Thursday, November 4, 2010

Worlds of Flavor: The CIA does Japan

November 4

Did you know that Ruth Reichl’s an editor-at-large for Random House now?

That’s not the only thing I learned on the first day of The Culinary Institute of America’s 13th annual Worlds of Flavor conference, but I thought it was pretty interesting, nonetheless — almost as interesting as the fact that the Japanese used to throw away the fatty parts of the bluefin tuna in favor of the leaner parts.

That changed after the Japanese developed an appreciation of beef and thus also an appreciation for the fatty, marbled belly of the bluefin.

At least that’s what Yousuke Imada said, through a translator, as he was curing shad during the conference's first demonstration. Imada’s the chef-owner of Kyubey, a five-unit chain specializing in sushi and sashimi with four restaurants in Tokyo and a fifth in Osaka.

“Japan: Flavors of Culture” is the theme of this year’s Worlds of Flavor. It’s the first one I’ve been to, and so far, so good.

I’m a bit skeptical of the tuna-belly “fact,” though. Sometimes information like that gets a bit messed up in translation (although I must say the interpreter at the conference is one of the best I’ve ever encountered), and sometimes chefs who are very skilled at slicing tuna or assessing how much salt to sprinkle onto a shad have an incomplete grasp of history (or of nutrition, or modern animal husbandry or animal rights or the details of genetic modification or the effects on the metabolism of high fructose corn syrup or other aspects of food that they’re often asked to discuss).

Or maybe the Japanese used to throw away tuna bellies. It’s not like I know everything.

I’m more confident of the fact that the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet is now editing at Random House. Because she told me she was, and I’m just not an important enough person in her life for her to lie to me. I think this was only the second or third time we’d ever met.

She was speaking with White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, who was taking a break from his presentation of adzuki beans layered with chocolate and served as an Opera pastry.

The organizers of the conference let us off easy today. They introduced themselves and the conference sponsors and then just had one presentation, by Japanese author and cooking-school owner Yoshiki Tsuji, who has the excellent qualities of speaking beautiful Cambridge English and also having the sort of cute Japanese sense of humor that meant his PowerPoint presentation had cartoon drawings of animals who had eaten too much (having gorged themselves on the cuisine of Osaka) and others imploring us to wake up.

I'm going to have to figure out how to put cute Japanese cartoons in my presentations.

The lecture part of Tsuji's presentation actually came after three brief cooking demonstrations — the first, as I mentioned, by Imada-san, the second, of a sea bream soup that would be part of a kaiseki meal, by Kyoto chef Yoshihiro Takahashi, who's the managing director and third-generation chef of Kinobu in that city, and the third by Kunio Tokuola, who is also the third-generation owner of a restaurant in Kyoto, called Kyôto Kitcho, but his demonstration was of an Osaka-style preparation made of herbs and flowers and other ingredients meant, basically, to look beautiful. Apparently in Osaka kaiseki, each dish is meant to express a different aspect of enjoyment of the meal — flavor, aroma, what have you. Tokuoka's dish, which he called Yamoki Kashima and is meant to evoke a Chinese folk tale, was supposed to represent beauty.

And it was beautiful. I should have taken a picture.

Or maybe not. I neglected to bring the wire with the company camera that would let me download the pictures immediately for you, which is why instead you have a picture of a flower arrangement from one of the sake booths at the “marketplace” and walk-around tasting that followed the Tsuji-san show. I used my cell phone to take it and, well, let’s just say my cell phone pictures are best viewed as abstract images.

Of course the food was good — lots of tasty fish in dashi with other elements added, a surprising number of pork belly presentations, indicating that that particular cut of meat has at least one winter of life left in it, and something I hadn’t seen before — “Delacata.” That’s what the catfish folk are calling a farm-raised variety of the fish that their letting grow to about three times the size of the usual farm-raised catfish, making it a suitable substitute in some preparations for grouper, Chilean sea bass and other species that have, by many accounts, been over-fished.

So that was new.

So is the cotton candy at Golden Corral, which corporate chef Debra Olson told me the chain was rolling out. I asked if she was going to be adding Japanese food to the Golden Corral buffet soon.

She said: “You never know.”

hey folks!

Hey it's been long time since my last post. Then i've been missing to posting alot on my blogspot. Well even i try to full fill my new tumblr. Anyway, this blog is da best. hahaha. *wink*

Its already November, nearly closing this year. Wihi its time to me to tell something.

First, i wanna tell my regret about disaster(s) in my exotic cpuntry, Indonesia.
After alot crazyness about the goverment and now about the nature. Starts from Merapi erruption, continue with tsunami at Mentawai, then Wasior flooded, and now almost 21 more mounts showing dangerous activities. So bad. Ya i know. And do ya know my home flooded alittle too? Fortunately its not that bad.

Ah ya, i havent tell yet that i was accepted in HAN University, Arnhem, Netherlands. With business communication as my major. But, im not into it. I still waiting for the result from my application for Hanze University, Groningen, Netherlands. And the major is really suits in me, International Communication. :D

Well in 2011 can or cannot i should continue my study. Either in Netherlands or in Indonesia. Ah ya, of course my major is communication. haha. Education is important for me. For my dreams too.

i've been attending Nederlans (Dutch language) course at Erasmus Taalcentru for 5 weeks, and tomorrow is the 6th weeks. yep, i already met few native from Netherlands. Thats fun! And will share a little in Nederlands.

hello, mijn naam is Ketty Tressianah. Ik leren Nederlands van Erasmus Taalcentrum. En ik wil studeer van Nederland. Ik ga naar Erasmus met de motor met moeder. Elkedag ik ben online msn. enzovort enzovort. puntje puntje puntje. :D

Hows it? Fun? hihi. Thats only few simple zins. hahaha.
Ah ya i wanna tell you to enlarge your dreams as huge as you can, because with a big dream you can start to makes your life better. And remember there is nothing impossible. Dont stay at your comfort zone.

Im begging your please to pray for my mom, she have a dangerous illness. And hope she will recovery soon. And guys, please pray for her, thanks. If you dont mind, pray for me too, hope im accepted in Hanze univ, and get the scholarship. Thanks for everythings.

Dankje!

VARO (Sindhi Pista Badam Chikki - Diwali Special)


Varo is a very rich and healthy sweet and is eaten a lot in winters.
It is customary among Sindhis to send this to married daughters along with the other goodies during Diwali.Varo is specially made also for pregnant women as it is loaded with dry fruits.
Ingredients:
Almonds (unsalted) .... 1/2 cup (chopped)
Pistachios (unsalted).... 1/2 cup chopped
Sugar .......................... 1 cup
Green cardamoms ...... 6-7 ( Crushed - use only seeds)
Saffron ...................... a pinch
Wheat flour ................ 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds ............... 1 tsp.
Ghee .......................... 2 tsps.



Method:


1.Heat 1 tsp. ghee in a small pan and fry the wheat flour on a low flame for half a minute.(till the aroma comes) Set aside.


2.In a thick bottomed pan put the sugar and keep stirring on low flame until it melts, avoiding lump formation.(do not make it dark brown)


3.At this stage add the poppy seeds, crushed cardamom seed and saffron.


4. Also add the prepared wheat flour,half a tsp. ghee and the nuts and mix very fast.Turn off the gas and keep mixing till it becomes lumpy.(to a rolling consistency)


5. Spread it on a greased surface and roll it with a greased rolling pin.(you have to do the rolling very fast)


6.Cool it and cut into pieces.(to break evenly, mark with the knife lightly after rolling and break after it is cooled)

sumpah sy penattt...

hye, selamat pagi. happy deepavali esp to jesse & thulasi.

kawan-kawan. sy dekat office d pagi mulia seawal 730am td. dah 2 minggu sy tak cuti. straight kerja. sabtu ahad kerja. hari ni public holiday, dah biasa kerja. merdeka pun, wesak pun. huhu.

tapi... terus terang sy penat sgt2 ni. malam semlm tgh on9, tibe2 kepale sy pusing, sy nak pitam. walhal sy tgh baring. sy ttp laptop, terus sy baring sekejap. tidur, atau pitam mungkin. sejam kemudian bangun, tp rase mual.

tak pernah sy rase nak pitam mcm tu. T___T

esok rasa-rasanya, so far, sy off. pheww~ tp hari ni. saudara mara semua datang. sebab esok kami akan ke seremban, sambut menantu belah suami kak lin.

sy rase mcm tak mahu pergi. rehat saja di rumah. terlalu penat.

bilik sy sgtlah messy. ptg nnt mereka sampai, tumpang bilik sy jgk. segan nnt. habis shooting hari ni, sy perlu kemas bilik a.s.a.p.

rumah sy 6 bilik tu x cukup sbb ramai dtg. so sy akan tidur sekali bilik mama abah. sudah biasa :)

sy on9 sementara tunggu talent di-make up oleh artis. jd jgn pelik kenape blh on9 walhal kononnya sibuk.

owh, shawl baru dah diambil. bertambah sy bz. sila jenguk2 ye. murah je kalau nak compare dgn most of the other blogshop --- http://rainbowshawls.blogspot.com/ :)

till then. take care everyone!

There was so much cuteness around me last weekend (part II)


Sunday was Halloween, and after the manga convention, we had a party at Lourde's home, where we prepared a great cocktail called "Marilyn"... delicious! And of course, I took pictures of our outfits!




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After Lourde's house, we went to the Nocturna Festival, a great party in wich Masuimi Max was making a performance... here you've got some pictures, but you can see the rest on my Flickr!

 
 

And a few more pictures of the night!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And more or less this was my weekend, with the manga convention, friends, party... the worst part came on tueday, when lots of friends had to say "Goodbye"... Yayra was one of them, but we had breakfast at Lolita Bakery that morning and it was lovely!

 

What a great weekend! And guess what? Next stop.. is Murcia, the next week! Yes, Murcia, here we go!

200th post + Giveaway!!

I can't believe I have posted 200+ times on this site! I know, a lot of you are probably way over that number by now, but for me, this is a big thing!! I am actually at 205 or something like that by the time I posted this. But the point still remains! I hope you are enjoying reading this site, I definitely enjoy sharing my thoughts and pictures with all of your!

So in honor of this milestone in my blog life, I have a special giveaway!! For those of you who scrap book, you have probably heard of Creative Memories. They sell every kind of scrap booking item you could ever need. They also have online digital scrap booking! I am giving away a "Mini Moments" paper kit. It comes with calendar pages and also different background pages that you can use in your scrap book to show details that happened on certain days etc... Great for a baby scrap book to show their milestones! See below on how to enter!

Entry: Leave a comment with a valid e-mail account. All entries without an e-mail address in the comment will be withdrawn from the giveaway. 

Extra Entries:   
Follow Golden Reflections on Google Friend Connect, on the left side of the page (1 comment, 1 entry)
Follow Golden Reflections on Twitter. (1 comment, 1 entry) 
Follow Creative Memories on Facebook. (1 comment, 1 entry) 
Follow Creative Memories on Twitter. (1 comment, 1 entry)
Vote for Golden Reflections on Picket Fence Blogs. (1 comment, 1 entry per day)  

Entries begin today and will end on Tuesday, November 9th at 11:59pm. Spread the word and be sure to enter below!


OT Tip

I made a new logo to my OT Tips! How do you like it? I needed something more colorful! I love Microsoft Word and Paint! :)

This week I want to focus on age appropriate fine motor skills. Did you know that as soon as your baby is born, they are starting to develop their fine motor skills. Most parents probably don't even realize that there are activities you can do at this young age to help develop great fine motor skills.

So in order to know what is age appropriate for your child, here are the list of skills your child is learning so should be learning at each age!


0-3 MONTHS


  • hands most often remain closed


  • has grasp reflex (grasps objects involuntarily if placed in palm)


  • 2-4 MONTHS
  • reaches for ("swipes at") objects inaccurately


  • 3-3 1/2 MONTHS
  • clasps hands together often


  • 3 1/2- 4 MONTHS
  • begins purposeful, visually directed reaching


  • 3-7 MONTHS
  • can hold small objects in hand


  • 4-8 MONTHS
  • can transfer objects from one hand to the other


  • can pick up cube/medium sized object easily


  • 4-10 MONTHS
  • develops accurate forward and side reach


  • 5-9 MONTHS
  • "rakes" or "scoops" small objects to pick them up (i.e. using fingers/palm/whole hand to scoop up Cheerios, raisins etc.


  • 7-9 MONTHS
  • intentionally able to drop/release objects (get ready for the "watch-me-drop-this-watch-mommy/daddy-pick-it-up-AGAIN" game!)


  • 7-12 MONTHS
  • able to pick up small objects using thumb and finger/fingers


  • 10 MONTHS
  • pokes and/or points with index finger


  • 12-18 MONTHS
  • holds crayon with whole hand, thumb up


  • 2 YEARS
  • holds crayon with thumb and all fingers, forearm turned so thumb is pointing down


  • puts on shoes, socks, and shorts; takes off shoes and socks


  • can use a spoon by himself, keeping it upright


  • can draw and copy a vertical line


  • 2 1/2- 3 YEARS
  • strings large beads


  • snips paper with scissors


  • rolls clay/playdoh into "snake"


  • can draw and copy a horizontal line


  • 3-3 1/2 YEARS
  • able to complete simple puzzles


  • can build a tower of nine small blocks or more


  • can get himself dressed/undressed independently; only needs help with buttons; still confuses front/back for clothes, and right/left for shoes


  • can feed himself with little or no spilling, drinks from a cup/glass with one hand
    3 1/2- 4 YEARS

  • can pour his own drink from a pitcher if not too heavy


  • can place small pegs into small holes


  • able to string small beads


  • can hold a pencil with a "tripod grasp" (3 fingers), but moves forearm and wrist to write/draw/color
    4-4 1/2 YEARS

  • can use scissors to follow and cut both straight and curved lines


  • can manage buttons, zippers, and snaps completely


  • can draw and copy a cross (one vertical and one horizontal intersecting lines)


  • 4 1/2- 5 YEARS
  • can hold fork using his fingers


  • can feed himself soup with little or no spilling


  • folds paper in half, making sure the edges meet


  • puts a key in a lock and opens it


  • 5 YEARS
  • can get dressed completely by himself, and usually tie shoelaces


  • cuts square, triangle, circle, and simple pictures with scissors


  • uses a knife to spread food items (jelly, peanut butter, mayo etc.), uses a dull knife to cut soft foods


  • able to draw and copy a diagonal line


  • uses a "tripod grasp" on writing utensils (thumb & tips of 1st two fingers) and uses fingers only (because small muscles of hand have developed) to write/draw/color
     

  • 5 1/2- 6 YEARS

  • can build a five block "bridge"

  • sufficient bilateral hand coordination to cut out complex pictures, accurately following the outline


  • able to copy a sequence of letters or numbers correctly


  • 6 YEARS
  • able to complete complex puzzles

  • Fine Motor Development Chart from Sensory Processing Disorder.com

    Another great resource is from the University of Michigan Health System website. They have each age broken down with ideas to develop fine motor skills at each age. And don't worry, if your baby or child is/was a preemie they have a section for you too with corrected age milestones.

    Next week we will start at the beginning and give ideas for each age group of ways to help develop your child's fine motor skills!



    Disclaimer: I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The advise in these tips is not a replacement for medical advise from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child.  



    BLOG BUTTONS

    Let's share shall we? If you'd like more people to find and bookmark your blog, a button is a great way to get traffic. First you have to make a button. 200x200 is the size, then all you do is add a picture gadget with a link and image. That's it! So easy, so let's do each other a favor and add those puppies. I have already added my Mom's blog, and a few other's that I read on the daily. If you don't see your blog button over there on the right hand side, well it's because you haven't made one! If you'd like to add my button, grab that purdy little image that says "My Button".

    Fall

    Fall is supposed to be here, because this is Florida and apparently it doesn't really exist, I have gone ahead and re-vamped my blog into this mythical season.

    Halloween was great this year! Nathan, Courtney, QuynGiao (quin-yow is the pronunciation) and I dressed up and headed out to the port for some booty-shakin good times. We went to Millikens, which is like an outdoor club at the beach, most of it is imported sand. Note to self: don't wear heels to this place. We ended up taking our shoes off and carrying them everywhere, because its impossible to wear them in the sand. haha. 

    There were some really great costumes there this year. Here are some pictures from our hazy night!








    After Millikens we all went to the beach and shared a bottle of wine in the sand. We didn't end up getting home until 5am! I was definitely re-living my old college days that night. haha.

    some 'something'

    Yay! I got my polaroid!
    Pink!!!! ♥♥♥

    Sorry for the late post, teheeeeee 
    i'm just so happy to get my pink polaroid after went-around-halfly-dead to get it since not all the camera shops sell it.
    pink!! 

    akhir2 ini suka bangeeet ngidam ama yg manis2 dan roti2 gitu.
    J.Co!
    gara2 liat temen di fb pada ngomong J'Co, makanya jd ngidam.
    I go all the way to Pyramid just to fullfil my desire..
    share wiff indry and ivy ♥

    and tonight is deepavali night!
    i'm waiting for the fireworks, haha..
    not to mention that eventhough sunway without fireworks still full of romantic lights.

    its Sunway City on night.. How could i dont love it here?