Sunday, May 24, 2009

MEAL CHOICES, MEAL GUESTS, and A LAST MEAL?

I received an email from CMC who wants to know – “If you could be comfortably and safely transported anywhere in the world for a meal of your choice – free of charge – where would you go and what would you eat? Similarly, if you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be, where would you go and what would you eat?”

Hmmm… This did require a lot of thought. There are sooooo many quality restaurants all over the world; and I am not talking about 5 star snobby and expensive places either. There are many “mom and pop” types of restaurants, cafes and delis that serve outstanding food. I used to think that I would pick just one place. Maybe I would choose, by placing the names of several places in a hat and drawing out one.

However, after the advent of the food channel, and seeing soooo many places, I would be at a total loss if I had to pick just one. Also, by limiting it to just one place, think of all the other fine eating opportunities one would miss.

Therefore, I do believe that I would make it a tour. I would start with Portugal, then go to Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. There are travel guides for the cities and towns, and those guides usually list food establishments. However, I believe that I would pick the smaller towns and cities, and find out where the locals go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would want to try the “daily special” or the house specialty. I would take pictures and notes, and, I would definitely want to save room for dessert.

Though having a goal of visiting small cities and towns, I would want to visit Paris; and similarly find the places where the locals eat lunch and dinner. I would like to try a cup of soup in several different places; and, I would like to try the French rolls, and some of the beignet–type of dessert items.

On the way back, I would plan to visit a few places in England and Scotland; mainly to track family history, but to enjoy some food as well.

If I could have lunch with anyone in the world… Again it would be far tooooo difficult for me to pick just one person. It might be tempting to have lunch with Sarah Brightman, Fernando Lima, Mario Frangoulis, Andrea Bocelli, Bill & Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Leon Panetta, gathered in one group.

Of course, I would be doing the cooking and it would be at my house. I think that I would prepare a mixed greens salad, to include avocado and tomato, and freshly grated Romano. There would be grilled boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, with my famous BBQ sauce on the side. I would also prepare my version of garlic bread. For those interested in adding a little heat, I would have a shaker of Dakota Clarks® Kick Bhut™ seasoning powder available. For dessert, I would prepare a generous portion of my legendary strawberry pound cake; with fresh strawberries, slices of Sara Lee Pound Cake, a big scoop of Tillamook French Vanilla ice cream, and Reddi-wip® extra creamy whipped cream topping. No one would leave hungry or displeased.

Aside from that, rather than picking just one person, I would prefer to enjoy having lunch with my family, to include wife, daughter, son and grandchildren. Again, I would prepare a simple meal, probably salmon or chicken, or both, etc.

Then, when I hit the lottery, it would be very tempting to accept the challenge of preparing a meal for all the people I know. I would invite all the people I know, including distant relatives. For those traveling from out of state or country, I would provide roundtrip travel expenses.

A long time ago, I cooked grilled chicken for 503 people, at a fire department function, so I do believe that I would be up to the challenge, with some help, of course, of cooking for all the people I know. Now, THAT would be a lot of fun.

If I had to invite just one person, living or dead, to join me at a meal that I prepare, who would I pick? I believe it would be fun and very interesting to prepare a meal for Jesus Christ.

How about you? If you had your choice of one last meal before passing to the great beyond, what would you choose?

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Hummingbird Nectar and Chlorine

I received a comment from DL. “If your hummingbirds and orioles are not drinking the nectar you are making for them, it could be that your water supplier is adding the new type of chlorine chemical to the water supply. The birds are very sensitive to this new type of chemical, and they will not drink the nectar mixed with it.”

Apparently, many varieties of birds are very sensitive to smells; and, natural nectar does not have an odor.

Here is a link to more information about preparing hummingbird nectar, and a comment about chlorine.

http://www.hum-ming-bird.com/V4.5/Page/humming-bird-food-recipe.html

DL says he and his wife have been using bottled or distilled water to make their hummingbird nectar, and have no problems with the birds sipping it. That would be my recommendation, to use bottled or distilled water to make your nectar.

Unless it is very cold weather, I prefer to use the 4:1 water to sugar ratio. Meaning I will use one quarter cup of white granulated sugar to one cup of water. I bring the water to a boil and add the sugar. I mix it well to make sure all of the sugar dissolves. (Cold weather it is 3:1, meaning a third of a cup of white granulated sugar to one cup of water.)

After the water has cooled for a couple of hours, I bring in the feeder bottle and give it a good cleaning and rinsing. Then, I add the new water. Sometimes the hummers are waiting. It is fun to see them hover nearby as I replace their treat.

Friday, May 15, 2009

TREAT by order of the Court.

News item today – a Judge ordered a family to have their 13 year-old son undergo chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The boy’s parents decided not to continue with chemo after Daniel had one treatment.

The decision by the parents has been causing a brouhaha, amongst the courts and the public.

Please do not be too quick to condemn the actions of Daniel’s parents.

Some patients do not do well with the standard treatment of radiation and chemotherapy, because those treatments can and often do make the patient very ill, read extremely sick.

Some of the alternative medical treatments are designed to help build up the body’s immune system, to fight the war from within, so to speak; and, there are medicines that are not as harmful to one’s wellness.

Here are two links to further information about that subject:

http://www.answers.com/topic/hodgkin-s-disease-alternative-treatment

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hodgkins+lymphoma+alternative+treatment&aq=0&oq=hodgkins+lymphoma+alter

Instead of people prattling on, and pointing fingers, all of us should be sending healing thoughts and prayers to Daniel.

There is something to be said for the power of prayer; and that, by the way, just happens to be one of the alternative treatments.

In the mean time, maybe the judge should step up to the plate and take full financial responsibility for paying Daniel’s medical expenses for the court ordered treatments.

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Weather

In the State of Washington, there is a saying: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes, because it’ll change.”

The last several years, the arthritis in my knees has been my main weather forecaster, and it is possible that is due to barometric and temperature changes. Regardless, my knees have become a very reliable weather predictor.

So, I am wondering how much these TV ‘meteorologists’ earn in salary.

For one third of what they earn to guess the weather, the TV station could just show a camera shot of my bare knees, while I tell people exactly what the weather would be doing. It would free up more time for other news or commercials.

A knee report, if you will. The only trouble is, seeing my bare knees might frighten TV viewers. Plus, I do not have a permit to show that much white skin in public. Maybe that is not a very good idea.

However, I did get a good idea in an email from DL in Salinas, CA.

Whenever it is raining, or the roads are wet, icy, etc., DO NOT use your “cruise control.”

If your vehicle starts to skid or slide, due to the wet or icy surface, the cruise control could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. If the cruise control is ‘on’ it does not know the road is wet or icy, and will still continue powering your drive train and wheels. Here is a link to more information about this: http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp

So, let's be safe and only use cruise control when driving on dry roads.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

SNAKE ON A PLATE? .... NOT !!

News Item… A man found the severed head of a snake under the broccoli served to him at a restaurant. This thumb–sized piece of added protein made my mind race.

My first thought was of Andrew Zimmern, the famous chef and Bizarre Foods food show host, whose motto is: “If it looks good, eat it!” Almost immediately, I wondered if Andrew would have eaten the snake head, by assuming that the snake head was just a little added treat, prepared just for him.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/405966_snakehead07.html?source=mypi

Of course, the restaurant staff tried to make the best of the situation, but I wonder if they comped his meal.

Now, under the headline of STAY TUNED FOLKS, there IS more to this story.

Any restaurant management system worth its (pardon the expression) salt, knows to have “items found in food” tested, to make sure there is some veracity to the matter. I guess that some members of the public are not aware of this.

Lo, and behold, it turns out that laboratory testing confirms the snake head was ‘added’ to the broccoli. That means one of two things: 1) a prankster in the restaurant kitchen, or, 2) the man planted the head in the broccoli.

Here is the link to the article about the lab testing:
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1120ap_us_odd_snake_head_surprise.html?source=mypi

Time for a drum roll, and a WAAAA, WAAAA, WAAAA.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

FAUX GRILLED

I received the following question at askgrampsaboutanything@Verizon.net: IS KFC CHICKEN REALLY GRILLED? HOW DO THEY DO IT ? AC

Well, AC, I heard a rumor from a very knowledgeable source, that the new product presently advertised by Yum Brands’ KFC, (Kentucky Fried Chicken), units as KFC “Grilled Chicken,” is not actually grilled.

Rather, it is baked. Apparently, KFC has a special “smoker oven” that bakes the chicken that is placed on raised metal, to make “grill marks” as if the chicken had actually been grilled.

To grill something infers a particular method of cooking. To cook something to make grill marks appear, is something else entirely.

So, even though baking the chicken more than likely is a healthier option, than either frying or grilling, in a way it is somewhat misleading to call it grilled chicken.

I believe that marketing folks at Yum Brands need to rethink this. Personally, I would prefer baked chicken to faux grilled chicken any day.

I hope that answers your question, and, thanks for asking about it.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

THE HAPS 5/5

Well, no offense to anyone intended, but I made it through another "Cinco de Mayo," without setting food inside of a Mexican restaurant, or, having a Margarita.

However, many years ago, (pre fire department days), more than likely I would have spent a small fortune in a good quality Mexican eatery on Cinco de Mayo. It was my experiences with the fire departments that educated me as to why no one should ever drink and drive.

Even just one drink can impair your reasoning abilities and alter your driving skills. Going out on emergency medical calls, to vehicle collisions involving DUI drivers and passengers was a real education. That is why I adopted the policy of never drink and drive.

Many people go out for dinner and a few drinks and believe they are ok to drive; but, regrettably, that is not the case. Even with a meal, alcohol still impairs your reasoning abilities.

Many people who get a citation for DUI, are on their way home after dinner and a few drinks. The hassle of going to court, the mandated fines and court costs, lawyer fees, jail time, high risk car insurance fees, possible job loss, etc., makes drinking and driving a very risky thing to do nowadays. It is simply not worth it.

I also credit fire department service for me wanting to have six working, ionization type, smoke detectors in our home. I learned first hand how, "in a fire, seconds count." If you are on the business end of a fire hose, facing a burning or fully involved residence or other structure, you learn a few things. Being alerted quickly to a fire was one of them.

Another important concern is the safe exit. No matter where you are, how do you safely exit the building in the event of any emergency? Most people never think about that until it is too late.

Today’s news had a comment that Rush Limbaugh supposedly said that he believes that Sarah Palin is the true voice of the Republican Party. Or something like that.

Rush Limbaugh, isn't he the guy that had troubles with law enforcement and drug addiction issues not too long ago?

Are people still listening to him?

Friday, May 1, 2009

The Haps...

Don’t forget to email your questions to: askgrampsaboutanything@Verizon.net

This coming week has a few interesting events. May 5TH is “Cinco de Mayo” celebrated by folks from south of the border. That supposedly is the busiest day for food and beverage sales for the average Mexican restaurant, almost anywhere in the USA.

May 7TH is the birthday of my “Activities Director” aka wife of 41 years; and, the 90TH birthday of my last surviving uncle, Arthur King Clark.

Saturday, May 9TH is the “Full Moon” known as "The Flower Moon," or "Corn Planting Moon," or "The Milk Moon." Supposedly, if you plant the corn at the time of the full moon, you will have better corn. For more information about full moons, go to this link:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/090109-ns-full-moon-names-2009.html

Sunday, May 10TH is Mother’s Day, so heads up about that.

In the mean time, thanks to Clint, I have a great recipe for Pigs’ Brains in milk with scrambled eggs. Anyone want to learn more about that?