Wednesday, February 29, 2012

FED #119: The Arctic Shrink (Katharine Charlton)


Status: FED
· Kale Salad (arugula, yuzu dressing, pecorino)
· Northern Cassoulet: Musk Ox Leg + Venison + Wild Boar
· Dessert by Charlton


Guest #119.1: Katharine Charlton
Occupation: Psychiatrist
Contributed: Chocolate almond cake, peanut butter cupcakes
Sent thank-you: email

Guest #119.2: Alex Panther
Occupation: science guy
Contributed: Olivier Ravoire 2009 Plan de Dieu, Wine by Joe 2008 Pinot Noir
Sent thank-you: see above

Guest #119.3: Mike Miner
Occupation: suspicious drifter
Contributed: $1000 nutella
Sent thank-you: Mike can never thank me enough for saving him from that angry redneck sheriff.





WHAT DO PEOPLE DO IN THE ARCTIC?

PANTHER
What do people do all day long there?

CHARLTON
It’s kind of a full time job, sewing a skin tent and coming up with food and keeping a fire going.

PANTHER
But I mean, if you’re going to go to the store and buy the food. What do people do?

CHARLTON
Well this is the problem. So rapid cultural change is a known precipitant of problems in cultures. The other examples are in New Zealand or sometimes in Africa. I’m not an arctic expert. I just go up there sometimes.

MINTZ
You can’t take a people who are used to subsiding on what they can do for themselves, and introduce good and services.

CHARLTON
Right. So now they have stores and everything. And that kind of rapid cultural shift often results, when it happens within a generation or two, it often results in a kind of existential crisis of the culture. So the people lose their purpose without evolving something new, as would have happened in Europe. Things would have slowly shifted from survivalism, like feudalism and a bunch of different models.

MINTZ
Well if you’re connected, geographically, close to another culture, capitalism’s going to take hold, and you’ll be like, what do we have to sell or trade or do?

CHARLTON
So they went from survivalism to capitalism without any of the intervening phases. So it creates a kind of purposelessness or a meaninglessness.

Monday, February 20, 2012

ATE: Musk Ox Cassoulet


Thawed this musk ox leg enough to carve a third off it.


If anyone ask why my duck fat tastes musky ...


Confit musk ox leg.


A bit of venison shoulder, before being braised.


Chopped up boar sausage.


All combined with cannellini beans ...

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

FED#117: The Video Gamer (Shaun Hatton)


Status: FED
· Rice + Pickled Vegetables : kimchi, carrot, daikon, onion, cauliflower
· White Chalupa
· Grilled Cheese + Broccoli Salad (pickled chilies in theirs, n’duja in ours)
· Banana Custard (from Ash Yoon)



Guest #117.1: Shaun Hatton
Contributed: Jim Beam (white lable)
Sent thank-you: email

Guest #117.2: Leslie Hatton
Occupation: editor of popshifter.com
Contributed: see above
Sent thank-you: see above

Guest #117.3: Brigitte Noel
Occupation: Journalist
Contributed: Edgebaston 2010 The Pepper Pot
Sent thank-you: ultra-tasteful card in the mail


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

ATE — Nuts & Cock


It is really hard to shoot metal. Paul Tee taught me a little lesson. Sometimes you've gotta go manual focus.


Blanching my two-day supply of green vegetables.


My two-month supply of n'duja.

Friday, February 3, 2012

FED #116: The Acupuncturist (Ash Yoon)


Status: FED
· Chili
· White Chalupa
· Pork Loin + Potatoes + Spicy Apple Sauce
· Amy brought pie


Guest #116.1: Ash Yoon
Occupation: Acupuncturist
Contributed: banana pudding & needles
Sent thank-you: email, and then she brought me a jar of ground perilla seeds.

Guest #116.2: Naomi Frank
Occupation: Acupuncturist
Contributed: Turkey Flat 2009 Butcher’s Block & needles
Sent thank-you: email

Guest #116.3: Mark Tessaro
Occupation: Pediatrician
Contributed: alder and oak smoked salmon, that his mother makes and ships from B.C., throat needle thingee
Sent thank-you: Called IMMEDIATELY after dinner. If I were this guy’s wife, I sure would be proud of him.

Guest #116.4: Amy Wood
Occupation: I only know her through Hank
Contributed: pecan pies
Sent thank-you: email

Guest #116.4: Paul Terefenko
Occupation: I only know him through Amy
Contributed: Catena 2009 Malbec
Sent thank-you: phone


BACK PAIN

YOON
Do you guys have back pain right now?

MINTZ
Did you actually bring your needles?

YOON
I did. I’m hoping to poke somebody.

MINTZ
I’d love for you to do some poking.

WOOD
I’m wearing a dress, so …

TEREFENKO
You say you can do back pain through the hand?

YOON
Yes.

TEREFENKO
I’m definitely in.

MINTZ
We’ll wait until after the second course. The photographer will be here.

YOON
Before dessert.

MINTZ
Is that the appropriate time.

YOON
Well, you can relax with the needles and gives us a little time to digest.

MINTZ
Normally you would have the client eat three courses before …

YOON
Of course.

This was a fun night.