Springtime at the Athens Farmers Market,
Bishop Park. Colors of the season from
Lion's Mane fungus:
More healthy images over at their Instagram.
Inspired Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is a drag. For me the experience of shopping at a store feels unnatural. I'm in my element at a farmers market and shop with great ease, but put me indoors with florescent lights and lots of packaging and my mind goes blank. One small bright note for me in going to the store is discovering someone's shopping list in the bottom of the cart. I play a game where I try to figure out who the author of the note might be and what occasion it is they're shopping for. For instance, a bachelor doing his daily shopping or someone shopping for a party. I love combing the clues.
found list
I had an epiphany the other day when I found a list in my cart (shown above). When I'm stumped for what to buy I could just use a found list. Mind you the list would have to be acceptable, but in the case of the one shown above I think it's a pretty good find. Are they going to cook the fish with the shallots? Will they be making a bean salad that includes the cilantro? Will there be an appetizer platter with the carrots, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cheese and crackers? Hmmm. What are the cabbage and chard for? Maybe they'll sautee some of the veggies to have with the fish. Anyway, I think it's a pretty good list to fill in my shopper's block (like writer's block).
Then I had another idea. I was drifting up and down the aisles aimlessly the other day when I noticed this one guy had a fetching selection in his cart. He kept popping up on the same aisle as me, each time with a few more appealing items added to his cart. Wow, I could just shadow him. I'll follow him around the store and buy whatever he's buying. Heh!
Andy, Dalai Lama and Hamish
Well, I was watching The Graham Norton Show the other night with guests Hamish and Andy, and what do you know, they do a thing on the streets called "ghosting". I myself don't see the point (in truth, I love these guys). I think my version is much more productive. What do these guys get out of it? A few chuckles. With my version you get at least one meal out of it. Maybe several, depending on who you choose to shadow at the market. Important tip: try to choose someone who appears to be in the same class as you. I'm talking money. You don't want to follow someone around who is wearing $200 jeans if you're a thrift store dresser. You'll end up with a hefty tab at the check-out. So yes, I'm giving you permission to profile people. Make assumptions about them based on their clothes, accessories and haircut. If you feel like stepping out of your grocery comfort zone choose a college student. Preferably an art student, if you really want to experiment. I'll be reporting back on my results. Cheers and happy new shopping!
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Slow Interior Design
I have a wonderful new design job in the San Francisco area set in a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean house. I was describing the style of my work process to the client -- "I don't decide on a fixed design with plans and drawings right from the start. I work in a much more organic way. Feeling out the design and letting it grow slowly as I go along. I also make every effort to buy locally from the independent shops, the family shops." I realized at that moment that what I was describing was Slow Design. You may be familiar with the Slow Food movement that originated in Italy in the late 80s. It was a response to a fast food culture and all of the consequences of that lifestyle -- not eating local produce, not eating at home with family, and in general not slowing down and considering the process and the sources of the ingredients. The whole spirit of that movement -- eating locally grown, lingering over a meal, recovering "slowness" -- suits me down to the ground. I always knew I belonged in Italy!
In thinking about an image to go with this post I decided to step outside my house and see if there was anything that spoke to me of "slow" and funny enough this is what I found, smack in my front yard:
Parfait!
So, in the spirit of the new year, while we're embarking on new endeavors, let's all, from time to time, "prepare to stop".
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Free Beer in NYC Tonight!
Just received an announcement from Broke-Ass Stuart about this partée. I'd love to hear from anyone who is brave enough to go!
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Let Them Eat Caviar!
Customs agents in Milan seized 88 pounds of beluga caviar from smugglers; estimated value $550,000.
What did the Italian authorities decide to do with the confiscated delicacy? It is "to be given to canteens, hospices and shelters for the poor". Bravo! "Would you care for some confiscated wine with that?" Who needs Santa? I'm sending my wish list to the Director of Customs in Milan, ha.
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Updates
Sweet Sean from Strangers Car Club reminded me when he inquired about Marcel's well-being the other day that I needed to give an update. We've been giving him Omega-3s every day and his seizures have been significantly reduced. Hallelujah! We'll continue with this remedy and see what the long term holds.
And another update about the mystery t-shirt artist from the car show (reviewed in my last post). Her name is Lorraine. She's from Sacramento and has Scissor Fight Clothing. I love that name!
After that car show we went into downtown San Jose, not far from the university campus, and had a meal at Vegetarian House: Vegan Organic Cuisine. What a great find. They have three different kitchens with three different crews creating dishes from all over the globe. Check out their menu on the web site.
When we left we were approached by a guy out on the sidewalk who asked us how we liked our meal and we raved about it. He said, and I share this with a little trepidation, he heard that you could pay what you could afford. I sort of believe it, the people who run the place are so kind. But don't say I told you, just in case, ha.
Here is an excerpt from their web site:
"The Vegetarian House was inspired by The Supreme Master Ching Hai, a worldly renowned spiritual teacher and humanitarian. Located in downtown San Jose, the restaurant began operation 1994 with a principle based on non-violence."
It can be so difficult to find vegetarian restaurants, at home and abroad. They have a link on their site to vegetarian restaurants around the world. Bravo! Check them out some time.
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Chef Marcel
We took my Marcel to see Ratatouille the other night. He was so inspired that at ten o'clock that night he wanted to start making soup! I told him that we needed to get a full night's sleep to make really good soup. So the next day I took him to the market and let him pick out the ingredients he wanted. He was determined to make a red soup(his favorite color), so we picked out the veggies accordingly. By the way, what a great way to decide what to make, by choosing a color. We had such fun making it and when we were finished I told him that when chefs create a dish they get to name it so, I give you...
Marcel's French Red Soup:
olive oil
sea salt
1 yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 cups of chopped cabbage (we used green, but you could use red)
4 roma tomatoes
10 cherry tomatoes
10 baby carrots (leave whole)
1 red bell pepper
1 carton of organic veggie broth
4 oz. can of tomato paste
fresh rosemary and thyme
Get a big soup pot, pour in about 2 ounces of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic with some sea salt. Every couple of minutes add the next veggie on the list. Then add the entire carton of broth and can of tomato paste. Stir, stir, stir. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the rosemary and thyme in the last 15 minutes, depending on your taste. Serve with crunchy toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil. Yum!
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Apple Blossom Time - Yum!
There's a funny phenomenon connected with Trader Joe's whereby people like to share their favorite finds from the store. I can't think of another grocery chain that stimulates this kind of conversation. People speak up in the aisles even; leaning over and suggesting an item that you may not have discovered. I've gone shopping there with friends, or run into friends there, and automatically we start pointing things out to each other. When others in earshot hear this, they begin to share. So, I'm starting a new category here for those of you who can't keep it to yourselves any longer and are just bursting with Trader Joe's tid-bits. I have a friend who always brings the frozen samosas to a gathering. What are your faves and how do you like to have them?
My latest discovery is Chudleigh's Apple Blossoms (see photo above). Usually, I like to bake my own pies, and am quite a stickler for organic ingredients, but I do have some flexibility. The ingredients in these tasty "blossoms" are generally pretty good...no hydrogenated oils or preservatives. I like to heat them in the "slow" oven and serve them with vanilla ice cream. Trader Joe's carries Julie's organic ice cream, Double Rainbow, and dairy-free Soy Delicious.
Let the sharing begin!
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