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I'm a big fan of cilantro buckets.
Cilantro haters, make way for F*** Yeah Cilantro, a blog dedicated to the awesomeness of cilantro run by someone who really, really loves cilantro. You can tell, because the blogger says, "IF YOU DON'T LOVE CILANTRO WITH ALL YOUR HEART I WILL FIGHT YOU."
That's love.
The NYC Anarchist bookfair takes place today. Come kick it with us at our Justseeds table in
Judson Memorial
55 Washington Square South
NYC, NY
11am-8pm
I recently started posting one programming or design tip each day from @scottstevenson, and it seems that it's been going pretty well. I also started describing one class or method each day from @cocoadevcentral — sort of "learn Cocoa 140 characters at at time." Just thought you might want to know...
Sure, there were inevitable effects of consuming roughly a gallon of maple syrup and maple syrup products (from fèves au lard, to tire d'érable, to roughly eight cups of maple syrup-sweetened coffee), but the real shock came from finding ourselves at a sugar shack that actually serves good food in a low-key, honest-to-goodness, relatively kitsch-free atmosphere.
For a couple of years now, we'd been hearing that Rigaud's Sucrerie de la Montagne was a cut above. An enthusiastic review in The New York Times earlier this year seemed to confirm these reports. So we rounded up a gang of sugar-shack seekers and checked things out for ourselves. And, I have to say, we were impressed. The meal wasn't absolutely perfect--we had quibbles with the quality of the ham, the pie crust used for both the tourtière and the tarte au sucre, etc., and we still believe that if you want a truly exceptional sugar shack meal, DIY is the way to go*--but it was much better than average, they served some ultra-traditional dishes that I hadn't seen at sugar shacks before (like ragoût de boulettes), and the overall experience (location, aura, music, service, ambiance) was the best we've encountered, and that's something that's hard to duplicate at home.
In brief:
We liked the look of the place from the moment we set eyes on it.fig. a: barn
Sucrerie de la Montagne is so close to Montreal, too. You barely leave the island and you're already there. It's possibly even a little too close. Rang St-Georges is pretty developed. But turn in to Sucrerie de la Montagne's parking lot, and suddenly the modern world fades into the distance a little.fig. b: cart & horses
It was almost worth going for the cart ride alone. The cart driver was a true prince. Great personality and a beautiful accent.
Michelle felt a little sorry for the horses, though, because of the way they got stuck with their hooves in a puddle while I took a picture of them. She decided to join them, in a show of solidarity. So I took a picture of her, too.fig. c: Michelle
Sucrerie de la Montagne doubles as an auberge--they've got a couple of rustic cabins that you can rent out all year long--at pretty reasonable rates, too. We've already made tentative plans to return mid-winter next year. Do a little snowshoeing, read some books by the fireplace, and emerge every now and then to eat a hearty québécois meal--who can argue with that? All of the accommodations were nice, but this cabin was our favorite.fig. d: cabin
Sucrerie de la Montagne is a fairly old-school sucrerie. The evaporator was running on firewood, and when you headed into the woods, it was sap buckets as far as the eye could see, not that space-age plastic tubing you see at most sucreries these days.fig. e: sugar bush & sap buckets
We were happy to see that the buckets were from our friends at D & G.fig. f: bucket by D & G
Inside, the vibe was vintage, through and through.fig. g: horse & sleigh
The sucrerie itself was a grand old structure, with one main dining hall, and one set of smaller dining rooms, each one with their own band. Our party of nine got seated at a long table in the main dining hall, and not long afterwards the first course (pea soup) was served, the band (Les Cornus) got fired up, the kids started dancing, and the next thing we knew, we were off.fig. h: the spread
Sugaring-off season is short, so if you'd like to take in a traditional sugar shack meal at Sucrerie de la Montagne, you gotta act fast.
Sucrerie de la Montagne, 300 Rang St-Georges, Rigaud, QC, (450) 451-0831
aj
* Then again, we haven't tried Au Pied de Cochon's brand-new sugar shack yet, but we've heard nothing but raves. We're slated to go later this month, before the season is over. You can expect a full report.
How to look at billboards, a commentary on outdoor advertising by advertising man Howard Gossage from Harpers magazine in 1960. Gossage thought of billboards as an invasion of people's privacy.
Tags: advertising howardgossageOutdoor advertising is peddling a commodity it does not own and without the owner's permission: your field of vision. Possibly you have never thought to consider your rights in the matter. Nations put the utmost importance on unintentional violations of their air space. The individual's air space is intentionally violated by billboards every day of the year.
By now much of the cycling world has heard about the stink caused by Lance's post-bike-ride shower in France, but if you're not here's the Cliff Notes version:
Lance came back from a training ride to find a French doping lab agent in his driveway asking for samples of his blood, urine and hair. According to the French, Lance put up a protest. According to Lance, he had no idea who the nut was in his driveway, so he asked if he could take a post-ride shower while his team manager and the UCI sorted things out. When they figured everything was okay, Lance gave up the DNA.
Then the French started bitching. The twenty minute time spent showering must have somehow compromised this test, even though the results came back negative. As did the other twenty-three tests he's done this year.
As my friend Otis Rubottom mentioned in Twitter today, there haven't yet been enough jokes about the French and the stereotype about them not liking to shower, so as a fair-and-balanced journalist, let me just fill that capacity by saying (sarcastically) for the record "and clearly the French were upset because Lance violated the nation's anti-showering regulations, taking an out-of-competition cleansing lasting more than one minute."
After the millions-and-millions of dollars that Lance's Tour rides have brought to the country (in terms of tourism, media rights and more) I just don't get their dogged determination to defame him without anything that looks like evidence. Possible fines for "attitude" when giving blood, urine and hair samples? Heck, if someone took blood from me twenty-three times in a year they'd better be giving me cookies and juice when they're done.
Here's an idea Lance--forget the Tour. I know that you say you want to get back in the spotlight and raise the visibility of your anti-cancer crusade. I'm all for the idea of increased publicity, and good on you for that. But how's this for an idea?
Skip the Tour, do the Giro and the Vuelta, as well as and other non-Frnech classics. Forget the Tour de France, forget the negative publicity of the French. How's it going to help your campaign if you get kicked out of the Tour on some trumped-up charge? Take your campaign to Italy and Spain, I'm sure they've got people there that could use some help in the fight against cancer, and you won't have to spend time telling the world why you like to shower, either.
I’m pleased that many independent labels have been offering digital download (MP3 or FLAC) coupons with their LPs, for those of us who like to listen to vinyl at home as well as on the go, but don’t always have a setup to rip records. More often than not, a larger independent release you purchase today comes with such a coupon.
However, I have yet to order from a label/distro that allowed you to download the digital version as soon as you purchase the albums online. Why exactly is this? I suspect that these coupons are usually handled by the pressing plant, and the label itself has little to do with the process other than deliver audio files. For instance, United is always upselling their digital download offering.
Is it too much to ask that someone like Amazon/iTunes/a third party distributor partners with labels for instant download pass generation after my credit card gets billed? This is even more painful when the labels already sell digital downloads on their site. Having instant access while the LP makes its way through the mail would be a great feature. The whole idea of ordering a record online NOW, waiting two weeks for it to arrive to retrieve a small piece of paper with some hard to type, randomly generated string that has been shoved inside a sleeve, going back to my computer, typing said code in, and then trying not to lose that small slip in case I need it down the line may be a novel concept that has only recently reached widespread adoption, but already the process feels rather archaic.
(And before one of you says it: yes, as archaic as buying records in 2009.)
Nick Adenhart in his senior year of high school. (2004 photo by Preston Keres) One of the first full-length features I ever worked on for The Post was about a young pitching phenom from near Hagerstown named Nick Adenhart. You can read the story here, if you're so inclined. He was a highly rated prospect that year, one of the best in the country. The first game I went to see Nick pitch, he blew out his elbow in the first inning. "The bad news was all across the country 10 minutes after he walked off the field," one scout told me then. "There's about 50 Nick Adenharts out there; we're off to see if the next kid can pitch." That changed our story a bit. I talked to Nick, his mom and step-dad quite a few times as they figured out that Nick would need surgery and would
Snap peas and mint from the farmers' market, a Meyer lemon from a friend's yard, and a couple of basic pantry ingredients – quick to prepare and speaking wholly of spring. I hesitate to call this a recipe because it's just something that came together using fresh ingredients I had on hand. But perhaps that is the best kind of recipe for this season, when the new, vibrant flavors call for simple preparations rather than long hours spent over the stove or in the oven.
Snap Peas with Meyer Lemon and Mint Serves 4 1 pound snap peas, trimmed 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced shallot 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add snap peas and cook until just tender yet still crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer snap peas to ice water. Whisk all other ingredients together in large bowl. Drain snap peas and toss with the vinaigrette. Related: Recipe: Pork Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas (Image: Emily Ho)
The evidence would appear to suggest not:James Freeman gets it:The Obama administration wants to regulate venture capital firms to prevent systemic risks. Silicon Valley residents are scratching their heads and asking: What risks? The rest of us should ask why Washington is targeting a jewel of the American economy that had nothing to do with the housing bubble.
The confusion began when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner recently told Congress that large venture capital (VC) firms should be forced to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and submit regular reports on their investors and portfolios. Data collected by the SEC would then be shared with a new risk regulator to ensure that VCs aren't "a threat to financial stability."
Since then, venture investors have been trying to solve the mystery of how they could possibly threaten the financial system. Their work involves very little banking. Venture firms raise equity from wealthy investors to buy ownership stakes in small companies. The VCs and the companies in which they invest use little or no debt.
I'm hoping Geithner's comment is born of ignorance, not calculation, for if it's the latter then we're in trouble.If our economic system is to thrive, venture capital is exactly the place where we have to encourage risk. In pursuit of innovations that will enrich themselves and the world, employees at start-ups accept low pay and reputational risk, while well-heeled investors accept the possibility of losing every nickel of their investment.
Attempts to limit risk pose a systemic threat to American technology. Venture capitalists, mainly veterans of the tech industry, are deeply involved in the companies they back, often helping to recruit each of the key employees at a start-up. This hands-on feature of venture investing means that innovative companies and their backers tend to cluster in areas like Silicon Valley. If the VCs move offshore, that's probably where the next generation of companies will be born.
This post is for the tools topic on @weeklyblogpost...
I have a lot of fun tools to work with in the kitchen. I've built my collection over the years while passing through places like Foster's, browsing Amazon, etc. I often add a new kitchen utensil when I find myself saying, "boy if i had ____, this would really be a lot easier." (Can you say microplane zester? Cookie scoop? SILPAT!!!)
There's one tool that I reach for, without fail, every time I cook. It's not the garlic press or the spatula or even the best wooden spoon. I reach for an old crappy $2 knife that one of my old college roommates bought at the dollar store (guess that means it was actually $1).
It's your run of the mill utility knife, looks somewhat like a steak knife, often comes in sets of 4 or 6. This one came on its own, with a slightly serrated edge and a sturdy black handle. I only have one, I've never purchased more.
I've got two chef's knives (French and Japanese), a paring knife, and a bunch of butter knives, but none are as satisfying and reliable as my trusty old utility knife.
Viva la utility knife!
I am an absolute freak for ginger. Anytime you see me, I will have one or two different ginger candies on hand and love trying out new types of candies. I personally love the taste, and find that it helps if I am feeling motion sickness on public transportation or in a car. Ginger is used in Chinese medicine and is recognized for multiple health benefits including increased circulation and help with digestive problems.
But even if ginger didn't make me feel better, I just like the taste and flavor.
There are a lot of types of ginger candies available in Bay Area stores, and I have tried quite a few of them. Below are some of the most popular types, but I would love to hear if there are any that you like which I have missed -- leave your notes in the comments. As you'll see, I don't love them all. To me, a great ginger candy has a very strong ginger flavor and little else. Texture is important, and I eschew candies that are too soft or don't last very long.
MY FAVORITES
Chimes Ginger Chews
Where to find: Cost Plus World MarketI first tried Chimes Ginger Chews from Powell's Sweet Shoppe. They come individually wrapped in a lovely little tin that is perfect for carrying in a purse. The chews are on the hard side in texture -- kind of like a taffy. The flavor is strong and pure. My suggestion is to find the tin if you can, and then purchase the more affordable bags of chews from Cost Plus to refill it. The chews come in plain flavor, peanut butter flavor, and peppermint flavor. I am addicted to the plain, but let me know if you've tried any of the others.
Plain Crystallized Ginger
Where to find: Ginger People, Reed's, Rainbow Grocery, various bulk sectionsPlain crystallized ginger is easy to find, and satisfying in flavor. It's a solid piece of ginger that usually has a sugar coating. I look for the ginger that is as hard as possible, as I like to chew on it. I have tried packaged crystallized ginger in the past (from Reed's and Ginger People) and have found it to be too soft. I now purchase organic crystallized ginger from Rainbow Grocery's bulk section (in the back refrigerated bulk area) because it's fresh, strong, and hard in texture.
OTHER CANDIES I'VE TRIED
GoNaturally Ginger Organic Hard Candy
Where to find: Sweet Dish on Chestnut Street, San FranciscoI appreciate that these are hard candies, but the ginger flavor is not strong enough, and there is an off flavor that I can't identify. If I didn't read the package saying that the flavor is ginger, I wouldn't have known from the taste.
Ginger People Ginger Chews
Where to find: Trader Joe'sThese are probably the most popular type of ginger candy. They're widely available at Trader Joe's and many people I know eat them. I find them to be too chewy and sticky in texture, but the flavor is nice.
Ginger People Gin Gins Boost
Where to find: Sweet Dish on Chestnut Street, San FranciscoAnother candy from Ginger People, this is a small, lozenge-like candy that has a milky look to it. The ginger flavor was there, but not as strong as what I find in my favorites. I might buy them again if in a pinch, but they didn't leave much of an impression on me.
What have I missed? Are there any great ginger candies that I must try?
