Collapse

My wife and I recently returned from a vacation to Colorado. A stop on our journeys was the Anasazi site of Mesa Verde. The Anasazi (Navajo for "Ancient Ones") were a tribal population very similar to the Maya and other sophisticated pre-American societies. The only caveat is that they completely vanished around the mid 1100s.
Its interesting to wander about the ruins of the Anasazi cave dwellings and cities, climbing down into restored Kevas (akin to a temple in modern day understanding) and trying to understand how a society slips away. In Jared Diamond's book Collapse, he does that on a global scale; trying to understand what happened to the societies that just went away.
Its hard for us to imagine in this day and age that a society can simply vanish. Although, remember that the State of Israel was created in 1948, which is only 70 years ago. Already they have nuclear war heads and are major players in the global theater. If a society can be formed that quickly can it not fall all the quicker?
Let's pull away from that for a moment and consider this: how strong or fragile is any society? We all have national pride to some extent, regardless of where we come from. I mean, who wants to see their own country fall (unless you have something very serious to gain from it)? The answer is that we have a certain psychological relationship to the security of ourselves and the place in which we live. Its the same reason people will spend thousands to install a security system in their homes; the same reason we purchase car insurance, life insurance, health insurance, pet insurance. We want security. The greater question is can we have security in isolation? Societies in the past have proven that the answer to that question is a double edged sword. Its a catch-22 at times.
It is often at election times that we become very invested in questions that we can at other times shrug off. In this election time, how can we apply the lessons of forgotten societies to our current situation? What conclusions do we draw about our candidates? Can we afford to look beyond our borders? Can we afford not to?
Jared Diamond does a phenomenal job of exploring the history of lost societies. Although the reading can become a bit dry at times, you will leave the book all the more knowledgeable about the self preservation and destruction of a people group. My recommendation is to skim through some of the detail that Diamond gives for each society and read just enough to understand his premise. Although, you may go back in the book to discover, for example, how the Easter Island inhabitants erected the enormous stone statues that line the island (especially if you want to consider alien creatures meddling with the human population).

Sushi

Delving into the world of Japanese cuisine can be intimidating. To begin you have sushi which refers basically to some type of raw food. However, thanks to commercial distribution many think that sushi comes in rolls. This is not necessarily the case. Sushi is really just some type of food placed over rice. There are many variations on sushi though. The sushi rolls (made by wrapping sushi in Nori, a seaweed wrapper) that we are more familiar with are called Maki and Tamaki. Maki are basically just Tamaki rolls, cut up into smaller servings.

Maki come in an almost endless variety (e.g., California rolls, Spider rolls, etc.) depending on your location. Also, each Japanese eatery has its own various styles and selections.

Now, to make life easier and less intimidating: All the types of rolls you could get are widely discussed on websites such as Wikipedia. Yet, without having to do research before you go out for an enjoyable dinner... I have found most Japanese eateries in the Twin Cities have very helpful staff. Even so, here are some helpful etiquette tips if you go our for sushi.

1. Sushi may be eaten either with your hands or with chopsticks. There some good news for the few of us that are not coordinated! Nigiri (the most common sushi) is typically eaten with your hands because chopsticks would crumble the rice it is wrapped in. If you get a roll (maki) and you want to impress your friends with your skills, use chopsticks.
2. The soy sauce is meant to flavor the fish, not the rice. Also, mixing wasabi (the spicy green stuff) with soy sauce is typically a no-no. In fine restaurants, every morsel of sushi should have a dab of wasabi in it already. The mixing of wasabi and soy sauce is really just a matter of taste though. If you like it, guess what... DO IT! You are paying for it, get what you want. If you really want to sound sophisticated call the mix of wasabi and soy sauce by its name, Wasabi-joyo.
3. Now, if you have seen the movie The Last Samurai, you will recall the scene where Tom Cruise's character called out "SAKI, SAKI!" as he was laying captured in the enemy samurai's house, well don't you do that the next time you dine on sushi. The rice flavor of Saki (a type of Japanese liquor) is not considered a natural pairing of sushi. In fact, neither is wine (for the most part). The traditional pairing is beer - did the Japanese know the Irish?
   

Here's to the restaurants in the area. My wife and I have tried two restaurants in the Woodbury area lately. The first, Sushi Tango, is a satellite of the uptown Minneapolis restaurant. The second we visited was Akita - sushi and hibachi. Overall impression: Sushi Tango wins out by a landslide.

Both of the restaurants offered sushi, sashimi, maki, temaki, tempura, various soups and limited deserts (green tea ice cream). Both also had a full bar, but Akita also offered a hibachi style of dining (what Benihana's does). The short story was that Sushi Tango had fresher tasting ingredients and a more enjoyable atmosphere. I had a spider roll (a maki roll with deep fried soft shell crab) at both locations for a comparison, as well as spicy tuna. The spider rolls at Sushi Tango were crisper and sweeter and the spicy tuna had a fuller taste. The sushi at Akita had a "rubbery" texture. The presentation at each restaurant was compatible. One feature that I did like about Akita is that they had a "buffet" option, where you ordered anything off the menu and paid a base price. This way you could experience a lot of different options, for less "green". However, Akita's layout reminded me of a combination between Olive Garden and Hollister. Now, I didn't do the Hibachi at Akita, but just looking over at it, I thought Benihana was better. In the long run, I will be going back for seconds at Sushi Tango, but not Akita.

Penzey's Spices

I recently had the good fortune to find myself in a Penzey's Spice store. My first impression was the delightful smell that met my nose when I walked in. My second was surprise the the entire section dedicated to Saffron.

Really if you are looking for a good collection of spices, dried herbs, and various mixes I say that Penzey's is the place to be. Here are some things that you might want to know before you enter your local Penzey's though:

1. Everything is alphabetical, even the mixes. You will need to browse the store to find all that is available.
2. Try out the glass "smell" jars. Each spice, herb or mixture is bottled up in a glass jar (at least the one I found had this). You can pop the top off that jar and get a hint at what you're buying. Good news - no more guessing at what you're getting.
3. Everything is very informative. They actually described the difference between types of peppercorns - black peppercorns that is. I didn't know there was a difference! I guess they are like a fine wine though, location and harvesting are critical to the taste of the pepper. There goes my pepper vine in the back yard!
4. Pick up the store recipes. Different mixes have recipes that Penzey's chefs (I'm assuming) have put together. I'm looking forward particularly to the taco mix and taco salad recipe we got.
5. They are not about the salt. Although Penzey's has started to move into the gourmet salt market, they emphasis saltless mixes. It seems like their take on it is that food can taste good without a sodium base. I tend to agree and here is a story about that...

I picked up the Chicago steak seasoning and tried it on a ribeye. Apart from letting the meat overcook on the grill (still getting back into the swing of things), the taste was wonderful. I bought the mix based on its smoky smell (reminded me of Swiss Landjaegers). I took a very simple approach to the meat so I could really tell the taste of the mix. Here is what I did:

1. Preheat a grill to high.
2. In the meantime apply 1-2tsp. of mix per lb of meat. Spread mix on both sides of meat and rub in. Cover and set aside to come to room temperature (or as close as possible).
   
3. Oil your grill - so important, but often missed!
4. Place the meat on the grill over the fire (direct grilling).
5. Cook till done (I use, or should have used :), the poke test. This takes some time, but eventually you can feel the difference between rare, medium rare, medium and well done - more on this later).

This made a delicious steak. The only thing better would be to season it a little ahead of time. This would taste great on lamb or chicken too. So for any dry rub marinated piece of meat, I whole-heartedly recommend Chicago Steak Seasoning by Penzey's Spices.

Menu Options

1. Ribeyes with Chicago Steak Seasoning (steaks about 1" thick)
2. Sweet Potato Fries
3. Roasted Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter
4. Paired with Marechal Foch from WineHaven.
   

Tullamore Dew

Tullamore Dew 12 year is a fine Irish sipping whiskey. No, the origins are not the same as the caffeinated drink Mountain Dew whose name comes from the Tennessee mountain moonshine. This sophisticated drink hails rather from the small town of Tullamore in the Offaly County, smack dab in the heart of Ireland.

It's the nose sets Tullamore Dew apart from most American whiskeys and in a distinct class of its own among Irish whiskeys too. In the nose and on the tongue you will notice a rich caramel, just like the delicious treats that grandma used to make. That and a little touch of lemon. Barley grain, which is use to produce whiskey is dried over coal fires in Ireland, as opposed to the peat fires in Scotland. This keeps the flavor pure and clean.

Following the caramel taste that fills your mouth and nose you get a slightly pungent burn that a livens the taste buds. It's not quite to the "kick your butt" stage, but dangerous none the less. It has an addicting, buttery body, with a sweet range of spices and a smoky wooden undertone that doesn't shut your drinking down. The burn starts on the top of your tongue, lingers there and then fades to the deep back of your throat. Throughout you'll find a nuttiness coming through the drink.

Now, down to dinner. If you're going to pair this it will finish off any barbecue quite nicely. However, if I may, let me recommend keeping this drink with something off the emerald shores. Try a grilled leg of lamb with this. Maybe some pears and roasted potatoes on the side. Don't let the lack of a lavish dinner stop you from enjoying this drink though. Its a stand alone, after dinner, sit down with a nice figurado cigar.

*Snob Alert* This may be a bit mellow for a loyal Jack Daniels fan, but for anyone that wants one hell of a good drink that finishes smoother than Jameson and is more robust than Bushmills, try Tullamore Dew.

Now, the true story of how Tullamore Dew was named. What is remembered of the song of olden days is thus:

Down the hills and to the streams
The piper played for sweet dreams
Yet in the valley green
Among the yellow flowers fair
Comes the amber water beams

As it was the land of emerald isles was still new and born to the minstrels of Taglash, the seventh star set in the sky. It was the days before the first rain and the minstrels delighted themselves by playing and frolicking in the hills and valleys. Taglash loved so much the songs that radiated to his place in the sky that he filled his days with it. That was until the Meckrel came to what is known now as Ireland. The meckrel was a beast of the earth and brought with him a consuming fire that was never satisfied. It devoured the grasses of the land and left barren the soils. The minstrels of Taglash faltered in their song and gave way to wailing, for the hills were special to them and they dried up in spirit as the fields did in the fire. Taglash could not bear to have the music halted, for in that time the delight of the tune carried the heavens. So he brought down the clouds upon the emerald isles one morning and blessed them. They covered the fire and consumed it in turn. The waters were so pure that nothing could resist their movement. It was then that the Meckrel came up from the earth to see what had laid waste to his anger. He bent low and took drink from a stream and drew deep of its waters. He soon flooded his belly with it and grew merry as he had never before. Soon he brought out a lute and played a skipping melody. The minstrels came and joined him in harmony. For many years Taglash would decend the dew upon the hills for the Meckrel to drink and the joy continued. The Meckrel and the minstrels honored Taglash by playing upon the highest hill in all the isles to lift the sound up best to him. To this day, the dew that comes from the big hill, or Tulach Mhór in the Gaelic (Tullamore), is revered as a drink which brings lightness to a dark soul.

Introduction

There are all kinds of foodie blogs out there. Here's what I would like to do in addition to just sharing recipes:

1. I'll give my review of local eateries
2. I'll try to share some of the history of the dishes I make, along with what makes them work
3. I'll comment on any of the latest drinks or cigars I've had - let you know if they are relaxing or not
4. I'll even throw in some romance ideas as well as my picks for fashionable attire to work or out on the town

Every so often I'll put something in there about some good music I've heard recently. Maybe a short story or two. I basically don't want you to get bored when coming to this blog - either that or I don't figure I'll have enough info on one topic to keep it going :)

I hope you will enjoy the posts at much as I enjoy making them.

Good times!