Adventure Year

2009 was indeed a year of adventures in healthy eating, replete with marvelous meals, trips to a variety of farmers' markets, and meeting local chefs and farmers. Learning to move the stories from the page and onto video and TV became an adventure in its own right. Like all great adventures, the journey was never solitary, always grounded in and enriched by community.

May 2010 hold more adventures, with an equally fascinating cast of characters. And more pie.

Hanoi Scratchpad

When I find a really marvelous travel writer, following their blog delights me almost as much as finding a letter in my post box. In the case of Hal Medrano's Hanoi Scratchpad, maybe even more. When I tried to purge my office closet of two shoeboxes full of old letters, I found a stack of thin blue airmail stationary with missives from Hal about his first forays into living in Asia and travelling throughout SE Asia. Much old correspondence went; but I couldn't bring myself to part with these delicious bites of his experience.

Hal's current writing from Viet Nam maintains all the vibrancy of his handwritten notes, but with a few bonuses. The photos are gorgeous, and complement his insights and wit beautifully. Facebook updates provide me with reminders, easy links, and the ability to see comments from his other friends. Nearly real-time exchanges are possible, mostly closing that sense of distance that the several-week time lag in letters made so palpable. But most important to me, he has room and time to include full recipes with detailed instructions (and mouth-watering photos).

Hanoi Scratchpad is much broader than a food blog; but the food writing is first class. When I read the other posts, I chuckle, reflect, or even tear up. But when I read about the dishes cooked and shared in Hanoi, I just salivate.

Ice, the Forgotten Food

Really - for weeks I've been walking by an old VHS tape on a bookshelf at work. Only the title, Ice, the Forgotten Food shows. Rather than take the trouble to watch it, I took the easy route and made up a story instead. Along the lines of, "How did you survive those five days in the car, buried under feet of snow with only a few french fries and gummy bears under the seats to sustain you?" Why, ice of course. The forgotten food. Some day scientists will find that ice contains micro-nutrients vital for health, like mushrooms (once considered nutritionally blank).

But it turns out the tape demonstrates how crucial it is for ice, like any commercially sold comestible, to be sanitary. As in, "I only drank bottled water in Mexico, but got turista when I forgot to order my refrescos sin hielo." Sure it makes sense - but what fun is it?

I'm forgetting this food and putting the sincere lesson on ice until the next time I travel abroad, or host a party big enough to require a run to the ice cooler at the corner store. And practicing selective amnesia when Italian ice season returns. Surely the fresh lemon and cherry syrup make it safe, any day the humidity passes 90 percent.

Cuban Black Beans

As Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) approaches, I start to dream not of gumdrops but of the marvelous Cuban feast for that night. Traditionally, the 24th is all about sharing great food with family and friends. The 25th is for church and/or laying around. And Epiphany, the 12th day of [la la la] is for gifts. A slower, sweeter approach to a winter holiday.

The menu varies a bit from family to family, but typically includes yucca, fried platanos, roast pork, and black beans with rice (aka moros y christianos - reflecting both Cuba's multi-cultural heritage and its sense of humor). An incredibly savory and gratifying meal.

In the summer, I cook the beans in the solar oven; but in the winter I love to have the pot simmering on the stove. Although it's terribly easy to start with canned beans, if I have time to think ahead and soak some dried ones I find the process more satisfying. (Gorgeous, warm aromas infuse the house.)

Hardly any great source of protein, fiber, and iron can be found more cheaply than dried beans; and they store as long as you need them to without any refrigeration or canning. Best of all, they are a vegetable always picked in season but ready to prepare at any time. And for me, Cuban Black Beans are in season all year.

Off Her Feed

Violet and I have a few important things in common:

1. We are unfailingly excited about meal times
2. We are interested in anything anyone is cooking, even when we're not hungry
3. We loooooove the hand that feeds us

So when she stopped waking me at sunrise to remind me about breakfast, and failed to greet me at the door with high hopes of an immediate gratification supper, something was terribly wrong. After a day with her showing no interest in food, resisting any movement, and growling when approached, we called in the vet. By the time the vet could visit, Violet was also dehydrated (very dangerous for a cat) and surprisingly light (7 lbs!).
The fever accounted for the stiffness and crankiness; and a big lump of subcutaneous hydration plus regular squirts of bitter antibiotic solution helped with these. But we waited on tenterhooks for the critical sign of good health to return.
Finally, see did more than sniff and ignore. As the tentative nibbles and small drinks of water turned into small meals and finally full ones, we rejoiced to watch her energy and personality return. So now I can add one more trait we share:

4. We do not skip meals or snacks accidentally (Who 'forgets to eat'? I just don't get that).
If we go off our feed - get help!