f-US-ion

Never order something a waiter describes as: inventive. Conceived of Louisiana style cooking with Japanese cooking technique, wrapped in seaweed and served at NYLA (my first restaurant job in New York), guests would always ask how the Southern Sushi was and I wanted to reply..."You really have to ask?" Then I figured they must be tourists. True fusion should unite the flavours, cuisine, technique, and style of two or more cultures and give birth to a totally new distinct food group. What most frequently occurs and can be witnessed Asian/Mexican restaurants of New York, and frequently only means mashing together two cultures not collectively wrapping the traits like looping strands of spiraling dna into a delicious new recipe. Today my lunch consisted of flavours from Jamaica, the Mediterranean, and Northern California or France (depending on where you get your grapes.) How American's allowed McDonalds, bland and processed foods to become the country staple; shouldn't we actually become a melting pot of blending all of the worlds most delicious flavours into a new organic, seasonal, farm fresh American cuisine? meet today's scrumptious feast

At home I prepared white long grain rice with half water half coconut water (from a can) with peas (which is inspired by Jamaican flavors restaurant) and I added chickpeas and steamed green and yellow zucchini. I used my special pot with the place to steam veggies on the top while cooking my coconut rice, thus infusing the veggies with the savory smell. When I got to work they had leftover catering and gloriously I added yellow squash, grapes, quinoa with currents, arugula, and rosemary. I brought a few sheets of nori in tin foil on the side which I had broken into 1/4 the normal size by folding over twice. Next time I think I will put the nori on the bottom of the bowl, kind of like a gazing bowl, then it will soak up all the yummy flavours and be a salty succulent treat for the end. Not so good: The Florida's "natural" juice from our company friges ingredients are as follows: water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated cranberry juice, ascorbic acid.

breakfast experiment

Experiment with your Daily Life!

The Breakfast experiment involves trying different kind of breakfast everyday for a week to see which foods are the most agreeable with my body. The experiment is not totally controlled and and there are some other variables, ie: the quality and amount of sleep I am receiving per night and my immune system which seems whacked out right now.

day one, scrambled tofu, zucchini, carrots, yellow squash tofu sausage w/ketchup and hot sauce green tea tangerine juice while eating it felt great, yummy, scrumdiddly-umshious a little of the tofu came up into my mouth on my commute 2 hours later I am irritable, anxious, and moody day two scrambled eggs two pieces of whole grain toast 2 pieces of seitan "bacon" hot sauce tangerine juice while preparing and eating I felt happy and good. It tasted yummy and I was full. Some of the egg came up in my mouth with flem and I had to spit it out. 2 hours later I am tiered but not hungry. day three Oatmeal soaked oatmeal, almonds, raisins, and cinnamon overnight Cooked it in a big pot for 5 minutes this morning Scooped it out poured soy milk on top with sprinkled brown sugar It was delicious, on the subway I spit up mucus and on my walk I spit up just brown sugar (no more of that) two hours later I am starving and tiered. I am having a double esspresso and hummus with multi seed crackers. day four, boxed cereal kashi good friends with a little ezeikiel sprouted grain mixed in with 3/4 a bannana, soy milk, and tangerine juice. I felt like I missed out on an important part of my morning, all of the other days I had to prepare food for myself. The first action I take in my morning is that of caring for myself, which sets up a great example for the rest of my day. day five, muffin and coffee, I went with the theme of "breakfast on the run" and hit Alice's tea cup, where I got rose flavoured tea (which I refilled with hot water 5 times) and a ginger bananna scone. I felt great 2 hours after eating these things. My intestinal track was a little scary and I had to use the restroom directly after completing eating. I have now had 3 pieces of pizza for lunch. day six, fruits, I was a little woozy and hung over after my champagne infused evening at Kat's birthday bash.(I only had 3 glasses, boy is my tolerance really down). I marched my butt to Fairway at 1:30pm wondering if it still counts as breakfast at this hour. I almost puked in the fruit section, but ended up buying pineapple, grapes, and making toping it with soy yogurt. This day I felt clean, energized, and refreashed. day seven, vegetables, after my fruit I had a shot glass full of apple cidar (to clear out bacterial infections) and made myself some fresh ginger and mint tea. I woke up and baked a sweet potatoe and ate it with corn which I had taken off the cob and platanos, which I fried and dipped in ketchup. It was delicious, but it came up a little. Question to ponder...why does so much of my food come up? Is it because I am allergic or that I don't chew properly? ****I liked the variety in my week and that provided a very fun morning. I am going to continue to try to integrate fresh fruits, since that worked the best for me, and I recycled the pineapple into my lunch today which was pineapple infused quinoa, pineapple and spicy curry tofu.

Dandelion, and kale and chard... oh my!

I was invited to a concert and offered a shift at Vintage last night. I turned down both to attend to my normally scheduled programming and attended Aprils Vinyasa yoga class at Yoga Works. As I was biking down I realized that in the past, in order to have plans...I believed that someone else had to be involved. I am realizing now that my personal plans are just as valid even if I am taking care of business. I went shopping at Fairway Organic after class and got some delicious butter leaf Boston Greens, and Chard, and Apples and Coconut Oil and Seitan, and Grahm Crackers.

Since I finally have a little bit of money I have been catching up on all of the responsibilities that I wish I could have afforded in the past. Vet for kittty, Contact Lens Perscription check up...and while I was there they were trying to convince me to buy $ 199 dollar Ralph Lauren glasses frames. No problem I thought with my $100 off coupon in hand. With lenses it will come to $200. Not so...the sales man was trying to push me into buying the anti scratch, anti glare, plished edges, thinner lenses, uv protection, all extras included my glasses would be over $500 dollars. I was not interested in any of the extras and then the guy informed me that the coupon is only valid for frames $200 dollars or over...at which time I re-niged my involvement as a consumer at Cohen's Fashion Optical on Greenwich St.

My father's involvement in the Lyon's Club procured me an amazing pair of frames from the 1950's which I will get lenses put into in the city for $40.

I bought tickets to all of my friend's shows in the Fringe Festival. I all ready saw Tim McDonough and Jackie Miller at Mo Pitkins in A Mans A Man. It was really long. Probably too long for a Brechtian style immersyfied caberet. However the direction by Leah was AMAZINGLY creative and I have never seen a more intensely commited and talented group of well versed young actors.

Tonight I will see Vanessa Shealy in the play she wrote called, "Tea in the Afternoon."

dandelion kitty

Last night I made myself Grilled Polenta with Garlic Lemon Dandelion and Parmesean. It was fantastic. Kitty and I have been getting on the same sleep schedule. It still kills cockroaches and presents them on my bed. It is the cuddelyest kitty in the world. It loves to get really close to my face and purr until it is shaking. It kneads my head and loves me to pieces. I wonder if it would do this to anyone who lived with it. Will it love my new roommates more and choose to sleep with them. Will my fury of jealous passion overcome me? I heard at a cat show that cats have sibling, lovers, and parent figures. That all humans fit into one of those categories. Right now I am all three. I have a feeling Amber will be the lover, Kristy the sibling and me the Mommy.

:)

yummyness of my meals du

This meal consists of Organic Salmon, Cous-Cous with Coconut water flavouring, and Red Chard.

yummyness of my meals

Last week i decided to "go wild" and "give into my cravings" this is what I ended up with....
2 slices of whole grain ezeikiel bread, mesculun greens with organic tomatoes, chic peas and balsamic vinegar, mozerella chees and dried apples. Not so bad if you ask me. I love it when food is colourful.

my new pot

It has a veggie steamer up top.
A pasta cooker down low.
And it is one big mama.

straight and narrow?

I have begun to try to incorporate a daily morning yoga practice into my life. Today I started by cleaning the spot on my wood floor where I would practice with Lavendar Oil. My towel came up really dirty, which means that my entire floor is filty all the time. I have these straight wood slats in the floor-and by my estimation my shoulders and hips are about two slats. So I placed my hands and feet very carefully aligning them on the slats and when my body is straight it feels mis-placed. What feels right to me is to be completely disoriented. I reminded myself to be patient as I start this new course in living.

As I practiced this morning I realized that my hips were full of memories, sensations, and they were speaking stories to me about things I had held on to, people that still were present, old feelings that are stored deep in my muscle memory. There are places on my feet and back that I have just begun to have sensations. When did they turn off? I don't remember having ever felt them before. My body/factory has been running with out any one overseeing it, caring for it, nourishing it...I am interested in all things body right now. I want to hear the stories stored in my fibres and let them go, so that I have room for new stories, new correspondence, new and refreashed life and love.

So this pic was taken on 07/22/06 since then Blogger has been messed up and wouldn't allow me to do too much.

I decided that every so often I shall document my body and the changes that it is undergoing. I was feeling particularly bloated and large when this photo was taken. But as I look at it, removing myself from being the person in it, it doestn't really look bloated or fat.

I met with Meredith for my 2nd meeting and I told her that the Greens weren't exciting me. She gave me a cook book, but I haven't had time to really use it yet. Things have been very hectic and I have since subletted my apartment, found a new apartment and am starting the process of moving.

I want to have a yoga practice every morning, but in order to do that, I must not over-commit myself. Right now I am over commited, (ie: bartending at Vintage this week and working at MAC) however the changes that I am making in my life are going to be worth these few stressful weeks.

I have begun to experience what it feels like when your body eats yummy good things. It is almost like I get a "high." Also I have started getting full and not finishing food. Not like I still want it, but really just don't desire anymore.

Bushwick is Beautiful

I heart Bushwick is Beautiful
moving back to the art dormesque lifestyle
into the bush
lit like a wick

:) I want to start the Bushy Community Association