Tag, You're It!

I was recently tagged for a meme by the lovely Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. Deb has delicious recipes and great photography on her blog and is far better at I am at showing people little bits of Hawaii - while she's only been blogging since April, she's been in Hawaii for seven years, making her a fabulous resource! Not only that, she's super prolific and her blog is a joy to read, so it's always fun to see what new she has to say nearly every day.

I discovered Deb's blog while looking for Hawaii food blogs and I'm so glad I did - it's been wonderful getting to know her! I haven't participated in a meme in quite some time, especially with my almost year-long hiatus from blogging while I finished up my degree, so I guess you know you're back in the swing of things when they start coming around to you again! It's been really fun discovering new blogs and I always enjoy reading everyone's answers. Thanks for tagging me, Deb! You can read Deb's meme answers here.

1. Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?
Batman...on the Friday when it opened. No, I didn't dress up. But I thought about it. For about 2 seconds.

2. What Book Are You Reading? 1) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, 2) Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, and next on the list is The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen (yes, I realize that I am probably the only foodie on the planet that hasn't read it yet, but I haven't ever seen the movie Trainspotting yet either...somehow when you miss the first boat, the second is a long time coming!). I don't know if I've ever mentioned my book fetish...maybe it's better to keep something to yourself? So many books to read...so little time.

3. Favorite Board Game? You know you've finally become your parents when one of your favorite past-times is inviting your friends over for board games...it might be even worse when you start inviting your neighbors over because you just have to find someone to play with you! I love board games! Our most recent indulgence has been a fair amount of Parcheesi, but I also love Apples to Apples, Go to the Head of the Class and any other game that I can beat LB at playing.

4. Favorite Magazine?
I'm with Debbie here: Donna Hay -- food porn at its finest!

5. Favorite Smells? Fresh, outdoor air - be it at the beach or the mountains. And that after-rain earthy smell. Coconut, vanilla, freshly baked bread.

6. Favorite Sounds?
ocean waves, laughter, tropical birds (only past 7 AM).

7. Worst Feeling In The World?
feeling like I've disappointed or failed someone I care about.

8. First Thing You Think of When You Wake?
"It's too early and I don't want to be awake yet - must. go. back. to. sleep!"

9. Favorite Fast Food Place?
I don't eat at fast food places. But I would (and have) eat(en) at Burgerville.

10. Future Child’s Name?
I wouldn't want to jinx 'em! Picking a kid's name is serious business too. I have a theory that your kid turns into what you name them. You have to be careful about that!

11. Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,"
I would open my own gourmet food store/deli.

12. Do You Drive Fast? In my opinion, no, but I have been called "lead-foot" by various people in my life...

13. Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
Does LB count?

14. Storms—cool or scary?
Cool, unless they are really bad storms that cause a lot of chaos. Safe but big storms: cool, especially if there is thunder and lightning.

15. What Was Your First Car?
My 1st car had a name: The Piece. It was a Nissan Pulsar. I had it for 6 months and was only able to drive it for 2 of those six months because it was broken down the rest of the time. I sold it to a guy; and on the way home, the transmission went out on him. I also accidentally pushed it into a ditch once. But that's another story.

16. Favorite Drink?
Coconut Mojito! Oh, did you mean non-alcoholic? Right now, I'd have to go with coconut water. I'm new to Hawaii: all this coconut stuff is still novel! Plus, it's fat free and cholesterol free and all that good stuff, but still tastes decadent.

17. Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…"
travel all over the world, eating and drinking and laughing. (Guess I would need money for all of that too.)

18. Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?
Not usually, but strangely, lately I've been debating that very question.

19. If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?
I like my hair color! But sometimes I would change it from curly to straight just to try something different (and because curly hair is a pain in the ass when it's humid).

20. Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived - Grand Junction & Fort Collins, Colorado; Seward, Alaska; Monterey, California; Coos Bay & Eugene, Oregon; Kaneohe, Hawaii.

21. Favorite Sport to Watch? Not a huge TV sports fan (live sports are entirely different), but probably basketball or football IF it's a team that I have some reason for loyalty to a particular team (ie. it's LBs favorite or from my home town/state of Colorado - and home town/state wins over LB's favorite if they are playing each other). I can also dig on baseball during the world series, IF it's a team I have some reason for loyalty to also (ie. see above).

22. One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You She lives on the same island as I do out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Plus, it looks like she makes amazing food and I want to convince her to be my new friend. ;)

23. What’s Under Your Bed?
Dog hair. Lots and lots and lots of dog hair. I don't go under there; it may have developed its own personality by now and I'm afraid I'd lose a hand or an arm if I stuck it under there.

24. Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?
Um...only if I had a recollection of all of the things I have been through in this life already...and if I didn't have to relive some of the them.

25. Morning Person or Night Owl?
Neither, really. I like to sleep at least 9 hours, but my clock has been all screwed up since I moved here and now I wake up at 6 AM and I'm exhausted by 10 PM - still trying to shift it over. It's embarrassing to be 30 and yawning at 9:30 PM.

26. Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
Over medium! NO runny whites and there has to be enough toast or crispy potatoes to hold up against the ratio of runny yolk.

27. Favorite Place to Relax?
The beach, baby! With a chair and a good book. Or drinking wine with friends.

28. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Anything with lots of "goodies" or chunks in it. And it has to have chocolate in it somewhere.

29. Of All the People You Have Tagged, Who Is the Most Likely to Respond First?
Good question.

Whew! Now the *fun* part of the meme - tagging 4-5 other bloggers. And I really appreciated Deb letting me know she had tagged me, so I'm going to do the same for my tagged bloggers!

I'm tagging:

1. Nerissa, from Deetsa's Diningroom. Nerissa is currently exploring France with her husband and prince, The Frog, (go read her incredibly rich descriptions of the food and experiences she's having there!)and has been a long-time blog friend...so hopefully she'll forgive me for tagging her and giving her something more to do when she gets back. (xoxo Nerissa!).
2. Melissa at Gluten Free For Good. Melissa is a nutrition expert and her blog is full of beautiful photography and helpful information. Although I see that she is embarking on a trip soon, I'd love to learn more about her and hopefully she won't mind a meme when she gets back!
3. Dawn at Colorado Foodie. Both Dawn and Melissa live in Colorado, so they're my connections to home. Dawn started her blog at the same time I did and she's been away lately and I've been missing her blog, so hopefully the meme will get her going again!
4. Paz at the Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz. It's been amazing watching the evolution of Paz, both in her cooking ability (she claims she started as a novice) and her photography and her site is simply beautiful. She also takes time out on Mondays to show her readers around New York. Having never been there myself, it's fun to see this place through her eyes! ** update: oh no! Paz is recovering from surgery, so this tag will have to wait...I hope you have a speedy recovery, Paz!
   

Inspiration from a Butterfly

I was recently tagged for a meme by Paz, a cooking novice like myself (but growing by leaps and bounds) from the other coast and author of the fabulous New York City blog, The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz. The meme is The Butterfly Effect Meme, and to avoid any kitchen poxes that may come forth from not participating in a timely manner, here it is!

The Butterfly Effect Meme asks you to name food items or events that changed your foodie life. Specifically you are asked to recall “an item, person, event, or place” that affected you profoundly – something that created a moment you can look back at and say “that was a defining moment.” It doesn’t have to be “big, splashy” things. Instead, it can be something “small and simple” – something that changed the way you view the world.

These are the categories:
1. An ingredient
2. A dish, a recipe
3. A meal (in a restaurant, a home, or elsewhere)
4. A cookbook or other written work
5. A food “personality” (chef, writer, etc.)
6. Another person in your life

An ingredient:
A single ingredient that has changed my life? Now, that's tough. Not to deviate from the meme (does that qualify me for a pox too?!), but I don't think that I could name just one...I think just as the experiences of eating different foods in certain places or certain things were what stood out to me when trying to name "5 things to eat before you die" for that meme, I think that there has not been so much a single ingredient that has launched the foodie inside as the taste of quality ingredients...like farmer's market vegetables, soft and tender vanilla beans, spicy tellicherry peppercorns, fragrant freshly ground spices, and varieties of things like spices and chocolates from different countries that taste of the different environments they came from. I love this simply because it's like exploring the world through food the way that it should be, and it makes the experience of eating that much more of an adventure and far more fulfilling because sometimes there's no need to cook elaborate meals or dishes because you want to be able to taste each ingredient. This has also moved me away from just using all convenient foods as now I've learned to make several things from scratch...and I must say, they taste far better when I know I've "labored" over them (compare whipped cream to cool whip, for example, or homemade bread), and beyond that, I rather enjoy the labor! Quality ingredients and my love of food and cooking have also helped me stock my pantry over the last couple of years so that I always have most of what I need for recipes I want to try, which has made cooking easy and more affordable month by month.

A dish, a recipe:
Two words: Chicken stock. I had never made my own chicken stock before I started reading blogs and letting myself fall in love with food and cooking. Now I make it often, especially this time of year when it's cold and rainy outside and my body craves comfort foods. I save chicken carcasses, or when I can afford it, buy whole chickens just for stock. Once it has simmered away on the stove for hours scenting the house with its delicious fragrance, cooled and been skimmed free of fat, then I freeze it in aliquots (that's the scientist in me - I mean "portions"), and use it often. Now, I have even done it so many times that I don't have to get out books or recipes to make it (those of you who have been reading here for a while know the weight of that remark!). I love just throwing things together in the morning and waiting patiently for the fruits of my labor. Plus, it's inspired me to try other things that I would have bought at the store but now can make at home - like marshmallows!

A meal:
I've already written about this in the last meme I wrote: my birthday meal in Puerto Vallarta, where LB and I threw caution, and money (yikes!), to the wind and shared an extravagant and incredible meal at a cliffside restaurant. We tasted an exquisite fois gras, just how it should be served - thanks to our French waitor (go figure, eh?) - with Sauternes. We sipped cocktails and wine and the restaurant even ended up giving us a free dessert because they could tell how excited we were and how we purposefully taking our time to enjoy every course and learn as we went. It was worth every penny (we split the cost) and every moment of that evening with my LB was the perfect birthday present. Second to this meal would have to be my solitary breakfast of sustainable caviar in the Ferry Street Building in San Francisco, California, written about here. Both meals were presented beautifully, made of excellent ingredients and eaten mindfully - the experience, the food, and my surroundings were all important in making them memorable...and increasing my desire to have more of them!

A cookbook or other written work:
When LB and I first met, he didn't cook much. Not that he didn't enjoy cooking, nor have a few good recipes up his sleeve (mmm...his mom's apple pie), but he and our current roommate lived together like the bachelor's they were. Did I ever mention that my roomie eats mostly microwaveable meals? :) But LB liked making meals for me, and complained that he didn't have recipes - his cookbooks were limited and didn't contain recipes for simple things, like just plain, hearty, delicious pork roast, for instance. So we went on a mission - we went to our favorite bookstore here, Smith Family Bookstore, scoured the shelves for cookbooks and found The Joy of Cooking, and it's been a member of our own little family of cookbooks ever since...and we both use it so often and have loved it so well that it's become lovingly tattered and spotted with various cooking experiments over the years. I love it! You can find recipes for almost anything in there - even cactus paddles, which LB brought home (with an enormously cute smile) one day and we had to figure out what to do with them, and it's become a trusted friend whenever I have a cooking question.

A food personality:
I'd have to say here that Alice Waters is probably the one food personality that I admire most. I love her philosophy on food, on eating, on restaurants, and on how children should learn about food (Edible Schoolyard). She promotes fresh, organic food, small farmers, Slow eating, and so many other things and programs that I believe in and full-heartedly support when it comes to food. Her cookbooks also have amazingly delcious recipes (well, the one I have anyway - Chez Panisse Vegetables).

Another person in your life:
I'd like to have come up with this one first, but full credit goes to Paz: other food bloggers. I knew I liked to cook and enjoyed food, but from the first day when I discovered food blogs out here in cyberspace, you've been here with me, dear readers...encouraging me, supporting me, giving me hints and tips about things I'm cooking. You come by, leave your comments to brighten my day, and inspire me to no end with all of the amazing food that you post about on your own sites. I love learning about each of you and from you - your cooking, your histories, your cultures and experiences. You're really the people that have changed my cooking, watched it grow and helped me to become a better cook in general (from novice to amateur perhaps?!)...and I keep posting here because of you. In addition, many of you have become my friends, and I will always be thankful and grateful to have each you in my life.

A butterfly lights beside us, like a sunbeam...
and for a brief moment it's glory
and beauty belong to our world...
but then it flies on again, and although
we wish it could have stayed,
we are so thankful to have seen it at all.

Author Unknown

Now it's your turn - this meme has been going on a while, so I'm not sure who has done it or who hasn't. If you haven't participated yet, please do!

For now, I'm going to tag: (only if you have time, of course)
Vickie, of The Moveable Feast Food Blog
Nerissa, of Deetsa's Diningroom
Anna, of Sunday Night Dinners
and Natalia, of From Our Kitchen

It's all about the Experience

Natalia, of the wonderful blog From Our Kitchen, long ago (in fact, I'm probably the last food blogger out there now!) tagged me for the meme, "Five Things to Eat Before You Die" for the Food Blogger's Guide to the Globe. When I looked around to see other blogger's answers (you can see the entire list here on Melissa's fantastic blog, The Traveler's Lunchbox) and began thinking about about foods that I would want to recommend to others, I found that my list was composed of foods that weren't only spectacular in their own right, but centered mostly around the experience I had had while I enjoyed them. To me, it seemed that the atmosphere that surrounded my consumption of them, even just the time and the place and the feelings that were evoked by my memories of them, and the people that I shared them with, that made them special and stand out in my mind. So, without further adieu, here is my list of Five Things to Eat Before You Die...or at least, five experiences I'd love for you to have in your lifetime...

#1. Eat a Palisade peach, from Palisade, Colorado. Yes, they have peaches in Colorado (wine too, actually, and some of it is quite good). Drive out to the countryside in Palisade and choose yourself a local peach farmer who picked the fruit themselves and has been doing it for years and years, and will hand you entire peaches to taste and enjoy while you determine if you'd like to buy them. Feel the weight of the peach in your hands. Notice that it's almost too large to fit in a single palm. Notice how beautiful it is, how beautiful the entire box is; without a single bruise or blemish, and with a full covering of soft, gentle fuzz. Notice that you can tell that it's perfectly ripe, right now, just by the weight of it, the smell of it, and the way it feels in your hand - even without having to squeeze it.

If at all possible, do this while sitting on the porch of your childhood home, lazing around in your pajamas and staring out at the empty fields behind your house while remembering the times you and your brother adventured together when you were young - braving the waters, the dirt, the bugs, the treehouse and the cornfields off in the distance. Feel the warmth of the morning sun on your shoulders and the cool, crisp desert air kissing your skin. Let the juices run down your arms and over your lips, make your fingers sticky, and tumble down into the paper towel on your lap. Do this slowly, languorously, with as much slurping and licking your fingers as possible, and without a care in the world if someone will see you.

#2. Go to a bar in Spain. Any bar that will offer you a selection of tapas - usually there will be large legs of their exquisitely cured ham, or jamon (I do speak some Spanish, so pretend there are accents in the appropriate places for the duration of this paragraph...I just don't know how to do them on html!), hanging above the bar. Don't go to a fancy bar. Just choose one where you see lots of locals. Do this around 8 or 9 PM, as things don't get started until late here. Do this with someone you love talking to (always travel with someone you love to talk to!). Order a plate of jamon iberico. Since it's difficult (if not almost ridiculously expensive) to get a taste of this wonderful ham in the United States, just the feeling of being rebellious will add to the flavor of the meat if you're from here. Watch the bartender slice razor thin slices of your jamon from an entire hog leg held in a vice behind the bar, hooves and all, before he or she brings you your treat. Add to this a bit of quince paste, a little manchego viejo, some Spanish olives and perhaps a glass of house wine or sherry from Jerez.

After you've sipped your wine and tasted the tender, slightly musty and salty meat, look around the bar. Notice the people and the conversations happening around you. Relish in your own friends and the conversations you share with them. Take your time to do this. Just taste, sip, and talk for as long as you can. Follow this experience with a few hours of dinner and conversation before spending the night away dancing at the various night clubs that surround you. Ward off your hangover the next day by dipping hot, crispy, slightly greasy churros into a steaming pool of chocolate and enjoying a lengthy cup of excellent cafe con leche.


#3. Eat freshly caught halibut, pulled from the icy cold waters off the shores of Alaska only hours earlier, by you or someone you care about. Go to Seward or Homer, Alaska, and book yourself a charter boat. Choose your captain carefully, and you'll pleasantly find your deckhands are almost always enjoyable and helpful. Dress for the weather, taking all precautions to avoid getting seasick (trust me on this one), and spend 8 hours in the crisp Alaskan air deep-sea fishing and gazing out at the mountains, which actually do touch the sea. Listen to the seabirds and watch for whales, bears and other wildlife in the ecosytems surrounding you. Notice the ice-cold brilliant blue of the glaciers slowly cutting jagged scars into the mountains. You'll more than likely catch your limit (2) of this mild, lovely fish and while the younger, smaller ones taste better, the large ones are also quite delicious (and are far more impressive a catch).

When you feel a slight tug, jerk up gently, and start reeling in. Feel your muscles rebel against the weight of the fish (which can be up to 500 lbs!), the tension on the line, and the tons of water beneath you as you coax your fish upward. It will begin to fight as it reaches closer to the surface - so hang on! Once your fish is on the boat, and your muscles (or at least the deckhand's, or perhaps, Dad's) are spent, revel in the glory of winning this fight. When you get home, take a fresh fillet - cut it into chunks, dip it in beer batter made with a local Alaskan brew, and deep fry it until it's golden brown. Fish this fresh will literally melt in your mouth; tasting gently of ocean breezes, exhausted muscles, and cold, deep water.


#4. Taste fois gras with a splash of a French Sauternes...in the same mouthful. Certainly, there are issues with fois gras, and perhaps you do not agree with it, and then, this experience will just have to be passed by. But if you have never tried it, do. Even if it is just once. First take a small nibble of the fois gras; notice the silky-smooth texture of it, roll it around on your tongue tasting the mouthfeel of the slightly salty and fatty goodness. Then, take a second bite, combining it with just a sip of Sauternes - and let that sweetness cut through the fat and salt and balance out the fois gras and explode with flavor. Repeat, repeat, repeat...slowly and seductively until every bit is gone from your plate.

If possible, of course, do this in where everything is freshest and the wine is available, but it is also quite enjoyable to do it at the Vista Grill in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on your birthday, out to a very nice dinner on a veranda with someone who loves you very much. Laugh with your French waiter about how odd it is to be eating fois gras, with Sauternes, in Mexico, per his suggestion, but how it is perfect, nonetheless. End your meal with a taste of 1921 Crema de Tequila, Mexico's decadent take on Baileys Irish Cream. Watch the sun go down over ocean and love every minute of your time there, along with every mouthful of deliciously fresh and gourmet food that follows and how every time you get up to go to the restroom, they refold your napkin for you.

#5. Visit Thailand and taste Khao Dome, or coconut sticky rice in banana leaves, handmade by a street vendor. Open up the banana leaf to find a delicious rectangle of sticky rice scented with coconut milk and filled with soft chucks of banana (or plantain). Do this while trekking around the historic city of Ayutthaya, near Bangkok, and marvel at the stunning ruins of this once majestic city. Revel in the brightly colored silks, gigantic Buddha statues, and the feeling of seeing something so ancient and steeped with cultural history. Let yourself feel the sadness of the various tragedies that surround you - that so much was lost when it was destroyed, including the majority of the art and literature, and that thieves and would-be money-makers have chopped off the heads of many Buddhas and stolen them. But also feel the power that comes from such a unique place and full of so many interesting things to see. My new friend, Karen, who has a wonderful blog called Ramblingspoon.com, shares lots of stories about her travels and adventures in Thailand and Cambodia and all kinds of delicious food with her readers, and helped me remember what this sweet snack was called (she has also opened my eyes to many new blogs featuring yummy foods from this area of Asia)...Thanks, Karen!

And thank you, Natalia, for tagging me. Since I've been out of the loop a bit, I have no idea who has or has not done this meme, so if you haven't and you're visiting here, please join in and let us in on your secret knowledge of delicious delicacies you've tried!