Month: July 2012

Lamb Yiovetsi for Rainy Days (or any day really)

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Lamb. I love ’em grilled, roasted, stewed, slow-cooked, or slathered with mint jelly. I love it in as many ways as it can be cooked simply and tenderly, just to enhance its inherent lamb-ey flavor… just enough to remind me of unexplored lands full of exotic spices and roasted foods galore which is the Middle East. The best lamb dish I’ve ever had was at a kibbutz in Israel. The lamb was roasted for a couple hours (in olive oil? in nothing? alas, memory fails me. I must return!) and served on a clay plate. How the meat tenderly fell off the bone, with a little sigh of steam. (WTF.) Because it was cooked in absolute simplicity, I enjoyed the natural delicious taste of roasted young lamb. (Then proceeded to reenact the seating arrangement during the Last Supper, hilarious.) ANYWAY. Given my self-appointed job (it cannot be helped anyway) as a food glut, I’m always on the lookout for noteworthy lamb and vegetable dishes. Cyma has been around for a while but I never really …

An Illustrated Guide To Building Your Own Fortress

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If my childhood were condensed into one ultimate symbol, it would be The Pillow-Blanket-Fortress-Tent-Teepee. Where the pillow fort was, so was the magic of long afternoons on summer days. As with any structure, it must be built in ideal climate conditions: air-conditioning (because mom and dad would agree it was a very hot day). A pillow fort meant the pure, uninhibited freedom of childhood creativity. It was the form and body of my imagination and genius, a kind of special thing that was special, not only in itself, but that it would open door upon door to worlds and other special places that grew more plentiful the longer you looked. The inner walls made of blankets and pillows made it home: a protected place I could call mine. It was a sacred sanctuary, where others needed permission to enter (keys to the kingdom for allies and family), and when inside, to abide by my rules. For the hoarder in me, chairs made adequate storage shelves for books, random objects, and of course, the maps of …

A Premature Batman Evaluation

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Seven things: As I type, Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) are downloading. I haven’t read the comics (and still have no intention to) so I don’t know everything there is to know about Batman more than the movies I’ve watched. Hence, this is a premature evaluation because a better one would be for when I’ve seen Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises (again). In sequence. The Dark Knight Rises was a richly detailed masterpiece by Christopher Nolan. I appreciate the portrayal of a broken down, cynical Bruce Wayne along with the portrayal of his human limitations. (and inhuman biceps). Not enough for me to offer my future firstborn offspring to the director, but enough to know it was money and time worthily spent. Michelle Pfeiffer is still the only Catwoman. (see video snippets of Batman Returns below. Better yet, watch the movie.) The kiss between Batman and Catwoman looked forced, with too little sexual tension riding on it to make it even necessary. Marion Cotillard would be perfect …

Edamame and Some Sunshine

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The time had come to jazz up the usual edamame with sea salt side dish. What came to pass was inspired by this recipe because I had only three out of the eight ingredients. One of these days, I’ll try it out when I get my hands on some shiso leaves. Another simple, interesting thing to do with edamame would be sprinkling it with some Citrus Salt. Either case, it was delicious. Sunny Edamame Snack Steam 2 cups of frozen edamame pods (here in Manila, you can buy these by the bag in S&R) in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. While edamame is steaming, mix the juice of half a Meyer Lemon with 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Shell edamame from their casings, toss into the bowl with lemony-vinegary mixture. Add a dash of paprika (or chili powder, or something spicy) for some heat. Mix it all together. Devour while watching the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance Season 9. :)

Of Times and Places

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As mentioned in previous post, making it in life isn’t simply about being the most freaking amazing human being on the planet. God(s) be good to you, your life will be an orchestrated series of being in the right place and time. Present circumstance is a conspired effort of entities beyond your control. Yes, you can say we’re pawns.