distinguish the five basic tastes as:

1. sour
2. salty
3. bitter
4. sweet
5. umami

So let’s take a look at 2017 in terms the five tastes.

Sour

Sour flavors make your mouth pucker and the taste is highly acidic. Perfect description for how the American people feel about Congress. Soured. And this is on both sides of the aisle, from the most ardent Trump supporter to those who championed Bernie Sanders. Bipartisanship seems to have become a thing of the past, with only a winner and a loser.  Compromise doesn’t exist.  And that is not how our system is supposed to work, my friends.

But sour flavors make you sit up and take notice. They demand your attention. We are seeing people becoming more knowledgeable in how our government works.  A new interest in civics is taking hold.  The sourness witnessed by many has created action.  And that action is getting noticed, and is getting results.

Salty

Salt is a double-edged sword. On the one side, it enhances flavors, bringing out the nuances in a dish. Salt is key to bringing other flavors alive. It is the great promoter of flavors.  We have seen the salty side of people like Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Doug Jones. They have stood up against oppression and disrespect from their colleagues in Congress and from the President.  They didn’t back down when ridiculed or maligned.  In fact, they got stronger, enhancing with their salty passion the need to stand up for those who cannot.  Doug Jones’ triumph over Roy Moore was proof that good will prevail. They are the salt of the earth.

But too much salt is destructive. “Sowing the ground with salt” means that nothing will grow. Salty water is undrinkable.  The soil of democracy and the lifeblood of freedom is suffering from  contamination. Balance must be restored in order to bring growth and progress.

Bitter

A bitter flavor is thought to have been a poison alarm, that a food was dangerous to consume.

Ya got that right.  I have been very bitter with what I have seen happening in this country. Downright bitter, sad and angry.  But bitterness became my motivator. I took my bitterness and decided to become a Councilperson in my town to help get out the vote.  I live in a VERY Republican part of Pennsylvania. The Democrats here have had very little impact, but not for the lack of trying. So I became a part of a GOTV team for a local resident who was running for Town Board.  For the first time in many years, the Democrats had a huge turnout. Unheard of in years before. And while our candidate didn’t win, County and State positions that had been held by Republicans for years are now held by Democrats.

Bitter flavors are in foods that are high in antioxidants.  Which means, coffee and  dark chocolate, while bitter, have healthy components.  The point being, a little bit of bitter can be healthy in body and mind.

Sweet

Sweetness is described as the most pleasurable of the flavors.  It is the provider of energy and gives us our get up and go.  But too much causes decay and disease.

Many felt that the Trump victory was a sweet one.  There is a demographic that has felt unheard and unrepresented, and this cureent administration became their sweet revenge. But they have become addicted to the candy they are being fed.  They will believe anything that this faction says, as long as they will get their treat. The problem with sweets is, they have no nutritional value.  Empty calories.  No substance, just a flash of energy that leaves you in withdrawal. When the country finally has its sugar crash, we will be in debt from the tax reform bill, and people will lose their health insurance due to the individual mandate being removed.

But there is a sweet side.  The country has become energized.  People who never before have ever been involved in politics are running for office and winning. Protests are happening and voices are being lifted.  Look at how the African-American vote won the election in Alabama. Finally, there is a direct result that can be seen by the African-American community getting out and voting.  People there worked so very hard, and proved that their voices can and do make a difference. How sweet is that?

Umami

Umami is a Japanese description that translates to “delicious taste”.  It is the hardest flavor to narrow down, but is best tasted in cured or fermented foods like cheese, cured meats, soy sauce or pickles. Umami is a gathering of many subtle taste points that are hard to identify individually, but together create a complex flavor.

It’s a melting pot of tastes and senses. Umami is diverse and complex. It is multi layered. It is not one narrative but many.  Umami is to be celebrated, not ignored or denied. Umami enhances and uplifts the other flavors.  It is a common thread of flavor and taste.  It is a unifier.

So here is what I leave you all with as we head into 2018:

We need all of our tastes to make this country a place for all. Sour, salty, bitter, sweet, all a part of our great heritage.

And Umami.  My new slogan for 2018 is MAUA. 

Make America Umami Again.

Wishing you all a hopeful and optimistic 2018, full of flavor and taste.

 

 

 

New Orleans Adventure-Food and meeting the Green Fairy

We recently took a trip to New Orleans.  I had never been there, and it was on my list of places to go.  I had heard many wonderful things about the city, and finally made time visit. So glad we did.

What struck me  almost immediately was the vibe of this city.  It has a very weathered, grimy feel. There is a feeling of old memories and a veneer of wisdom.  In the French Quarter, the buildings are old and open, with high ceilings, peeling paint and cracks in the stucco.  It is romantic and alluring.  History oozes out of every crack and chip.  It is seductive.

And the food.

I went off of my vegan regimen (see previous post on that story…) and took in all that the city offers. First, to get the beignet.  We went to Cafe’ Beignet, as it was near our hotel.  Ordered our coffee and beignets, and had a seat in the courtyard. It’s around 9:30 AM and there is live music playing. An awesome jazz/blues group at breakfast.  The beignets were good; I confess, I’m not a big sweets person, but you have to try them, right?

 

On to oysters. Damn. They were perfect.  Raw oysters tell the tale of the ocean like no other shellfish.  Briny, but sweet and tender, they  bring alive all of your taste buds.  The gentleman shucking the dozen shown here has shucked over 3 million oysters, give or take.  For real.

 

On to the best meal of the trip. We went to GW Fins, in the French Quarter. Known for its seafood, I had one of the best meals I have had in years.  No joke.  A delightful salmon carpaccio as an appetizer had the perfect blend of acid with the fish sliced paper-thin.  My main course is a specialty known as “Scalibut”.  It is a combination of scallops and halibut with lobster risotto, snow peas and pea shoot butter.  This was outstanding, cooked to perfection.  The pea shoot butter added an earthy softness that  pulled all of the flavors and textures together. Divine.

 

The service here was also the best I have seen in a long time. Nick knew the menu inside and out, and recommended the perfect wine pairings. He is spot on.  This place is a do not miss; make sure to try it. (Dare I say, went we to Emeril’s and I think GW Fins is better..)

But on to my favorite ritual.

Absinthe, aka “The Green Fairy”.

Absinthe is a spirit that has its roots in Switzerland and was made in the early 17th century.  The mystique of absinthe was that it had hallucinogenic properties, which caused it to be banned for sale in many countries in the 1920s. Favored by artists, poets and writers, it was the signature drink amongst the Bohemian set.  Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and Ernest Hemingway all imbibed.  Oscar Wilde stated about absinthe:

“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

Absinthe does contain thujone, a chemical in the plant wormwood, the main floral in absinthe.  But you would have to consume enormous quantities for it to have any effect.  The more likely cause of  seeing pink elephants is the high alcohol content, up to 138 proof. It has a licorice taste from anise, along with other botanicals. I’m not a huge licorice fan, so I drink the “Mata Hari” brand, less licorice, more florals.

But one of the best things about absinthe is how you drink it.  There is a ritual around how the spirit is prepared.  The ritual conjures up images of bistros in France, with artists romancing show girls.  Decadence, bawdiness, and passion. The ritual itself is as intoxicating as the spirit.

First, you need an absinthe spoon. (These are really cool, and I want an antique one!)

Place the absinthe spoon over the glass and place a sugar cube on the spoon.

 

Pour the absinthe over the sugar cube into the glass. Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful green color.

Light the sugar cube so that it melts into the glass.

Add cold water to create the “louche”, the cloudy appearance the absinthe takes on when the water is added.

 

 

 

 

 

Sip and experience “The Green Fairy”.

My absinthe experience was in the “Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House“, a bar that is over 200 years old. The bar is like a stage set, with peeling paint and old carved woodwork.  If you are going to try absinthe, this is the bar to try it in. With over 20 types to choose from, you will find one that suits your palate.

I was captivated by New Orleans. It is a magical, mysterious place.  And you need to walk through it, to experience all of the sounds, the fragrances and to feel the pulse of the city.

And get to know the Green Fairy.  Quite the lady.

 

 

 

 

 

Fueling The Cause-Protests and Food

I attended the Women’s March in Washington DC on January 21, and it was an exhilarating experience.  There was an atmosphere of love, support, tolerance and a much justified dose of outrage.  My two friends and I drove down from the Philadelphia area. We waved to others on the road showing their signs from their cars and wearing their pink hats. The mood was uplifting; from the train ride in, though the march to the train ride back out.  I was so glad to be a part of this historic march.

This march has kickstarted many other marches on various days worldwide. With so much to protest about, I thought I would look into how food has played a part in the history of protests, and also touch on what to eat and drink when you are protesting.

The History of Protest and Food

Food and protests have gone hand in hand throughout history.  But why food?  Well, first of all, it was accessible.Tomatoes, eggs, easy to get and they make a great splat. NOTE: I don’t condone throwing ANYTHING.  No one should get injured in a protest.   While throwing food may be considered non-violent, I wouldn’t risk getting arrested for throwing an egg.

The first recorded protest with food was in 63 AD in present day Tunisia. Roman Emperor Vespasian was pelted with turnips by people who were angered by food shortages under his reign. That had to hurt…

ouch

Eggs historically were very popular at protests. In the Middle Ages people were put in stocks and pelted with eggs.  Abolitionist George Whittier was hit with eggs at an anti-slavery talk in 1834. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger was hit with an egg in 2003 on a campaign trip for governor of California.   In 2011 Afghan protesters threw eggs at the Iranian consulate to protest a fuel blockade that caused fuel prices to soar. But the biggest egg protest took place in 2013, when French farmers broke 100,000 eggs a day to protest the low price of eggs set by the European Union.

Sometimes you gotta break some eggs…

On to tomatoes. While typically seen as a response to a poor theatrical performance, tomatoes have been used in protests.  In fact, one tomato protest has turned into an annual festival. La Tomatina occurs in  Bunol, in the Valencia region of Spain on a Wednesday every August. The legend is that the townspeople were upset with their town council and threw tomatoes at them. That one event  became the present day festival.  The festival begins with a ham being placed on a greased pole, and participants climb the pole to retrieve the ham.  Once the ham has been obtained, the tomato throwing begins. A cannon sounds, and the tons of tomatoes are thrown. Its chaotic, and messy.  The throwing continues for two hours, then the cannon fires and the throwing stops.

Not sure what happens after that.  Many, many showers, I guess..

La Tomatina Festival

The cream pie in the face has had its place in protest history. Ok, most of the time, you see this in the Three Stooges or I Love Lucy… but both Ralph Nader and Rupert Murdoch have been “pied”. Anita Bryant got a pie in the face in 1977 during a press conference when  she was trying to justify the fact that she hated gay people.  Again, I don’t condone this, as it could cause injury, and you may get arrested for assault (but Anita had that one coming..)

Lack of food has had a significant place in protest history. The hunger strike has been used  in many circumstances as a form of protest. The first hunger strike is purported to have happened in ancient India.  Indian scriptures tell the tale of when King Rama’s brother fasted to urge the King to return from exile. Gandhi  was on a hunger strike for six days to protest the British government’s decision to place a strict separation between India’s lowest and highest social castes. Gandhi’s actions caused this decision to be reversed.

Gandhi

In the United States, suffragettes went on hunger strikes in jail. This method usually got them released prior to completion of their sentence.  But Alice Paul, famous woman activist and organizer of the Woman Suffrage Procession (and a Jersey girl from Mount Laurel!), was force-fed in a London prison. This damaged her gastrointestinal system permanently.  Alice Paul returned to the USA, attended the University of Pennsylvania and continued her work in the Suffrage movement.  Read more about Alice Paul here: http://nationalwomansparty.org/learn/who-is-alice-paul/

Thank you, Alice!

I found this really terrific blog called “Food and Resistance“.  It is a collection of food related protest signs from various protests.  Go check out the images. They are powerful and also humorous.

My favorite? “Muslims Invented Coffee”.

Staying Fueled While Protesting

So you are getting out and standing up for what you believe in. Good for you! Here are a few tips for staying fueled during your protest experience.

• Cut back on the coffee. I know, this is a tough one.  But  comfort stations can be few and far between, and lines can be long.  And peeing on the White House lawn is illegal…also a good idea to BYOTP.  (Toilet Paper)
• Fuel up in the morning.  I recommend more protein than carbs.  Eggs will keep you fuller longer than a bowl of cereal. Perhaps a little fruit as well, to get some sugars for energy.
• Bring snacks. Granola bars, more fruit.  You can also bring a wrap. Refried beans and rice with cheese in a tortilla are easy to carry, and have a great mix of carbs and protein. Make a few, and wrap them in plastic.  Yes, you will have to eat them cold, but you can deal this one time.
• Bring water, but watch your intake. You will need to stay hydrated, but drink just what you need. Again, the peeing issue. Warmer weather will cause you to need more liquids. Look at bringing some green tea with honey. This provides good energy and will soothe your throat from all of your yelling and cheering. Throat lozenges are also a good idea.
• Bring some chewing gum. This helps keep you from getting dry mouth, and you won’t drink as much water.

If you are one of the organizers of a march, try to engage restaurants and food stores who may be sympathetic to your cause to provide some eats and drinks along the march route.  They may choose to donate or sell. If they donate, make sure you provide a  money jar for  donations to cover their costs.

When you are done with your march, patronize the local restaurants. You are supporting the local economy, and you will assuredly meet others who were in the march as well.  Share a table with some strangers.

These are challenging times.  But I am so optimistic.  People are becoming engaged, getting involved and running for office.

So get up, get out, make some noise.  Fuel your cause.