My Neighbor & Me...

Well, I'm back in school and hopefully I'll be posting more often quite soon- one more week to finish up all the work that is due [too] soon.

On the bright side I now live and learn in beautiful Norman, OK... home of the National Weather Service Severe Storms Laboratory (whee!).  At the moment, we are looking at a nice storm which is currently barely nicking the town, though there have been some pretty spectacular lightning strikes nearby.  And a very interesting storm cluster is even now hitting Bartlesville...

Oh yes, my neighbor.  I met Diego some while back- we'd exchange a nod in passing.  Now it's become the normal thing to sit out on the porch together talking about the weather and what we've been up to of an evening.  Earlier, we were watching the storm pass the town, waiting for lightning bolts, and counting for distance.  There were a few pretty good ones.  I hope the grocery store is still standing tomorrow.

I told Diego he needs a new hat.  And a pair of boots.  All he wants to do is sit around eating fish and shredding my doormat.  Still, it's nice to have met a new friend in the neighborhood.  On the bright side, he's that rarest of critters: a cat to whom I'm not allergic... on the darker side he can jump 4.5 feet straight up.  ...And I'm pretty certain he can teleport.

Diego after snacks.

That lightning bolt just rattled the house!  And I think I heard the TV say something about a tornado warning...  Assuming all is well later, I will resume posting next week- I've a few projects that the WWW may find of slight interest.

~ Tioraidh!

Truth in Advertising

"People have a lot of misconceptions about California.  None of them are true."

Really?  The misconceptions are false, are they?

California's 'Find Yourself Here' Campaign (http://www.visitcalifornia.com) seems nice.  Tell the absolute truth without providing any details.    ...Stay classy CA.

Beginning a new year in an upward beat

Forward

And here I sit, several months after deciding that I would update at least onece a week, perhaps on a Thursday...

It has occured to me that the purpose of a blog is to post subjects of interest to at least one other person besides the author (and my last post perhaps did not fit the bill).  I intend to do better in the future, and baring the occasional hiatus caused by vacation or research, hope to continue updating this weblog of eccentric curiosity.

Afterward

'I have seen the future and it is us.'  Is that really such a horrible misquote?

There are moments I find myself wondering at what we are doing and/or take for granted as normal.  When I was little, cell phones weighed as much -and were the same size as -camcorders, and the phone-of-the-future used video and would be the size of a breifcase.

Right now, I am sitting in a cafe and typing up a review of material from the "12th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Data Management" concerning crowdsourcing scientific data.  There is a woman behind me using a laptop to speak with someone (with video) about medical treatments, and on my other side are a group of students (and laptops) studying computer animation and literature.   ...And this is normal.

Actually, it's old hat.  Some of the research I'm reading is about to be normal.  It will be interesting to see how the future turns out... and how we make use of this stuff in the future.  Just keep in mind that the future is the present, just a little bit later than now.

Tioraidh an'drasta!

On the prowl for Puerh (Poo-er)

I drink a lot of tea.  My favorites run toward the Oolongs, though I prefer Puerh for late-night homework sessions, but you can never go wrong with a nice, comforting cup of sencha.

Now, living in the middle of the US as I do, the best kinds of tea are oft' difficult to find. 

• The best sencha outside of Japan is Yamamotoyama brand hands down.  You can buy bags of loose leaf or boxes of tea bags- either is great, and thankfully inexpensive.
• Oolongs are common.  Most are quite good.  My favorite is produced by a Japanese company for domestic use...  Though if you are in the market for something special, or just happen to be in San Francisco, check out Red Blossom Tea Company.  I make a point to visit them when I'm in town.
• Puerh is something of a mystery to me still.  Leaves often from ancient trees, fermented, dried and compressed, stored away for years, and then brewed using very hot water...  I have a few 'bricks' of this aging on one of my bookshelves.  I tend to find these in old run-down markets in the US, packaging roting away- I'll buy one or two if they're a couple bucks.  If you want to go all out, knowing quite well beforehand what it is you are buying, I'd recommend Tuocha Tea; they're based in china, but have good prices, nice descriptions, and -if you don't mind a bit of a wait- are willing to ship via ship (in the end, my package was dropped off late one night by someone in an odd, yellow jeep).

Happily, Puerh seems to be getting a bit more attention here in the US.  I'm finding it more often in coffee shops- even the little local ones I prefer (y'know, where all the nerds, nuts, and hippies hang out).

This little note brings me neatly to my newest conundrum, and the subject of today's post:

My search for the best Puerh?

I had found some, I think, for the better part of a year, in a shop not too far from home called All About 茶.  This Puerh was awesome.  The liquor brewed a deep brown-red, smelled of peat, was a bit bitter, and tasted very much of earth- it was oddly relaxing.  I learned to stop at one pot; two pots meant I wouldn't be sleeping for the next day or so.  To say that it was strong was an understatement.  But it did not taste like the mildewy tobacco some strong Puerh tries to imitate.

It was a very odd kind of tea.  Very strong, invigorating, but just plain tasty.  I'd order a pot, sit at a corner table with my sketch pad, and work on art homework while my imagination burbled away. 

And then there was an economic downturn, to use the phrase.  All About 茶's prices went up somewhat.  They still serve Puerh, but it isn't the same- the good tea became cost-prohibitive.  The manager won't tell me what the original Puerh's name is or where it is produced.  All he would say is "it's from Korea."  I don't frequent the place as much, anymore.  But they serve a brilliant hot chocolate!

So, the search is on!  The form of my favorite puerh was a mini toucha: a small compressed bulb of tea that is vaguely bowl-shaped.  Does anyone have any leads I could follow?  Please leave leads in the comment box below.   ...Assuming anyone reads this post...

In the meantime, I've tried Chicago Tea Garden's 'Camel's Breath' tuocha.  It is almost everything its reviewers say it is (but doesn't smell bad), as well as a tea I will buy again, but it is not the tea for which I am searching. 
I also found The Tao of Tea's Organic Pu-er Tuocha; though I was surprised to find this Puerh the least tea-like tea of any tea I have ever tried (even after a 3 hour brew, it still tasted like water).

Do any readers out there have any ideas for me?
-Botany Dave

Sakura, Part 1

     Sakura, cherry trees famous in Japan for their beautiful floral displays and organic form, can also be appreciated for their bark.  In northern Honshu, within the area known as Tohoku, craftsmen gather cherry tree bark and use it to carefully craft small household items of beauty.  Often encountered are the canisters used to store tea, tea scoops, and jewelry boxes; prices range from around $5 for simple tea scoops, to over $100 for larger items.

Typical Tea Canister†
The shiny, redish material is the inner bark.

Unpolished Tea Canister ‡
Although the typical horizontal bands found on many cherry species is still visible, this canister was created using the outer bark.

 Picture Sources:

† http://www.thegreenhead.com/link/cherry-bark-tea-canister

‡ http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/Tea-Storage-Tins/Unpolished-Cherry-Bark-Tea-Canister.axd

     As a member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae), the cherry tree is closely related to apples, hawthorne, pears, and plums.  These plants generally share common features such as terminal end buds and 5-petaled flowers.

Plum tree with typical Rosaceae flowers.

Plum tree showing bark.

     This in one area in which the specially bred Sakura cherry trees can differ with the rest of its family: very showy, multi-petaled flowers.  Sakura are cherry trees that don't produce [edible] fruit, having been selected over the centuries for ornamental purposes.

Full flowers of an ornamental Sakura tree;
horizontally-striated bark also shown.

A close-up of the leaves and flowers of one Sakura, used as landscaping in Virginia.

This sakura, found in Morioka, Japan, is so old and large that it not only
needs supports to keep it standing, it also split the boulder
on which it originally grew (in a small crack on the rock's surface).

     Although useless for fruit production, the iconic Sakura is famous throughout Japan and in many other lands for its flowers and form.  Hopefully, you now appreciate its bark as well. 

いってきます！

Tokyo, you say? Yes... But there is so much, and I never spend any time there.

     I spent a day in Tokyo a few weeks back.  It was my run-around-until-you-drop-to-adjust-yourself-to-the-timezone day.  It was a very long day (VLD), and what few pictures I have will follow.  Think of this as an introduction to the subjects of art and architecture to follow.

Amazing street performer at the Tokyo Dome complex.

   Odaiba, an island created from dumping enough trash into Tokyo Bay to create land, hosts a number of museums, an amusment park, and a couple department stores (latter shown above).  Fort Venus, shown here, is patterned on an Italian market street.

     Also located in Odaiba, is the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Miraikan.  The home of Asimo, this science museum also houses a range of rotating science exhibits that are well worth the train, tram, and walk needed to get there.  My first visit there introduced me to the wide world of magnetic levitation- a subject I now enjoy greatly. 
     This trip, there were exibits of Serendipitous Science, Emerging Innovations, Interactive Electronics, Micro Anthropology through Photographs (difficult to describe), and Closed-system Communities.  I also saw a 1:10 model of the Japanese Quark Detector (Super-Kamiokande Detector).

Interesting idea: Forget wires and wi-fi, just run the signal through the human body.

Ooooo... Algorythmic anime a la photonic projectors, plus pens.

     And just how big is Tokyo?  Well... as seen from the top of Sunshine 60 (home of Namja Town and the Ice Cream Museum), Tokyo seems a never-ending sea:

In urban Japan, buildings are spaced so far apart, a cat could not fit.

And thus ended the Day in Tokyo.  Just made it to bed.   .....zzZZZZzzzZZZZzzz.....

Tsukemono Press

Introducing, the new tsukemono press (and friend)!

1.6 Litre Picre, 1300 yen

Finding your own press seems so much easier than finding a bucket, an appropriately-sized plate, and a weight.  I picked up this little wonder at a store in Yatsushiro.

Having misplaced my Quick & Easy Tsukemono: Japanese Pickling Recipes book, I've decided to launch my tsukemono press using a made-up recipe: 3 japanes eggplants, 3 tsp salt, a dash of sake, some seaweed (konbu), and a few hibiscus flowers (they're red, and I don't much care for shiso).

Engage the screw-top press, and presto:

Pickles' first press

I think this one will turn out well!  I'll have to wait until morning, but will post the results shortly...

Tsukemono, japanese for "pickled things," are a big thing in my family; we eat carrot & daikon, mustard greens, cucumbers, and cactus- for the most part buying them at stores and in markets.  Now, with the addition of the Tsukemono press to the household, I look forward to making my own.  I foresee Interesting Tymes.

The beginning of a New Era... Coming Soon

Any readers of this blog will have noticed a certain lack of activity over the past few months. The author (me) has recently had a change of schedule which should allow him to update more frequently and with new and exciting topics!

For instance, the state's Sugar Art Show is coming up again, which means more crazy gingerbread creations, and Hyperbolic Yogurt will be hosting more topics of creative arts and engineering (or such is my hope).

-Would have uploaded pics of most recent adventures, but due to PC error, cannot do so; must await return to country, normal keyboards.

bぁs手dけｙぼあｒｄｓ！

Unknown Musicians are Sometimes the Best

I realized I had the means of spreading this video of a musical genius... So, here's the video... And Enjoy!

GAC, LLC, Est.

Over the last few weeks I've been heavily involved with a firm of wee folk, the Gingerbread Artisan Company, LLC, Est., in the creation of a gingerbread house. True, most gingerbread houses do not warrant a full construction crew, but this house (or "haus," as they prefer to call it) is to be an entrant in the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show at the Tulsa State Fair this next weekend.

Rather than bake entire slabs of gingerbread and cement them together into a lifeless box, akin to modern pre-fab buildings of today, I have decided to enter a construction with a bit more character. I enjoy the art of timber-frame construction, and several books on the subject got me thinking... "I'm going to need some really tiny woodworkers..."

Enter GAC, LLC, Est.

They have a wonderful work ethic and know where to find the gingerbread trees.

After using an adze to shape the gingerbread logs (left), the logs are cut to sizes manageable to manuver (right).

I had to provide various tools for the Artisans to use, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves! The mortar they used was a mix of walnut flavouring, red and green food colourings, powdered sugar, water, and the bark from the cinnamon trees cut to provide the logs.

Construction proceeded as layer by layer, the logs were fitted together in a design inspired by The Foxfire Book (I lent them my copy).

Once the roof's beams were set into place, roofing proceeded quickly and efficiently.

I would like to invite everyone to the Tulsa State Fair, and specifically the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show! Show up on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 for fun and sugar! Bring your camera!

There, you can view the completed log cabin (and more photographs of its construction) as well as other confectionary constructs submitted by the author (and a great many other constructions submitted by real professionals). :)

All photographs and their contents are the sole property of the author;

any unauthorized use thereof will be met with an angry letter

at the very least.

Duk Hing, a pilgrimage into Chinatown

Within San Francisco's Chinatown, there is one deli everyone should try -visitors and locals alike.
Have you ever eaten chicken feet? I have not yet found another restaurant nor recipe that produces the chicken feet sold at Duk Hing. Also known as 德興雞鴨肉食公司, Duk Hing Chinese Deli & Meat Inc. is located at 1151 Stockton Street.

德興雞鴨肉食公司

If you are in doubt, look through the front window upon arrival. Duk Hing's chicken feet are right up front. Go inside, stand at the counter and explain how much you want (by box size or in dollars).

Wonderful view of non-goopy chicken feet!

I ordered one of the large to-go boxes. I thought I would have all evening to munch away... it turns out I didn't, due to a prior engagement (roller-derby), so on to the munching!

One box of scrumptions feet...

You might be asking yourself what is it exactly that one eats off a chicken's foot? Answer: everything but the bones. There is a surprising amount of stuff there: skin, tendons, etc. No, no, don't go "ewww;" folks never flintch away from eating fried pork rinds (especially the flavoured ones!).

Front to back: Before, During, & After.

They smell wonderful, they taste wonderful, and if anyone out there knows Duk Hing's recipe, would you please send it my way?

If you care to see the "standard" chicken feet recipe available in the US, try searching for "golden pheonix claws." If you find yourself looking at gooey, sauce drenched, battered & deep-fried pile of what once might have been chicken feet, you have done your search correctly.
...Now you can say "ewww."

The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

Good day to you, my friendly blog reader!

You may have noticed a lack of blog posts over the past several days. Mostly this is because of my work, which has nothing to do with culture, architecture, or food, and much to do with geometry... but I digress.

In the last few days, I feel I have made up for all of that. Over the next several days, you will be able to see what I did with my vacation to San Francisco, CA.

What's that? How could I have made it to CA and back in 4 days without killing the horses? We in Oklahoma do have access to planes nowadays. Still don't believe me? OK, how about this:

'In Oklahoma, we don't have access to quality
Chinese merchandise such as this.'

All in all, it was a good trip: my sister used her time for Ph.D. research, and I'm stocked on (yes, a pun) tea for the next year or so.

Were you wondering, yes, the title is a reference to the infamous H2G2 'drink.'

They said they served Udon...

...And they did, sort-of.

Today, I visited Pho Lien Hoa (901 NW 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK -Open 9AM to 9 PM all week long). If you know where the infamous Miriwa Chinese Restaurant is, Pho Lien Hoa is just to the west of that place.

The store always seems pretty busy. Of the 30 or so available tables, most were packed.

A word of advice: they do not accept any credit cards.

The atmosphere is pleasant: there is a fish tank and many pieces of artwork; the tables are oddly futuristic-looking; I especially enjoyed the cow diagram showing, in Vietnamese, the names of various meat cuts.

As the title of this post would suggest, I went because I had heard they served udon. Udon is a thick wheat noodle of Japanese origin, and one of my favorites (Udon wo daisuki desu yo!). Besides the udon, egg and glass noodled soups are available with an intriguing array of additives. Each soup only comes in one size and costs around $6.50 apiece.
I ordered the shrimp & pig leg udon soup. I could not ask for a nicer vegi plate: jalapeño, very sweet limes, bean sprouts, saw-toothed herb, and thai basil.

The soup itself, though containing a higher meat:fat ratio than I could have expected, was only okay. The broth was okay. The meat was okay. There were a lot of onions- green and bulbs. The udon noodles were very bad: they had been long overcooked and then chopped into fragments of between 1 and 3 inches.

Overall, I suppose they rate "1 & a half Silver Doughnuts" (out of a possible 5).

I'm sure that many people love this place, but for the way they treated those poor udon noodles, I will not be returning.

The Potluck Dilemma

I enjoy what can generally be considered, at least for the majority of the US, non-traditional foods. In particular, fishing cultures are my favorite.

The problem is that I also want to share my appreciation with others, while at the same time others do not want to eat strange foreign grub (literally or otherwise).

Potlucks in particular can be a useful tool. A "potluck" is a gathering of people at which everyone brings some form of food (a 'pot' of their own)- what you end up eating, as a whole, depends greatly on 'luck.' In Oklahoma, nopales (cactus, Mexican cuisine) will go over rather well, whereas bringing cooked insects (Native American, Asian, et. al.) will often be sampled poorly.

I try to balance between what locals will actually be willing to sample, and the interesting and wonderful flavours/textures I hope to introduce.

Here is my solution to The Potluck Dilemma: Instant Jellyfish Stirfry

-Another nice thing about the Potluck is that labels are often not present; the following potluck dish looks sufficiently like vegetables and [perhaps] noodles that people do not hesitate to try it.

Ingredients:

At least 2 pkts of Instant Jellyfish (available for less than $1 apiece at most Asian food stores)

Instant Jellyfish is different than preserved jellyfish. The latter requires sequential soaking to remove the salt in which it was preserved. The Instant form also comes with its own seasoning packets.

A variety of vegetables:
I normally use Cabbage, Carrots, & Bean Sprouts (In the following demonstration, I replace bean sprouts with snow peas)

A small measure of canola or safflower oil.

A sprinkling of Sesame seeds.

& a Pan/pot with mid-tall sides.

Method:

1. Slice/shred Carrots. Slice Snow Peas. Combine all packets of Intant Jellyfish (but not the included spice packets!).

2. Place pan/pot on heat. Add small measure of oil; also add one of the oil packets that was included in the Instant Jellyfish package. Add Carrots, then Cabbage.

3. After Cabbage & Carrots have begun to wilt a bit, add the Bean Sprouts/Snow Peas.

-You might also add Sesame Seeds.

4. After the vegetables have been well and truely cooked/ stir-fried, add the Jellyfish.
At this time, add half of the flavouring packets that come with the Instant Jellyfish.

5. Only allow the Jellyfish to warm. Overcooking jellyfish can make it 'difficult to eat.' The warming of the jellyfish will release an amount of fluid. Strain the resulting mixture, place in plastic container, take to potluck, and serve.

5b. I also print out a small warning label: "Do not eat this if you are allergic to any form of seafood."

Enjoy. Most people find the dish agreeable, even enjoyable.

You can tell them what it was later.

Yatsuhashi in Japan

One of my favorite features found within the Japanese Stroll Gardens (Edo) is the Yatsuhashi.

As can be seen in the above picture of Shohinken in Yatsushiro, Kumomoto Prefecture, the yatsuhashi takes the form of a bridge composed of 8 planks wandering through a bed of iris, though not finishing very far from its beginning. The iris found in Shohinken are a special variety known as Higo Iris (肥後花菖蒲), and were blooming earlier than when the pervious photograph had been taken. (For better pictures see more images at http://flower-k.at.webry.info/200605/article_76.html.)

The yatsuhashi would seem to be a recognizable symbol from Japanese literature, specifically "The Tales of Ise," depicting an 8-channeled river.* However another attribute with which it has been imbued is the philosophy I especially enjoy- "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end."†

The final picture of a yatsuhashi traversing rather symbolic iris beds comes from the large stroll garden of Okayama. In the short period I spent in Okayama (and not being able to read much kanji), I found only 3 things that would have made the visit worth the trip... one was closed, another was small, underground, but very interesting, and the third was the garden. If you ever find yourself going past Okayama, stop and stroll through the garden- it is very much worth it!

*Keane, Marc. Japanese Garden Design. Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc. Boston, MA. 1999.
†Japanese Gardens and Japanese Garden Design. http://www.explorejapan.com/jgardens.htm Online: Accessed 13 May, 2004. (Link provided for bibliography only- no longer goes to referenced content. You may visit archived content via: http://web.archive.org/web/20040402053423/http://www.explorejapan.com/jgardens.htm)

I always have Phởn...

Have you ever wondered where to find a really good bowl of Phở in Oklahoma City?

There are quite a few places that serve the soup, and many of them quite good, but I generally go to Mr. Phở. Located in the Super Cao Nguyen Center (the large glass and brick building attached to the Super Cao Nguyen Supermarket) at 1133 NW 25th St, this shop is always busy at lunchtime.


Two entrances: inside & outside the Super Cao Nguyen Center

As the name would suggest, they serve Phở. They also serve Hủ tiếu (rice noodles), Mì (egg noodles), and various rice dishes. For those who do not come for the Phở, they also serve a range of specials that include choice of rice, etc. I go for the soups:

On the left, delicious phở; on the right scrumptious mì.

Prices here are very reasonable, and most of the soups are available in three sizes (the pictures above show the large, which tends to be enough for my lunch). In the background of both images, you see the plate of herbs... sometimes they give you saw-tooth herb (Eryngium foetidum). ^.^

The menus are bilingual Vietnamese & English (well translated), the staff is very friendly, their front window opens on the giant teapot fountain, and the food is great. They open at 10 am.

There! You've no excuses not to visit!

Many appologies if my computer refuses to use the correct characters. And again, I have no affiliation with this shop (besides the fact that I eat here quite often indeed).