Today I studied the 1970s Civil War in Lebanon and learned more about the unrest in the Mid East during that era. Roger is working on his third essay and so far he's getting top grades from his writing class (from a professor known for being tight with his grading).
After class it was time to check out the next food cart; today - Portland Soup Co. It was a great experience. I brought home the best tomato reggiano soup that we've ever eaten with a roasted turkey sandwich for Roger and a 1/2 pulled pork with slaw sandwich for me. They have a seasonal menu so I'm going to return and get some homemade mac/cheese before they stop making it for winter. While it is tempting to just return and eat here all the time, I must follow my commitment to check out the next carts in line. The next one will be Mexican..............
Speaking of winter, the temps right now at 2 p.m. are already back into the mid 30s with a forecast of below freezing temps later this afternoon and snow overnight. Thankfully, we have no plans to go out so we'll enjoy staying warm and snugly inside.
I have a recipe app on my Google page and I've been surprised at how many great recipes that I have found there. The latest is "Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken". I fixed it last night and it baked while we were watching the Academy Awards. It was really delicious plus it looks wonderful when you pull it out of the oven. The secret is to baste if often.
This is definitely a "keeper". Check it out at:
Simply Recipes - Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken
Last week I had my regular visit with my Dermatologist and he gave me a prescription that I took downstairs to the hospital pharmacy. Later that day I received a call to tell me that the medication needed to be ordered and, before doing so, they wanted to make sure that I would authorize the charge of $1,000. Huh??? I told them that I had insurance with Blue Cross so she said that the medication might still be expensive, but they would order it. When I went to pick it up, my cost was $20. This simply does not make sense, however, it surely reinforces how important medical benefits can be when you choose a career.
Our week is starting out with bright sunshine and crispy temperatures so the mountains got more snow this weekend. We enjoyed watching the "beautiful people" at the Academy Awards last night. Imagine the work that it takes to keep those bodies perfect - for me, at least, the "impossible dream".
Today I tried the 7th food cart in line, a Vietnamese Sandwich shop (Banh Mi). They make their sandwiches on a soft baguette style roll with a meat of your choice and pickled vegetables with a hot sauce. I got chicken for both Roger and me and we enjoyed them - but, not enough to return for more.
Class today featured a guest speaker, Dr. Steve Niva, who spoke about the "Arab Spring" and gave us important information about the cause of the uprisings throughout the Middle East.
After studying the Iranian 1979 Revolution in class, I went back to the food cart pod on 4th Avenue to experience my 6th food cart, "Sultan's Kitchen". It's run by a Turkish man and wife who cook everything from scratch, including today's special baklava made with walnuts. They also make walnut with chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut depending on the day of the week. At the time I ordered I was the only customer so the owner and I were able to talk while he dished out the lunch. I got chicken, rice and salad for Roger and a spinach pie with rice and salad for myself - both absolutely delicious!
It's called "progress". The construction will be ongoing for several years so the view has changed dramatically to accommodate the new MAX train line. The first photo is from June 2011 and the second is February 17, 2012.
Today is Mid-Term so we "oldsters" didn't have to go to class because we don't have to take any tests !! Rahhhhhhhh. Because of school I've had to miss my yoga class because they are held at the same day and time so today I returned and - oh, my............. my body doesn't know what happened, but it's complaining. Next term my class will be in the afternoon so I'm looking forward to fitting both into my schedule.
Dungeness crab is fished on the Oregon coast so I gave Roger a short grocery list that included one whole crab. I was surprised to see that it cost almost $13. The selling price is $8.99 a pound (In December it was $4.99 a pound) so I guess that it will be on my "special occasion" menu from now on.
Have you seen that some organic foods have arsenic in the ingredients? It makes me so grateful to have been born and raised in an era when food was natural, fresh, sometimes home grown, and not filled with junk.
This afternoon it was time for a haircut (at an obscene price) but I guess that the reality is that enhancing my education, fresh crab and a great haircut plus some yoga is actually important to living a good life. "La bonne vie"
As Benjamin Franklin said "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes" so I chose taxes. It's always a stressful experience meeting with my accountant and learning the bottom line. Since this is my last year with a small business - I'm looking forward to next year when my income will be very basic (sigh). Well, you make less - you pay fewer taxes......................
The Oregon Symphony and Natalie Cole with seats in the fifth row from front. Now, that's what I consider a "perfect Valentine"................
My food cart experience today was an "OMG" in a good way at a Japanese food cart. I truly don't think that I've ever had teriyaki chicken that tasted so good. It came with brown rice, salad and mandoos (a dumpling filled with ground vegetables). The portion size is huge so I have enough left for tomorrow's lunch.
I'm really enjoying my food cart exploration so now I'm looking ahead to enjoying Turkish food next week.
Hmmmmm, isn't is nice that they found a kind way to tell me that I'll likely lose my "cognitive" ability to discern people, places, memories......... etc. According to this week's Time Magazine, now Alzheimers will be called "MCI" so now I'll have to remember that (thankfully, it is easier to spell) - oh, my......
As I grow older I realize that my parents and grandparents created a footprint that tells me how my life will progress unless something unusual occurs. So, after seeing my mother's mind, as well as my aunts, fading as they grew older, I face the future hoping that I can keep my mind active and that I will remember, as I grow older, those whom I love.
A lovely afternoon.................
The symphony featured a talented clarinet player in "A Tribute to Benny Goodman" - great music with lots of energy.
After the symphony we decided to find a casual restaurant for a light supper and we ended up on Hawthorne Blvd. where they are cafes in every block. We both like Mexican so we ended up at a small cafe "Cha Cha Cha" and we had delicious and inexpensive food. It's a temptation to go back except for finding about six other cafes on Hawthorne that we want to also try.
When I made the decision to start buying lunch at a different cart each day that I go to school, I made a vow that I would go to each in line and not skip any because I thought I might not like their food.
After ordering a meat loaf sandwich with a side of slaw, I discovered that all the food served at this cart is Vegan............... OMG !
This turned out to be a great experience because the sandwich looked and smelled like meatloaf and, I discovered, tasted like meatloaf. The slaw was delicious, too. It was a great discovery and now I've learned another new eating experience. Would I return? Definitely, yes................
Next week is a place called "Dosirak" serving Japanese food.
Class today covered the Nasser era in Egypt. After class I headed back to the food cart block where I chose a Cajun place called Hog and Hen Acadian Kitchen. Today there were two things on the menu and I decided to get a small soup with corn bread ($4.00). The soup is sausage, white beans and chard and it was delicious. I'm truly enjoying my class so on now I can feed the mind and the body; all in one day.
The weather continues to be sunny and (almost) warm so we're always happy to wake up to sunshine. This afternoon, as part of my Mid Eastern class study, I viewed a film, made in Iran, about four women who live in 1953 when Mossadegh was removed from his office and the Shah was reinstalled to power. Unfortunately, the movie was scheduled to start at the same time as the Super Bowl - but, I'm known to do more than one thing at a time - so I went to see the film, dashed out and came back home for the second half of the game. This gave me time to eat unhealthy snacks while getting dinner started - so - I consider this to be a perfect day. Meanwhile, Roger is working on homework so I'm trying to be quiet while he studies.
The Movie "A Separation" opened at the downtown Fox Theater so Roger and I went to see it this afternoon. The movie was made in Iran so it's English subtitled. The story is simple but full of meaning - showing an interesting view of the complications of a country with religious and secular division and a very different legal system. The ending was inevitable but still very sad.
After the movie we went to Shiraz for dinner where Roger knows the owner and we always get special service. It was a good opportunity to discuss the movie's story and share our opinions which we were surprised to agree on.
The film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Foreign Language Film category. A great way to finish the week..............
A few days before the new year, Bella's groomer said that she was closing shop. She had groomed Bella from the first day that we lived in Portland so it was a big loss since Bella had really bonded with the people there. It took me until now to find a new groomer so Bella looked like a big dirty white fluffy bush when I took her in today. She was dirty and matted and I know that she was aware of how bad she looked.
Here's the new Bella with a very short cut so she's clean but also very tired from the excitement.
The groomer is downtown on the streetcar line so I walked over to South Park for a bowl of my favorite seafood soup. Then, I still had time so there was no choice - (smile) - I simply was forced to go shopping.
Today I studied the 1970s Civil War in Lebanon and learned more about the unrest in the Mid East during that era. Roger is working on his third essay and so far he's getting top grades from his writing class (from a professor known for being tight with his grading).
