Asparagus “…transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.” Marcel Proust

“You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus” Gary Larsen

In Melch I came across a tempting jar of roasted apricot kernels. Remembering that apricot kernels are poisonous because of their cyanide content but feeling confident that this reputable tourist area and shop would not be selling toxic food, I bought a jar (sadly, only one jar) and opened it up immediately to nibble on these bitter sweet nuts. A website I consulted claims the cyanide is destroyed in the roasting process so I have concluded that I’m safe. Besides, the kernels are used in confections and to flavour liqueurs so I’ve had the kernels, unwittingly, in other forms. Some people even claim it is an anti-cancer agent and that they are very nutritious, especially high in vitamin B17, a nutrient that is neglected in our modern diet. Bring on the Amaretti di Saronno!

A Salzburg basic food item is the pretzel which comes in a variety of sizes and types from the light coloured and salty to the rich with molasses to the covered with chocolate. In the market there are pretzel stands with a delicious selection and the tables in the beer gardens have pretzel stands to accompany your beer. The abundance of pretzels made me think I found its birthplace but I now know that an Italian monk invented it to reward children for praying. Amen!

Prague is somewhat known for its absinthe and drinking it is listed as one of the top tourist things to do when visiting. I have always been slightly curious about the culture and lore around it.
Numerous artists and writers living in France in the late 19th and early 20th century were noted absinthe drinkers who featured absinthe in their work. These included Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Amedeo Modigliani, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Later artists and writers drew from this cultural well, including Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway. Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec helped popularize the notion that absinthe had powerful psychoactive properties but there is no evidence that it causes hallucinations. In 1905, Jean Lanfray murdered his family and tried to kill himself after drinking absinthe and subsequently the beverage was banned in various countries. In the 1990’s countries started to reverse the ban. It is a popular drink in Czech and I was tempted to try it but instead had the absinthe ice cream after a fair amount of searching for the fabled treat. I found it to be very tasty and high in alcohol (they won’t serve it to minors) causing me to feel a little tipsy.

The main flavour in absinthe is anise but I understand that the proper preparation of the beverage at time of serving can bring out the other, more subtle flavours. The French method of serving absinthe involves placing a sugar cube on a slotted spoon over the glass and pouring water over it so that it dissolves into the alcohol below it. The Bohemian method involves burning the sugar cube which also burns up the alcohol.

I was delighted at finding the green fairy. Děkuji - thank you in Czech.

Driving out of Salzburg towards Prague I stopped at Passau, a charming German town where three rivers meet. It was dinner time and I had not yet had lunch so I was starved and ready to chow down anything, even stale pancakes. But it was clear that the epicurean gods were looking after me for, the first restaurant I came across, had pancake soup. I have never had or even heard of pancake soup and was curious about it. In my hungry state, I was picturing a big flat pancake sitting at the bottom of a bowl of broth but the dish consisted of long, thin strips of pancake in a vegetable broth (for moi) with some veggies. This is a typical soup served in German weddings. I find it sad that people say “yuck” when I tell them about my pancake soup because it was so delicious and the Germans and Austrians make their pancakes so well. I know that the soup I make will never taste like the soup I had in Passau but I will try this recipe soon.

Telc. In Telc it was a matter of getting fed so that I could have enough energy to move along.

Returning to Vienna, I became engaged in the Sachertorte wars. You might not have heard about the Sachertorte wars since it doesn’t make headlines on our local newspapers but there was a big fight as to who can claim to make the original cake. Yes, there was a lawsuit that lasted for years and you can read about it here. I intended to try the Sachertorte at both Sacher Hotel and Demel for comparison but I only tried it at Demel. It was a good chocolate cake but would not make my top ten cakes of all time list.

I love cheese but ordering a plate of cheese for just me to eat at one sitting was just too much. This excellent assortment of Austrian cheeses would keep me happy for a few days.

As I strolled through Vienna I saw a lot of references to Sisi, the Austrian Empress with a twenty one inch waist and ankle length tresses. Apparently she had a passion for crystallised violets. Eager to try food fit for an Empress, I bought a packet and discovered the pleasure of a very sweet floral treat. I wondered if she had the opportunity to try macarons. I did find the French speciality at Paul, the Parisian patisserie chain.

One thing I hope to learn and remember from this trip is to always return home with an ample supply of tasty food and beverages that were sampled in the journey, to ease the nostalgia for foreign lands that will overcome me even before I have had time to unpack.

Grüß Gott

One of my favourite spots is the High Line Park built on a section of the former elevated freight railroad of the West Side Line, along the lower west side of Manhattan. The High Line was built in the early 1930s by the New York Central Railroad to deliver freight to warehouses. When I looked at the map of the park I thought it started at 34th Street. When I couldn’t find the entrance, I kept walking south until many, many streets later, I found a stairway going up. When I visited NYC, only section 1 was completed but when all sections are complete, the High Line will be a 2.33km-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. The view of the city is beautiful and not to be missed, especially the city lights at night. The combination of wild plants, lawn furniture, and art makes this a perfect place to discover the lesser known parts of Manhattan.

Look at this beautiful slide show of the park and these images of the old freight line.

Happily, I have been able to dedicate myself to this fun experiement since August and made the following recipes. Many of them can be found online at one of my favourite gourmet websites, Epicurious.

Butternut squash soup with lemongrass chilli mint - excellent mixture of tastes and very warming
Caramel popcorn with chipotle - yummily addictive
Morrocan Quinoa Butternut Squash - Wonderful!
Mashed Sweet potato with lavender, lime, and cilantro - gorgeous
lavender rice pudding - I absolutely love this
lavender blueberry muffins - needed more lavender. I love lavender, can you tell?
leek, chive, gruyere turnover - very tasty
Thai Jasmine Rice with tempeh - good dish - I’m looking to expand my collection of tempeh recipes since it is supposed to be good for health
Curried Millet, Shiitake, and Corn Salad Restey - very nice
Spanish White Beans with Spinach - okay
Curried Potato and Leek Soup with Spinach - yummy and didn’t need too much richness
Black Bean and Roasted Tomato Soup - good
Whipped Chipotle Sweet Potatoes - yummy and spicy
Red Lentil Soup with Spiced Oil - red lentils are always a winner
Provençal Bok Choy - nice
Braised Turnips with Poppy-Seed Bread Crumbs - A winner

I would like to do at least 52 new recipes, so I have a way to go. Bon Appétit til then!

Amongst the line up of short animated films included two directed by Chris Landreth, Ryan and The Spine. Chris Landreth was present to discuss the creation of his films and provided the audience with insight into the artwork and his use of ‘psychological realism’. I found Chris Landreth an excellent speaker. I was hoping to get a chance to ask him about the meaning of certain animation quirks, such as the strips of character’s forehead flapping around.

Ryan is an animated tribute to Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. Thirty years ago, at the National Film Board of Canada, Ryan produced some of the most influential animated films of his time.

You can watch Ryan online: http://www.nfb.ca/film/ryan/

I also hope you get a chance to watch The Spine.

#12 Joe Henry - Time is a lion
Uploaded by lecargo. ]]> http://geekycat.com/blog/2009/08/31/joe-henry-time-is-a-lion/feed/ http://geekycat.com/blog/2009/06/09/my-name-day-2/ http://geekycat.com/blog/2009/06/09/my-name-day-2/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:51:15 +0000 Diana Condolo http://geekycat.com/blog/2009/06/09/my-name-day-2/ Italians often celebrate Joe’s name day, in honour of St. Joseph. They get together and have pastries with coffee, maybe even giving gifts. Joe isn’t the only name day, however. Diana has a name day because there is a St. Diana. There is some dispute as to when to actually celebrate the name day. Here is what I found:
* January 4th is celebrated in the Czech Republic in honor of the name Diana.
* January 29th is celebrated in Sweden in honor of the name Diana.
* February 24th is celebrated in Latvia in honor of the name Diana.
* June 9th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of Bl. Diana.
* July 1st is celebrated in Slovakia in honor of the name Diana.
* August 13th is celebrated in Lithuania and Poland in honor of the name Diana.
* September 18th is celebrated in Hungary in honor of the name Diana.
* September 23rd is celebrated in Estonia in honor of the name Diana.
* September 26th is celebrated in Latvia in honor of the name Diana.

And another site states that the date is June 10—in honor of St. Diana of Andalò of Bologna.

So which day should I celebrate my name day? Should I mark my calendar and celebrate all those dates, because one can never have enough celebration!

…..

As I approached the tower I noticed a very long line up for purchasing tickets to go up by elevator. There are five elevators from the ground to the second floor: one in the East pillar, one in the West pillar, one in the North pillar, one private elevator in the South pillar for the “Jules Verne” restaurant and one goods elevator in the South pillar.

The ticket line for stair climbers was much shorter, so I took the stairs. It is not a difficult climb but it can be a bit nerve racking if you’re afraid of heights.

This is what it would have been like if I took the elevator:

Look at this 1900 ascent of the elevator of the Eiffel Tower:

This double-decker type of elevator was in use until 1900:

The first platform (57 m) offers a 360 degree view of Paris. There are plaques indicating key points of interest in the view. Here you can see Montmartre on the top right corner:

The tower is close to the Seine and you can see the boats go up and down the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche. There are 37 bridges over the River Seine just within Paris.

There are many folks selling typical Eiffel souvenirs near the tower, but farther afield, an Eiffel Grater can be found:

Excellent for adding a “je ne sais pas” to every meal!

Listen French music or at least songs with “Paris” in the title:
“Getto le braccia attorno a Parigi” or more commonly known as “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” by Morrissey from “Years of Refusal”
“Oh, Paris” from the recently released “The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele”
“A Paris” by Po.Lo. from the album “Paris Fetiche - The French Classic Rendez-Vous”

Read travel, history and cultural books of Paris.
Bloom’s Literary Guide to Paris: It takes you on a literary tour of the city, examining it as a setting in various works of literature, and as it has served as an influence for various authors. Reading the book enhances the experience of walking through the streets where Proust, Faubert, Wilde, Balzac, and Hugo loved, lived and died. If you have time to read fiction set in Paris, you deserve a box of macarons for your efforts.

Watch DVDs on any topic related to Paris.
There are many videos worth watching but I started with the impressionists: Morisot, Pissarro, Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas. Knowing more about the impressionist movement and the painter’s lives will enhance my appreciation of their art at the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie and other galleries. I was planning to watch other art videos as well as French movies, but I ran out of time so I’ll have to wait until I get back. The French film festival in Toronto was a start. Wouldn`t it be great to watch a French film in Paris!

Learn the language.
Learn to speak French. Or, if you are in a hurry because you didn’t plan your trip two years in advance, learn important, everyday phrases. For example, “On n’apprend pas aux vieux singes à faire des grimaces, which translates as “You cannot teach old monkeys to make faces“`can be handy when you are trying to buy bread in the boulangerie.

“Rien ne sert d’être vivant s’il faut qu’on travaille“ which translates as “Being alive serves no purpose if you have to work. I can picture myself sitting at a cafe, drinking un espresso and whispering that phrase while gazing into the distance, my shopping bags by my heels. Then I`ll be brought back down to earth by a philosopher who says, “Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux: l’ennui, le vice et le besoin“ (Work delivers us from three great evils: boredom, vice and want - Voltaire).

à bientôt