Preview of Annalisamurray's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Florence, Italy Entry Title: "Under The Tuscan Sun: From Rome To Florence" Entry: "11.25.09/11.26.09 Under The Tuscan Sun: From Rome To Florence Murray slept really badly last night, as he was up most of the night with a terrible stomach. Today (11.25.09), we were going to check out of our hotel early, drop our luggage off at the Rome train station, and hit the forums and the Palatine right away before catching an afternoon train to Florence. Instead, we spent the morning resting in our hotel room -- then checked out at 11am and took a taxi straight to the train station. Murray said he was still up for the trip today -- but poor Murray! The train ride to Florence took less than two hours (we opted for the high-speed train), and while on the train, we saw some spectacular Tuscan countryside! Beautiful green, rolling, farmland hills -- castles or palazzos on top of these hills around every other bend -- and the bright fall sun still highlighting the autumn leaves on the trees. Murray survived the train trip, and we made it to our hotel in Florence by mid-afternoon. I tucked Murray into bed (with some Gatorade I miraculously found at a little store!) and spent the afternoon catching up on journaling and business from home (what's "home" anymore?!). We are staying at a little place ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlPRAOW03Kg&hl=en
วันพุธที่ 27 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
วันอังคารที่ 26 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Unhealthy Foods That You May Think Are Healthy
1. Pasteurized Milk
Milk is touted as a healthy food, and most people assume that it does a body good. But pasteurization destroys active enzymes and denatures the fragile proteins in milk. It also kills beneficial bacteria and lowers the vitamin content of your milk.
A better alternative?
Raw milk is milk that hasn't been pasteurized. Why raw milk?
Supporters of raw milk say the pasteurization process kills most, if not all, micromilk organisms, including the beneficial ones that aid in digestion and metabolization. They also promote good health by crowding out bad bacteria and help prevent yeast overgrowth in the intestinal tract.
The Campaign for real milk says that raw milk comes from cows that are properly fed. Cows that eat green grass provide milk with nutrients like vitamins A and D. They argue that pasteurization enables the milk industry to raise cows in less-expensive, less-healthy conditions.
They also say that pasteurization destroys enzymes and diminishes vitamin content. Pasteurization, says the group, is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Many calves fed pasteurized milk die before maturity.
Raw milk will sour naturally due to the bacterial production of lactic acid and still be healthy, while pasteurized milk, which lacks the essential bacteria, will putrefy.
2. Fruit Juice and Sodas
Fruit juice may be delicious, but it's often loaded with even more high-fructose corn syrup than actual juice! High fructose corn syrup has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, blood clots, and impaired immunity. Sodas are no better as we all are well aware.
Fructose reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor, which is the hallmark of type-2 diabetes. This is the first step for glucose to enter a cell and be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to pump out more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose.
The annual 'Liver Meeting' of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases which took place October in Boston reported results linking high intake of sugar (specifically fructose) to liver disease.
"The research team concluded that consumption of high fructose can have negative effects on liver through overfeeding, as well as damage the liver by inducing increased oxidative stress.
A better alternative? Delicious, healthy and convenient Dong Quai and Coco-Biotic, both of which you are strongly urged to learn more about and try today!
3. Whole Grains
Many foods from bread to breakfast cereals advertise that they are now made with whole grains. Despite earlier reports discounting fiber's role in colorectal cancer prevention, two recent studies say fiber from fruits, vegetables, and grains may indeed slice the odds of getting the disease. One study, surveying more than half a million people, found a 25 to 40 percent risk reduction from 30 grams of fiber daily (five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables). Fiber in food may be the key, since those earlier studies focused on fiber supplements.
If you have digestive problems or suffer some of the classic autoimmune reactions (e.g. allergies) consider the possibilities that grains may be problematical. Look at your family members and your family history for clues about dietary problems. Adjust the ratio of cereal grains to meat, vegetables, and fruits and see if the adjustment has physiological and psychological effects. In my opinion one should supplement with vitamins, minerals, protein, and free fatty acids. Above all, eat a varied diet and not too much of one thing.
Conventional whole grains lack vitamins and minerals, can be difficult to digest, and often cause allergenic responses, contributing to autoimmune disorders like Celiac disease.
A better alternative? Grain-like seeds millet, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth are gluten free, do not feed candida act as prebiotics, have a calming effect and are full of vitamins and minerals.
4. Cereal
Cold cereal seems like a convenient and healthy meal, but combined with pasteurized milk, it can be a bowl full of nutritionally damaging food. Cereal itself undergoes a process called extrusion that denatures its proteins (making them toxic) and destroys the grains' naturally occurring fatty acids. The result is a nutritionally void carrier for sugar and sodium.
For more on cereal and healthy alternatives, read: The Four Major Health Risks of Conventional Grains and the Healthy Weight-Optimizing Grains to Choose Instead.
A better alternative? Make your morning meal green! Try Vitality SuperGreen or a Good Morning Greens Smoothie to start your day off right.
5. Processed Cheese
Processed cheeses, especially individually wrapped slices, have little nutritional value. They are pasteurized and often have fillers and preservatives.
A better alternative? Make Young Coconut Kefir cheese or on stage two of the Body Ecology diet, once your gut is populated with dairy-loving microflora, try cheeses made from fermented raw milk to flavor your salads.
6. Protein Bars
Protein bars now compete with candy bars in convenience stores and grocery aisles, butproteine these quick snacks are not necessarily healthy. Many protein bars use soy protein and count sugars in their top 3 ingredients! Instead of offering you a healthy option, they actually contribute to fungal infections.
A better alternative? Soaked almonds and other nuts are easy and delicious snacks for those on the go! Or try RenewPro for an energizing, gut-healing source of protein. You can mix it in water or even eat a scoop between meals. You'll love the delicious taste of this truly healthy source of protein.
7. Energy Drinks
Their labels say they contain various herbs, minerals and the amino acid taurine, specially designed to boost your energy by the time you reach the bottom of the can. But if you look at the ingredients, you'll find that the main ingredients in most energy drinks are actually caffeine and sugar making them hardly more than high-priced soft drinks.
Yet their glitzy designs and claims to improve your performance, concentration and reaction speeds seem to be working. In 2004, energy drinks overtook bottled water as the fastest-growing category in the beverage business. Similar products have even been introduced for kids as young as 4 years old. A better alternative? Drink healthier fluids like water or tea, and if you must have a jolt of energy, a good old-fashioned cup of black coffee will at least spare you the sugar.
8. Fast-Food Salads
Yes, you went to that fast-food joint near your office for lunch, but all was not lost you ordered a salad! Most fast-food chains have jumped on the health bandwagon and are nowsalates offering salads, wraps and other healthy menu choices for just such nutrition-minded customers.
And while some won't come right out and say they're healthy (McDonald's, for instance, no longer uses the word because our consumer research shows people don't understand it and it's actually a turn off when it comes to food items.), it is certainly implied in their ads featuring fit, active people and catchy nutrition slogans.
But all salad is not inherently healthy.
In fact, most of the salad ingredients that most fast food chains use make most of them no more healthful than a burger without the bun, dipped in salad dressing, said the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which conducted a nutrition analysis of 34 fast food salads.
One of their more startling findings: McDonald's Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and calories and just as much cholesterol as a Big Mac.
Culprits that make good salads go bad are fried meats, additions like croutons and crispy noodles, bacon, and high-fat salad dressings. Many even have added sugar.
A better alternative? Create your own fresh salad using lots of veggies, some lean protein (egg, chicken), a few nuts or seeds or a small amount of cheese, and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
9. Soy products
Soy products, including soy milk and soy protein have been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition and loss of libido.1
Soy milk has some negative aspects which are as follows :
-It contains a lot of phytic acid
-It contains hemagglutinin which causes the red blood cells to clump together. However, it is believed to be harmless unless soy milk is taken intravenously
-The genetic modification involved in the process of preparing soy milk may cause lysinoalanine or even nitrosamines
-It contains aluminum
-It contains trypsin inhibitors
A better alternative? Fermented soy products like miso soup, natto and tempeh.
10. Oatmeal
For many people who suffer wheat and gluten allergy or intolerance, oatmeal also becomes and unsafe option. While oats themselves do not contain gluten, they do contain a protein which is relatively similar and current farming techniques create concerns as well. It is not uncommon for a farmer to rotate his oat crops with his wheat, rye or barley crops from year to year, and millers often encounter kernels from volunteer wheat when processing the oats.
Oatmeal seems harmless enough and doesn't actually contain gluten. But oatmeal can be unsafe if you have a wheat or gluten sensitivity2 because farmers often grow oats in fields that previously had grains like barley and wheat. The other grains can contaminate the oats and could be dangerous for anyone with gluten sensitivity.
A better alternative? For a warm, convenient morning meal, try Body Ecology's Hot Breakfast Porridge recipe.
Milk is touted as a healthy food, and most people assume that it does a body good. But pasteurization destroys active enzymes and denatures the fragile proteins in milk. It also kills beneficial bacteria and lowers the vitamin content of your milk.
A better alternative?
Raw milk is milk that hasn't been pasteurized. Why raw milk?
Supporters of raw milk say the pasteurization process kills most, if not all, micromilk organisms, including the beneficial ones that aid in digestion and metabolization. They also promote good health by crowding out bad bacteria and help prevent yeast overgrowth in the intestinal tract.
The Campaign for real milk says that raw milk comes from cows that are properly fed. Cows that eat green grass provide milk with nutrients like vitamins A and D. They argue that pasteurization enables the milk industry to raise cows in less-expensive, less-healthy conditions.
They also say that pasteurization destroys enzymes and diminishes vitamin content. Pasteurization, says the group, is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Many calves fed pasteurized milk die before maturity.
Raw milk will sour naturally due to the bacterial production of lactic acid and still be healthy, while pasteurized milk, which lacks the essential bacteria, will putrefy.
2. Fruit Juice and Sodas
Fruit juice may be delicious, but it's often loaded with even more high-fructose corn syrup than actual juice! High fructose corn syrup has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, blood clots, and impaired immunity. Sodas are no better as we all are well aware.
Fructose reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor, which is the hallmark of type-2 diabetes. This is the first step for glucose to enter a cell and be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to pump out more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose.
The annual 'Liver Meeting' of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases which took place October in Boston reported results linking high intake of sugar (specifically fructose) to liver disease.
"The research team concluded that consumption of high fructose can have negative effects on liver through overfeeding, as well as damage the liver by inducing increased oxidative stress.
A better alternative? Delicious, healthy and convenient Dong Quai and Coco-Biotic, both of which you are strongly urged to learn more about and try today!
3. Whole Grains
Many foods from bread to breakfast cereals advertise that they are now made with whole grains. Despite earlier reports discounting fiber's role in colorectal cancer prevention, two recent studies say fiber from fruits, vegetables, and grains may indeed slice the odds of getting the disease. One study, surveying more than half a million people, found a 25 to 40 percent risk reduction from 30 grams of fiber daily (five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables). Fiber in food may be the key, since those earlier studies focused on fiber supplements.
If you have digestive problems or suffer some of the classic autoimmune reactions (e.g. allergies) consider the possibilities that grains may be problematical. Look at your family members and your family history for clues about dietary problems. Adjust the ratio of cereal grains to meat, vegetables, and fruits and see if the adjustment has physiological and psychological effects. In my opinion one should supplement with vitamins, minerals, protein, and free fatty acids. Above all, eat a varied diet and not too much of one thing.
Conventional whole grains lack vitamins and minerals, can be difficult to digest, and often cause allergenic responses, contributing to autoimmune disorders like Celiac disease.
A better alternative? Grain-like seeds millet, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth are gluten free, do not feed candida act as prebiotics, have a calming effect and are full of vitamins and minerals.
4. Cereal
Cold cereal seems like a convenient and healthy meal, but combined with pasteurized milk, it can be a bowl full of nutritionally damaging food. Cereal itself undergoes a process called extrusion that denatures its proteins (making them toxic) and destroys the grains' naturally occurring fatty acids. The result is a nutritionally void carrier for sugar and sodium.
For more on cereal and healthy alternatives, read: The Four Major Health Risks of Conventional Grains and the Healthy Weight-Optimizing Grains to Choose Instead.
A better alternative? Make your morning meal green! Try Vitality SuperGreen or a Good Morning Greens Smoothie to start your day off right.
5. Processed Cheese
Processed cheeses, especially individually wrapped slices, have little nutritional value. They are pasteurized and often have fillers and preservatives.
A better alternative? Make Young Coconut Kefir cheese or on stage two of the Body Ecology diet, once your gut is populated with dairy-loving microflora, try cheeses made from fermented raw milk to flavor your salads.
6. Protein Bars
Protein bars now compete with candy bars in convenience stores and grocery aisles, butproteine these quick snacks are not necessarily healthy. Many protein bars use soy protein and count sugars in their top 3 ingredients! Instead of offering you a healthy option, they actually contribute to fungal infections.
A better alternative? Soaked almonds and other nuts are easy and delicious snacks for those on the go! Or try RenewPro for an energizing, gut-healing source of protein. You can mix it in water or even eat a scoop between meals. You'll love the delicious taste of this truly healthy source of protein.
7. Energy Drinks
Their labels say they contain various herbs, minerals and the amino acid taurine, specially designed to boost your energy by the time you reach the bottom of the can. But if you look at the ingredients, you'll find that the main ingredients in most energy drinks are actually caffeine and sugar making them hardly more than high-priced soft drinks.
Yet their glitzy designs and claims to improve your performance, concentration and reaction speeds seem to be working. In 2004, energy drinks overtook bottled water as the fastest-growing category in the beverage business. Similar products have even been introduced for kids as young as 4 years old. A better alternative? Drink healthier fluids like water or tea, and if you must have a jolt of energy, a good old-fashioned cup of black coffee will at least spare you the sugar.
8. Fast-Food Salads
Yes, you went to that fast-food joint near your office for lunch, but all was not lost you ordered a salad! Most fast-food chains have jumped on the health bandwagon and are nowsalates offering salads, wraps and other healthy menu choices for just such nutrition-minded customers.
And while some won't come right out and say they're healthy (McDonald's, for instance, no longer uses the word because our consumer research shows people don't understand it and it's actually a turn off when it comes to food items.), it is certainly implied in their ads featuring fit, active people and catchy nutrition slogans.
But all salad is not inherently healthy.
In fact, most of the salad ingredients that most fast food chains use make most of them no more healthful than a burger without the bun, dipped in salad dressing, said the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which conducted a nutrition analysis of 34 fast food salads.
One of their more startling findings: McDonald's Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and calories and just as much cholesterol as a Big Mac.
Culprits that make good salads go bad are fried meats, additions like croutons and crispy noodles, bacon, and high-fat salad dressings. Many even have added sugar.
A better alternative? Create your own fresh salad using lots of veggies, some lean protein (egg, chicken), a few nuts or seeds or a small amount of cheese, and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
9. Soy products
Soy products, including soy milk and soy protein have been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition and loss of libido.1
Soy milk has some negative aspects which are as follows :
-It contains a lot of phytic acid
-It contains hemagglutinin which causes the red blood cells to clump together. However, it is believed to be harmless unless soy milk is taken intravenously
-The genetic modification involved in the process of preparing soy milk may cause lysinoalanine or even nitrosamines
-It contains aluminum
-It contains trypsin inhibitors
A better alternative? Fermented soy products like miso soup, natto and tempeh.
10. Oatmeal
For many people who suffer wheat and gluten allergy or intolerance, oatmeal also becomes and unsafe option. While oats themselves do not contain gluten, they do contain a protein which is relatively similar and current farming techniques create concerns as well. It is not uncommon for a farmer to rotate his oat crops with his wheat, rye or barley crops from year to year, and millers often encounter kernels from volunteer wheat when processing the oats.
Oatmeal seems harmless enough and doesn't actually contain gluten. But oatmeal can be unsafe if you have a wheat or gluten sensitivity2 because farmers often grow oats in fields that previously had grains like barley and wheat. The other grains can contaminate the oats and could be dangerous for anyone with gluten sensitivity.
A better alternative? For a warm, convenient morning meal, try Body Ecology's Hot Breakfast Porridge recipe.
วันเสาร์ที่ 23 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Recette Japonaise : Soupe Miso au Tofu et Wakame sur www.a-vos-baguettes.com
Voila une recette japonaise class et classique! La soupe miso aux des de tofu et morceaux de wakame! Jusqu'a maintenant, je ne vous avait seulement montre qu'une version "maison" de la soupe miso. Voila une version "restau"! Toujours aussi bonne mais un poil plus facile a faire! (=^O^=)d Comme d'habitude, vous trouverez les proportions, plus d'explications et d'autres recettes sur le site www.a-vos-baguettes.com! Bon app'! (=^O^=)/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPShsewyY28&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPShsewyY28&hl=en
วันพุธที่ 20 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Nobu: Toro! Toro! Toro!
October 31, 1994
In toro-loving circles, the landfall in Manhattan of Nobu Matsuhisa was hailed as if it were the Second Coming if not the First. The chef's taste and bravado, honed on a path from Japan to Alaska to Peru and Argentina, had lured the crème de la crème as well as the skim milk of Hollywood to his cramped temple of vinyl on La Cienega Boulevard. Now, in league with TriBeCa ward boss Robert De Niro and his restaurant right-hand Drew Nieporent, Matsuhisa realized it made no sense to clone a dump – not in the gracious old bank the partners had leased to house Nobu.
Still, no one could have guessed that out of designer David Rockwell's fertile noggin would come sheer enchantment: the cobalt-blue horizon of the smoking room, set behind blue velvet and winter twigs; the copper leaf and off angles of the ceiling; the real birches with ersatz branches; the curving wall of black river stones ("like a slab of beluga," rhapsodized the Voice), and the usual Rockwell wit (thirties fans and fish on chenille, cherry blossoms painted on the beechwood floor, tall stools with chopstick legs, the service bar in a bank vault). Just when we're ready not to be amused again by the irrepressible Rockwell, he tosses off his best design yet.
Worshipfully, a fan asks Nobu, "Please explain the Japanese symbolism in those odd panels on the wall." Nobu shrugs. "I don't know," he says, "ask David."
Rockwell: "Symbolism? What symbolism?" he says. "They're not Japanese. I just wanted something to insulate sound." So much for Zen and the art of noise-muffling.
Nobu or not Nobu. Opinions are fierce. Brilliant, says one. A disaster, reports another. He loved it. She hated it. The crowd is in full surge. With no World Series going, the new sport in town is table-nabbing. I call Nieporent requesting a spot for out-of-town friends, not me. Can't fool Drew. "What a waiting list tonight," he says. "Madonna and a party of six want 8:30. Calvin and six, 8:30. Martha Stewart and six, 8:30. Peter Guber, six… Jean-Claude Van Damme. And guess who I'm calling back first." He wants it to sound like a complaint, but clearly, he's in Heaven. Mere mortals will go on hold for a while. Is this a revival of sushi chic?
No wonder the crowd looks smug that first night, heads swiveling to see the faces that will confirm their own belonging. There are ritual martial cries from the crowded covey of chefs chopping and slashing behind the sushi counter. Our waiter, an import from La Cienega, has not lost his Hollywood. "Irasshai," he barks in traditional welcome to each new arrival. Alas, he can't get our order straight, urging us to begin with cold dishes, then bringing hot and forgetting half. Toro tartare with caviar in a small frosted-glass dish on a doily is worth the $25, I suppose; the voluptuous tuna belly is a sensory explosion.
"In my 25 years in business, this is my first doily," says Nieporent.
And we are enchanted by the special crisp fried sea eel with a spicy garlic sauce and the New Zealand mussels in a powerful potion. But the rock shrimp glisten with grease, the sushi rolls are rather ordinary, and the famous "squid pasta" (squid cut like fettuccine, with asparagus, garlic, and butter) is merely a pleasant joke without a punchline. "Is this Cheez Whiz?" my chums want to know, rejecting the crab in too much spicy mayonnaise. And they won't even taste the luscious black cod in miso.
Not even the Gilligan's Island charm of pouring cold sake from a hollowed-out bamboo carafe, not even a slight tipsiness, helps. "If we're still hungry, I'll buy everyone a pizza for dessert," I promise. But they are already applying compresses of dessert to bruised expectations, loving the ginger crème brûlée and the orange tart with bitter-chocolate sorbet and a leathery chocolate crust but dismissing red-bean spring roll -- "it looks like larva." I try to convince them it has whimsy, with its spidery sweet-noodle web, but I can see what they mean. And the green-tea crème caramel does look and taste like mousse of liver.
I don't even want to tell my friends how terrible it was. They are all crying, "brilliant," "sheer genius," "astounding." My mistake was to order à la carte at the table, they tell me. The secret is to sit at the bar (no reservations necessary) and order the daily omakase tasting (the chef decides; $60 and up, depending). How long may one have to wait? Somehow I doubt that Sony Music CEO Mickey Schulhof gets shuffled off to the Tribeca Grill like the minor-league sushi-bar standees. Now it's our turn. A couple still delirious from their first immersion in omakase join me – we order two dinners for three ($203, tax included) – thrifty, considering, and filling but aesthetically perilous. It's not easy to divide one slender burdock or one gingko nut.
And the seduction begins. An attack on all the sense, from the smart lacquer fan tray and sea-foam-opalescent bowl that excite the eye to the oddly wonderful gelatinous broth of the seafood with baby bok choy and the melting sweetness of swiftly seared tuna belly tattooed with tiny circles of fiery jalapeño that play on the tongue. Hard to imagine three grown-ups so fixated on two small serrated curls of fluke – "It looks like skate reduced on the copy machine," one friend observes, exclaiming over the citric intensity of yuzu. That's how obsessed foodies do carry on. Even the tempura that disappointed with its vapid predictability at the table seems splendid now in a limited edition – just asparagus, broccoli, smelt, and an oyster wrapped in shiso leaf. And thinnest slices of orange with mint layered in that wondrous green bowl have exactly the acid tang that makes a perfect finale.
Time to get real. I've racked up $500 in expenses here by now and not seen a sign of the master, off tending shop in California. It may be that Matsuhisa has not yet found the feel of home in our town. Alerted to the chef's return, I let a VIP friend of the house reserve. Now Drew is off on his bi-coastal rounds. Think of the mileage building up. But with Nobu darting about, Drew may be redundant. Politicians press the flesh. Nobu presses the fish. I have the illusion he is out in the kitchen personally adjusting each leaf destined for our booth.
Two plump oysters with caviar are a classic, understated first pitch. A bowl of Matsuhisa special sauce (minced ginger and shallot with soy, mirin, and sesame oil) accompanies fillets of fast-seared tuna, and we hoard it for the rest of the evening, though no dish ever needs the gilding. The whitefish is raw and unusually crisp in a yuzu glaze with just a drop of hot-pepper sauce – "That's the chef's South American influence," says the manager, Richard Notar. He's everywhere, too, calling the plays, explaining. A dab of that spicy mayonnaise does magic to mere halibut. Our host doffs his Matsuhisa baseball cap and calls for bread to dab up the sauce. "If the man uses mayonnaise, can bread be far behind?" he muses. "You could get them to send some from Tribeca Grill," I suggest. The waiters have been shuttling in all evening from the Grill and from Nieporent's Montrachet, just a few blocks north. So a bread run would not be outrageous. Fortunately, my chum lacks the nerve to insist.
Given the glow of so much attention, I may be imaging that the "new-style sashimi" is even more wonderful tonight – my friend is mopping up the sesame with his finger. And why not? I'm mopping, too. A small salmon steak is served barely jelled with shiitake and deep-fried spinach. A tiny tea cup of thick and exotic broth is "Nobu's answer to Chinese shark's fin soup," says Notar. After sweet eel fillets on red-tinged lettuce there is sushi, of course – yellowtail, toro again, a shiitake mushroom limp as a Dali pocket watch, and an odd vegetal thing with a hula skirt of sprouts.
Nobu stands by, grinning. "More?" he asks. Clearly he thinks we've had enough.
In toro-loving circles, the landfall in Manhattan of Nobu Matsuhisa was hailed as if it were the Second Coming if not the First. The chef's taste and bravado, honed on a path from Japan to Alaska to Peru and Argentina, had lured the crème de la crème as well as the skim milk of Hollywood to his cramped temple of vinyl on La Cienega Boulevard. Now, in league with TriBeCa ward boss Robert De Niro and his restaurant right-hand Drew Nieporent, Matsuhisa realized it made no sense to clone a dump – not in the gracious old bank the partners had leased to house Nobu.
Still, no one could have guessed that out of designer David Rockwell's fertile noggin would come sheer enchantment: the cobalt-blue horizon of the smoking room, set behind blue velvet and winter twigs; the copper leaf and off angles of the ceiling; the real birches with ersatz branches; the curving wall of black river stones ("like a slab of beluga," rhapsodized the Voice), and the usual Rockwell wit (thirties fans and fish on chenille, cherry blossoms painted on the beechwood floor, tall stools with chopstick legs, the service bar in a bank vault). Just when we're ready not to be amused again by the irrepressible Rockwell, he tosses off his best design yet.
Worshipfully, a fan asks Nobu, "Please explain the Japanese symbolism in those odd panels on the wall." Nobu shrugs. "I don't know," he says, "ask David."
Rockwell: "Symbolism? What symbolism?" he says. "They're not Japanese. I just wanted something to insulate sound." So much for Zen and the art of noise-muffling.
Nobu or not Nobu. Opinions are fierce. Brilliant, says one. A disaster, reports another. He loved it. She hated it. The crowd is in full surge. With no World Series going, the new sport in town is table-nabbing. I call Nieporent requesting a spot for out-of-town friends, not me. Can't fool Drew. "What a waiting list tonight," he says. "Madonna and a party of six want 8:30. Calvin and six, 8:30. Martha Stewart and six, 8:30. Peter Guber, six… Jean-Claude Van Damme. And guess who I'm calling back first." He wants it to sound like a complaint, but clearly, he's in Heaven. Mere mortals will go on hold for a while. Is this a revival of sushi chic?
No wonder the crowd looks smug that first night, heads swiveling to see the faces that will confirm their own belonging. There are ritual martial cries from the crowded covey of chefs chopping and slashing behind the sushi counter. Our waiter, an import from La Cienega, has not lost his Hollywood. "Irasshai," he barks in traditional welcome to each new arrival. Alas, he can't get our order straight, urging us to begin with cold dishes, then bringing hot and forgetting half. Toro tartare with caviar in a small frosted-glass dish on a doily is worth the $25, I suppose; the voluptuous tuna belly is a sensory explosion.
"In my 25 years in business, this is my first doily," says Nieporent.
And we are enchanted by the special crisp fried sea eel with a spicy garlic sauce and the New Zealand mussels in a powerful potion. But the rock shrimp glisten with grease, the sushi rolls are rather ordinary, and the famous "squid pasta" (squid cut like fettuccine, with asparagus, garlic, and butter) is merely a pleasant joke without a punchline. "Is this Cheez Whiz?" my chums want to know, rejecting the crab in too much spicy mayonnaise. And they won't even taste the luscious black cod in miso.
Not even the Gilligan's Island charm of pouring cold sake from a hollowed-out bamboo carafe, not even a slight tipsiness, helps. "If we're still hungry, I'll buy everyone a pizza for dessert," I promise. But they are already applying compresses of dessert to bruised expectations, loving the ginger crème brûlée and the orange tart with bitter-chocolate sorbet and a leathery chocolate crust but dismissing red-bean spring roll -- "it looks like larva." I try to convince them it has whimsy, with its spidery sweet-noodle web, but I can see what they mean. And the green-tea crème caramel does look and taste like mousse of liver.
I don't even want to tell my friends how terrible it was. They are all crying, "brilliant," "sheer genius," "astounding." My mistake was to order à la carte at the table, they tell me. The secret is to sit at the bar (no reservations necessary) and order the daily omakase tasting (the chef decides; $60 and up, depending). How long may one have to wait? Somehow I doubt that Sony Music CEO Mickey Schulhof gets shuffled off to the Tribeca Grill like the minor-league sushi-bar standees. Now it's our turn. A couple still delirious from their first immersion in omakase join me – we order two dinners for three ($203, tax included) – thrifty, considering, and filling but aesthetically perilous. It's not easy to divide one slender burdock or one gingko nut.
And the seduction begins. An attack on all the sense, from the smart lacquer fan tray and sea-foam-opalescent bowl that excite the eye to the oddly wonderful gelatinous broth of the seafood with baby bok choy and the melting sweetness of swiftly seared tuna belly tattooed with tiny circles of fiery jalapeño that play on the tongue. Hard to imagine three grown-ups so fixated on two small serrated curls of fluke – "It looks like skate reduced on the copy machine," one friend observes, exclaiming over the citric intensity of yuzu. That's how obsessed foodies do carry on. Even the tempura that disappointed with its vapid predictability at the table seems splendid now in a limited edition – just asparagus, broccoli, smelt, and an oyster wrapped in shiso leaf. And thinnest slices of orange with mint layered in that wondrous green bowl have exactly the acid tang that makes a perfect finale.
Time to get real. I've racked up $500 in expenses here by now and not seen a sign of the master, off tending shop in California. It may be that Matsuhisa has not yet found the feel of home in our town. Alerted to the chef's return, I let a VIP friend of the house reserve. Now Drew is off on his bi-coastal rounds. Think of the mileage building up. But with Nobu darting about, Drew may be redundant. Politicians press the flesh. Nobu presses the fish. I have the illusion he is out in the kitchen personally adjusting each leaf destined for our booth.
Two plump oysters with caviar are a classic, understated first pitch. A bowl of Matsuhisa special sauce (minced ginger and shallot with soy, mirin, and sesame oil) accompanies fillets of fast-seared tuna, and we hoard it for the rest of the evening, though no dish ever needs the gilding. The whitefish is raw and unusually crisp in a yuzu glaze with just a drop of hot-pepper sauce – "That's the chef's South American influence," says the manager, Richard Notar. He's everywhere, too, calling the plays, explaining. A dab of that spicy mayonnaise does magic to mere halibut. Our host doffs his Matsuhisa baseball cap and calls for bread to dab up the sauce. "If the man uses mayonnaise, can bread be far behind?" he muses. "You could get them to send some from Tribeca Grill," I suggest. The waiters have been shuttling in all evening from the Grill and from Nieporent's Montrachet, just a few blocks north. So a bread run would not be outrageous. Fortunately, my chum lacks the nerve to insist.
Given the glow of so much attention, I may be imaging that the "new-style sashimi" is even more wonderful tonight – my friend is mopping up the sesame with his finger. And why not? I'm mopping, too. A small salmon steak is served barely jelled with shiitake and deep-fried spinach. A tiny tea cup of thick and exotic broth is "Nobu's answer to Chinese shark's fin soup," says Notar. After sweet eel fillets on red-tinged lettuce there is sushi, of course – yellowtail, toro again, a shiitake mushroom limp as a Dali pocket watch, and an odd vegetal thing with a hula skirt of sprouts.
Nobu stands by, grinning. "More?" he asks. Clearly he thinks we've had enough.
วันอังคารที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
NaruGelion - Random Adventures - You Are (NOT) Episode 5 Part 2 of 2
Cast Sehanort - Gendo MangoSamurai - Epic Announcer , Ritsuko Xcr - Rukia ,Ichigo , Fuyutski , Misato , Shinji , Ayanami , Sakura Raizuto - Makoto KIKIITEMRI - Maya The continuation of Episode 5 Part 2 A simple re intro to Part 2 with miso soup then back to a hard hitting moment of emo shinji wondering how he became a pilot and a bad memory. Sakura's worrying about being a eva pilot and eating dinner a random announcer and a bleach skit of ichigo rukia that wasn't supposed to happen and to top it off more emo shinji then some robot berserker scene where they find Nerv runs on windows vista and chaos happens sit back and watch the end of Part 2 Episode 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsRjWzxt5yU&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsRjWzxt5yU&hl=en
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 17 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Quick and Easy Cooking Tips with Top 10 Seasoning Ingredients
For many cooking beginners, they find it difficult to master the taste of the good with some good sense; sometimes there too much salt and soy sauce, sometimes too little sugar, sometimes not enough flavor, and always seems like short of something in the taste.
Here is a piece of handy summarized and short list that will help you get the right seasoning for your foods, especially for those who are looking for quick and easy cooking methods, this will really help a lot.
1. Miso Paste
With the recent years of Japanese foods popularity and health consciousness, many people like to eat and cook Japanese foods. Miso paste is the most frequent used seasoning ingredients in Japanese foods making.
Basically it is very easy to get in the hypermarket these days, there are two types, the red miso and the white miso. The red miso is more salty and spicy in nature, suitable to cook in soup or go very well with fish based cooking. The white miso is more sweet based, suitable for frying and simmering dishes.
2. Kimchi
Kimchi can eat with rice or noodles directly, however it is a very good seasoning and flavoring ingredient in cooking also. There are basically two to three types of kimchi that originated from different country like Korea, Taiwan and China. Taiwan kimchi is suitable to eat with rice or just by itself, Korean kimchi is a bit salty and spicy, which is more suitable to use in frying, soup making and meat seasoning.
3. Curry Stock or Powder
Cooking curry is never easy, but everything changed with the widely available curry stock or powder in the market. There are Japanese style curries, Indian style curries, Jawa style curries, Thai style curries, and many more.
4. Fresh Chicken Stock or Block
It preserved the fresh young chicken taste, it is more healthier over MSG. It is very suitable and better taste in stir frying vegetables, cooking noodles, steam fish, and others.
5. Thick Soup Stock
This is very efficient in cooking thick creamy soup. Just mix it with boiling hot water. If you like more ingredients, you can cook it over medium fire with vegetables, meat, seafood, chicken, and so on.
6. Deep Fried Red Onion Toppings
Slice the small red onions and deep fry in pork oil. It is very delicious to sprinkle some on top of noodles, stir fry vegetables and soup.
7. Chicken Soup Stock
This chicken soup stock is used in preparing soup, can replace MSG and salt for stir fry dishes.
8. Sesame Sauce
There are two type of sesame source, one is white and the one is black. Black sesame source is good to go with meat, where white sesame is good to go with noodles and vegetables.
9. Mayonnaise
It has many flavor in mayonnaise and it can serve with many different type of dishes whether it is raw green salad or some deep fry dishes.
10. Dashi Stock
Natural extraction from fish. It helps in bring out the taste of the food but just adding a little on the dish. Mostly task delicious to go with season type cooking.
Here is a piece of handy summarized and short list that will help you get the right seasoning for your foods, especially for those who are looking for quick and easy cooking methods, this will really help a lot.
1. Miso Paste
With the recent years of Japanese foods popularity and health consciousness, many people like to eat and cook Japanese foods. Miso paste is the most frequent used seasoning ingredients in Japanese foods making.
Basically it is very easy to get in the hypermarket these days, there are two types, the red miso and the white miso. The red miso is more salty and spicy in nature, suitable to cook in soup or go very well with fish based cooking. The white miso is more sweet based, suitable for frying and simmering dishes.
2. Kimchi
Kimchi can eat with rice or noodles directly, however it is a very good seasoning and flavoring ingredient in cooking also. There are basically two to three types of kimchi that originated from different country like Korea, Taiwan and China. Taiwan kimchi is suitable to eat with rice or just by itself, Korean kimchi is a bit salty and spicy, which is more suitable to use in frying, soup making and meat seasoning.
3. Curry Stock or Powder
Cooking curry is never easy, but everything changed with the widely available curry stock or powder in the market. There are Japanese style curries, Indian style curries, Jawa style curries, Thai style curries, and many more.
4. Fresh Chicken Stock or Block
It preserved the fresh young chicken taste, it is more healthier over MSG. It is very suitable and better taste in stir frying vegetables, cooking noodles, steam fish, and others.
5. Thick Soup Stock
This is very efficient in cooking thick creamy soup. Just mix it with boiling hot water. If you like more ingredients, you can cook it over medium fire with vegetables, meat, seafood, chicken, and so on.
6. Deep Fried Red Onion Toppings
Slice the small red onions and deep fry in pork oil. It is very delicious to sprinkle some on top of noodles, stir fry vegetables and soup.
7. Chicken Soup Stock
This chicken soup stock is used in preparing soup, can replace MSG and salt for stir fry dishes.
8. Sesame Sauce
There are two type of sesame source, one is white and the one is black. Black sesame source is good to go with meat, where white sesame is good to go with noodles and vegetables.
9. Mayonnaise
It has many flavor in mayonnaise and it can serve with many different type of dishes whether it is raw green salad or some deep fry dishes.
10. Dashi Stock
Natural extraction from fish. It helps in bring out the taste of the food but just adding a little on the dish. Mostly task delicious to go with season type cooking.
วันเสาร์ที่ 16 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Omama Cooking #2 1:00 Miso Soup
Tomoko "Omama" Oyama in Japan shows how to make miso soup in 1:00 minute...well...it' a two minute video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxEZi7KnnuE&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxEZi7KnnuE&hl=en
วันพุธที่ 13 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Ramen to Appeal to Women
collagen soup for beautiful skin, fatless soup, desserts and cool cafe-like interior... 1.Pour Cafe - Ramen with flozen soup 2.MIST - Ume Ramen 3.Due Italian - Cheese & Garlic ramen 4.Ikaruga 5.Sichisai - Collagen Double soup tsukemen 6.Sou - desserts made of ramen noodles 7.Burari - collagen soup once again 8.Miso Ramen Nanbu - Miso Nicomi (stewed) Ramen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vE_7EiUTM&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vE_7EiUTM&hl=en
วันจันทร์ที่ 11 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Fish Oil and added weight accident supplements
The oil derived from the tissues of oily fish is known as Fish oil. Types of fatty and oily fishes include salmon, tuna and mackerel. The other famous fish, which is made into fish oil and fishmeal, is Petrale sole. These fishes are rich in omega 3 fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 7 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
วันพุธที่ 6 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
James Brown's Japanese Miso Soup Commercials
Link here freegiftsreview.com Get more Freebies here freegiftsreview.com James Brown selling Miso Soup? Japan: Making quality electronics, not sense, for half a century.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS12JTP4v9c&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS12JTP4v9c&hl=en
วันอังคารที่ 5 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Making polymer clay noodles or miso soup
I had to split it into two parts, because it was a little 'spontaneous and a bit' of an experiment. So here is the first part. This was requested by Ashenix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeIYrIiBR-A&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeIYrIiBR-A&hl=en
วันศุกร์ที่ 1 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Sushi California - a cruise to Vancouver's suburbs to eat acceptable sushi
Sushi California www.dineouthere.com is a Japanese restaurant at the corner of Lougheed Hwy and North Road in Coquitlam BC Canada (across from Lougheed Mall and near Denny's and Mcdonalds). In this video, I show my trip from downtown Vancouver (Yaletown) which is the home to many tiny cute dogs (such as the three shown in the video that almost trip up their owner), past Foodness convenience store on Seymour street, Vita wine shop, Cibo restaurant, The Orpheum Theatre, Kim's Snack at HMart, Toyama Sushi, and the Hudson Bay Building, and go into the Granville Skytrain station. I hop on the Eastbound train and take the connection at Commercial Drive/Broadway on to the Millennium Line which goes out through Burnaby and Coquitlam. I get off at Lougheed Mall station and it's a short walk over to the restaurant. I include shots of the menu and restaurant interior and then focus in on the yummy Japanese food including Miso Soup, Green Tea, Ebi Sunomono Salad, Tuna and Salmon sushi, Inari, Ikura, and Tamago sushi, Dragon Roll Sushi, and Avocado roll. Finally I show an exterior shot of the restaurant and parking lot, and then some shots of my night-time trip back into downtown Vancouver on the Skytrain. Once back downtown, I film some of the paper lantern festival and public art displayed on Granville Street (which is part of the celebration in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics). The music is called "Heartbeet" and was created by Geoff Peters www.birdsinthehouse.com and Marcus ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1eJ_adKEM&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1eJ_adKEM&hl=en
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