YangYang Pine Mushroom Festival, Korea-Euro-Toques Mushroom Hunt Ireland.

So Here is one I missed and wished I had managed to go but did anyone go?

Please let me know how it was? If I am still here next year I will make it. I am not sure if we fully appreciated the selection of mushrooms we have here. I know when I go home the will be exotic and really expensive.
Here is the Festival Web site .

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=293081

"This year, the Yangyang Songi Pine Mushroom Festival will be held from September 26th to 30th in Yangyang, Gangwon-do. Songi (pronounced /song-i/) pine mushroom is also called gold mushroom or diamond of the woods for its expensive price: one kilogram of songi costs over 200,000 won. As such, songi is a luxury for common people. The Songi Festival in Yangyang is a great opportunity for people to see natural songi and sample various dishes made from it.

The festival has been designated as one of the best festivals in Korea by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for two consecutive years. Organized for the 12th time this year, the festival has continued to draw an increasing number of local and international visitors over the years and has now become a major regional festival. In addition to hands-on events, there will be a number of performances and a market where songi will be sold at a more affordable price."

Check out their website..

http://pinemushroom.en.ecplaza.net/

And I read on http://tast.ie/

At Home In Ireland There Is A Mushroom Hunt going on near my House On October 5th
For more mushroom hunt information try Mushroom Stuff for Wicklow/Dublin area and Longueville House in Cork. All added to the Irish Food and Wine Events Calendar.

EURO-TOQUES MUSHROOM HUNT

Sunday, 5^th October, Cavan

Mushroom Hunt: Grounds of Radisson SAS Farnham Estate

Dinner: The Olde Post Inn, Cloverhill

12 noon Meet at Radisson SAS Farnham Estate

12.30 Proceed to PICNIC spot in the Woods

Individual picnic baskets with local fare prepared by the Radisson will be delivered to the picnic spot by golf caddy, to be enjoyed with drinks and a glass of wine

1.30-4pm MUSHROOM HUNT in the woods – led by Louis Smith

Before and after the Mushroom Hunt Louis will offer his valuable advice on what to look for, what not to touch, what to keep and what to throw away!

5.00pm CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION & DINNER at THE OLDE POST INN, Cloverhill

Following the Mushroom Hunt, the group will proceed to the cosy surroundings of the Olde Post Inn where Euro-toques members Gearoid & Tara Lynch will host a seasonal three-course dinner accompanied by wines

PRICE

Mushroom Hunt & Picnic : Adults €30/ 12-16yrs €15/ Under 12s €5

Mushroom Hunt, Picnic & Dinner: Adults €60/ 12-16yrs €40/ Under 12s €20

ACCOMMODATION

B&B is available at the Radisson SAS on Sunday 5^th October (Standard mid-week Double rate €135). Please contact the Radisson directly on 049 4377700 quoting ‘Euro-toques Group’ to book

TRANSPORT

Depending on numbers, transport can be arranged between Radisson & the Olde Post. Please let us know on booking if you will require this. Cost of transport will be extra and payable on the day.

DON’T FORGET:

Bring along buckets, baskets or bags for your mushrooms, a knife, gloves (if desired) and wellies or a change of shoes. Be prepared for all weather.

BOOKING: Call 01-6779995 or email info@eurotoquesirl.org before Monday 29^th September.

Beetroot curry - Senkizhangu/Akkarakizhangu poriyal

Ingredients:

Beetroot - Senkizhangu/Akkarakizhangu - 1/2 kg
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai - 2 nos.
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and peel the vegetable using peeler. First wash and remove the skin then slit as shown above. No need to boil separately.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, add asafoetida, splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal, curry leaves, red chilly broken into 2 pieces and finally vegetable with little salt. Mix them well. Fry for some time.

Hot beetroot curry is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served along with any rice item. It requires some 20 minutes to cook. It can be served for 3 persons.

Note: Since beetroot has its own water, no need to add too much water. Just sprinkle some water, thats enough. Beetroot is very good for health especially for blood circulation.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will
Robert Frost

Gherkins/Gentlemen's Toes/Tindal curry - Kovakkai varuval

Ingredients:

Gherkins/Gentleman's Toes/Tindla - Kovakkai - 1/2 kg
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1/2 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut the vegetables into round shape as shown in the picture.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, add asafoetida, splutter mustard seeds, then add vegetables, add red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, little salt and mix well. Fry till it turns brown.

Hot kovakkai curry is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served with any rice items. It requires some 20 minutes to cook. It can be served for 3 persons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gherkins

Rice is born in water and must die in wine
Italian Proverb

Quotation of the day

September 29

From University of Pennsylvania anthropology professor Janet Chrzan:

While trying to catch up on past issues of the Economist, I came across this unique reference to derivatives in last week’s mag. It seems that there is now a derivatives market for moon cakes during the Fall Festival.

Too bad that all those *other* nasty derivatives lacked something as solid as egg yolks and sugar as their asset base!

Blanco y Plata

Calíope se despista y, por un momento, sigue la estela que ha visto pasar por el rabillo del ojo. Blanca y plateada dibuja ondas en el aire, danzando con el viento de forma coqueta y sinuosa, dejándose llevar y a la vez marcando el ritmo. Gira la cabeza y la sigue, sorteando coches y peatones, paseantes muy rápidos o demasiado lentos que no se percatan de su presencia.

Un salto, dos saltos; como Alicia persiguiendo al Conejo Blanco antes de caer por la madriguera, como Dorothy caminando sobre baldosas amarillas en busca del Mago de Oz. Comienza a sentir las gotas que empapan su rostro, ¿dónde dejó su paraguas? No importa, el fulgor danznate la tienta, la llama, le pide que vaya con él. Gira una esquina, y todo se vuelve cada vez más gris, resaltando sólo la plata de las ondas oníricas. Salen de la cabeza de alguien, éso es seguro.

Corre, esquiva, comienza a llover con fuerza y los rayos iluminan el cielo. El blanco la ciega, pero no es el blanco de la electricidad celestial, es otro tipo de fuerza divina.

Sobre una fuente, brazos abiertos, extiende sus alas y deja que el viento se lleve un millón de plumas. Algunas se aferran a su cabello, abrazándolo para no dejarlo jamás. Polvo de estrellas, polvo de hadas que salpica sus ojos ante el espectáculo de Arcadia y le incita a acercarse, a tomar su mano y a volar. Ante su cercanía, la mira, sonríe; y Calíope le devuelve la sonrisa para iluminar si cabe más el cielo relampagueante. La invita a que bailen juntos, lejos de las miradas de los humanos... un pesañeo, a través del espejo... vuelan lejos del suelo, un poco más cerca del sol.

Ha pasado un ángel, ¿lo viste tú?

Songkok Mahal

View from Vista Amani taken from my new phone,

Sony Ericsson W660i, not bad really

It’s Monday and another 2 days for all Muslim and fellow Malaysians to celebrate hari raya. Aidil Fitri is no longer a celebration of the muslim or the malays, it’s the celebration of the nation, not only the big day itself, but also the ritual and the practice to celebrate Shawal right from the first day of ramadhan. The daily fasting, the awaited fast breaking, sahur, the ramadhan bazaar, the window shopping and occasional bargain for discount, giving and receiving of duit raya (which is actually very Chinese) and the open house tradition is so uniquely Malaysian.

Not to mention the balik kampong and the unavoidable nation wide traffic jam from the coastal of Johore right to the Isthmus of Kra, to and fro, both on the right and left side of the Banjaran Titiwangsa and also across the Banjaran also and occational deadly collision involving a whole family in a very cramped van. Everyone must balik kampong. It is just not trendy not to.

Unless you don’t have any kampong to balik too. i.e.

1. you were born in KL, by parents who were born in KL, and all other ancestors are either dead or don’t even know of your existence,

2. or if you are not born in KL, but all your ancestors are dead and your house in the kampong looks something like a house in a horror movie,

3. or your family balik kampong, but you did not because you have a lot of work to do in the office, although you know there wont be any work in the office because there is nothing to do in the office, it is just you are so lazy to go back balik kampong and meet your still living ancestor (read: your nosy aunty) who will ask you the same question without fail every year, until one of you (hopefully the nosy aunty) die first.

So nobody in the office, I am working alone. I managed to submit my papers on creative teaching a few months over the dateline and reviewing some papers for few conferences in Malaysia. How I wish I have a conference paper in Hawaii or Tahiti or Phuket or anything like that so I could go on a holiday trip using government money from the taxes gain from rich people around Malaysia. I am so bored of going to a conference where a karipap and a mee goreng will always be in one of the menu, and not forgetting the ever popular roti jala.

Ah something about not being greedy and succumbs myself of glut, this year I managed to refrain myself from eating out a lot in the expensive restaurant or hotels which beyond ridiculously pricey. A normal buffet this year alone can cost a person at least RM80 ringgit, and the price getting higher if the hotel serve oysters and grilled lamb (oyster and grilled lamb has always been the benchmark of a perfect iftar in a hotel)

So I only went to 3 outings the first one eating seafood in Klang with Richard and Peknga, the second one iftar with Dr. Im and Dr. Ting in and the last one eating BBQ seafood in seafood terminal. Only paid for the last one, the rest are paid by someone else. Other that those 3 outings my breaking fast is spent with friends and my mother.

Seafood terminal, we don't really eat but we force the food

gracefully until our stomach get upset.

Another thing to mention this ramadhan is I bought a ready to wear Baju Melayu, which to my surprise actually fits me, and also I have bought a RM 216 songkok!!!

Bloody expensive songkok you might say. That price is actually including my parking summon that I need to pay after I indiscriminately park my car in the main road of Jalan TAR KL. Well everyone else is doing it, I just follow suit, in fact its already 3 o’clock in the morning and why must the traffic police be so fucking moron and give out summon to everyone parking at the side road because everyone is doing it. Something is unlawful and illegal, illicit, illegitimate or against the law only if a person is going something out of the ordinary which is not accepted by the society.

Mahathir called it a social contract; especially there isn’t any fucking parking space available at that time.

So there goes my RM200, or was it RM100, I am not sure, but that songkok which only cost me RM16 after I wrestled myself through the millions of people in Jalan Tar and ever annoying salesperson and demanding he sell the songkok to me less then the price he paid to his supplier, is ladies and gentleman, the most expensive songkok I have ever bought in my whole life.