learning to be human, since 1984
Posts by sarandi
Words of the Day
21246 days
School just started, and I’ve been extremely busy–but I promise more food related posts soon! For now, here are some words whose meanings I’ve re/learned whilst reading for school:
- tacit – understood or implied without being stated
- efface – erase (a mark) from a surface | make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous
- assuage – make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense | satisfy
- confer – grant or bestow
- memento mori – “remember that you are mortal”
- vertiginous – causing vertigo, esp. by being extremely high or steep
- goad – a thing that stimulates someone into action | to provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate some action or reaction
The definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary, except for where linked.
Viet Hoa
1I was supposed to meet a friend. But as I stepped off the bus I found myself face to face with a place I’d only heard of. I didn’t remember the name, but rather the location. So, just before 7pm, I walked through the corner entrance of the building on 49th and North Avenue: Viet Hoa.
I debated not calling my friend to let him know I’d be late—but there was no hesitation as I crossed the street and pulled the door open. As I walked through, I was confronted by a large rack full of rice sacks. I walked past the checkouts, past the open freeze coolers and refrigerated displays full of exotic fruits and vegetables. The store was full of color, smells, bizarre packaging, and things one would generally not sense in an American grocery. Despite being the only white male in the store, wearing a bright yellow hoodie, rolled up jeans, and large green bag, no one stared at me—unlike the attention I’ve drawn at other ethnic groceries. Thanks, El Rey.
I felt at home. I was comfortable. At ease, completely free. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty. As I wandered the store, I smelled things I’d only read of, touched things I’d only seen in pictures, and smelled things whose existence I’d still question as I write this. And for once, I saw a real butcher in a grocery store. And a proper one at that—who sold more than the choicest cuts that this culinarily-challenged nation has become so accustomed. One whose case contains whole chickens. Head in all, in all their de-feathered glory. In case you’re looking, they’re right next to the bin of chicken feet. Or you could just ask.
I continued, perusing the aisles, absorbing as much as possible. From what I’ve heard, Viet Hoa is Milwaukee’s largest Asian food store. I haven’t been to all of them, but I wouldn’t question it; the store expanded back far deeper than I expected—where I found an entire aisle of rice noodles. Seeing as I’m invited to two food-related events on Sunday (with wheat allergies being a potential issue), I figured they were a safe buy. Plus, I’ve only cooked rice noodles a few times and could use the practice. I also picked up some standard fare: a can or coconut milk, some chile oil, and a box of red bean popsicles—a memory of a friend from my recent past.
As I walked out, I immediately opened the popsicles. They certainly…were…frozen? The taste grew on me, but they were still a bit too subtle and questionable to be a regular purchase. Anyhow, I finally rang the doorbell 30 minutes late. No questions asked.
I’ll return soon for some in store photos, but I couldn’t resist writing something. This place is phenomenal. Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and other Asian ingredients have been creeping into my cooking vocabulary, so I will definitely be writing more soon. I’d suggest you check it out if you haven’t already.
Beans, the Superfood of the Proletariat
41254 days
These little fuckers should wear capes. Packed with iron, protein, folate and dietary fiber, few foods can match the boon that is beans. They’re also rich in other vitamins, minerals and yes folks, they contain the full array and amount of amino acids. Combine them with rice and you’ve got yourself a complex carbohydrate—and a meal that’s eaten the world over. Plus they make you fart.
What more could one ask for? Well fancy you should ask. I buy my beans dry rather than canned—either in bulk or pre-measured packs—and I do this for several good reasons.
- Weight. I bike. To work. To friends’ houses. To the grocery store. Canned beans are packed in that weird goo, not to mention…a can. Both of these things are HEAVY. Bagged beans are dehydrated, so I get more for the weight. After soaking, reconstituting, and cooking, beans nearly triple in mass. Amazing.
- Cost. This is somewhat related to reason one. A bag of beans and can of beans weighing roughly the same also cost roughly the same where I shop. In fact, usually exactly the same. Even in bulk they’re close. The dried will yield about 2½ more in mass than the canned. Et, voilà. Pound for pound, beans are some of the cheapest natural protein in the world.
- Storage. I keep them bagged or in a sealed container. They take up less space than a can and generally last longer. Were I to stockpile dried, I could use them in whatever quantity I wanted. Try that with a can.
- Processing. I like knowing how my food is prepared and I like buying it with the least amount of processing possible. This is how beans should get to my mouth:
- Grow beans
- Harvest beans
- Dehydrate beans
- Package beans
- Transport
That’s my sort of bean. None of that aforementioned goo. That the fuck is that shit anyway? Were I to grow them, I could eliminate the last three steps—maybe someday, but I’m not quite there yet.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you to at least give beans a chance. You might be tempted to give peas a chance too, but beans would give that legume a lashing of a lifetime. No offense, Mr. Lennon. I’ll post some bean recipes soon. If you’ve got a recipe or ideas to share, email me. If enough are submitted, I’ll try to post something in a similar vein.
O Really? Unionization, Hope, and the Future of America
11255 days
The cicadas were whirring madly in the late Summer sun as my friend Brian handed over two lime green tickets. My heart skipped a beat and I think I soiled myself. Okay. I know I soiled myself. But why?
I was skeptical of the Obama campaign’s ability to translate spirit and hope into action and change. So why was I still get excited to see him? What weak-willed wretch had I become to be persuaded by this potential sycophant? I pondered more as we waited in line at Milwaukee’s lake-front amphitheater.
I realized my excitement comes from the fact that I have little faith in fortune tellers. And I don’t think Obama hovers over a crystal ball. His faithfuls often divine what future our nation will face under their leader’s incumbency—but that does not mean that Obama’s campaign is without a solid vision or plan.
My initial reaction to his campaign was one of awe. The design is refined, classic, masculine but elegant. Something Cary Grant would approve of. It smells strongly of web 2.0—dare I call it Campaign 2.0? As Kennedy’s win hinged on television viewers in the 60s, so too does Obama’s hinge on technology users today. The comparisons to Kennedy have been going on since he announced his intent to run for office—so I’ll leave it at that for now.
Some time passed and it occurred to me that this could all be a ruse. And if not a ruse, then it could perhaps fall flat. My skepticism of the campaign polish—the logo, the website, the SMS donations, video feeds and so on—has gotten me into many arguments. As a designer, I appreciate what goes into creating an identity—more importantly, I know that an identity can be used for good or ill. That’s what scared me. That power and potential.
But as the crowd filled the seats and their rally cries emanated through the covered venue, I realized that what brings change is people. I looked around at all the people. Their eyes watering and hearts pounding, these people filled with hope, inspired and empowered by a man who understands how the world is changing and what it takes to mobilize a nation. It was hard to not have faith in the 20,000 human beings surrounding me.
Obama shows intent and social consciousness beyond that of Kennedy, Carter, Clinton—the few presidents who give me even a whisper of patriotism. We are extremely lucky to have a leader who knows that citizens run nations—and isn’t afraid to empower them.
That is why I pooped my pants. Change indeed.
Tzatziki – Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce
2You’ve probably eaten it on gyros – which is entirely fine. But most likely, it came out of a plastic squeeze bottle, watered down and soapy – which is not so fine. Most Greek food places use inferior ingredients. Sorry, countrymen, but garbage in, garbage out. And when the garbage out is synonymous with the food you shovel into your face…things aren’t good.
Here’s how to make it at home, like my mom, aunt, and yiayia make it. You’ll need:
- a small cucumber, peeled (save the peels and put them on your forehead to cool down in the summer. I also eat them or compost when possible)
- garlic cloves – one or two will do
- 1+ cups of strained yogurt – only get Greek or Middle Eastern. It should be thick, creamy, and rich. I avoid low fat yogurt which tends to be filled preservatives and other junk – and just doesn’t taste as good. I generally don’t endorse brands, but if you don’t know what to get try Fage Total. It’s increasingly available, and even their 0% fat version beats the living hell out of excuses for yogurt like Yoplait.
- lemon juice or vinegar to taste (only about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons chopped mint or dill, chives, parsley, etc
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
(notice the super high fat content, and only four ingredients. It could be argued that there are only 2 ingredients, but lets not push it. Four is low enough)
- a small or medium bowl
- a grater
- a paring knife (or veg peeler)
- a fork
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out. I eat them. You can do as you please. Then peel with the paring knife and grate into the bowl. My mom squeezes out the excess water using towels or a colander – but its not entirely necessary. This is mostly for texture and crunch, so add as much as you like.
Use the back of a fork to smash the garlic into a paste. Add it to the bowl along with the lemon juice or vinegar. Lemons are more traditional especially in the summer. Just squeeze the juice into a clean cupped hand to filter out the seeds before adding to the bowl. The citric or acetic acid serves to cut the richness of the fat and to enhance the natural tanginess of the lactic acid present in the yogurt. Now, mix in the yogurt.
Optionally, add the mint or dill and season with salt (I like several cracks of fresh black pepper too) and mix everything together. Finish generously with extra virgin olive oil – give it a swirl to blend it in but not too much – and garnish with dill, cucumber segments, olives, or anything that seems suitable. If it looks ridiculous it probably is – if not, then its probably fine. Don’t sweat it.
Tzatziki is traditionally sopped with bread or eaten with meat, fish, or veggies. The richness of the fat and the acidity of the lemons compliment the strong flavors of many Greek, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods. You might want to double or triple the recipe – it goes quickly, especially in my family. If it makes it past the dinner table, it should keep a week plus, covered in the fridge. Oh, and the longer it sits in the fridge, the more the flavors meld – I’d suggest making it a few hours ahead of time at least.
N.B. After finding some fennel in the fridge, it occurred to me that the anise flavor would work well with the yogurt. Serving tzatziki with shaved fennel rather than or in addition to cucumber would work especially well if pairing it with another food prepared with fennel or tarragon, such as fish. But that’s an entirely different post!
Milwaukee Bike Collective
0I had a ridiculously tiring Wednesday, but knowing that I’d be going to the Bike Collective afterwards kept me going through the day. I also had lunch with a coworker at Thai Palace on Old World Third Street. The place is really hit or miss for anything but the entrées and drinks (the lunch service has been especially lackadaisical). That being said, my veggie curry was delicious but I wish I could say the same for my companion’s food. Moving on.
Immediately after work I biked to 29th and Clybourn, two streets south of Wisconsin Avenue.
View Larger Map
Upon rolling up to the building, I saw Pops sitting outside. After recognizing who I was, he welcomed me in, registered me, and showed me around the place. There are frames everywhere. Frames upon frames upon frames. They seemed to multiply as the night came on. Wheels hung from the racks, organized parts filled boxes, and tools twitched in their resting places, anticipating the work ahead.
A few more people arrived – another familiar face, besides Pops. And it turns out we know a bunch of the same people. Afterall, isn’t Milwaukee the biggest small town in the United States? We futzed around the shop a bit, I lingered through lugged frames and Huffys alike, and started stripping down a bike to fix up for Center Street Daze. Eventually we had a very informal but comfortable meeting – during which I ate the remainder of my lunch (so good). Anyhow, there’s lots to do, and I don’t know how much time I’ll have to contribute. It always seems I take on more work than I can handle – but I like a challenge and it keeps me sharp, so we’ll see how things go.
If you’re interested in getting involved, whether it be to fix bikes, donate parts, work on the website, flyers, etc. – let me know. Alternatively, just contact the collective. Their info can be found here. I’ll get some of my own photos soon – forgot to bring a camera! So photo credits to whoever took them!
101 Things in 1001 Days
21261 days
Awhile ago, a friend told me about a project called 101 Things in 1001 Days. Check it out. Here’s my list (Some of the stuff on here I’ve done before…but would like to do again):
- Biking
- register with the USAC and USCF
- race regularly
- obtain at least cat 3 (preferably cat 2) status
- fix crank and bottom bracket of my orange road bike
- get a winter bike 19 OCTOBER 2008
- get bike rollers to train indoors during winter
- build a fixed gear/track bicycle (just to have, and to train) 19 OCTOBER 2008 (would still like to build one)
- join a cycling club/team
- bike over 25mph for at least 10 miles
- bike to a different state (of the United persuasion—the mind is a given)
- bike through the valley (With Ginnie and Phil)
- Exercise/Outdoors
- run at least 4 miles per week for 4 weeks
- run 10k (AUTUMN 2010)
- start doing yoga again, at least 3 times per week if not more
- do daily calisthenics
- go camping
- go canoeing
- go kayaking
- camp for 3 days with only a knife
- canoe the Milwaukee River
- Business
- register my business with the state and IRS as an LLC
- finish developing letterhead/business cards (SEPTEMBER 2009)/document system
- School
- finish college! (Holy Shit! 11 January 2010)
- Job/Work
- quit my current job (Double Holy Shit! 16 January 2010)
- get a real job (one that pays me what I’m worth) 30 September 2010
- put together a portfolio for getting a job! (In progress) (JUNE 2010)
- work 2 jobs simultaneously (2009)
- Food
- take a cooking class
- learn how to make sushi (20 November 2009)
grow an awesome garden(MAY-NOV2009)- complete with vermiculture bin
and composting heap(MAY 2009)- harvest urban fruit (will do this soon! 2011 raspberries in summer & pears during autumn…)
- make falafel (15 JANUARY 2010)
- find or develop a consistent and easy French bread recipe 29 DECEMBER 2008 (taught 25+ at the CCC)
- maintain my own bread dough starter(Spring 2009)
- bake at least one batch of bread per week DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009 (Have been baking 3+ batches weekly)
- make limoncello
- brew beer (SUMMER 2010)
- make wine from grapes (SUMMER 2010)
- make dolmades with fresh grape leaves (SUMMER 2010)
- make cheese from scratch(JUNE 2009)
- make flour
- bowhunt for deer
- trap hare and cook them
- go fishing and cook my catch
- catch octopus and cook it
- slaughter a chicken (and cook it?) (June 2010)
- harvest honey
- teach 10 people how to cook a simple, fast, flexible meal 15 JANUARY 2009
- find five good ethnic food stores/markets in Milwaukee, not including El Rey or Pete’s (Viet Hoa, Pacific Produce, Asian Mart, Jasmine , Chu Hai)
- Crafts/Projects
- teach at least 5 people how to knit (1. Gavin 11 DECEMBER 2008 2. Dana 29 December 2009)
- knit a sweater
- knit socks
- make shoes or slippers (more like moccasins) by hand
- sew some curtains
- build a bookshelf
- improve my sewing skills (learn to sew from a pattern)
- sew some aprons
- make a messenger bag from old plastic bags
- make grocery bags out of recycled t-shirts and other scraps
- Housing/Household
- move to a new apartment [house] 15 FEB 2010
- care for a cat
- clean my closet 13 FEB 2010
- fix the light fixture in the back room
- Time Management/Organization/Fixing
- develop a daily routine
- develop a weekly routine
- develop a monthly routine
- wake up before 8am regularly without an alarm clock (almost there…)
- organize my books
- buy/make a daily planner, and use it…daily 14 FEB 2010
- install subversion on my webhost Switch to GIT
- Entertainment/Leisure/Volunteering
- watch at least the first ¼ of the original Dr. Who series in order
- read one fiction book per month for pleasure
- hold a David Lynch marathon viewing festival weekend
- volunteer at People’s Books at least 20 hours
- volunteer at the Bike Collective at least 20 hours (6 hours total: 10 JANUARY 2009)
- Travel/Destinations
- West Coast (San Francisco, Spring 2011)
- New York City
- Greece (and possibly travel through Europe)
- a planetarium(AUTUMN 2010)
- the Domes
- the Milwaukee County Historical Society (do research for old Rustbelt businesses, typefaces, logos, etc)
- Writing
- blog at least 4 times per week, consistently for 6 months
- finish The Ruthless King book and illustrations
- finish the Busku book and illustrations
- start writing another children’s book (Concept developed 21 JANUARY 2009)
- write a book for big people (In progress)
- Design/Photography/Programming
- redesign my blog
- model something in 3D with Maya
- find 10 easily accessible rooftops in Milwaukee and take photographs from atop (3 found so far…)
- walk around the city collecting textures with photos and rubbings (then organize them) (MAY 2010 – in Wausau)
- design another cd package
- To Buy/Pay for
- get a nice digital SLR
- library fines
- buy OR BUILD a really nice bike (race worthy) and accessories (shoes, helmet, etc) (helmet, gloves, socks 21 JANUARY 2009)(shoes – OCTOBER 2010)(dura ace 7800 full component group – MAY 2011)
- buy some nice Golas 28 SEPTEMBER 2008
- Learn/Education/Exploration
- all the constellations in the zodiac
- take another French class
- find a good secret hiding spot in the city(19 JULY 2009)
- determine my haplotype distribution
I am certain I’ll add more things to this list, so here’s an area for additional tasks:
- make papermaking equipment, then paper
- keep bees (Still illegal in Milwaukee: I found this out on 20 JANUARY 2009)
- learn to drive stick (APRIL 2010)
- make kombucha
- make vinegar
- teach another cooking class
- go morrelling
- grow mushrooms (Started 16 FEB 2010)
- make screen printing equipment
- make PCB etching tank (March 2011)
Progress: 43/101 (111)
Finally, I found this awesome artist duo from São Paolo called mulheres barbadas (bearded ladies, in Portuguese) while looking through some websites. Here’s one of their collaborations:
