Easter Eggs

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDtqnAQt6Y22u-bUeqdic1TJ_bnuEJSYpqxHMF1pps5RDJc1UUJWS86QNUkfA4exuQcGvHEAS3gk4vQH6sfIx-A5bRq5F_ZBVCvcpvFQfvynigls9xXnuFgEqp5-IzSfTPhzAyHkywcFl/s1600/easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDtqnAQt6Y22u-bUeqdic1TJ_bnuEJSYpqxHMF1pps5RDJc1UUJWS86QNUkfA4exuQcGvHEAS3gk4vQH6sfIx-A5bRq5F_ZBVCvcpvFQfvynigls9xXnuFgEqp5-IzSfTPhzAyHkywcFl/s400/easter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Delia, Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv4EhZzNo3QIZgEKsL-orJGe8j7uYKizSmclJsJeStbWC4x9RvFU8yHE0pP3mb2Jx6Mt5WNbN5O6yUCykDL046QHP8P_klbEge7hQRp48c8NbQUIY6C4mDGbfkgwr5vPwVjA4ypQfgu6U/s1600/easter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv4EhZzNo3QIZgEKsL-orJGe8j7uYKizSmclJsJeStbWC4x9RvFU8yHE0pP3mb2Jx6Mt5WNbN5O6yUCykDL046QHP8P_klbEge7hQRp48c8NbQUIY6C4mDGbfkgwr5vPwVjA4ypQfgu6U/s400/easter2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp_cLaOo4JlBIIRkZPi4X7qtIhMtmnXWIaB2jn7auo2kCOuul2n4MqYX3ap2nNTs6_E2aqsjruzItkZdYLmzzxbbEosCVdZBZ9f_ZuCoxemhUg3ig1VTFawSWFEIINHTN6EUU8qUhyp-2/s1600/easter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp_cLaOo4JlBIIRkZPi4X7qtIhMtmnXWIaB2jn7auo2kCOuul2n4MqYX3ap2nNTs6_E2aqsjruzItkZdYLmzzxbbEosCVdZBZ9f_ZuCoxemhUg3ig1VTFawSWFEIINHTN6EUU8qUhyp-2/s400/easter1.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p7IOqJcvKfJkRwTOdhjEJBZJ4MK6E0tX9TJPdpyIeRnSTb0dstYCch5SN2PsXjgEwLnlyovzYwAW1CzgeSEUKafeWt9EbxokTke2HE9oqnpGO9qAh3Jz593kehVq74H6W1f6KwFTOOJO/s1600/easter3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p7IOqJcvKfJkRwTOdhjEJBZJ4MK6E0tX9TJPdpyIeRnSTb0dstYCch5SN2PsXjgEwLnlyovzYwAW1CzgeSEUKafeWt9EbxokTke2HE9oqnpGO9qAh3Jz593kehVq74H6W1f6KwFTOOJO/s400/easter3.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Delia, Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYj6eoMdwZxU6UYywdZbS2PiXWPBU70hu0nWjPkyR71dPeSv1nqJjpD9E5tU23PoG0Hd2wrxzhXcWBNokeSwLXQpaCLeDKW_Ws1rSMS_UnOUH7GVYT5SIyUdAvGQOADAuFjnpzfzOk2u5/s1600/easter4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYj6eoMdwZxU6UYywdZbS2PiXWPBU70hu0nWjPkyR71dPeSv1nqJjpD9E5tU23PoG0Hd2wrxzhXcWBNokeSwLXQpaCLeDKW_Ws1rSMS_UnOUH7GVYT5SIyUdAvGQOADAuFjnpzfzOk2u5/s400/easter4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Mae, Delia, Norbert (the Dragon), Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Lck-Bkc5uoYtgb_o5pFBdWmJlzbh1RB8pwGn0r8CSR_rs2gTQqKRY5e__249bf3RgXF6YboEcurDbr2bVNfBzI3M7nbBsrKC00e5_F-chGXP52HVJUeviKJWiIrunEH_xkQh7u7ZPMW/s1600/easter5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Lck-Bkc5uoYtgb_o5pFBdWmJlzbh1RB8pwGn0r8CSR_rs2gTQqKRY5e__249bf3RgXF6YboEcurDbr2bVNfBzI3M7nbBsrKC00e5_F-chGXP52HVJUeviKJWiIrunEH_xkQh7u7ZPMW/s640/easter5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before we ate them for breakfast</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Easter Eggs

Alice, Delia, MiriamDeliaMiriamAlice, Delia, MiriamAlice, Mae, Delia, Norbert (the Dragon), MiriamJust before we ate them for breakfast…

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Not just crab cakes

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUKZnolGdvnvRjmA_t7ml1hmyCtideGwmc6vOJvMz5BqSPE4DTJ5tjcsMnfQEPwQpgZccgqY0Sv1R3PyCh5_VZIu5g73V2TCq_ohAMGFjRotwtCqMDQd-KIczAbVQ9OD5KmChzrAE-JGQ/s1600/baltimore3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUKZnolGdvnvRjmA_t7ml1hmyCtideGwmc6vOJvMz5BqSPE4DTJ5tjcsMnfQEPwQpgZccgqY0Sv1R3PyCh5_VZIu5g73V2TCq_ohAMGFjRotwtCqMDQd-KIczAbVQ9OD5KmChzrAE-JGQ/s400/baltimore3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Baltimore's inner harbor is impressive, and home to a variety of dining places. So yes, I did eat crab cakes for dinner last night at an old-time restaurant called Phillips Seafood, which has been in that neighborhood for over 30 years, though mostly in another location. Now it's next to the really cool Barnes and Noble that occupies a former power plant, and incorporates all sorts of chimneys and other mechanical leftovers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeXUPODSQ1GEoGcltpTiGC0B3PBXuBIGAMHmbKKmz_ohKboh6LAXC5mEipTP8a09FqmiLVhUzmlKIBQE7HTE9O0DA2v-rOvvb2fjuZ32pgOYhzYwlOnxGyr8naX-A0rd0WWKNSBDqaUAC/s1600/baltimore6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeXUPODSQ1GEoGcltpTiGC0B3PBXuBIGAMHmbKKmz_ohKboh6LAXC5mEipTP8a09FqmiLVhUzmlKIBQE7HTE9O0DA2v-rOvvb2fjuZ32pgOYhzYwlOnxGyr8naX-A0rd0WWKNSBDqaUAC/s320/baltimore6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The inner harbor used to be unsightly and industrial, before becoming a tourist attraction full of shopping malls with not only seafood but also lots of chain restaurants. Once upon a time, the McCormick's spice factory was right on the harbor: just where our hotel now stands. I found the photo at right on the McCormick website, to try to picture how much the harbor has changed. I had always heard that the aromas of spices sometimes flooded the harbor area, though the aromas of many other industrial processes competed in a not so nice way.<br /><br />In the shopping mall that now stands in front of the hotel (where the shipping buildings stood in the old photo) there's now a McCormick spice store with a selection of spices from their various divisions in the US and internationally. This includes Zatarains New Orleans spices, Old Bay spices, and a number of others. They even have smell-o-vision; that is, a game where the aroma of various spices is presented as a multiple-choice challenge. Since they also fill the air of the shop with cinnamon (as sort of a memorial to the old factory) it's hard to pick out the challenging smells. I got 3 out of 4.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQTLqSOKlR0oiD6m_PSX3g44kQM1_dQGgUL-3sw9rkvIIwTWrxmOEHsXdzk_OQsSmAtq9uD9ASnFrgoQozDeb5aBmeNDQFTTZ5QqwfgLCI4uTE1sPiylSlmeo4Tf0rwcQSnqeYxxlyPhA/s1600/baltimore1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQTLqSOKlR0oiD6m_PSX3g44kQM1_dQGgUL-3sw9rkvIIwTWrxmOEHsXdzk_OQsSmAtq9uD9ASnFrgoQozDeb5aBmeNDQFTTZ5QqwfgLCI4uTE1sPiylSlmeo4Tf0rwcQSnqeYxxlyPhA/s400/baltimore1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgga9cDVJEmiUN42Rhu4hyphenhyphen0pypvV_f78fp1OAKRBbEla5z-resUlgXYsxKwk39aw8IB0Xbv-YH-LRQylgclQR_if1RyQ6Jw6lA62VaA9yqWDsxgJ_r9cV0zsZ1v0tEKZuUArnP1NRdat3b/s1600/baltimore2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgga9cDVJEmiUN42Rhu4hyphenhyphen0pypvV_f78fp1OAKRBbEla5z-resUlgXYsxKwk39aw8IB0Xbv-YH-LRQylgclQR_if1RyQ6Jw6lA62VaA9yqWDsxgJ_r9cV0zsZ1v0tEKZuUArnP1NRdat3b/s400/baltimore2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the afternoon, I spent some time at the Baltimore museum, where there were a couple of recent works depicting food, or at least using images of food to make some sort of statement. I also ate fried clams in their restaurant. Full Baltimore experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhOhjTM44gQBz2GdVX8rn0vksP90IkV1c6xcaHaPH8ZbFIw2pY6jqFQuvfxrDyR7FCdYFkjLuvpjKx61yMZQ6AYPPU1TdcIP47iLI0YHv-YKpOfKNgotKTvHdHdWh5K1or22YYWssG1XZ/s1600/baltimore4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhOhjTM44gQBz2GdVX8rn0vksP90IkV1c6xcaHaPH8ZbFIw2pY6jqFQuvfxrDyR7FCdYFkjLuvpjKx61yMZQ6AYPPU1TdcIP47iLI0YHv-YKpOfKNgotKTvHdHdWh5K1or22YYWssG1XZ/s400/baltimore4.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade Guyton and Kelley Walker Inkjet Print on Drywall, untitled, 2011</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhPY57RBX9VMkmD750BZZczUzKlchA0m65FWuDRLggw95VgEAmNRXkDycBGnarx_-zJxrJyQwNr8-tDIG91gdnW0iL5QQ5DTo93X322LudoMwRuKFAzEDcJgZahbIq6ATtEPxD-vwaxxh/s1600/baltimore5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhPY57RBX9VMkmD750BZZczUzKlchA0m65FWuDRLggw95VgEAmNRXkDycBGnarx_-zJxrJyQwNr8-tDIG91gdnW0iL5QQ5DTo93X322LudoMwRuKFAzEDcJgZahbIq6ATtEPxD-vwaxxh/s640/baltimore5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Harrison Inkjet Prints, also untitled, 2008</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Not just crab cakes

Baltimore's inner harbor is impressive, and home to a variety of dining places. So yes, I did eat crab cakes for dinner last night at an old-time restaurant called Phillips Seafood, which has been in that neighborhood for over 30 years, though mostly in another location. Now it's next to the really …

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Continuing with "Jerusalem: the Cookbook"

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtW5r1fz1PjH-letqoChodBmV5HIPBBO52-OrK8sgN14VVcQhfWwAEKIK2DW7wvRUVYH_KQqbjCQULlFYgsp8-WmmC-XPtvUCsqJkKLXcTnkQN6ebs7zmgvMRAKY9mJWQumZoYxwYRn6pM/s1600/meatballs2449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtW5r1fz1PjH-letqoChodBmV5HIPBBO52-OrK8sgN14VVcQhfWwAEKIK2DW7wvRUVYH_KQqbjCQULlFYgsp8-WmmC-XPtvUCsqJkKLXcTnkQN6ebs7zmgvMRAKY9mJWQumZoYxwYRn6pM/s400/meatballs2449.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ottolenghi's Kofte</td></tr></tbody></table>My record now stands at 8 recipes done from the <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2013/01/jerusalem-cookbook.html">Ottolenghi cookbook</a>. Every one of them was worth the effort!<br /><br />Earlier this week, I made his spinach salad with pita croutons, almonds, and dates. Another night I made the very simple roasted potatoes with prunes and caramel (which is clandestinely a version of tzimmes without any carrots). I served it with plain baked salmon filet.<br /><br />Tonight's dinner was Ottolenghi's kofte; that is, meatballs made from ground veal and lamb and quite elaborately spiced including toasted pine nuts. The sauce on the side is made from tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and ice water. My Israeli chopped salad with tomato, cucumber, lemon, and cilantro was better in total than each of its winter ingredients.<br /><br />Mujedara is the lentil dish that is a favorite of Ottolenghi -- I like the version from Hiller's Market that comes in a box, visible in the photo at upper right. Steve's, the maker, also offers great hummus and babaganoush. Maybe I'll try the recipe for Ottolenghi's mujedara some day.

Continuing with "Jerusalem: the Cookbook"

Ottolenghi's KofteMy record now stands at 8 recipes done from the Ottolenghi cookbook. Every one of them was worth the effort!Earlier this week, I made his spinach salad with pita croutons, almonds, and dates. Another night I made the very simple roasted potatoes with prunes and caramel (which is cl…

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A New Look at Canned Goods

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFLi_Dks-8BLv8OxDaNtZaLJ8CY3VAHTuVWL6OCqdoeqHIFZnFhJJoHZ5oMvjWZu28N1kBEYQbF2ZY-tZUwM9Skd-fMjHvPCy2p87VUPvkhxCe72gi-JK3G8PhsHAJmUAS0iar-86Cl2r/s1600/tuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFLi_Dks-8BLv8OxDaNtZaLJ8CY3VAHTuVWL6OCqdoeqHIFZnFhJJoHZ5oMvjWZu28N1kBEYQbF2ZY-tZUwM9Skd-fMjHvPCy2p87VUPvkhxCe72gi-JK3G8PhsHAJmUAS0iar-86Cl2r/s400/tuna.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From Harold McGee, "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/03/aging_canned_goods_why_time_and_heat_can_make_your_canned_tuna_and_spam.html">Age Your Canned Goods</a>," a very eccentric article about the way that the flavor of canned goods changes as they age: not always for the worse. In fact, he cites a number of experiments where people liked older canned goods better than more recent ones. Aged canned tuna! Aged canned sardines! Even Spam! His subtitle summarizes this view: "Why I now think of best-by dates as maybe-getting-interesting-by dates."<br /><br />Mc Gee writes:<br /><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.984375px; margin: 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">"As far as I can tell, European connoisseurship in canned goods goes back about a hundred years. It was well established by 1924, when James H. Collins compiled <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Story of Canned Foods. </em>Collins noted<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em>that while the American industry—which started in the 1820s and took off during the Civil War—focused on mechanization and making locally and seasonally abundant seafood and vegetables more widely available, the European industry continued to rely on handwork and produced luxury goods for the well-off, who would age their canned sardines for several years like wine. Today, Rödel and Connetable, both more than 150 years old, are among the sardine makers that mark select cans with the fishing year and note that the contents 'are already very good, but like grand cru wines, improve with age' for up to 10 years.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"But the appreciation of can-aged foods wasn’t unknown in the United States. Collins recounts an informal taste test conducted by a New York grocer who rounded up old cans from a number of warehouses, put on a luncheon in which he served their contents side by side with those from new cans, and asked his guests to choose which version they preferred. Among the test foods were fourteen-year-old pea soup and beef stew, and twelve-year-old corned beef and pigs’ feet. The guests preferred the old cans 'by an overwhelming majority.'"</blockquote></div>McGee, of course, always explores the chemical and mechanical details of his subject matter, so the details in the article are absolutely fascinating!

A New Look at Canned Goods

From Harold McGee, "Age Your Canned Goods," a very eccentric article about the way that the flavor of canned goods changes as they age: not always for the worse. In fact, he cites a number of experiments where people liked older canned goods better than more recent ones. Aged canned tuna! Aged canne…

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Restaurants with Views

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZY7bA7wsiwRAbLD9bTyHGP1GINWbCFFj4mrG7yXQ6YqrBA6GZYS4w3BZvqFA4CGKjGJkzLCnWklX3TsfnrYRDiML9cDklNAIJb8QLFBpme8usyKJBGBSdlelyoTnXFQYo-FEw6n8lqPs/s1600/lavajava2399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZY7bA7wsiwRAbLD9bTyHGP1GINWbCFFj4mrG7yXQ6YqrBA6GZYS4w3BZvqFA4CGKjGJkzLCnWklX3TsfnrYRDiML9cDklNAIJb8QLFBpme8usyKJBGBSdlelyoTnXFQYo-FEw6n8lqPs/s400/lavajava2399.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Island Lava Java Cafe and Bistro</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQJVZmmD__BxXMalVC2bEIvmQ2V7vcpgFvqw3I9wEPfUrSL68BEVI02Wqy4hkWJ_O1u-z4rvineDQFbJZTHSYjr6mZMmov3tt8kqCW5Cv9-BbI7OsJBoLwfXAwQT2IThJ4DSHRHaBFzpL/s1600/coffeeshack2442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQJVZmmD__BxXMalVC2bEIvmQ2V7vcpgFvqw3I9wEPfUrSL68BEVI02Wqy4hkWJ_O1u-z4rvineDQFbJZTHSYjr6mZMmov3tt8kqCW5Cv9-BbI7OsJBoLwfXAwQT2IThJ4DSHRHaBFzpL/s400/coffeeshack2442.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Cook Bay from the Coffee Shack</td></tr></tbody></table>We've been eating delicious meals during our trip, mostly at restaurants where we have eaten before, and where I've taken the photos of the food. Anyway, photos of restaurant food are getting kind of boring everywhere. So here are the views from two places where we have eaten, and that's enough!

Restaurants with Views

Sunset at Island Lava Java Cafe and BistroCaptain Cook Bay from the Coffee ShackWe've been eating delicious meals during our trip, mostly at restaurants where we have eaten before, and where I've taken the photos of the food. Anyway, photos of restaurant food are getting kind of boring everywhere. S…

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Native Species and Canoe Foods

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8459133873/" title="culturalfest julia2036 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="culturalfest julia2036" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8109/8459133873_87f1966ddb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I had a long discussion today with Julia (above, holding a segment of sugar cane). She was giving out samples of food at a cultural festival at the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historica Park -- <a href="http://www.nps.gov/kaho/index.htm">one of my favorite parks in the whole world!</a> We got into a conversation about the food plants that are native to the Hawaiian islands prior to human arrival, "canoe foods" that came with the Polynesian settlers, and foods that Europeans brought after the arrival of Captain Cook. Besides a variety of plants, the canoe foods included pigs, chickens, and dogs. Julia has wondered if eggs from the chickens played a role in cooking in pre-western-contact times -- she has been unable to find any references to the use of eggs.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8460236472/" title="culturalfest2033 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="culturalfest2033" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8460236472_9b90d1af31.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Served on a ti leaf, the sample foods at the festival included coconut, taro, breadfruit, sugar cane, Hawaiian purple sweet potato, and Kalua pig (not shown). A beverage from a plant that grows up on the higher hills tasted to me like tea. While the sugar cane and sweet potato are very sweet, the taro and breadfruit are rather bland, though not bad at all. I believe that in more recent times, the way people ate these foods may have become more complex and highly flavored.<br /><br />Cooking in Polynesian times was mainly done in pits dug into the ground and lined with various leaves.  They thus cooked a whole animal. The pit's contents was steamed slowly over a long period of time, and thus quite soft. Other preparations included use of water heated by adding hot stones to water held in gourds, or fermentation as was done with poi. Julia described to me the use of salted fish for long sea voyages, but said she was not aware that other meats would have been preserved by salting. The stone-age Hawaiians had no pottery or metal, so there were no cook pots.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8459134235/" title="konafarmers2026 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="konafarmers2026" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8459134235_b1069f446f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Breadfruit was available at the farmers' market this morning as shown above. I also saw some of the purple Hawaiian sweet potatoes, which are quite small and have a light-colored tan skin.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8459133681/" title="culturalfest2039 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="culturalfest2039" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8459133681_9726317323.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Here is Julia, getting ready to serve a sample of Hawaiian foods.

Native Species and Canoe Foods

I had a long discussion today with Julia (above, holding a segment of sugar cane). She was giving out samples of food at a cultural festival at the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historica Park -- one of my favorite parks in the whole world! We got into a conversation about the food plants that are nativ…

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Curry: maybe the oldest cuisine

"Curry is not only among the world’s most popular dishes; it also may be the oldest continuously prepared cuisine on the planet," according to Washington State University researchers Arunima Kashyap and Steve Weber. Working in the remains of an ancient city along the Indus river, they used modern molecular and archaeology techniques to identify residue from cooking pots as much as 4500 years old and discovered residue from ginger, turmeric, garlic, rice and other grains, and chicken. A <i>Slate </i>article dated last Tuesday,  <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/indus_civilization_food_how_scientists_are_figuring_out_what_curry_was_like.single.html#correction">The Mystery of Curry</a>, explains their findings.<br /><br />"Kashyap used what is known as starch grain analysis. Starch is the main way that plants store energy, and tiny amounts of it can remain long after the plant itself has deteriorated. If a plant was heated—cooked in one of the tandoori-style ovens often found at Indus sites, for example—then its tiny microscopic remains can be identified, since each plant species leaves its own specific molecular signature." In addition to cooking residue, the research team examined the teeth and bones of humans and animals from the archaeology dig, which also provide evidence of the same foodstuffs being consumed.

Curry: maybe the oldest cuisine

"Curry is not only among the world’s most popular dishes; it also may be the oldest continuously prepared cuisine on the planet," according to Washington State University researchers Arunima Kashyap and Steve Weber. Working in the remains of an ancient city along the Indus river, they used modern mo…

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