This One Stands On Its Own

I love the Onion:

Gymnast Shawn Johnson Put To Sleep After Breaking Leg

A Slightly Off-Beat Update

Apologies...the combination of being very busy and well, the Internet not being that interesting over the last week or so...but hey, I'm back. Let's dive right in:

The Maryland Zoo speak half of a million dollars building an escape-proof prairie dog habitat. It took said prairie dogs 10 minutes to prove them wrong. (original link via boingboing)

A good friend of mine produced a short film/documentary about the Kilimanjaro Porters. Go watch it. (I'd embed it, but it deserves the full screen treatment, so click HD before the video starts playing).

I usually make rum punches, well, because I have a lot of rum, and rum and punch go together like...rum and punch. That said, Mother's Ruin Punch is officially on the summer to-do list.

And finally, umm...well...keep that shit at arm's length?

I Seem to Only Update on the Weekends

Ugghh...the Wall Street Journal has discovered food trucks. I have nothing against the WSJ; in fact, their food coverage is actually better than a lot of newspapers. I just don't like it when my local favorite food truck makes their top 10 trucks in the country slideshow.

Mashups are one of things that I'm not sure makes the Internet better. Mostly because an overwhelming number of them suck. Then, every once in a while, one comes a long like this:

You've got to be a real fan (and student) of the original to appreciate the true genius of this mashup. For those of you who don't remember, here's a side by side comparison.

Maybe it's the "new dad" thing and/or maybe I'm just a little busy with work, but am I the only one who missed the whole, "Microsoft has a new search engine called, 'Bing,' thing?" I liked this brief overview of why "the Bing Thing" might be Microsoft's worst idea yet.

How 'Bout 1st Post of June?

Let's see what happens.

Hey, here's a good place to start: screw you, Greenpeace! I mean, really, just fuck off, guys (and gals). Wow, you care about the bluefin tuna, so you staged a protest at Nobu, an incredibly high-end sushi restaurant? Yep, you got your message across there. Really proved a point, didn't you?

Two things, jackasses:

1) Bluefin tuna is yummy.

2) The list of atrocities foisted upon the animal kingdom by--among other villians in this cartoon--factory farming, Monsanto, and the fast food industry is long and detailed. Why don't you park yourself in front of any of these three targets for a while? Lazy. Entitled. Rejects.

Here's a cool piece from the San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic, Michael Bauer, on how to evaluate restaurants. I post this not because I think any of my few readers are ever going to become restaurant critics; rather, it's just an exercise in looking at the whole restaurant before you pass judgment.

Umm...my favorite TV show, burn notice, returns this Thursday, at 9PM on USANetwork.

Okay, so this turned out to be a brief one...

It's Still the Weekend Update

So, two weeks ago, I installed Google Analytics on my website, because, well, I'm a geek, and it seemed more thorough than a simple hit counter. I has NO idea how much fun it is! People visit from the US (of course), but also: France, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Japan, the UK, and Taiwan. Don't get me wrong, that all adds up to about 100 visits to the site in two weeks, but how did you all get here in the first place? I'm not complaining; just profoundly curious.

I think about--and relatedly, write about--food (and drink) a lot. It only gets more significant with the addition of my daughter to my world (look, appropriately trendy book about raising a food-loving daughter). Here's the thing: I know how much my wife and I spend on food, and I'm happy about it. What alarms me is that when you look at the issues of food sustainability and healthy eating, scrape away enough auxiliary issues, and it comes down to money, a fact that more and more people are becoming cognizant of:

Politics of the Plate: The Price is Wrong

Why Are Affluent People Healthier?

Possibly the most interesting part of the argument is an initiative in NY, FRESH (Food Retail Expansion to Support Health). What a crazy idea: lower-income people could eat healthier if they had access to better food. Just adding goat cheese in the dairy aisle does crazy things for the neighborhood, too.

Looks like my favorite author, Ken Bruen, has another film in the works! (via @bustedflushpres)

James Walker over at ESPN runs one of the better looks at the AFC North. I particularly like his take on the news, especially when the jackasses at "Sporting News" ranked Carson Palmer as a better QB than Ben Roethlisberger. His response: "Everyone has their own formula when ranking quarterbacks. For me, overall success and winning are very important, but it's apparent those aspects were not included in these rankings."

I don't often remember to report back on things that make my "must cook" list, but I made David Chang's pork belly this weekend. In lieu of the accompanying steamed buns, we had it as a banh mi, with pickled carrots and English cucumbers, a smear of hoisin, and a squirt of Sriracha. Might be the best home-cooked meal of the year so far...

Mid-Week Update

Yes, we all know stealing is wrong, but when it's done with style, well, it's a cool story. Such is the case with "the new Pink Panther gang," so named by Interpol.

Apparently, in 10 years, I'm in charge. Well, my generation, that is. It's a solid article, but I'm not sure how much more stressful things will get. I think when expectations are more honest at both ends, it'll ultimately be less stressful for all.

In other news, the first trailer for the new movie, "Sherlock Holmes," is up. Go watch it. Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams make for a great cast, and I have new respect for Guy Ritchie as a director, well, since he divorced Madonna.

And...Alan Richman, posted his list of the 25 best pizzas in America. He's not always my favorite food writer, but I actually enjoyed and even agreed with most of the article. Surprisingly, I've also made it to several of the restaurants mentioned, including:

#12 Frank Pepe, New Haven, CT

#18, Al Forno, Providence, RI

I also have to get to a few local joints:

#19, Galleria Umberto, Boston, MA

#23, Santarpio's, Boston, MA

Let's close it out with, "A List of Street Food Vendors Using Twitter."

Restaurant-centric Post

So, last night I had the pleasure of eating at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Since it was on my "to eat" list, it only seems right for me to offer a review, of sorts. First and foremost, I'd go back again...in a heartbeat. David Chang is entitled to each and every bit of praise heaped on his steamed pork belly buns (needless to say, this moved to the top of my "must cook" list). They're a miracle of simplicity, and shockingly good. I made double sure of this, having two orders (four buns). It is exactly as written on the menu: "steamed buns - pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions." Five ingredients (counting the bun), a miracle of simplicity, each ingredient perfect.

Let's back up a second, though. I started off with, "cured hamachi - edamame, horseradish, pea leaves." Very good, a delicate note to start things off. My only quibble might be that the horseradish was slightly strong to my tastes. Overall, though, very good.

Next, "charred squid salad - ginger scallion, mizuna." I've never cooked squid. I've only eaten it a lot. But I do know that the margin for error from a, "please don't turn out with the consistency of rubber bands," perspective can be elusive. They were outside the margin of error on this dish. Good flavors; gummy texture.

Ahh...the "philips brothers country ham (ashboro, nc)." Ssam Bar's take on a charcuterie plate, very thinly sliced ribbons of heirloom ham, served with a mustard-coffee-ham drippings sauce. Outstanding, and a serious order.

Really, the only thing that was a complete disaster for me was the, "lamb tortelloni - spring garlic, swiss chard, almonds." It was just bland, with a texture that was unappetizing.

Overall, I admire what David Chang is doing, and it's not his fault that NYC is best summed up as ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag. I don't recommend going with anymore than one other person, as the restaurant is very small, mostly consisting of one giant communal table, and a few smaller tables. It is one of the hotter restaurants in NYC, and appropriately packed, even at 9pm on a Wednesday night.

In somewhat related news, Frank Bruni, the restaurant critic at the New York Times, is moving on. The search for a replacement is always fun to follow. He did a hell of a lot better than most people thought he would five years ago. It'll be interesting to see who they get to replace him.

Found a recipe for home-made Sriracha sauce via @myersandchang, which I'm anxious to try. Perfect addition to the spring fridge.

What? Two Posts in One Weekend?

I'm not a fan of math. That's why I was a writing major in college. (Note: this blog stands as the sum total of the utility of my major.) That said, New Math...that I can handle. (via the guys at Freakonomics)

Today is Mother's Day. When I was younger, and drank heavily on the weekends, this would have appealled to me.

In a lot of ways, it's "just" a variation on a daiquiri, but the "Captain's Blood" cocktail (via The Essential Bartender's Guide) is a great vehicle for appreciating a fine rum:

2 oz. rum

0.5 oz. lime juice

0.5 oz. simple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

-shake with ice and strain

I've also started playing around with Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's, (don't know why I thought it was his) "Sea of Cortez":

1.5 oz. blanco tequila

1 oz. lime juice

0.75 oz. creme de cassis

0.25 oz. orange curacao

-shake with ice and strain

This is great as is, but it's also fun to substitute rum for the tequila, and maybe add a dash of Angostura bitters. Or you can combine the two ideas, in a Sangre de Agave.

So, folks, yes, two posts in one weekend.

Truly Random Friday

Okay, I'm done with apologizing for the slight lack of updates. The world is busy and stupid.

Wolfram Alpha: a "computational knowledge engine," and apparently, the first thing in a long while that could challenge Google's supremacy on the Net. At least, so saith The Daily Beast. Of course, they call it the "Google killer." The folks at Google probably refer to it as, "our next purchase."

Bring Yuengling to New England. It's an online petition. Go sign it.

My daughter "inherited" a Bisney (that's not a typo; they scare me) coat from an unnamed relative. Can someone please tell me what that leaf looks like to them?

Funny...I thought Bisney's sense of humor was more subtle.

FOOD

You know, when it comes to political voting, deal breaker issues include(d) things like:

1) abortion

2) taxes

You might consider adding FOOD to that list. For that matter, going forward, FOOD might trump all other "deal breaker" issues when it comes to voting. This is mostly because if we don't make FOOD our #1 deal breaker issue when it comes to voting (and relatedly, how we spend our money), we'll probably be too damn fat, sick, and/or dead to be concerned with anything else.

Coming to a theater near you, on June 12, 2009, Food, Inc.:

Probably a good time to also mention two local food highlights for my Boston area readers:

1) Pickles and maple syrup this Sunday.

2) Stillman's Meat CSA.