lekowala!

Matthew is kooning until damn shiok one morning

Rick Stein is one celebrity chef that always is a joy to watch and read.  I just read his Seafood Odyssey.  I have been longing to try his recipes and that book has some that seem simple enough to try out.  Was suppose to cook a 3 course meal for some neighbours but they have to go on a trip so that will be postponed…  I need to experiment on others soon.

Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour was thoroughly entertaining and made me want to go out and order foie gras, but before anyone does that, please spare a thought for the poor ducks.  Check out how Sir Roger Moore (yes, of 007 fame) leads a crusade against eating this “Delicacy of Despair“.  But really, Bourdain makes all foods seem delicious through his writing.

In his book he describes the French Laundry, which was actually a former french steam laundry in the 1920’s but converted to a restaurant in the 70’s.  Thomas Keller then bought it in 1994 and made it into a 3 Michelin star-restaurant.  The cook book is nice to leaf through and he describes cooking and preparation of the food in detail.  In particular, he treats the fish he cooks with the utmost care, even placing them in ice on their belly - the way they swam.  He also describes how one should keep them in ice but making sure the water is allowed to drain as chlorine from the ice water may affect the texture of the fish.  I guess I can just read about the food in his restaurant… check out this “typical check for 2 diners at the French Laundry”.  Can someone please blanjah me.  Here’s the website for the French Laundry

Here’s an interesting photo book to read. It documents the hunting of the bowhead whale by the Iñupiat Eskimos. It took a glance at the cover of the book at the Sengkang National Library and reeled at the title that had the words, whale and hunting. However, I flipped the pages and got totally intriguied by it. I totally love cetaceans, all the “dialects” they sing in and how they are so beautiful. And so do these eskimos. Its a very complex relationship they have with the whales. I don’t know what to think of it but the book just brings you to the situation, the tradition of these eskimos and prods you to think about the conflict.

Here’s an excerpt from the website accompanying the book by Bill Hess.

“In October of 1998, Malik, renowned across the Arctic Slope as one of the most successful harpooners alive, put his knowledge to the task of saving whales when three California gray whales became stuck on the Beaufort Sea side of Point Barrow. Malik seemed to develop a rapport with the whales. He spoke to them often, in a gentle soft voice. He heard them speak back to him.”

The eskimos risked life and limb to dig about 280 holes in the ice sheet big enough for the whales to access the surface for air. These holes led to the open sea. I thought that was a rare side of the eskimos I have read about and I must think that very few people really know this. I have read about indigenous cultures that hunt sustainably and have a respectful relationship with the animals they hunt. They don’t overdo it. The point of satiation never borders into the greedy. Which is why I think we should protect cows.