The Atlantic Magazine takes on Egyptian street food

I have never heard of this uniquely Egyptian fast food, kushari, the pasta-rice-garbanzo-lentil with tomato and crispy onion dish. Now I have to figure out a way to make this. As Maggie Schmitt noted about it for The Atlantic Magazine's website, this street food is now becoming posher, as more sit-down restaurants are popping up to sell the stuff:

Instead of disappearing before the onslaught of hamburgers and fried chicken, local street foods are updating their image and presentation, and competing with international fast food on its own terms, targeting a middle class with increasingly urbane tastes. While in the older neighborhoods kushari is still ladled out from wooden street carts and in tiny hole-in-the-wall eateries, in the swankier parts of town you can get your fix at a gleaming new kushari restaurant franchise with formica banquette seating and waiters in uniforms with baseball caps.

Hopefully it'll show the McFalafel who's boss. There are also glorious photos of kushari and some places that serve it with the article. I just ate and it's making me hungry again.

Proposition 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

I had to get out and celebrate the news out from the West Coast that Prop 8 is ruled unconstitutional. As the judge said himself, "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gays and lesbians for denial of a marriage license" (this from Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic).

So I headed down to Mount Vernon to celebrate. First I had a Flying Dog (draft, $4.25) at the Grand Central - where I struggled as fast as I could to get away from some annoying drunk bragging about a $5000 bonus he got while I'm here trying to find a full time job. Happily fleeing that drunken fool, I skidded on over to the Mt. Vernon Stable for a slice of Pimlico cake ($6.50).

Come on, Maryland, it is time!

Nigella's Bacon and Tomato Hash

I decided to start using up the many things that are just sitting and biding their time in my fridge, before they start molding over, with some Nigella love. Since I had all the ingredients for her bacon and tomato hash on hand (I saw this recipe yesterday on the Cooking Channel, mind you), I went ahead and made that. It turned out a little like the bacon wot that I made for the Great Grapes cooking contest in June, only wetter. It was also a great way to use up some of the tomatoes I got from my garden but haven't had time to do anything with yet.

Just take a few tablespoons of olive oil, heat, and add four thick slices of bacon cut into square pieces. Cook until kind of crispy. I added some more of that Berbere spice I just have lying around. Anyway, add two sliced cloves of garlic and two big juicy tomatoes. I also threw in a banana pepper or two from my garden just for extra flavor. Cook a few more minutes and serve. I am eating mine with rice and some roasted squash, and a bit of cilantro that went to flower. It's still good. You can eat the flowers, you know.

Food Network vs Cooking Channel

Lately when I'm in front of a TV with cable (which is not often)*, I find myself watching less and less of the Food Network, and more and more of the Food Net-affiliated Cooking Channel. I've been trying to suss out why I am liking the Cooking Channel so much more now. I recently hashed out why on Twitter:

Now why isn't Food Net showing half the stuff that the Cooking Channel is? Caribbean Food Made Easy? They need stuff like this!

The chef is cooking a stew of something with his little old Jamaican mama.

Ah, NOW I know why this'll never be on Food Net - this show is FOOD driven, not PERSONALITY driven.

Correction: FOOD and CULTURE driven. The chef is chatting up a little old Jamaican man reminiscing about the old country.

[We need] More UK cooking shows in the US!

Another thing I like about the shows on this net: they weave together a story. It's not just people yelling at the camera about food.

Eat THAT, Guy Fieri!

Correction: Food Net is most[ly] just people yelling, giggling, guffawing or schmoozing at the camera about food.

That must be why Nigella Lawson's show is now on the Cooking Channel instead of the Food Net. She didn't embarrass herself enough.

So this is the main conclusion I've come to: the Food Net is more personality driven, with food, whereas the Cooking Channel is more food driven, with personalities. Of course there are exceptions. Various Food Net shows end up on the Cooking Channel eventually, though it's not usually the BIG personalities - the Bobby Flays, the Paula Deens, the Guy Fieris, etcetera, and when Bobby does wind up there it's one of his less "in your face" offerings. Also, a small handful of the personalities on the Food Net really would fit in much better on the Cooking Channel. Ina Garten is that rare chef that would probably work best in either venue, as well as Giada DeLaurentiis to some extent. And some people just seem too flashy and flamboyant for the Cooking Channel altogether (qv Paula, Guy, Duff, etc., above).

I really have to stick by this FOOD/CULTURE vs PERSONALITY hypothesis. A lot of these Food Network shows really are more about the star making food, not so much food being made by the star (please try and convince me that Ace of Cakes, which I will always love, is about the cakes and not about Duff and Company - not that this is a bad thing since the show is meant to be about the people and not the food, but I digress). I think that's why we don't see Nigella Lawson on the Food Net so much anymore (thank God she's alive and well on the Cooking Channel, as is the woman who started it all, the late, great Julia Child).

And I think it's why NFNS winners like Dan Smith & Steve McDonough (who really got a raw deal I think with their cooking show) and Amy Finley (yes, a personality of cardboard but her food was lovely) were not the best fits for the Food Net while Guy "The Male Rachael Ray" Fieri was: Guy can make his shows about himself, while Dan, Steve and Amy really made it more about the food. It's also why I am continually surprised that somebody as unassuming and not-irritating as Ina Garten can remain on the Food Network. And yes, it's also why I am not at all surprised that Sandra Lee will always have a place at Tuschie and Sue's table.

Yes, this is why.

That leads me to my next hypothesis: so many of these Cooking Channel folks are not annoying people! You learn something about Caribbean food from Jamaican-British chef Levi Roots (of Caribbean Food Made Easy), and the hard-to-pigeonhole dishes from Montréal chef Chuck Hughes (of Chuck's Day Off). And Food Net cast-offs like Ingrid Hoffmann, Dave Lieberman and Michael "I was also on Top Chef Masters!" Chiarello have found comfy homes here, along with some of the more digestible and homey offerings by Bobby, Rachael and Emeril.

And as for Dan & Steve, the Hearty Boys? I only hope that handsome couple will get married in New England somewhere and settle down in a nice comfy neighborhood on the Cooking Channel.

* This is also why I no longer live-blog Top Chef or Next Food Network Star, and why I am blissfully oblivious to what is happening on either show. True, I miss out on the in jokes. But still, it's so nice to only pay $11 a month for your "limited-limited" basic cable. Especially when you watch so little of it at home.

Veggie Hari-Kiri

I will never be able to eat another vegetable so long as I live. (H/T the Amateur Gourmet via Twitter)

Pombe Ya N'Dizi: the Final Product

January 23, 2010, was the first day I set out to make pombe ya n'dizi, the Tanzanian banana wine that Dorinda Hafner showcases in her cookbook A Taste of Africa. Six months later I have it in front of me, bottled and in a glass. Out of the original six liters (about six quarts) of liquid I eventually got two wine bottles' worth of wine. I was never able to strain the clouds of dead yeast at the bottom of the bottle, and I worried about what this would do to the wine.


The result of my first winemaking experiment: the banana wine is definitely a dessert wine. It's a bit thicker than most other wines I have drunk. What else can I say? It's a thick and extremely sweet banana wine that drinks more like a banana liqueur than a banana wine. Be prepared for that if you make it. And again, set aside six months for the process.

Erm, BOILED cookies???

Only Jolene Sugarbaker, er, Sugarboiler? Aren't these more like no-bake Frigidaire cookies? I got the impression that there would be lumps of cookie dough dropped into a pot of boiling water. Well, that wouldn't have worked as well as this.

Camden Yards has to find SOME way to draw fans back...

Apparently, there is some new "all you can eat" section at the ball park. And it's not just here. This from Brett LoGiurato at the Sports Illustrated website.

The left-field sections at Camden Yards are part of the growing trend of all-you-can-eat style options in major league ballparks. At a cost of $40 per ticket in the section, fans are entitled to a buffet-style choice that includes all the above-mentioned foods and even salad -- you know, in case you are feeling guilty.

"It's a great deal, especially for the teams that aren't selling out every game," [interviewee Matthew] Cavalier said. "The Phillies, Yankees and all them are always going to be fine. They don't need to do this. But for fans of, say, this team, it's a good plan."

The Orioles aren't the only franchise attempting to boost attendance in slacking sections with the promotion. Nineteen of the 30 major league teams offer the all-you-can-eat seats at some games in 2010, up from 13 two years ago and six in 2007.

The last time I went to Camden Yards (that was about four years ago), I shuddered at having to pay $4 for a hot dog. $40!? Dude!

My Very Own Broccoli

Out of all the broccoli that I planted in my plot at Clifton Park - most of the seeds never even sprouted, and of the few that did, most got eaten by bugs - this little head was all I ended up with:


I grew it from a seedling I let start right outside. Three and a half months later, I fix it up. I figured it would probably be the best-tasting broccoli I had ever eaten.


And it was.

Rehoboth Beach... in Haiku

It's been a week since my visit to fabulously hot Rehoboth Beach - and a good long while since I posted anything in poetry format. So to help cope with the heat, a little silliness in haiku format.

My stay started at
The Rehoboth Guest House - a
Charming place to stay.

Dogfish Head Brew Pub

Dinner was Dogfish
Head Brewpub, one of my main
Reasons to go down.

So many beers, all
Mem'rable. But enough to
Cloud my brain a tad.

I must recommend
Their five dollar sampler of
Five beers with your meal.

With that I got the
Fried squid - crunchy, nice, although
Not too flavorful.

Alongside, their In-
dulgence burger (just nine bucks),
Piled with lots of stuff:

Cheddar, bacon, and
A fried onion ring - I asked
For it to be rare.

Flavorful, juicy,
A bit messy (duh) - quite good.
Get it if you can.

Walked to Double L,
One of the rare gay bars that
Has Guinness on tap.

What a cute couple,
Standing on the Boardwalk on
Drizzly Thursday morn.

The Bake Shoppe

Stopped by the Bake Shoppe
On Rehoboth Av for a
Croissant and a chat.

Crusty, happy guy
Who grew up in Baltimore
Told me about two

Women who baked pies
In his 'hood in South B'more
Back when he was young.

Baywatch: Delaware!

Lifeguards training in the sand.
Yum. I stared a bit.

And of course, I get
On the beach and it drizzles.
I still got sunburned :\

In contrast: what the
Trendy woman wore here a
Hundred years ago.

Also checked out an
Exhibit on Rehoboth's
Archaeology.

Leave it to me to
Go to the beach, and end up
In a museum.

Seafood Shack

For a post-beach lunch,
I stopped at the Seafood Shack
On Baltimore Av

With my Dos Equis,
Got a po'boy which was a
Three seafood sampler:

A mini-crabcake,
Three oysters, and two shrimps - for
all of thirteen bucks.

Po'boy did the job,
In a friendly setting not
Far from the Boardwalk.

Visit at night for
Music from lesbian and
Straight female singers!

Dogfish Head Brew Pub Part Two

On back to Dogfish,
For their down-scale brew pub tour
Free at 4:30

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays. No free samples
Like in Milton though.

Showed me their vodkas,
Including an intriguing
Peanut Butter one.

I had to try this.
A shot for five bucks tastes JUST
like peanut butter.

Finbar's Pub and Grill

However, dinner
Was at Finbar's - the locals'
Favorite for dinner.

The service, at first,
Was lacking. But I was helped
Eventually.

With a thick Guinness,
I got a big fish and chips
For seventeen bucks:

A humongous piece
Of Irish ale-battered cod
With a rémoulade.

The fish was tender,
And the batter not soggy.
Locals must love it!

While fries are often
A throwaway, these chips were
A nice complement.

Finbar's, by the way,
Is easy to find: Dogfish
Brew Pub is next door.

Blue Moon

Bookending dinner,
A visit to the Blue Moon,
So close to my room.

Dinner is pricey.
So I only went for their
Happy Hour at first.

After dinner, I
Returned to meet up with friends,
Watch karaoke.

Had yet more Dogfish:
Two (or three) Shelter Pale Ales,
But Happy Hour-priced.

And please check out the
Entertaining Pamala
Stanley at Blue Moon!

Late? Karaoke
With Mona Lotts (just don't sing
Off-key like some guys)

Finally found the
Fabled gay end of the beach
(and much eye candy...)

So nice to see gays
With their kids, even some straights,
Gay couples and groups.

If you're looking, it's
13 minute walk from there
To Rehoboth Av.

Hobo's Restaurant and Bar

For my send-off lunch,
Hobo's offered one very
Eye-popping option:

The place looks like they
Took Artscape and made it in-
to a restaurant.

My lunch: a combo
Quesadilla of blue crab
Mixed with melted brie.

For nine bucks, it is
Melted with arugula
And artichokes, too.

You would not think to
Mix crab and brie, but my God
What a great combo!

Topped with rémoulade
and red bell peppers, which made
The meal quite complete.

Of course, I had to
Stop at Dolle's for car'mel corn -
A six dollar tub.

And Candy Kitchen:
For a pound of fudge to take
Back for family.

Did I mention the
Eye-candy? I did. Just had
To revisit it.

No haiku verse here: this speaks for itself.