Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
I think it was Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev who said something about “placing a porcupine in someone’s pants.” If you haven’t tried it, it is such great fun! That is, fun for you , but not for them!
Bringing Ann Coulter into the heartland of radical academia is just like that. Although I am not sure that Osama Bin Laden ever spoke at Cal Poly (at least officially), I do remember seeing a disturbingly high number of pictures of him there.
In any event, Ann is coming to Cal Poly!
There has been a long held view that restaurant price points vs. fixing it yourself are related. The answer is yes and no.
No matter how tough the times, modern day ‘Bob Cratchets’ will find a way to deliver a special occasion quality meal to their families or find some special place to bring them to dinner. I was very impressed with the fact that Burger King could offer a family meal ( 2 adults and 2 children) for $10. Maybe it wasn’t as much as one might want, but the price would be tough to duplicate on your own. On the other end of the scale, the more wealthy among us have placed their own demands on the many upscale restaurants: smaller portions, exotic cuisine and something I really haven’t seen around in cookbooks for 100 years or so… this is what is called ‘presentation.’
Presentation is something to add a flare to any meal. One restaurant served a fish breaded, folded in a gentle curve, deep fried and presented on a bed of rice or equivalent rice shaped pasta. The head and tail pointed to the ceiling and definitely created a stir when brought into the room. Creating this attention is what ‘presentation’ is all about. The Michelin Guide folks have reiterated the importance of presentation to the chefs of the world stating that it was no longer important to the ‘Gourmands’ ( those who love food) that the food be ‘just’ exquisite; culinary offerings had to be ‘unique’ and ‘creative.’ Lest we forget, the meals also had to be priced right.
Personally, if I were to point to the 2 biggest trends in food for the coming year, I would say we’ll see the following:
1) Price will still be an issue for those who pay the bill regardless of socioeconomic level. A lower portion, perceived ‘healthier’ cuisine and ‘meal deals’ will appeal to the fast fooders. A creative and entertaining experience (like going to the Daniel in NYC) will more than compensate for the higher ticket crowd. I think the middle restaurants will still see a resurgence from those many folks who trade down and a those very few who trade up, but keeping that fickle business will be tough.
Unfortunately in any community, when the top restaurants slide, everyone starts to suffer. The fact that a Michelin book wasn’t prepared for either Los Angeles nor Las Vegas that contain no 3 star restaurants is quite a conversation starter. By contrast, the city with the most 3 star restaurants in the world is not French… it’s Tokyo!
2) Learning to cook will become increasingly fashionable if not a necessity among many. When I would stand before college classes, I would inevitably ask one question: ‘Who in this room knows how to cook?’ I was pleased to see a few hands. I would then ask “How many of you know how to cook without a microwave?” Those hands disappeared. Today, I get all kinds of questions on cooking… I answer what I can or help them find out.
I like to give cookbooks as wedding presents. There was a time when I could see the couple’s noses wrinkle, today there are plenty of ‘oooou’s and ahs!’
3) People may cut down on their travel, but I think many will do as I suggest and bring the world to you! It isn’t all that hard to find a great recipe for South Africa’s finest casserole “Bobotie”, enjoy a well loved Greek pasty dish “Pistitsio”, discover the wonders of Chinese “Sweet and Sour pork”, make an inexpensive Spanish seafood “Paella” or an American “Chicken Tetrazinni” the way they were meant to be prepared! Cooking is fun and enjoying it is more so!
I have always felt that one step in understanding a culture is to understand their food. The ancient Spartans enjoyed a stew of pork and blood, enough said. Take a first step in exploring the world with someone you love from your kitchen .
I like to keep up with what my family is doing and they often do astonish me. My bride of 40 years has been squirreled in our mutual office around her various computers for the past 7 years or so helping John Cacioppo with an interesting textbook project. One may think that writing a textbook isn’t all that hard to do, and maybe they are right, unless what you are trying to do is write something that offers more. Psychology is a highly integrated field in which advances in our understanding of biology can influence how we see certain things differently in Social Psychology. Psychology is not a subject that can easily be offered as modules, although we see this is all too often the case. We know enough now to fully integrate the various areas of Psychology, something a few have claimed to do, but none have succeeded — in my not so humble opinion — until now.
Let me step back for a moment, I was an undergrad Psych major and later obtained 2 graduate degrees in Business. Although I felt a step or two behind those who had majored in undergraduate business, the value of what I learned from my professors in Psychology helped me directly in business and throughout my life. The reason for this is simple, John Cacioppo refers to Psychology as a ‘hub science.’ Does an architect need to know something about Psychology? Buildings need to be liveable after all. A good understanding of Psychological Science helps in every field.
If the Psychology ‘hub’ was a constellation in the sky abiding by all of the other major discipline ‘hubs’, we would clearly see how connected it is to the other major fields. The influence of Psychological Science is everywhere, but not everyone recognizes how important it is to understanding who we are … and the changing world around us.
A famous Psychologist once said, a hundred years or so ago, that new leaps in the field will be made as leaps in science help to increase our understanding. For example, the major advances in neuroscience have pushed open our collective mind regarding what is environmental constructed, what heredity influences and how these two major factors continue to change us over time. The simple labels of behavior are no longer so simple any more. Psychology is itself evolving into Psychological Science.
Allow me to conclude that I am biased, John and Laura have raised many interesting thoughts, but I do find it a good read.
My daughter Karla knows I am very fond of the milk our dairy folk produce in California and she drew the lovely drawing of me milking a cow the old fashioned way. Part of my fondness is that there really is a difference in taste, even the non-fat milk tastes richer and thicker!
This holiday season, I am looking forward to making my version of George Washington’s Eggnog with real California Heavy Cream!
I first met Abel Maldonado around 20 years ago, I watched his rise to Mayor of Santa Maria, the state assembly and then the state senate and finally culminating in his becoming the 47th Lieutenant Governor in California. Naturally, when he decided to run for Congress, we wanted to be there to add our support.
Abel has a working ranch that he spruced up for the occasion. He acquire a band and many family members helped in the Barbecue. Abe was there to insure that everyone had a good time. This was no rubber chicken dinner but a window into an interesting man.
CLICK to see more about the gathering!
Abel has always worked locally to get things done for the betterment of the community, I like that about him and this is why he has my vote.