Pot Luck

Vacant space across the street... (4.00 / 1)

So some people were here this afternoon checking out the recently vacated space (was an upholstery shop until last week) in the building across the street from me.

Two people who looked about my age (early 30's), dressed "respectably".  Saw them (and the real estate agent) when I got off the bus, and for a second I thought about stopping over to check them out but I figured I'll let them do their business.

We need a Community Center here in Creston-Kenilworth, but the Portland City Parks Bureau doesn't have any money.  This building would have been perfect for it (it's literally smack dab in the center of our 'hood at SE Chavez / 39th & Gladstone), as a new friend of mine from the neighborhood just pointed out.

I'm eager to find out what's gonna happen there.  I know I won't be able to fulfill my dream of opening a neighborhood green market / butcher shop / cafe (a la Eastmoreland Market or Laurelhurst Market), but maybe these people have been reading me and will steal the idea?  Steal away if you can make it happen!!!

;)

Heh, but yeah.  Definitely looking forward to something good popping up there?  As long as it doesn't become another yoga studio (which is what happened to the building down the street that became vacant last year).  We have quite enough of those around here already,  thanks!

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 02:33:25 AM UTC

For Love of the Game... (4.00 / 1)

Okay yeah, For Love of the Game is on AMC right now.

I love this damned movie, and I don't care what anybody says about it!

And John C. Reilly makes everything 15 times better just by his presence.

Billy Chapel: The game doesn't stink, Mr. Wheeler. It's a great game.

Fucking A!  Was professional baseball ever just a game, though?  Shame what money does.

[to himself, pitching to a Yankee batter]
Billy Chapel: Sam Tuttle. I can't think of a better reason not to be a Yankee.

Heh, that and the fact that once you play for the Yankees you grow horns out of your head and sprout a tail and shit...

Billy Chapel: I used to believe, I still do, that if you give something your all it doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you've risked everything put everything out there. And I've done that. I did it my entire life.

I'm watching and going to bed.  Good night, youze all!

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 04:44:27 AM UTC

Public Markets in Israel... (4.00 / 1)

Outdoor markets around the country are getting a face-lift. With spruced up alleyways and new gourmet eateries, it seems the global consumer trend favoring fresh food and farmers' markets is starting to catch on. Municipalities and local councils in Israel are rediscovering their open markets, which they're now working to expand and repair. In the next two years, most outdoor markets here will undergo massive upgrades, with millions of dollars allocated to the markets' maintenance and expansion. Suddenly Israeli cities want to see their shuks meet the standards of well-known international markets, such as Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona, or the Rungis market outside Paris.

Alongside increased municipal investment, private entrepreneurs are opening a growing number of restaurants along the outskirts of these marketplaces. They are particularly lured by the ability to easily purchase a daily bundle of fresh produce and food, often of the highest quality, which is set aside for them. Alongside Jerusalem's thronged Mahane Yehuda Market, for example, are new coffee houses like Cafe Mizrahi, and restaurants like Mahneyuda, which attract patrons from Tel Aviv.

Let's get moving on one (again) here, Portland!

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 19:46:16 PM UTC

Boise-Eliot outdoor market pics... (4.00 / 1)

Hit the Boise-Eliot market earlier today for the first time, up in the neighborhood where I used to work.

More of a craft fair than a farmers' market, but there were still a couple of food stands.  This is a neighborhood that's probably as close to a food desert as they come in inner Portland...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 03:02:53 AM UTC

Note in the first pic... (4.00 / 1)

The little girl's carrying a massive bag of Lay's potato chips that is literally half her size.

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 03:56:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

breakfast? lunch? nt (4.00 / 1)

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by: count @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 04:01:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

6 PM-ish... (4.00 / 1)

Dinner, I guess.  At a farmers' market too, no less...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 04:05:03 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Big Short (4.00 / 1)

I just finished The Big Short by Michael Lewis. Fascinating book, easy read, every chapter worthwhile. I started it less than 24 hours ago, and didn't put it down except to take naps. Now I need to eat something.

Also available as audiobook or CD, and I suppose there are ebook versions.

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by: count @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 03:40:51 AM UTC

Have some tacos! (4.00 / 1)

The new(-ish) Quesabrosa truck, N. Vancouver & Fremont (the reason I was up in that neighborhood this afternoon, I told somebody over at Portland Food I'd head up there and review the tacos), next to Mum's Kitchen, which is a South African-Indian cart with a few interesting sounding items on the menu (I've heard good things, but haven't tried it yet)...

Pescado, carnitas and lengua (clockwise from top) tacos.  Fresh handmade (flour) tortillas...

Better than average.  Salsa verde watery and poor.  Tortillas very good.

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 04:04:18 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

so on that menu board (4.00 / 1)

what would be the difference between tacos and sopes? Are we getting to the point where the difference automatically would be understood to be the difference between wheat flour and corn meal? Plus perhaps a size difference?

You need to return and do another review, Jay.

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by: count @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 06:57:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Assuming... (4.00 / 1)

I'm assuming the difference would be a thicker tortilla, probably a little bigger, and with some extra stuff on top (cheese, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc)?

The 'stuff-to-tortillla' ratio in these tacos was at least as high as I've seen anywhere else...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 12:09:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A homestay in Guatemala... (4.00 / 1)

But the highlight was watching the rhythm of daily life at the Ramos Mendoza home - Diego getting up early for a breakfast of eggs, beans, tortillas and plantains before heading to his job as a bricklayer, Karol playing with her cats and talking about her big fat white rabbit, Graciela practicing her virtually nonexistent English with Chispa, the mostly boxer puppy who belongs to a Peace Corps volunteer who also rents a room from the family.

Some things I encountered just don't happen in hotels: when I arrived home from the cultural tour, I found two chicks waddling alongside the cornstalk fence at the edge of the property. "Peep-peep-peep-peep," they wailed, seeming as panicked as  baby chickens can be. I asked Graciela what they were doing there, and she explained: they had found an opening and squeezed through, and now couldn't find their way back. "Their mom is on the other side," Graciela said.

We went over to the fence and she pointed out said mom, who to my surprise, was a turkey. I must have looked quite perplexed. But Graciela explained that the neighbors had taken a hen's eggs and placed them in the adoptive care of their turkey, who was now raising them as her own (along with their much-less-cute adoptive turkey brothers). Happens all the time, she said.

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 12:13:45 PM UTC

Rehabilitating Syracuse, NY... (4.00 / 1)

It's a good but small start: Syracuse has 3,300 vacant parcels, 1,600 of which have structures on them, a daunting number in a Rust Belt city that over the past 50 years has lost 36 percent of its population and much of its core industry.

The near West Side neighborhood that is home to Destito's house is one of the poorest in the city, notes Karen Schroeder, Home Headquarters' marketing and resource development manager. "Some of the city's oldest housing is here," she said, but it "was built as workforce housing and never top quality." In the early 1960s a highway built through the city cut it off from the heart of nearby downtown. After decades of misfires, the organization's efforts seem to be finally making a difference.

Syracuse's population inflow, as well as publicly supported commercial development, is reviving the city's urban core. Armory Square, a six-block area of railroad-era warehouses and small hotels that have been gradually renovated since the 1980s, is overflowing with restaurants, local stores and offices. The lavish Landmark Theater, built in the 1920s, has been restored. A former Dey Brothers department store has been converted to apartments.

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 13:27:39 PM UTC

SF to take on 'happy meal' toys? (4.00 / 1)

Toys that have been synonymous with kids' meals at fast-food restaurants could soon be banned in San Francisco under a new law proposed Tuesday if the food contains too much fat, sugar or salt.

Earlier this year, Santa Clara County became the first local government in the nation to adopt such a law, but it only applies to unincorporated areas and affects a handful of restaurants.

San Francisco's proposal could have a far greater impact. The restrictions would pertain to all restaurants but effectively would target the dozens of fast-food establishments in the city, among them McDonald's, Jack in the Box and Burger King.

San Francisco's legislation would not prohibit toy giveaways outright, but limit them to menu items that meet strict nutrition guidelines.

Listen to this weasel -

"Toy bans are only proven to disappoint kids, frustrate parents and generate headlines for ambitious politicians," [Daniel] Conway [director of public affairs for the California Restaurant Association] added. "The Board of Supervisors needs to stop gorging on political gimmicks and instead focus on creating jobs in their city."

Dont even know where to start on that professional liar...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 18:35:46 PM UTC

I'm all for toys (4.00 / 1)

in packages of plain steel-cut oats. Also plain brown rice.

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by: count @ Thu Aug 12, 2010 at 04:52:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Made 4 quarts of chicken broth today (4.00 / 2)

I'd prefer not to get the house hot and don't want to take up all that freezer space, but I don't trust any of the supermarket brands that I have seen. I don't know if the term "natural ingredients" is regulated properly. I want to avoid msg/hydrolyzed this that and the other thing/fermented yeast/etc. etc.

In the absence of information, I make my own. Considering how much flavor I'm getting from skin, fat, and backs, I'd say that commercial chicken broth is probably being made from feathers, claws, and such.  

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by: cybercitizen @ Thu Aug 12, 2010 at 00:22:20 AM UTC

Regard less of labels (4.00 / 1)

about natural, organic, or anything else, chicken stock or broth on a store shelf has no identifiable relationship to what you made today. I think buyers must accept that stuff because they've never actually made or had the real thing, and can't even imagine the difference.

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by: count @ Thu Aug 12, 2010 at 04:57:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

food waste (4.00 / 1)

Speaking of food waste, throwing away chicken bones or carcasses without using them for stock is a near tragedy.

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by: count @ Thu Aug 12, 2010 at 04:59:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]