Grinding Black Pepper

How some grind pepper without a grinding mill or electrical device.

Just watched a documentary Called; “Soul Of A Banquet” with Cecilia Chiang and Alice Waters

A documentary that basically tried to celebrate the life’s efforts, and challenges, of an amazingly courageous Chinese restauranteur, and defector of Communist China. It was just awkward for me and even a little sad to watch. You got the sense that a couple of powerful foodies decided; “Hey the world needs to know about this before we lose her and her knowledge to time”, and then went about in attempting to canonize her in a documentary.
It was palpable that the filming of this matriarch of Chinese cuisine didn’t herself, appear to be in the flow of it. There was one part where Alice Water’s puts another portion of food on Mrs. Chiang’s plate earlier in the films informal dining scene, to which She’s say’s, “I have plenty already.
I wanted it to be so much more.
I wanted to see and hear more about Cecilias past in the states and maybe some interview with her daughter extolling moms culinary vision of classic Chinese food, past and present, but no. It just felt akin to me like, if I was to wheel out my grandfather to tell of his amazing story with his triumphs and challenges, trying to edify him for all the world to appreciate him like I do, and all the while during the course of making the film he would correct and talk over the praises of him, which in the end no matter the amount of editing would still make the documentary still feel awkward to watch. In the end I still give kudos for even attempting any kind of Visual presentation of a persons life.

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Peekskill fire close to beloved coffee house and hangout

Big bad fire in Peekskill lastnight. The life altering blaze was a few buildings up from my beloved coffee house, and hangout.  which I was blissfully, and espresso-ly trapped at for hours, whilst my truck was smack dabbed non-parkos-mentis (surrounded by firetrucks & fire hoses), with all access and exiting of the wintery glistened streets to a halted until fire/rescue had finished their greatly esteemed efforts. 

I imbibed all manor of coffee house drink, until, I could randomly run no more to the restroom to seek porcelain solace within. The café was kind enough to let me wait it out, and see if I could drive home but it didn’t look like it was to happen, for a long while, so I left my truck and hoped for a ticketless retrieval in the early morning.

 I made it safe and sound to my warm house. I put my hand on the knob of the door to go inside, mentally saying a humbled thank you for my immediate circumstances, and hoping and praying for the displaced couple’s. 

Marauding seafood strikes again

And just like that, a gang of marauding seafood forced me by Shrimp point to sit down quietly, and eat lunch. What could I do, ever get pricked by a shrimp tail dipped in hot chili oil? It tingles like the dickens, and paralysis has been known to happen in small seahorses (pinky swear).
Ok the Shrimp would have to be U/5 sized, and most likely fired from a rail gun to do any real harm, but lunch is the most important part of the day, so they say, after; breakfast, a breakfast snack, pre-lunch amuse bouche) closing with 1 or 2 IV’s of espresso for good measure.
Alright Alright I see the writing on the phone, First thing Monday I’m checking myself into Betty Crocker’s for help……after Breakfast, that is. 😉

License to Grill

This ever happen to you? I’m walking through the parking lot of Barnes & Noble looking for my significant other, when I spy a silver Prius filled with the grill of my dreams.
My heart went all a flutter with day dreams of BBQ splendor to come. Birds in the trees sang out triumphant outdoor cooking songs of years gone by. I felt tingly and awash in Chefy happiness, until my joy filled Teary eyes of glee gazed downward, and fell upon the unfamiliar license plate of doom and sorrow. This was not the car of my love. Which meant, “This is not my grill of my dreams”
I could hear the once singing birds in the trees now screaming out in unison,”Nooooooooo!!!” Then they flew away never to be seen again.
Once inside Barnes and Nobles I had a cup a tea and grabbed a foodbook and everything was ok again. ( mostly)

Happy Egg Day Everyone!!

Happy Egg Day Everyone!! Yes, it’s that time again of the year when we make merry with our little friend, the egg. Me? I got funky with some Flats of eggs today. Don’t bother calling all the King’s Horses and all the Kings Men, it’s too late for that. Some would say it was an actual Morning”Eggapalooza” going on. Toast and Butter were like “Hey go tell blueberry muffin and Mimosa that they are hot!!” And I’m like “whoa whoa whoa!! take it easy!!” Caligula’s chef would have blushed for sure. 😊 ( totally a true story ) 😉

The Chef and The mortal coil

Third Day slept away. Not counting going on tenth day after hiatal hernia surgery of nothing but, liquids. No crunchy, no chewy,No stringy. Not even a omg “thats too tough”. I’ve had beef broth, chicken broth, and vegetable broth. mixed a little of that broth with some of this broth with a pinch of, “who gives a rats fanny sack”, in the end it’s still just broth. Look for the next post entitled The Enchanted Porcelain Altar of Brackish(second cousin of Bacas) and ; The Never Ending Tractor beam of Doom”

Stop foodiecism ‘fu’d:e:sis:um

foodieist ‘fu’d:e:isit foodiecism ‘fu’d:e:sis:um
noun
a person who believes that a particular food is superior to another. She was fearful of being called a foodieist. 
adjective
having or display beliefs that single out a particular food as being superior to another: we are investigating objections about foodieist belligerents at a culinary magazine. ©Marc Lamash 2014

Christmas Trees, and Hot Tea

The day is looking up, despite weather glitches, idly somber, naked living room Christmas trees. That Beckon for cladded wholeness. Carefully unboxed and uncoiled lighted armaments, soon to anoint our chosen wooded symbol, the fresh pine scented slate, yearly renewed, makes ready, the way to Christmas grace.