Over the bridge – an open lock

fear of being loved…

*My first attempt at a modern photographic adaptation of Haiga – haiku art.  There will be more to come about this subject.

I’m currently working on an outdoor/travel/adventure/photography show and have been spending a lot of time looking for local characters in Alaska.  As I was browsing an air taxi service website that offers glacier landings in Denali, I came across a photo of two old men sitting on a couch with the following bio:

“Ted Gannon and Fred Beckey – Karma Control.  Ted spends the off season in Nepal and Seattle.  If you need counseling re: climbing or women, see Ted or Fred.  Ted “the Head” Gannon is the man behind the whole climbing operation situating tents and tarps.  Though Fred Beckey does not work for us, he is usually here every year scouting for new ascents and new names for his little black book and chasing the women.”

Excited that I found some great local characters I started calling around asking for Fred Beckey’s contact info.  I finally “googled” him.

I had stumbled upon a living legend.  Fred Beckey has been referred to as “The Old Man of the Mountains.”  He is an American mountaineer and author who has made more first ascents than any other North American and has been referred to as one of the most accomplished climbers of all time.  At 85+ the man is still climbing and still holds the following reputation: “Beware of Beckey:  He will Steal your woman, and steal your route.”

Photo: Popular photo of Beckey found on internet.

He’s full of eggs and doughnuts.

The Arts are candy cream, no problem.

I am too much a saga of a certain type of person: fuzzy blackness, impractical meditations, and repressed desires.

…Oh, I should have stayed at the hospital, tinkering with people, painting at night.  I could have made my own world at night.  But I wanted to stir the whole pond, shake the base.  Oh hunger-hunger.

I hurled myself toward my personal god: SIMPLICITY

It was the time for jazz and oranges, shaking buttocks.

Let us not leave life to the idiots to spill like some poor porridge, or the girls on gin.

Could I but wash away meaning like a sore, and would that the animal in my wisdom eat and disgorge my tender brain.

The animal-drive and energy of my fellow man amazed me: that a man could change tires all day long or drive an ice cream truck or run for Congress or cut into a man’s guts in surgery or murder, this was all beyond me.

Do you want an ending? write it yourself.

*Compilations from Bukowski

Is there a word for the time it takes from putting a bite of food in your mouth to the point at which you are full?  I’m not really sure what this would be called. For our purposes let’s refer to this as the amount of time one can eat for pleasure before feeling sick- or the “savour period”

I am jealous of people who have a longer “savour period” than I do.  People who can simply eat more food without getting full and thereby have a longer period of enjoyment/ satisfaction out of what they are eating than me.

Eating with my eyes doesn’t really cut it.  I walk into a restaurant, order a dish, and yearn to consume all of it. Unfortunately, I only get through half.  It’s too filling.  I then sit there watching my fiance indulge for the next hour licking his plate clean, and reaching over to my plate to do the same.  Yes, I’m generally satisfied, but- if I only had a bit more time to indulge in the goodness!

I know this may sound ridiculous, but as someone who loves everything about food (cooking, eating, thinking, writing, etc) I feel like I’m being cheated.  Others get to relish their food longer than I do.

Eating slower and taking smaller bites has been my solution to appease this jealousy. I have tricked my brain into thinking more bites and lingering food on my palate leads to more absorption of flavor.  This overall contributes to a greater ratio of enjoyment to make up for lack of belly space.

OR maybe that’s just a cop-out and I’m stuck back at square one; does anyone know a doctor specializing in reverse gastric bypass?

*Note: Photo is of a nectarine and basil-infused pastry cream tart I recently made.

Hey All!

My excuse for a summer away:

“The year does not begin in January.  Every French person knows that. Only awkward English-speakers think it starts in January…the year really begins on the first Monday of Sept…when Parisians get back to their desks after their month long holiday and begin planning out where they’ll go for mid-November break.” – Stephen Clarke

Although, I fall in the category of awkward English- Speaker-with no holiday- I’ve still decided to adopt the philosophy. 

My apologies for a summer away but I’m back- rejuvinated and inspired with some fresh ideas and sticky thoughts.  Let’s indulge!

Cheers from me and Pierro Gourman!

Unlocked my little black VW bug and cruised

Soft rolling hills came as a surprise

Expected land to measure 0 degrees on a level

Didn’t see a corn stalk

I know- it’s not time

The ratio of sky to earth

Along the horizon

3 to 1

Crimson shields on the shoulders of black birds

Red lights flashing Quaker Oats from the freeway

Rancid scents from the corn sweetener factory

Stuck in my nose for miles

Gutted bars and BBQ joints

Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival flags

Posted on corners

Out of service

Empty signs waiting to be lit up again

So how my perception changed

Heading into the woods

Sprayed myself with vanilla water

It kept the gnats from my ears

Three of us:

A turkey hunter in camo, a Kiwi, and a Desi

Mission: crash course on how to woo a male turkey

Solution: Gobble like a female and make him come to you

Gobbling

Hear a rustle

Shroomer intrusions

Carrying what seem to be heavy plastic bags

Reported Sightings: Morels

Curiosity peaked

“Have you found any? I’ve never seen one growing in the wild.”

Skeptical native Iowa shroomers provide no information

Eyes penetrating the ground like a hawk

Circling around trees

Snagging photos of all other mushrooms

No morel treasure to be found

An Iowa turkey hunter turned Mushroom hunter

Pulls out a plastic bag

Confirmed Sightings: Three large morels

A realization occurs

My treasure

Is the people I meet.

Developing my experiences and

Sharing

Something I’ve never seen.

My postcard for Austin, TX.

On a recent trip to Austin for work (which happened to be during South By South West) I really got a chance to get down and dirty filming Texas longhorns like Norman and overloading my belly with the local southern flavors.  Our filming crew decided the only reason Norman allowed us to get that up close and personal was because he knew I wasn’t planning on eating him.

I had heard a lot of great things about Austin, and it truly lived up to my expectations.  As the live music capital of the country, it not only boasts fantastic music but great food and a killer vibe.   It might be because of the young, edgy, artsy crowd- but the laid back creative feel is one where a person like me feels right at home.

Luckily, I have a great friend who has lived in Austin for 5+ years,  and gave me the lowdown on places to try:

Torchy’s Tacos: Excellent Tacos.  I was a bit shocked when I parked my car to pick up an order and the line on a Sunday afternoon was down the street and around the corner.  I got looks walking in, as I passed infront of everyone to pick up my order.  I think I would have apologized more prior to living in New York, but thankfully our tacos were ready as I got to the front of the line.  The tacos, guac, and salsa lived up to exactly what I was yearning for. Damn Good Mexican and if you’re waiting in line down the street- It’s worth the wait.

Stubb’s BBQ: Great live music, ok food.  My coworker got ribs and said they tasted like liquid smoke- which the two of us have much experience with after working on a Food Science show and comparing the differences between using and not using liquid smoke.  Still worth checking out because it’s in a good location and for the music.

Salt Lick BBQ: I think everyone in Texas agreed that Salt Lick was truly delicious BBQ.  My boyfriend went down to Austin one week after I did and had the opportunity to try Salt Lick.  He’s a big BBQ guy- and really enjoyed it.  I think it comes in high regard.

East Side Showroom: This is one of my favorite restaurants that I have been to.  With gin cocktails resting in barrels waiting for servers to bring them to tables, the etchings of an old “Ice Cream 5 cents” painted on the brick wall, live music and vintage black and white movies playing in a old frame…it nails its mission to “inspire a feeling of the cafes and delicatessens from France to Texas in the pre World War II era, the turn of the century Music Halls of Berlin and Vienna, and the 1920’s avant-garde Theatres of NYC; Offering patrons of the arts a stimulating, artistic, and social environment to enjoy gourmet cuisine, cocktails, wine, beer, coffee, and teas.”  Primarily local ingredients including antelope tartare and delicious curried grits for veggie people like me.

Other Recommendations that I didn’t get a chance to try on this trip, but on the next:

La Condessa: contemporary mexican, hip, sophisticated, artsy, with a extensive tequila list.

Flip Happy: Crepes out of a vintage airstream trailor. Enough said.

Get me back down to Austin Baby!  I’ve got the music ringin’ in my ears and the belly grumbling for more.

If the reason we enjoy feeding and sharing our food with family and friends is partly a selfish motive and desire for confirmation on doing a good deed; why do many of us find joy in feeding animals? Dogs, birds, squirrels are not going to respond back with a thank you or an acknowledgement.  I asked a variety of people if they enjoyed feeding animals and why.  Many said yes, providing interesting insight:

“ I like helping animals out.”

“The thrill of it- not knowing how an animal will react.”

“I like watching the squirrels crack the nuts open- they are very dexterous.”

“They are cute and kind of like living toys.”

“Better than feeding babies…”

“It’s a power trip for us- a level of control.”

“I don’t find joy in feeding pigs or animals I have no emotional connection with, just ones I have an emotional connection with.”

We have established a hierarchy with placing animals in categories of those we enjoy feeding and others that we don’t.  For those we do enjoy feeding, there is a desire to nurture the “helpless” creatures.  Even though they have survived in the wild sufficiently well before our time, and are not really considered “helpless.” For others it is simply awe for nature and a yearning to get as close to it as possible.  Thereby, resulting in the “Do not feed the animal” signs on every corner in a park or zoo like a “do not park” sign on every corner of New York.

The act of feeding animals is even incorporated into a number of religious and spiritual beliefs and traditions around the world. Milk is offered to cobras in India, symbolic of fertility and rebirth with the cobra as the guardian providing protection against evil in the home. Birds, such as the white herons that fly into a small village in Petulu, Bali are said to represent the reincarnations of men and women that fought during the civil war.  Feeding these animals is an act of honoring these souls.  There is a central belief that the act of feeding animals is an aspiration for a better place in the next life.

Maybe our joy in the act of feeding people and animals is rooted in different reasons and perspectives, but there is one predominant sentiment in the act of both: charity and virtue.  Maybe it’s all just a matter of dharma.*

*Dharma: one’s righteous duty.

*Feeding my dog Jazz and all the other animals that I love was my inspiration for this blog entry.

Many of these topics and ideas have been fermenting in my mind for quite some time.  A few months back I started evaluating them and reading about the crucial role women play in their families and communities.  Women are the ones that still represent the essential caretaker and are more likely to sacrifice their health for the needs of their family.  Additionally, educating and empowering women around the world is one of the best ways to fight poverty, injustice, and extremism.  The combination of these ideas sparked thoughts about the role women play in healthy eating for themselves, families, and the community.  Teaching children about food and eating healthy will improve our nutritional situation over the long-term, but how can we improve the situation at the moment?

Low income communities suffer greatly with minimal education, lack of healthcare, and poor nutrition habits. Why not educate women in these low income communities how to improve their eating habits on a budget? With the help of a friend, we reached out to local New York City Women’s Shelters in November to hold “Healthy Cooking Demonstrations” and teach women of low to no income status, undergoing counseling for a variety of conditions (domestic and substance abuse), and who are in current flux regarding custody of their children about eating healthy.

The first cooking demo was on Feb 25^th, 2010.  The plan was to hold a 1 hour demo to teach a group of 30 women what are the components of a healthy meal and how to put one together on a budget.

To my surprise the event went better than I imagined.

Weeks leading up to the event, were primarily characterized by my mind questioning whether this was a good idea.  Who am I to come up with some idealistic idea to improve these women’s eating habits? Do they not have enough to worry about? Am I just adding another task to the list? Think about your food?

I decided to try not to think about these nagging questions and focus on what I had planned and try my best.  I tried to get food donations from local grocery stores- which ended up falling through.  So, on the night before the demo- I walked around New York City and got all my ingredients to put together a three course meal for 30 women at a cost of $20.

The menu:

Spinach Salad with apples, pecans, and a balsamic vinaigrette

Corn, Tomato, and Red Onion Bruschetta

Whole Wheat Pasta with Chickpeas and Lemon

The next morning I arrived at the shelter and set up so that the women would be able participate in making the dishes.  Once everything was in order the women began to enter:

“What the hell is this? Rabbit Food?”

“Spinach? I do not eat that”

“What’s that smell? Ew.  Brown Pasta?”

“…we’re going to learn about cooking?”

“We like to eat.  We don’t want to look like you- all skinny and shit.”

With an entrance like that- I think anyone would be intimidated.  But, I stood up there and tried to relate to these women.  I started by asking them to get involved, ask questions, and prompt discussion.  To my surprise many of these women actually did want to learn about how to improve their eating habits, and didn’t know where to start.  The task seemed overwhelming.  During the first half hour we talked about their current eating habits, how sugar and white flour have no nutritional content, the importance of good quality protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cooking techniques to maintain some nutritional value (aka- eat less fried foods).

“I’m not saying tomorrow you need to drop everything and change cold turkey.  If you put four packs of sugar in your coffee every morning, next week put in 3 ½ packs of sugar.  The next week 3 packs, etc. Ween yourself off.”

“If you don’t like the taste of brown rice, why not mix in some brown rice with the white rice.”

Little tips like these made the daunting task of improving your diet manageable.

Many of the women were surprised to hear that they could spend $1.29 for a large container of rolled oats from the 99cent store which provided them with 11servings.  On average they were currently spending $3/day on breakfast.

Soon enough, we began putting together the meals. Of course some women preferred to just watch, but as the lemon was being zested onto the pasta, honey poured into the mix of balsamic olive oil dressing, and knives were chopping- you began to see how natural good food impacts people.  Everyone was smiling and 20 minutes later we had 3 dishes on the table.  It was a mixed group- some were excited to try their labors, some were a bit skeptical, but in the end most of the women tried the food and surprised themselves.

“Rabbit Food” turned into something theymight try again.  That’s all I could have hoped for.

Any donations or help would be greatly appreciated to the Women In Need Organization: www.women-in-need.org.  Thank you to them.

I just wanted to apologize for last week and no post…as many of you know I just got started on a new TV project working with people recovering from parasites- so please bare with me… things might get a lil crazy with some upcoming posts.  Thanks for being so supportive and still checking in!

On an additional note- my DC post was actually kind of fortuitous as I ended up in DC last week for work.  A few cafes and places to add to the list:

Founding Farmers: delicious freshly made Ginger Ale.

Breadline

Busboys and Poets

Politics and Prose: one of the best independent bookstores left.

And a beautiful picture of delicious grapes that I’m craving right now…

Cheers!

-Sup