wax ideal
learning to be human, since 1984
Fond du Lac “Fondy” Farmer’s Market
4I just biked back from Milwaukee’s Fondy Market, on 22nd and Fond du Lac. I talked to some vendors, the manager (and her trainee), and bought a few things:
- green beans
- habenero peppers
- chiles
- mustard greens
One of the vendors was a wonderful older Hmong woman, with whom I spoke for awhile – mostly about cooking. I’ve never prepared mustard greens before, so I figured I’d give them a shot, per my previous post on Cooking by Feel. I know one method is to boil them for a long time, but she also suggested serving them with chicken or pork, and even sautéeing them in some oil.
After trying them raw, however, I am extremely tempted to just eat the whole bunch plain, or with a little olive oil, vinegar, and a light seasoning of salt and garlic. They are wonderfully peppery and mustardish (one would hope!), and entirely remind me of what those terrible Chinese mustard packets – the ones you get from take-out – should taste like. Their peppery-ness is a bit stronger than roquette but I love that quality in leafy greens. I’m still trying to figure out why one would boil them to oblivion though… Anyone?
I’ll update with the results of my explorations, and what I actually decide to do with the mustard greens!
Some Quick Notes On Umami
11274 days
Most of my friends know that I am a food fanatic. I love food. Buying food. Tasting food. Making food. Growing it, when I can. So its natural that I talk about it. Hopefully you can relate – you are reading my predominantly food-related blog. (more…)
Cooking by Feel
3This post is a bit different than the rest. No photos. No recipes. Just an idea.
When it comes down to it, cooking is about feeling – and to feel, one must sense. There is little thinking involved. Certainly, you can learn to cook by following steps, by reading books, and by watching your grandmother elicit extraordinary elixirs over the stove-top flame. There is, however, nothing more rewarding than knowing nothing about an ingredient and turning it into something remarkable – without the aid of anything but your own brain.
The only way to do this is to use your senses. Trust what your fingers, eyes, mouth, nose, and ears tell you. Use what knowledge you have, but do not depend on it. Instead, deduce what you can from what you’ve got. Taste it. Roll it through your fingers. Discern its qualities with your eyes. Smell it. Listen to how it reacts. Do these things at all stages of preparation, whether it be in its original raw state, its prepared state before cooking, its state while cooking, or its final condition. Keep notes if you must but never forget that it is the senses to which food appeals.
The only way to know what is appealing is to constantly evaluate ingredients and how they interact with each other. You cannot learn this from a book, your favorite food network star, or from me. You must know your own palate, and trust it wholly. Only then can you feel. Only then can you cook.
Riverwest 24
1I recently participated in the Riverwest 24, a full day’s race around Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood.
Our team placed 5th in its category out of 14 teams, 4th not including bonus laps awarded. I met a lot of people and had a blast. Also, I wore spandex. Gross. Here are some semi-non-gross pictures. I’ve avoided full body shots to save myself from embarrassment – and to make sure your eyes aren’t damaged.
I’m looking forward to next year’s race – hopefully the organizers will do it again. In the meantime, I’m looking for people to bike with on a somewhat more serious basis. There are a few people already who I know are serious about it, so if you’re looking for someone to ride with, leave me a comment/email/etc. Peace!
A-pear-antly Apropos
11303 days
My last few posts haven’t been food related – nor have I posted recently. I figure it’s time to get back into the habit of writing about what I’m doing – especially with regard to food. That is, afterall, the main reason I started this blog.
That said, I’ve spent the past nine or so months bouncing an urban gleaning project around in my wrinkle-patch. The main focus is communal fruit-tree harvesting. I’ve developed a logo and a loose plan but I need to rally a group of people to help. By getting people involved in community projects in a gradual way – especially people from different backgrounds – we can help those in need and build meaningful relationships that encourage learning and growth in our city.
Ideally, property owners whose land yields fruit (apples, pears, etc.) will be contacted or will contact the group to harvest their fruit. A portion can be kept by the owners and/or volunteers, or entirely donated to food banks in the area. Volunteers will ideally ride bikes, or will use minimal non-renewable resources to transport and harvest the fruit. There’s currently no timeline as to when this will happen – probably not this year – but it could be possible if enough people back it up.
I’m writing about this because I rode by a nearby pear-tree whose boughs are starting to produce teensy-beensy fruit-lumps. It was dark, as this happened only a few minutes ago, but I managed to steal one of the little-ones from its mother. Here’s a photo:
I’m also posting because I need help from you, Milwaukee! If you’re interested in participating, have ideas to discuss, or simply think I’m a total ass for doing this, don’t hesitate to post a comment. I would love to hear your opinions.
Equation: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
1Hello there, friendly blog-reader. Please enjoy this equation. I know I do.
I have been learning and playing more Iron & Wine lately. I have also been Galifianakising more lately – especially with cats.
Arduino & Infrared Range Sensor
01417 days
I just bought an Arduino and an IR range sensing unit for my senior project. I won’t get into the details of it yet, as it is still under development/testing. But I am super excited. Anyhow, here be pictures:
The Arduino is a microcontroller, which basically means it’s a tiny computer. Other devices can be connected to it, including sensors, motors, or even other computers. These devices can then communicate to each other, allowing for an unlimited amount of interactivity.
I will be interfacing the Diecimila with my Macbook Pro. Input data from the sensor will be funneled via USB to Processing/Wiring. This data will then be scaled and sent out as a MySQL id query. Text data from the database will be returned and projected, as well as other actions. I’m hoping to build several other projects using this board, as it is extremely versatile and easily programmable. Plus, it’s Italian. Che bello!
I promise to reveal more of the project soon, but for now it must be shrouded in secrecy. Ciao!