R.I.P. New Order

Heaven, a gateway, a hope
Just like a feeling inside, it's no joke
And though it hurts me to treat you this way
Betrayed by words, I'd never heard, too hard to say
Up, down, turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home.

Each way I turn, I know I'll always try
To break this circle that's been placed around me
From time to time, I find I've lost some need
That was urgent to myself, I do believe
Up, down, turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home.

Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got gray eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got gray eyes
And I've never seen anyone quite like you before
No, I've never met anyone quite like you before
Thoughts from above hit the people down below
People in this world, we have no place to go
Oh, it's the last time
Oh, I've never met anyone quite like you before

New Order broke up. They were one of the defining bands of my high school soundtrack. When times were tough, when I was sad or contemplative, I turned to New Order. They were electronic and haunting, with their distinctive twangy guitar and bizarre lyrics, so subtle and understated but classic.

Food Blog: Meat vs. Vegan Pt. 2

Cooking is fun:

Vegan: "Chicken Way" (tofu dipped in olive oil, coated in nutritional yeast & vegetarian powdered chicken broth), sauteed kale, and millet

To begin:



Half cup nutritional yeast and half cup powdered "chicken" broth:



Sliced cutlets firm tofu:



Coat tofu in olive, then dry mix:



Ready for the oven:



Lovely organic dino kale:



Slice, rinse and drain:



Saute with garlic and olive oil:



Who needs McDonald's? Liberally sprinkle greens with ume vinegar for some kick:



Done!

Food Blog: Meat vs. Vegan Pt. 1

To Begin:



The Meat Dinner:
Chuletas (pork chops), spaghetti with freshly grated pecorino cheese, olive oil and fresh ground pepper, and steamed asparagus.

Pork chops marinating in adobo, orange and lemon juice, garlic and cider vinegar:



Spaghetti & pecorino cheese (okay, this one's a little boring):



So's this one:



A happy customer:



Fin:



Va Bene!

I will post something soon!

I promise!

The Genius of Six Feet Under

I am having a major freak out about how amazing Six Feet Under is. I am always so late on the HBO series bandwagon, and am just now watching it. We're about to finish Season 3, and I just don't want it to end. Only two more seasons to go. This show makes me cry. Every single episode, seriously. Last weekend Eric and I watched four episodes in a row and I almost didn't stop crying the entire time. I love every one of the Fishers.
Six Feet Under is heartbreakingly sad, hilarious, sweet, gut-wrenching, subtle, enlightening, and has actually made me think about death in an entirely new way. The last episode I watched ended with Nate sitting in his missing wife's car, on Highway 1, listening to "I Saw the Light" by Todd Rundgren, presumably the last song she heard. But I already have a special attachment to this song, and it made it all the more profound.
Genius.

Buenos Aires

Guess where we're going this summer?

The Slow Food Movement

I was watching the Jon Stewart Show the other night, laughing hysterically as usual and feeling overwhelming depressed as usual, when Jon placed a box onto his desk, pulling out the newest product from Jimmy Dean: sausages wrapped in chocolate chip pancakes- on a stick. Microwaveable. Oh GOD.
Today I was talking to a coworker about the Slow Food Movement. It was founded in 1986 by leftist journalist Carlo Petrini in an effort to wage intellectual war on the homogenization of food around the world. You can actually attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and get a Masters in Gastronomnic Science and Quality Products. More here: www.slowfood.com.
We have become so disconnected from our food. I try to cook mostly whole foods with the least amount of processing. I'm spoiled living in San Francisco, where there is so much beautiful organic produce and hormone-free meat. But I'm getting progressively more depressed with the state of food in this country- how we connect with food (or don't connect) has implications on the way we lives our lives and how we treat other people. I feel great after a rigorous yoga class if I've eaten well all week. I feel a common bond with my fellow human beings. If I've bent the rules and had soda or other processed food, my yoga classes are tortorous- I'm unable to concentrate and I leave class feeling angry at everyone.
Sausage wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake, on a stick. That sausage is hardly even meat anymore. I can't even begin to picture the animal it came from, much less what part it came from.
I wish I had all the time in the world to spend my entire day creating a delicious, beautiful, and healthy meal. I don't. And I would love to move to Italy and get my Masters in Gastronomic Science, but that can't happen for awhile. But no way in hell would I ever eat a sausage wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake.

I miss my best ladies

Berry (lives in Pittsburgh, PA), and Christina (lives in Brooklyn, NY). I haven't seen either of them in so long! Thankfully I'll get to see Christina when I go to NYC this August. This is from mine and Eric's rehearsal dinner in Oct. 2003. I wish I could get married all over again, just so all these wonderful people could be in the same room.

Pete Ellis Dodge, Long Beach Freeway, Firestone Exit, Southgate!

I am having a serious problem with nostalgia, specifically for local LA commercials from the 80's. Anyone remember Federated Frederated Appliances? Or the Pete Ellis Dodge commercial, with the bouncing ball over the words being sung?
Or my favorite: "It's Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" Cal Worthington was a car salesman, and would appear with a different animal as his "dog Spot", although they were never dogs. Sometimes an elephant, sometimes a goat, sometimes a tiger, but never a dog. The song was sung to the tune of "if you're happy and you know it". Everyone I knew at the time thought the words were "Pussycow", instead of "Go See Cal". I would pay top dollar to see some of those again. I loved being sick during the week, relaxing at my Grandma Negrete's house, eating chorizo and tortillas, watching bad daytime tv, and loving those commercials.



I also loved those REALLY low budget television shows, that I'm sure were being made right down the street from her house in Santa Fe Springs, probably somewhere in the City of Industry, or more appropriately, the City of Commerce. The Froozles, Powerhouse, and who could forget the New Zoo Revue?