astradele

Will photograph food for Flickr

Posted by GJ on August 28, 2008

Seems like a lot of people scour Flickr for food pictures.  I don’t consider myself a prolific photographer, but I’ve been asked for rights to use my pictures a couples times by publications: once from seattlemet.com for the RimRock Cafe (a fancy restaurant in Whistler), and another for Schmap’s Guide to Paris for Chez Clement (they recently told me they included my pictures in their iPhone version).  Both times, they found my pictures months after I had actually visited.

Whistler-Jan7 038

20061208-100335_gimp

Based on views, comments, and the like, the key to getting more eyeballs seems to be to add descriptions and tags to one’s flickr photos. That would certainly coincide with what I’ve seen on many popular pictures (lots of tags, many synonyms), and it makes sense - how else would people find the pictures if not through search terms?

Posted in everyday | Tagged: , | No Comments »

A sushi and ice cream jaunt in Toronto

Posted by GJ on August 23, 2008


View Larger Map

An evening out to grab a bite and chat with a friend, we ended up at Tokyo Sushi.  I’ve been there once before; it’s small, seems authentic, and serves decent sushi!

20080822-182900

The walls of Tokyo Sushi are decorated with celebrities, like Patrick Stewart, that have come by.

20080822-180637

Wandering around a bit afterwards, we settled on Dutch Dreams to gorge on dessert.  I wasn’t able to finish.  :(

20080822-202746

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

An evening for skating, a cute cat, and some decent ramen

Posted by GJ on August 21, 2008

An “unbusy”, weekend afternoon not many weeks ago, I finally strapped on my skates again and went for a long trip up Yonge Street.  I was craving ramen and quickly settled that my target should be Ajisen Ramen (originally it was Kenzo Ramen, but the extra 4km was a bit daunting).


View Larger Map

As you can see, I detoured onto Mount Pleasant for a stretch.  It really is a much more pleasant skate, walk, drive - anything but shopping - than Yonge Street.  It’s also quite hilly, which is exhilarating on the way down, cuss-worthy on the way up.  :P

Met a rich, mixed Siamese-Abyssinian cat while crossing through a wealthy neighborhood.  It was leashed and wandering around in front of the house, but it didn’t seem particularly afraid of me (well, a little bit of the skates).  I hung around playing with the cat and taking pictures so long, that the owner eventually came out to ask what the heck I was doing!  We “talked cat” for awhile, after it became apparent I was just another cat fan.  :)  I learned that “walking your cat” is not that uncommon (hence the leash), and they quite enjoy it!

BTW for other skaters/cyclists, after the shops at Lawrence ends, the strip of Yonge leading up to York Mills has a great incline: maybe 10-15 degree slope for about 500m?  It was awesome, although I tried to put out of my mind what would happen if I wiped out.  I even flirted with the idea of taking pictures with my new camera along the way, but that’s a level of recklessness I have yet to reach!  ;)  And, yes, the other side of that incline was every bit as unpleasant as one might imagine.

Ajisen Ramen is an adequate place to get a ramen fix, IMO.  I think its main assets are large variety of ramens and convenient access by subway.  While eating, though, I was surprised to hear Christian worship music playing, and noticed a large “Praise the Lord” sign above the doorway.  Fine by me, of course, but I was surprised a business would proclaim its religion so clearly.

After exploring Mel Lastman Square for some night pictures and just relaxed skating, it was time to head home.  I had neglected to pack any shoes to switch into, but discovered that you can easily sneak into the subway on skates if you go to the unmanned, automated-entry-only subway entrances (I think they all have one).  I don’t know if I was seen on the security camera, but at least no one came to haul me away!  There was no way I was ready to skate another 8km back!  :D

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

Calphalon Basic Skills #1: Kitchen Foundations

Posted by GJ on June 4, 2008

In professional kitchens, any cook worth his or her salt knows the importance of mastering the most used tools in the kitchen - the knives. The goal of this class is to build confidence while teaching precision and skill, working alongside our Chef Instructor. Major cutting techniques are demonstrated and practiced using our block of knives. You will learn the purpose, usage and correct grip for each knife. As well, we’ll showcase and practice the most efficient way to chop, slice and dice a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for different situations and maximum results. You’ll reap the rewards of your new knife skills by creating delicious recipes during class.

The Calphalon classroom was composed of four long counter tops: one at the front for the chef, and the 12 students distributed along the other 3 rows. There are a couple ceiling mounted televisions for the camera above the chef’s head, and a long row of mirrors above the chef’s counter to give a similar view.

Each student’s station had a nicely folded apron, washcloth, and towel for hot handles. A knife block held Calphalon’s VG knives, and a motley collection of spatulas, spoons, graters, forks, etc. in a couple pots. A shared block of four gas burners and a couple of non-stick woks rounded out the equipment. Upon arrival, each student received a binder to hold the recipes received in the subsequent weeks.

The chef, Ian Dowsett, has a pleasant radio-celebrity-type voice, and his assistant, Donna Wong, was very helpful. The chef made the class feel at ease with his comfortable, self-deprecating manner: a smooth banter talking with students by name. We spent the first 15 minutes waiting for a no-show, and another 15 minutes talking about procedures (cleaning between recipes, knife use, etc.).

For each recipe, the ingredients were already washed and prepared to the degree necessary for the lesson. Students line up at the front to receive the ingredients from chef and assistant on their trays.

The first recipe, a fruit salad, was an exercise in delicate knife skills. We each received our fruit pieces and tried out the small paring knives as instructed. Slicing instructions for the strawberries; carving instructions to remove the peels from the kiwi, papaya, and cantaloupe; learning to “segment” an orange; skinning a pineapple. Perhaps an obvious “trick”, but the chef pointed out that when one’s knife is too small to hold fruit on the blade, one could sweep the fruit from the cutting board into the fruit bowl. The fruit salad was laced with a delicious raspberry liqueur for a delicious finish.

The second recipe, a chicken stir-fry, was an exercise in chopping up vegetables. The emphasis here was on the large knives, and we were free to rotate between the classic chef’s knife, santoku, and mini-cleaver. They were all made out of the “Damascus” steel that gives the lovely wavy pattern on the blade. Most of this section I already knew (e.g. rocking motion to mince garlic, finger placement, peeling ginger with a spoon), but I did learn a few novelties (hot peppers expunge their seeds when you “roll” it like a cigar) and had a good time trying out the different knives for feel. I decided I didn’t like the full chef’s knife - too heavy.

We also got some instruction in using the wok: order of ingredients going in, amount of oil to use, what happens if we let the oil get cool, visually identifying the “done-ness”.

After each recipe, we brought back the various bowls to the front and took a short break to package the food up and eat some if we wished. The fruit salad was a no brainer, and my chicken stir-fry turned out okay, although as always I cleaned the snap peas poorly.

After class, I chatted with the chef a bit about George Brown College’s culinary classes (for continuing education students). A GBC alumni, he told me that:

  • Calphalon’s class size is 12 vs. GBC’s 24.
  • Calphalon prepares the ingredients somewhat for you, compared to GBC’s raw materials.
  • GBC offers more breadth, but you also spend more time doing other things (e.g. prep work)

My additional notes are that Calphalon provides equipment and cleans for you, but GBC qualifies for the tuition tax credit. I suspect that GBC appeals to the more serious/dedicated culinary students, whereas Calphalon is more of a “spontaneous, fun activity”. Certainly, when I looked at GBC’s courses, they were all full or canceled for the summer, but I was able to book with Calphalon two days prior to the first class.

An added bonus: on days when I am taking a lesson, I receive a 20% discount on Calphalon equipment. Anyone want anything? :)

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

Calphalon Culinary Center: Basic Skills Class

Posted by GJ on June 1, 2008

While I do have some basic cooking skills, it’d be nice to make sure I’m using the “proper” technique. With that in mind, I signed up for the “Basic Skills” classes with Calphalon to see what I can learn.

I suspect the George Brown College culinary classes are a better “deal”; GBC offers dramatically more classroom hours per dollar, so presumably would cover more material. As an accredited college, the costs are also eligible for tuition reimbursements. Unfortunately, all the GBC sessions for the summer are full or cancelled. Maybe next season.

On the other hand, Calphalon does offer a very flexible schedule, and good breadth of topics. The class sizes are small (12), and they provide all the cooking equipment for you; I’m sure the equipment is quite nice, too.

Here are the classes:

  • Basic Skills Class #1: Kitchen Foundations
  • Basic Skills Class #2: Soups & Stocks, Steaming & Poaching
  • Basic Skills Class #3: Sauteing & Pan-Frying
  • Basic Skills Class #4: Grilling, Roasting & Baking

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

The Ugli Fruit

Posted by GJ on May 3, 2008

20080429-192310

Meet the Ugli Fruit, a Jamaican cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. I discovered this on my most recent visit to California for the 2008 TIBCO User Conference. A resourceful event organizer somehwere arranged for these to be included in the catered fruit bowls.

As the name suggests, the fruit really is ugly; the photo above is a flattering “studio shot”.

I was hesitant at first, but as usual my curiosity got the better of me. The Ugli Fruit tastes delicious: peels easily, sweet like a tangerine, low acidity, and most importantly, seedless. :) The first was followed quickly by a few others, and then I started surrepitously collecting yet more to form a small stockpile for later consumption.

Sadly, the caterers no longer had Ugli Fruit by the next day - no, it wasn’t all due to me!

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

Never enough Nashi pears

Posted by GJ on November 15, 2007

Nashi_pear

Recently, I visited Christie and Bloor (Koreatown) to search for Korean pears (which I now know are formally Nashi pears). Sadly, the Korean grocery store was out. I roamed the streets, chancing upon a small Korean convenience store that had some at the rock bottom price of 3 for $2. I should’ve known better. When I got them home, I discovered the insides were almost as soft as an orange. Blech! Trash bin.

A few days later, I’m wandering by some fruit stores on Yonge street. To my fortune, one of them yields some Nashi pears, albeit sold in pairs at a high price. Addict that I am, I buy some anyway.

That same night, I found myself calling Galleria, the large Korean grocery store near Yonge and Steele, in the hopes that they might have some more. I knew the two I had would barely last me 24 hours. Speaking to a Korean woman at customer service, I managed to communciate that I was looking for the fabled Nashi pear. The key was to say “fruit” first to get the right frame of mind, then “pear”. I’m not sure how she knew what kind of pear; perhaps by demonstrating I was willing to call about it, she knew which one. At any rate, she was elated at successfully responding to a question in a foreign language, and I was equally elated that the answer was, “yes!”.

A short drive later, I was in happy posession of not one, but two boxes of Nashi pears. I couldn’t leave with just one - there’s only nine per box! As I unpacked the boxes into my fridge, however, I realized that by number, volume, weight (any measure really), Nashi pears dominated my refrigerator contents by a handy multiple. With eighteen crispy, juicy Nashi pears safely acquired, I’m forced to ask myself: do I have a problem here?

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

One $15 coffee, please…

Posted by GJ on October 27, 2007

Toronto residents have long been accustomed to emptying their wallets for a gourmet meal or fine glass of wine. But is Canada’s most expensive city ready for the $15 cup of coffee? Matthew Lee thinks so. Lee, 29, recently opened Manic Coffee, a café on the bustling outskirts of Toronto’s Little Italy. To celebrate, on Oct. 19 he’ll begin offering up a limited amount of Esmeralda Special — a heady Panamanian brew that’s brought the coffee-drinking world to its knees.

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/lifestyle/article.jsp?content=20071022_110254_110254

Sadly, I didn’t actually have a cup of this legendary joe; I got there two hours late. The owner, the aforementioned Matthew Lee, gave me his card and told me to call him on Monday - he was going to try to find some more Esmeralda on Monday.

In the interim, I watched at Manic Coffee’s other main attraction: a Clover 1s coffee machine. Coffee Manic uses Intelligentsia coffee beans. See the Clover at work below:

I drank it black, because that’s what you’re supposed to do to appreciate the full flavour. How was it? Pretty easy. Not particularly bitter, really easy to drink after the first sip. I think I’d prefer it with some sugar at least, but I could probably pass on milk. Or perhaps have it as a caffe macchiato? I had to throw it out though; it was strong enough to cause my chocolate/coffee “allergy” to start. :(

The owner, by the way, does seem well versed in coffee. Certainly the other employees referred to him as the “coffee guru” when he called them over to answer my questions. I wish him the best of luck and that he improves the status quo. After visiting Italy, I better appreciate the sorry state of coffee affairs here in Toronto.

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

Eat the chicken skin!

Posted by GJ on July 24, 2007

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/238959

Jul 24, 2007 04:30 AM
Suzanne Carere
Special to the Star

Product: Quarter Chicken Breast (skinless).

Price: $7.49.

Total calories: 210 calories in 124 g.

Manufacturer: Swiss Chalet.

The Position: Swiss Chalet’s chicken breast dinner meets the Health Check criteria and is a healthier choice than most fast-food meals.

Ingredients: Chicken.

Nutritional breakdown: 0 g carbohydrate, 38 g protein, 7 g fat (2 g saturated, 0 g trans).

Analysis: I recently watched a friend painstakingly peel all the skin off her Swiss Chalet chicken breast. I could tell she didn’t want to but she’s concerned about fat calories and knows that skinless chicken breasts are very low in fat.

I hated to burst her bubble, as I reached for her skin, but that’s true only if the skin is removed before the chicken is cooked. According to the Canadian Nutrient File, a cooked skinless chicken breast has only 2 grams of fat.

In the case of rotisserie chicken, the skin holds most of the fat inside as it turns into oil, allowing the meat to absorb it. According to Swiss Chalet’s online nutrition table, the meat contains almost twice as much fat (7 g) as the skin (4 g).

Alternative: A clear alternative is to stay at home and cook your own skinless chicken breast. Another is to get the dinner with salad and no-fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Take it or leave it: If eating rotisserie chicken, accept it’s higher in fat and adjust your fat intake elsewhere.

Posted in everyday | Tagged: | No Comments »

The last meal in Paris: never happened

Posted by GJ on December 9, 2006

This time I’m sure: the restaurant that I intended to go to no longer exists! It has been replaced by another! Sadly, due to my slavish loyalty to my travel guide map, it took me 45 minutes to discover this fact. On a strict schedule for my flight tomorrow, I was unable to venture far afield.

After the travel guide’s recommended cafe turned out to be packed on a Saturday night (go figure, huh), I finally lodged myself at a Japanese restaurant.

Run by Chinese. Sigh. I should’ve followed the example of the Japanese tour groups to another restaurant I had marked.

Still, food is food, especially in my hungry state!

Posted in everyday | Tagged: , , | No Comments »