Tarde y sin reservación.

La vida es una mesa larga donde muchos comen, pero pocos disfrutan. O sea, poco saben lo que están comiendo. Algunos piensan que es la calidad de la comida que que es lo mas que importa. Otros la cantidad, mas es mejor. Hay unos que tienen muy poca comida pero aprecian lo que tiene. Para mi es la variedad. La oportunidad de sentarse y poder disfrutar y entender lo que está en mi plato.

Bueno, piense, ¿en que lado de la mesa come usted? ¿Como mide usted el exito o el fracaso que hacido su vida?

(Esto fue una lección para todos, nuncas mezcles hambre, pensamientos de su existencia y vodka rusa. Pero si no tienes remedio, por favor, con moderación. ¿Y yo? Bueno, a seguir mi propio consejo).

Easy, Refreshing Summer Snack

It's hot, humid and sticky in the big "O" and I'm feeling it. Trying to stay cool or just enjoying a healthy snack is a chore. My favorite snack are apples. Unfortunately, they're very expensive and for the price of one here I can buy a bag full back home. But I love apples and when I have the extra scratch , I get an apple or two. When I first got to Japan, I noticed that when ever I was served an apple, it would be peeled, cut and washed in salt. Of course, the salt prevents browning of the apple, but for my taste, not the ideal way. Back home I would wipe my knife with a lime or a lemon, cut the apple, then squeezed more lemon on it after I'm done cutting it. Now, a new twist. The benefits of apple vinegar are endless(some people drink it with some honey everyday) and that got me to experimenting.

Frozen Vinegar Apple
One frozen large Apple
Apple vinegar

Freeze the apple first, then wash in lukewarm water and the rind should come right off. Slice and de-core and place the slices in a bowl. Pour some apple vinegar and eat! The sweetness of the apple and vinegar flavor go great together. And to further make it a summer treat, freeze it in a plastic container and eat when ever. Now you have a frozen, refreshing, tasty treat. Enjoy!

The Alternative White Steak

Making new discoveries. As a child every time I made a new discovery, I could remember the excitement, that "Oh! Wow!" feeling I got. To this day I get that feeling from learning, and in my travels it seems like everyday I get to experience that feeling.
One particular moment of eureka I can recall from my childhood involved none other than pork chops. Allow me elaborate. No better feeling than coming home from school or where ever and no matter what mood I was in, the scent of my mom's pork chops would put a smile to my face and drive my taste buds in to a frenzy. Being the boy or man of the house (loosely used term) I often got an extra chop. I would bite down like on cannibal on a leg and tear every morsel down to the bone. Always satisfied with my lips and finger tips glistening with alternative white meat juices.
Sometime during my teenage years in the US, my family was shopping in one of those big wholesale, giant beef-o-rino stores and found something that would change my life forever. Boneless pork chops. All chop, no bone. A large pack of them no less and at a wholesale price. Granted, skepticism was my initial feeling, no bone, no handle to hold and maneuver during my eating ritual. But, fork and knife in hand attacking at a full meat surface area was also not bad. Needless to say it was all I hoped it would be.
Recently I was craving for a piece of meat and went looking for a nice piece of steak. Beef being a luxury around these parts, I couldn't find a good cut for a decent price. And with a spark of rare genius, I bought boneless pork chops.
In the US, chops for some reason go with apple sauce. Not my cup of tea, but I decided to marinate the chops in apple vinegar.

Apple Vinegar Pork Chops
2-4 boneless pork steak/chop
apple vinegar
shallots/large clove of vinegar
salt
white pepper
paprika

In a metal or glass bowl pour in some apple vinegar and soak the chops. The more vinegar, the more "vinegar-y" the flavor but also the meat becomes more tender. Mongolians would put their meat in a leather sack and put it under their horse's saddle and after riding for a day the meat would be tenderized from the pounding and the sweat of the horse. Now, unless you have a horse and enjoy the flavor of sweaty meat, you can pound the meat with a kitchen mallet to soften it. I prefer not to pound it down because I like a thick cut. After you soak it a bit in the vinegar (you can do it overnight or for several hours in the fridge), dash your salt, pepper (I like white on pork, but black is ok too) and paprika on it. Cut your shallot(or garlic, but for me the shallot works best) and lay the large slices on the chops.
Heat a fry pan on med-high flame with either light olive oil or I found this great no cholesterol soybean oil, drop the chops in and cover quickly(the vinegar might make the oil splatter, but you want that initial shock of heat to cook the chops). After a few minutes, the vinegar will dry up and you can take off the lid and turn the chops over. Lower the heat to low-med flame, cover and let the chops cook for 5-8 minutes so that they cook through. Remember like chicken, you have to cook pork well, but once the meat starts curling up on the edges, you've cooked it too long.
Uncover, bring the heat back to med-high and try to get a little "golden color" on your chops and on the shallot/garlic. Once they get a bit gold, turn heat off and that's it. Serve it with potatoes(mashed or Puerto Rican style: boiled then served with olive oil and spice). I made sauteed zucchini and asparagus in olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes and after the green veggies were done made a quick tomato "paste" with a large, cut beefsteak tomato in the same pan while it was still hot. I also cut a side of avocado (aguacate in Spanish or abogado in Japanese) with light olive oil, pepper and soy sauce. I served it with a German cherry wine, that was not as sweet as it sound, but very tasty.
Now, nothing beats mom and home cooking, but bringing a little blast from the past to where ever I am in the world, takes me back home to my teenage years, where the chops would be waiting in a brown tinted glass, Corningware frying pan.
Enjoy.

Persistance of Time

It's been a stretch, but the pictures in my head have been playing other videos, and well, blogging wasn't in the credits.

I'll tell you this: take a look at Marco Polo and read a little about him. Add some apple vinegar to your life and salads. Eat some beef and tofu, its easy to make and flavor it however you want, even with cheese. Read something about the octopus. Leave early, skip the express and take the local with a music player or a book. Lay on your back and put your legs up in the air. Skip tomato sauce, cut a tomato, warm it up with olive oil and eat it with some bow tie pasta and oregano.

Take a little time sometimes.

The baby powder, so you don't smell sour.

My elbows are ashy. It’s spring and the weather has been strange to say the least. One day it’s t-shirt weather, the next I’m cursing the fact that I left my gloves at home. But one thing remains constant: I will shower twice, sometimes three times in a day, even if it is the dead of winter. The threat of offensive body odor is a constant phobia of mine and should be yours too. Allow me to elaborate.
Remember that bad hair cut? Bad perm? Business in the front, party in the back? Hold that thought.
OK, now think about culottes, parachute pants, spandex.
From New York to Japan we all remember bad choices we have made in our personal style (who honestly likes their high school yearbook picture) and marvel at the badly lit Polaroids or Kodak paper 3x5s that line shoe boxes in our closets.
Here’s the thing: both fixable. In fact, they can lead to opportunities to mold and die cast your future style that hopefully will transcend any fads that are waiting to slim your wallet. Of course, you have to shimmy through a Goth phase, punk phase, hip-hop, mod, prep, valley, leisure suits, and may lighting strike you, a cowboy complete with 10 gallon hat phase. That’s not to mention Mohawk, buzz cut, high’s and lows, Afros and colors galore. But again, there are antidotes. When it comes to your look, you have many chances to make a first impression.
Now think. Who do you know that smells? Oh-ho-ho, you know, I know, we all know. Now, do you remember when you ran into that person again or saw them at work or whatever, did they smell then also? You don’t know. Why? ‘Cause you furred your brow, wrinkled your nose and held your breath or even avoided them completely. You see, once you are classified as smelly, no matter what you do after, that bad odor is permanently etched and burned into people’s olfactory senses, no escape. You think that cute guy or girl is going to give you another chance? Get that second interview? Get a hug? I can recall headaches that some people have given me due to their incredible odor. Some of them even took on lives of there own, sipping coffee while reading stock quotes. Ever been on a Japanese train during the after work rush? A plethora of nasal stimuli.
Here’s a tip for men and women who wear suits. Unfortunately, constant dry cleaning can ruin suits due to all the chemicals in the process. But when you are at work, unless you absolutely have to have it on, hang up your jacket. At home, as soon as you get home, hang it up and if not raining hang it outside (never in the sun), air it out. A suit in constant use should be dry cleaned about every 2 months or so, barring any spills, stains or unbearable scents.
What’s that now? You absolutely don’t recall anyone of this sort? Have you smelled yourself lately? Make sure it’s not you and grab a quick shower.
Now the big market is men’s body spray. OK, can work when used properly, but think about it: what are the chances that most guys are actually taking a shower, putting on fresh undies, spritzing once or twice in to the, walking through it and then throwing on their clean digs, ready to step out? Or, did not make enough time to shower (because his time management sucks) kept the same jeans on, sprayed on half a can of the miracle human Febreeze, grabbed a shirt which he has worn maybe once this week and ran out the door. Which is the more likely scenario? Watch the ads. They guarantee droves of women chasing you if you spray it on, but no disclaimer at the bottom of the screen reminding you what steps to take before spraying. Let’s save our noses for home-made cookies and flowers. Speaking of which…
I still have dry skin after showering. Hmmm…what can I put on that will make me as smooth as a stripper pole, but won’t leave me smelling like guest bathroom soap that never, ever gets used. Whatever, I rather smell like a bouquet than wet dog. I’ll go with lavender/honey. Maybe she’ll think I’m sensitive. No, I’m not, my skin is, and it smells great…for now.

Trying to find a parking spot.

The vigor that comes with hand made coffee sweetened with condensed milk. In Spain they call it a "bon-bon", I call it a prescription for the cloudy gloomy day that hovers this morning.
I never thought I would be following someone who had their keys out so I could take their spot. No, not trolling on the opposite side of the road these days. No, I'm talking about bike parking.
She didn't leave, she just put something in her basket. It's just before noon and it's like the Mall of America, but of course with bikes. People are hovering all over, looking for a spot.
Here, people get parking stickers and park in special lots for bicycles. I don't have a sticker, so I have to slum it with the rest of the shoppers at my local grocery store. Luckily, I have a very small bike (actually you can fold it for storage) and it only needs a sliver of daylight for its parking needs. Well I found a spot and just in time too. That bon-bon tasted great on the way down, but now it's screaming to exit.

The Spice of life

I like to cook. Yet, what I really take pride in is my spice rack. I consider it part of my vanity and arrogance, to be able to at any given time cook any style I like. Spanish? Garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, cumin. Indian? Cumin again, turmeric, an assortment of curry powders. Italian? Garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes. Simple continental? A variety of salts and peppers from coarse to fine. I traced back my affinity for spices to when I moved permanently to New Jersey in my teens.
The catalyst? Ketchup. Or my hatred of ketchup. Ketchup is the condiment of the devil(no, I don’t claim that he exists, but if he or she does and has a condiment preference, it might as well be ketchup for all the evil that it brings). I lie awake at night, images of burgers, eggs, kitsch, poor, defenseless food drowning in vats of this vile oozing liquid. I can still hear the cries at night, in the distance. I swore that anything I made would never, ever get treated that way. My food would be adorned with flavor and dignity. Don’t get me started on the whole “green” and “purple” ketchup campaign. Horrific.

Next time you make a beautiful, sunny side up fried egg throw a dash of cumin on. Try the summer barbecue burgers first, off the grill, savor it, and then if it’s too bland, dash the salt and pepper, maybe some garlic. But, please, please, save the food.
Here are some basic spice suggestions that won’t break the bank and can impress him or her on the 3rd or 4th date.

Salt: Have your regular, fine grain table salt available and a course grain like sea salt not only to flavor food but give good texture and appeal to your food. Think of potato wedges with some nice granules of salt on it. Looks great and gives it a nice crunchy texture. Remember, don’t go dousing your food in it, your body only needs less than a teaspoon of salt(sodium) a day to function, plus many things we eat that are not fresh carry tons of it already. Once, I made a great pseudo-Asian meal with just the right amount of ginger that everyone was enjoying. A late arriving guest sat down and proceeded to drown it in salt, without even tasting it first. He was never invited again.

Black pepper: Again, same as above, fine grade for cooking, a course one for look and flavor. Pepper mills are great, but spend money on a decent one if you are going to use it often. Want to have a wild card in your deck? Bring in cayenne pepper, red and spicy, if your buds can handle it. I know some people get hives from pepper, so try a white pepper (or pepper corn for the mill), it tends to be milder. Also, pepper is a great for first aid.

Cumin： Very versatile and can spice up anything from meats to morning eggs to salads. Get some, especially if you like curry, guacamole, stew and Spanish style seafood.

Cinnamon: Another versatile entry. On oatmeal, pancakes, ice cream, rice pudding and surprise, surprise meats! With cumin and oregano I put in ground beef and meatballs. Great contrast of flavor with the other spices in the meat. Throw some in your fresh coffee grounds before brewing your java in the morning. Plus, it has some health benefits.

Paprika and Parsley: The “Spice Girls” if you will of the rack. When dry and powered, both have a little or no flavor, but give great color to anything. Try both on those potato wedges with your sea salt.

Oregano and Basil: Soups, salads, chicken, fish and any Italian food. Or on those lazy Fridays, pizza!

Garlic: Powered, but I also have dry flakes. Another in the “jack of all trades” mold, flavor anything from anywhere with it. Of course, throw it on that aforementioned pizza too. I once had garlic ice cream at a fantastic restaurant back in Jersey, but some of you might not be ready for that yet, if ever. I don't need to remind the garlic it's role in our body's armies of inner conflict.

There you have it, honestly, all you really need in the kitchen. Of course, there are tons more and I am discovering new ones all the time, but this will get you by. Combine them, different amounts, discover new flavors on favorite dishes. Remember, especially with salt, always start with less and spice up from there. Too much, and everyone will be jockeying for the bread and water. Just ask Agador Spartacus.
Now, how do I rid the world of ketchup without hurting the tomato crop?