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@Home: Strange and Creepy

April 12, 2010 in food, humor, mentat notes | 4 comments

left:  without flash, right:  with flash

There I was, about to cook my pasta.  I’ve prepared the pot with salt, pepper and oil in water to cook the pasta in (like I usually do) and what do I find in the pot after 20 minutes of letting the mixture sit?  The pictures I took above!  I couldn’t believe it so I had to get my cam and take shots.  This is the first time this has ever happened to me.  Usually the oil would just look like numerous individual globs on water since I always put the water in last.  So strange, and creepy at the same time… interesting.  What could have brought this on?  It’s like having my own personal crop circle except it’s oil on water and not on a field of corn.

Thoughts of gods, omens and signs come to me because last night I went to watch the remake of Clash of the Titans (in 3D, of course) and after I got home, I watched the original version of the same movie.  Maybe the gods want to tell me something?  That the current decisions I’m making for myself and my family will be good or are good?  Or something else?  What could this all mean?

Or maybe there’s a logical explanation to all this?  hmmm…  I have to admit, this is an intriguing turn of events.  Maybe it is a sign from the gods or some sort of alien visitation.  Thoughts, anyone?

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Holy Week Meal

April 5, 2010 in food, mentat notes | No comments

Just finished uploading the pics from my vacay and here’s what we had over the holy week.  Our very own recipe for Bacalhau.  Yummy…  Here’s a little history on the dish clipped from Wikipedia.

Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries of the New World. Before refrigeration, there was a need to preserve the codfish; drying and salting are ancient techniques to preserve nutrients and the process makes the codfish tastier.

The Portuguese tried to use this method of drying and salting on several varieties of fish from their waters, but the ideal fish came from much further north. With the “discovery” of Newfoundland in 1497, long after the Basque whalers arrived in Channel-Port aux Basques, they started fishing its cod-rich Grand Banks. Thus, bacalhau became a staple of the Portuguese cuisine, nicknamed Fiel amigo (faithful friend). From the 18th century, the town of Kristiansund in Norway became an important place of producing bacalhau or klippfish.

This dish was popular in Portugal and other Roman Catholic countries, because of the many days (Fridays, Lent, and other festivals) on which the Church forbade the eating of meat. Bacalhau dishes were eaten instead.

Bacalhau is also popular in Sfax where this dish is eaten in the first day of Eid ul-Fitr with charmoula.

All this time eating the dish and I thought it originated from Spain.  Shows what I know.  ;)

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The Snob Factor

January 11, 2010 in food, humor

I am a hedonistic creature.  I love pleasures and activities associated with such.  For this reason I love food.  Not just any food, good food.  Fine food and fine dining are things I’ve missed from days of yore.  Blame this passion on my Mom.  She loves to cook and the food she cooks could easily spoil a person for great food.  Current living proofs are my kids.  Suck finicky eaters they have become.

While stumbling through the internet browsing for some semi gourmet recipe which I can somehow adapt to my current circumstance and budget, I happened upon the website of the Upper East.  After reading through the one page site I was totally blown away!  This is not going to be your usual dining experience, I’m sure.  Here are some quotes from their site.

Just don’t expect to dine whenever you want to.

After all, UPPER EAST is not always open for business. We close our doors when we want to, and we certainly won’t wait around for guests who, frankly, need to get a move on. No lunch is served after 1 p.m. and no dinner after 9 p.m.

UPPER EAST is not for the weak of heart. Expect to be serenaded, as you sip your wine and savor every bite of your meal, by the screaming and ranting of our compulsive Executive Chef for whom incompetence is a crime, set against a sonic backdrop of AHA students sobbing and scrambling to do his bidding.

Basing on the above quotes from their website, you tell me if it is not worth visiting at least once.  I’ll bet it’s going to be worth it.

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