Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 525

October 15, 2011: Dorval's Maxi store – always looking out for their customers! Stop me if this sounds familiar! Go Snow Monkeys!

Hey, check it out.  The Dorval Maxi grocery store on Montreal's West Island is having a sale.  Was $3.49.  Now $4.69!

This would be hilarious if not for the fact that the item on sale is bottled water and said sale just happens to coincide with a boil water advisory that has affected much of Montreal's West Island for two days now.

Seriously.  I have no problem with law of supply and demand and certainly wouldn't expect the Dorval Maxi store to be giving the water away to those in need – but, hell, they shouldn't be jacking up the price and taking advantage of people's in distress.

I'm a firm believer in what comes around goes around.  The money the Dorval Maxi store makes off desperate people today will be more than offset by customers who will no doubt take their business elsewhere in the future.

So, tell me if this sounds familiar:

It's future Earth.  On the heels of a failed rebellion, the planet's totalitarian authority responds by instituting an annual event – a contest in which young people are chosen by lottery and forced to take part in a kill or be killed, winner take all competition. The media coverage of the event is frenzied.  Each participant is given a backpack holding a random weapon, anything from a bow and arrow to a gun.  An older participant, a veteran and survivor of a previous tournament, takes a younger player under their wing.  As the tournament progresses, kill counts are announced by the authorities.

It's a brutal scenario but, at the heart of the story is a couple who fall in love and, working together, succeed in surviving the ordeal by turning the table on the game's authorities.

Sound familiar?  It should.  It's one of my favorite movies – a Japanese film called Battle Royale that came out in 2000, based on a 1999 novel by author Koshun Takami.  It spawned two manga adaptations, a soundtrack, and sequel called Battle Royale II: Requiem.

Why?  What did you think I was talking about?  Ooooh, yeah.  That also happens to be the eerily familiar premise to the hugely popular The Hunger Games, a novel by Suzanne Collins.  Haven't read the book but similarities give me pause.  Anyone here familiar with both and care to weigh in with their take?

The gang's coming over for football tomorrow and so, today, Akemi and I spent the afternoon preparing.  Honestly, what's the first food item you think of when someone says "football".

Of course!  Truffles!

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We made an assortment including milk chocolate-eggnog liqueur with pistachio, Guinness dark with cocoa powder, gianduja with marscapone, and dark chocolate with cane sugar rum and almond.  Will report back on the winner tomorrow when —

My Snow Monkeys, currently in second place in the R.I.P. Stargate Fantate Football League, try to improve their record to a gaudy 5-1!

GO SNOW MONKEYS!!!

Tagged: Battle Royale, Dorval Maxi store, The Hunger Games [image error] [image error]

October 14, 2011: The Great Vancouver Food Truck Tour!

Sometime between I can't recall when and recently, the face of the Vancouver food street changed.  Whereas, a year ago, Japadog stood head and shoulders amid a see of hot dog vendors, today, a plethora of food truck vendors offer everything from Vietnamese sandwiches to Japanese octopus balls.  Suddenly, it's a veritable United Nations street eats!

In an effort to broaden my street eating horizons, I've decided to set aside one afternoon every week to sampling a variety of these new culinary offerings.  And so, today, I kicked off the food tour with the help of three disappointingly light-weight eaters.  My back-up on this day, there to backstop me in the event I'm unable to finish my meal or require immediate hospitalization:

Ashleigh

Lawren

L'Eau

Armed with my new Vancouver Street Food app that helpfully maps out the locations of the city's 50+ food trucks, we managed to check out five before running out of steam – and appetite.  At this rate, it'll take us two and a half months to cover them all!

Akemi, dressed for the water. Well, from the waist up anyway. Lawren skulks.

Ashleigh and L'Eau. Look at 'em both - so cute!

First stop: Arturo's Mexico 2 Go

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Lawren and I both did the Tacotino: Rotisserie pork, lime, and chipotle sauce wrapped in a chica flour tortilla.  An original recipe from Puebla, Mexico!  Tiny but tasty with a nice pepper kick.

Ashleigh demonstrates true street eating prowess by choosing the cumbersome and unwieldy tortilla soup.  She's had it before though and gives it the thumbs up.

Okay, let's get on with it. Next stop?

Second stop: Fresh Local Wild

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This was the one Ashleigh was most excited about.  Turns out she's a bit of a regular, swinging by once a week to enjoy their fresh produce – and harangue them about making poutine a regular part of their menu.

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The boys at work.

The food truck is atypical in that it has an open-air dining area for six in the back.

I couldn't resist the chicken-fried oyster sandwich and was richly (and crisply) rewarded with probably the best oyster sandwich I've had in recent memory. It was Akemi's favorite menu item of the tour.

While Lawren had a terrific shaved beef sandwich…

Ashleigh had the Tuna Melt.  Another fresh and phenomenal sandwich accompanied by home fries with the chef's sauce.  Not quite poutine but delicious nevertheless.

And this was the point when everyone else started to slow down, despite the fact that: 1) Akemi had yet to order anything for herself and only sampled from my dishes, 2) Ashleigh had given me half her Tuna Melt and, b) Lawren's a guy and should have a guy's size appetite.  Nevertheless, we forged ahead…

Third stop: Slingers

I found the menu somewhat limited in comparison to the last two food trucks, but elected to go with the intriguing veal parmesan sandwich.

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The veal is herb battered, fried, then topped with homemade marina sauce and sauteed onions and mushrooms.  I found it good but it was hard not to compare it to similar sandwiches I had in Toronto.  And, here, Toronto has the edge.  The Toronto versions offer spicier marinades and eggplant to compliment the veal. At Slingers, the eggplant is a veggie option.  The Calabrese bun was great though.

I figured my back-up was done since Akemi was the only one who even tried the sandwich, but they seemed to get their second wind one block up…

Fourth stop: Tacofino

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This food truck had the biggest line-up.  While we waited for our order, we were entertained by a tough chihuahua who tried to pick a fight with L'Eau – snarling, barking, snapping.  For her part, L'Eau seemed utterly bewildered and immediately lost interest when the food arrived.

While Ashleigh devoured her fish taco like it was the antidote to some deadly toxin set to kill her at any moment, I took my time, luxuriating in that day's special – a pork cheek taco with spicy Asian slaw, caramelized pork cheek, sriracha mayo, and crispy onions.  A little drippy but spectacular nevertheless.

And – check it out!  This place served up dessert as well in the form of their Chocolate Diablo Cookie: a fudge-chocolate cookie with fresh ginger, chili, milk chocolate chunks, and salty sprinkles.  Sweet, salty, chewy, spicy.  Loved it!

At this point, everyone else was ready to go home but, in the interest of reaching our quota of 5 food trucks/week, I insisted we check out just one more.

Fifth stop: La Brasserie.

Okay, now this menu was REALLY limited.  You could have a sandwich, a drink, or a sandwich drink combo.  And there was also dessert.  I decided to cover all the bases…

The fact that I was pretty full did nothing to diminish my enthusiasm for this house smoked chorizo sandwich with fire roasted peppers in warm tomato sauce and fresh rocket (aka arugula) on a buttermilk bun.  Never thought I'd say this, but the arugula was a really nice touch.  Ashleigh picked one up, claiming she was bringing it back for her guy back home – but who knows.

 

And, for dessert, a sweet and silky butter tart devoid of annoying raisins.  Yum.

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Not even L'Eau could resist the butter tart.

And that was it.  5 down.  45 or so to go!  Hopefully, Akemi, Ashleigh, and Lawren will do a better job of keeping up next time.  If not, I may have to start interviewing for new back-up.

My new desktop wallpaper?

Today's foodly entry is dedicated to birthday boy Robert C. Cooper!

Tagged: Vancouver Food Trucks [image error] [image error]

October 13, 2011: Dog Day Afternoon! And Crispy Duck with Mark and Ken!

Today, Akemi and I hit Yaletown (Lulu and Maximus in tow) where we met up with blog semi-regular (apparently, she' s been all sorts of busy) Nadine and her dog Bella.  While we strolled and macaron shoped, Nadine pitched me the merits of The Hunger Games, Lev Grossman, and Comic Con.  A pleasant few hours on an atypically sunny Vancouver day…

Above: Bella, ready for business.

Nadine, also ready for business.

Bella, at this point ready for treats.

Maximus makes a friend.

Bella aint so sure.

Maximus was great. There was none of the starting and stopping characteristic of those Toronto walks. He kept up and seemed to enjoy himself.

The three of them, from left to right: Lulu, Bella, and Maximus. Apparently, at one point while I had popped in to pick up some macarons, Akemi ordered the dogs to sit so she could give them a treat. Bella sat down immediately, then glanced over at an obstinate Lulu, still standing. Bella reached over and batted Lulu with her paw, causing Lulu to sit down. And they all got their treats.

And, the night before last, Akemi and I hit Refuel to catch up with a couple of my old Stargate buddies…

Longtime Stargate VFX Supervisor Mark Savela

Ken Kabatoff, presently on Falling Skies

Warm octopus and chicory salad with potato vinaigrette, romanesco. Delicious. The octopus is incredibly tender - actually, the tenderest "tako" Akemi has ever enjoyed. She was amazed!

If you didn't know, Mark and Ken have been making the rounds, pitching an original SF series called Echoes. The trailer is awesome and features the likes of Mike Doud (SGU's Varro) and Jennifer Spence (SGU's Lisa Park).

The pork shoulder on king mushrooms. An addition to that night's menu and another incredibly tender, aromatic, and tasty dish. Akemi in particular was won over by the mushrooms.

The Crispy Duck! It doesn't get any better than this. One of my favorite dishes - anywhere!

Mark and Ken are still awaiting word on Echoes.  Here's hoping it goes.  We need more scifi on t.v.!

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October 12, 2011: On SG-1′s Tenth Season!

Reflecting back on SG-1′s tenth and final season…

COMPANY OF THIEVES (1009)

The Lucian Alliance return in fine, occasionally over-the-top fashion – in contrast to their later appearance on Stargate: Universe.  Damn, what I would have given to have snuck Tenat or Jup into the team that invades Destiny at the end of SGU's first season.  I imagine Brad's head would have exploded if our favorite rubber-faced aliens had ambled through the gate.  Cue sing-song delivery: "Helloooo Coolonel Yooouuung!".

Major Marks who was, essentially, first officer aboard Odyssey was, episodes earlier, promoted to Major.  Why?  Well, we didn't want the ship's captain calling someone else "Captain", so he got the bump and was hitherto referred to as "Major".

In this episode, the Odyssey is forced into a mine field – which became a sort of running joke because, while pitching the scene, either Brad or Robert suggested "A dangerous mine field." (as opposed to, say, any other kind).  From that point, whenever someone in the room pitched out a mine field, it was always: "A dangerous mine field…where the mines are really close together!"

THE QUEST (1010)

I love episodes in which unlikely alliances are formed – and none more unlikelier than the ones in The Quest I in which SG-1 must team up with two of their greatest enemies – Baal and Adria – in their quest for the Sangraal.  Overall, I liked this episode a lot but there were  a few little things that really, REALLY bugged me.  The first was in the scene in which the Ori soldiers descend on the town while SG-1 is hiding in the tavern.  In one unscripted beat, an unarmed villager (apparently suicidal unarmed villager) charges toward an Ori soldier and gets blasted.  Bad enough, but the blast catches him in the shoulder, initiating a ridiculous backward flip before hitting the dirt.  Another bump I had with the episode was the time distortion field.  I LOVED the idea – so much, that I didn't heed my writing partner Paul's warning that it would be difficult, if not impossible to pull off.  I dismissed his concerns and figured we could cut around any movement on the part of the frozen travelers – which proved easier said than done.  A blink here, a waver there, and I found myself pulling my hair out in the editing suite.  The final issue I had with the episode was the dragon.  Overall, pretty cool but what was with those gimpy legs?

This was also the episode in which the beautiful Morena Baccarin, playing the role of Adria, experienced problems with the colored contacts, necessitating our crack VFX crew touch up her eyes.  Did you notice?

October 11, 2011: Akemi-isms! A trip to the dentist! The Smackaron-Off! Only the highest quality geeks!

"Tokyo crows are very smart.  They eat McDonald's garbage and their brains get bigger." - Akemi, October 11 2o11.

Today, I brought Akemi to the dentist to get a cavity filled and, I assure you, she was not very happy about it.  Oh, she doesn't mind visiting the dentist.  In fact, unlike most, she actually enjoys going in for a check-up and cleaning.  I suppose it doesn't hurt that she finds our dentist quite dashing.  Or "hansamu" as she says.  No, it wasn't the visit itself but the cause of her visit that had her upset.  She was incredibly downcast at the prospect of having one more cavity.  She suspects it's genetic, but I think it may have more to do with her recent addiction to Nutella that sees her eating the stuff by the spoonful.

Anyway, once she was done, I thought a trip to some local sweet shops would have made the perfect reward.  Not for her, mind you – her mouth was still frozen – but for me since I had to wait for her in the dentist's office (I read the first 140 pages of Iain M. Banks' The Algebraist.  Brilliant!).  As I mentioned in a previous blog installment, I'm on a quest to find the best macarons in Vancouver and have decided to do a little comparison tasting.  I'm pitting 16 of the city's macaron makers in head to head competition, sort of a literal Sweet Sixteen.  A Macaron-off.  Or, if you prefer, Smackaron-off.

So, on this day, tour search for Vancouver's best macaron led us to Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie on Alberni Street.  Thierry's macarons would be taking on next door's Urban Tea Merchant's tea-infused macarons in their first round match-up.  As I approached the assortment, the cute girl behind the counter seemed to recognize me.  "Joe?"she asked.  Damn.  I'm usually pretty good with faces.  Terrible with names to go with those faces, but usually pretty good with faces. Not this time.  I hesitated, buying time.  She did look vaguely familiar…  "Nadine,"she said. And, immediately, it clicked.  Of course.  Nadine.  Blog regular/Vancouver native/on Ashleigh's winless soccer team Nadine!  We chatted a bit and eventually, not wanting to get her fired, picked up a seven macaron assortment, a cappuccino for Akemi, and one hazelnut chocolate meringue dessert for good luck!  Given the fact she has an English bulldog named Bella, I have a feeling our dog-walking paths may cross very soon.

As we headed back to the car, I explained the Stargate/Blog/Ashleigh connection to Akemi.  She was surprised.  Which spurred yet another awesome Akemi-ism that, I suppose, speaks volumes on the nature of Japanese SF fans:

"She is cool geek.  Not oily grossy geek."

I assured her that the quality of my blog readers was beyond reproach.  Geeks perhaps, maybe even nerds, but certainly neither oily nor grossy.  They hang out at the anti-SGU boards.

Off to dinner tonight with some Stargate friends, then looking to the waiver wire for some fantasy football pick-ups – and then, another 100 or so pages of The Algebraist.

October 10, 2011: More SG-1 Memories! Mailbag!

Back to SG-1 memories…

COUNTERSTRIKE (1007)

The second of three scripts I wrote over a fourteen day period during one hiatus, I loved this one for the Daniel-Vala moment (something I expand on in the ensuing episode) and the fact that it had all of our team members – and Landry! – in play.  I recall actor Ben Browder (Mitchell) recommending his friend, actor Mark Dacascos, for the part of the lead Jaffa.  I loved Mark Dacascos' work in Brotherhood of the Wolf and The Crow (and, lately, Iron Chef America) but didn't want to cast him only to kill off his character in the episode.  I held off and, two years later, cast him as Ronon's former comrade, Tyr, in SGA's Reunion – and, the following season, in Broken Ties.  He was one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to work with.  Over the course of production on Broken Ties, I had a half dozen crew members approach me about finding a way to make him recurring.  In addition to Iron Chef America, you can now catch Mark on Hawaii Five-O as the villainous Wo Fat.

MEMENTO MORI (1008)

The third script I wrote during those two weeks was a lot of fun – atypical and Vala-centered, but with a nice, emotional pay-off that cements the friendship between Vala and Daniel, suggesting the possibility of much more.

I remember one of the scenes I had trouble with was the interrogation of the captured Trust operative.  I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out how Teal'c could get him to talk when Rob Cooper – as he often did whenever we reached a creative roadblock – would throw out a suggestion.  In this case, simply have Teal'c lean in and whisper something in the operative's ear.  Something so terrifying that the operative immediately starts talking.  So, what did Teal'c whisper in his ear?  Something just too horrible to repeat.

In the original version of the script, Vala gets a job at Sal's Diner.  For some reason, it was changed to Sol's Diner.  We ended up casting the wonderful Don Stark in the role and Director Peter DeLuise suggested we change it back to Sal's Diner because Don looked Italian.  I did.  I met Don and told him about the change and he pointed out that he was, in fact, Jewish.  Sol's Diner it became.  And then I found out he was of German, Jewish AND Italian descent.  I briefly toyed with Sigi's Diner but ultimately elected to leave well enough alone at the risk of having the entire Art Department coming after me.

Speaking of Director Peter DeLuise – the direction of this episode's tease is wonderful – tight, dynamic, and provocative (or, I prefer, WTF?!-inducing).

Mailbag:

Sylvia writes: "Food looks scrumptuos!  Please do list macaron shops in Van."

Answer: I'll be doing one better.  I'm going to check out the top 16 macaron makers in town and test their products, head to head, in a macaron-off.  Stay tuned!

Debra writes: "How are the pups doing, especially Maximus? Still eating?"

Answer: Yep.  He's eating and walking.  He's a whole new dog since the move back to Vancouver.

Lewis writes: "1) Who was your favorite BusyTown character? I always thought Mr. Worm was stylin' in his apple car and wearing his hat/boot combo."

Answer: Yeah, definitely Lowly Worm.  I always thought he was hiding a dark side.

Lewis also writes: "2) If DARK MATTER gets the greenlight to become either a show or movie, which format do you think it would be the strongest suited for: live action, animation, or anime?"

Answer: Ideally, a live-action television series.  That's the plan.  A mini-series would also work since I have the series mapped out – beginning, middle, and end.

glowyzoey writes: "We had a little silver tree when I was a kid. [...]   I had to throw it out just 7 or 8 years ago, because all of the "needles" were gone. I had it over 40 years! Did yours fold up for storage?"

Answer: Yes!  Beautiful – and practical too!  I loved that silver and tinsel monstrosity!

Anais Bellieres a ecrit: "Vous étiez un bon grand frére avec Andria, vous ne lui faisiez pas trop misères?"

Reponse: Non.  Il y'avait plein de miseres.

dasndanger writes: "Joe – quick question. I see that you read the first Uncanny X-Force trade. How'd you like it? I LOVED it, as you well know. Just hoping you enjoyed it, too."

Answer: I did like it but had a difficult time figuring out who was doing what and why for much of the time.  I probably would have been better served reading the previous volumes first.  There are previous volumes, aren't there?  Loved the ending though.

Airelle writes: "Can you play a piano now or just banging on it?"

Answer: In fact, I can.  This after three years of piano lessons (mom's idea).

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October 10, 2011: My Port-Braised Meatacular! Another Football Feast! And my Snow Monkeys are on a roll!

So, how was everyone's weekend?  Do anything interesting?  More interesting than, say, read, cook, and watch football?  That was the extent of my weekend and it was glorious.  Finished Wizard's First Rule last night and still waiting for a fantasy series to fall in love with.  Well, in addition to George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and Joe Abercrombie's First Law.  I'm switching up genre's to start on Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief, then plan to switch up once again by tackling a comic book series.  Hey, anyone know if the entire run of the Thunderbolts is available in trade paperback?

On the anime front, I too your advice (well, the advice of one of you) and started Moribito.   Four episodes in and I'm loving it for its depth of story and character. Even the villains are believable – layered, conflicted.  Terrific stuff.  Interestingly, Akemi is having a tough go of it because the Japanese dialogue (I prefer subbed over dubbed) is almost Shakespearean and difficult to understand.  I advised her to follow the English subtitles.

Another Sunday, another football day.  It was the regulars – Ivon and Rob – minus Lawren who was away visiting family.  I invited former Stargate VFX Supervising Producer and big time Buffalo Bills fans Mark Savela to watch his Bills beat up on the hapless Eagles (Dream team!  Heh heh) but he too had family commitments. So Akemi and I ended up making way too much food…

I knew I wanted to do a braise but couldn't decide between short ribs, ox tail, and veal cheek – so I did all three.

Step #1: Prepare your marinade.  I like to use thyme, tarragon, crushed garlic, basil, and, of course, the secret ingredient -

Recipes often call for red wine or a red wine to port ratio of about two to one.  I prefer to go full port for its deep sweetness.

Step #2: Marinate your meat overnight.

Step #3: Prepare your mire-poix.  Chop carrots, celery, sweet onion, and garlic, and sweat them over medium heat for about ten minutes until they start to brown. Season with salt and pepper.  Add a tablespoon of tomato paste, then strain the marinade and add it to the pot as well.  Turn the heat on high and allow the liquid to reduce by half.  Add a spoonful of brown sugar and mix.  I also add a couple of cups of veal demi-glace (a luscious dark brown roux and veal stock) I pick up at my local butcher.

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Step #4: In the meantime, pat dry the meat and dust with a seasoning mixture of your choice.  I go with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sweet paprika, and flour.

Step #5: Brown your meat on all sides over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes each side for the bigger pieces, maybe a minute for the smaller ones.  You're not looking to cook the meat here, only give it a nice brown crust.

Step #6: Layer the bottom of your pot with the meat, then pour the braising liquid over top.  Make sure the meat is completely submerged.  Add beef stock if necessary.

Step #7: Roast it, covered, for 3 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Step #8: Bring the oven temperature down to 325 degrees, then roast, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

Step #9: Serve with accompaniment (I prefer a bed of buttered parsnip mash).

In addition to the braise Akemi and I made, we also enjoyed a Robert Cooper culinary creation -

Radish cake – ubiquitous at most dim sum places – but Rob's version was the best I've ever head.  Alternately crispy, soft, sweet and savory.  Akemi couldn't stop talking about it.  Apparently, it's a two-day preparation that would dissuade most from even attempting it.  But it was so worth it.  And I can say that because Rob prepared it and all I did was eat it.  I'll see if I can get him to give up the recipe.

We ended the meal with a little something from Ivon -

Macarons.  Not quite as labor intensive as the previous dishes but still, Ivon had to drive to the shop on Fraiser, buy then, then bring them back to my place.  The only thing that would have made it more complete would have been to know the name of the place he picked them up.  They were great!  Once I finish settling in, I'm going to do a macaron tour of the city.  I hear VERY good things about http://kitcheningwithcarly.com/products/.  Also thinking of enlisting the help of some friends to check out the various food carts that have cropped up in my absence.  I should have my own Food Network show!

BTW – SNOW MONKEYS WIN!!!

4-1, baby!!!

October 8, 2011: Yours Truly, Way Back When!

So I was clearing out the library today, packing up the various chemistry textbooks, V.C. Andrews novels, and back issues of Us (none mine, let's make that clear) for a quick trip to the garage, when I happened across a box of photos.  A lot of photos.  Some dating back as recently as ten or eleven years ago when I first moved to Vancouver to work on an upstart little production called Stargate: SG-1, others going back as far as I can remember – and, occasionally, even further. Anyway, in an effort to quash internet rumors that I was built in a lab as a fully developed android and then released to spread chaos and terror on an unwary public, I give you photographic evidence that, in fact, I had a normal childhood.  Or was built in a lab as an infant android and then released to spread chaos and terror on an unwary public while nanites developed my bio-synthetic form giving me the appearance of physical development.

One of the very first pictures of me.  I loved that black and white teddy lying beside me.  He went by the name of "Sacciotto Vecchio" which, I believe, "Old Bear" (not to be confused with "Sacciotto Grasso", "Fat Bear" who came soon after).  Eventually, he lived up to his namesake, growing so decrepit and ratty that my mother threw him out – leading me to rescue him out of the garbage.  A year later, she tried again and succeeded.

Even back then, I had the look of a dubious diner.  I'll have to ask my mother about my eating habits but, from what I can recall, I was pretty adventurous.  One of my favorite dishes was zabaglione – essentially an egg yolk and sugar, beaten and served.  The spoon-feeding was a nice touch you don't get in restaurants nowadays.

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Ah, from an early age, my interest in the culinary arena was encouraged.

Also encouraged was my interest in music – that I apparently outgrew at the tender age of four.  Had I pursued my youthful ambition, things could have turned out very different for me.  Who knows?  I could have been a guitarist for Platinum Blonde.

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Angry and unusually sensitive.  Not much has changed.

Presumably I am praying that the serial killer dressed up as creepy Santa spares me.

Sis and I and our glorious Christmas tree.  For years, whenever the holidays approached, we would assemble the silver monstrosity, happily slotting the tinsel-festooned metal rods into place and then adorning the whole with blue balls – until my sister eventually complained and we ended up getting a real tree, much to my disappointment.

Another one of Sis and me hanging out in someone's backyard.  It's interesting to note I perfected the comb-over at such an early age.

And yet another one of Sis and me, this time enjoying the great outdoors.  Damn, Montreal gets cold in the winter.  I frostbit my ears so badly once that now, whenever the temperature drops to around zero, my ears turn a festive rosy red.

And look at the fine, upstanding young man I eventually became.  The hair is a little shorter but, other than that, I haven't changed all that much.

Tomorrow, Ivon and Rob come over for football – and a slow port and veal demi-glace-braised medley of short ribs, ox-tail, and veal cheek served over parsnip mash.  My Snow Monkeys are looking to make it 4-1.  Wish us luck!

GO SNOW MONKEYS!!!

Today's entry is dedicated to blog regular Lisa R.

October 7, 2011: I'm regular again! Pasta problems! And sushi with Ivon!

While in Toronto, I was terribly backed up.  It was a far cry from my post-move days in Vancouver when I'd been very regular, boasting two, three, sometimes even four a week!  But Hogtown did a number on my routine.  It got so bad, I was lucky to manage one a month – and that was always a fairly painful process. Hell, it reached the point where even a relatively modest completion was cause for celebration.  A trade paperback or a graphic novel -

Oh.  I'm talking about reading.  But you knew that, right?  So, now that I'm back in town, I'm back on track.  And last night's dinner with Rob and Hillary fueled my desire for more books.  You see, Hillary is a voracious reader as well and a big fan of the fantasy genre so, for part of the meal, we ended up talking about authors and titles – and she was kind enough to recommend a few.  The conversation so inspired me that, after we'd finished dinner, rather than heading home, I drove straight to my local bookstore and picked up a few things…

I know, I know.  I have a kindle and books are infinitely more cumbersome, but nothing beats the feel of a good book, or the look of a good book – moreover, hundreds of good books – lining a shelf. Don't get me wrong.  I love my kindle (compliments of my buddy Ivon) and it has served me well on trips when I want to travel light, but I very much doubt I'll be giving up on my library of real books anytime soon.

Rob and Hillary.

Anyway, last night, we checked out a new Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, Bibo, which occupies the space once held by – as far as I can recall – two defunct restaurants.  And, after last night's dinner, I fear Bibo may make it three.  The pizza was good (top marks for the sausage topping) but the pastas were a huge disappointment, cooked to mush.  Thus far, in my experience, only two Italian restaurants in Vancouver serve up consistently al dente pasta – Q4 (formerly Quattro) and La Quercia.  Someone should inform these chefs that they needn't cook the shit out of pasta.  It's not chicken or pork.  We'll be just fine. Honest. Desserts were hit and miss.  Same can be said for the service. Our waitress was terrific and on-the-ball taking our orders and serving us, then simply disappeared.  After waiting twenty minutes for someone to clear our table, I helpfully stacked all the dishes and cutlery for them.  I was going to wait another ten minutes and then deliver them to kitchen.

Today, it was sushi lunch at Aki Restaurant with this guy -

Ivon Bartok

- and the lunch time crush, well over half of whom were Japanese.  Always a good sign at a Japanese restaurant.

I told Ivon that once I'm back in the proper frame of mind – give it a week – we can sit down and start spitballing future projects.

Thanks to everyone who recommended anime titles.  I've seen most of the series mentioned, but a few had yet to show up on my radar. Looking forward to checking them out.

Today's entry is dedicated to blog regular Penny.  We're all sending good thoughts your way!

October 6, 2011: The 20 Layer Omelet Mille-Feuille! Halloween swag from the Picardos! Recommend me an anime series!

Now that I'm back home and have access to my kitchen, I can finally start cooking again.  Pictured above is my latest culinary foray.  I want to call it an Omelet Mille-Feuille but the actual name of the dish slips my mind.  It's a variation on an old Alain Ducasse recipe which sees five different omelets stacked to form a colorful multi-layer edible extravaganza.  I say it's a variation of the Ducasse recipe because the actual recipe calls for five layers while this version contains twenty.  It's not that I was feeling particularly bold on the day.  I was simply making due with what I had to work with – specifically, a tiny telfon-cloated frying pan that would only permit me to make mini omelets.

My lovely assistant prepares to slice and dice.

After chopping up the various ingredients for the various omelets, my assistant whisked ten eggs, two in each bowl, and then added the ingredients: 1. Parmesan, thyme and chives, 2. Roasted pepper, sliced cucumbers, and parsley, 3. Diced black olives, 4. Diced tomatoes and avocado, 5. Caramelized onions and chervil.

She then proceeded to cook the omelets in that tiny teflon-coated frying pan with a touch of butter and olive oil, alternating and stacking to create the multi-layer marvel -

A closer look at those twenty layers.

Once stacked, we set another dish atop it, sealed it in cling wrap, then set a heavy can on top and chilled it in the refrigerator.  One hour later -

Voila!

It was surprisingly good.  I say "surprisingly" because I never imagined eating eggs as a satisfying dinner (I admit to hedging my bets with some leftover spicy Korean pork).  Even Akemi was surprised, informing me it was so good it didn't even need Ketchup!  How's that for a glowing review?

Look at what arrived in the mail today from Linda, Bob Picardo's wife (note the vampire pug sticker).  Every Halloween, she and Bob deck out their house in super spooky fashion, transforming their lovely home into a haunted estate that would make many horror film set decorators ghoul green with envy.  I was keen to find out what she'd sent but knew I had to wait for Akemi to get back from the hairdresser before I could start unwrapping.  Or face her ninja wrath.

The swag: halloween post-its, mini pumpkin candles, mini bat candles, and a tie for the discerning zombie.  Perfect timing as Akemi has been on a candle tear lately and absolutely loved the assortment, immediately lighting up two pumpkins and a bat for our special candlelit dinner.

I emailed Linda to thank her and asked her to send me pics of their haunted house come Halloween.  You WILL be amazed.

On the anime front, just finished this -

Darker Than Black

Excellent – although Akemi was so spooked by certain episodes she was afraid to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  A great series – smart, thrilling, with some wonderfully detailed personalities and a story that isn't afraid to take chances and actually off a character or two.  Or three.  Highly recommended. Anyone seen it?  If so, I'm ready to move on to my next series and I'd appreciate some recommendations

Tagged: Darker Than Black