PunkIsrael

Godiva

Yesterday, I had one of these.

It was like drinking a starry night.

There really should be a Godiva store in Clemson.

Extra Edamame, Please

Who would have thought that McDonalds would offer a really good salad?

The Sesame Ginger Chicken salad is one of the most beautiful salads I've ever eaten, or even seen.  I think it must be pretty new, because it isn't on the website, and I can't even find a picture of it.  When the words "salad" and "fast food" appear in the same sentence, if you're anything like me you expect a soggy mess of iceberg lettuce dowsed in ranch with a couple of unlikely-looking cherry tomatoes tossed in for color.  But at McDonalds, would you expect to find an impeccably fresh salad with actual salad greens, like spinach and red lettuce, and carrots, and matchsticks of red pepper, and real edamame, pods and all, with a grilled chicken breast on top and Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing? 

Did I dream this post up?  What was I doing at McDonalds if I were going to order a salad?

Call it a pang of conscience.  I'm off to collect my royalty check from the Golden Arches.

---

By the way, this is my 101st post.  Somebody ring a bell or something.

Towards an Ethic of Eating

For some time I've struggled with the ethics of eating meat.  On the one hand, animals are certainly mistreated by big meat manufacturers.  Cows are confined their entire lives in cages and force-fed hormones, chickens are crammed into pens and are deprived of their beaks, sows are forced to gestate until "unproductive" and then slaughtered.  All of this is an unnatural industrialization of God's natural order. 

On the other hand, I love a good barbecue.  And I don't have an ethical problem with eating a pig or a cow, but I would like for them to at least have a chance to be a pig or a cow before their number comes up.  I found this helpful article, which says this on the subject:

Those who claim that it is morally wrong for human beings to eat meat because it involves killing an animal must logically claim that predation itself -- in all contexts -- is evil. But predation is part of nature as created by God. If it were evil, even those who eat strict vegetarian diets of only organically grown foods would be guilty through association. Biological control of pests and diseases by definition requires predators, and healthy, life-sustaining soils are not possible without predation.

The human species should not apologize for its predatory role in the biotic pyramid. When the pyramid is functioning properly, nature is in harmony with itself. The disharmony comes when things get out of balance -- as when the mountain lost it wolves and was taken over by its deer. Therefore, the vision of lions lying down with lambs is a gross misunderstanding of harmony in nature; it assumes that harmony within nature, the biota, should be identical with harmony among humans.

The objection that predation may be a product of the fall and not the created order is unfortunately not taken up. 

The most obvious solution--buying free-range, organic eggs and meat--has problems of its own.  For every farm that claims to treat its animals humanely, there are screaming protests from the PETA folks that the free-range solution is no solution at all.  After all, the animals must still be slaughtered, and that in slaughterhouses, those cathedrals of cruelty. 

I think the solution, for now, is to eat meat sparingly, and to know as much as possible about the source of the meat.  Is it possible that the animals are still mistreated?  Yes, but it is less likely on a small, organic farm than in a big meat conglomerate. 

Can I sleep soundly knowing that I may have been indirectly responsible for the suffering of a cow?  Soundly enough.  A stewardship ethic encourages responsible handling of God's resources, but not everything can be controlled.  With people starving in Africa and gang warfare going on in the inner city, an overdeveloped interest in the day-to-day affairs of farm animals isn't indicated.  Regarding the long-term health of my conscience, as long as there is sin in the world, I think I can responsibly take my chances.

Foodlog: Pork Tenderloin with Mixed Onions

Last night I cooked Pork Tenderloin with Mixed Onions, Braised Carrots and a Stone-Ground Mustard Sauce.  The original recipe, from Le Cordon Bleu Quick and Easy, calls for leeks instead of mixed onions, but would you believe that they were out of leeks in two different grocery stores?  "General Manager?  This is Produce.  It seems we've had a run on leeks..."  So I substituted mixed onions: 1 whole white onion, 1 bunch of scallions, 2 shallots, and 1 bunch garlic chives, which worked fine.  The onions were steamed in butter and white wine.  The pork was sliced, marinated in a garlic/soy/sherry marinade for an hour or so, and then flash-fried to around medium rare.  Since I didn't have a paring knife, I settled for a simple slice of the carrots, then braised them in a butter/brown sugar/beef broth for around twenty minutes, then scattered garlic chives on top at the last minute. 

The mustard sauce started with sunflower oil, minced shallots, a tablespoon of sugar and minced pork fat, cooked on medium until slightly caramelized and then deglazed with a couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar.  This was allowed to become syrupy, and then two or three tablespoons of dry vermouth were added.  After this became syrupy, a scant cup of beef broth was added and this was allowed to cook for about ten minutes.  Then it was strained into a clean pan, and about one tablespoon of whole grain mustard was whisked in along with salt and pepper.

The presentation worked well.  The mixed onions were served in the center, with two or three slices of tenderloin arranged on top.  The carrots were scattered around the perimeter, along with a couple of fresh sage leaves, and the mustard sauce was spooned on top of the pork and around the edges.  The brilliant orange of the carrots played against the greens and creams of the onions, and the dark brown of the pork was nicely complemented by the earthy yellow and brown of the sauce.

The pork was tender and the soy marinade was distinguishable, but the meat probably could have been cooked a minute or two longer.  The mixed onions were good: an interesting mix.  The carrots turned out to be sweet and tender, the beef broth assertive but not overpowering.  The mustard sauce was piquant and complex, and worked well with the rest of the dish.  As usual, although I heated the plates, I had trouble with the dish getting cold too soon.  Next time maybe I'll put the plates in the oven, or submerge them in water for several minutes.

I served it with a Vega Sindoa 2002, a spicy Spanish mixed red, which would have been good on its own merit but basically drew too much attention to itself and overpowered the dish.  Sarah brought a Shiraz, which probably would have caused the same problem.  Next time, I'll go with a red with a little milder character.  Any suggestions?

In Praise of Drinking

I'm sitting in my coffeehouse having a second beer (yes; it's a strange and wonderful thing to be able to go to a coffeehouse that serves wi-fi and beer).  I spent so much time drinking, writing, and writing about drinking in my former blog that I had everyone convinced I was alcoholic.  Who knows; maybe I was one.  I drank when I was happy and drank more when I was sad.  I drank in order to write and in order to stop writing.  I drank with others and drank alone.  Beer and whiskey.  Wine.  Gin.  All of those gorgeous bottles that excuse us from reality.  I met girls when I was drunk and broke up with them when I was drunker.  It was a surrendering of control.  Someone else was driving my life, and I liked it.  It felt so wonderfully self-destructive.  It's a testament to how arrogant I was that it fellt so good, because if I didn't think I was pretty hot stuff to start with, the whole thing wouldn't have been so tragic.

Nevertheless, drinking never went away; I just cranked it down a few amps.  In my hopefully-never-to-be-published memoirs, I talked about the stages of my drinking, when it went from being a hobby to being a calling.  True alcoholics were people who really understood the craft of self-deletion.  We weren't run-of-the-mill drinkers around here.  We were here to work.  Now I have a few, get a little buzzed, annoy my wife.  I'm too lazy to get really obnoxious.

And let me be clear: I believe that scripturally, drunkenness is sin.  But let me be equally clear: I'm not a very good Christian.  It's a sad testament that it's easier to let alcohol control my life (which would gladly smash and destroy it) than it is to let my Lord and God control my life (who only wants the best for me).  But if I let Christ control my life, it gets harder to excuse my shortcomings.  Better to blame it on the drink.

So pass the pitcher, ok?

Dinner Last Night

2nd year anniversary dinner at the Sidney Street cafe.

1985 Cabernet

Beignet rolls with honey butter

Lobster turnovers with cream cheese, spinach and herbs

Spring salad with basil ranch dressing and bleu cheese crumbles

Wasabi dusted filet mignon with shitake mustard sauce and green scallions, tempura-fried vegetables and horseradish cream.

Chocolate turtle brownie with homemade French vanilla ice cream.

Bliss.