Tableau Vivante

WAAAAAY back in the beginning of this blog, a good friend of mine who digs wine almost as much (ok, maybe more than) as I dig farmers’ markets would write some perky prose about wine under the name of Inspector Vino. To make a long story very short, his posts required me to post them, which meant he had to wait for me to get off my duff and do so.

And you know? When you have something to say to the world? Waiting is kinda frustrating. So with my complete support and encouragment, the Inspector started his own blog at Livejournal and I promoted him because, let’s face it, the man is pretty hip to wine and writes about it in a way that make you want to drink more of it.

But I missed him. Plus, he’s just a really good guy - a self-taught oeneologist-in-waiting who isn’t pretentious, dramatic, or arrogant. And he has a cellar inventory that humbles my sense of commitment. He has wines that he’s waiting to drink. For when they are ready. I’d be tapping my foot…a lot. But I digress…

Moving here means dearest IV isn’t dependent on me to wake up from my photography stupors to post his wisdom. He’s free to fly. And fly he shall.

Oh yes, I’ve got my wine guy back. And suddenly the world got a little bit blurrier.

Will he score wines ala Robert Parker? Maybe. Will he drown himself with the contents of a spit bucket ala Sideways to make a point? I hope not. But I think I can safely say we’ll all be a little wiser, a little braver, and a little more tipsy.

Inspector? Welcome back. Salud.

Lunch today is a test. I haven’t done sandwiches in my lunches for a long time because the last time I did? Soggy bread. Ugh. Terribly unappetizing. But I think I figured out what I did wrong (paired it with a semi-warm egg and then stuck it in the fridge where condensation happened). As usual, click through for details.

I mentioned that I recently went to a birthday event, and in true-to-me style, I gifted the birthday boy a bento set. He obligingly sent me shots of his first bento, what we both agree is the perfect coder/gamer/geek bento lunch.  This shot totally made my night.  He even sunstituted the blueberries I use in so many of my lunches.  I was so tickled.

That’s thin mints, pizza, a brownie, blue M&Ms, red vines, chicken crackers (I have no idea), and pretzel sticks.  He said it was the first time he had ever eaten pizza with chopsticks.   Made. My. Night.

More flowers and such today. The chicken was roasted earlier in the week and I decided to stud it with dried cranberries. I’ve also been craving cheese lately, so I cubed up some cheddar and scented it with thyme flowers. Keep in mind that I usually make these the night before so the scents have a chance to make nice with each other. As usual, click through for details.

Do you bring your lunch to work? It doesn’t have to be bento to be interesting. The ‘brought lunch’ has a international following, from the brown bag of the U.S. to the tiffins of India to the bentos of Japan. I’d like to hear how you handle lunch when your kitchen is out of reach.

I’m diving head first into herbing up my lunches. I’ve been so impressed with the flavor and aroma that herbs have provided my lunches that I’ve decided to experiment a bit. A sort of ‘bitter to the tongue, sweet to the stomach’ test as well as just a purely aesthetic trial. So far? I don’t know why I haven’t done this before. One, it’s just plain pretty. But two? The fragrances have worked to enhance the overall eating. Flavorwise, the impact is small, but I wouldn’t want it to be overpowering either. It’s just a subtle shift. And it’s something I’ll be doing as long as I have the herbs to do it. It really freshens up the box.

As usual, click through for picture notes.

JJ’s been telling me that Twitter is the new burrata.  So I’ve signed up.  But I’m not entirely sure how it’s going to fit into how I ‘do’ blogging.  I have a feeling it’ll be as ignored by me as my Facebook profile.  But I’m willing to give it a go.

We’ve got our first taste of summer today in the SoCal. A high pressure system was gifted to us by Utah which is bringing in the Santa Anas. By 10AM it was already 83 degrees (F). The coastline will have perfect beach weather, but here in the baking dish that is the valley, we’ll be hitting around 90. I like to hit the market super early anyway to avoid crowds and get in on the good selection. I had extra motivation today so that I could beat the heat that would bounce up from the asphalt.

Still, quite a gorgeous morning. The sun felt good. Really good. (more…)

Hi.

Ever felt a little shy about saying that simple phrase?  Well, today, shyness is banned.  Today, if you’re here, you’re family.  No lurking around like you don’t belong.  Introduce yourself.  Say hi.  Share a thought or two.

There are echelons in the geek matrix that pick you up and plant you firmly into certain categories. I kind of look at it like the rings of hell – not the geekiness itself, but the varying stages of cred forced upon you by geeks and non-geeks alike. Lemme ‘splain.

Blogging, while more and more mainstream, is one level of geek. A geek subcategory of that is the specialty blogger, like, for example, a coder’s blog, a political blog, or, say, a food blog. Ahem.

Then there are the non-computer related interests or talents that come into play. A membership in The Planetary Society comes to mind. (check) Maybe you’re a bizarrely talented Jenga master. (check) Or maybe you sew your own vaguely historical costumes and walk around ‘faires’ uttering the occasional “huzzah!”, “God save the queen!”, and “Gramercy.”

Yes. Check and check again. I am one of those people, though I’ll admit a very mild-mannered and generally jovial variety not prone to costume critique, historical accuracy, or even a passing English accent (I wouldn’t even try). I do it entirely for fun and theater. I do it as an excuse to dress up and be not-me for a spell. And more specifically, I do it for the food.

(more…)

This was yesterday’s lunch. Today’s lunch - another nod to aloha - went undocumented because the camera battery died. Opps! And me without a spare. Bad photo geek. Bad.

This is also proof that it’s not always seasonal, though I do try. The dried cranberries up in the corner are your average Trader Joe’s crans. I wanted to change things up a little. Plus, I was out of blueberries.   For another change up I coupled the quail eggs with thyme, which I thought made it look rather foresty.  The thyme also added a lovely savory scent to that whole tray which was quite nice.  As usual, click through for details on what’s what.

This was one of Euro Pane’s lemon tarts, brought home for a lemon-loving JJ. Very very nom.