I was walking back home from church today when I ran into an elderly lady carrying bags of bottles for recycling. Her clothing was poorly patched and she seemed in need of new shoes as well. I asked her if she needed any help and found out she was Shanghainese. So we chatted for a bit. Apparently she lives in the elderly home next to my church and is making money to help with retirement, the social security being far from enough to live on. From what she told me, her family treats her well and often invites her to vacation with them. Still, it pains me to think that in our society, we leave the elderly on their own.
I am a bit less lazy today, so I am uploading pictures of dinner from last night. For appetizers we had a bit of bread with anchovy dip and a nice Riesling. This was followed by a butternut squash soup. I think the soup could use a bit less cream cheese next time, but my guests liked it. A simple green salad with romaine and grapevine tomatoes then proceeded the main course, which was served with a Nobilo sauvignon blanc. The salmon was marinated a bit too long, causing the balsamic vinaigrette to lose its kick, and I could have used a lot more red pepper flakes, but otherwise the fish turned out well. I learned a few new combinations I am likely to try again. For example, I really liked using white wine soaked cranberries and honey toasted almond flakes in my mushroom rice. They make the texture very complex, a nice complement to the smooth and simple salmon. Dessert was an amazing orange flavored cake entitled California Dream from Japonaise, a French-Japanese bakery (surprise!).
I am a bit less lazy today, so I am uploading pictures of dinner from last night. For appetizers we had a bit of bread with anchovy dip and a nice Riesling. This was followed by a butternut squash soup. I think the soup could use a bit less cream cheese next time, but my guests liked it. A simple green salad with romaine and grapevine tomatoes then proceeded the main course, which was served with a Nobilo sauvignon blanc. The salmon was marinated a bit too long, causing the balsamic vinaigrette to lose its kick, and I could have used a lot more red pepper flakes, but otherwise the fish turned out well. I learned a few new combinations I am likely to try again. For example, I really liked using white wine soaked cranberries and honey toasted almond flakes in my mushroom rice. They make the texture very complex, a nice complement to the smooth and simple salmon. Dessert was an amazing orange flavored cake entitled California Dream from Japonaise, a French-Japanese bakery (surprise!).
"Firecracker" salmon with mushroom rice side
California Dream from JaponaiseLink of the Day: www.tastespotting.com
What is it: a site for those who love to cook and try new recipes. Gorgeous pictures and descriptions will leave visiter salivating for more. Okay, so that was not such a pretty picture. Still, worth a visit!
Artist of the Day: David Wojnarowicz
Who is he: "gay painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, and activist who was prominent in the New York City art world of the 1980s" according to Wikipedia. I don't know much about this artist but I saw a number of his works at MoMA when I visited there last Saturday. Although I thought the themed approach a little cliche, I did enjoy his elemental paintings of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. The colors were bold and mural-esque, and in the case of Fire, the use of wanted posters as a backdrop was rather clever. I especially liked the way he painted play on words. For example, in Water, he painted the frog and what appeared to be tadpoles. Naturally they exist in watery places. He also painted submarines and seamen. I am not sure if it was Wojnarowicz's intention, but I am pretty sure it is more than coincidence that the tadpoles are visual puns to seminal fluids, which in turn are puns to men in submarines.
Water, David Wojnarowicz, 1987, synthetic polymer paint and pasted paper on masonite, Museum of Modern Art, New York
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