spring

should have posted this a little earlier, since spring is almost over.

in san francisco, there really weren't seasons, it gets a little colder in december and january and rains, fog is definitely thicker in the summer months (there is no summer), and you have about two weeks of warmth some where between september and earlier october, other than that, it is always like 55-65, with a chill in the wind from the ocean.

in toronto, I guess there are actually four seasons, and it is reflected by what you see in the stores, I am starting to see that. some say asparagus and fava beans signaling the arrival of the spring, well, as far as canadians are concern, fiddlehead fern belongs in that group.

I have seen them a few times over the years in san francisco and seattle, but they are in markets everywhere in toronto, if simply blanched and then sauteed, they taste a little like asparagus, a little like okra, but it is pretty unique, you have to try them for yourself. I don't love them like I do fava beans, but I would certainly cook them and eat them from time to time, when they are still around.

big difference

I touched on this a little before, hate to revisit it again, but after a couple glasses of wine, my judgement is not sound.

we all know the chinese communist party has done a lot of bad, on all fronts, and what is being talked about the most is their human rights record and violations. I will say this one more time, I am not defending their actions at all, if you know what my family has gone through because of the rise of the communist, you will understand there is no way I identify with those fucks.

but if you look at the earth quake rescue efforts by the chinese government, and compare that to the debacle in the wake of hurricane katrina, the differences are night and day. while people in america stand on soap boxes and say all the shit about human rights, freedom and democracy, it doesn't appear americans can take care of their own people when it counts. And this is not about voting, or even healthcare, what we are talking about is a life and death situation.

We live in an age of asterisks, there should be an asterisk next to the 'human rights' that has been touted by American government that people in America supposedly enjoy, the asterisk is that you are entitle to all the rights you want, as long as you can afford it, for the rest of you poor souls, best of luck, especially when a storm is coming.

(actually there should be a double asterisks, human rights are also only enjoyed by people who can not possibly be suspected of being connected to terrorist; if there is any doubt, even if there is no prove, then kiss your 'rights' goodbye)

good dog

I often hesitate to buy sausages when I see them in the stores. don't get me wrong, I love good sausages, not only they taste fucking awesome when it is well made, it is one of those foods that seem to transcends culture, geographical boundary and time. you think about it, almost any notable culinary traditions has some sort forced/ground meat stuff into animal intestine. These things then can be eaten fresh, or smoked, cured, preserved somehow for later. It is one of those inventions that I would rank amongst things like wheels, paper, etc...

The reason why I don't usually buy them is because I often end up disappointed. I made and cooked sausage when I worked for don in seattle (www.shultzy.com). What makes his product great is because he doesn't cut corners, fresh ground meat, real casing, well tested recipes, and it helps that he does a brisk business, so everything is always fresh. It sounds simple, but it is not what you always get in the stores. The store bought shit have additives, they are too fat or too lean, textures can be mushy, flavor is off, even the good looking links you see in wholefoods are not that great, and they cost a lot.

there are couple of stands in the farmers market at st. Lawrence market on saturdays offers home made sausages, I tried a bite of sample from a portable grill they had setup, and it wasn't bad, in fact, pretty damn good. So I bought a couple of the lamb/rosemary links and cooked one of them in my skillet for lunch (bread is an unnecessary distraction, just mustard, sometimes). I enjoyed it, although it didn't have as much lamb flavor as I expected, it may not have been 100% lamb, since it cost a lot more than pork. And it really wasn't cheap, either, two 1/3 pound (maybe a little bigger) cost me $5, shit if I have a garage, I I will start my own business on the side selling this shit.

but I don't, my whole apartment is probably the size of a one car garage. so I guess you have to pay good money for good shit when you can't make it yourself.