Wednesday, September 30, 2009

My First Grade of the Semester

I got 53/55! The highest grade in the class! Boo-YAH! I was so afraid having worked in a cubicle farm all these years killed all my brain cells. It's nice to know I have a few to spare.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Japchae

This was tonight's dinner...Japchae. Japchae is Korean stir fried noodles w/ lots of veggies and your choice of meat. Instead of beef, I used chicken. This is my favorite Korean dish and it is so easy to make!


Click here for recipe.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Maggie Be Chillin'

Here's Maggie in the back of her pimp mobile enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the farmers market

Thursday, September 24, 2009

It's Bento Box Thursday!

Today I was supposed to lunch in Japantown but I was too lazy. Instead I picked up some overpriced lunch at Bristol Farms. I've had sushi cravings lately, I have no idea why?!? I think it's because my body is starving for protein. I haven't eaten meat in weeks, not because I'm turning vegan or anything but because I'm too lazy to travel an hour out of my way to buy good quality meat (ie pasture raised, grass fed, blah, blah, blah). Why not buy at my local supermarket? The thought of it makes my stomach churn.

I had two mini bento boxes of Rock n' Roll (eel and avocado sushi) w/ 3 pieces of Nigiri. The other is a Shrimp Spring Roll with spicy peanut sauce. Meh, it was OK. It made me wish I got my lazy ass to Japantown...

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

He Works So Hard!

I've been getting a lot of these emails from Hop Along lately...


Hay baybee...Gonna get myself back into a proper sleeping pattern again for the next 7 weeks because i do need to get some overtime in before i come over. I'll give you a quick call after work tonight. Working a 12 hour shift wednesday, thursday and friday so i'll need me rest. Loving you way too much!


Another one...

I'm ti-ard...I'll give my baybee a call when I get home tonight at 11 because I'm loving her.

He has been working nonstop because he is coming here in November for a whole month. Poor thing! I appreciate what he does for me, and how he goes the extra mile. I'm so lucky to have him.

Everybody is Irish

I was sitting in the hallway waiting for class. All of a sudden a well dressed huge African-American man with dreadlocks approaches me...

«Read more...»

Dreadlockman: Please tell me you have a phone!

Flippin' Yank: Sure! (I reach down in my backpack and hand him my phone)

Dreadlockman: Thanks! Appreciate it.

After he makes his call, he hands me the phone.

Dreadlockman: What nationality are you?

Flippin' Yank: I'm Filipino.

Dreadlockman: Oh you PRETTY! I am chatting online with a Filipina. She's in the Philippines.

Flippin' Yank: So it's a romantic relationship?

Dreadlockman: Yes, I hope to see her next year. We haven't met yet.

Flippin' Yank: Good luck with that! My fiance is in Ireland right now.

Dreadlockman: No way! Is he coming here?

Flippin' Yank: Yes, he's been here a few times already.

Dreadlockman: I have Irish in me.

Flippin' Yank: You do?

Dreadlockman: Yeah, my great great great great grandfather is Irish. His last name was O'Connor. He was a slave driver but a nice slave driver. He was with the Ku Klux Klan

Flippin' Yank furrows eyebrows. KKK, slave driver, and nice. Which of these things don't belong with the other?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Farmer's Market Goodness

Another haul at the Farmer's Market. I am going to make homemade marinara sauce with the celery, carrots, fresh basil, and a bushel of tomatoes still growing in our garden! I picked up some swiss chard and yellow zucchini. I asked the farmer lady what I could do with the swiss chard and she suggested to sautee it with garlic and olive oil. Also, she said the yellow zucchini is much sweeter than the green zucchini. Sounds good! I can't wait to stuff my gob!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Celebrity Sighting!

What's going on here?


This afternoon I decided to treat myself to a nice lunch so after my exam I took the BART to the Embarcadero. While I was eating lunch al fresco, I saw a crowd of people gather at the plaza stage (see above picture). I thought nothing of it until the fat man with a black t-shirt and a red baseball cap spoke; promoting his new film and proselytizing about the evils of "Capitalism" (in the heart of SF's financial district watering hole that is the Embarcadero). Low and behold, I realized it was Micheal Moore, the infamous muckraking documentary filmmaker!

Here's me trying to bypass security to be a picture whore!


After his tirade, I went to the ferry building to pig out on mint chocolate chip gelato while enjoying the view of the bay...



I had two hours to kill until the next ferry out so I worked on my essay. I love my new netbook!...



Here's me again fondling my netbook on the ferry! Don't be "J"!...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Book That Ruined My Life!

I am reading this book right now and I can't put it down. It stirs so many emotions in me: shock, disgust, anger, enlightenment...the list goes on. Because of this book, food shopping will be a nightmare because I will be compelled to read every single label. I will have to think twice about eating out at a fast food chain or restaurant. I will have to travel an hour out of my way to buy pasture raised, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free meats and dairy. Because of this book, I will HAVE to visit a farm to learn and witness firsthand where my food really comes from. Suffice to say, if you want to remain blissfully ignorant, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Obama GivesThe Death Look To Joe Wilson After Calling Obama a Liar!

And the look on Nancy Pelosi's face at 2:15 is priceless! LMAO!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

I Have a New Gay Boyfriend

I met him in class. We both think the Professor is hot! :D

BBC in San Francisco's Mission District

Stereotype much?

So What Else is New in Norn Iron?

A 600lbs bomb!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

To CSA or Not To CSA

Photo courtesy of sallycinnamon on flickr


I have been toying with the idea of a CSA box. For those of you who don't know CSA, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. CSA is a way for a consumer to buy directly from the farmer. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included like fresh farm eggs. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

I think this is a great way to support local farms. You get fresh local organic produce delivered to your door or you can pick it up at the local venue. The prices are reasonable depending on the size of the box, about $24 for a small sized box. You will be forced to learn how to eat in season, encounter unfamiliar produce you would otherwise bypass at the market, every delivery is a suprise. So basically, you have to plan your menu depending on what's in the box. So what if you get something odd like flying saucer squash, kohlrabi, or fennel and kale for weeks on end?

Hmmm...I don't know. The downside is that they hand pick the produce for you. And I've read sometimes the quality is less than stellar:

"I had great hopes for this service and the newsletter included with each delivery comes across as warm and friendly. Unfortunately I don't get a warm and friendly feeling when I open a just arrived box of produce and discover any of the following: a crushed bag of salad greens, a summer squash with fuzzy mold on the end, withered gypsy peppers, an eggplant that's shriveled and scratched like the delivery guy played touch football with it, bruised and crushed tomatoes with broken skin. You get the picture. I can go to my local farmer's market and hand-select the food I want and know that I'm not going to get anything bruised, moldy or downright disgusting unless I miss something when picking stuff out." -yelp.com

I'm a tactile person and the CSA box wouldtake the fun out of going to Farmer's Market every week. I like to pick my own produce and this would pretty much eliminate the problem above. I also like being face to face with my farmer and have the opportunity to ask him/her questions.

Have any of you experienced the CSA box? Other pros and cons? Please share.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I Just Watched The President's School Speech

There were two sentences that really hit home and inspired me. He said, "Don't let your failures define you. Let them teach you." Words everyone should live by.

Yep. Sounds like socialist agenda to me. *eyeroll*

Bring On The Stupid!

The fascist Obama will be addressing children on their first day of school indoctrinating America's youth on his socialist agenda of staying in school, working hard, and getting good grades! Oh the horror!

Monday, September 7, 2009

I Got My Career Assessment Results Back...

It says that I'm an Investigative, Social, and Artistic personality. I like to research theories related to people and help others develop their intellect through research and application of theory.

My top 5 areas of interest are:

1.Research
2.Medical Science
3.Social Science
4.Computer Hardware and Electronics
5.Culinary Arts

My top 10 strong occupations are:

1.Dietician
2.Forester
3.University Professor
4.Biologist
5.Computer Systems Analyst
6.Registered Nurse
7.Respiratory Therapist
8.Physician
9.Pharmacist
10.Speech Pathologist


Here's the funny thing, I've never taken any math or science courses in college (although I was very good at science when I was in high school). I got my degree in ethnomusicology and I worked for 10 years in marketing/fundraising, SALES happens to be the worst occupational fit for my personality, skills, and interests. No wonder I hated my job!

I found it interesting how my #1 occupation is a dietician since I love food, the healing properties of food, and food culture! LOL! I feel much more motivated now that I have an idea where my future is headed. I think a lot of my anxiety stems from fear of the unknown and I felt like I was spinning my wheels but I wasn't going anywhere in my career search. So if you are in the same boat as me and want to change careers or want to figure out what to do with your life, I highly recommend meeting with a career counselor. It's their job to help guide you in the right direction. They will help assess your skills and passions, and figure out which occupation is the best fit for you.

I meet with my career counselor this week to discuss my results and the next steps. I better get started on studying for my math placement test. Oi vey, it's been more than 10 years since I've taken a math course. How do you simplify an algebraic expression? What's the quadratic formula again?

The Future of Food - Full Length Documentary

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America -- a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply.

Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today.

The World According to Monsanto

The World According to Monsanto is an in-depth Documentary that looks at the domination of the agricultural industry from one of the world’s most insidious and powerful companies.We are pleased to bring you the full documentary in 10 parts.

This is one of the most powerful, must see films for anyone interested in the behind the scenes world of the food industry, and how just one world dominating corporation holds the keys and patents to much of the worlds food supply.

Monsanto, which started out as one of the planets largest chemical companies is also reposonsible for such chemical compounds as Agent Orange, Bovine Growth Hormone, PCBs and genetically-engineered crops.


This is Part 1 of 10. You can view the full documentary on youtube.

Fresh

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

King Corn

KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivete, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aide, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America s modern food system in this engrossing and eye-opening documentary. A graceful and frequently humorous film that captures the idiosyncrasies of its characters and never hectors (Salon), KING CORN shows how and why whenever you eat a hamburger or drink a soda, you re really consuming ... corn.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Corn-fed vs. Grass-fed Beef

This video examines the health implications of corn-fed beef vs. the benefits of grass-fed beef

Farmer's Market Again...

This week's grocery haul. Not a huge one. Green beans are now in season. Needed protein so I got sardines imported from Portugal and Organic tofu. From now on, I am buying organic soy products because I do not want to support or advocate Monsanto.


I'm proud of the fact that I haven't stepped inside a large grocery chain like Safeway for a few months now. Most of my produce has come from the Farmer's Market, and a few things from the Asian supermarket. Also, the farmer's market is much more interesting and exciting than the generic supermarket. The supermarket doesn't have live cooking demonstrations using vegetables and fruits that are in season. You get tastings and recipe ideas for free...



In the documentary Food Inc, Michael Pollan says that you're better off buying at the farmer's market these days since you are face to face with the person who is growing your food. At least you're guaranteed that the food you will be eating is real food.

«Other reasons why you should buy local...»

Source: greenrightnow.com

After declining for more than a century, the number of U.S. small farms has increased 20 percent in the past six years. This is in large part a result of the growing demand for locally grown foods, which is slowly but surely shaping the business of food.

Brenton Johnson, an organic farmer and owner of Johnson’s Backyard Garden, came up with this list of top 10 reasons to buy local food, based on his philosophy to live in harmony with the land.

1. Locally grown food tastes better.

Food grown in your own community is usually picked within the past day or two. It’s crisp, sweet, and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in is much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.

2. Local produce is better for you.

Fresh [supermarket] produce loses nutrients quickly. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.

3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.

In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment. Only a handful of varieties of fruits and vegetables meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors.

4. Local food is GMO-free.


Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don’t have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn’t use it even if they could.

5. Local food supports local farm families.

With fewer than 1 million Americans now listing farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middle man and get full retail price for their crops.

6. Local food builds a stronger community.

When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower.

7. Local food preserves open space.

As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. The rural landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable.

8. Local food helps to keep your taxes in check.


Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes.

9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.

A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming.

10. Local food is about the future.

By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, so that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.

Friday, September 4, 2009

I Finally Saw Food Inc Yesterday

I don't think I want to eat meat again. The treatment of animals in this documentary was horrific. The meat manufacturing plants literally looked like animal concentration camps. The crap that they put in the food like hormones to expedite growth, chickens in cramped dark coops never seeing the light of day, cows knee deep in their own shit, ammonia sprayed over the meat to kill ecoli, antibiotics and dead chickens in the feed, cloning, genetically modified and chemically laden produce to prolong shelf life, spraying ethyline gas to make them ripen quickly. The monopoly of certain food industry congolomerates such as the evil Monsanto made my blood boil. Ugh!

Some people say this is a necessarily evil. It's the only type of production that will feed demands of an overpopulated human species and that there is no way you can sustain a population of our size through organic farming. Do you think this is true? Is this any justification to continue to produce low quality food?

I've said this time and time again...Buy in season and buy locally grown direct from the farmer! Your health depends on it because you never know what you are getting at the supermarket.

This is Civic Center and Little Saigon...

San Francisco's Civic Center is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas (Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza) and a number of buildings in classical architectural style. The Exposition Auditorium is the only remaining building from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The United Nations Charter was signed in the Herbst Theatre here in 1945, leading to the creation of the United Nations. It is also where the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco (the peace treaty that officially ended the Pacific War with the Empire of Japan, which had come to a close in 1945) was signed. It is designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The United Nations Plaza was created in 1975, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway was constructed under Market Street. The 2.6-acre (11,000 m2) pedestrian mall was designed by Lawrence Halprin. -Wikipedia


«Take a tour...»

This is a BART ticket...


...you use it to ride one of these all the way to Civic Center.


This is United Nations Plaza. Today is the arts and crafts market. Wednesdays and Sundays are the Farmer's Market.


This is the Asian Art Museum



This is where you read books and think.


This is the remaining exposition auditorium from the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Now it is a convention center.


This is City Hall


This is Herbst Theater where the United Nations Charter was signed. Now it is a place of performances and lectures


This is a sculpture


This is the opera house


This is the symphony hall


This is the State of California building.


This is where I saw a private screening of Food, Inc. (I had the whole theater to myself.)


This is self explanatory.


This is Little Saigon...

In early 2004, San Francisco officially designated Larkin Street between Eddy and O'Farrell streets as "Little Saigon" (Sài Gòn Nhỏ). Located in the Tenderloin district where 2,000 of the city's 13,000 Vietnamese-American residents live, the two-block stretch is more than 80% Vietnamese-owned. Unlike San Jose, with its larger ethnic Vietnamese population, the ethnic Chinese from Vietnam are well represented in San Francisco due to self-segregation. Banners and directional signs have already been posted. A formal symbolic entrance was erected in July 2008, akin to those for San Francisco's Japantown and Chinatown (albeit smaller). -wikipedia


This is the gateway into Little Saigon


This is the best place to get a Vietnamese sandwich in the city.










This is the place where I ate lunch


This was good and only cost $6.50!


This is why I'm obsessed about food


This is a buddha


...and this is rush hour!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

I'm Going to See This Documentary Tomorrow

I must catch it before it leaves the movie theaters. Everyone says it is a must see and it will change the way you view food forever.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Wishlist: If You Knew Me, You'd Think This Book Was Written For Me

If You Were a Magazine Which Would You Be?

For me...it would have to be this one! Gastronomica, "The New Yorker" for foodies. A lifetime subscription please!

This is Noe Valley...

Like many other San Francisco neighborhoods, Noe Valley started out as a working-class neighborhood for employees and their families in areas once-thriving blue-collar economy, but has since undergone successive waves of gentrification and is now considered an upscale, yuppie area. It is home to many urban professionals, particularly young couples with children, and it is not unusual for a well-maintained house in Noe Valley to sell for two million dollars or more.

Public transportation to Noe Valley is provided by the Muni 24, 26, 35, and 48 bus lines, and by the J Church Muni Metro line. -Wikipedia


«Take a tour...»

This is called a muni transfer. You can use it to ride public transportation all over the city until it expires


This is the J Church streetcar. It takes you to Noe Valley.


Noe Valley is a quiet,clean, sunny residential neighborhood lined with trees, cafes, restaurants, bookstores, shops, bakeries, health and speciality foodstores and more. If I had seventy bajillion dollars, I would buy a Victorian house in Noe Valley with large bay windows and hardwood floors where Hop Along, our weimaraner and I would live happily ever after.


In Noe Valley, people like to chill outside and talk on their iphones


...and dine al fresco


They also like to read books...


and sit on the sidewalk to drink coffee. - Photo courtesy of sanfranciscodays.com


They walk their dogs here too.


This is where new age yuppie moms give birth, I guess


This is an easter egg colored house

This is a pretty mural.



My favorite things...

I love this store! They sell clothes, shoes and bags here.


and another one!


This was where I hung out in my teens. Sadly it has closed down. :(


This is a bookstore that sells nothing but vintage and new books about FOOD!!!


This cheese store sells Iberico ham.


This is a tea room.


This is a Mayan restaurant.


This is Savor, a great place for breakfast.


This is Barney's Gourmet Burgers where you can get , portobello mushroom burgers, spicy curly fries w/ ranch dressing and Turkish coffee milkshakes. I am going to eat here...


This is my healthy lunch and my new book


This is the J Church again. Bye bye Noe Valley, see you again soon!