Toro! Toro! Toro!

This evening I had what I'll call the great sushi dilemma (thanks, Michael Pollan). Cut to my usual sushi dinner at Sushi Tomi on Dana Street, at which I have had the same order once a week for 4 years: regular chirashi with no suzuki (seabass) and a lunch size beer. It's consistently fabulous, featuring old faves like salmon, egg omelet and seaweed salad and I know I like it. So this evening, my favorite waitress was shocked when I told her I wanted to try something different. I was curious about the chef's special--for $35 the chef brings you ten pieces, most of which had names I did not recognize. Shoot, I'm feeling adventurous! Why the hell not?

The chef lays this plate in front of me with ten glistening gorgeous pieces of sushi and tells me what each one is. I am so engrossed with my plate of food I am only half listening. Blah blah giant clam...blah blah snapper...and these two at the end here are bluefin tuna.

I love tuna, I really do. I have shamelessly proclaimed my love for diner tuna melts, made with canned Albacore, and my usual sushi order comes with albacore or yellowfin. Needless to say, this kind would be a new experience.

The first piece was spectacular and dissolved like butter in my mouth. So this was the fish that was prized by ancient Mediterranean fishermen.

I mean this thing is built like a torpedo.


The second piece was from a different cut because it was marbled like roast beef and had a red meat texture, which, well, perturbed me. Mid-chew, this chain of images and panicked thoughts flashed through my head. See, that's when I remembered that blue fin is an endangered creature, at the top of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's list of red alert do not eat fishes. You can't so much tell from that photo, but bluefin are enormous, powerful beasts that are being fished to the brink of extinction. It's like eating a rhinoceros or a giant panda. Oh sweet chopsticks, I was eating a panda! I nearly barfed right there at the sushi bar. (This would have been especially embarrassing because after 4 years of eating at Sushi Tomi the sushi chef himself knows who I am. He noticed my new haircut! I'm just saying.)

What's that Simpsons gag where schoolyard bully Nelson has a spotted owl in a headlock, taunting between noogies, "Stop endangering yourself! Stop endangering yourself!" Seafood is so damn good and (despite me being a sometimes vegetarian) sushi in particular is one of my favorite treats. I want to kick the sushi counter and scream at the bluefin far away in the ocean, who I'm sure are not listening, Nice one, you jerks. If you tasted like banana slugs, you wouldn't be over harvested, you stupid, stupid giant tuna!


But all kidding aside, that brings me to this idea about what it means to be a conscious consumers. When I was a little kid, no one knew about recycling, and then one day everyone was methodical about separating bottles and cans. I mean, the waste management in my folks' neighborhood now picks up food waste. It's wonderful. Or think about the organic food movement--ten years ago, organic produce was not on everyone's shopping list or even in our grocery stores. The only reason I even know not to eat bluefin in the first place is because I looked at a conservation website. Perhaps making wise, informed choices is one of the most responsible things you can do as a consumer.

And then there's the ethics of food. I couldn't swallow the bluefin nigiri only when I remembered that the animal was endangered. What makes us choose to eat something or not eat something for personal reasons? Case in point, once in awhile I'll order veal piccata in an Italian restaurant (read: once a year) but have refused to eat octopus ever since my dad gave me this whole spiel about how they're highly intelligent and are good to their partners or whatever (not that I was a huge octopus fan to begin with, so, yeah, it wasn't really a sacrifice). Someone else might be horrified at the plight of a young cow but not think twice about some squishy sea creature. And who is to say which should be worth more than the other one? I don't know...there is no right or wrong answer. The only answer that makes any sense to me is trying to be responsible in your choices, whatever that means to you.

Funny thing was, hands down the most delightful thing on that plate was the sardine sashimi with chopped scallion on top. Delicious. If I saw it on a menu again, I would order it, and I cannot say the same about bluefin, which I will continue to boycott. Also, I am smugly satisfied knowing that sardines multiply like crazy and are a sustainable choice. And I have to say, they really are beautiful in this photograph, aren't they?

So what's an omnivore to do?

I Grew This!

I am so proud of all the people in my life who love the earth, love food, and are passionate about making things grow. This dedication to creating and growing is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I can't resist showing off our delicious results!

Attack of Di and her killer tomatoes.




Jenn's Japanese eggplant. She's growing two kinds of peppers too!





I just love this photo--My mom shows off crisp sweet snap peas and edible nasturtiums.




And my own crowning glory--green beans! Look at 'em go! This is something new for me and they've been quite successful. As you can see, they survived the move just fine and are happier than ever. There is a late summer steak salad in my near future featuring these beauties.





It's images like this I keep in my head when there's only destruction and hate on the evening news. This is what I remember when I'm feeling low. This is real beauty. This is what it's all about.

Wanderlust: Eastern Europe

This summer I took the trip I've always wanted to take, through Central and Eastern Europe. Naturally, there were things I loved (beer and dumplings), things I didn't (a certain snooty city which shall remain nameless), and things with which I am now obsessed (Poland).

In case you want a little taste...


And away we go. Follow that orange backpack!


My tour buddies and I hit Vienna, Austria.

I can always be tempted by a market.









Bratislava, Slovakia.

Behold, the best beer of all I tasted in five countries. Sorry, Czechs, the winner is the Slovakian national lager Zlaty Bazant --delicious! Somebody please import this stateside asap! I am salivating just looking at this photograph!

The Slovak Pub served the most memorable meal of the trip. Tiny delicate flour dumplings (someone had clearly rolled them out by hand) in white sheep's milk cheese sauce with chunky bacon and chives. I will dream of this lunch for a long time.

We ate in the room of poets. Supposedly at this pub students can get free soup if they get an A on exams.

On to the Czech Republic. Driving through the countryside to the medieval town of Czesky Krumlov.

Interesting spending time in a part of the world that sees barely any English speaking tourists and no Americans. Represent!

So charming!

Krusovice and Budvar were the first of many Czech beers...

We went rafting down this river one lazy afternoon. Every boat that passed us had a beaming Czech family, who gave a jolly greeting, with the family dog. Everyone has a dog here and everyone seems happy to be alive. The Czech people are charming and the countryside is all beautiful rolling fields of wheat and tiny villages with red tile roofs.

I mean look at this. No, really, there's a place on earth that looks like this.


Then on to Prague, where the buildings and the beer were much darker. Then again, it was nasty pouring rain when we arrived. I don't remember the name of this porter, only that it was sweet and frothy.

But then, a sunny day, just in time for exploring.

Coffee break at Bakeshop. Yum!

Prague was the halfway point on my trip, and it was lovely, but by the time I got there I was feeling a bit, well, antsy for something familiar. We stayed in apartments in the city, with a full kitchen. I decided that instead of touring the castle and Charles Bridge what I really wanted to do was something I would do at home--cook dinner. I knew it would not only relax and refresh me but it would give me a chance to experience something that local Czechs would. Luckily, my trip mates and tour guide Ance were cool with the idea!

PRAGUE DINNER PARTY CHALLENGE 2010

Can I throw a dinner for 7 when the oven is in Celsius and when signs and labels look like this?

Yes! I accept! Let's do this!

Guide Ance told me to start here, at the local farmer's market.

Oh, yeah, this feels like home.

I know, right? It was paradise. I did a lap around and then plotted out the menu:
Cole slaw with blue cheese and chives
Sliced fresh melon
Farfalle pasta with sauteed spring onion, leek, and peppers (they call these paprika here)
Roasted whole chicken
Cherry plum tart for dessert

The vendors, including this guy with suspenders and mustache, were jovial and kind, even when it was clear I did not speak Czech. For instance, all of them said the price in Czech and then turned the calculator screen around so I could see it. They talked in Czech, I talked in English, and somehow we both understood the language of food. Mustache, here, has the best cherries at that market. I tasted all of them before buying.

Homesickness fading... I was excited and energized for the first time in days.




Then to the supermarket to find the rest. Fun fact: Czech supermarkets have five aisles of meat, an entire one devoted to sliced ham...

...but it took me 45 minutes to find vinegar. This is a nation who does not eat salad.

Dudes, this goat is totally drinking a beer! Why do I find that so hilarious?

By the way, I am fully aware that most of my favorite places and stories involve food and most of my photos are of beer and not of local architecture or sights. I stand by my priorities.

Speaking of food, my Prague dinner party was a huge success! All that food for only 50 Czech Crowns apiece (that's about $2.50). The others brought beer and wine, and everyone ended up helping with the dinner. It was so good in fact that I intended to take pictures of the set table and never did because I was too busy eating, drinking, laughing. It turned out to be a delicious reminder of what I know best. I hope that when my trip mates think of Americans now they will remember bites of cherry plum tart and not what they see on the evening news.

Next stop at the Czech national park of Teplice nad Metjui, for a hike. It really was beautiful.

...and then we drove into Poland.

Can we talk about Poland for a second? This country and its people blew me away. We're talking about a nation that has been invaded and screwed over by everyone and yet the people are the most warm, generous, welcoming souls I've ever met. Seriously, some of the greatest people I've ever encountered in my travels. Period.

And if they find out you're Polish? Forget about it. You're a long lost cousin come home again. People everywhere have that round Polish face, the face of my mother, grandfather, great grandparents, the face that stares back at me from black and white photos. And there it was. In bakeries, on street corners, in toll booths, in the musty underground bars of Krakow.

I fell in love at once. Madly, madly, head over heels in love.

The evening light in the square,

the cobblestone alleys,

the park that hugs the city,

the huge mugs of frothy beer and heaping platters of food. Food to warm you on a winter night and cheer you on a summer afternoon. Hot borscht with meat dumplings? Fresh soft pillowy pirogi filled with cheese? White sausage with warm simple sliced potatoes in mustard dressing? Oh, Poland, I love you so.

Or how about a little honey vodka to complete a perfect day? That's right, I said honey vodka.
(My new Aussie friend Laila and I strike a pose)

I did not want to leave Poland. I could have spent another month. We went next back to Slovakia, for a hike in the Tatra mountains. The entire time, all I thought of was Poland. I was only mildly appeased at the thought of having one more Slovakian beer.

From there onto Budapest, Hungary.

I only had a half a day there and wished I had more time. I will definitely be back to Hungary--the people and city seemed very interesting. I did have time for a relaxing dip at the famous public baths and a piece of walnut cake at Lukacs.

Mmm...ritzy.

Over one last beer at Szimple Bar, I realized that despite everything I had seen, done, and tasted, I was quite eager to go home. Sign of a perfect vacation, maybe? At any rate, I will most certainly be back one day for more. Anyone want to join me?

Sauce it up, yo

This is the summer I live for. Look at these beautiful jars of tomato sauce! Pizza in January? Meatball subs in March? Why of course, with sauce from the freezer.

My sauce party was such a delicious success last year that I had to have another. And I had to do it in a big hurry before I moved to my new place. Luckily, my friend Jenn was on hand for some sauce makin'. That girl is a sauce makin' machine!


$20 for 24 pounds of overripe early girls. What a steal. This time I was smart and drove to the farmer's market.

Right, so first you've got to remove the skins. Well, you don't have to, but it's my sauce party, so, yeah. Look at this kitchen toy that Jenn brought--it's the handled colander insert from her spaghetti pot. This thing saved the day. So much easier to submerge a bunch of tomatoes in boiling water for a minute than to have to drain each time or stand there with a slotted spoon fishing them out. Let me tell you, I have wicked gadget envy now. I must have one!


Peel them, crush with fingers, and try to let some of the water and seeds run out...

Last year we tried to chop the hot tomatoes. Crushing by hand is much better. This is where your Sicilian grandmother would be useful, but as neither of us is Sicilian, we did it ourselves.

We made lunch and let the tomatoes cook down for two hours, maybe more. This batch had salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and garden herbs (three basils, flat leaf parsley, rosemary, and oregano)

We went with two styles--Jenn and her sweetie Tom prefer their sauce chunky, while I like it smooth so I can make pizza. Half the sauce went through the food mill.




Sauce two ways. Yup, this should last us a whole...five seconds.