Quote



“As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world
To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.”
The Buddha -- Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Prop 37 - YES!



Yes 37
Los Angeles City Council unanimously supports Proposition 37 - 10/24 (National Food Day).  Hooray!!!! (more pictures here)

Do you know what Monsanto means?
If yes YES 37!
If no  YES 37!
May you be healthy and stay away from GMO food!

This proposition will be the most important thing on the November 6 ballot that i will vote on. It might even be the most important thing that i ever vote on. GMO labeling is long overdue in this country, imho. After several months gathering signature to put the proposition on the ballot, with only a few weeks left to go, and with so many news about how the genetically engineered food coorporations like Monsanto, Dupont, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kelloggs, Nestle USA, Grocery Manufacturers Association ... are pouring money into ads to mystify, confuse the public, i could not help to wonder what social, political system we are having here. The people who cares about food like me could not rely on the government they voted for (Democrat or Republican) to make sure that the food system is protected from the exploitation of big for profit companies that they have to take the initiation to force the issue of food labeling.  Prior to this consumer groups like the Just Label It campaign has collected 1.2 million signatures on a petition to force the FDA to label GM foods to no avail.  I am not surprised because there are so many connections between the government and Monsanto.

In reading this article by Michael Pollan for the New York Times this morning i totally agree when he stated

"Americans have been eating genetically engineered food for 18 years, and as supporters of the technology are quick to point out, we don’t seem to be dropping like flies. But they miss the point. The fight over labeling G.M. food is not foremost about food safety or environmental harm, legitimate though these questions are. The fight is about the power of Big Food. Monsanto has become the symbol of everything people dislike about industrial agriculture: corporate control of the regulatory process; lack of transparency (for consumers) and lack of choice (for farmers); an intensifying rain of pesticides on ever-expanding monocultures; and the monopolization of seeds, which is to say, of the genetic resources on which all of humanity depends."

This is an interview with farmer Howard Vlieger who noticed that his cows avoided the genetically modified Bt corn while  totally consuming the natural corn.

I urge you to do your own reseach on GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).  It might well be one of the most important discoveries you ever made. It sure was for me.

For those who live in California, please vote YES and for those who live in other states please keep this in mind and i sure hope that similar proposition will appear in the very near future.

May you be healthy and stay away from GMO food.


Additional information:

Genetic Roulette (watch for free until November 6)
The Future of Foods (watch for free)
California Right to Know
Unmasking the No on Prop 37 lies and dirty tricks
Opponents of Prop 37 misled voters 1
Opponents of Prop 37 misled voters 2
Seed Companies Control GM research in the US
Study in France linking GM maize to cancer
A Farmer's Concerns
What will you do for the food movement
GMO-Free campaign in India



Prop 37 - GMO Labeling
Prop 37 - YES!Prop 37 - GMO Labeling

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Gil Shaham

This morning on the way to work, listening to KUSC, as always, i heard Gil Shaham's playing Haydn's 4th violin concerto. The sound was so charming, didn't remember hearing this piece before, have to check it out. Too bad i arrived at work before the piece ended.

Gil Shaham is one of my favorite violinists. I first heard him play at least 15 years ago and was immediately drawn to the lyrical quality of the sound. For the untrained ears of mine i could only tell that Shaham's sound was very nice and there was an elegant clarity to it. The flow of the sound was smooth and easy. His playing somehow reminded me of that from Yehudi Menuhin, my favorite violinist. I could not help but looking for more information about him.

He was born in the US in 1971, while his Israeli parents, both scientists, were spending time at the University of Illinois on an academic fellowship. At the age of 4, after hearing recordings by Itzhak Perlman, he asked his parents to buy him a violin. A 4 years old? in relating to my modest Buddhist studying, i could only say that it must be karma, the seed surely had been sewn in his previous incarnation(s) :-). At age 10 he performed with the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta. At 11 he was admitted to Juilliard, studying under Dorothy DeLay who also taught other amazing violinists like Midori, Sarah Chang. He attended Columbia University after turning down Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Impressive!

His talent was put to a test in 1989 when he filled in for Itzhak Perlman in London because Perlman was having ear infection.

My first Gil Shaham's recording was Vivaldi: The Four Seasons/Fritz Kreisler: Concerto for Violin The second one was Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
but i take anything he plays :-) and love to attend his concerts. when he comes to town.

Gil Shaham currently plays with his Stradivarius violin, the "Comtesse de Polignac" of 1699, originally lent to him by the Stradivari Society in Chicago ( i better check out other recipients from this list :-) )

Sidetracking, i found this interesting article about lending Stradivarius instruments. So impressed with this quote by Mary Galvin, one of the lenders "I realised though that many artists could not afford the tools of their trade; we try to give them a leg up. The instruments inspire the musicians to search for a new, more profound voice. Then they go out and make recordings and for a few dollars everyone can enjoy these incredible instruments and the music these talented youngsters express."

Monday, July 2, 2012

Bread Lounge Bakery

Three weeks ago i went to Wally's to get my favorite baguette from Bread Lounge. The moment i walked in their Cheese Box boutique, Jenny the manager, told me "we are out of baguette and we even ordered more this time", i wanted to cry, but she continued "they have a store now, i will give you the address" :-) Looking at the address near downtown, it was almost 6pm, and i had another event at the Craft In America Center so i had to suppress my excitement.

I went home, checked on the internet and there was a blogpost from LA Weekly about the store opening in late May. When the next Saturday came i had to check it out. After a few phone calls to Ran Zimon the owner asking him about the direction to the store my two friends and i finally pulled into their parking lot and we walked in through the back door. The place didn't even have a store sign in the front if i could remember.

The inside was was simple with a big glass window looking into the work area with some people kneading/forming pastry dough. Facing that window was the counter with display area for the baguette and pastries, maned by two young and friendly staff members. Ran Zimon, from Israel, is passionate about his craft and this showed in the beautiful looking pastries. The croissants turned out to be as delicious as it looked. The outside was crusty

Bread Lounge croissant

Bread Lounge croissant

the inside was soft and flaky,

Bread Lounge croissant

but still not to the same level with my favorite, made by Noubar Yessayan, from Maison Giraud which i still consider the best in town.

Croissant from Anisette
Maison Giraud Croissants

However, considering the distance from Orange County i am quite happy with the croissant from Bread Lounge :-)

I also got the ricota cheese with white chocolate creme patissiere and cranberry danish (didn't have a chance to taste it because it's was my mom's favorite), chocolate swirl which had thick and rich layer of chocolate paste (great with coffee), the huge nice tasting spinach feta pie which coud have been half the size and more filling

Bread Lounge pastries

The mint lemonade had a nice green color, refreshing and not two sweet. It was a hot day so i was so into it that i forgot to take a picture :-)

Based on the selection and quality, this is probably the hottest bakery in town at the moment, imho.

Until next time.

Bread Lounge
700 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA
(213) 327-0782
Close Monday.


Monday, May 21, 2012

Good Baguette in Los Angeles

I discovered this bread when i went to dinner at Test Kitchen, on the night that Walter Manzke helmed the kitchen. The moment i walked into the door i noticed big brown market bags full of baguettes on the counter. The look of the baguettes, with pointed ends, rugged brown crust covered with flour, immediately told me that those bread should not be ignored and my eyes kept gravitating toward them.

Bread Lounge baguettes

A good baguette is dear to me, it's my favorite kind of bread and i like the kind that has a nice aroma, thick brown crust, crispy but not crumbly, on the outside, and non-white, chewy (again not crumbly) with large irregular holes inside. This kind of texture is due to the living wild yeast which creates a long rise during the fermentation. I also prefer the ratio between the outside and inside to be around 60/40 since i love the crust :-).

The baguette was served with butter (excellent from Vermont) before the food arrived and it pleased me a great deal!

Bread Lounge baguette

I had to find out where this bread came from. Up to this point i had been buying baguette from Bread Bar, and before that by La Brea Bakery. Talking about La Brea Bakery baguette i meant the one bought from their flagship store on La Brea in Los Angeles, not those by the same brand sold in other market like Trader Joe's, Costco, etc, because i notice a big difference in the crust texture.

It's difficult to get a good baguette in Los Angeles that is made in the traditional, artisanal French method. By the way, even in France, the art of making baguette was declining. In Paris, the baguette capital of the world, the number of 'bad' baguettes (where the dough was pre-made by machine, frozen, and later baked, shipped to the shop where the bread was sold) was on the rise. Enough to
make bakers recognized that they must return their focus to quality to protect the important meaning of bread in the French culture and diet. The government also made bakery to label 'baguette' (pre-made with commercial yeast) and 'baguette de tradition' (handmade with natural yeast on premise). Now 'good bread is back', kinda, according to this book by Steven Kaplan, highly regarded as one of the authorative figures on French bread. This article by David Lebovitz contains some general criterias on how to recognize a good baguette.

After the dinner i asked Stephane, one of the owners and manager, where the bread came from and he told me it was from Bread Lounge. I'd never heard of Bread Lounge before so i asked him where i could buy the bread and he said the baker only sold the bread to a few restaurants in town. On the way out i told Stephane if i could order the bread to go and he was so nice to give me the whole loaf :-)

Bread Lounge baguette

Bread Lounge baguette

One day i came to Wally's to buy cheese and chocolate i noticed some baguettes against the wall and they looked very good. One of the staff told me that they started to get the baguette from a new place and the customers are welcome to a free loaf to see how they like it. I jumped to the chance and i liked the baguette right away :-). A few weeks later, i stopped by Wally's again and noticed the same baguette and this time it was also complimentary so i help myself to another loaf :-). The next time t stopped by Wally's the bread was for sale. However, this time the look of the baguette suddenly reminded me of the bread that i had at Test Kitchen so i asked Jenny, the manager where the bread was from because it looked like the one i had at Test Kitchen by Bread Lounge. She nodded and said 'it's the same bread'. Bingo :-)

This past Saturday i went to Wally's and had the baguette with the wonderful Appalachian cheese from Meadow Creek Dairy and the amazing Acorn-Edition Spallacia from La Quercia.

Bread Lounge baguette

This gourmet lunch probably cost me less than a full meal from McDonald's, depending on what you order :-)

Bread Lounge
700 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA
(213) 327-0782

Related reading

Best Baguette in Paris

Friday, May 18, 2012

Pig/Pork chase

My quest for naturally raised pork product is a never ending one. It was kinda started when i read "Pig Perfect" by Peter Kaminski.

The most recent is from this a few days ago from that link i googled 'ReRide Ranch' and i stumbled on this blog post, which led to an acorn-fed dinner at one of my favorite restaurants which made me so hungry and reminded me of my un-finished quest from two years ago to look for a restaurant serving the acorn-edition pork from La Quercia where i always get my prosciutto from.

From Sinosoul blog i looked up Becker Lane farm to learn about the the organic Berkshire pork but by this time the urge to check out La Quercia's Acorn-Edition product became so strong that i had to google 'La Quercia Acorn Edition' i got this and then i was sidetracked to this . Wow! this cut look so amazing and the comment by the famed wine critic Robert Parker sparked my desire to find out where i could get some so i went back to dear Google and i found out that Wally's carries which made me happy! By the way, looking at the specification for the Acorn-Edidion prosciutto i noticed that Becker Lane farm is one of the meat providers.

Wally's is one of my favorite food digs in Los Angeles :-). I called to confirm and Jenny from their Cheese Box mentioned "we also have the Spallacia, acorn-fed". I told her "i'll be there tomorrow" :-)))

When i stopped by Wally's the next day, Jenny gave me a paper-thin piece of the Spallacia to taste and it was awesome! The meat was not as salty as other kinds of prosciutto and the flavor, sweet porky and buttery, soft melt-in-your-mouth texture, sure was the best cured pork i've tasted, even better than the highly acclaimed and more pricey Iberico de Bellota from Spain (i think it's sweeter, creamier, less salty). I then tasted the Rossa Heirloom Berkshire that i originally intended to get and it was salty for me. Having tasted the spallacia had ruined my appreciation for the Rossa, imho. I guess i am in big trouble now because i can't see myself eating any other prosciutto but the Spallacia.

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Related post

Friday, May 11, 2012

del Mano

del Mano (translated as "of the hand") is my favorite gallery is Los Angeles. The gallery specializes in turned and sculptured wood.

In 1996 i found out about an exhibition called "Artists of the White House Collection" at del Mano (this probably was inspired by this collection). The degree of creativity and craftmanship presented by the works, especially wood, in the show just blew me away. I realized that so many museum-quality works are being made in the so-called 'craft' area and yet not presented by museums or more widely publicized. One of my favorites was a rocking chair by Sam Maloof, whom i had a chance to see quite frequently years later.

That beautiful exhibition began my interest and quest in checking out new works in wood whenever i could and del Mano became my frequent stop. I later found out that del Mano has been one of the oldest and most prestigious galleries specialized in wood in the country. It has been opened since 1973. The gallery represents not only artists in the US but all over the world and the people there work hard to find and represent the best, imho.

Going to del Mano has been an inspiring and educational experience for me and i have learned a lot from Ray Leier, one of the owners of the gallery. He has been so kind to share with me information about the artists, what makes each work stand out, how to look for and appreciate the craftmanship along with the beauty of the wood itself.

Ray Leier wrote many books on wood with the co-owner of the gallery Jan Peters. He also did the narration for the excellent DVD set "Beyond wood ... portrait of an artist" which is a series of interviews with some of the best wood artists in the world in their working environment and what prompted them to produce certain pieces. I love it! :-)

Through del Mano i have a chance to appreciate wonderful works by:

Sam Maloof (organic and elegant furniture)

Sam Maloof Rocking Chair - Fiddleback Maple

Bert Marsh (very thin-wall, simple yet stylish and refined bowls that show off the best in wood color and grain)

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Hans Weissflog (the amazing 'ball box' and spiderweb-like design)

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David Ellsworth (miniature 'spirit' vessels)

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Ron Fleming
(bowls in forms inspired by leaves, plants)
William Hunter(works inspired by the flow of water)
Binh Pho (intricate carving bowls with multi-color theme)
Ron Kent (extraordinary showing the translucent quality of wood)

and by many other artists for the exquisite forms and techniques

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del Mano has many special annual exhibitions thoughout the year. "Turned & Sculptured Wood" features impressive new works but my favorite is "Turned Wood - Small Treasures" since small works required more dexterity, imho. A visit to del Mano is always an eye-opening experience.

The gallery now operates online.
Interview with Ray Leier and Jan Peters
www.delmano.com

Friday, May 4, 2012

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is one of my favorite architectural works in Los Angeles (the other is Getty Center). Disney Hall was designed by Frank Gehry whose works include the Bilbao Museum in Spain. It was built in 1999, completed in 2003. The project was initiated by the $50 million gift from Lilian Disney in 1987 as a gift to the people of Los Angeles and as a tribute to her husband Walt Disney's devotion to the arts.

After the building was completed, as a subscriber to the LA Phil i was invited to tour the hall before it was opened to the public. Walking through the building with sculptural, slick, metalic exterior

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

contrasting with the elegant, warm, intimate wood interior acoustically designed by the famed Yasuhisa Toyota and Minoru Nagata of Japan, i felt so fortunate to live in Los Angeles :-).

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall

Disney Concert Hall


The imposing organ, with many of its 6134 pipes enclosed in wooden jackets, built by the Glatter-Götz Orgelbau company of Owingen, Germany, is itself a work of art, imho.

Disney Concert Hall - Organ


Disney Concert Hall - Organ

Even the fabrics used for the seats were beautiful and had a retro look

Disney Concert Hall
Benches in the orchestra-view section

Disney Concert Hall

I always tell out-of-town guests that this building is a must-see and the Los Angeles Philharmonic is a must-hear :-)

Since then i have been to so many concerts at the hall and the acoustic of the hall, no matter where i sat, never failed to impress me. I remember attending Handel's Messiah Christmas sing-a-long and the sound of turning pages were so crisp and clear it was amazing!

One of my favorite seats was in the orchestra view section, which you will see the back of the musicians in the orchestra but since it is so close to the stage you get to see the face of the conductor close-up, how he leads the orchestra, and it's great if the concert is a piano recital. The price is the cheapest in the house (shhhh) :-)

The gift shop is a good place to get unique music and non-music related gift in addition to a good selection of classical music CD, DVDs, and books (i got my lovely handmade evening purse by Bosart there :-) )

More pictures here