Black Walnuts

I had a beautiful moment today.

At the dinner gathering after my father's funeral, we had a traditional family potluck. When dessert time came, I chose a brownie and sat down to enjoy it. I took a bite and tasted something I loved but couldn't quite recall. After a few moments, I realized that the brownie was made with black walnuts. Black walnuts, as opposed to English walnuts, have an extremely unique taste. Wildman Steve Brill says:

Black walnuts have a strong, rich, smoky flavor with a hint of wine. Use them any recipe that call for nuts, but unless you’re featuring the black walnut's flavor, use it sparingly, or it will overpower everything else. I often combine one part black walnuts with three parts commercial (English) walnuts.

A lot of people don't like them, but they grow everywhere here in Missouri and we used to pick them up off the ground to eat them. I'm not even sure you can find black walnuts in SF. Anyway, it was just one of those moments in which I found immense joy in being from the Ozarks and felt a real sense of coming home.

I am a Moron

I had a bit of an emotional break on Sunday night taking care of the ex's cat. In looking for a bowl to put down extra water, I opened cabinets to find MY dishes. Dishes I'd had since before I met the ex. I knew of course that I had given him these dishes...but to see my dishes in his apartment was a little jolt to me. I noticed on his counter that he had bottles of wine that we'd picked out together. Also, we raised a kitten together. And seeing his new cat in kitten stage...seeing him make choices he learned from our experience. It was all a little much.

That night I had a dream involving kangaroos - I'd been viewing someone's pics that evening - and I woke up thinking about the Australian wine we chose together. The really good (relative term for a region that specializes in Sancerre) bottle of  Shiraz we brought back from the Hunter Valley (from a beautiful winery called Iron something or other) has been waiting for me to have a moment like this. The wine represented a time when my future was planned much differently than it is today, and I wanted to toast to that memory and drink it away.

I pulled out the bottle with A, but we couldn't finish it. We acknowledged that it wasn't something we'd normally drink, but we tried to take it in context. This was a red wine from a region known for sweet whites. That's why it was really fruity and too sweet. But it meant something to me. And I knew I had liked this wine in Australia.

After a glass I turned to A and asked if she was sure it wasn't corked. She confirmed that it wasn't, and that this was just not a wine we would normally drink.

The symbolism inherent in a wine that I had loved and hoped for and waited for turning out disappointing was just too much for me to bear, and I couldn't have any more. But I also couldn't bring myself to pour it down the drain. This wine meant something. I was certain the taste I didn't like was based more on my emotion than on actual flavor qualities.

In a fit of not caring about providing alcohol to the homeless, I hoped to find someone on the way home who could use a little bit of a warming up (yep, judge me now). The two guys normally camped out on California weren't there. The woman on Hyde was nowhere to be found. I wanted someone to appreciate this wine.

It occurred to me that my neighbor might enjoy trying a wine that can't be purchased here, as he is just starting to really learn the ins and outs. So I take over the remainder of the bottle, but he makes it very clear that it is, in fact, shitty wine. I take another sip and finally admit to myself that it's awful. The altitude from the flight must have killed the flavor. I was upset, but there was also something slightly liberating about pouring it down the drain.

So this morning I get a text with a pic attached, asking me why my Australian wine has a California label. I look at the picture, scour my wine racks, and let my mistake sink in.

This is the wine I had last night. You can buy it for $7 in discount stores. Don't buy it. It's crap.

And this is the wine (unopened) I brought over from Australia. You can't buy it here, but if you bought it there it would be currently be about $25.

I got emotional over a crap Lodi wine (also from a fantastic trip, though!) while my Hunter Valley shiraz sat safely in my apartment.

On the upside, I think I've embarrassed myself enough lately that I no longer have any shame.

Springfield MO in the Times!

I've blogged about Springfield's Cashew Chicken in the past, but now the New York Times is on board!

David Leong, creator of Springfield cashew chicken said: “When I moved here in the 1950s, people kept telling me about fried chicken,” Mr. Leong said. “I did what they wanted. I gave them fried chicken with Chinese oyster sauce and cashews.”

None of the original restaurants are still open, and Leong family that started it all is retired from operating their own Chinese restaurants, but you can still get amazing cashew chicken at a number of places. My favorite is Hong Kong Inn, on Sunshine. It was on my way home from work when I lived in Springfield, and was a weekly staple in my healthy southern/midwestern diet. I also really like Yen Ching, in Ozark. The family has daughters living in San Francisco, so we always chat about that a bit. They do a take on cashew chicken that I adore when it's on the menu. They remove the gravy and add an apple gravy-like sauce, take out the cashews and add apples in, and use the same crispy fried chicken. YUM. Seriously good. Hmmm...I'm kinda scared to go home now. I'll probably gain 20 lbs on the visit.

Anyway, read the NYT article. Not often that Springfield makes it big. :) Well, not since Brad Pitt, anyway.

Fabio's English

On Top Chef, Fabio has consistently been an excellent source of translation humor.

On last night's Top Chef, Fabio broke his finger. The medic asked if he wanted to go to the hospital. He said (paraphrasing), Hospital? I ain't going to no freegin hospital. I'll chop off my finger and sear it on the hot pad so it stops bleeding and deal with nine fingers tomorrow.

That was good, but my favorite - the one that had me rewinding and watching again - was this:
"I got so many kick in my ass that sometimes when I'm in the bathroom I still pull shoes out my ass."

Now add a thick Italian accent and read it again.

Classic.

An Unfortunate Wine Boycott

For the first time ever, I am boycotting a specific set of wine brands.

Many will think I am doing this out of disagreement on a single issue, but in truth, I am boycotting Don Sebastiani's businesses because I think he is using his vast wealth to manipulate the democratic system in a way that I cannot support by contributing to that wealth.

Many, after hearing about Don Sebastiani's contributions, will want to boycott him simply for his choice in what he supports. More power to those people! I, however, am not one to be inspired to boycott anything (especially wine), over a difference in viewpoint. Abuse of power is another story.

The current issue arises because of the proposed amendment to the California constitution regarding parental notification of teens seeking an abortion. There are a number of reasons that I do not support this law, but that is not the point of my boycott. If you'd like to learn more you should check out this article about the pros and cons of parental notification laws, which I think offers a fairly unbiased view of both sides. Also see the additional resources at the end of this post. Please note these extra links are completely biased in favor of my views.

Regardless of what the current issue is, Don Sebastiani, Sonoma wine bigwig and former California State Assemblyman, is abusing the system.

In 2005, Jim Holman of San Diego newspaper fame and Don Sebastiani financially backed Proposition 73 "Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Waiting Period and Parental Notification". The measure was defeated 52.7% to 47.3%.

In 2006, Holman and Sebastiani backed another proposition, this time it was numbered as Proposition 85. It was defeated 54% to 46%.

Holman decided he'd had enough. Until, that is, Sebastiani donated $500,000 to back the measure that is now on the ballot for 2008's November election. Now Proposition 4 "Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative", is up for vote again even though the public has voted against it twice. Non-profit advocacy groups and and health clinics are being forced to use funds to work against this once again, simply because some rich old fart up in Sonoma decided he wasn't happy with controlling only wine interests (I swear I'm not a bitter person).

Now it's being called (by supporters only), the Child and Teen Safety and Stop Predators Act: Sarah's Law. I love the personification with the girl's name and all. We haven't seen that in ridiculous laws in California before. *cough* Jessica's law, anyone? The rest of the language refers to the idea that old men prey on young girls and then force them to have abortions, and that parental notification of abortions would stop these predators. Funny, I thought statutory rape was already illegal. It also seems to me that the kind of family in which a child would feel comfortable approaching their parents about abortion might also be the kind of family that would already have an idea that their teen was spending time in bad company, which really makes the protective factor of this law a moot point.

Back on track: my whole point here is that a rich person should not be able to get something back on the ballot that the public has already voted against twice in the last 3 years. How long will this continue? Perhaps there should be a window between elections that include a similar measure? I guess what bothers me most about this is that it really is driven by one man and his massive amounts of money.

On a totally different note, Don Sebastiani is a self-stated Napa wine hater. Granted, I don't love the elitist attitude of Napa in general, but Sebastiani has stated again and again that he doesn't drink California wines, and finds them inferior to the French wines he regularly consumes. It's all well and good to have an opinion on this topic - but he's a California winemaker!!! I definitely have a bone to pick with someone who makes their money selling something they can't back. He doesn't have to like it, or even pretend to like it - but he should try to refrain from down-talking it. He's like a slimy used-car salesman that tells himself if someone will buy that lemon all is well. Blech. So even if you don't give a hoot about his political tinkering, know that Don Sebastiani is a man who doesn't enjoy the wine he makes, but is happy for your money to go into his pocket, which apparently allows him to control the California constitution.

Given all of this information, I've decided to boycott all Don Sebastiani wine brands. I simply can't support such a slimy person. I've included a list of all of his wine brands with links to pictures of the labels so that you can join my efforts if you so choose (and so I can keep track of the many many brands he controls).

Aquinas
B Side
Hey Mambo
Kono Baru
Leese-Fitch
Mia's Playground
MooBuzz
Pennywise
Pepperwood Grove
Plungerhead
Screw Kappa Napa
Smoking Loon
Used Automobile Parts
The White Knight

And no, for now I won't be boycotting Sebastiani Vineyards. It seems Don gave control to his sister back in 2001, and the worst thing they've done with their political contributions is donated to Rudy's campaign. :)


Additional Information
or, why laws mandating parental notification don't make sense

Center for Reproductive Rights: Mandatory Parental Consent
Center for Reproductive Rights: Current Restrictions by State
Center for Reproductive Rights: Forced Parental Involvement
The New York Times: Scant Drop in Abortion Rate if Parents are Told
MedScape: Overview

Sustainability in Wine Consumption

Sustainable wine has been a hot topic in the Bay Area for several years. The California Sustainable Wine Growing Alliance unites those producers who wish to think responsibly about their impact on the environment, and wine bars like Yield are popping up to offer green wines to the conscious consumer. Terms like organic, biodynamic, green, and sustainable are being tossed around in the wine industry as much as everywhere else, and oenophiles are adding these considerations to the already long list of qualities that are desirable in a good wine.

A recent paper from the American Association of Wine Economists, however, demonstrates the minimal impact of these efforts in comparison with simply applying a rule of local consumption. The paper proposes a green wine line that separates the United States into two regions based on whether the lighter carbon footprint comes from drinking wines from Napa or Bordeaux.

The paper is a bit more academic than most like wish to read, but Mental Floss has an excellent summary on their blog.

My Morning Entertainment

From Best of Craigslist:

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes."

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one.

On the subject of m&m's, you can make your own m&m character.

Oh My Grits!

Overheard in SF:

Alabamians At Breakfast

"They don't serve grits everywhere. We took a tour with our church group and we had to take along our own grits."

I'm Not Nuts

You actually CAN overdose on caffeine. A young woman in England did it recently. She had 7 double espressos while working in her family's sandwich shop, thinking they were singles. Not only did she get the expected symptoms like heart palpitations and nervousness, she actually got a high fever!

With more and more people drinking coffee and espresso drinks younger, I absolutely think it's more important than ever to let people know that too much can be dangerous. Okay, funny, but dangerous.

Read the whole article here.

I'm thinking of Wine today

Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young

St. Jerome




Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.

Medieval German saying

German Reds

I just hit the jackpot.

Seriously, I've been searching for something resembling what my family served me since we got back from Germany, and it was under my nose the whole time!

I've gotten my hopes up a few times with a glass or two at Slanted Door or Sociale, but haven't been able to actually buy a bottle. But now!

There is a wine shop, in San Francisco, that sells German wines...RED WINES!!!

Woo Hoo!

Don't think German Reds exist? Check out this article about German Pinots.

When the Comments are the Best Part

Mental Floss featured an article last week on pomegranates. Not only does it offer a couple of nifty little facts, such as the relationship between pomegranates and grenadine as well hand grenades, but it also offers religious symbolism. The best part, though, is comment #1:

"They now also have pomegranate tequila."

Best. Sentence. Ever.

And it's TRUE!

poo poo on not having the liver capability to rush out and try it right this second

Are People Essentially Good?

Ervin Peretz thinks so. He got so hot and bothered during an argument over the concept, that he decided to try a little experiment to prove his point. That little experiment meant dropping six figures on start up costs for a new coffee shop in Kirkland, Washington called Terra Bite.

How does opening a coffee shop prove that people are inherently good? It doesn't. But not charging people anything and asking them to pay what they feel when they feel they should goes a long way toward providing the necessary evidence. So far, Ervin says, it seems that the people who pay more than enough or making up for those who don't.

You can read the article for yourself at AZ Central.

In Need of a Vacation

We returned from Vegas at about 4am today. We were aiming for 8 or 9pm last night. What held us up? I wish I could say we decided to gamble more, but we left Vegas at 1pm yesterday. We were held up by the massive amount of traffic leaving Vegas on President's Day morning after Chinese New Year and NBA All-Stars Weekend. Traffic was 0-10 mph for the first 200 miles or so, and then we hit another patch that was 0-2 mph for another 20. We drove 18 hours. I'll say that again. 18. hours. driving. in a car together. tired as hell.

It wasn't as horrible as it sounds, though. I enjoy driving and Pete and I had fun hanging out. After five days completely with each other 24/7 I was pretty happy with us just getting along. :) That's a lot of time to be in close quarters with one person--even if you love them dearly. We did quite well.

The trip was amazing. We stayed at Binions downtown instead of on the strip and hit a lot of the outer-lying casinos. Definitely took the opportunity to shop around while we had the car. Here are a few highs and lows from the trip:

hi: staying in a downtown quirky hotel with lots of character on fremont street

lo: plastic mattress covers (eeewww--although I fixed them by adding the covers from one bed under the sheets of the bed on which we were sleeping).

hi: winning my first Vegas hold-em tourney ($35 buy-in for a $300 1st place payout at Excalibur, along with another 4th place $75 payout in the second tourney)

lo: losing it all in video poker

hi: The Price is Right live show!!!

lo: paying extra for a specific type of massage that didn't end up being all that great anyway

hi: the spa facilities at Caesar's Palace - the coolest thing was the arctic ice room (pun totally intended). The room is 55 degrees (and remember you're naked) with heated benches and snow. Very very interesting experience.

lo: crazy amounts of people there for the all-star game

hi: celebrity run-ins: Lots of big tall basketball players and wannabes walking around with skanky girls. Busta Rhymes tour bus passed us on the drive home.

lo: Pete's phone went missing in the Venetian (the very same casino where Pete tore his quad last year). We had walked away and Pete realized it was gone, and when I called it someone answered but wouldn't talk. After they turned the phone off, we reported it stolen. A while later I thought I'd try calling it again and the guy finally answered and actually gave it back to us. I'm not sure that was his original intention, but at least the phone wasn't gone.

hi: FABULOUS food. Dinner at Alize was incredible (Thank you, Pete!!!)--probably one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill was amazing as always. And Red Rock's buffet was one of the best we've seen. Yummy yummy food.

hi: finding THE ring I want!

lo: finding THE ring I want only at Harry Winston.

hi: the tigers and Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden (always my favorite thing)

It really was such a fun trip. I'm so happy to be home, though---and ready to go curl up with our kitty!

Semi-Homemade Cooking?

Anthony Bourdain, although a bit pompous, recognizes Sandra Lee for what she is.

SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped. Her death-dealing can-opening ways will cut a swath of destruction through the world if not contained. I would likely be arrested if I suggested on television that any children watching should promptly go to a wooded area with a gun and harm themselves. What’s the difference between that and Sandra suggesting we fill our mouths with Ritz Crackers, jam a can of Cheez Wiz in after and press hard? None that I can see. This is simply irresponsible programming. Its only possible use might be as a psychological warfare strategy against the resurgent Taliban--or dangerous insurgent groups. A large-racked blonde repeatedly urging Afghans and angry Iraqis to stuff themseles with fatty, processed American foods might be just the weapon we need to win the war on terror.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of half-scratch cooking on weeknights. But the woman is a sorority girl who hasn't grown up and who entertains her sorority sisters by making pink tables full of processed crap--and she's making more money off it than I may ever see in my lifetime. I do think she has a WIDE audience and should be on tv. But I'd expect to see her just before Oprah or after Rachel Ray's new show--not on Food Network. Not that Food Network is what Anthony says it should be anyway. Read his whole rant.

Save the John Barleycorn!

John Barleycorn is Closing!

The John Barleycorn, one of San Francisco's hidden gems for nearly 40 years, is being forced to leave. Luisa Hanson, the new owner of the property at 1500 California Street, the building which houses the Barleycorn, refuses to discuss any renewal of the lease, which expires in June.

Read the whole story and do something about it: www.savethebarleycorn.com

Make sure to read about the history of this place. We can't let it go!!!

And where will I go to have random drunk regulars hit on me in front of a wood-burning fire while eating a Front Room pizza?

We All Need a Drink

So it doesn't belong on the Soundtrack to my Soul, but it does need to be listened to by all--I just heard Terri Clark's new song for the first time:

Turn on the TV
More crime in the streets
More trouble in the middle east
And fires out west

Politicians slingin dirt
Got descension in the church
Another law suit in the works
Man you talk about a mess
Too much tension between miss liberty and the eiffel tower
Its about time we all made up at some big happy hour

I think the world needs a drink
I think enoughs enough
Shes been spinnin around so long i think she's pretty wound up
Calm down, sit back, relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs a drink
I bet we'd get somethin done
Over 2 for ones
Rubbin elbows with the big guns
Wouldn't that be cool?

Call all the rich and the poor
The peace keepers and the warlords
We'll cut some deals over nothing more
Than a shot of 90 proof

There ain't nothin wrong a few cold beers can't iron out
In fact you tell me just when and where and I'll buy the first round
I think the world needs a drink
I think enoughs enough
Shes been spinnin around so long I'd say she's pretty wound up
Let's all calm down sit back relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs a drink
Whoo!
(Instrumental)
Hey let's all calm down sit back relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs,
Dont you think the world needs a couple drinks
I know I do
Yeah thats right

Still a Bibiliophile

My favorite quote from Candy Freak:

Every now and again, I'll run into someone who claims not to liek chocolate or other sweets, and while we live in a country where everyone has the right to eat what they want, I want to say for the record that I don't trust these people, that I think something is wrong with them, and that they're probably--this must be said--total duds in bed.

This book also taught me that yankees don't know about Valomilks, Goo Goo Clusters, or Cherry Mash. How sad for you.

Now I'm on a mission to find Five Star candy bars, because we sure as heck don't have those in southern Missouri.