some days
all I do
is watch
the sky
This guilt feels so familiar and I'm home.
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Beer Project, Courtsey of Pike Brewing.
Beer tasting. It's a new hobby for me, but one that has quickly spurred intense opinions, desire to spread information, and even vacations centered around beer tastings.
Beer gets a bad rap. When people say that they are off on a trip to Napa for tours of wineries, or spending a Saturday going wine tasting, most people don't bat an eye. But if you say you're going to a bar for a night of beer sampling, it seems you are quick to be branded an alcoholic.
But those are the size of beer tastes. Those of us who enjoy beer are often not sitting in a dark bar tipping back bottle after bottle. In fact, dark bars make it difficult to judge the color and clarity of the beer. It's the people slipping off the stools after too many Bud Lights that are giving us a bad reputation.
Beer tasting is hard work. New beers crop up constantly. But there are certain styles that one should try, from certain regions in the world, to get a taste of what is available and what styles you might like.
While I have been tasting and rating beers for about seven months now, with 243 beers logged on ratebeer.com, I sadly haven't tasted some of the most defining beers available. That's where Pike Brewing comes in. They have a "Pike Pub Club", which challenges you to try every beer available at their pub (their brews plus a collection of bottles). Considering I've only tried six (!) of their 24 bottles, it's time to get moving. GYM and I plan to be proud owners of engraved growlers by next June.
Beer gets a bad rap. When people say that they are off on a trip to Napa for tours of wineries, or spending a Saturday going wine tasting, most people don't bat an eye. But if you say you're going to a bar for a night of beer sampling, it seems you are quick to be branded an alcoholic.
But those are the size of beer tastes. Those of us who enjoy beer are often not sitting in a dark bar tipping back bottle after bottle. In fact, dark bars make it difficult to judge the color and clarity of the beer. It's the people slipping off the stools after too many Bud Lights that are giving us a bad reputation.
Beer tasting is hard work. New beers crop up constantly. But there are certain styles that one should try, from certain regions in the world, to get a taste of what is available and what styles you might like.
While I have been tasting and rating beers for about seven months now, with 243 beers logged on ratebeer.com, I sadly haven't tasted some of the most defining beers available. That's where Pike Brewing comes in. They have a "Pike Pub Club", which challenges you to try every beer available at their pub (their brews plus a collection of bottles). Considering I've only tried six (!) of their 24 bottles, it's time to get moving. GYM and I plan to be proud owners of engraved growlers by next June.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Oh, the Places I'll Go: Maximus/Minimus
People have asked me if my experiment--my focus on eating non-processed foods, sourced as locally as possible, while paying special attention to the way my meat was raised--has prevented me from eating outside the home.
I love going out to eat. I enjoy lingering over food, drink, and conversation. And I love being inspired by the menus at restaurants, their inspired pairings of ingredients, their creative cooking methods, their attention to the smallest details.
Give that up? I certainly don't want to lose all that. Luckily, more and more restaurants are willing to talk about the sources of their ingredients. In my "Oh, the Places I'll Go" series, I'll talk about those restaurants, from the established to the new, from the three course dinner to the quick bite on the street.
And that's where we're starting today: Maximus Minimus, the pig truck that sits at Second and Pine during the week, and makes its way to Occidental and Royal Brougham before Mariners games.
Max Min serves two sandwiches: pork and veggie.
With two sauces: maximus (spicy) and minimus (sweet)
And two coleslaws: max or min, same deal, spicy or sweet
And a choice of drink: ginger lemonade or hibiscus nectar.
Their pork is locally sourced and antibiotic free. The sammies come on a whole wheat roll. They look small, but with that whole wheat bun and the piling of the meat, one is certainly enough to suffice as dinner.
Gracefullypunk recommends the minimus pork, with "hurt", which, contrary to the naming of maximus, is how you truly make your sammie spicy. The maximus slaw, with chipotle, is quite tasty, and the ginger lemonade a perfect finisher.
GYM and I didn't even go to the game tonight--just walked my parents to Safeco for the excuse of stopping at the pig:
I love going out to eat. I enjoy lingering over food, drink, and conversation. And I love being inspired by the menus at restaurants, their inspired pairings of ingredients, their creative cooking methods, their attention to the smallest details.
Give that up? I certainly don't want to lose all that. Luckily, more and more restaurants are willing to talk about the sources of their ingredients. In my "Oh, the Places I'll Go" series, I'll talk about those restaurants, from the established to the new, from the three course dinner to the quick bite on the street.
And that's where we're starting today: Maximus Minimus, the pig truck that sits at Second and Pine during the week, and makes its way to Occidental and Royal Brougham before Mariners games.
Max Min serves two sandwiches: pork and veggie.
With two sauces: maximus (spicy) and minimus (sweet)
And two coleslaws: max or min, same deal, spicy or sweet
And a choice of drink: ginger lemonade or hibiscus nectar.
Their pork is locally sourced and antibiotic free. The sammies come on a whole wheat roll. They look small, but with that whole wheat bun and the piling of the meat, one is certainly enough to suffice as dinner.
Gracefullypunk recommends the minimus pork, with "hurt", which, contrary to the naming of maximus, is how you truly make your sammie spicy. The maximus slaw, with chipotle, is quite tasty, and the ginger lemonade a perfect finisher.
GYM and I didn't even go to the game tonight--just walked my parents to Safeco for the excuse of stopping at the pig:
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Seattle Beer Week
Beer. It's a fairly new thing for me. Sure, I've always liked beer, and thought myself to be a bit of a beer snob, but now it's rapidly becoming a passion, something nearly equal to my obsession with food.
Now, when I say I've been hitting up Seattle Beer Week, I don't mean that I'm heading out to the bars with the sole purpose of getting drunk. While becoming a little tipsy might be a byproduct of tasting 15 beers in three hours, the main goal of SBW is to find new, different, interesting, and/or rare beers to try.
And, if you're like Carrmat and I, freaking out your waitress a bit by taking notes on each beer you taste. GYM is fairly tolerant, sitting and sipping beers while we discuss whether one smells like soap or apples or dirty socks (yes, really).
This photo was taking at Elysian Brewing Company where, according to ratebeer, we tasted and rated 15 rare Elysian brews.
The night before, we'd gone to Brouwer's, where we were joined by Broberto, for a Back in Black Stout Night. Unfortunately, unlike the Elysian, Brouwer's didn't do tastes, so we had to get a pint of each. When the beers you're drinking clock in at 7-10%, we weren't consuming more than two each...so I didn't get to taste as many stouts.
Thursday is Sour Night--my favorite style of beer. I'll be heading back to Brouwer's to sit for a few hours, sampling as many of these unusual beers as possible.
Now, when I say I've been hitting up Seattle Beer Week, I don't mean that I'm heading out to the bars with the sole purpose of getting drunk. While becoming a little tipsy might be a byproduct of tasting 15 beers in three hours, the main goal of SBW is to find new, different, interesting, and/or rare beers to try.
And, if you're like Carrmat and I, freaking out your waitress a bit by taking notes on each beer you taste. GYM is fairly tolerant, sitting and sipping beers while we discuss whether one smells like soap or apples or dirty socks (yes, really).
This photo was taking at Elysian Brewing Company where, according to ratebeer, we tasted and rated 15 rare Elysian brews.
The night before, we'd gone to Brouwer's, where we were joined by Broberto, for a Back in Black Stout Night. Unfortunately, unlike the Elysian, Brouwer's didn't do tastes, so we had to get a pint of each. When the beers you're drinking clock in at 7-10%, we weren't consuming more than two each...so I didn't get to taste as many stouts.
Thursday is Sour Night--my favorite style of beer. I'll be heading back to Brouwer's to sit for a few hours, sampling as many of these unusual beers as possible.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Chocolate by the Market
Valentine's Day is coming up. Chocolate is part of the trifecta of gifts that men often buy their significant other when they just can't think of something more inspired. So where to get your chocolate in Seattle?
I would actually recommend being a bit creative, and rather than buying a box of chocolates, taking your sweetie out for some of the best hot chocolate in town. There are two chocolate cafes near downtown, Seattle Chocolate Box and Fran's Chocolates. If you want just a pure, deep, drinking chocolate, go to Fran's, but if you would like to sample a hot cocoa spiked with peanut butter, orange or mint, hit up the Chocolate Box. Of course, I tried the Orange, and it was divine, not too sweet and topped with plenty of whipped cream.
If you still insist on buying chocolates as a Valentine's gift, both shops make and sell their own truffles, but Fran's wins for elegance. The Chocolate Box has a wide selection of chocolate bars and such from throughout the city and the world, but Fran's creates unique combinations, packages them well and has informative staff. And their packaged hot chocolate is tremendous with hot milk and Irish Cream.
I would actually recommend being a bit creative, and rather than buying a box of chocolates, taking your sweetie out for some of the best hot chocolate in town. There are two chocolate cafes near downtown, Seattle Chocolate Box and Fran's Chocolates. If you want just a pure, deep, drinking chocolate, go to Fran's, but if you would like to sample a hot cocoa spiked with peanut butter, orange or mint, hit up the Chocolate Box. Of course, I tried the Orange, and it was divine, not too sweet and topped with plenty of whipped cream.
If you still insist on buying chocolates as a Valentine's gift, both shops make and sell their own truffles, but Fran's wins for elegance. The Chocolate Box has a wide selection of chocolate bars and such from throughout the city and the world, but Fran's creates unique combinations, packages them well and has informative staff. And their packaged hot chocolate is tremendous with hot milk and Irish Cream.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Eating Seattle: The Market and Coffee
Well...this didn't post three days ago...
My friend Amanda visited last weekend, which meant caffination, ferry rides, hockey and time sampling the wonders of Pike Place Market. Because she arrived at 4pm, when I'd already been awake for twelve hours, our first stop was Ladro, a Seattle coffee shop featuring fair trade beans and one of the best coffee drinks I've ever tasted. I can't remember the name of the drink, but it was a combination of mocha and orange peel, and it was delicious. I find most fancy coffees way too sweet, but this was a recommendation of the barista and it was perfect--the only mocha I've had that has not been too milk-chocolately sweet. I highly recommend Cafe Ladro, both for their beverages and their fair trade commitment.
After an adventure at my first hockey game, where we saw the Seattle Thunderbirds beat up on the Everett Silvertippies, which included a near-heart attack when the midnight bus to Seattle started to pull away without us, we were moving a bit slow in the morning. Being the loving person that I am (read: the person always starving in the morning), I went foraging for croissants, and found delicious ones at Le Panier, which also appears to have about twenty other types of bread and sweet pastries I'd like to sample. The plain croissants were heavenly with butter and plenty of flakiness. I didn't hear much about the pain au chocolats, but they disappeared quickly so I'll assume they were quite tasty, also.
After coffee and croissants, Amanda and I ventured down to the market and reveled in its choices. The street opposite Pike Place is packed with tiny shops containing food from nearly every region of the world. I'm sure that the market shops will pop back into my reviews with great frequency, but for now I'll focus on one: Jack's Fish Spot. This shop is located next to the wrought iron staircase and appears to be a typical fishmonger, although slightly less exciting as on this side of the street they don't throw the fish. But if you walk around to the side, you find counters and simple menu. Have the halibut and chips--they are the best I've had yet, especially the chips. We watched a sack of potatoes arrive from across the way, and everything was freshly fried.
As Amanda said, I would marry in a few seconds the man that salted those chips. It didn't hurt that the boy taking the orders and the one frying up the chips were quite adorable. All in all, a great place for fresh fish and chips--I just wish they made their own tartar sauce rather than including a packet of Kraft.
My friend Amanda visited last weekend, which meant caffination, ferry rides, hockey and time sampling the wonders of Pike Place Market. Because she arrived at 4pm, when I'd already been awake for twelve hours, our first stop was Ladro, a Seattle coffee shop featuring fair trade beans and one of the best coffee drinks I've ever tasted. I can't remember the name of the drink, but it was a combination of mocha and orange peel, and it was delicious. I find most fancy coffees way too sweet, but this was a recommendation of the barista and it was perfect--the only mocha I've had that has not been too milk-chocolately sweet. I highly recommend Cafe Ladro, both for their beverages and their fair trade commitment.
After an adventure at my first hockey game, where we saw the Seattle Thunderbirds beat up on the Everett Silvertippies, which included a near-heart attack when the midnight bus to Seattle started to pull away without us, we were moving a bit slow in the morning. Being the loving person that I am (read: the person always starving in the morning), I went foraging for croissants, and found delicious ones at Le Panier, which also appears to have about twenty other types of bread and sweet pastries I'd like to sample. The plain croissants were heavenly with butter and plenty of flakiness. I didn't hear much about the pain au chocolats, but they disappeared quickly so I'll assume they were quite tasty, also.
After coffee and croissants, Amanda and I ventured down to the market and reveled in its choices. The street opposite Pike Place is packed with tiny shops containing food from nearly every region of the world. I'm sure that the market shops will pop back into my reviews with great frequency, but for now I'll focus on one: Jack's Fish Spot. This shop is located next to the wrought iron staircase and appears to be a typical fishmonger, although slightly less exciting as on this side of the street they don't throw the fish. But if you walk around to the side, you find counters and simple menu. Have the halibut and chips--they are the best I've had yet, especially the chips. We watched a sack of potatoes arrive from across the way, and everything was freshly fried.
As Amanda said, I would marry in a few seconds the man that salted those chips. It didn't hurt that the boy taking the orders and the one frying up the chips were quite adorable. All in all, a great place for fresh fish and chips--I just wish they made their own tartar sauce rather than including a packet of Kraft.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Baby It's Cold Outside
The snow moved in at about 3:15pm yesterday afternoon. We'd made plans to meet up with friends for happy hour onion rings at 4:30pm...on Capitol Hill. Not being a natural snow baby--Central California and the mild temps of the Willamette Valley mean encounters of only a few inches every few years--and having nothing even resembling boots in the Big Gay Refugee Center (if you have to ask, you likely don't want to know) I was hesitant to make the trek. What if the buses stopped and left me stranded on the hill? G is a search and rescue volunteer and he didn't want to leave the warmth of the apartment, so I figured that was a wise decision. M openly mocked us while donning several layers of clothing and left into the snowy world. Then R showed up and, after about 15 minutes, the two of us decided to brave the snowy gusts and possible eight inches of snow.
I'm so glad we did. We caught a bus headed up the hill fairly quickly, and met up with four others at Deluxe on Capitol Hill. After consuming a 9lb Porter and some sort of heavy wheat beer (wasn't really clear on that, but it was delicious) along with the necessary onion rings, we headed outside and proceeded to have the best snowball fight this side of eight years old. A passerby even shook his head in dismay at the 'kids'. M stuffed snow up my nose. R fought with a Washington Lottery sign (the sign won). L, gloveless, lobbed several harmless throws and numbed her hands. Ke took a ride in a shopping cart. J sweetly cleared strangers' cars to form snowballs. We all ended up soaked and resembling ancient Yetis, at which point we retired to Bill's and warmed up with hot toddys.
The evening ended with M, R and I dashing madly across the road and being lectured by a bus driver to not stop running if we were going to hold up her bus. I had a nice chat with R's mother and let her know that her son was in good care, after which we immediately left the bus, bypassed the 'street closed' signs and slid down Pine Street nearly into Pike's Place Market. Without sleds. Or trashcan lids. After a few more rolls in the snow, we were nearly frozen, so we headed back to the BGRC to give G some icy hugs and watch Invader Zim while sipping cocoa with rum.
Snow days are the best days.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Let it Snow? Baby Please Come Home
This was Seattle two days ago. A nice, peaceful blanket of snow. Now, however, we are apparently in the middle of SNOWMAGEDDON, although from what I can see the snow has already stopped. I'm huddled up on the twenty-third floor, and while we can still see the piers the rest of Puget Sound has been hidden for an hour. Traffic continues to flow down 99, but I'm assuming that will come to a near-halt soon. The forecast is for 3-8 inches of new snow by tomorrow morning, with the majority of it falling west of I-5, which is odd, as typically more snow falls on the eastside. Many areas are set to experience high winds, and, what worries me, the possibility of ice pellets and freezing rain.
I'm ok with the snow on the weekends, or snow as long as I have plenty of provisions. But I want to be able to fly home Sunday. So let it snow for a few more hours and then, please, let me get home for Christmas.
Friday, October 31, 2008
I Miss the One I Care For...
I own a shirt that reads, "I found my heart in New Orleans."
In a city in which I have experienced such turmoil, such frustration, such fragility,I truly found my heart. Here, amidst the brokenness of both a city and of myself, I have re-discovered love.
I have discovered love, and passion, as it relates to one of the essentials of life: food. I know now that almost nothing makes me happier than preparing food. I want to study it, to talk about it, to help people to realize that food is more than just an energy source, but it is a part of local economies, of culture, of community. Continuing to commodify it has negative effects on our health, in both a personal and corporate sense.
But more importantly, I have discovered the love of community. The people that I've found here have reminded me that we're not meant to live our lives in isolation. This community that we've built for ourselves revolves around enjoying the city together, cooking together, eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner together, exercising together, worshiping together, doing nothing together. My life here, with the community I've made here, is the one I've been wanting since graduating college.
But I'm leaving.
I'm leaving this city that still holds a piece of my heart. When I think about turning and walking away, it hurts. But there is something more out there. There is family, whom I miss more each day. There is another city that I have loved for my entire life. There is a piece of my heart, residing out there near Puget Sound. But ultimately, there is home.
I leave in a little over two weeks. I have to make it quick, like a band-aid, or I'll linger on and on. But in those two weeks we have Krewe du Boo, we have a pumpkin party, and we have Frenchmen Street. There are still more restaurants then I will be able to visit in this short amount of time. I hope to see y'all before I take my leave--you are the reasons I stayed so long, and you will always have a place to crash in Seattle.
----------------
Now playing: We Shot The Moon - Please Shine
via FoxyTunes
In a city in which I have experienced such turmoil, such frustration, such fragility,I truly found my heart. Here, amidst the brokenness of both a city and of myself, I have re-discovered love.
I have discovered love, and passion, as it relates to one of the essentials of life: food. I know now that almost nothing makes me happier than preparing food. I want to study it, to talk about it, to help people to realize that food is more than just an energy source, but it is a part of local economies, of culture, of community. Continuing to commodify it has negative effects on our health, in both a personal and corporate sense.
But more importantly, I have discovered the love of community. The people that I've found here have reminded me that we're not meant to live our lives in isolation. This community that we've built for ourselves revolves around enjoying the city together, cooking together, eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner together, exercising together, worshiping together, doing nothing together. My life here, with the community I've made here, is the one I've been wanting since graduating college.
But I'm leaving.
I'm leaving this city that still holds a piece of my heart. When I think about turning and walking away, it hurts. But there is something more out there. There is family, whom I miss more each day. There is another city that I have loved for my entire life. There is a piece of my heart, residing out there near Puget Sound. But ultimately, there is home.
I leave in a little over two weeks. I have to make it quick, like a band-aid, or I'll linger on and on. But in those two weeks we have Krewe du Boo, we have a pumpkin party, and we have Frenchmen Street. There are still more restaurants then I will be able to visit in this short amount of time. I hope to see y'all before I take my leave--you are the reasons I stayed so long, and you will always have a place to crash in Seattle.
----------------
Now playing: We Shot The Moon - Please Shine
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, September 13, 2008
I'm tryin' to find you something better inside me
So August has come and gone and we're nearly halfway through September.
August. I waited for it. I wanted for it. I counted down the days as July inched its way onward. And then August broke me apart. In many ways. I was broken by a loss of hope and by a loss in my confidence to believe in my intuition. The hopeless romantic in me had to face reality, and that reality hurt. But more than that, August broke me by shattering my simple thoughts about home. Since moving to New Orleans, I've felt at home. Yet returning to Seattle...I don't know. I can't explain it well. There is something about Seattle/the eastside that is rooted in me. My sense of place is defined by that area, so much more even than in Oregon. Seattle is home. The grey, drizzly days. The smell of the trees. The mindset of people. The sight of the lake when I come down from the hills. I still love New Orleans. But if I'm honest with myself, I've felt like a visitor here, a sociologist observing but not quite living within the culture. It's time to go back to my world.
And so September came and my world flipped. It's a new month, a new perspective. I've had plenty of time to contemplate, and I'm understanding more and more what I want. I want to supplement my MPH with training in public policy. I want a job at a nonprofit with a health focus, and more specifically with a global development focus. Ultimately I'd like to be a policy and/or research analyst at The Gates Foundation. I want to get back to a place that feels like home, that is closer to family, where I can feel healthy.
I'll carry a piece of New Orleans with me, probably forever. But home is calling.
August. I waited for it. I wanted for it. I counted down the days as July inched its way onward. And then August broke me apart. In many ways. I was broken by a loss of hope and by a loss in my confidence to believe in my intuition. The hopeless romantic in me had to face reality, and that reality hurt. But more than that, August broke me by shattering my simple thoughts about home. Since moving to New Orleans, I've felt at home. Yet returning to Seattle...I don't know. I can't explain it well. There is something about Seattle/the eastside that is rooted in me. My sense of place is defined by that area, so much more even than in Oregon. Seattle is home. The grey, drizzly days. The smell of the trees. The mindset of people. The sight of the lake when I come down from the hills. I still love New Orleans. But if I'm honest with myself, I've felt like a visitor here, a sociologist observing but not quite living within the culture. It's time to go back to my world.
And so September came and my world flipped. It's a new month, a new perspective. I've had plenty of time to contemplate, and I'm understanding more and more what I want. I want to supplement my MPH with training in public policy. I want a job at a nonprofit with a health focus, and more specifically with a global development focus. Ultimately I'd like to be a policy and/or research analyst at The Gates Foundation. I want to get back to a place that feels like home, that is closer to family, where I can feel healthy.
I'll carry a piece of New Orleans with me, probably forever. But home is calling.
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