Damn you, tiny print!

So, I don’t have the best vision in the world.  I grew up as the girl with the thick glasses, which were passed around in class from kid to kid during free time.  The kid would put my glasses on, and inevitably exclaim something along the lines of “Whoa!  You’re really BLIND!!” as they struggle to make out the laughing face of the next kid who wanted to try the lenses on.

By the time I had gotten into high school, I had begged to get contacts, and, at 14, I started wearing them, thinking that ditching the glasses would mean a one-way ticket to Cool Town.  Well, it didn’t, but I still wear contacts for the most part, and most people wouldn’t have really considered me to have a glasses-wearing past unless I tell them, “Yeah, past a couple of inches beyond my face–can’t see a thing.”

And lately, I’ve been concerned my vision is taking a turn for the worst.  My main culprit for the decline in my vision is the fact I stare at a computer screen for two or more hours pretty much consecutively at a time for work.  While driving and looking for street names, my companion in the seat next to me seems to point out the signs before I do.  Unless it’s Clark without his glasses, and for a moment, I feel a bit better about myself, until I put it into perspective: He’s not wearing contacts, but I am.

*sigh*

Just now, in an effort to make a new recipe called “Chocolate Spice Cookies,” I was at a point where something didn’t seem right.  Sure enough, taking a squintier look at the book, I realise the minuscule fraction next to the “1″ and before the word “cups” was not, as I had thought, 1/2, but 1/4.

Damn it.

So, to fix, or at least lessen, my error, I added a bit more butter, more honey (though the recipe called for maple syrup–I cheated) and more cocoa.  The recipe says to “refrigerate until firm,” but I’m impatient.  Also, I’ve already not followed the directions, so I likely won’t be rolling the dough out, as it wants me to, onto floured plastic sheets or plastic wrap.  My parents are out of plastic wrap, by the way.

This whole event goes to show that: 1) I will likely need a stronger prescription for my next set of contacts; and, 2) I really oughtn’t bake in someone else’s kitchen, like my parents’ kitchen, unless I know I have everything I need, not just what’s on the list of ingredients.

I guess now it’s time to plop this dough on a sheet, bake it, and see what happens.

Where’s your Publix?

I was at a dinner party on Friday evening, and the conversation turned to my current search for a place to rent in the downtown area.  I had mentioned that my future roommate and I were considering locations based on the proximity to a Publix we liked.

“College Park’s out, because we both hate the College Park Publix,” I explained, “and Clark doesn’t like Gay Asian Publix that much, so we’re looking at North Colonialtown so we can go to the Publix on 17-92 near the Krispy Kreme.”

This sparked a flurry of discussion as to where the best Publixes were, which was interesting.  Clark would be happy to know that he isn’t the only one who doesn’t like Gay Asian Publix–his dislike, by the way, is best summed up in a trip to that Publix and discovered they were out of waxed dental floss.  “They’re always out of everything!” he attests, and at least a couple of last night’s dinner attendees would agree.  I personally have been unable to locate GoodSense’s dried cranberries and apples there on repeated trips.  Interestingly, when I went with my mother to the Publix in Oviedo this evening, they had the elusive bag of dried fruit.

Sarah and Robert recently moved to a new area, and at the moment, there isn’t a Publix that’s terribly convenient for them to go to aside from the despised Shine Publix (aka Gay Asian or, with some, “Gaysian”).  They recently joined the unfortunately-named BJ’s, which is a bulk goods store that also sells groceries, so they tend to go there, with occasional trips to the larger Publix on Orange and Michigan, south of Downtown.  I used to shop at that Publix frequently when I used to live with my ex-boyfriend Brent and our roommate, Shawn, on Briercliff.  When I moved to South Colonialtown, I bitched about Gay Asian Publix, but after a while, I loved it, because it didn’t have some things I tended to waste money on, but yet it had all the essentials I needed.

Then I moved to the fringes of College Park and became perpetually aghast at the lack of certain staples.  I recall one event when my friend Mike and I went into the Publix, since he needed to pick up some things, and we walked right back out because that particular Publix didn’t carry Worthington Loma Linda Vegan Big Franks, a staple for the vegan who doesn’t like vegetables, like Mike.

By the way, the Oviedo Publix doesn’t carry, from what I could tell, the Loma Linda Big Franks, as I was looking for them this evening.  Oviedo Publix: +1 for the Goodsense Cranberries & Apples, -1 for no Big Franks.

As the conversation yesterday wore on, Alexis revealed a “dark horse” Publix that wasn’t even considered by either Clark or myself in our rental hunt: the Baldwin Park Publix.  “Ohhh,” we collectively pondered as we thought about the Baldwin Park Publix.  “It’s great!  It’s never crowded, it has everything!” Alexis evangelised.  I believe Erin countered with, “I can never figure out how to get into that Publix!” but no one else had gone to the Baldwin Park Publix, mostly because it’s in Baldwin Park, and no one really goes into Baldwin Park unless they live in Baldwin Park, at least no one I know.  I began to ponder what other secrets Baldwin Park might hold… I hear there’s a Mexican restaurant in there somewhere.

As far as I know, everyone I know shops at Publix unless it’s late in the evening and Albertson’s is the closest and/or only choice, or they go to a bulk goods place, like BJ’s or Costco.  So, when we talked about which Publixes we liked and found ourselves going to, and which ones we felt “never have anything,” it not only showed which neighbourhoods we roamed in, but also indicated what we individually felt were essential for a Publix to have.  Like Mike’s Loma Linda Vegan Big Franks, I have my own necessities that I feel every Publix, or at least the ones I go to, should carry.  Here’s a sample of some of my essentials:

1. bagged salad greens, Earthbound Farms or Greenwise brand
2. big bags of organic flour (all Publixes seem to no longer carry the larger bags of the Gold Medal Organic flour many of them were carrying, so I go to Whole Foods now for this)
3. organic bananas
4. organic lemon juice
5. a good selection of Wolfgang Puck soup, my favourites being Corn Chowder, Old-Fashioned Potato and Tortilla
6. Martin’s Famous potato bread in its various forms
7. Almond Breeze almond milk
8. Ghirardelli chocolate chips
9. Apple & Eve juices
10. Florida Crystals natural sugars

This list might not be complete, as I’m trying to envision what I used to buy when I used to do more grocery shopping, so I’m a bit forgetful.  Living with my parents, I don’t do much cooking here, so I don’t spend much on groceries.

If Clark and I move in the North Colonialtown area, we can try out the Baldwin Park Publix to see if it’s to our tastes.  If not, there’s always the Krispy Kreme Publix that carries Sioux City Birch Beer and has their Greenwise section right up front, which I absolutely love, or Gay Asian for quick runs for goods… but apparently not waxed dental floss.

South Colonialtown also has Gay Asian Publix, but also the Michigan/Orange Publix, aka the Delaney Park Publix, since that’s where you shop if you live in Delaney Park.  Apparently, the Delaney Park Publix has put in an olive bar near the deli area, which is awesome providing the bar is too high for dirty-fingered children to poke around in, although there are some dirty-fingered adults to consider as well.  Also, there’s going to be another Publix that will eventually open right in Downtown on Central, which should prove interesting.  I’m a little afraid that the Publix may try to cater to a perception of “downtown clientele,” like the now-defunct Central City Market did.  Central City Market generally carried swank wines and cheeses, as well as accompanying crackers, some pasta ingredients, beer and bottled water.  Not much else.  Eventually it turned into more of a restaurant that happened to have a few deli and grocery items… and now it’s a seafood restaurant.  Hopefully this Publix won’t try to be some hip urban Publix, but a functioning one that stays open until 10 pm and can handle what will surely be an insane crowd around lunchtime for sub sandwiches.

In the meantime, Clark and I have to stake our claim for a duplex or apartment, which will then determine our Publix options, among other things.

Organic Options for Orlando

Those of us in Orlando are generally familiar with the organic options in the Publix Greenwise section and at Whole Foods, though some of us may not know of two other ways to get organic produce in this little city.

I’ve been a customer of Orlando Organics off and on, and on the whole, I’m pretty satisfied with their service.  Providing that you live in their vast delivery area, you can get organic produce delivered to your door weekly or every other week, depending on how you have your account set up.  Some leafy produce, like spinach, may not come in its own bag, so be aware that you may need to provide your own resealable bags for some goods you may want to have separated in your crisper drawer.  The service is good if you don’t mind surprises (you can compose a list of produce you absolutely don’t want), and it saves you the trouble of going to the store for some basic ingredients like carrots, onions, potatoes, etc.  You can also order extra produce should you want a bit more, say, apples or oranges once you find out what the delivery will be around Sunday evening or so.

My first account with Orlando Organics enabled me to eat parsnips for the first time.  It was awesome.

If you prefer to only get exactly what you want or need, then perhaps Homegrown, from the Florida School of Holistic Living, is more to your tastes.  It’s a food co-op that you can join and order food from, but instead of home delivery, you pick up the food on Thursdays from 2-7 pm in the downtown area.  This would suit people who live and/or work downtown a bit better, since I don’t see too many people living in Sanford making the trek for the time being.  However, if it is convenient for you, this week’s listing features many locally-grown veggies, herbs and fruits, including tasty daikon!  An individual membership is $35, and there is a requirement to work with the co-op a minimum of three times a year, which really doesn’t sound like much.

If there are more organic options in terms of products and produce in Orlando, I’d love to hear about them.  For now, I’m waiting to resume my Orlando Organics deliveries in the beginning of June–I don’t have time to cook at the moment with my current commute.

Come to me, Mr Bento!

When I’m sick (yes, I’m sick again), I tend to putter around a lot online. And when I putter around online, sometimes I’m lured into buying things.

Hence, my order last night for the Zojirushi Mr Bento!

Isn’t it awesome? Mr Bento comes with its own carrying case, as seen here, and there are four inner containers, one of which is meant to be used as a soup bowl, because, according to some of the reviews (this helpful one in particular), it keeps soup good and hot. This might be ideal for those of you who like a hot lunch at work, according to this review and this one.

Plus, Zojirushi is a brand I’ve come to respect, because everyone knows they make kick-ass rice cookers (my parents own one), and a quality Japanese brand is well-known for having a cute animal logo. Seriously, don’t buy a rice cooker without a cute animal logo on it. I think my parents bought me one sans-logo and it didn’t work for me. Other logos can be acceptable, depending whether or not they are cute. My parents gave me a rice cooker that’s been cookin’ up the white stuff for over ten years now, and it has this cute little raindrop logo with a little asterisk-looking flower inside. The brand is a Japanese one, Aroma, with the “o” replaced by the cute little raindrop-flower combo.  I’ve seen Aroma brand products online recently, and they seem to be missing the logo.  I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t trust these non-logo models.  Cute doesn’t always equate to well-made, but in rice cookers, it may be a deciding factor.

I found out about Mr Bento from the website ThisNext, “a shopcasting network where you can discover, recommend and share things you love. Everything on ThisNext is recommended by real people like you.” Shopcasting? “Shopcasting is a way to spread the word about things you love. ‘Shopcast’ is a word that combines shopping and broadcasting. What podcasting did for audio is what we’re doing for shopping—broadcasting taste and knowledge of great products recommended by people like you. Right now, we support several tools that help you shopcast lists and tags on your blog or website.”

Yes, it’s a website that allows people to recommend products and create wish lists online for others to read about. Aside from the blatant pro-consumption “let’s go shopping!” attitude, ThisNext can be a fairly useful way to show friends some of your favourite items, as well as to get all of your wish listed items scattered among several websites to collected together in one neat and happy place.

And, yes, it’s a good way to learn about other products you may not know about, like Mr Bento.

I’ll post a review about Mr Bento once I use it for a few of my lunches at work, but you may also want to know about another Zojirushi product, Ms Bento, that’s also for sale. It’s smaller, with two containers instead of four. With regards to the “shopcasting” site (I say that with a bit of a cringe), you can see my ThisNext profile, look at my recommendations and wish list (my birthday is the 27th of August, by the way), and perhaps make a friend of me with your own ThisNext page.

The Language of Baklava

I finished Diana Abu-Jaber’s memoir The Language of Baklava, which I checked out from the library, and I may have to get a copy of this book. It’s a wonderfully written memoir filled with memories and food recipes, much of which hailing from Abu-Jaber’s Jordanian heritage from her father’s side, but some others that are pulled from other places.

Much like Kim Sunée’s Trail of Crumbs, which is another memoir mixed with recipes, Diana Abu-Jaber’s recollections place a major focal point on the food, which is sensuously described. The recipes seem more attainable, and there are a few that are vegetarian-friendly. The people Abu-Jaber describes, especially her father, are shown lovingly, and I’m particularly fond of her Auntie Aya, the only daughter among many sons. The appearances she makes in Abu-Jaber’s book are memorable–especially the conversation she has while making sweets with a teenage Diana on page 186 that I’ve included in my favourite quotes on my Goodreads profile:

“Marry, don’t marry,” Auntie Aya says as we unfold layers of dough to make an apple strudel. ‘Just don’t have your babies unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“How do I know if it’s necessary?”

She stops and stares ahead, her hands gloved in flour. “Ask yourself, Do I want a baby or do I want to make a cake? The answer will come to you like bells ringing.” She flickers her fingers in the air by her ear. “For me, almost always, the answer was cake.”

Seriously, best reasoning ever.

Being a child of mixed-heritage, I can relate to some of the emotions Abu-Jaber describes with her dad, Bud, and the friction that happens when two cultures and age groups collide, especially during the teen years.  Like Bud, my mother (and father) didn’t want me dating boys, so I used to sneak hanging out with some of them, but lucky for me, I didn’t get into too much trouble.  Well, depending on your point of view.  (To my parents reading: I turned out okay, didn’t I?  All right then.)

It can be hard to pass along culture and language to your children when they’re growing up in an environment different from the one you were raised with, but the easiest conduit of culture is, and always has been, food.  My knowledge of the Filipino dialects is nonexistent, but I can make sweet rice and fried rice, and would love to eventually attempt a vegetarian version of Philippine adobo (it exists!).  I remember the food heritage from my mother and my Philippine aunties, as well as the southern foods made by my father’s family.  Thanksgiving when I was younger would feature fried rice with bacon alongside a slab of ham covered with pineapples, coleslaw, pansit and deviled eggs.

Seeing Abu-Jaber’s version of growing up pulled between two cultures, in addition to her unique personality (very likable) and lovely writing, really makes this book a fantastic read, especially for people who love food and love reconciling culture clashes on the dinner table.

If this sounds like a book you may be keen on, you can read an excerpt and even order a signed copy on the official website for the book and Diana Abu-Jaber by going here. If you live in Orange County, you can borrow a copy of the book from the library, too.

Samosa Lady News

So, apparently, All Spices of India, which was the home of my dollar samosas, closed down because the owner of the building allegedly wanted the woman, whom I have dubbed the Samosa Lady, out of the building.  During a conversation I was having with my new friend Gary at Stardust, I was telling him about the dollar samosas at All Spices of India, and, wanting to know if she’s relocated elsewhere, he turns around and asks another Stardust patron who explained to us the story.

Apparently it is illegal to make food in your home and then bring it to your business to sell, and the owner of the building had made a call to the Department of Health, and so she was shut down.  Alas, there is no new location for samosa goodness–our source said that she’s going to be just doing private cooking lessons, and not opening up a new store location.

So, that is the story thus far with the Samosa Lady, formerly of All Spices of India on Bumby.  If anyone is keen on going in for a lesson or two on making Indian food, I’ll see if I can find out any contact information for that.