For starters, move-day was fine…for me. For the cat, not so much. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing that move-day was all about Moe. It was a good deterrent from my own I’m-leaving-everything-I-know freak-out. Moe was an absolute nightmare to get into his NWA-approved kennel. He was hissing, spitting, gurgling, swatting, biting, and other unidentifiable verbs. Going through security with him wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be. We found a wonderful security worker that works at a vet office on the side. She was able to inspect Moe’s kennel without actually removing him from the kennel (we had a fear that if we were required to take him out, he would escape and take out some eyeballs on the way). On the flight, he did okay: only howling with elevation changes. We hit turbulence on the decline, and I felt like howling myself. Once at the apartment, he hid behind the toilet for eight hours, finally coming out at 4:00 in the morning to walk over my head while I was sleeping.
Needless to say, Day 1 was all about Moe.
Yesterday, T took the day off from work to help me get situated. We spent the morning trying to get Moe to shit and piss in his litter box. Success! I had to work on homework while T had to watch football, or golf, or something. I braved the streets solo to buy a few groceries for lunch. That afternoon, I accompanied T via subway to the urgent care center in Time Square to have a sty treated. He has been battling it for a week without any signs of improvement. From there, we walked home (from 50th to 93rd and Broadway). I think that was around a 2-mile walk. It was fun to see how the neighborhoods transitioned along the way. After cooking an awesome supper (meatballs, salmon, toast, and Brussels sprouts), we powered through an Office marathon on TBS.
Today, T went back to work. I spent the morning flat-ironing my hair and watching Sin Nombre, quite possibly the most intense, heart-breaking film I’ve seen in a while. I’ve been considering taking on a new look in NYC. I’m not sure why, but I think it is a weird, instinctual response to moving to a foreign place. My wardrobe is somewhat limited because the movers won’t deliver our stuff until Friday.
I worked on homework for a few hours and then decided to take a walk and do some exploring. Before conquering all of New York, I would first like to conquer my neighborhood. After today’s experience, that is a feat in and of itself. I probably was only within a 5-block radius in every direction from the apartment, but by weaving throughout most of these blocks, I was gone for 2 hours. It’s really difficult to take in my surroundings here. I felt like I was caught up in a school of fish, forced to walk quickly and directly, barely absorbing the local businesses, eateries, buildings, etc. I found the new Whole Foods on 97th and Columbus that has a wonderful wine shop attached to it. I bought some bargain Spanish wines. As I was heading back to Broadway, within 20 seconds, I had a man approach me and say, “You are so fucking beautiful.” And as I rounded the corner, there stood an elderly woman staring up at a giant statue of the Virgin Mary, deep in prayer in the middle of the sidewalk (the woman, not Mary, though I suppose the VM is always deep in prayer). Still high from the aggressive compliment, I nearly collided with her. I also overheard a man negotiating with his pot-dealer on his cell phone (“Dude, I will pay for a sample first. I got cash!”). Ahhhhh. New York. It’s a shameless city.
Before returning to the apartment, I grabbed a slice of pizza from the local Hot and Crusty. When I got back, Moe was hiding in the bathroom again. In fact, he is still there. I kind of like the new Moe—quiet and shy as opposed to aggressive and loud.
I will spend the rest of the evening working on homework. I was supposed to buy a mop today, but was too over-stimulated during my escapade to find a store that sells mops. A mop purchase will probably be added to my evening itinerary.
I’d love to hear from everyone. I had a brief moment of home-sickness on yesterday’s subway ride down to Time Square.
Wine has been made and drank for thousands of years. Obviously we are not the first nor the last to love this lovely drink. The smell the look and the taste. But how to drink it? When to drink it and of course what to drink it with? Those are questions we all ask.
Wine has changed through out history and is changing still today. But really why do we love wine? Is the ability sit with friends ponder the ideas of life?
I do know having a meal with friends breaking bread and popping a cork is something I enjoy once or twice a month. The Wine Club allows me to help others to do the same thing.
On July 1st, Mead’s @ Karma Resort opened it’s doors. The theme is casual upscale, fresh fish from the market and friendly service. The ambiance is warm with a baby grand piano with live music every evening. The price balance is terrific. The Menu is diverse with something for everyone.
The secret weapon is our new ‘Oyster Lounge’ with a share tapas menu and a range of fresh oysters. The Oyster lounge is perfect for private dining, small weddings, and cooking classes. It’s fresh and cool, looking over our beautiful resort pool.
For more information on Meads @ Karma http://www.karmajimbaran.com/meads-at-karma/
Reservations: wmead@karmaresorts.com
As all Spanish cities, Barcelona has very passionate people, and they are passionate about several things among them soccer, all Barcelonan people root for the Barca or Barcelona soccer team whose worst opponent is the Real Madrid form Spain’s capital City. And when these two teams play against each other the heat really turns up and the fans get really worked up. They go and cheer their team and if it loses it ruins the rest of the day for them. Soccer game on Sundays is a family and friends event where everyone is cheering on eating “tapas” and drinking wine, even grandmothers are very into it. The other thing that arises so passionate discussions is politics and how to fix the Spanish government whom o of course is to blame for all the problems in Catalonia. Dancing is another event you can’t miss when visiting Spain on your next vacation trip.
SEX BY THE GLASS
Eight Short Stories of Wine und Sex By Ivan Loyola
“Let me introduce you to the world of Shiraz”. The woman standing in front of me was tall, prepossessing, self confident to the point of being aggressive and definitely red, both in hair and personality, fiery and determined, voluptuous and with an unlikely touch of spice showing through the mischievous glint of her tea-green eyes. Her accent was thick as the wine she poured for me in the long-stemmed chalice she held in a hand that had less of a hand than of an eagle’s claw. It fashioned a gold band around one of its fingers, which made me think she was married, which she was, although, as I would understand later, in her own words, “it didn’t matter”.
I had met her a month earlier, at a wine tasting to which I, a firm believer in European lager when times were good and local piss when cash -strapped, was dragged by a friend whose girlfriend had left him a few days earlier. “The bitch” he growled “went for this young uneducated buck who struck it rich working in construction”. He paused and looking distant he mumbled “the damn Olympic Games.” Hmm…. I thought my friend might’ve been a bit jealous. I knew he had applied –without luck- for a couple of jobs in the booming construction industry of Vancouver’s first decade of the third millennium. “Wine tasting? Fuck that”, I said, with a resolve that only a Neocon willing to launch a bombing campaign on a Muslim nation could boast. “I’m not drinking that stuff, it gives me headaches”, I added, thinking myself out of the hook. “Sorry man” he said, with a confidence that reminded me of the monies I owed him. “Tomorrow you’re supposed to pay back the interest. I could forgo it if you come”. I didn’t have a bargaining chip. “Ok”, I said. “With the condition that we will go and drink ourselves silly with beer before hitting the snob crowds”. “No problem”, he grinned. As it usually happens in my life, I had let somebody else decide for me.
The great 1998 Australian Shiraz wine tasting. That is where I met Jennifer Audrey Sarah Wilkinson, the potent red beauty that kept looking at me with piercing eyes while I sipped the mesmerizing, ruby red liquid. The Convention Centre at Canada place gleamed like a jewel under the twilight of that wondrous summer night. I looked at the reddish stuff, feeling like a sacrificial lamb. I took a deep breath and lifting the glass, I tried to detach from myself, in the way prostitutes are instructed to do while exercising the trade of the flesh. “Wait!” She said, with a commanding energy in her voice that would have been impossible not to obey. Her hand grabbed my forearm and removed the glass from my hand, with the simultaneous determination and gentleness that only the daughters of Aphrodite can wield, either as a weapon or a charm, depending on the situation. Tall enough to lean over the table she pulled me toward her, putting her mouth a few inches from my ear. A whiff of eucalyptus came off her hair, a scent that –I would find later- was the hallmark of her favorite Australian shampoo brand. “First you have to swirl it” she whispered, or I thought she did, half drunk as I was. “Yeah, just like that, give it a few good swirls”. Her voice was now soft and velvety, her eyes followed the circular motion of her hand holding the glass. One would have said she was enamored with the whole ritual. She looked at me with all the intensity of her eyes, the green tea tone of her irises highlighted by the dark mascara she had artfully applied. This I learned later, when dating a Mediterranean woman who, in spite of her rather paltry beauty, made herself into a radiant female through the masterful use of make up. I tried the swirling myself, clumsily, my hand going back and forth in a choppy fashion. Then something incredible happened. “Hold on” she said, and her hand landed on mine, and holding the glass together she showed me what she meant. “See, it’s easy if you just do it gently, from one side to the other, in wide open circles, just like that”. As she said this I felt the warm pressure of her hand on my knuckles, the dexterity of her wrist bending mine back and forth as we swirled, together. In that moment I knew this woman who insisted to be called by all three given names would teach me much more than just wine tasting. Or at least, that is what I thought. What do you see? She asked me. I looked up and saw her healthy, beautifully layered hair. Red and thick? I ventured. She stared at me approvingly. “A quick learner, aren’t you?”. She was talking not about wine, I figured, but about herself, and so was I. Soon I would learn the joys and sorrows of drinking Australian Shiraz….
As promised, I have an interesting wine to analyze from the past weekend. I tried to “think outside the box”- here’s what I came up with…
So I was strolling through the mall after completing a graduate research assignment when I stumbled upon the Elk Creek Vineyard store. Given my affinity for wine, I had to stop in for a glance.
After a couple taste tests, I decided on their Cabernet Sauvignon labelled Bone Dry Red. Haven’t heard of it? Well, if you live outside the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, that’s no surprise. The vineyard is located in Owenton, Kentucky about 45 minutes from Cincinnati. While certainly not the metropolis of fine wines, I was impressed with the complexity of this wine. Price point: $19.99. Wine rating: 8.5-9.
I served this wine with steak marinated in Dale’sseasoning, french bread with olive oil/basil/parmesan cheese, and a caesar salad. An excellent pairing for this bold wine.
The days are getter shorter, the leaves are turning color, and the nights are getting noticeably cooler. This means the traditional shift from white wines to red. You’re bound to see more write-ups on hearty reds in the months ahead.
Wine tip: In order to bring out more fruit flavors in red wine, chill the wine for 25-30 minutes prior to serving.
The fact that we long for more than we have says some things about us. The intensity with which we long for it, this says some things too.
Not of all of the things that our longing says are things to be proud of. There is the implication that we’re spoiled and whiney, for example.
But there is something else about the fact that we have this belief that things are not the way that they were meant to be. And while this maybe isn’t something to be proud of, it certainly isn’t something to be ashamed of, either.
We have this feeling that we were made for something more! Have you ever stopped and thought about that? On the whole, I’m skeptical of blindly following feelings wherever they may take us. That’s not what I’m advocating here.
I’m not saying that the fact of our longing must mean we have a right to more. I’m wondering why we feel this way at all. When we watch the news and watch the terrible unfairness, the rampant unjustness. When we end a long, thankless day, so very bone-weary, but so far from soul satisfied. When we do the right thing, and then get burned for it.
We know it’s not supposed to be that way.
On the other hand, there are times when everything just falls into place. Some times it’s not something we even can put words to, or explain why. Often times we chase after recreating these times, losing track of the fact that the spontaneity is what made it so amazing in the first place.
We get this sense, some times, that this is how things are supposed to be.
This is different than greed, entitlement, and materialism. When life is not good, it is like water. And when it at it’s best, it is like wine.
Wine Riot took place at the John J. Moakley Courthouse. Vendors were set up on two floors. Thanks to Anulfo for the great pictures!
The definition of riot is “a wild or turbulent disturbance created by a large number of people” and “unrestrained merrymaking; revelry.” My favorite definition is simply “debauchery.” On Saturday I attended Wine Riot. Not surprisingly, there was a large number of people participating in revelry and debauchery. The organizers of Wine Riot touted it as a wine tasting for the unpretentious drinker in search of affordable wine. I still had my suspicions. Would I really feel comfortable in a room full of wine experts? Would they really not judge me for lacking the vocabulary of wine snobs?
The first booth I approached answered my concerns. I went to the Hellas Import Limited booth and asked the guy to tell me about the 2004 Cambas Winery Nemea Reserve. He responded, ‘dry.’ He didn’t tell me about the grapes. He didn’t tell me about the soil or the climate. He just said ‘dry.’ It actually said ‘dry’ on the bottle so he wasn’t giving me new information. At first I was a little taken aback, a little disappointed. I must admit, even though I detest the snobbery associated with wine, I like learning about it. Was this ‘unpretentious’ wine tasting actually going to be unpretentious?
Even though my first experience was casual and welcoming, my insecure self still needed to learn something. So I attended one of the Crash Courses about inexpensive French wines. Here I took notes feverishly and wrote down every word spoken by the gray haired man with British twang. But still, the information presented was more about the brand, the history of the winery, the name’s origination. When we tasted the wine, we were asked one question: ‘do you like it?’
Wines from my first crash course on tasty and inexpensive French wines
This theme, to relay information about the brand, the name, etc. and encourage attendees to rely on our own authority continued throughout the evening. One vendor discussed the winery owner’s background as a single mom in California. Every booth was most interested in what I tasted, in whether I liked it, not in telling me what notes I should be tasting. Plus, these wines were affordable. One brand, Yellow+Blue Wines, offers organic wines in eco-friendly packaging for only $10.99. The Torrontes was amazing – it tasted clean, fresh. Any lingering disappointment from not learning viticulture and viniculture soon dissipated. By fostering a new foundation of authority, my own taste buds, this wine tasting encouraged me to just taste and enjoy.
This proved to be a good thing because I wouldn’t have learned much past 8 o’clock anyway. That was when I attended another Crash Course and soon realized I stopped making intelligent notes on the wine. I got a little louder and asked obnoxious questions, interrupting the Downtown Wine and Spirits wine guru, Jeff. Instead of writing things like ‘hint of cherry’ or ‘honeysuckle on the nose’ (like I was for the first two hours of Wine Riot), I scribbled shapes and squiggles that resembled cavemen etchings. My ability to describe what I was tasting deteriorated to ‘fucking amazing.’ I followed the vendors’ directions – I didn’t worry about saying the ‘right’ things. I tasted and enjoyed, perhaps to excess.
I returned to see Jeff for a third crash course at 9pm. Everything that happened in that fourth hour seemed to fall into a black hole. I quit looking for the wines in my booklet. I gave up on the nonsensical scribbles. I talked and talked to the vendors, not retaining a word of what they said. I was a bit wild, a tad turbulent, and completely unrestrained in my merrymaking. Basically, I was riotous. But then again, I think that was the point.
“Twilight in the Bronx” has been accepted into “A Quilters Gathering” in Nashua, NH and will also be in the Dutchess Heritage Quilt Show in Poughkeepsie. I’ll be at the DHQC on the Sunday so that I can pick up my quilt and get it ready to go to Nashua.
My sweetie and I are celebrating 17 years of marriage today. Our celebration started on Friday with a trip to Gabrielsons in Jamesport with a good friend to get mums. Since we have the bigger vehicle and can carry more plants we drove. Dh and I purchased 8 mums and hopefully the weather will cooperate to plant them this week. The mums are gorgeous and reasonably priced.
Gabrielsons is a family run farm that grows the mums locally in Jamesport. While its a bit of a hike it’s well worth the trip.
I’ll post more mums later this week. I have loads of photos of them and did quite a few macro shots. The detail of color is quite inspiring.
While we were out on Long Island we took the opportunity to get to a few wineries. Macari on the recommendation of our friends. They have some fab wines. I really liked their reds. Hands down the Long Island reds are way better than anything I’ve had upstate NY with the exception of the Pinot Noirs from the Niagara Escarpment.
The next vineyard we visited is Roanoak Vineyards in Riverhead, NY. We arrived on a very special day. Gabby, the owners dad celebrated his birthday and the release of their new Cabernet Franc named in honor of Gabby. Gabby worked the 12 rows of vines this vintage came from and the effort payed off big!!!! If you’re into reds this is one worth buying a case and seeing how it blossoms and grows over the next 8 years or so. My sweetie got Gabby to autograph a bottle for us – something to be treasured for sure!
This is our friend Mary – she’s the one who told us about Gabrielsons and has just been a great friend for a long time.
While we were drinking this bottle of wine Gabby came out and we shared some of this Cabernet Franc with Gabby. That was the highlight of our day. One thing I need to remember to do on autumn days is to bring a jacket. It got breezy and chilly out here.
On my last trip to France, I spent a few days at my cousin’s house in Savigny-les-Beaune in Burgundy. It’s always a joy for me to visit her, because I get to experience country living at its best, surrounded by the best foods and wines in the world. Her husband Patrick Bize is the 4th generation winemaker of Simon Bize et Fils, which for me means a 15 second walk down to their wine cellar for unlimited access to their wines, 24 hours a day. My cousin, who is an excellent cook, made simple but hearty and delicious meals for me every day to complement their beautiful wines. Here are some photos of the good life in wine country…
Horse plowing the vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin
Wine aging in the cellar
Bottles aging in the cellar
Wine labels
Wine labels
One of the first lunches that my cousin cooked for me was Poulet de Bresse baked in the oven with house white wine. All foods and desserts that require wine are cooked only with their Bize wine. The last time I visited them, she cooked an outstanding coq au vin with 2 bottles of their pinot noir. Although it seems like such a luxury from my point of view, this is ordinary daily life for winemakers. What a life!
Poulet de Bresse in house white wine
Poulet de Bresse, given an AOC status, is the most prized chicken in France. Everything from rearing to quality of soil, from diet to slaughtering, is strictly regulated to maintain its famous gamey yet tender and delicate fatty flavor.
Poulet de Bresse
The Bresse chicken dish she made me was garnished with a simple cream and mustard grain sauce (using Dijon mustard, of course- Dijon is only about an hour drive away), accompanied with fava beans sautéed in butter and baguette from the boulangerie down the street. I was lucky enough to score the tender chicken foie, while my cousin enjoyed the gizzard.
Poulet de Bresse with its foie, fava beans and baguette
One afternoon my cousin dropped us off in the middle of the forest, telling us that we needed to forage for our dinner. This forest was her secret place to pick wild asparagus, les asperges sauvages, which I had never even heard of until then. In this dense, dark, cool and quiet forest, we diligently picked these long and thin wild asparagus stalks in silence. They were quite abundant, and I was so excited to be able to forage for my own food. It’s such a wonderful experience to be able to see where your food comes from, and to be able to enjoy the fruits of your own labor.
Wild asparagus
I blanched the asparagus in boiling salt water, then tossed them with spaghetti, sea salt and olive oil. It was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had.
Spaghetti avec les asperges sauvages
One of their winemakers brought over a basket of freshly picked baby greens from his garden, which he dressed with a simple viniagrette. We enjoyed these fresh vegetables with terrine de foie de lapin (rabbit liver terrine) and an award winning jambon persilles (ham with parsley) from Beaune. Paired with never-ending supplies of their house wine, this al fresco family dinner was one of the most memorable meals in my life.
Fresh garden greens with Bize wine
Jambon persilles avec terrine de foie de lapin
On another evening, we gathered on the terrace to watch the sunset with a bottle of 1999 Moët et Chandon rosé and grujere, which is a type of cheese bread. The inside of the bread was soft and doughy with a subtle and elegant cheese flavor.
Champagne toast with grujere
Grujere cheese bread
My cousin made a delicious tuna, onion and tomato quiche one day. Everything is made from scratch here, with great love and care. Her dried cherry tart was also fantastic- freshly picked cherries that were sun dried on the terrace.
Tuna, tomato and onion quiche
Dried cherry tart
For my last dinner, she pulled out the good stuff. Burgundy escargot with garlic and butter, and house made duck leg confit. The escargot were succulent and juicy, and the duck confit had perfectly crispy skin covering tender meat that fell right off the bones.
Burgundy escargots ready to go into the oven
House made duck leg confit
Other dishes that she made include asparagus soup and strawberries marinated in house red wine. Oh, and don’t forget the cheeses. Every meal concluded with the obligatory assortment of French cheeses. My favorite was the Epoisse, perfectly stinky and incredibly creamy. My time in Savigny-les-Beaune was magical, beautiful and happy. Everything was prepared with great care and detail. Every night we would gather around the table as the kids talked about how their school day went and Patrick about his predictions for this year’s harvest. With laughter abound, delicious food filling our content bellies, and Patrick returning every half hour with yet another bottle of wine, mealtime was always a place of love and warmth. Although I enjoyed my dining experience in Paris, from local bistros to high end restaurants, the food that I had at my cousin’s house was truly priceless. I miss them so much…
Hurray! We’ve finally found a worthy wine in my Quest! I decided to try Australia today, a country that, while I personally love it, it can be a bit clouded by oak. Today, I noticed the unoaked chardonnay and had to try it. Thank goodness I did!
The Preston Vale Chardonnay from Western Australia is a lovely version of a crisp Chardonnay. Many American Chardonnay lovers (and haters) think of the super oaky, buttery, toasty Chardonnay. While I like some oak, I don’t want it to overwhelm the natural flavors of the grape. The Preston Lane does a lovely job of highlighting this.
While this is a very very pale straw, or, as my friend said, “It looks like flat ginger ale,” this is just a good reflection of the lack of oaking. The nose is of lemon, lime zest and ripe cantaloupe. The mouth is light, nicely balanced with refreshing but not overwhelming acidity. It tastes of the citruses and a little cantaloupe and green apple. A nice tasting, balanced wine. Thank you Australia and… finally a thanks to the PLCB.
Monestevole Restaurant, Formerly Osteria di Giottoli, Umbria
Last night we went for dinner at Monestevole, a restaurant in the beautiful Umbrian countryside between Preggio and Umbertide. You may have passed Monestevole if have done the Migianella Long Walk from my book, Circular Walks On The Tuscany Umbria Border.
The owners, Alessio and Valeria Giottoli, have recently moved their Osteria di Giottoli restaurant to this location from nearby Polgetto, a hamlet on the road between Preggio and Umbertide.
The previous restaurant at Polgetto was always great value, it served a fixed menu at €20 a head, house wine included, and often had live music at the weekend. The new location differed from that at Polgetto; instead of a cavernous interior the dining area is spread across a cosy series of rooms within the large building in which Alessio and Valeria live. In the summer, diners will have use a large garden with a huge stone built barbecue.
Crostata With Chicken Liver Topping
After drinking an aperitivo by a roaring log fire we headed into one of the rooms where our table was laid.
We started with a great selection of antipasti, traditional crostini with chicken liver topping, grilled melanzane (aubergine), potato frittata, prosciuto crudo and some superb pecorino cheese served with chestnut honey.
Dessert was a pice of sponge cake served with espresso coffee and afterwards a selection of digestivi, grappa and the bittersweet alcoholic liqueurs that Italians are so fond of and I am starting finally to enjoy! Alessio is a well known character in Umbertide, he plays in a band and his family run several businesses in the town, he and Valeria make eating out at Monestevole a really welcoming experience.
The whole meal came to €30 a head, €25 for the food and €5 for the assorted wines that we had sampled.
To book a table at Monestevole, telephone 0039 331 271 6970 or 333 884 3242
See the Location of Monestevole Restaurant, Umbria (Opens Google Maps)
Tuscany Villas, Tuscany Agritourism
You can eat at the Monestevole Restaurant when you holiday on the Tuscany Umbria border. Gorgacce Rentals have a selection of self catering holiday accommodation in this beautiful part of central Italy, visit their web site http://www.tuscanyumbria.com/ for Large Tuscany Villas, Small Tuscany Villas, Tuscany Farmhouses, Tuscany Agritourism and Tuscany Bed and Breakfast apartments, all with swimming pools. Also, look at our Cortona Apartment, Tuscany and Spello Apartments, Umbria. Whether you are looking for a Luxury Tuscany Villa or budget Tuscany Agritourism Apartments you will find suitable accommodation for your vacation in Tuscany and Umbria.
So, I am all messed up today I guess. This day was one of the most stressful days in the last few weeks. When I went to see Amanda, I was not able to really think straight. And I am starting to build up these thoughts. I want to think that I am traumatized. I start believing that I am not aware of something from my past. I mean, that maybe something must have happened to me at some point in my life, that I have tried to forget or repress. But at the same time I think, that I just try to construct something in order to have something or eventually someone to blame. I mean, I remember that I always wished I was already 18 and able to leave home. I remember how I always wished I was adopted. But I am not. I remember all these stupid thoughts…. and also…
What, if this whole Bulimia was a Choice? My choice?
Wasn’t it me who decided one day to throw up? Wasn’t it the same me who then sticked to it?
What if I have just been stupid like that?
Ha, Amanda banned that word today. She said I was not allowed to use it anymore beyond the point I enter her office… And she also said something like Bulimics were smart or bright, well, I know differently, and maybe it is just that she has to say it, that it is a kind of therapeutic tool. I need to research that.
But I remember that when I was younger and read about Anorexia in youth mag’s, they said, that anorexics were determined, smart, with a strong will, perfectionists and all that. All because they reached the goal of losing weight. So I eventually interpreted bulimia as the opposite. And although I would not identify myself as sick, I would identify myself as bulimic and thus minor, and especially stupid, simply because I never lost weight, never achieved my goals and in addition I was not even consciously aware of what i was really doing to myself.
And if even a bulimic doesn’t get it… how will someone else.
I feel like I need to write a book about it, but at the same time I guess, I feel like no one will read it, for there are too many on it already. No one is interested in more stuff like that.
But, I have been writing…
I started an email to my mom. I am not sure if I will really send it, but there is still a chance I could hit the “send” button on accident when I am drunk. Since I still can’t let go of alcohol. Drank a bottle of wine tonight… purged it, too. Feel awful.
We went to Aix where we went to what I thought was going to be the Monet-Cezanne exhibit, but it turned out it was Picasso and Cezanne. Let me tell you, I was extremely disappointed.
Not to offend or step on any toes, but Picasso is not my favorite artist. Nor is Cezanne. I was reminded of Papa Joe once again, because I once found this calender that was paintings from the master artists. He had he had written all over all of the art in the calender and on the one of Cezanne’s landscape (I believe it was this one):
and he wrote, “I could paint a better dreary sky.”
But other than that, we walked around, went into some lovely fabric stores, art supplies store (where I bought a really amazing pen and some beautiful ink to write letters and draw with!) and I also bought two books. One of them is just the most beautiful book I’ve probably ever seen. They are french children books. Here they are all wrapped up with a finished (and once delicious cafe au lait).
And this fabric store was so expensive and I didn’t buy anything, but I sure was tempted to. Luckily I got to buy some fabric from another (but less cute) fabric store.
So it has been a fun but exhausting day.
Last night we went to Cafe du France and celebrated my birthday because my actual birthday turned out being a not so awesome day. But last night was fun. We had some wine and then had a dance party back at our house. I love all the girls I’m living with! Here are 4 out of the 7 other girls I’m currently sharing a house with.
That’s Lexi, Kara, Megan, and Caitlin. All fibers girls.
Não é todo dia que temos a grande oportunidade de degustar um vinho medalha de ouro, com merecidos 90 pontos RP. Hoje tive esse imenso prazer. Abri uma garrafa que estava reservada por algum tempo em minha adega. Estava guardando para uma ocasião especial, mas meu desejo, combinado a uma imensa curiosidade, contribuiu para a decisão de abri-lo antes da hora. Uma coisa posso dizer, não estou nem um pouco arrependido. Antes do primeiro gole, tive certeza que havia me deparado com um vinho branco nobre, com uma intensa presença aromática de maçã madura, notas de mel e leve petrolato típico da variedade. Na boca, percebe-se intensidade do sabor frutado e uma acidez perfeitamente integrada ao álcool, o que resulta em um vinho carnudo e de sabor persistente. Degustei esse vinho sem nenhum acompanhamento gastronômico, mas devido a suas características, tenho certeza que esse vinho seria perfeito para harmonizar uma saborosa lagosta. Caso alguém já tenha feito essa ou outras combinações, fique a vontade para deixar um comentário. http://migre.me/7vkG
If you tuned in last week, you saw I will be posting a new design series called Style Chic. Last week, I presented a photo as inspiration. Often times, a room in a couples house is a true insight on their personality, and they normally don’t look there! Try and pull away from magazines such as The Knot or Martha Stewart Weddings that tell you what kind of couple you are. Look to each other as inspiration for something truly unique. For this Style Chic No. 1, I took this totally hip and modern room shot from Crate & Barrel. Here is the photo from last week.
The wedding suite I designed consisting of an Invitation, belly band and RSVP card. I love working with different color palettes. I took the cream, black and purple tones as my palette. There are so many combination’s that can come from from this including the silver from the wall, but I wanted something a little different. I also took the pattern from the pillow and incorporated it on the belly band. Perfect!
I created a custom monogram to layer on the belly band to really give some punch and brand the couple. I used an ivory cream linen card stock to add some richness and flat printed them. These could just as well be letterpressed! I would pair these with gorgeous ivory cream envelopes and a custom rubber stamp. *wink
The accompanying RSVP card. Clean and sophisticated.
Last night I went with some friends to a new place in Madrid called La Gabinoteca. It’s a modern tapas bar with some very cool and original ideas.
La Gabinoteca
The wine list is very different than in most places, specially in Spain where wine lists tend to be quite boring with very little originality. La Gabinoteca has made choosing wine into a “game”, based on things you like. You start by choosing between two statements: classic or modern, and from there you keep narrowing down the choices based what you like to do on the weekends, favourite famous character, and other fun queries. It is such a different and interesting way to choose wine!
Wine list
For dinner we had tortillitas de camarones, Iberian ham, manchego cheese and a version of a Spanish omelette I’d never had, it was liquid and it came in a jar. It was awesome!!
Tortillitas de camarones, Iberian ham and Manchego cheese
Opening the jar with the Spanish omelette
La Gabinoteca´s style Spanish Omelette
If you come to Madrid, I highly recommend this experience!
How would you like to spend the entire month of October sipping wine on the Mediterranean and munching on Southern French cuisine? While taking a month off of work for a French rendezvous is most likely impossible, you can get a taste of the Mediterranean lifestyle right here in New York City. The Languedoc-Roussillon, France’s most diverse wine-producing region, will bring their products to New York’s restaurants, wine bars, and wine shops for the “Festival Sud de France.”
Each neighborhood from Astoria to the Upper West Side, and even parts of Connecticut, has several spots to hit up throughout the month. I have included a list of the participating businesses in a few of the neighborhoods below:
East Village (near space for lease 83 E. 7th Street): Astor Wines, Discovery Wines, Hearth Restaurant, Jules Bistro, and Terrior
Tribeca (near space for lease 50 Hudson Street): Capsouto Freres, Cercle Rouge, Maslow 6
Upper West Side (near space for lease 2626 Broadway): 67 Wine & Spirits, Bacchus Wine Store, Bar Boulud, French Roast Uptown, Gotham Wines & Liquors, Nice Matin
If just tasting isn’t enough for you, a week of wine and food courses will be taking place October 5-9. Course participation is $25, and you can register at www.festival-suddefrance.com/ny.
I don’t think there ever will be an end to this kind of record-setting. Records can have significant impact on what can take place in the real world and they also can be a waste of time. They should qualify if a new record can be of any value by being set. They can just a waste of time.
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185-Pound Burger Earns Title of ‘World’s Biggest’
Go big or go home … hungry.
Read the Post http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/18/185-pound-burger-earns-title-of-worlds-biggest/
The day began with breakfast at Cafe La Biela, Avenida Quinatana 596, just 5 blocks from our hotel. This was a favorite watering hole for racecar drivers in the 1950’s. Displayed on the walls are their tools and equipment as well as photographs of famous racers and their cars. There is a wonderful old bar inside and a comfortable terrace outside to watch “the world go by.”
Terry in background viewing photographs and racecar parahernalia
After breakfast we began exploring the cobblestone streets, lined with shops and restaurants. We were taken by the cow at the restaurant-bar Montana. Ancient gum trees like the one below were full of green leaves, even in winter. The tree in the photo is similar to the tree on the terrace at La Biela.
At a fabulous leather store, Peter Kent located on Avenida Alvear 1820, Cary bought a wonderful red leather purse. We continued our walk to a liquor store (very important find!), where we learned about the wines produced in the province of Mendoza. Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest wine producer and is best known for the red Malbec and the dry white Torrontes wines. Cary snapped a picture of a very expensive bottle of Malbec (see below). Interestingly, Malbec grapes grow better in Argentina than in the southeast of France. The store owner told us that good years for Malbec were 2002, 2004 and 2006. We each bought our husband a bottle of 2004 Bodega Catena Zapata-Malbec wine (also recommended) which was carefully wrapped to go into our checked suitcase; (having had the experience on a previous shopping trip in France of having a wonderful bottle confiscated by security from our carry-on….duh,the liquid limit). We are already planning a visit to the Argentine wine country on our next visit.
We then stumbled into the most amazing bookstore, Ateneo Grand Splendid on Avenida Santa Fe, a former theater with the coffee shop on the stage!
After our busy day of wanderings we made our way back to our hotel. We passed a not uncommon sight–there are professional dog walkers (paseadores) who walk 10 – 25 well behaved dogs.
Its been miserable here lately, raining almost every day for the last 4 or 5 weeks.
Its not supposed to do that, I’m sure someone in immigration said when I first arrived here that the sun always shines. I mean, how am I supposed to “throw another shrimp on the barbie” if its under 3 feet of water? And as for “where the bloody hell are you?” well, I’m over here, under cover, sheltering from the pouring rain.
But today, we have sun. And its pretty warm too. Well, its not actually warmer than any other day really, it just feels it as the sun’s out.
I had a long chat on Skype to one of my friends that I used to work with at BEA/Oracle this afternoon (Hi Christie, if you’re reading this) – was really ace to catch up – its been more than I year since I last saw him – not sure if I’ve spoken to him since either – but it seems like yesterday since we were last nattering. Awesome. I do miss my old work crowd, there were a really good bunch of guys. So, here’s to you, ex-BEA friends!
I love Skype. Its the best damn invention ever and I still cant believe its free to make calls like this – I would have thought that skype would have started making small charges (and to be honest, I wouldnt mind paying either, its so useful) but actually very little apart from the quality has changed over the years. So yeah, chatting away – it seems to UK is still functioning without me, but I’m glad everyone I used to work with seems ok, a little battered by the recession, but basically ok.
So, back to the sunshine. What am I going to do with it?
Sit outside with a nice glass of red wine and relax, thats what
Since it always seems so difficult to pick out birthday presents, going out to a nice meal has become our default gift. My wife chose Emeril’s Chop House at the Sands casino in Bethlehem to celebrate her birthday last weekend. They’ve removed the phone number from the website – instead directing you to OpenTable.com to book your reservation. While it’s always reassuring to make a reservation with an actual person, web reservation sites let you see what times are available. I originally tried to book a table for Saturday but nothing was available between 5 and 10pm. Yikes. Friday’s options were 6:45 and 9:15. We went with the 6:45. That Emeril’s was so booked up was a fair indication that the food would to be good. We’d heard from a friend who attended the restaurant’s opening that the food was so-so. We optimistically assumed they just hadn’t worked out all of the kinks. Then my mom chimed in that the food was “too salty” at the Emeril’s in Las Vegas, though my dad said otherwise. We were undeterred!
We forgot the camera but snagged some inferior pics on my wife’s phone. I’ll post them if I can clean them up in Photoshop.
They started us with some toasts covered with a mouthwatering mushroom paté. I ordered a half-bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and my wife had their sangria – a delicious mix with a subtle taste of cloves. It took a while for the waiter to return to take our food order, but that was our only criticism of the night. We started with salads – the iceberg wedge slathered in Pennsylvania blue cheese for me and the grilled peach and chevre salad for my wife. Both were great – fresh and flavorful. And mine was so filling that I got a bit nervous knowing I had a 22oz ribeye on the way! My wife had the shrimp arrabbiata for her entrée.
Their steaks are accompanied by 3 sauces including bearnaise, Worcestershire, and horseradish. They were good but the steak was seasoned and cooked so well that I used the sauces only sparingly. Side dishes must be ordered separately, but I wanted to save room for dessert.
I was excited to see Penn State Creamery ice cream on the menu and was definitely going to get the Bittersweet Mint if it was one of the selections. It wasn’t (though they did have Peachy Paterno) so we shared the coconut cream pie. Yummm.
We had a great night and highly recommend it. The decor is great, the waitstaff was professional and the food was top notch. It was one of the pricier meals we’ve had in a while (though my steak and wine threw off the curve) but i can confidently say that we got our money’s worth.
Over Labor Day weekend we broadcast my KSRO radio show, “The Good Food Hour” (on the air for 22 years now, tune in on Saturday’s from 11 – Noon Pacific at www.ksro.com) at the Sonoma Showcase, part of the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend annual event.
We had an amazing guest lineup including Kate MacMurray, daughter of actor Fred and host for this event at MacMurray Ranch in the Russian River AVA. This is one of the best wine and food events that I’ve ever been a part of and if you haven’t had a chance to go in the past, put it on your calendar for Labor Day weekend 2010!
Rainbow Ranch Lodge is a small lodge on the side of the Gallatin River about 5 miles south of Big Sky, MT. I haven’t been there in a few years, mainly because the restaurant burned down. Small technicality… The last year or two, the hotel part has been running, but, the restaurant was being rebuilt. I had only been there a couple of times before the fire, and I remember the Lodge serving good food with professional waitstaff. It’s one of the few white table cloth kind of eateries in the area.
My brother Robert and I had a trip planned to Big Sky with the purpose of hitting the golf course one more time before the season ended and to ferry some farm equipment back to California. It just so happened that my friend Cyril was hosting a winemaker’s dinner at the Rainbow Ranch Lodge, and Robert constantly makes fun of wine, so, of course, we had to go.
I met Cyril Chappellet a few years ago in Montana. He was up in Big Sky with his wife and their dogs for another wine event. My kids were, of course, drawn to the dogs and Cyril still has some kid in him, so, they all became friends (the kids and the dogs of course).
When I heard that he was going to be up in Big Sky hosting a dinner in Big Sky a few weeks ago, I asked him if there was still room. He told me that there was and that I should let the guys at Rainbow know if I was coming… Of course, I didn’t… Being true to my form, I called the Lodge yesterday morning as I was boarding a plane from San Diego. The told me that it had been sold out for a while and there were 25 people on the waiting list… “well, didn’t Cyril put me on a special list somewhere?” “Well, I don’t think so, let me check and we’ll call you back”. Luckily, by the time my plane landed in Bozeman, I had a message that the did have room for me and that the dinner started at 6:30. Upon arriving, Cyril, of course, called me on that creative planning and told me “it’s nice to have friends…”
Cyril’s family owns Chappellet Vineyards up on Pritchard Hill in Napa, California. He’s one of those likable people who is comfortable in front of an audience and likes to tell stories. Stories about his family, the history of the vineyard, their tasting committees, and that maniac sitting at the middle table with his brother that is planning on driving a tractor from Montana to California.
The Rainbow Ranch Lodge looks brand new. As it should, since it essentially is after being rebuilt. You walk in past a reception desk to a small bar in the corner. You could probably belly up 5-6 people at the bar that looks sideways into a cozy livingroom area. There are large chairs arranged with a few small tables and lots of glass that look out over a wooden deck followed by a large grass lawn and then the meandering Gallatin River.
Off past the living room area is the main dining room followed by a smaller dining room along the back wall with windows also looking out onto the river. Robert and I were seated in this smaller dining room with me taking up the head of the table that was populated from a group of people from the Lone Mountain Ranch.
The dinner was good. Cyril brought a handfull of wines that you can’t get in wine stores. He said he wanted to do something unique that wasn’t the normal stuff that we’d see from his vineyard.
We started out with a 2007 Signature Chardonnay that was paired with a sliced pheasant breast on top of wehani rice and a chanterelle-chestnut ragout. The wine was oak finished and tasty. It went well with the pheasant that was just a little over done for my taste. It was tasty, sitting on that wehani rice which is a thick, reddish grain that reminded me of the texture of buckweat but tasted more like a whole-grain rice. Mixed with the ragout, it was a nice starter. I’m sure if they were serving this to order and not for 100 people at once, the dryness wouldn’t have been a factor with the pheasant.
Following the pheasant came a 2005 Napa Valley Merlot. This was coupled with a duck confit that was boned and chopped, laying on top of a toasted coaster of brioche and surrounded with a torchon of foie gras. Alongside was a fig and vanilla chutney. I found this very interesting and tasty. The wine paired nicely with the goose liver and chutney. It was spicy, deep, and delicious- chocolate, oak, cherries… Robert kept repeating that he WILL NOT DRINK MERLOT but, he seemed to enjoy it anyway. The foie gras was one of those things that you can never get enough of… it’s like eating a thick slab of savory, buttery, deliciousness that has the spice and fruitiness of the fig chutney, the texture of the confit, and that delicious wine to wash it all down. I could have had seconds… maybe fifths… But, foie gras is one of those decadances that you know can’t be good for you, but, you just want to keep eating it… Moving on…
The next course was a 2005 Las Piedras couple with bison short ribs, celeriac puree, baby carrots, and a black truffle jus. Wow! The Las Piedras is a cabernet that is grown in rocky soil that gives it it’s namesake. Tasty, pepper, tea, tobacco… This was paired with the base course of the evening. The shortribs were fork-tender with an ample amount of fat braised into the meat giving it a delicious richness. This sat ontop of the starch which was a puree of celery root, delicate and delicious and the whole thing was drizzled with a black truffle scented jus. The whole dish had the earthy, foresty, mushroomy smell of black truffle, the savory tanginess of the jus, the fatty deliciousness of the meat and the complexity and strength of the cabernet. Excellent! Once again, I was denied my request for seconds…
Unfortunately the next dish suffered not because of quality or content, but, simply because it followed the short ribs… Really, the savory part of the meal should have finished on a crescendo of short rib rather than on the denouement of red deer.
The next course was a 2005 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Franc coupled with a red deer tenderloin on roasted kobocha squash puree and a cocoa-ancho jus. The Cab Franc was nice, berries, plumb, tea… refined, complex, tasty… The red deer was well prepared, tender and tasty on a bed of what looked like orange baby food… The squash puree was ok, but, not one of my favorites and I had trouble tasting the chocolate and ancho chilies in the jus. It was all well prepared and well presented, and I probably would have loved it a lot more if it didn’t follow that short rib…
This next one didn’t work… For desert we had a 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel. The Zin could have commanded a desert of dark chocolate and heavy, candied fruit, but, came with a cardamom creme caramel with balsamic poached cherries. Both the Zin and the desert were great… they just didn’t go together. I think we were all expecting a late harvest something or other, and I actually found it to be a nice surprise that they chose not to go the way of the expected… But…
The cardamom creme caramel was a delicious, aromatic, flan served with the poached cherries. I would have gone a little heavier on the balsamic with the cherries, but, still they were a delicious addition to this desert that would have paired will with a double espresso… Maybe even an Imperial Stout… Somehow, the pairing just didn’t work even though I was happy to drink the wine, and then savor the desert with a cup of coffee (they didn’t have espresso) afterward.
All said and done, it was an enjoyable evening. Meeting new people, listening to the ruckus around us, eating great food and delicious wine, and listening to Cyril tell his stories about his parents driving out to the country and buying the pink house on the hill.
I don’t know if this is representative of the re-opened Rainbow Ranch Lodge, but, I’ll definitely be back.
Almost pulled out a 01 Brunello but decided to go with the Delectus while watching Monday Night Football. Delectus is one of my favorite winerys. They are a small winery in Napa Valley that produces some really good Cabs. They also have a good Petit Sirah. Their flagship wine is their Cuvee Julia.
At first taste the 01 Sacrashe did not disappoint. We will see how it opens up over the next couple hours.
Country Should Overtake Japan As Second Largest Diamond Market By Sales Volume Within The Year
Diamonds are a "must have" for China's growing luxury consumer class
Falling demand for luxury products of all shades has vaulted China to the top of many lists this year, as demand in developed markets has fallen for everything from luxury cars to five-star hotels. With China’s massive population and growing middle class, even gradual growth in demand can mean a great deal for luxury brands, so diamond producers can continue to be optimistic about the potential for their products in China – soon to be the world’s second largest diamond market by sales, if the projections of Freddy Hanard, chief executive officer of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, are correct.
As the Financial Times writes today, Hanard predicts that diamond sales in China should continue the double-digit growth they saw in the first half of the year to continue throughout the second, and says that sales could possibly double in 2010. As the thirst for luxury products continues to spread in China’s second- and third-tier cities, and wealthier Chinese maintain their desire to diversify luxury and high-value holdings — something that we have seen in recent years as they’ve increasingly purchased luxury cars, gold, rare watches and jewelry, fine wine, contemporary art from China and elsewhere, and real estate — diamonds will probably remain strongly in demand according to all indications.
“China is the world’s fastest growing diamond market. And it can go very fast. It is still discovering diamonds,” said Mr Hanard.
Gold remains the traditional symbol of wealth in China, but diamonds have become popular, especially for weddings. “When people get married, they want a house, a car and a diamond,” said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai.
Benefiting from China’s strong economic growth, which ran at 7.9 per cent in the second quarter, the value of imported polished diamonds rose 12.7 per cent in the first half year-on-year to a record high of $300m, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
One Saturday afternoon we were cleaning the house and the creative juices started flowing. Actually I was tired of cleaning and it seemed like a good excuse to get Robyn to keep cleaning while I made a snack. You can have an elegant snack that is simple and easy to make and well presented in about 10 minutes, but if there is a task you do not want to do you may have to milk it until the job is done.
2005 Cakebread, for those special occasions in life like... Getting out of housework!
Step 1 : Get a good bottle of wine. I chose Cakebread because I had it lying in the cellar and this seemed like the perfect occasion to open it, because only Robyn and I were there to enjoy it. I knew odds were that I would get to drink more wine than her. If you have a good wine don’t waste it on family and friends, don’t share it. Drink it all yourself and enjoy every drop. If you have never heard of Cakebread it is a Napa Valley wine that is good but getting over priced at stores, $50-$60 is what you can find it for on-line.
Step 2: Take out some different cheeses. I like variety so I used Baldersons 2 year aged cheddar available at Costco, and medium yellow cheddar available anywhere, along with some Gouda – my favorite. Slice them and plate them in a fashion that is pleasing to the eye. Presentation is important all the time. Plain simple white plates always display the food well.
Step 3: Pour some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a plate and sprinkle some Italian seasoning (if you don’t have any just use rosemary and oregano) into the oil mixture. Then take some olives out of a jar and garnish the plate.
Step 4: Heat some bread for dipping in the oven about 5 minutes and rub a stick of butter on them. They will melt the butter on to themselves and become shiny. You can take them out of the freezer if you make them ahead of time and bake them fresh. Click for Recipe.
Step 5: Eat, Drink, and hopefully get rewarded by your significant other!!
The Miami Wine Fair returns for its eight year this coming weekend, September 26th & 27th. This year, exhibitors will be presenting more than 1,500 wines, along with two days of excellent seminars, geared towards novice, enthusiast, and expert alike. Another feature of this year’s fair will be its support to Educate Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that supports youth who are aging out of the foster care system.
This will be my fourth year attending. In years past, I’ve had the opportunity to try some great wines, and learn quite a bit from the fair’s seminar series – which I think is one of its best features. This year, the show will feature 10 seminars over its two days. Each seminar focuses on a specific topic, and includes ample tastings for attendees. A full schedule is available on the Fair’s website, but I wanted to highlight several sessions that I attended last year, and truly enjoyed. Two of the sessions are on Saturday’s schedule, and both focus on the wines of Spain. One session features the wines of the Ribera del Duero, which is one of my favorite wine regions. The second features the wines of Castilla – La Mancha; I was not as familiar with these wines until last year, but found them to be delicious – they’ve also become some of my preferred wines.
On Sunday, a session featuring the wines of Portugal promises to be fantastic; last year, the fair featured the wines of a particular winery; this year, they are casting a wider net, and focusing on a specific grape. This should be an excellent session. Finally, Sushi Samba Dromo, one of Miami Beach’s best Sushi restaurants, is back again for a wonderful Sake Paring. Sake sommelier Midori Roth will present 5 special sake’s paired with some of SushiSamba Dromo’s signature bites.
This year, the fair is also adding two new features involving cheese. First, Cabot Creamery of Vermont is going to be furnishing cheese to the fair for the seminars. Currently, the planned cheeses are their Sharp Cheddar, their Seriously Sharp Cheddar, and their Pepper Jack (one of my favorite nibbling cheeses!). The fair is working on the pairings, and if I learn anything further, you’ll read about it here. Second, Anco Foods, importers and wholesalers of gourmet foods will be hosting a booth featuring a selection of their cheeses, paired with wines from the fair. Two of their productsthat I am hoping will be present, are Quenby Hall Stilton, a delicious cheese from the UK, and St. Andre – a triple-crème brie style cheese that is quite tasty and pairs well with a variety of wines.
One of the reasons that I enjoy this particular fair is that the venue – the Miami Beach Convention Center – lends itself to a more relaxed environment in which all attendees, from novices to experts, can focus on tasting the wines. I find that quite often, novice wine drinkers are intimidated by tastings that are held at wine shops. In one of my recent classes, I dubbed the condition “Wineaux Fauxbia”, a term I coined to describe the fear of things associated with wine. I’ll post something on that in the near future, but for those of you reading this, consider the $75 price of admission to the tasting floor gives you a pretty wide open field to try numerous wines that you’ll not easily find anywhere else. The floor of the convention center is not crowded, so even if a few tables have people in front, there will be others that are wide open to try. And, the people manning the booths are quite friendly, and open to discussing their products should you wish.
Please also be sure to visit the International Wines booth, and talk with my friend Henry Barrow – he’ll be the celebrity pourer for Figge Cellars, a set of great wines from an up-and-coming wine maker in California.
Or more appropriately the Mer Soleil Late Harvest Botrytis affected Viogner.
I’ve always been a fan of Chuck’s wines, more so the Caymus than the whites as thats how I roll, but this dessert wine is a great standout.
I’m a Viogner fan already but as a dessert wine I found that it really shines here.
The nose on it is fantastic, so much so that the taste can’t keep up to it, but is still packs enough punch to match up with a great dessert. Paired with a nice cooked stone fruit dessert like peaches or nectarines with a rich financier is pure heaven.
R. O’Donnell, Sommelier Krunch, and Eric Hoffhines toast to KRUNCH ON WINE podcast
Hoffhines Productions, R. Productions, and International Grand Confrerie Sommelier Krunch Kretschmar Partner
The podcast and ecommerce site KRUNCH ON WINE will launch this spring 2010. Executive Produced by Chicago-based Hoffhines Productions, R. Productions and Krunch Kretschmar, KRUNCH ON WINE is a wine and food pairing podcast whereby participants host a meal of their choice while Krunch brings the appropriate wine.
“This is going to be a blast, a fantastic podcast,” notes International Grand Confrerie Sommelier Krunch,” a group of friends get together and cook their favorite foods, while I bring the perfect bottle of wine. Wine, food, reviews, and a party… wine and food pairing is no longer a stuffy affair.”
Krunch Kretschmar studied wine under the famous Rothschild family in France. It was there he earned the title International Grand Confrerie Sommelier. BTW there are only 24 such sommeliers in the world.
Hoffhines Productions is a full-service production company specializing in web videos, event photography, promotional videos, training, DVD authoring, music and dance videos, event videography, portraits, and still photography.
R. Productions is a Chicago-based media + branding group. We help brands connect with consumers through social media.
Carolynn loves eating breakfast at restaurants–it is one of her favorite things. This morning we went to Côte, a little bistro just over the bridge. We’ve been there for dinner several times and it is always just okay, but they know how to do breakfast well. Their croissants in particular are amazing–just the right blend of flaky, buttery and fluffy. I wish I knew if there was a way to eat them without leaving so many crumbs on the plate. And the table. And my lap. Carolynn and I both had the Eggs Benedict–how awesome. The Hollandaise was light on its feet–not the normal, ponderous, gooey stuff that seems so common. It was a bit underseasoned, but a touch of salt and it was fine. The café crème was awesome–I don’t drink a lot of coffee, but this is rich and thick and soooo much better than what they serve at Starbucks I ordered an orange juice halfway through–fresh-squeezed, with the right balance of sweetness and tartness. Too bad they don’t do dinners like they do breakfast!
This is one of those wines I talked about last week that landed me in boring wine land. Boring wine land seems to me the wino’s equivalent of purgatory—being stuck drinking wines that make you think “meh” instead of making you want to dive into the glass and swim around or at least appreciate the wine for being a good value or some such feeling that’s not just “meh.” I find that around the $10-$15 price point there’s a lot of “meh” wine, but there are gems too and that’s what makes me keep plugging away, looking for that inspiring great value well made $10 wine. Of course, I might just be searching for the Holy Grail, but a wino’s gotta dream, right?
I picked up the Riondo Pink Prosecco at the Madison Wine Exchange. I think it cost about $13, weighed in at 10% alcohol by volume, and had a cork closure. Earlier this year I’d tried the Riondo Prosecco and found it to be pretty good especially given you could buy it for $10. So I pretty much expected a decent inexpensive bubbly…nothing to ponder too long, but at least something worth drinking. While I loved the color on the wine, I found the nose to be waxy, with strawberry and candy and nothing else. It had extremely tiny bubbles and not in the good these bubbles are tiny and there are lots of them kind of way…in the, these are tiny bubbles and there are hardly any of them kind of way. In the mouth, the wine was overly sweet, with not enough bubbles, some candied strawberry and pomegranate. I ended up thinking it wasn’t worth the calories so I dumped it.
Una de esas cosas que tenemos que tragarnos si queremos usar una aplicación de Windows en Linux es su horripilante aspecto, empezando por las fuentes sin suavizar. Por suerte, Wine implementó el soporte para anti-aliasing en la versión 1.1.12 (rama inestable), pero por desgracia lo trae desactivado de serie. Si quieres activarlo de la manera más sencilla, sigue leyendo.
La manera manual de activar ClearType y derivados sería toqueteando el registro de Windows, y eso es lo que tendríamos que hacer si no fuera por el script creado por un usuario de los foros de Ubuntu que automatiza esta tarea. Así que abre la terminal y ejecuta estos dos comandos, el primero para bajar el script y el segundo para ejecutarlo:
Al ejecutarlo te aparecerá un menú con la imagen de arriba, para que elijas el tipo de suavizado que quieres. En general ClearType te dará mejor resultado, y dependiendo de tu monitor deberás escoger RGB o BGR. De cualquier manera prueba las opciones y vuelve a ejecutar el programa cuando decidas qué opción se ve mejor.
Nota importante: Normalmente no es buena idea bajarse un script si no sabes cuál es la fuente, sobre todo si no comprendes su contenido. En este caso, en vez de enlazaros el archivo original de la página en rumano del usuario, os lo he colocado en mi servidor tras comprobarlo personalmente. Aunque en ningún momento necesitas la cuenta de administrador para ejecutar este script, en el futuro podría cambiar el código fuente del script añadiendo algunos comandos maliciosos. Que no va a pasar, pero por si acaso.
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A qualidade excepcional encontrada nos mundialmente conhecidos vinhos franceses são advindas da tradição secular de suas grandes famílias de viticultores. A família Chanfreau faz parte desse seleto grupo de tradicionais famílias que possuem um longo histórico de contribuição na produção de vinhos de marcante sabor e aroma. Situada na região de Bordeaux, essa secular família é responsável pela vinícola Chateau Caroline. Toda essa tradição resulta em vinhos macios e elegantes. Um exemplo é o Chateau Caroline Cru Bourgeois 2000. Esse tinto tem personalidade marcada por traços fortes. Seduz pela bela cor rubi profundo e um olfato elegante com finas notas de especiarias. Na boca, a sensação inicial revela um vinho bem frutado, redondo com os taninos bem de retidos. Para aqueles que tem a oportunidade de degustar esse magnífico vinho, eu recomendo. http://migre.me/7bBr
Why – When I was up in the Okanagan last week, I was fortunate enough to stop by Tantalus Vineyard’s for a tasting. A knowledgeable and friendly tasting room staff member (a growing rarity?) led us though Tantalus’ lineup. This one certainly stood out – and it’s easy to see why it’s gaining global fans (Jancis Robinson, among them). While I love Tantalus’ regular Riesling (I bought a case for drinking now), I was very impressed by the makeup – and most of all – potential, of their Old Vine Riesling. This one can go the distance! Intense green apple, citrus and petrol aromas, lead to a bone-dry palate of vibrant and focused citrus, granny smith, mineral and perfumed white peach. A lengthy, green apple finish resonates much beyond the last sip. Cool-fermented free run juice from old vines plus low yields translate to complexity – lots going on here. The amazing acidity and structure might not be for everybody – right now – but lay this bottle down for a few years (3-5) and prepare to be amazed. And I get a kick that the old vines were from the same year as I was born. I’m old vines!
When – If you can wait a few years time, you’ll be rewarded. For a great Riesling to try right now, pick up some of their Riesling 2008 ($23).
How (Much) – $29.90. Just a wee 290 cases made.
Winespeak of the Week – Tantalus of this week will look vastly different from the Tantalus I visited. A brand-new ultra modern and architecturally stunning winery and tasting room were nearing completion when I visited, and I had the unexpected pleasure of a tour from winery GM (and jack of all trades) Jane Hatch. Jane, who I’m sure had a gazillion things going on preparing for harvest, graciously took the time to show us the stunning new 12,000 sq. ft building – LEED certified (BC’s first LEED winery) and window heavy – taking advantage of the view over their vines on the hillside below but also to maximize natural light whenever possible. One entire glass wall of the tasting room has been made to open, blurring the lines between inner and outer vineyard experience. There are also windows between the raised tasting room, and the tank room, allowing visitors to see production in process and become connected to the process. With Okanagan harvest and crush upon us, all energies will be focused on winemaking, but be sure to bookmark a visit to see their finished tasting room in a few months’ time.
I’ve just returned from five days in Charleston, SC, where spent my time soaking up the sun and heat (59 degrees back in Boston tonight, yikes!) and eating delicious food. Our first evening, we dined at Slightly North of Broad, also known as S.N.O.B. on East Bay Street.
To start was a light salad with grilled peaches, goat cheese, and bacon. The sweetness of the peach nicely complemented the salty bacon.
Grilled peach salad
For a main was their famous BBQ Tuna with fried oysters – this was delicious as well, though I probably should have ordered the tuna rare instead of medium rare. The oysters were a nice complement to the tuna.
Tuna steak at SNOB
Lastly was a banana creme pie – the graham cracker crust was thick and buttery and the dish was glazed with a rum caramel sauce.
Banana creme pie
All was accompanied by a nice Argentinian red:
And ample amounts of cornbread:
Happy after a delicious dinner:
We stayed at the Vendue Inn, near waterfront park. Highlights of the hotel were the made-to-order breakfast every morning, free bikes for guests to use, the manager’s wine and cheese reception daily (does anyone have a good recipe for Pimento cheese? I can’t believe I’d never had it before, delish!), and the hotel’s own rooftop bar. I’ll be reviewing on Tripadvisor!
I’ll post a recap soon of my other favorite dinner in Charleston – which included possibly my new favorite dish ever, shrimp and grits.
I’ve heard this restaurant in Boston does some southern style food – has anyone been?
Celebrating our first date night in many weeks, Carolynn and I went to the restaurant formerly known as Petrus. Head chef Marcus Wareing was the man in the kitchen when Petrus was awarded its second Michelin star, and when the lease with the hotel expired, they chose to give it to Wareing. The new restaurant, now named Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, is arguably the same place without Jean-Philippe Susilovic as the mâitre d’hôtel and without answering ultimate to Gordon Ramsay Holdings. While I never dined at the restaurant under the old name, my guess is that the food continues to be at the same level if not higher, given that Marcus is now working for himself.
The restaurant is not large (the dining area doesn’t seem to have much more square footage than the kitchen, which I’ll discuss later), and seats about 70 people. There is a table for up to eight people in the kitchen, and a private room off the main dining room than can hold up to 14 people. The decor is dark, fairly conservative, and even when the restaurant was full, it was still an enjoyable dining experience in terms of being able to converse.
We seemed to wait a fair amount of time between being seated and having anything such as a menu or a drink. Eventually the Champagne cart guy came over and I started off with a glass of 1999 Bollinger Grande Année. Carolynn’s pregnant so I was going to be the only one indulging, and she ordered a cranberry juice. (In one of the few service missteps, this didn’t arrive until I asked for it again 15 minutes later.) We waited quite a while again before the first amuse bouche came, but it was quite good. There were three items–a pâté sandwich, a crab meat tartlet, and a smoked tomato spread served with croutons. The pâté was silky, the tartlets were intensely “crabby”, but the spread was truly amazing. Not the kind of thing that sounded appetizing, but I could have eaten a bowl of the stuff, using the honey potato bread to sop it up. The bread, by the way, was fantastic on its own, and even better with the butter, but when the butter first arrived it was rock hard and unspreadable–this was the second big gaffe we encountered.) We were next served a nutmeg velouté with some nutmeg breadsticks. Sipped, it was warm and flavorful, with just a hint of nutmeg, and the breadsticks, over a foot long and pencil-thin, were fun to eat with our fingers.
The first course was pan fried foie gras, peach, fresh almonds and honey, amaretti and black olive. There was an olive meringue on the side which was amazing, and it was an interesting pairing with the foie gras. As Carolynn said, it’s pretty hard to beat a piece of seared foie gras by itself, but I don’t think people go to restaurants such as this one to get a simple slab of foie slapped on a plate. The chef finds himself in a tough position (we discussed this same issue during the meat course later on) in that the main ingredient is arguably best by itself, but he would be lambasted for serving it so in a restaurant. This was paired with an Austrian TBA the producer of which I did not write down (like the other wines of the evening), and it was a perfect match.
This was followed by honey soused sardines, burrata, Piquillo peppers and heirloom tomato. The fish was fairly strong by itself, and not the typically oversalted stuff you’d find in a can, but rather dense and meaty, with a fresh taste of the sea. Combined with the other ingredients on the plate I thought it was an amazing combination, that elevated every element to something higher. The Gruner Veltliner was a great match, with the food bringing out some of the fruit in the wine, and the wine helping to meld the food together even more.
The next wine was a red Burgundy (yeah, yeah–not exactly narrowing it down much, am I?) and it was awesome with roasted and marinated quail, white onion fondue, courgette and basil, and baked potato. The bird and the Pinot were wonderful together, and I made the mistake of enjoying these two that I ended up with the “leftovers” to eat without the benefit of the quail. They were very good, however, and I’d imagine, if this plate worked like the others, that all the flavors together would have been even better.
At this point, the sommelier had mercy on me and stopped bringing wine pairings. Carolynn and I think that it may have been a misunderstood question on my part and that I actually said I don’t want anymore, when I thought I was simply being asked about a nearly-empty glass being taken away. Nevertheless, I had some of the Burgundy still when the Scottish scallop, dressed with sweetcorn and chorizo and drizzled in a red wine vinaigrette arrived. Not a good match, but wow, what a great dish. This was the dish that helped me see what this kitchen is about. Unlike the theater and whimsy of the Fat Duck, or the incredible precision and propriety of Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road, this has a bit of adventure without being off the reservation. Some of the dishes on paper and with the staff’s explanation seemed to be pushing the envelope, but everything really worked in harmony together.
The “main” course was a choice between two, so we each had one and shared. Carolynn had the Cumbrian lamb, smoked aubergine, black beans, braised belly, and crispy lamb bacon. The lamb bacon was another taste sensation that should be its own meal. Incredibly small and crispy bits of lamb that taste like bacon with a bit of game that sets the flavor apart from the rashers you would find at the store. The braised belly, too, was incredible. The main bit of lamb was completely fine, but this gets back to the point we discussed earlier. It is hard to beat simple rack of lamb, done at home, with the perfect red wine and the ability to eat it in ones pajamas. But going out to a restaurant of this caliber, I think we would scoff if that preparation was placed in front of us, so we have essentially created a no-win situation for the chef. The other dish during this course was Anjou pigeon, poached and roasted, with summer truffle and pigeon casserole. The pigeon casserole was like a bit of sausage, and I would have traded the rest of the tender, medium-rare pigeon for one more bite of this savoury-sweet nibble. I’ve only had pigeon a few times, and this is arguably the best preparation I’ve had–it didn’t suffer any of what I consider a bit of off flavor that seems to come through in this bird.
As always, we were more than full at this point. A bit of a break and we had a “pre-dessert” consisting of passionfruit jelly underneath a lime ice. I love passionfruit, and the citrus of the lime ice made for a nice counterpoint.
Dessert was again a choice between two, so we were able to have both. Carolynn took the warm chocolate and salt caramel moelleux, with banana jelly, and banana cacao ice cream. Hard to argue with this or say anything other than yum. I took the one that I would have never ordered otherwise–Granny Smith apple crème with spiced brioche chips, popcorn, and salted caramel ice cream. I should state that it all sounded good except the apple part–I’m not a huge fan of green apple flavors. Thankfully, Wareing’s pâtissier made this a dream to eat. The apple flavor was there, but in a crème it was softened and sweetened, the toasty, nutty discs of brioche gave a nice structure, and the crushed popcorn and salted caramel ice cream further played the foil between sweet and salty.
We finished with some homemade chocolates. After we paid the bill, I asked for a copy of the menu, and the mâitre d’ said sure, and would we like to have a tour of the kitchen and meet the chef? The kitchen was quite large, housing not only the aforementioned dining table, but also a hot pass, a cold pass, and a stairway leading to another cooking area. It was a bit noisy, with 8 guys still sitting around the chef’s table, clearly enjoying themselves. Marcus was working the pass, coming up with creations for the chef’s table (by this time, the main room was working on desserts), and he graciously signed our menu and thanked us for coming.
I had high expectations, and they were met on a food level, and very close on a service level. I will say that every single person we came into contact with was very pleasant. When I left to use the restroom, the door for the restaurant was opened on my way out, and on my way back, impressive given that it’s a frosted door. Even the valet service was outstanding–I gave my key to a guy with an umbrella and 4 hours later he remembered me when I walked outside. I think this has 3-star potential if they can dial in things like the butter temperature, the service, and if Chef Wareing is able to address things like providing what is expected from 3-star food without overdoing the simple pleasures.
Our Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 won a Double Gold Medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards.
Douglas Green, the enigmatic South African wineland character and a household name among wine-lovers world-wide, has shown that popularity does not have to detract from quality when it comes to making fine wine.
The Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 finds itself in illustrious company as the owner of a Double Gold Medal courtesy of this year’s Michelangelo International Wine Awards held in Somerset-West over the week-end where only 52 of the 1,500 wines entered won Double Gold.
This follows on the same wines achievement earlier this year at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Spain where it won a Gold Medal.
According to Pieter Terblanche, Douglas Green brand manager, a Michelangelo accolade is of especial significant as most of the judging panel consist of international wine experts from countries outside of South Africa. “Douglas Green has worked hard at offering consumers wines under a popular brand and reasonable price, but one which over delivers on quality,” he says. “The success at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, as well as earlier this year at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles vindicates this commitment.”
Douglas Green’s strategy lies in sourcing best quality grapes from chosen vineyards spread over a large area of the Cape winelands. “The success of Douglas Green relies on partnerships, so this award belongs to the various grape growers, the cellars we use to make the Douglas Green wines, our winemaker Jaco Potgieter, viticulturalist Stephan Joubert and the Douglas Green Team in Wellington,” says Terblanche.
“Vineyard selection and our partnerships with growers enables Douglas Green to make 600 000 litres of this award-winning wine.
“The most important element in our whole ethos, however, is the consumer,” he continues. “And these Gold Medals prove that Douglas Green does not renege when it comes to offering the best possible quality at affordable prices. The Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 is sold for below R35, allowing our customers to enjoy an internationally recognised wine without breaking the bank.”
Douglas Green winemaker Jaco Potgieter says the winning Chardonnay underscores the quality of the 2008 vintage. “The winning Chardonnay was made from grapes originating from the limestone-rich soils of Robertson,” he says. “It was an almost perfect vintage due to the preceding cold winter, wine in question shows bursts of sunny fruit. This is what South African wine is known for, and is something we at Douglas Green do best!”
Douglas Green’s Sauvignon Blanc 2009 won a Silver Medal at this year’s Michelangelo Award.
I came across a pretty cool essay on Jim Morrison and Dionysus, and the pagan spiritual implications of Morrison’s life, music, philosophy, and his unique and fascinating madness. It gets a little closer to what I was trying to write a few days ago about the Lizard King. With all due respect and entirely without permission, I am reprinting it here in entirety:
THE CULT OF THE LIZARD KING
by Delia Morgan
I. The Rock God:
Jim Morrison–rock star, poet, prophet, electric shaman, and god incarnate. The lead singer of the 1960’s acid rock band known as The Doors, Jim Morrison identified himself very strongly with Dionysos. The Doors were the first group to really do rock concerts as ritual, as a means of taking the audience on a psycho-religious trip. They took their name from Aldous Huxley’s quote (here paraphrased) that “When the Doors of perception are cleansed, we will see things as they truly are–infinite.” Morrison described their mission in terms of trying to “Break On Through” to a bigger reality: “There are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between are the Doors.”
Morrison, with his “Greek God” beauty, his fiery passion and dark mysterious persona, has been considered a Dionysos incarnate. He certainly tried to bring something like shamanism and Greek drama to rock music and to the stage; he tried to shock people out of their complacency and into a terrifying and liberating ecstasy. Since his death at a young age in 1971, a cult has grown around him; many people, myself included, sense his presence as a guiding force, build altars to him, etc. There was even a “First Church of the Doors” at one time.
Morrison himself was, by all accounts, a man as brilliant as he was daring. At a young age he had read extensively on shamanism and ancient mythology, including James Frazer’s “The Golden Bough” (much of which is about Dionysos); he was also quite taken with Friedrich Nietzsche’s passionate vision of Dionysos as portrayed in “The Birth of Tragedy.” One of the last books he had been reading before his death was Jane Ellen Harrison’s voluminous and challenging “Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion” which is also mostly about Dionysos. It seems to me that Morrison let himself be completely possessed by Dionysos, until the man and the god were irrevocably merged; he carried the torch of his mythic Dionysian vision all the way to his death.
Unfortunately, most people never quite ‘got’ what he was trying to do at the time, which was religion. Rock critics called him pretentious for taking himself so seriously; few of them knew enough about myth and religion to put the pieces together. Ray Manzarek’s recent book “Light My Fire” is a personal history of the Doors, and also talks about Morrison as Dionysos.
Here are just a few quotes from Morrison’s songs and poetry where the dark and Dionysian mystic slips through:
“I call upon the dark hidden gods of the blood…”
“Where is the wine we were promised, the new wine…?”
“We could plan a murder, or start a religion…”
“I promised I would drown myself in mystic heated wine…”
“Let us reinvent the gods, all the myths of the ages;
celebrate symbols from deep elder forests…”
“I am a guide to the labyrinth.”
II. Perspectives on the Morrisonian mythos:
Some perceptive authors and music critics at the time caught on to the Dionysian element in Morrison’s philosophy and in his performances; others have come to realize this in retrospect. (Still others never caught on, and can’t understand what all the fuss is about.)
The following excerpt from a Doors website makes explicit the Doors’ connection to Pagan spiritual sentiment:
http://www.elektra.com/rock_club/doors/bio.html
During the late 1960’s bands sang of love and peace while acid was passed out. But for The Doors it was different. The nights belonged to Pan and Dionysus, the gods of revelry and rebirth, and the songs invoked their potent passions–the Oedipal nightmare of “The End,” the breathless gallop of “Not to Touch the Earth,” the doom of “Hyacinth House,” the ecstasy of “Light My Fire,” the dark uneasy undertones of “Can’t See Your Face in My Mind,” and the alluring loss of consciousness in “Crystal Ship.” And as with Dionysus, The Doors willingly offered themselves as a sacrifice to be torn apart, to bleed, to die, to be reborn for yet another night in another town.
The pagan/Dionysian theme is expanded upon by Danny Sugerman in the following excerpts from the introduction to the famous biography of Jim Morrison, titled “No One Here Gets Out Alive.”
http://www.thedoors.com/beta/mythos.htm
DOORS MYTHOS
by Danny Sugerman
“Though the favorites of the gods die young, they also live eternally in the company of gods.”
– Fredrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy
An account of initiation into the mysteries of the goddess Isis survives in only one in-person account, an ancient text that translated reads: “I approached the frontier of death, I saw the threshold of Persephone, I journeyed through all the elements and came back, I saw at midnight the sun, sparkling in white light, I came close to the gods of the upper and the netherworld and adored them near at hand. ” This all happened at night. With music and dance and performance. The concert as ritual, as initiation. The spell cast. Extraordinary elements were loosed that have resided in the ether for hundreds of thousands of years, dormant within us all, requiring only an awakening.
Of course, psychedelic drugs as well as alcohol could encourage the unfolding of events. A Greek musicologist gives his description of a Bacchic initiation as catharsis: “This is the purpose of Bacchic initiation, that the depressive anxiety of people, produced by their state of life, or some misfortune, be cleared away through melodies and dances of the ritual.”
There is a strange tantalizing fascination evoked by fragments of ancient pagan mysteries: the darkness and the light, the agony and the ecstasy, the sacrifice and bliss, the wine and the ear of grain (hallucinogenic fungi). For the ancients it was enough to know there were doors to a secret dimension that might open for those who earnestly sought them. Such hopes and needs have not gone away with time. Jim Morrison knew this. Morrison was the first rock star I know of to speak of the mythic implications and archetypal powers of rock ‘n’ roll, about the ritualistic properties of the rock concert. For doing so, the press called him a pretentious asshole: “Don’t take yourself so seriously, Morrison, it’s just rock ‘n’ roll and you’re just a rock singer.”
Jim knew they were wrong, but he didn’t argue. He also knew when the critics insulted him they demeaned his audience. Jim knew that music is magic, performance is worship, and he knew rhythm can set you free. Jim was too aware of the historical relevance of rhythm and music in ritual for those transforming Doors concerts to have been accidental.
From his favorite philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jim took solace and encouragement in the admonition to “say yes to life.” I never believed that Jim was on a death trip as so many have claimed, and to this day still find it difficult to judge the way he chose to live and die. Jim chose intensity over longevity, to be, as Nietzsche said, “one who does not negate,” who does not say no, who dares to create himself. Jim also must have been braced to read the following Nietzsche quote: “Saying yes to life even in its strangest and hardest problems; the will to life rejoicing over its own inexhaustibility even in the very sacrifice of its highest types-this is what I call Dionysian, that is what I understood as the bridge to the psychology of the tragic poet. Not in order to get rid of terror and pity, not in order to purge oneself of a dangerous effect by its vehement discharge, but in order to be oneself the eternal joy of becoming, beyond all terror and pity. “
It was Jim’s insatiable thirst for life that killed him, not any love of death.
III. Morrison Today
Why, among all stars in that infamous rock-n-roll heaven, is Jim Morrison uniquely qualified as an avatar of Dionysos? It’s no doubt true that various worthy and charismatic figures in rock-n-roll have gained something of a fanatical cult following. Visions of Elvis, etc. One recent translation of Euripedes’ play “The Bacchae” even put Elvis on the cover. But, really, it should have been Jim.
Morrison was, as far as I know of, the first or only rock performer to actually identify with Dionysos, and to express (sometimes subtly) the stated intent of trying to bring back the old pagan religions. He was also the only one to do serious research on the cult of Dionysos, and to attempt to recreate the cathartic experience of Greek tragedy as a ritual on the stage. He forged a connection between shamanism and Dionysiac cult: the shaman, by going on a spirit journey, could heal the tribe; then the rock performer, by making the presence of Dionysos manifest, and by bringing the audience with him, could create a healing breakthrough for both himself and the spectators/participants. He was brilliant, and possibly mad.
He was also the performer who (in my view) best expressed the enigmatic, mysterious qualities of Dionysos himself – the paradoxical juxtaposition of sweetness and violence, ecstasy and agony, deep masculinity and androgynous beauty, orgasmic chaos and graceful precision. Etc., etc.
I have no doubt that the spirit of Dionysos permeated the world of rock music in the 60’s, and even somewhat today. But it remains that Jim Morrison alone gave himself to Dionysos, entirely and without reservation, to the very end; and all for the purpose of bringing back Dionysian religion to a world without a clue.
And since his death, he has become a real and guiding presence for many devotees; in other words – a god. Doors fans have built altars and web shrines, conducted rituals in his honor and written poems about their spiritual encounters with Jim. He was certainly a powerful force in my own pagan awakening. This point came home to me, in many ways over the years; I’ll relate one.
One evening, I was sitting on the couch reading Jane Ellen Harrison’s “Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion,” a book which deals extensively with the religion of Dionysos. I was at the section where she describes how the dead hero becomes transformed into a god. I got very excited, and was scribbling notes in the margins, about how I saw this process of heroic deification as applying to Jim Morrison. (Snakes figured largely into this process, as they did in the cult of Dionysos; and Doors fans know all about Jim and “the ancient snake.”)
Suddenly, for no reason, I had a strong urge to turn on the television. (I almost never watched it; my roommate did.) When I did so, there was a program about the history of rock music, and they were doing a short segment on Jim Morrison. Then they interviewed the Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, on the subject of Jim’s death and/or possible continued existence. Ray said (paraphrased): “Jim isn’t here on earth anymore. Dionysos returned to Olympus, and he’s sitting up there laughing at us.”
This statement, coming right after my reading the same idea in Harrison’s book (and my relating it to Morrison), seemed like a remarkable coincidence to me at the time. I’m sure it was Jim who prompted me to turn the TV on at that moment. A few years later, I learned that (according to Jim’s girlfriend, Wiccan priestess Patricia Kennealy) that Harrison’s book on Greek religion was the very same one that Jim was reading just before he left for Paris, where he died a few months later.
