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Post by artraveler on Jun 21, 2019 18:52:47 GMT -8
In 2010 my best girl and I took a trip from Fayetteville to Muir Woods CA drove along the coast and back. We were in Sacramento and I told my lady we were having lunch at the CIA. She kind of mumbled ok. The drive from Sacramento to Napa Valley is a little over two hours. Imagine her surprise when we drove into the (C)ulinary (I)nstitute of (A)merica. She later confessed that she had been expecting to have lunch in a government cafeteria.
We had fresh halibut with rice and vegetables. The fish was perfect and the location, overlooking the Napa Valley was gorgeous. Wine and coffee brought the total bill to about $70 + tip. In all a perfect meal in a unique location with a lovely lady.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 22, 2019 8:32:36 GMT -8
That's a great memory. And fish cooked to perfection by a pro is unlike anything we can typically achieve at home. I had some blackened tuna once at a mid-fancy restaurant. It was delicious, unlike any conception of tuna that I had ever had.
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Post by artraveler on Jun 23, 2019 12:16:15 GMT -8
On the same trip we had dinner at Scoma's on the wharf in SF. My lady had fish and I had their famous
chipanno still the best on the West Coast.
SF has become a third world country and I have no desire to return, but there are some great memories from the 70s on.
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Post by timothylane on Jun 23, 2019 12:35:02 GMT -8
We visited San Francisco for a day trip up from Monterey in 1960, but I don't remember all that much about it. I would assume we visited Fisherman's Wharf and maybe even had a meal there. I do know that we toured some of the hills, saw some things (such as Alcatraz) at a distance, and attended a game in then-new Candlestick Park.
One interesting thing I can recall from a meal by first night in the Orlando area when I attended Magicon in 1992 was a jumbo shrimp cocktail -- the charge was a dollar a shrimp. (There was a wedding reception at a cousin's home in Sweeden that once also features those jumbo shrimp -- perhaps actually prawns.) Sadly, I don't recall what restaurant it was.
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Post by lynda on Jun 23, 2019 14:05:08 GMT -8
I'm going to mix my metaforums here to say that I had Plantain Chips and trail mix for lunch yesterday (we mentioned two types of edible plantain under The Garden Club) at lower Lena Lake in the Olympic Mountains of Washington. It was a 10 mile round-trip, and my third attempt to reach the lake (the first two trips having been aborted by others traveling in my pack). The third time was the charm, elevating this meager fare to celebratory status.
The trip was somewhat of a survival quest for three mid-century-classic ladies. We hiked switchback trails up the mountain through thick evergreen forest for almost 2000 feet to reach Lena Lake. The lake was formed 1300 years ago when an earthquake dislodged many acres of house-sized rock chunks from the mountain looming above, which blocked the valley through which Lena Creek (small river) runs. The trail passes over and among these moss covered giants. This is my favorite part of the journey, because the force which caused this unusual landscape is so ominous, it echoes down through the ages making me feel very tiny, and short-lived like the vapor shrouding the mountains around me. There is a log footbridge at the creek-crossing below the lake. And, although you can hear the creek raging downstream, the creekbed is dry. Here, I ventured off-trail and across a bridge of roots and boulders to a precipice above the dry creek. From that vantage I could see the torrent emerging from its subterranean cavern. How spectacular! Imagine how vast this epic 1300 year old gravel dump was, that the sediment since deposited by the erosive forces has not been enough to bring the creek to the surface until hundreds of verticle feet below the outlet of the lake. The visible creekbed most likely serves as drainage for spring snowmelt.
We finally made it back down the mountain, even though the forest service had doubled the length of the trail and increased the steepness while we were lunching at the lake. This hike was definetly one for the memory (and record) books. So, since I snacked on trail mix intermittently along the trail, in addition to my plantain lunch, then I'm calling this entire venture a Good Meal in an Interesting Place.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 26, 2024 9:17:24 GMT -8
If this old coot isn't a great piece of Americana, I don't know what is:
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 26, 2024 9:36:53 GMT -8
100% agree. I have watched several of his videos. In fact, in one of those videos I saw a recipe which my father would make for us from time to time. I had never seen it made anywhere else and never knew what it was called, but this man called it Hoover Stew. It consisted of elbow noodles, canned peeled tomatoes, chopped onions, salt and pepper and some ground beef. If one was rolling in money one could add some sausage. I still love this stew simple as it is. Mdm. Flu will make it sometimes, but she always adds too much stuff to it to make it better. I don't want it "better." I want it the way my father made it.
By the way, that old coot's wife is about 25-30 years younger than he is and is a real looker. I believe she handles all the filming and business side. Both the old coot and my father came from Oklahoma.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 26, 2024 11:00:35 GMT -8
My father and his two brothers longed to relive their maternal childhood bliss through potato pancakes. At least two of the older brothers would playfully pester their wives to make them. And the wives would talk about having to grudgingly give in now and again. The idea of "potato pancakes" sounding horrible to them, I guess. More likely they didn't like being compared (and implicitly not favorably) to Mother. Yes, I can understand wanting to recreate that dish as-is. I was going through my mother's old recipes the other day and there's something in there called "Hollywood Chop Suey" that he wants me to do. I liked it too. Haven't had it since...well, since mother made it. It has nothing to do with Chinese. It's basically rice, celery, onion, and sausage baked as a casserole with a little grated cheese on top. Simple, really. I promise not to try to make it "better."  But the temptation is always there. |
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 26, 2024 11:34:08 GMT -8
While living in Singapore, I had a German friend from Hamburg who loved potato pancakes. We visited his mother a couple of times over the years and she would always cook potato pancakes. Let me tell you, potato pancakes are delicious. 
Heh, that was an honest handle. Everything coming out of Hollywood is not what it appears to be. |
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 27, 2024 9:27:34 GMT -8
I'll let you know how the Hollywood Chop Suey turns out when I do it. And I'll post the recipe in case Mdm. Kung wishes to condescend to try such a humble and weird recipe.
Speaking of Chinese, here's Cowboy Kent making fried rice with some Chinese guy. It may take a while to warm to him but he does have a good sense of humor.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 27, 2024 10:25:39 GMT -8
I've coincidentally watched a few videos by Pailin's Kitchen. She seems to know what she's doing, but what do I know?
Anyway, speaking of Uncle Roger, I guess his shtick is reviewing cooking shows on YouTube. And it would be no surprise that many of them are horrible.
So he reviews Pailin's Kitchen here. How will he judge her? Spoiler: "It's a rare treat to see Uncle Roger so impressed. His only complaint was having too little to complain about."
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 27, 2024 11:11:14 GMT -8
I will pass it on to her and see.
You are right, it takes time to warm to him. I felt he was acting. I did notice that he spoke English like a Chinese from Malaysia or Singapore. They have a particular lilt in their speech. There can even be a slight difference between the speech of a Malaysian Chinese and Singaporean Chinese, but I can no longer discern this as I have been away so long.
A couple of comments as to fried rice.
1. The store they went to was Vietnamese. There is a lot of crossover between Vietnamese and Chinese food, but I suspect much of it is due to the fact that millions of Cantonese Chinese settled in Vietnam over the centuries. Most of the "Boat People" were Cantonese Chinese who the Vietnamese threw out.
2. Fried rice is best made with day-old rice. The somewhat dried out rice does not stick together as a result.
3. Too many Chinese cooks use MSG, and despite Uncle Roger's claim, many people have problems if they eat it. Rashes are a common result. A good cook does not need to use MSG.
4. While the sausage they use is ok, the sausage below is what I have always seen used in fried rice, as well as a number of other Chinese dishes. It is much thinner that the one Cowboy Kent uses.
By the way, I checked on Uncle Roger and his is a Malaysian Chinese who, though highly educated, now sees himself as a comedian and has his own webpage. Apparently, he has something like 9 million subscribers and over 1.5 billion views. The world never ceases to amaze. |
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 27, 2024 11:53:02 GMT -8
I watched the video and Uncle Roger is 100% correct in his review. He rightly comes down hard on Rachel Ray and Jamie Oliver. I cannot stand either of them. Ray is no cook and Oliver is phony as a three dollar bill.
Uncle Roger is laying on the Malay-Chinese English accent a bit thick, but that seems to be his thing.
He is correct about fork and spoon vs. chopsticks. I have my own personal chopsticks and mainly use them when eating from a small bowl. (These are like our bowls) When eating from a plate, fork and spoon are normal.
By the way, we have three or four garlic chive plants in our back yard. Easy to go and cut off some for fresh cooking.
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 27, 2024 12:04:27 GMT -8
While on the subject of Asian food, I thought it might interest you to know that each cuisine, Japanese, Korean and Chinese have their own distinct type of chopsticks. See below.
While there are variations, the above three examples are a good indication of what I mean. Years ago, I used very formal metal Korean chopsticks which are different from those above. They were extremely difficult to use and Koreans liked to see foreigners fumble around with them. In my case, they picked the wrong foreigner as I had no problem with them. The Koreans were at first disappointed, but then they praised my dexterity.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 27, 2024 18:03:52 GMT -8
I need to transcribe my mother's recipe card anyway. It's too hard to read. So here's the recipe:
Hollywood Chop Suey
Ingredients:
1 onion (presumably a white onion)
1 green pepper
3 stalks of celery
1-1/2 lb. link sausage
1 can chicken with rice soup (presumably Campbell's)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 (soup) cans of water
1 cup uncooked rice
Salt and pepper (no amounts listed)
Grated cheese (What kind? I have no idea, but I'm guessing cheddar.)
Instructions:
1) Fry chopped onion, green pepper, and celery (but don't brown).
2) Add cut sausage (about ¾" long pieces) and fry (and don't brown)
3) Pour off the grease and add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese)
4) Bake covered in a moderate oven (300-325?) for about 45 minutes (stir after 25 minutes)
5) Add grated cheese on top and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes at 350.
It's amazing how much is not written down in terms of the specific instructions. But there may be some conventions of which I am not aware. For example, what is a "moderate oven"? I've found several sources that say it is 350-375. But because there is that final temptation of 350 for the last 15 minutes (which is listed specifically), I'm guessing that "moderate" may have been 300-325.
And I don't know what kind of sausage is "link sausage." Is that just regular breakfast sausage? I think it is. And one must remember the context for this recipe. It's meant to feed a family of four to six on a budget. One could certainly substitute better ingredients where desired.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 27, 2024 18:55:51 GMT -8
There was an article at American Thinker two days ago. It wasn't very well written but it was lamenting the ubiquity of the f-bomb.
I fell in love with Pailin's Kitchen after only one video. She's my kind of Asian. Gorgious. But it turns out that she is married. But I give her much credit for her nice mixture of serious expertise, entertainment, and class. And zero vulgarity.
I get the Uncle Roger is funny. I get that Joe Rogan (and his type) are where it's at now. Loud, brash, and foul-mouthed. However, if I was interviewing Elon Musk (as Rogan has done, and I watched it the other day) I would treat him with the greatest respect. I would not be dropping gratuitous f-bombs nor saying things (as he did) like "that would make me shit my pants." These are adults?
The Vulgarians are ruling the roost right now. Class, understatement, and just good manners are fringe commodities.
Still, one can make the choice of joining the sewer or, instead, putting on galoshes. You can wade in the excrement or you can make a conscious decision not to. There are billions of views to be won by being a Vulgarian. But what immediately popped into my mind while thinking about this was something from the Sermon on the Mount: The meek shall inherit the earth.
One assumes by that that God Almighty is not a Vulgarian. That's heartening. There are things more important in the world than getting views and "likes" from Cretans.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 27, 2024 18:59:28 GMT -8
That made me think of this:
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 27, 2024 20:14:36 GMT -8
I do believe we have discussed this in some detail before. Standards drop in democracies, be they in film, writing, art or politics. I am convinced the drop is worsened by the decline in religious belief.
As to politics, we are at a point where the vulgar ( I loved that word when I first read it in Shakespear's Julius Caesar) believe that there is no need for deference to anyone for anything. Superior morals, intellect, work, results, care for family and friends? Meh. No one is better regardless. A whore of a woman on welfare with five illegitimate bastards is just as good as a woman who is married and takes care of her family while staying true to her husband. A dick of an athlete who has eight illegitimate children from five different woman, who doesn't pay for, much less visit his children is equal to a father of four who works two jobs to take care of his family. Vulgar is the norm. One cannot even give off the hint of being superior as to do so offends the plebs.
This is a big part of the reason for Trump's popularity. He is a billionaire as vulgar and bombastic as much of the rest of the population. He connects with them in ways that your standard politician cannot. I am convinced much of Trump's spiel/schtick is an act. The Trump who got up after being shot, raised his fist and said "fight, fight, fight" is the real Trump as far as I can see. An unrehearsed sign of true superiority.
While the populace has always been vulgar to some degree or other, politicians were expected to be better. Even if we knew they weren't perfect, they at least gave us the illusion of being better. This illusion has disappeared like smoke in a tornado. The smooth-talking, polite, good mannered, reassuring politicians are trusted by few today. Perhaps their lies and cheating have become so enormous that many people finally had to wake up to the truth.
These are the people who have developed a unique relationship with Trump. They couldn't give a shit about other Repukelicans and would not have come out to vote for a DeSantis or Halley. This is clearly discernible from the way down-ticket Repukelican candidates performed worse than Trump.
Trump's connection to the people was very clear to me already in 2022 at the very latest. I was amazed that supposedly intelligent politicos like DeSantis could not see this and decided to run against him, which I warned against.
We are in the age of vulgar politics and that age is ruled by Trump. I do not see another Repukelican who can fill his place, so I hope he gets a lot done in the next 2-4 years.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2024 8:04:04 GMT -8
As well you should be convinced. It's as simple as:
Christian Religion = restraining urges and heightening truth, goodness, and beauty. Their is a golden path, a better way, an optimal outcome, a true effort, something that is worthy and something that is unworthy.
Progressive/Materialist Religion = no restraints, and no discriminating between what is good, true and beautiful (leading to the de facto elevation of the ugly). As you will hear idiot yutes (and grown-ups) unwittingly say: "It's all good." Yes, it's true that in the immediate sense it is meant as, "No problem" or "No harm, no foul," that sort of thing. But I think it explicitly evokes the reigning Zeitgeist that you mentioned: We shall make no distinctions: "A whore of a woman on welfare with five illegitimate bastards is just as good as a woman who is married and takes care of her family while staying true to her husband."
Trump is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. For me, the jury is still out. My "canary in the coalmine" is if, or when, he sees Elon Musk's popularity as taking away from his own and begins to put him down. Then we will see if Trump really has been wizened by his experiences.
Of course, if that comes to happen, all his supporters will dump on Musk as they dump on anyone else that Trump deems lesser. But most of his department and cabinet picks seem to show that he has learned something about his opponents. It's not enough to just think you can schmooze these guys. They must be defeated and replaced. And he does, at least for the moment, seem to be holding to the latter view.
As for the true Trump, I suppose it's true what they say that adversity reveals character. Yes, he's a fighter. That is for sure. But he has (it seems to me) always been a very self-centered and spoiled egotist up until now, and not a true (and necessary) ideologue or political strategist. Did getting shot change that? Did the lawsuits, the overt attempts by a Marxist religious crusade to circumvent all law, honor, and decency, change him? I suppose, how could it not to some extent?
But, yes, the coalition he has built of the "everyman" is one that has embraced Bubba, the bombastic, and brashness. Those who follow my line of thinking might rightly see this as embracing the masculine qualities. Good women are attracted to those qualities, as are men. And Trump saw significant gains across the board in various demographics.
There are all kinds of dynamics going on, including wokeness-fatique. But Trump did the one thing we have been counseling RINOs and Republicans to do for ages: Don't apologize for having different views. Contrast yourself with the enemy, don't try to please them by adopting their ideas. Even ridicule them. Trump did that. And he won.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2024 8:22:41 GMT -8
It's funny, because it took years and many election cycles before the conservative base got wise to the RINOs. McCain and Romney where the culmination of this futility and ushered in Trump (or at least the possibility of a more Teddy Rooseveltian character).
Time and again Republicans at least aped tough-talking language only to prove to be simpering, collaborationist wimps once elected. But the base did wise up...something the Republican Establishment has never done. This establishment (so far as I can tell) is being replaced at the very top of the Republican organization. And they have to be replaced because there is no reforming them. They were never, ever our friend.
So, yes, given the bad taste in our mouths of the Romney types, there is some hangover effect to this that the "real" and "sincere" must be wrapped in the vulgar and crass. So be it. Whatever it takes.
You're probably right that DeSantis can do more good as governor of Florida. But he never, ever deserved the scorn that Trump or his minions cast on him. Trump has gotten better because he has adopted more of the steely ideological guiding-star quality of DeSantis.
Trump has always been a lying ass who can't be trusted. Politics were about glorifying himself. But I do think he learned something substantial from the de-facto revolutionary and illegal attempts to either sideline him or kill him. This is, from all appearances, not the Trump of old.
And I would have gladly taken DeSantis rather than the Trump of old. Long have we both (I think) counseled for a true Trump 2.0. And we seem to have that, taking the best of the old Trump (the willingness to oppose the Left rhetorically) with the 2.0 aspect (to oppose them materially). The question is whether the lesser angles of his nature will corrupt or sidetrack him. I'm not optimistic. But, again, he does seem to have appointed/nominated many cats to be set amongst the Deep State pigeons.
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But the temptation is always there.
