April 21, 2009
Blueberry
Blueberry
by Diane Lockward
Deep-blue hue of the body, silvery bloom
on its skin. Undersized runt of a fruit,
like something that failed to thrive, dented top
a fontanel. Lopsided globe. A temperate zone.
Tiny paradox, tart and sweet, homely
but elegant afloat in sugar and cream,
baked in a pie, a cobbler, a muffin.
The power of blue. Number one antioxidant fruit,
bantam-weight champ in the fight against
urinary tract infections, best supporting actor
in a fruit salad. No peeling, coring or cutting.
Lay them out on a counter, strands of blue pearls.
Pop one at a time, like M&M's, into your mouth.
Be a glutton and stuff in a handful, your tongue,
lips, chin dyed blue, as if feasting on indigo.
Fruit of the state of New Jersey.
Favorite fruit of my mother.
Sundays she scooped them into pancake batter,
poured circles onto the hot greased griddle, sizzled
them gold and blue, doused with maple syrup.
This is what I want to remember: my mother
and me, our quilted robes, hair in curlers,
that kitchen, that table,
plates stacked with pancakes, blueberries sparkling
like gemstones, blue stars in a gold sky,
the universe in reverse,
the two of us eating blueberry pancakes.
It's amazing how Diane Lockward manages to wax lyrical about so small a fruit. After coming across this poem, I felt compelled to post it on my blog as I adore blueberries. It's a pity that they are so expensive here in Singapore. If they were less expensive, I'd be buying punnets of them, and stuffing my face.
In London during summer when blueberries are in season, I used to buy blueberries and strawberries every other day from the fruit stall stationed just outside Holborn station. My office was near there and every day I would walk past the stall. My breakfast consisted of fruits most of the time - strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, grapes, and clementines were the usual suspects. My English colleagues deemed me to very healthy for eating fruits for breakfast every day. I don't think anyone else had the same habit. Anyway, when blueberries were in season, they were cheap - something like £1.50 for a small punnet of fresh blueberries. I would down all of them in one sitting and get my antioxidant boost. Perhaps that's why I was pretty healthy the months I was in Europe.
Like Lockward writes, I love how blueberries are so easy to eat. You only have to wash them and then they can be popped straight into your mouth. When they are nice and fresh, there's a slight crunch as you bite into them. For me, I like blueberries best fresh. I would only ever bake them if they were overripe. I feel that it's a waste of the fruit if one bakes or cooks them when they are freshly harvested. That said, I have a weakness for blueberry pancakes.
Fresh blueberries and strawberries go well with desserts such as pavlova or some other really sweet dessert. Their tartness helps to balance the sweetness and makes the dessert go down easier on the palate. Blueberries are also great additions in fruit salads. I would be one of the culprits picking them out in a salad bowl. ;p
I guess blueberries should be in season very soon and I'm hoping prices of blueberries in Singapore will come down a wee bit so that I can at least indulge in them a little more!
April 19, 2009
Saizeriya
Went to Saizeriya, the Japanese chain of Italian bistro, at Liang Court about a month ago and wasn't impressed by the food. I mean, the food's OK for the prices you pay but don't be expected to be blown away.
I had the seafood risotto. Actually I had requested that the chef replace the squid some other form of seafood, but I was told by the waitress that they do not entertain special requests on Fri and weekend nights because the kitchen is too busy. I think that's a lousy excuse. If McDonald's can do it, why can't they? But anyway, it arrives in about five minutes. The fast service is good for hungry vultures like I was that night. But like I said, not impressed by the food. It's food that I'd ate only for sustenance and not pleasure. Sauce was too watery and the rice didn't seem like proper risotto rice.
When my two friends arrived, we ordered Escargot for a starter. Hungry me had started on my risotto before they arrived! To be fair to me, they were late! Anyway, the escargots baked in garlic were actually pretty tasty. They were small in size but pretty tasty nonetheless...I attribute it to the magic of garlic.
We also ordered a piece of pita bread to soak up the garlic sauce. This was served warm and it was nice and soft. Seems like the side dishes were tasting better than the mains.
One of my friends went for the Hamburger set. As you can see, the beef pattie is pretty sinful, what with the cheese and gravy on top. I tried a little of the beef pattie and the first thought that came to mind was just 'it's edible'. The other friend had ordered a pasta in cream sauce and I remember she just found it 'OK'.
The place gets busy early in the evening but turnover is pretty fast because it's not a place where people sit and linger. So you wouldn't have to wait very long for a table even if there's a queue. Service is efficient and the food comes fast. It's not a place I would go to again though. The Italian fare here doesn't quite make the cut for me and I'd much rather fork out more money to eat better Italian food.
Saizeriya
Liang Court #02-22
Tel: (65) 6337 8948
April 12, 2009
The Secret Life of Lobsters
If I had to choose to be a female animal, I might want to be a female lobster. Why? Simple - because the male lobster, it turns out, is a most tender and passionate lover. Hey, any female could do with a tender lover or two. Well, make that as many as possible. :p
In The Secret Life of Lobsters, Trevor Corson brings readers on a journey to show how fishermen and scientists unravel the mysteries behind how lobsters procreate and to understand their population cycles in the wild of North America.
Male lobsters, as I've read, have double genitalia which are, erm, always hard. Any male readers out there envious already? Lobsters mate when the female sheds her shell. When a lobster sheds its shell, it is at its most vulnerable state as it has no protection and there is every danger of being attacked and cannibalised by other lobsters lurking around. But when a male lobster senses that a molted female is ready to mate, he very gently hovers and toes around her, flips her over with the utmost care and then does the deed without injuring her fragile form. And hey, did you know that female lobsters seduced males into submission by urinating into their faces? OK, something definitely not to be tried in the homosapien context.
By focusing on the small lobstering community in Little Cranberry Island, which is one of the 300 Maine islands, readers are accorded an intimate portrayal of this group of people and how scientific developments and discoveries, sustainable practices and government legislations have affected the livelihoods of these people. This microcosm in turn provides a more in-depth understanding of the lobstering trade and industry as a whole in the United States.
Delve into the dangers of lobstering, the habitats lobsters inhabit and how weather conditions affect the catchment yield. Learn also how the lobstermen ensure the lobster population is not wiped out by the employment of sustainable methods of fishing. Lobstermen do this by cutting a V-notch in the tails of egg-bearing females to mark them as protected breeders. Large dominant males are also thrown back into the sea when caught so that they can mate with these protected breeders.
Corson manages to explain scientific fact in a reader-friendly style and engages the laymen in his quest to uncover the ins and outs of lobstering as well as the secrets behind the lobster's anatomy and how its different body parts help it to survive, move, hunt and procreate.
It's a thoroughly engaging book and one I'd recommend for a better understanding of this crustacean that we occasionally find on our dinner plate. The Appendix also teaches you how to cook a lobster and you can find out whether a lobster feels pain when thrust into boiling water. I'm not sure if this book is available in the National Library (so far I haven't come across it on the shelves of the branches I frequent) as the copy I read was very generously loaned to me by David from The Importance of Salt. Thanks!!!
April 7, 2009
Food in the Mail
If only more advertisers advertised in this way...
It's quite a thrill receiving food in the mail even if it's just a small little packet of snacks. I think it's a brilliant way of advertising for food-loving Singaporeans!
The back of the packaging even comes with a calendar.
The advertised product which my mum said tasted pretty good. I didn't taste it 'cos I'm not really a fan of such snacks. You'll have to take my mum's word for it then.
And the requisite disclaimer!