Soho, somewhere.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Turn it over...
Y'know, someone recently said this about my blog (it's from Pirke Avot), but this is great... "turn it over and over for everything is contained within it"... Compost.
Sauerkraut
Jewish farmers healing the world one cabbage at a time... I've really given a lot (more) thought this weekend to what I eat and why and I.
Like, for a while now, I've been pretty thoughtful. I no longer eat stuff with loads of E-numbers or transfats or anything where I don't know what it means. I'm averagely smart: I read labels. If there's something on the label I've never head of, chances are, it's not that great and I'm better off not eating it.
And I don't go out to eat as much. I'm not a hair-shirt wearing purist, because that would be no fun, but I don't want to go to restaurants all the time and not enjoy it. I want to enjoy all the food I eat thoughtfully, and actually, quite a lot of the time, I just want to eat simple, home-prepared food.
And here, I'm among my people. Everyone's like me, pretty much, at this conference. Like, I compost with my neighbours, and we collect rainwater for the garden, and grow apple and pear trees and herbs.
For the first time, I've met Jewish farmers. Not just farmers who happen to be Jewish, but people who farm in a Jewish context, and with Jewish values (like these guys at Stoney Lonesome Farm).
Right now, my head's full of ideas and things I'd like to do and ought to do and might do...
Like, for a while now, I've been pretty thoughtful. I no longer eat stuff with loads of E-numbers or transfats or anything where I don't know what it means. I'm averagely smart: I read labels. If there's something on the label I've never head of, chances are, it's not that great and I'm better off not eating it.
And I don't go out to eat as much. I'm not a hair-shirt wearing purist, because that would be no fun, but I don't want to go to restaurants all the time and not enjoy it. I want to enjoy all the food I eat thoughtfully, and actually, quite a lot of the time, I just want to eat simple, home-prepared food.
And here, I'm among my people. Everyone's like me, pretty much, at this conference. Like, I compost with my neighbours, and we collect rainwater for the garden, and grow apple and pear trees and herbs.
For the first time, I've met Jewish farmers. Not just farmers who happen to be Jewish, but people who farm in a Jewish context, and with Jewish values (like these guys at Stoney Lonesome Farm).
Right now, my head's full of ideas and things I'd like to do and ought to do and might do...
Saturday, December 16, 2006
havdalah
Just had a wonderful, relaxing shabbat. Havdalah with 150 fruity Jews (well, on the fruity scale, anyhow), singing, swaying, dancing. And candles. Jewish stuff always includes candles.
Interesting debate about the Hillel/Shammai discussion about how we generally count up (add one extra candle for each new day of Chanukah) - the prevailing Hillel view - and the starting with eight, and counting down to one - the not-followed Shammai view.
David Kraemer suggested that maybe the (Hazon?) new minhag should be to count down, signifying that we are happy with less and less rather than more and more. Kinda like the voluntary simplicity view on Chanukah. Could be my new minhag.
Interesting debate about the Hillel/Shammai discussion about how we generally count up (add one extra candle for each new day of Chanukah) - the prevailing Hillel view - and the starting with eight, and counting down to one - the not-followed Shammai view.
David Kraemer suggested that maybe the (Hazon?) new minhag should be to count down, signifying that we are happy with less and less rather than more and more. Kinda like the voluntary simplicity view on Chanukah. Could be my new minhag.
Friday, December 15, 2006
So today I've discussed humous recipes with Jay Weinstein (he uses Turkish rather than Lebanese tachina, and cooks his chickpeas with salt, and without soaking), seen a wild-rice pancake demonstration, discussed childhood obesity, and heard a number of fascinating, personal stories.
I'm having a good time. I'm having a really good time. But I'm one of a handful of English people here, and quite a few people have come up to me because they like my accent or tea or something, and, it's nice, don't get me wrong, but I feel... odd. Like I'm the odd one out in some way. Which isn't true, there's two other English-born people here, and one of them's even from Cheadle.
I don't know why I'm saying this.
It's dead quiet. Compared to the bustle of the city, it's peaceful and I've talked with people who work on the farm here and medidate over their food before they eat. There's a guy who works in the kitchen who's from Derby. My room-mate is a fabulous woman who told me her life story this morning and I was practically in tears.
There are no locks on the doors here. It's all very open-source share-y (which is good), but by the standards of people here, lots of the people I've met, I'm an amateur.
Like, I'm thoughtful about what I eat and the planet, and I make choices that take account of the implications of my actions. But there are people here in CSAs , who work in food or cooking or writing about food. I feel like something of a fake. I'm here because I'm interested, and I like finding out more.
Also, when I tell people I carbon-neutralised my flight, they have no idea what I'm talking about. That's what comes from living in a country that won't sign up to Kyoto. I explained to someone over lunch that the clock on your microwave uses more energy than the microwave, and they didn't know that.
I have two cell phones, but only one of them works, and even then, flakily.
It's cold. But not that cold. Not snowing. That's global warming for you (I think you should read that to the tune of "that's entertainment.")
There have been some coincidences. Like, while I was typing this, a guy came up to me and said "are you the woman who flew in from London?" and it turned out we met at D's for Friday night a few week's ago, and we talked about this place, and now we're both here.
Or, how about this.
At the opening of the challah baking session, people went round and introduced themselves, and there's a couple here from Tuscon Arizona. So when it came round to me, I said my whole intro, and then mentioned that I once had an amazing Pesach in Tuscon, when I was there for work about five years ago. She asked who I spent seder with, and I said B&B, and she said, hey, he's my friend, I see him walking my dog. In fact, he told me about this conference. He read about it on some blog."
And I said, he reads my blog. We email, sometimes, although we haven't been in touch for a while. Hello, Bert.
Once, someone said to me that I'm a coincidence magnet (hello, X), but I think, if you ahve a larger circle, you're just more likely for more things to happen.
But anyway. I'm rambling. Shabbat Shalom. And it's chanukah, so happy chanukah. Remember, miralces, that's what it's all about.
I'm having a good time. I'm having a really good time. But I'm one of a handful of English people here, and quite a few people have come up to me because they like my accent or tea or something, and, it's nice, don't get me wrong, but I feel... odd. Like I'm the odd one out in some way. Which isn't true, there's two other English-born people here, and one of them's even from Cheadle.
I don't know why I'm saying this.
It's dead quiet. Compared to the bustle of the city, it's peaceful and I've talked with people who work on the farm here and medidate over their food before they eat. There's a guy who works in the kitchen who's from Derby. My room-mate is a fabulous woman who told me her life story this morning and I was practically in tears.
There are no locks on the doors here. It's all very open-source share-y (which is good), but by the standards of people here, lots of the people I've met, I'm an amateur.
Like, I'm thoughtful about what I eat and the planet, and I make choices that take account of the implications of my actions. But there are people here in CSAs , who work in food or cooking or writing about food. I feel like something of a fake. I'm here because I'm interested, and I like finding out more.
Also, when I tell people I carbon-neutralised my flight, they have no idea what I'm talking about. That's what comes from living in a country that won't sign up to Kyoto. I explained to someone over lunch that the clock on your microwave uses more energy than the microwave, and they didn't know that.
I have two cell phones, but only one of them works, and even then, flakily.
It's cold. But not that cold. Not snowing. That's global warming for you (I think you should read that to the tune of "that's entertainment.")
There have been some coincidences. Like, while I was typing this, a guy came up to me and said "are you the woman who flew in from London?" and it turned out we met at D's for Friday night a few week's ago, and we talked about this place, and now we're both here.
Or, how about this.
At the opening of the challah baking session, people went round and introduced themselves, and there's a couple here from Tuscon Arizona. So when it came round to me, I said my whole intro, and then mentioned that I once had an amazing Pesach in Tuscon, when I was there for work about five years ago. She asked who I spent seder with, and I said B&B, and she said, hey, he's my friend, I see him walking my dog. In fact, he told me about this conference. He read about it on some blog."
And I said, he reads my blog. We email, sometimes, although we haven't been in touch for a while. Hello, Bert.
Once, someone said to me that I'm a coincidence magnet (hello, X), but I think, if you ahve a larger circle, you're just more likely for more things to happen.
But anyway. I'm rambling. Shabbat Shalom. And it's chanukah, so happy chanukah. Remember, miralces, that's what it's all about.
Did you know that 70% of the Japanese population have miso soup for breakfast. Me neither.
I'm watching Broken Limbs: Apples, Agriculture and the New American Farmer. "The small farm is what made America what it is." As the narrator said that, someone shouted out "amen v'amen."
Today's menu...
The food here is incredible: grown locally, organic, prepared by a small group lead by chef Brian. The thing he did with the quinoa was amazing: I'll definitely be adding quinoa with orange flavouring to my repetoire.
Making challah...
We made challah - well, not everyone, but the group who chose to make challah. I learned how to do a six-plait loaf: I'll let you know if I get pictures of the finished product. And yes, it's all organic. Well, apart from the canola oil.
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station, early this morning. I was definitely going the opposite way to the prevailing commuter-stream. I was leaving, they were arriving.
Liquor on Spring
The liquor store on Spring Street (downtown). Not obviously, the sustainable, healthy, eco-green shindig I'm currently at.
You know what? People are stoked that I'm from London (London, England?) But when I say, "don't worry, I carbon neutralised my flight", they look at me in a "what language are you speaking" kinda way.
You know what? People are stoked that I'm from London (London, England?) But when I say, "don't worry, I carbon neutralised my flight", they look at me in a "what language are you speaking" kinda way.
Organic harvest calendar
We stopped at the McEnroe Farm Market - I love this calendar. Of course, what with global warming, the season's are kinda all out of sync. Like it's December, and it's 50.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
So NY is fun (but kinda tiring). Yesterday I went down to Brooklyn, checked out my friend's development, did some more shopping in Soho (it's kinda nice to get out of my own soho), got my hair cut, went to a blogger-style cocktail party (which was full of the same kind of Islington types I'd see at a parallel-universe London event), saw uncle S, did a lot of walking, and generaly soaked up the city.
I'm junping in the shower, and then going to Grand Central, getting a train up to Conneticut for the weekend. Talk later.
Also, oddly and moderately scarily, my laptop blue-screened last night, stating NMI parity check - memory parity error. Should I worry? I did my usual strategy of ignoring it, which seems to have worked.
I'm junping in the shower, and then going to Grand Central, getting a train up to Conneticut for the weekend. Talk later.
Also, oddly and moderately scarily, my laptop blue-screened last night, stating NMI parity check - memory parity error. Should I worry? I did my usual strategy of ignoring it, which seems to have worked.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
If you're thinking of transferring your current Cash ISA, then this Direct Variable Rate Mini Cash ISA from the Kent Reliance Building Society at 5.46% appears to be the cleanest good rate around (ie no special offers to draw you in). It's not online, but then, your ISA should really be for savings, rather than an active account, as once you take the money out, that's it.
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