Mekofef Habananot

He was here last night, I am sure.  How do I know?  Although I did not see him, I can see what he did.  And this is not the first time.  I'll explain.

I like baking bread.  I like the aroma while it's baking in the oven, the dark brown color of the crust, and the tangy taste of sourdough as I bite into the warm slice.  I also enjoy the challenge of using only three ingredients (flour, salt, water) to make a wide variety of flavors and textures.   At this time I am confronting such a challenge.  Adi likes the flavor of whole-wheat flour, so I am gradually increasing its proportion (I am at 80%).  The trouble is that more whole wheat makes the bread more dense, and I, like it fluffy.  Yes, adding more water improves the fluffiness, but with more water it is harder for the loaf to keep its shape while rising.  I forgot to mention that I keep a precise log of my experiments.  Back to the story.

A few mornings ago, I was surprised to find that a highly hydrated loaf rose fully and was nicely shaped.  It stayed that way throughout the bake.  We celebrated at breakfast.  The next day, I tried to repeat the procedure using the exact same measurements, and the result was what Adi calls a bindetok, a pancake.  Life goes on.  I reduced the water, and continued my experiments.  This morning it happened again.  Same recipe as yesterday, but with spectacular results.  The round shape of the risen loaf would have put Buddha's belly to shame.  That's when I realized that it was no accident.  Mekofef Habananot was here.  I don't know what he does to the dough, but it works.

From now on, I'll keep a sharp look out, and when I catch him, he'll have to teach me his trick.  I'll let you know when he does. 

P.S.  Adi asked me how do I know it's a "he".  For the answer, click the link below.

         Mekofef Habananot

P.P.S.  Please share your comments on the blog, rather than an email reply.

The Night Intruder

What would you think if you woke up in the middle of the night to loud bangs, rattles, and other weird noises?

"It's the upstairs neighbors again" 

Not an unreasonable assumption, they do sometimes drag furniture in the middle of the night.  I turned back to bed, but after a brief silence, the racket resumed.

Adi became alarmed.  "Is someone trying to break in through the window?"

Her sentiment was understandable given that recently, we experienced an almost-close encounter with an armed robber.  We got out of bed.

On her way to the window, Adi grabbed a miniature but powerful flashlight and the pepper-spray canister which we purchased after the above-mentioned incident.  I hardly had time to conclude my business in the toilet, when I heard Adi screech.  I rushed to her side.  She stood there silent and wide-eyed, pointing the beam towards the darkness outside.  Suddenly, a large white face appeared and moved towards us at an incredible speed.  The bird almost crashed into the glass panel, its wings repeatedly and forcefully hitting the window.  Shortly, it landed on a pipe, and was staring back at us.  It was a large owl, its wingspan more than a meter.

I should explain that the apartments in our building get their sunlight from a large  air shaft that runs from the ground to the sky.  We assumed the bird could not find its way up and out.

"I thought owls were suppose to be smart"  said Adi as we settled back in bed.  

I did not dare tell her that that's in Korea.  Here in Mexico, the owl is an omen of death.

Early in the morning the racket resumed.  I assumed the poor thing got tangled somehow, and I shuffled to the window, ready for the rescue.  I even contemplated keeping it as pet.  As I looked outside, dawn was breaking and the bird was gone.

The owl  Click this link.

P.S.  Please share your comments on the blog, rather than an email reply.

24/24

 

It took 24 hours to make, and 24 minutes to consume.  That's why only half is left.

Sour dough starter
80% whole wheat
Pecan filling (can't find walnuts in Oaxaca)
Crusted with oats.

Result:  Crunchy crust and mouth watering taste.  We like the rough texture of WW.

Next step:  100% whole wheat

Mission impossible:  Add more water for more airy crumb.  So far, the wetter dough looses its shape after I take it out of the Benetton.

Time to Eat

Recently, Doron published a photo of himself and the almost-finished guitar he is building.  Both looked good.  When questioned, he told me that his slim appearance is due to better nutrition habits.  Congratulations.  For various reasons, the subject of nutrition has been occupying my thoughts, and Doron's reply prompted me to share them in this post.

Michael Pollan, in his book In defense of food: An eater's manifesto, provides three rules for good nutrition:

Eat Food, not too much, mainly from plants.

These  concise and elegant rules describe my convictions, and I follow them, without being too religious about it.   In recent years, I found an additional rule that may not have been available to Pollan at the time of his writing.  I am convinced that the practice of Time Restricted Eating (TRE) contributes greatly to a healthy body.  Many of you already heard me say it, but on this subject, I don't mind being a nag.  So I hope Pollan won't mind if I modify his rules to read:

Eat Food, not too much and not at night, mainly from plants. 

Food

Pollan is contrasting food as obtained from nature, to processed food.  For example: steak is Food, hot-dog is not.  Obviously, there are different levels of processing, and it is up to us to define the level we are willing to tolerate.  Processed meat seems to be the worst of the lot, but anything that comes in a package is suspect.

Not too much

That's a hard one.  Some pretty solid research (See my post) shows that lack of protein forces us to overeat.  Eating enough protein reduces hunger before we gobble too many calories.  There is probably enough protein even in a plant-based diet, but just to make sure, I consume a daily (plant-based) protein supplement.  Another effective way to constrain our eating is through the practice of TRE.

Not at night

Based on his research on the Circadian rhythm, Dr. Satchin Panda is one of the early proponents of TRE.  In his papers, lectures, and books, he advocates the health benefits of such a regime.  He proposes a schedule which he calls the  "12/3", which means 12 hours without eating, including the three hours before going to sleep.  Longer TRE periods, such as the popular 16-hour TRE, provide additional benefits through the biological process of autophagy.

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Catering to my affection for organization charts (and the number Three) I expand a section of my post Searching for Happiness.   No new information.  Feel free to skip this part.

Comfort    To me, this is the basic level (See note) of contentment.  It is supported by three pillars: 

      Healthy Body    Active Mind    Love and Friendship
     

      Healthy body is achieved by:

            Good Nutrition    Vigorous Exercise    Deep Sleep

            The three rules for good nutrition:

                   Eat Food    Not too much and not at night    Mainly from plants

Note:  I realize that first, we must have a shelter to sleep, enough money for food, and spare time for exercise.  

Banchan

Who does not like Mediterranean  Mazza?  The array of salads with its wide variety of tastes and colors is a wonderful appetizer.  Adi loves mazza.  Perhaps because it reminds her of home.  Korea has a similar offering called Banchan, which are served as the accompaniment to the main dish, which is rice.  The number of small plates on the table can range between five or six, in a home-cooked dinner, to dozens in a fancy restaurant.  The dishes vary in taste between savory and extremely spicy, and their texture can be crunchy, soft, or like the marinated crab, a hybrid.  Even though Korea is a meat lover's paradise, most of the banchan are vegetables.   The appropriate complement to this meal is either beer or Makkoli, a fizzy rice wine.  The photo demonstrates the set menu ($12 per person) in a popular restaurant near our apartment.  The highlight of this meal (except for the rice), is fermented soy-bean stew, served in a searing-hot black stone bowl (Think miso soup on steroids).  Needless to say, we became regular customers.

P.S.  Do not be misled by the symmetrical setting.  Except for the fried fish, each dish is unique.  See map below.  

 1.  Mushroom

 2.  Squash

 3.  Kimchi

 4.Potato

 5.  Green onion

 6.  Fried tofu

 7.  Rice

 8.  Makkoli

 9.  Stir fried kimchi

10.  Cabbage salad

11.  Potato noodle (+vegetables)

12.  Pork BBQ

13.  Fermented soy stew

14.  Fried fish

15.  Seasoned clam

 16  Marinated crab

     17..Steamed cabbage\ 

     18. Egg fried tofu

     19.  Mountain vegetables

     20.  Bell-flower root

     21  Egg plant

     22.  Bean sprouts

     23.  Spinach

     24.  Sweet potato stalk.

Abu Dhabi: In search of a local

A visit to a different country is an opportunity to learn about a new culture.  On a short visit, an easy source for such an exchange are locals engaged in the tourist industry.  As I hit the streets of  Abu Dhabi, I quickly realized that locals are are rare breed.  In a rough sampling of sidewalk traffic, I counted about one local for every twenty other nationalities.  Emirati  men are easily recognizable by their immaculate kandura, a neck-to-sandal white dress, which seems to be the mandatory uniform.  They often wear a short trimmed beard, while the headdress is optional.  They are  slim and tall, and they glide, rather than walk, like the masters of the universe which they are, until they disappear into a waiting car.  in the many bus rides I have taken, I have not seen a single Emirati.  Emirati women are even more scarce.  They are totally covered in black, and are always accompanied by a man.  Another location for spotting Emiratis are the luxury malls, where they can be observed shopping, or relaxing over a coffee.  I am sure some of them work, but none do so in the lower  ranks of the tourism professions,  and thus, they are  not approachable to a short-term visitor like me.

Locals aside, Abud Dhabi streets are teeming with people.  Most, or 90%, according to Google, are  migrant workers who fill the unskilled, or semi-skilled labor force.  They come from all the usual places:  India, Pakistan, Philippines, and various Africans countries.  They are friendly, speak English, and seem to be happy. 

Dreams of Baja

My good friend Jim Casciani, sent me an email titled 'Dreaming and Remembering.'   Below, in his characteristic understated style, Jim describes the dream, or is it a nightmare?

Do you remember the trip to Baja with Hans, you and me?  We were flying at an altitude of several hundred feet looking for Melling Ranch.  The ranch, our destination, has a landing strip in the desert mountains, 50 miles from any paved road.  We were running out of sunlight, and became a bit concerned. Oh, I forgot to mention, we were also running low on fuel.

We could not find any ranch or airstrip. All eyes were looking. Hans was saying, "I think it is over there", you were checking instruments. You instructed me to check the RDF position which I had done only once before in my life. Hans was trying to be heavily involved from the back seat. We were getting increasingly tense. After what seemed to be a L O N G time, we spotted the dirt airstrip. 

It was in a canyon.  You make the landing-checks and go down for a landing, knowing there was little room for error.  If I recall correctly, Saguaro cactus passing 30 feet away at 60 MPH did pucker me up.  On touchdown, the recoil bounce was impressive!  Nonetheless, control was maintained.  It was great to be down.  When we were unloading, we noticed that the white running light, on the bottom of the plane, could not take the rough landing and was dangling by its wires.  

Great times.

Disclaimer (just in case I ever want to renew my pilot's license):  We were not low on fuel.