For the greater good
I am grateful that I live in a part of the country where (a majority) of people understand science and are willing to put the needs of the community above individual "rights."
Home
So much for a post every day. Today I am grateful for our beautiful home. It's been a little over a year that we moved to a house in the Mt. Baker neighborhood. We were so fortunate to find a home closer to family with plenty of room for everyone to be on Zoom calls at the same time. Erik Z. at Russel Jones Real Estate and Tom C. At United American Mortgage were great.
Gratitude
The blog has been languishing so I've decided to try something else. My boys attend Dharma school, basically Sunday School for Buddhists. Last year they started a "gratitude jar" where they were supposed to write one thing they were grateful for every day. Let's just say that that didn't go so well. But that doesn't mean I can't start a jar of my own. My goal is to post something I'm grateful for every day. I'll shoot for every day for a month and if I can go that long I'll look to extend the streak.
Here goes:
I am grateful for my life. I have been born into privilege. I can't remember ever going to bed hungry and I have never worried where my next meal would come from or whether I would have a roof over my head when I went to sleep. I got a good education and was raised by parents who loved me. And for that I am grateful.
Here goes:
I am grateful for my life. I have been born into privilege. I can't remember ever going to bed hungry and I have never worried where my next meal would come from or whether I would have a roof over my head when I went to sleep. I got a good education and was raised by parents who loved me. And for that I am grateful.
End, Beginning
Well, my career as a faux Yelp reviewer didn't last long. It's hard enough to figure out what to make every night to then have to turn around and come up with novel, witty ways to mock myself was just too much. I mean, after I've gotten everything out on the table and managed to get everyone to sit down, the last thing I'm thinking about is taking a picture of my food.
But that doesn't mean this is the end. These are unique times we are living in and I'd like to make it a habit of writing a little bit each day for me to look back on when Covid-19 is but a memory. The starting point will be the daily life and the meals I prepare for our family of four, but when I remember and have the energy I'll try to paint a picture of life in our house and what's happening outside.
I posted on Facebook yesterday that I didn't know what day it was and couldn't remember whether I had brushed my teeth. That was only half-true; I know what day it is, but after two weeks of social distancing and staying inside all day every day feels like the one before. And I'm pretty sure I brush my teeth every morning.
The one thing that does change is the meals. If we are going to be cooped up in this house for another who knows how many weeks the least I can do is make one meal different from the last. This has been a challenge partially due to the virus and also partially self-imposed. Because of Covid-19 the CDC recommends making as few trips out as possible; ideally only once a week. This means planning out a week's worth of meals before heading to the store, something I never did before. Life BQ (before quarantine) meant going grocery shopping 3-4 times a week- Costco, Uwajimaya, Fred Meyer and Ballard Market. But now, I need to figure out what's going to be on the table for the whole week and calculate and purchase everything at once.
I realize this is some capital-F #FirstWorldProblem shit, but it is a new way of thinking for me. I remember seeing people at the store with their carts piled high with groceries what I could only imagine was the whole week's worth of meals. I was both impressed and also a little aghast. Impressed that someone could think that many days ahead and calculate all that they would need, but also a little aghast at what they were buying. Because, let's be honest, if you are buying things that are going to last you a week, you are buying things with preservatives, highly processed things or prepared meals. Sauces that come in jars ready to be poured out. Frozen foods.
If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I felt a little smugness and superiority. Because I could get fresh, perishable ingredients whenever I needed them; I make sauces from scratch! I had the luxury (and privilege) to decide in the morning what I wanted to make that evening. But not anymore.
The second challenge is totally self-imposed. With all this time I have on my hands I've taken to reorganizing the pantry shelves in the kitchen and going through the fridge and freezer. And in doing so I've found a lot of things that need to be used. Old ingredients. Forgotten ingredients. Ingredients purchased for one recipe never to be used again. Until now. Because I am going to get rid of these ingredients, so help me!
So let's see how long I can keep this up and see what kind of food I can make along the way, shall we? I can tell you now that I have the better part of a 2 kg bag of black sesame seeds that need to be used up so expect A LOT of things with black sesame.
Good night for now,
-t
11:09 PM
But that doesn't mean this is the end. These are unique times we are living in and I'd like to make it a habit of writing a little bit each day for me to look back on when Covid-19 is but a memory. The starting point will be the daily life and the meals I prepare for our family of four, but when I remember and have the energy I'll try to paint a picture of life in our house and what's happening outside.
I posted on Facebook yesterday that I didn't know what day it was and couldn't remember whether I had brushed my teeth. That was only half-true; I know what day it is, but after two weeks of social distancing and staying inside all day every day feels like the one before. And I'm pretty sure I brush my teeth every morning.
The one thing that does change is the meals. If we are going to be cooped up in this house for another who knows how many weeks the least I can do is make one meal different from the last. This has been a challenge partially due to the virus and also partially self-imposed. Because of Covid-19 the CDC recommends making as few trips out as possible; ideally only once a week. This means planning out a week's worth of meals before heading to the store, something I never did before. Life BQ (before quarantine) meant going grocery shopping 3-4 times a week- Costco, Uwajimaya, Fred Meyer and Ballard Market. But now, I need to figure out what's going to be on the table for the whole week and calculate and purchase everything at once.
I realize this is some capital-F #FirstWorldProblem shit, but it is a new way of thinking for me. I remember seeing people at the store with their carts piled high with groceries what I could only imagine was the whole week's worth of meals. I was both impressed and also a little aghast. Impressed that someone could think that many days ahead and calculate all that they would need, but also a little aghast at what they were buying. Because, let's be honest, if you are buying things that are going to last you a week, you are buying things with preservatives, highly processed things or prepared meals. Sauces that come in jars ready to be poured out. Frozen foods.
If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I felt a little smugness and superiority. Because I could get fresh, perishable ingredients whenever I needed them; I make sauces from scratch! I had the luxury (and privilege) to decide in the morning what I wanted to make that evening. But not anymore.
The second challenge is totally self-imposed. With all this time I have on my hands I've taken to reorganizing the pantry shelves in the kitchen and going through the fridge and freezer. And in doing so I've found a lot of things that need to be used. Old ingredients. Forgotten ingredients. Ingredients purchased for one recipe never to be used again. Until now. Because I am going to get rid of these ingredients, so help me!
So let's see how long I can keep this up and see what kind of food I can make along the way, shall we? I can tell you now that I have the better part of a 2 kg bag of black sesame seeds that need to be used up so expect A LOT of things with black sesame.
Good night for now,
-t
11:09 PM
My Resolutions (2020)
Make resolutions,
Workout, be kind, write haiku.
Keep resolutions.
#MyLifeInHaiku
Workout, be kind, write haiku.
Keep resolutions.
#MyLifeInHaiku
Fermented plums
This is my first attempt at lacto-fermenting fruit in vacuum bags. I picked up a mix of organic plums, cut them into quarters and tossed them with sea salt at 2% by weight. The bag puffed up in less than a week and I was afraid the bag might explode. On the left is the liquid that I drained off and on the right are the fermented plums. The plums are still pretty firm and are salty with just a hint of plum flavor. I enjoy salty/savory foods so I've been just eating the plums straight from the jar. I've been sipping the liquid or mixing it with fizzy water.
I don't know what else to do with them; maybe try them over ice cream?
Next time I might cut the fruit a little smaller to increase the amount of fermentation. It's definitely a fun little experiment.
Lacto fermenting
I'm on a fermenting in bags kind of kick right now. I did two batches of mixed cherry tomatoes- the one in the middle has a few cloves of garlic thrown in- and some kumquats. It's fun to watch the bags slowly puff up as the fermentation releases carbon dioxide (science!).
Joshua Weissman: https://youtu.be/46_uxveHZ4w
Brad Leone fermenting citrus: https://youtu.be/KUHp3ve4m50
Snowmaggedon 2019
Day 1
Friday, 3:00 - Snow is falling. Sprits are high. Due to poor planning on the part of our acquisitions officer, we are already out of garlic and tomato paste. Alcohol stockpiles are ample so parents are unconcerned.
Friday, 3:00 - Snow is falling. Sprits are high. Due to poor planning on the part of our acquisitions officer, we are already out of garlic and tomato paste. Alcohol stockpiles are ample so parents are unconcerned.
My life motto
Just decided that my life motto is: "Tyler Moriguchi, I will plan the ish out of anything."
#NotSoDeepThought
When you find yourself saying "that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do" on a weekly basis you might have a problem, or need to get smarter.
#NotHaiku
#NotHaiku
A day in the life
Weeding this morning,
Offer incense after lunch,
Making dinner now.
#MyLifeInHaiku #SAHDLife
Offer incense after lunch,
Making dinner now.
#MyLifeInHaiku #SAHDLife
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