Entries by tag: food
"Your body is not a temple, it is an amusement park."
--Anthony Bourdain 1956-2018
--Anthony Bourdain 1956-2018
"'If you are careful,' Garp wrote, 'if you use good ingredients, and you don't take any shortcuts, then you can usually cook something very good. Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day: what you make to eat. With writing, I find, you can have all the right ingredients, give plenty of time and care, and still get nothing. Also true of love. Cooking, therefore, can keep a person who tries hard sane.'"
--John Irving, "The World According to Garp."
Rating a recent dining experience at
Si Senor on Hall in Beaverton:
Using the Arizona Girls Rating System
for Mexican Restaurants
(one point available
for each item on the list,
bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips (0.50, they were prompt and crisp but not hot or homemade)
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT (1.0 salsa delivered with chips was quite good, didn't ask for more, had plenty of sauce with my relleno)
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup (0.50 for containing tequila)
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot (.75 warm)
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative" (1.0, this is Mexican food)
6) Good sauces/beans&rice/tortillas (.50, the sauces were good but the beans, rice and torts were meh same as the last place)
7) Good entrees (1.0 good options, lots of sauce)
8) Reasonable price (.25 overpriced along with most Mexican food places in this town)
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc (1.0 busy but clean)
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?” (.25 they actually have sopapillas on the menu but they cost $8 and are served covered in cinnamon sugar with a scoop of vanilla, yuck, did not order)
BONUS: House was packed and service good (+.25).
Total score: 7.0, not bad for a Texas-sized business, someone's making good money.
Si Senor on Hall in Beaverton:
Using the Arizona Girls Rating System
for Mexican Restaurants
(one point available
for each item on the list,
bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips (0.50, they were prompt and crisp but not hot or homemade)
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT (1.0 salsa delivered with chips was quite good, didn't ask for more, had plenty of sauce with my relleno)
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup (0.50 for containing tequila)
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot (.75 warm)
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative" (1.0, this is Mexican food)
6) Good sauces/beans&rice/tortillas (.50, the sauces were good but the beans, rice and torts were meh same as the last place)
7) Good entrees (1.0 good options, lots of sauce)
8) Reasonable price (.25 overpriced along with most Mexican food places in this town)
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc (1.0 busy but clean)
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?” (.25 they actually have sopapillas on the menu but they cost $8 and are served covered in cinnamon sugar with a scoop of vanilla, yuck, did not order)
BONUS: House was packed and service good (+.25).
Total score: 7.0, not bad for a Texas-sized business, someone's making good money.
Rating a recent dining experience at
Maria Bonita on Hall in Beaverton:
Using the Arizona Girls Rating System
for Mexican Restaurants
(one point available
for each item on the list,
bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips (.50, they were prompt and crisp but not hot or homemade)
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT (1.0 basic salsa delivered with chips was mild and OK, but three-salsa sampler delivered on request was excellent)
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup (.50, margs were OK but mixer was standard, orange was substituted for lime slice, and HFCS was definitely an ingredient)
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot (.75, warm, not hot)
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative" (1.0, this is Mexican food)
6) Good sauces/beans&rice/tortillas (.50, the green chile and white sauce were good but the beans, rice and torts were meh)
7) Good entrees (1.0 good options, haven't tried their chile rellenos, yet)
8) Reasonable price (.50 overpriced along with most Mexican food places in this town)
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc (1.0 decent enough)
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?” (0, nobody in Portland seems to offer sopapillas)
BONUS: There were Mexicans eating there which is a good sign, (+.25).
Total score: 8.0, pretty darn good, we will return.
Maria Bonita on Hall in Beaverton:
Using the Arizona Girls Rating System
for Mexican Restaurants
(one point available
for each item on the list,
bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips (.50, they were prompt and crisp but not hot or homemade)
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT (1.0 basic salsa delivered with chips was mild and OK, but three-salsa sampler delivered on request was excellent)
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup (.50, margs were OK but mixer was standard, orange was substituted for lime slice, and HFCS was definitely an ingredient)
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot (.75, warm, not hot)
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative" (1.0, this is Mexican food)
6) Good sauces/beans&rice/tortillas (.50, the green chile and white sauce were good but the beans, rice and torts were meh)
7) Good entrees (1.0 good options, haven't tried their chile rellenos, yet)
8) Reasonable price (.50 overpriced along with most Mexican food places in this town)
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc (1.0 decent enough)
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?” (0, nobody in Portland seems to offer sopapillas)
BONUS: There were Mexicans eating there which is a good sign, (+.25).
Total score: 8.0, pretty darn good, we will return.
Arizona Girls Rating System for Mexican Restaurants
(one point available for each item on the list, bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative"
6) Good sauces/beans/tortillas
7) Good entrees
8) Reasonable price
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?”
BONUS:
*Bringing this system back to the fore because I'm going out for Mexican tonight*. Back when Suzanne was here we struggled to find real Mexican food, but it is here, it just takes finding. It had to be here. There are lots of Mexicans here. My current and running favorite for its cheap and delicious tacos, roasted jalapenos, pickled carrots and sauteed onions is La Sirenita on Alberta.
(one point available for each item on the list, bonus at our discretion)
1) Free hot crisp chips
2) Two or more salsa choices, one of which should be spicy HOT
3) Margarita with tequila and lime in it, no high fructose corn syrup
4) Food and plate temperature sizzling hot
5) Menu: simple, fresh, authentic, not "creative"
6) Good sauces/beans/tortillas
7) Good entrees
8) Reasonable price
9) Pleasant space, warmth, colors, lighting, smells, service, etc
10) "Sopapilla o' tortilla?”
BONUS:
*Bringing this system back to the fore because I'm going out for Mexican tonight*. Back when Suzanne was here we struggled to find real Mexican food, but it is here, it just takes finding. It had to be here. There are lots of Mexicans here. My current and running favorite for its cheap and delicious tacos, roasted jalapenos, pickled carrots and sauteed onions is La Sirenita on Alberta.
1. Portland has the best Bitters. From fresh strong coffee to extremely hoppy IPA's, to unique herbal blends to add to your cocktail, you will not find a town with more depth and variety in its bitter beverages and flavors. Asheville, NC would like to claim that it is a beer capital of the US, but all they did was win an online survey. Anyone who has been beer-drinking in both cities knows which one dominates.
2. Portland has ample fresh water, including a well-protected drinking water supply. The Willamette River splits the town in half, and the even larger Columbia River divides north Portland from southern VanCouver, Washington. Hydropower plants on the Columbia provide cheap electricity. Rains fall predictably from fall to spring. Climate change scientists suggest that Portland will be getting less long slow drizzles, and more intense downpours, but the total amount of precipitation is likely to remain similar.
3. It is easy to grow things here. Portland is called the City of Roses because rose sprigs that came from Ireland in ballast took root along the banks of the Willamette. Today cultivated roses bloom from February until November. The climate is so mild that the city doesn't own any snow plows, and many plants survive the winter because it doesn't freeze often or hard. In the summer, with a little irrigation, food gardens are highly productive. Those invasive blackberries that people can't seem to kill produce delicious sweet berries every summer.
4. The city is so liberal that even conservatives are welcome! Everyone can find a community here. Local pride about the openminded nature of the residents is relfected on bumperstickers that say "Keep Portland Weird". Here in Portland it is legal to be naked in public (look up the Nude but Not Lewd Law) but people are so polite that they only get naked downtown during the annual naked bike ride, for which people who can't bear to see are well warned and able to avoid the affront. There are communities of many ethinicities and religions living peacefully side by side, and great ethnic food too.
5. The roads belong to everyone in Portland. Cars actually stop to let pedestrians cross. Bicycles are given a lane, or at least a little attention and respect. Public transportation in the form of light rail and busses is busily bringing people into and out of the city to limit traffic and parking crunches.
6. Nature is everywhere. In town there are large and small parks and lovely pedestrian trails. The volcanoes of the Cascade mountains are visible from town, and the protected Oregon coast is only an hour's drive away. The Columbia gorge begins just outside the urban area and is loaded with gorgeous waterfalls and fantastic hiking trails. A visitor to Cascadia cannot fail to notice the richness of the green.
7. People are green here too. We recycle what we can and reuse everything else. We refuse to drive our cars when possible, and are mindful to minimize our carbon footprints. We eat local and organic and support sustainable agriculture. We have solar panels on our roofs. We are trying to save the world, or at least, doing our own small part and feeling good about it.
1. Anyone can survive for three hours without maintaining the core body temperature.
2. Anyone can survive for three days without water.
3. Anyone can survive for three weeks without food.
SOURCE
http://peaksurvival.com
Of course these are debatable but the gist of it is true. What this perspective does is help you prioritize your actions. The first thing you must do is maintain core body temperature. Next, find water. Then concern yourself with food. Get obsessed with something else when you have no backup, and you may not survive.
Glutard = a person who avoids gluten because they believe it is the key to their health, without any evidence to support that belief. There are those who would argue that Naturopathic doctors go around creating glutards. There is a lot to know about food sensitivities and gluten specifically, which I will not address here. Suffice it to say that some people do not need to avoid gluten but instead they focus on it with a neurotic intensity that earns them this label. Many people are crazy around the subject of food. This word has entered my vocabulary thanks to Laura Sol, welder and metal fabricator.
Bring carbs
Eat protein.
Dr Paul brings ribs from a restaurant. He's in his 90's and doesn't mind spending his money on food for others. He's a retired physician, orthopedic surgeon to be specific. His sons are all in medicine too, some clinical and some research. He gave me the Mayo clinic book on Alternative Medicine. They basically have a stoplight rating system for all things alternative, and the majority of treatments get the yellow light based on the science that they found. I appreciate it pretty much. They don't damn naturopathic medicine, it gets yellow also. There are good and bad parts. I wish they'd do the same approach for conventional medicines. People might be shocked how weak the evidence is for some of them. The degree to which pharmaceutical businesses drive the FDA and the delivery of medicine is apalling. I love it every time I read of another review that shows reasonable conventional doctors understand that some of the uses of pharmaceuticals are unsubstantiated and may do more harm than good.
Eat protein.
Dr Paul brings ribs from a restaurant. He's in his 90's and doesn't mind spending his money on food for others. He's a retired physician, orthopedic surgeon to be specific. His sons are all in medicine too, some clinical and some research. He gave me the Mayo clinic book on Alternative Medicine. They basically have a stoplight rating system for all things alternative, and the majority of treatments get the yellow light based on the science that they found. I appreciate it pretty much. They don't damn naturopathic medicine, it gets yellow also. There are good and bad parts. I wish they'd do the same approach for conventional medicines. People might be shocked how weak the evidence is for some of them. The degree to which pharmaceutical businesses drive the FDA and the delivery of medicine is apalling. I love it every time I read of another review that shows reasonable conventional doctors understand that some of the uses of pharmaceuticals are unsubstantiated and may do more harm than good.
Of course the corporations with an interest in keeping Americans in the dark (and unconcerned) about what is going on spent 3x (or more) on very slick and convincing media to get that result. But we the people are not completely ignorant or apathetic. So we vote with our dollars. I have cut out several items from my regular shopping list, and am finding good alternatives. Being flexible gives us power. Our ability to BOYCOTT companies that resist labeling laws makes it possible for influence the market. Teach your family about this, and you increase your influence.
Quite a few of the manufacturers that oppose labeling GMOs also make items that are labeled “organic”. GMO food ingredients are mostly grains grown by large scale agricultural businesses that use millions of tons of herbicides and pesticides. "Organic" foods are supposed to be free of GMO ingredients. We can reduce our intake of toxic pesticides and herbicides by eating "organic" foods, however if these GMO supporters have brands labeled organic, we need to pick and choose in order to hit them in their pocketbooks the way we want to.
I just knew that "o" organics (at safeway) wasn't a brand I wanted to buy. I am disappointed to stop buying Larabars (I was in on that when it was still a small company). There are a few others that I would sometimes buy, so this list has influenced my grocery expenditures. I hope it does too.
A few brands and products to avoid: • PepsiCo: Naked Juice, Tostito's Organic, Tropicana Organic • Kraft: Boca Burgers and Back to Nature • Safeway:"O" Organics • Coca-Cola: Honest Tea, Odwalla • General Mills: Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar (I’ve switched to Kind bars) • Con-Agra: Orville Redenbacher's Organic, Hunt's Organic, Lightlife, Alexia • Kellogg's: Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger • Smuckers: R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic • Unilever: Ben & Jerry's • Dean Foods: Horizon, Silk, White Wave.
If you see something in that short list that you buy every time you go to the grocery store, maybe it is time to do a little research and figure out an alternative that suits you.
Quite a few of the manufacturers that oppose labeling GMOs also make items that are labeled “organic”. GMO food ingredients are mostly grains grown by large scale agricultural businesses that use millions of tons of herbicides and pesticides. "Organic" foods are supposed to be free of GMO ingredients. We can reduce our intake of toxic pesticides and herbicides by eating "organic" foods, however if these GMO supporters have brands labeled organic, we need to pick and choose in order to hit them in their pocketbooks the way we want to.
I just knew that "o" organics (at safeway) wasn't a brand I wanted to buy. I am disappointed to stop buying Larabars (I was in on that when it was still a small company). There are a few others that I would sometimes buy, so this list has influenced my grocery expenditures. I hope it does too.
A few brands and products to avoid: • PepsiCo: Naked Juice, Tostito's Organic, Tropicana Organic • Kraft: Boca Burgers and Back to Nature • Safeway:"O" Organics • Coca-Cola: Honest Tea, Odwalla • General Mills: Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar (I’ve switched to Kind bars) • Con-Agra: Orville Redenbacher's Organic, Hunt's Organic, Lightlife, Alexia • Kellogg's: Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger • Smuckers: R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic • Unilever: Ben & Jerry's • Dean Foods: Horizon, Silk, White Wave.
If you see something in that short list that you buy every time you go to the grocery store, maybe it is time to do a little research and figure out an alternative that suits you.
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