Townies & Good Country People

I think I might be in the process of becoming one of "those people."  I'm not even sure who "they" are, but I find myself more and more unable to eat until I photograph a pretty plate of noodles or frame a table setting with my imagination.  To all those who are kindly smiling and patiently waiting on me to take pictures, thank you!  I suppose that taking time to savor a spread (read: dish or table setting) is like stopping to smell the roses.  If the roses were edible that is!  

If there's another group of people I salute, it's those that take time to prepare and to eat la bonne bouffe.  Currently a couple of townies, J and I went to see her parents who have an acre or two located a mile off the highway halfway between somewhere and the country.  It's a pleasant drive and a welcome one when one needs to escape city livin' or simply for a laundry-heist (a.k.a. profit from the parental Maytag machines). 

On the other side of the family welcome mat awaited a feast fit for the most refined food fancy.  The only sad part was seeing the leftovers allein on the counter.  I think I may some animist leanings.  I think everything deserves personification or at least a Name.  Poor cukes (Myers for "cucumbers").  

In any case, vielen dank für das essen!  Das war sehr gut :).

  

Olive dreams.  Olives and I are rather new friends.  I prefer them pitted, but either way.  Something about an olive feels biblical or at least natural.  They are one old food.  This grouping of fingerfood vorspiese (appetizer) includes a few things I'd never tasted before including the curry-chickpea dip.  Everything is a little sweeter in good company.  The folded fingers of my good company are pictured at right.

'Tis a gift to be simple!  This table cloth and napkin set could be made out of the material of my favorite shirt or vice versa (For real, it's bleu plaid).  If only I'd been sporting it...  Pictured is [American] "kebab-deconstructed."  Apparently, doing so allows for pineapple or red meat or peppers, whatever really, to cook more evenly.   I suppose we could also say "Patchwork Kebab."

Abandoned kitchen.  J prepares her mystery noodles as the Asian Wind blows in through the open windows at right.  J has since moved, hence the heading. 

What is this?!  Das ist gut is what.  No gluten?  No problem!

Fieldtrip to Garlicky Greens!

Certain foods like to make their presence known.  Perhaps they are egotistical.  Garlic must be a haughty breed because it is already making its second appearance on my young blog.  This enemy of vampires is also one of those foods that fights back.  As my friend Dave would say, it is an "angry elf."  Like any number of strong smells, garlic will let me know that it is here to stay, at least for the next 24-48 hours as I smell it on my fingers and sometimes breath (bleh!).

In any case, I like to give some cloves a good Rachel Ray-inspired KAPOW! with the broad side of a fat knife just about every time I begin a new dish.  Then I add this palatable powerhouse to a skillet with onions (ZWEIBELN!) and olive/coconut oil, and we're off.   I must say that olive oil + onions cooking in a skillet is one of the best smells in the kitchen.

I want to also add that in my faux-veganness, I have tended to eat lots of beans, mostly white (cannellini) as well as black and red.  Beans like to fight back too... Eek!

While spending time away from home this June and yet continuing to cook somewhat, I have yet to learn the German words for Collard Greens or Kale.  I'm capitalizing them in retribution for all the years that I ignored their existence.  But here's to you, GC & K, you're making me feel better about myself every time I eat you!  PROST!

Perhaps not much to look at here, I am thankful for the hearty quality of Collard Greens & Kale which, unlike spinach, keep quite a bit of their volume and texture when cooked.  

Our other friend, Sweet Potato, joins in on this appetizing adventure.

Christos Anesti! He is Risen!

The Greek Orthodox Church in my town, a stone's throw from the scorned bakery, happily proclaims that "Christ is Risen" to all who pass by.  I agree.  This time of year is filled with joy.  Even the nonbeliever appreciates the re-awakening of the dead which we all witness in budding trees, singing birds, grass rediscovering its favorite color (hues of green), and so forth.

A week following my own church's celebration of Christ's resurrection, some other believers in town and out of town celebrated the same event.  The one-week divergence between Easter and Pascha (Orthodox Easter) stems from the 11th century (yikes!), and a story of faith-inspired Pope-rejection, and a whole lot of stuff I don't know right now.

I wish had more pictures from Pascha to share with readers, but I'll have to mostly use words to describe instead.  I'll also add a video I find inspiring.

First, as a means of comparison between Easter & Pascha, let's have a docu-style look at Easter.   I'm sticking mostly to food.  (This is not a theology blog after all, and yet...).

Props to my mother, Sally, who put together a feast fit for a King.  King present only in Spirit, my parents & I enjoyed Mom's grilled chicken, fancy-pants rice with shredded veggies, green salad w/almonds, and corn on the cob (in April!)...

 Pink plate perfection.  My dad's backyard haven and an inherited milk glass serve as a backdrop to Mom's strawberry shortcake.  Miam!

At another family event, my cousin Alexia offers these minutely-detailed, edible sugar shrines to celebrate the sweet side of Easter.

The Fructose Flock congregates on Mount Chocolate.  Very "Council of Elrond" for Peeps. 

This Myers reunion is a small miracle in itself.   

Voilà donc my very blessed & bright Easter 2012.  What I experienced a week later was a chance to examine and celebrate the Risen Lord from a whole new angle (Perhaps we could say "from the East" since Orthodoxy is the "eastern Church.").  

But I see a stunning contrast between fake green grass, sugar palaces, and multi-colored eggs & the Pascha basket which I learned just the slightest bit about from friends & acquaintances from St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Nicholasville.  I don't think Christ necessarily has a preference for PAWS or the dark red eggs of Orthodox Christianity, but I'm intrigued by the intentional egg-symbolism foreign to me.  Moreover, I'm humbled and drawn to reverence shown to a worthy Savior, the Bread of Life.

...

Going without.  I didn't grow up in a tradition of fasting, but to cut a long story short, imagine how much SWEETER food would be if we took a break from our favorite dishes even just for a while?  This isn't about shedding pounds or "cleansing" the system, it's something more profound.   Better yet, it's done with family (Christians see themselves as brothers as sisters with God as their Father.).  

Following the final celebratory Orthodox service, duration about 3 hours, the priest joyfully (this priest exemplifies this word) sprinkled waters of blessing on the baskets brought to share, much like the "bread of fellowship" was shared with non-Orthodox attendees during the Eucharist.  The 3am feast that followed resembled me as a 7 y/o at Christmas.  Speaking of children, "We don't have to fast anymore!" one of the youngest declared to me.  "This is better than Christmas for her," said the child's mother.  "I've never heard anyone that young say anything like that," I couldn't help but say.  

So to close, I admittedly had not participated in any fasting during the recent fasting season prior to Easter or Pascha (a period known as Lent), but in the spirit of welcome that is Christ, I joyfully partook in the Pascha feast upon invitation from a church member friend.  "This is my body broken for you..." Christ said to his disciples in Luke 22:19.

If there was a word I'd use to describe my "second Easter," it would be intentional.  Any habit, red Pascha egg or Wal-Mart special Easter dye kit, can become blasé.  I'm glad that this year God blessed me with a second Easter to make sure I didn't miss the point of it all.  And He blessed me with a regal feast in the process.  Indeed he is risen!  

As promised, here is a Orthodox Christian song you won't want to hear just once!  

A day without bread?!

"Long comme un jour sans pain" says the French Proverb.  Long like a day without bread.  As someone who once claimed "panification" or bread-making as a hobby, I hear the warning cry of the culinary sage.  "Hear ye!  May ye not be stricken with the affliction of flour failure!"  But the French don't hold a corner on the bread idioms, "Give us this day our daily bread," said Jesus in Aramaic, "this is our bread 'n butta," said the New Yorker, "best thing since sliced bread," well I digress lest I stumble into bread blasphemy.

Other than share a fun little saying, I'd like to take a moment to honor one of the Bluegrass' finest bakeries, Bluegrass Baking Company  ...  But don't take my word for it, taste and see that the bread is good (Psalm 34:8)!  Furthermore, Southern Living claims that BBC is one of the South's best bakeries.  Wooh, boy!  Steady!  SL-mentioned or not, as a card-carrying (licensed) "food handler" & self-described Bread Critic, I know good bread when I taste/smell/see it!

Furthermore, BBC's main guy, Jim, welcomed a group of 12 and 13 y/o students & yours truly on a field trip in 2010 for a bready 'ole time.  This page tells the story (albeit in French).  Not only does BBC have a great product, but they're friendly!  ...

Since we're on the subject of bread, Lexington's Le Matin continues to disappoint me with it's giant baguette bags, small bread selection, refusal to take plastic payment, and faux French air.  Sure it's a franchise, but franchement it's not worth my time!  Désolé, Le Matin.  I'd sooner eat your Cauliflower Soup again than buy your bread.  Oh, and you're not that nice either.  Bleh.  Newly re-installed Morris Bookshop next store is lovely though...

 For real people.  Bluegrass Baking Company don't lie.  Stop! Stop! Stop!  Claysmill Rd., Lexington

 A fresh (read "actually made by a bakery/human") baguette is best when eaten day of, so for yours truly my post-breakfast BBC purchase required some creativity in order to be consumed within the day.  Ulimately, a "bout" (end) of it was digested the next morning with butter and honey.  Still yum. 

Does food taste better with others?  Maybe.  Italian-inspired baguette pizza w/tomato sauce, spinach, shredded Colby, red onions, and a diced tomato.  Warmed in broiler.  Crunch!  

Two children, organically grown.

Less than five years ago, three young adults departed from Wilmore, Kentucky. Two got married and moved to North Carolina where today they are raising two children, organically that is.

The sun's rays carry me over the hills...

Everything is done with one hand on baby.

Sometimes two hands on baby, therefore "spoon in mouth."

Multi-tasking at its finest. Also seen: feeding baby, talking on phone, & eating lunch, simultaneously, of course.

Grilled cheese renaissance on IKEA plate (gets no better).

Salmon melt. Toaster oven, 1.5 hr lunch break. Family of four & two naps. Check.

Chunky chocolate. Looks are deceiving...no sugar added!

Stawberries, pre-chocolate drizzle.

Good things come to those who wait for strawberries to chill in the fridge.

Meal 1: Late Saturday night dinner. I keep meaning to organize my recipes like this.

'shrooms, beef slaughtered by your neighbor (for reals), and pasta.

This is local, folks.

Hands moving faster than fugitives on the run. That are some RED tomatoes.

Backyard bliss. Mountain view.

Ricky's "old" favorite: Green beans, rice-like feculent, baked chicken. Some things don't change: Everything tastes better with loved ones.

My 5-day affair with Penelope, the 2012 "candy apple red" Camaro.

Lawrence, Judge Richard Boner, Ricky D.

No matter what, there's time to read the rhyming Bible (LOL).

I recently escaped to the hills of North Carolina, only to be caught in court and sentenced to 30+ years in prison for second-degree murder. Don't judge me, but only half of that is true... The other half applies to man I will not name whom I saw sentenced.

During my time in court and at my friends' homestead (Rick is a court reporter), I learned that fast-paced doesn't have to mean "fast food." I also learned that "breast [milk] is best," but that doesn't apply to me right now.

In my recent Whole Foods adventure (the one where I discovered fromage blanc in Lexington), I literally took pictures of the buffet (yeah, I did) in order to re-create "Garlicky Greens" and some other interesting dishes. I came back from North Carolina with a very similar sort of result, if not more profound. Reminds me of studying language out of a textbook versus studying language out of my own culture (and in another one!). What I mean is, I'm an experiential learner, so now that I've seen a host of recipes cooked well, and cooked quickly, I am confident I can recreate many of them.

Here's an incomplete list. Check out the pictures too. Take time to appreciate all that Ricky & Aidan have going on behind the scenes and send up a prayer for them and their two wee ones, Aolani & Micaiah (Side note: If you eat organic food, odds are you might give your children really earthy names like Kale or Barley.)

Breakfast:

-Frozen fruit smoothy with green veggie powders, bananas, and juice

-Whole grain organic, chocolate chip pancakes with real organic Maple syrup. Y.U.M.

Lunch:

-Salmon melt (sliced bread, organic canned salmon, tomato, munster cheese, basil or other)

-Tuna salad at local diner.

Dinner:

-Pasta Farfalle

-Tacos w/...of course organic ingredients. Guac' is good on tacos, people!

Snack:

-Organic chocolate covered raisins (great for the muchies...with moderation)

-Organic strawberries covered in organic dark [sugarless] chocolate (Needed sugar!)

-"Mexican Pound Cake," We hit up the "Tienda Mexicana y Libraria Cristina" not a combo I see every day. But my point being, try a local bakery for a sweet treat before dinner, the French call this "gouter" [goo-tay] and tend to eat cakes at 4/5pm and have fruit or cheese for dessert at the table. Often "gouter" is reserved for the young...or young @ heart. Me voilà.

Do you have any...er...Fromage Blanc?

"Use sour cream for crème fraiche and cottage cheese for fromage blanc." Thanks to Whole Foods in Lexington Green, I may never have to say that again! The lumpy consistency of cottage cheese has always been a bit unsettling for me, like it knew something I didn't. So, I will happily oblige fromage blanc and Whole Foods next time I set out to prepare a flammenkeuche.

Happy tension: while it is lovely to buy everything on your ingredient list without substituting or going without, there is something to be said for resourcefulness, culinary creativity, and oui penny pinching. So it is with minimal regret that I express to you, niche-blog reader, that I may indeed reach for the lumpy gloop of cottage cheese despite the availability of "France's answer to yogurt" (fromage blanc).

Cottage cheese & my local, or not so local :-/, Kroger, Meijer, or Wal-Mart offer the fromage substitute at a much less posh price than Whole Food's real-deal "white cheese" as it could be literally rendered. Now if you are unfamiliar, the mystery ingredient I'm alluding to is of the consistency of let's say Greek yogurt and without added sugar and/or raspberries, etc., has been known to make yours truly gag. This is, of course, much to the chagrin of many a Frenchman as the semi-precious commodity is a treat even for them.

So feast your eyes, if not your fingers and your taste buds, on these products, available for the right price, in your Whole Food's chilled dairy section. Bon appétit!

Chew on this

Accents are a fascinating thing. Perhaps because I live in Kentucky, the punchline of more than a few blagues, I appreciate the underdog when it comes to linguistic hierarchy. The video below gives examples of French accents and more than that, the très typique, albeit annoying, prejudice against Québécois French by the French living within the métropole. Or should I say those that speak "so well [they] don't even have an accent" to quote the French interviewee. Also featured is a belgian explaining how Brussels speak differently than Liège, Burkina Faso & the Cameroon, etc., etc. Not much attention giving to accents within France though unfortunately. Bonne écoute!

Les accents de la francophonie by upindetv

Garlic is my new cologne

Here are few of my recent attempts at real live cooking & baking. I'm rediscovering suppressed cooking energy and the joys of smelling garlic in my fingernails when at work. Bon appétit.

Old Faithful in the background is the recipient of all my culinary trials, for better or worse.

Sundried Tomato Pasta & Cannellini Beans (A+) Leftover Rotini w/roma tomates & spinach & red pepper flakes (A).

Pate brisé recipe still kicking from '08. Merci, la France. Vous etes la reine de cuisine!

Fun.with.butter.

The universe of blueberries revolves around the brown sugar sun.

Please still be pretty after I cook you!

Fantastisch!, and it didn't stick!

Pie Party! In the shadows, but not the night, Sally Myers enjoys a bite!

Now this looks gross, but I will forever remember trying to "powder" almonds with a butcher knife (still need a food processor). Actually, I rather liked the crunch factor!

Bless the Lord, O my soul. Turns out eating a giant mushroom like a steak is delicious! Cranberries, Kroger dressing, green salad help fill the plate and added great variety.

It's a flamer!

And just like that my interest in cooking more than cereal & frozen pizza is whetted! What a gut idea to have invited some freude for a German evening. This evening's menu: Strasbourg's famed Alsatian Flammenkeuche served with a green salad mit Reisling & other white wines as the perfect liquid compliments.

Meg's gile finger tantalizes the spinach & organic lettuce.

Halo beautiful! Flammekeuche (a.k.a. tarte flambée) isn't served flaming, but it is strikingly delicious!

Guten Appetit! Danke für der eis wein, Lucas.

Non-committal veganism

"Patchwork religion" is a term which defines many people I know. We take a little of this and a pinch of that, "once around the bowl of this" (Rachel Ray), and presto: We're a Cathrabic Athenihumanist. As if that were possible.

Anyway, this is not a religious discussion; it's about food. More specifically food without meat, or eggs, well, mostly :).

For as long as I've been cooking for myself, I've never really enjoyed cooking meat. I see the frozen patties of this or that, and I wonder how to prepare them. I also have a financial aversion, monetary tick, bref, a need to be thrifty at all times. Chalk it up to my teacher salary & upbringing. This is to say that not cooking meat is a great way to save money.

In other news, it was during a recent meeting with some Christian friends of mine that I found myself drawn to a book called The China Diet. The Lord uses some pretty unique instruments to get my attention. So while my friends were discussing the plight of Samson, Delilah, and the Nazarite vow, I was Providentially distracted by this book. In spiritual terms, I'd been "searching" for healthier foods for a while. The book practically jumped into my hands like my friends dog jumped over his coffee table. I mean some things one just has to notice.

New list of heathy foods to try in tow, I began to think, "I can do this." I already like almonds, blueberries, whole grains, and lots of other recommended things. But wait, limit limit crackers (TRISCUITS!), olive oil (EVOO!), and fish. Avoid cheese, yogurt, & meat?! Who are these people? Well it turns out they already have a club; they're VEGANS! [insert blood curdling scream].

Don't worry; they're not coming for your children like "they gays," "the liberals," "the gay liberals," or anyone else (James Dobson), they seem like a rather harmless, albeit weird bunch. Possibly more cat lady weird than "Keep Austin Weird" sort of cool hipster weird... at least judging from the profile pics from some of the vegan websites I found. (Thanks for the recipes "Ilovecats2day." Ok, I made that up, but it's not far off some of the freundlich vegan recipe-sharers I borrowed ideas from.)

So, there I was, sitting in my red Wal-Mart camping chair on my self screened-in porch, ready to take the almost vegan plunge. I suppose, then, that ultimately this experience is rather like a conversion after all...only I'm not sold yet. Turns out the recipes are fun to prepare, easy, and I can basically mix a lot of them together to create new things.

Here's where vegans and I disgree, however, and I become more of a patchworker myself. If the meal sucks, I'm still going to add cheddar cheese. As for yogurt, I might start adding the optional h just to flaunt my desire to still partake of a nice, chilled yoghurt. Additionally, I'm not going to frantically beat soy powder to bring about the possible Big Bang of vegan eggs ... well at least not until I get my hands on a food processor. Finally, I will eat meat. I have frozen bacon in the freezer and there will be more flammenkeuche! Kesha, I guess you're [almost] right, I will "Drink that Kool-aid" after all.

For now, I'm humbled by the power of legumes (beans and so forth) and feeling healthy & happy each time I prepare my own meal. Plus, I had a pie party! (Williams-Sonoma Blueberry Crumble Pie is not on the vegan list.) Adam & Eve knew what they were doing eating berries and plants...well until the forbidden fruit (oops!).

Here's to tofu ... that word has way more attitude than it's reputation allows. Letcha figure that out.

-L

La Vache qui rit au Kentucky?!

Bonjour Kentucky! So it turns out that "Fromageries Bel Incorporation" has been producing their cheeses (Laughing Cow, Boursin, Mini Babybel, etc.) in little 'ole Leitchfield, Kentucky, since the 1970s*. Grayson County/Leitchfield is about 2.5 hours from Lexington. Field trip? Anyway, having discovered the cheeses abroad and then returning home to discover them in my local grocery, this news makes me rire.

Apparently things are going really well and Americans are eating even more of the stuff than the French. Something like 8,000 tons to 6,500 (tv5.fr). I suppose when we do something, our motto is quite literally "Go BIG or go home." Furthermore, it's somewhat ironic (or sad?) that this stuff is currently being billed as "so healthy," and that in reality Americans are getting fatter from the French dairy product. We all have our growth areas... No pun intended.

Gaining weight eating French cheeses? Who's rire-ing now? Damn cow.

*The cheeses are also produced in le Wisconsin and le Dakota du Sud.

http://www.gcnewsgazette.com/view/full_story/1501229/article-Leitchfield’s-Bel-Cheese-plant-to-be-featured-on-Food-Network-National-Exposure

http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/p-1914-7-jours-sur-la-planete.htm

The best two hours of my long weekend.

I'd like to think I'm an aspiring academic, a burgeoning homme de lettres. I didn't like to read until third grade and even then, I wasn't sold on the whole thing. So, with a few extra years to get things in gear, I'm falling into books like that rich, old duck from "Duck Tales" would dive into his pile of gold during the opening credits (Perhaps I could have spent less time watching that and more time reading as a child).

Most jokes aside, I am being newly exposed to literature including classic novels, poetry, French & English ... and soon German! The results are many and varied. I'm using words like inculcate, natheless, and slimsy (personal fav), but additionally, my worldview is expanding.

I remember learning in college that among college graduates the populous having the lowest moral reasoning skills were elementary education majors (Human Growth & Development class). Ouch. But on the other hand, English majors had the highest. Funny. Why? Apparently, it's all that world literature.

So take it from a French major (I'll put myself in the English major category - smile), reading = good. Lest you weary in your search of discovering what those two good hours were all about this weekend, let me say that they were spent READING. For real!

During my 4-day weekend I had already read through other novels for classes I teach and finished Maria Chapdelaine (woot woot) for personal enrichment/good plain fun. Natheless, I set out to reread Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

I think I finally know what "all them smart people" are talking about when they say, "I couldn't put [the book] down." I'd always been like, "Well, why the heck not? Just lay it down. It's easy." Now I'm in the club. I plowed through those 90 (K, so it wasn't Anna Karenina) pages like it was my job. In reality it was my job because I'm a French teacher, but natheless, I digress.

Now I don't mean to sound like one of those books published by a kindergarten teacher which recounts the cute sayings uttered while walking to recess, but here are a few of Saint-Exupery's thoughts via his protagonist The Little Prince. Ask yourself as I did, were these coming from Saint-Ex's life experience, society as a whole, both?

1) Je désire que l'on prenne mes malheurs au sérieux.

I want people to take my misfortunes seriously.

2) C'est triste de perdre un ami.

It's sad to lose a friend.

3) C'est tellement mystérieux le pays des larmes.

The country of tears is such a mysterious one.

4) Il est plus difficile de se juger soi-meme que de juger autrui.

It's more difficult to judge yourself than to judge others.

5) Les vaniteux n'entendent jamais que les louanges.

Vain people never hear anything but praise.

6) On est un peu seul dans le désert. -On est seul aussi chez les hommes.

We are a little lonely in the desert. We are also lonely among others.

7) Le langage est source des malentendus.

Language is the source of misunderstandings.

8) On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

We can only see well with the heart. The essential part is invisible to the eyes.

9) On ne connait que les choses que l'on apprivoise.

We only those things which we [have taken the time to] tame.

10) C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.

It's the time that you have lost for your rose which makes it so important.

...

Below is a link to a reading of the aforementioned book. Read by two different actors, and animated with Saint-Ex's original illustrations, even the student of French would have a good level of comprehension. Give it a try!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOFWrtdvnKI

The natives speak too quickly

Having learned French and proclaimed apprenticeship to German, I have often wondered, "What does English sound like to a non-English speaker?" I think this video is about as close as I can get; barring devastating amnesia.

Renaissance, Man!

Bonsoir Blog,

I would first like to give a shout out to all those domain names that a short list of bloggers has made unavailable to me. This blog will officially NOT be called "what the crepe," "pardon my french," "monsieur crepe," or, alas, "crepe-y teacher." We'll that last one actually IS available, but thankfully my better judgement led me in another direction.

So here I am in the "bleugrass." Ah, the Bluegrass. Home to bourbon, Versailles (that's vur-SAILS ya'll), and Thoroughbreds. I recently learned that prior to prohibition and thanks to a certain Jean Jacques Dufour, Kentucky was previously home to the US's very first vineyards. French connection? Swiss, actually, but don't my word for it, see http://www.kentuckywine.com/about/history/.

I suppose only time will tell whether life in the Bleugrass will turn out to be dryer or sweeter than "My Life in Brittany."

Here's to you!

Biz