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Posted by Rob Eshman
I think the love of seltzer is passed down from father to son.
Seltzer, just the word "seltzer" puts a smile on my dad's face. He will never refuse a spritz. And neither will I. I have a bottle on my desk as I write this. I don't care how fancy-shmancy the dinner party, I always have bottles on the table. And not Pelligrino, not Perrier, not Crystal Geyser, not even Soda Club-- I mean, seltzer.
Seltzer is carbonated water under pressure, delivered through a siphon. It tastes fresher and keeps longer than the bottled stuff. Open a bottle of Pelligrino, and if you don't finish it all at once, after a day or two it starts to fade and flatten. But a seltzer bottle holds in the spritz for weeks if not months. It's always ready to go, a gun that's always cocked and loaded. Manly, yes.
When Naomi and I married, one of our first gifts to ourselves was seltzer home delivery. I found a man named Julian Diamond who ran a family business, A-1 Seltzer and Beverage, out of a a warehouse in North Holywood. He was 74 years-old, and delivered the stuff in the original glass bottles.
"If you drop them," Julian told me, "They'll go off like a bomb."
When we had kids, we switched to the plastic version. It was one of the hardest things about having kids.
Julian was brusque-- he still humped these heavy wood crates all over LA. I thought I was doing him a favor when I assigned a reporter at the Jewish Journal, Leilah Bernstein, to do a story on him.
"In the first half of the 20th century, Diamond remembers, there were at least 500 bottling companies in the area," Leilah wrote. "The 1920s and 1930s were the industry's heyday. By mid-century, however, just a handful of seltzer bottling companies remained here, including Arrowhead, Sparkletts and Shasta."
Julian was the last of the seltzer men. After it ran I called him expecting to collect some gratitude.
"It's awful," Julian told me. "I'm getting all these calls. Too much work. I'm tired."
When Julian died, an employee took over the business. His name is Joe.
Joe brings cases of fresh seltzer to our door whenever we need it. It's old school. I'll be in a meeting, my cell phone will ring, and I'll look down and see the ID: Joe Seltzer. I call back, and Joe greets me like a grand prize winner.
"Mr Robert! How many cases you need?!"
"Just two."
"Just two?"
I always feel like Joe is disappointed with my rate of consumption, as if real men drink more seltzer.
"Two," I say.
When I was growing up, we had a milk man deliver milk bottles, a fruit man who came by and honked his truck horn, and my favorite, the Helms Bakery man, who stopped, opened the panels of his truck, and reveal rows of fresh bear claws and donuts and warm bread—and always gave the kids a sparkle cookie.
These were holdovers from a different era, and their presence in the sterile surburban streets of Encino, with Gelsons and Ralphs just a few blocks away, always felt out of place, like they drove in not just from a different neighborhood, but from a different dimension. Sometimes the way food comes to us is as important as the food itself. Those old-fashioned delievery men didn't just bring food, they connected communities.
Today all we have is Joe the Seltzer Man.
Of course, a few months after Joe started delivering to us, my father called. He had been to the house the night before for dinner.
"I need the name of your Seltzer Man," my father said.
As much as I love the seltzer, which is still a hit at every dinner party, I also like the connection it represents, through my father, back to my grandfathers, and their fathers-- generation after generation of Jewish men who sought comfort in the bottle.
This Sunday I'll spritz a bit in a glass and raise a toast: "Happy Father's Day."
Limonana is the Israeli mint-lemon slush. I use lemon verbena instead of mint (you can use either), and finish it with a spritz of selzter.
Lemon Verbena Limonana
This is more delicate than the usual limonana made with mint.
½ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ c. packed fresh lemon verbena leaves
½ c. superfine baking sugar or regular sugar
1 c. water
ice cubes
Place all ingerdients except seltzer in a blender and whir until smooth. Pour into a glass and top with a seltzer blast. Stir and serve.
6.13.13 at 12:11 pm | The beauty of seltzer home delivery
5.31.13 at 5:58 am | 13 year-old Arvind Mahankali wins the 2013. . .
5.30.13 at 1:12 am | Parsley, sage, and California bay laurel
5.24.13 at 12:54 am | At Boulettes, food so good you can overlook aloof
5.16.13 at 12:18 pm | The Internet is a dangerous place, full of bad. . .
5.8.13 at 5:11 pm | The best Israeli breakfast in LA is at
6.13.13 at 12:11 pm | The beauty of seltzer home delivery (456)
5.16.13 at 12:18 pm | The Internet is a dangerous place, full of bad. . . (48)
5.31.13 at 5:58 am | 13 year-old Arvind Mahankali wins the 2013. . . (38)
May 31, 2013 | 5:58 am
Posted by Rob Eshman
How do you spell knaidel? M-a-t-z-o-h B-a-l-l.
The word that 13 year-old Arvind Mahankali from Queens, NY spelled to clinch the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship last night is German for a small mass of dough. But its most common meaning in America is matzo ball.
Normally the word, which is German and Yiddish, is used in its plural form, knaidlach—because who can eat just one matzo ball?
From Los Angeles to Queens, the only place you'll see the word is on deli menus. And not just in America: the menu at the venerable Harry Morgans deli – branches in London and Latvia—features Chicken Knaidlach Soup for £5.95.
I feel for the kids who lost out to Mahankali. They're home Googling knaidel, finding that it's spelled in English many different ways: knaidel, kneidel, kneydl.
There's just as many ways to make knaidlach as there are spellings. You use matzo meal, of course, and eggs, liquid, along with a fat and salt. The liquid can be water or chicken broth or even seltzer. The fat can be schmaltz—solidified chicken fat—or oil. If you use lard you're in the wrong cookbook.
You can eat turkey outside of Thanksgiving, and you can eat matzo balls when it's not Passover. But the spring holiday that marks the deliverance of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt is the time when most matzo balls get made and eaten. Jews had to flee Egypt before their bread had time to rise, so they are commanded to observe Passover by eating matzo, which is made only with flour and water. Those matzos, ground fine, become a meal that can be used to make dumplings—which is all knaidlach are.
You might wonder why we eat matzo to remind us how we had to hurry out of Egypt, then make matzo balls, which take a almost two hours to mix, rest and simmer. You could knock off a few loaves of quick bread, or even some pita, in that time. The deep theological answer is this: matzo balls taste really good.
You mix the ingredients, simmer them in soup or water, and the dry, unforgiving shirt cardboard that is matzo transforms into a small, warm bosom, tender and soft. A knaidel is our small miracle of transubstantiation—maybe that's why we eat them in Spring.
Great matzo balls should be as soft to eat as knaidel is hard to spell. There are certain Jews who claim to prefer the kind their mothers made, the ones with a dense core of unfluffed dough. These sinkers can require a steak knife to cut and a load of seltzer to digest. I suppose you can get used to them, even come to think they're delicious, in the same way the Romneys convinced themselves Karl Rove was telling the truth about the Ohio results. People we trust can feed us crap and we'll think it tastes like truffles.
As with most simple foods, the important variations are in technique, not ingredients. If you've been blessed to learn how to make matzo balls by watching your grandmother, mother or mother-in-law, and she knew what she was doing, you're fortunate: it's all in the details: Mix the batter lightly, don't beat it. Let the dough sit in the refrigerator until it is well-chilled. Give those matzo particles time to absorb liquid and fat deep into their stiff-necked cells. Form the dough again with a very light, but confident touch. Roll pieces the size of a large walnut between your palms, quickly, but don't rush it. The rounder the ball, the more attractive—a misshapen ball floating in soup looks disturbingly like brain. But don't obsess: you don't want to press the air out. You'll get the hang of it.
Finally, once your balls are simmering, DO NOT lift the lid to peak. There are many commandments in the Jewish religion. This is the one I'm most scrupulous about following.
The knaidel maker at the Passover seder is the central object of scorn or praise. At our seders, where my wife, the rabbi, leads the service, beautifully, I notice that few people will judge her either way. But that moment when the chicken soup with matzo balls finally arrives, and people pick up their spoons and cleave a knaidel in two, and lift a portion to their mouths, and swallow— that moment is an eternity. If the soup is hot and the balls are light, and well-salted, the entire table erupts in a semi-orgasmic chorus of ahhs, like the Children of Israel have been delivered all over again. It is a moment of sheer joy, and relief, and for the cook, a feeling of utter victory and vindication.
Arvind Mahankali would understand.
[RECIPE] Rob Eshman's Matzo Balls
4 eggs
1/4 cup schmaltz (chicken fat) or vegetable oil
1/4 cup chicken stock or water or seltzer
1 cup matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well-chilled-- two hours or more.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Wet your hands. Take a lump the size of a large walnut and using your palms, form into a round shape. Drop into the water, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 40 minutes.
Remove the balls with a slotted spoon. Taste one to make sure they're cooked through-- they probably will be. Serve in hot soup, sprinkled with fresh parsley and dill.
May 30, 2013 | 1:12 am
Posted by Rob Eshman
For two years, from 1984-1986, I lived in Jerusalem. I went to learn Hebrew, to work as a writer, to break up a relationship without facing the breakup.
I had been living in San Francisco after college, typing out plays and freelance articles. I was trying my best to be a starving artist, except for the fact that I landed a job as a baker at a new place near Union Square called Il Fornaio. It was the first American branch of the Milan-based bakery, and everything they taught me to make was novel, and delicious.
My day began by creaming 20 pounds of sweet butter in a stand up Hobart mixer the size of a Datsun. When it was fluffy and white I poured in quart pitchers full of white sugar, then egg yolks, cornmeal, flour, lemon zest and vanilla. I extruded the thick batter onto sheet pans from conical pastry bags to form crumiri, a polenta butter cookie. You can't be a real starving artist when breakfast is a quarter pound of raw cookie dough, followed by warm, fresh crumiri.
I liked the job, and I was good at it. This was in the days before every dishwasher had a culinary degree, so the crew was as aimless and hungry as me. The dark, handsome main chef, also an Italian import, had a reputation, and when he wasn't showing us how to stir risotto for 100, he was kneading the narrow, muscled shoulders of the head baker, the most attractive woman on the staff, who also happened to be his American protégé. Every once in a while his very pretty, dark-haired Italian wife would stage snap visits, and they'd lock themselves in the small office and scream Italian at each other.
I strongly believed that the entire staff was going out after work without me to drink and get high and sleep together—boys, girls, Italians. They showed up for work tired and smiling and ravenous. Their breakfast of choice was espresso along with handfuls of nuts from the bulk bins. To this day it's a miracle to me Il Fornaio survived long enough to expand across America, when the company must have lost thousands of dollars in pine nuts alone.
After work, I rode my bike over the hills back to my apartment on Duboce Triangle, where I read classics that for some reason I chose not to read in college, and wrote those plays, and nursed my sourdough starter. I also got involved with a woman, a food-lover, and fell in love, and it all happened like most things did to me in my twenties, as if in a dream, and when I awoke I thought: Jesus, get a grip, she's married….
My first roommate in Jerusalem was a South African woman, also in her twenties. She rented me a room in her flat, and was pleasant when she had to be, but otherwise greeted me with a constant look of disapproval. She was more observant than me, which is to say, she was observant. And she was in graduate school, and busy, and I seemed to her to be wasting my time.
I started freelancing, and it paid just enough. And just as in San Francisco, I spent a lot of time finding new food to try, and eat, and cook. I fell in with a group of young Israelis who were in love with the actual land of Israel. On weekends and holidays we traveled and hiked the tiny country, so long before the first feta and watermelon salad or za'atar flatbread immigrated to America as "Small Plates," I tried them at the farms of their relatives, or in homes of friends in neighboring Arab villages, or at ramshackle cafes overlooking the sea in Jaffo.
I shopped for the ingredients to these things in the open market in Jerusalem, Mahane Yehuda, and brought them back to the small, shared kitchen. My roommate ate toast, marmite and, on Shabbat, sweet kugel from a local takeout.
Meanwhile I bought a cutting board and made Israeli salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and chopped fresh mint. A friend in the village of Ibelin showed me that proper tabouli is-- mostly parsley, mint and romaine, with just a handful of bulghar wheat-- so I went through bushels of those greens. I made tea from lemon verbena which, like manna, grew in Jerusalem parkways, while in winter I steeped long, blue-silver sage. I ground cilantro—kusbara— with chilis and fenugreek leaves into a green hot sauce, schug, which I ate with everything. And I dumped handfuls of fresh bay leaves, basil and oregano into chopped tomatoes for sauce.
"Robert!" my roommate said one day. I was in the kitchen, at the cutting board, and she had burst out of her room, not able to hold her disgust, or her tongue any longer. "What is it with you and…and……and LEAVES?"
She pointed to the counter, which was covered in bunches of cilantro, parsley, sprigs of verbena and spears of bay.
"They're herbs," I said. "I cook with them."
"They're just… leaves," she said. "This kitchen is always full of leaves."
With a South African accent, it sounded particularly disgusting, as if I had spread garden refuse all over our home.
I moved out a few weeks later, and fell in love again not long after that with an Israeli who, for one thing, shared my love of leaves.
Two years later, I came back to America . I had learned Hebrew. I was writing about the kinds of things I cared about. But I hadn't learned enough about breaking up to be able to stay on the same continent when I did it.
In my garden, in Venice, I grow every leaf I ever ate in Jerusalem. Verbena, parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, sage. My favorite is the bay laurel I planted outside our family room window 15 years ago. The foot-long shoot is now a 40-foot tree, thick with fragrant California bay laurel. I use them in sauces, I tuck a dozen in a pan of roasting potatoes, I braise them with my artichokes, I grill them under fish filets, I crush them into my gin and tonics.
California bay is a coastal native. The ones in Israel are the smaller Turkish variety, which cookbooks will tell you are less pungent and more refined. Don't believe it. These beauties carry the essence of the Santa Monica Mountains right into your food. Before I start cooking a big dinner, I go outside and cut a branch, stripping them off as I need them, happy to see my countertop adorned in a crown of leaves, leaves, leaves.
[RECIPE] Cucumber and Bay Leaf Gin and Tonic
Muddle 6 fresh California bay leaves and a 3-inch section of cucmber in a cocktail shaker with a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar or agave syrup. Add two jiggers of of gin and ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into highball glasses filled with more ice, and top with tonic. Garnish with a fresh bay leaf and a slice of cucucmber.
May 24, 2013 | 12:54 am
Posted by Rob Eshman
We didn't know anything about Boulettes Larder when we stumbled upon it in a corner of San Francisco's Ferry Building last February. That in and of itself seems to be a faux pas in food-obsessed San Francisco, if not an actual Class B Felony.
The counter was filled with jars of exotic salts and spices with handwritten labels. Behind that was a large kitchen, full of working cooks. There was just one large farmhouse style table by the kitchen—either, I assumed, for setting out more products for sale, or for some kind of scheduled Williams and Sonoma-esque cooking demonstration.
"Do you serve food here?" I asked a young, pretty woman behind a counter.
"Yes, we do," said the woman. And as she said it, two customers just ahead of us, a pair of middle aged women in Bay Area chic, audibly snickered. Oh—nothing makes a person feel more welcome, more embraced, in a restaurant than being immediately mocked.
The hostess covered quickly. "We just finished our breakfast service," she said. "Our lunch service begins at 11:30."
"Can we see a menu?" my wife asked. I checked over to Mrs and Mrs Snicker—they had already taken their seats at the farmhouse table.
"Chef doesn't release the menu until 11:30," she said.
It was 11:26. The hostess had to see our confusion-- what was this menu, FedExed from Langley?
"But I think I have yesterday's I can show you," the hostess added.
There were seven dishes on the small printed menu from the previous Thursday. Example: Greens Soup with harissa. Vadouvan braised chicken legs. Lamb shank ragu braised with red wine and herbs (and creamy rice). Vegetarian Farmhouse ("Caramelized cauliflower, warm lentil hummus, our cows milk yogurt, toasted cumin crispy rusks, olive oil fried eggs, shallots). I turned to my wife. They could laugh at me all they wanted, but I was staying put. Attitude or not, somewhere here knew how to cook—or at least how to make food sound really good.
The place was mostly kitchen—seating seemed to be an afterthought. Gleaming copper and stainless steel pots and skillets surrounded a large central stove. Men and women in chef's aprons tended to their chores with librarian-like quiet and surgical focus. A woman shaped macaroon dough into mounds. The pastry chef, I figured.
Our waiter was a man in his thirties with a well-trimmed beard and a friendly manner. He sat us at the head of the table, closest to the chef. I caught the eye of Mrs. Snarky, who now was smiling at me.
"You must be VIPs," she said.
At 11:34 the hostess handed us the menu. It was a single 8 ½ X 11 inch piece of cream-colored paper, hot off the laser printer, folded in half. We looked: Parsnip soup. Persian Salad (sweet lettuces, butter lettuce, mache, feta, citrus, herbs, dried persimmon, cucmber, radish, za'atar, pomegranate molasses) Seafood rice congee with braised shrimp, black cod, kampachi coriander and kaffir lime, warm roasted chicken breast salad (little gem lettuce, chicken broth vinaigrette, sibley squash puree, roasted baby carrots and marinated mushrooms). The Vegetarian Farmhouse was steamed barley and chickpeas with poached eggs nettle pesto and radicchio.
At the center of the battery of cooks a stern woman, her black hair pulled back tight, worked at the stove. She never looked up to acknowledge us. Occasionally she broke from her cooking to direct or consult with the others. So she's the chef, I thought. There were twelve diners around our table. There were thirteen staff and cooks, including the chef.
The chef set to work on our meal. With one hand she cracked the eggs into a skillet of simmering water. With the other she centered a stainless steel bowl that she soon began filling with the tips of chervil, lettuces, madeleine-thin slices of radish and cucumber. She never once looked at us, her guests. She never smiled in welcome, or at anyone.
"Fire a parsnip" I heard her say.
Moments later the parsnip soup arrived, hot, drizzled with sharp olive oil. If she had asked I would have said it was one of the finest soups I'd ever tasted. But she didn't ask.
She laid some raw wild white shrimp in a saute pan, let them seize up, then braised them in a broth. We were three feet from her hands as she fileted, in deft economical movements, a loin of sea bass and a side of hamachi, for the bowl of congee.
"Nice job," I said, loud enough to warrant, at least, a grunt. Nothing. What's the point of an open kitchen if you have a closed personality? I got the feeling she enjoyed every aspect of the restaurant, except for the part about feeding people. It made me begin to resent the whole place, except for two things:
The first is that the food she made was just superb. Her focus rewarded us first with that soup and the Persian salad— this ideal blending of za'atar and feta and dried persimmon. Then came the congee of deeply flavored seafood broth, bright with kaffir lime, along with its perfectly poached seafood and sterling fresh fish. Then for the kosher among us there was a dish of two eggs she poached in a pan so close to us its steam swirled past my daughter's curls. The chef placed these eggs on a stew of grains and garbanzo beans and ladled a bright pesto sauce over it. At last came a persimmon pudding, dense and light and autumnal. All, perfect.
The second reason I couldn't resent her aloofness was because, well, I understand it. I love spending time cooking. When it's over, when the guests arrive, I can feel loss, imposition. A couple glasses of wine later I bounce back. But for me, the really fun part is over. I learned, Googling, later, that we had lucked into one of the Bay Area's best dining experiences. For all my food reading, I'd never heard of Boulettes Larder, or the Hungarian born chef, Amaryll Schwertner. I read, too, that Mark Bittman declared her breakfast the single best breakfast he ever had-- and that man has had a few good breakfasts. Boulettes has since outgrown its space and is moving, in July, to a larger one, where Chef Schwertner, I assume, won't be so close to the mouths she must feed.
Sure, it's nice for the chef—for someone—to make you feel at home., to welcome you into their restaurant like you'd welcome them into your home. But that wasn't going to happen with Amaryll Schwertner. Instead, she just put her feeling, her passion, her knowledge, onto the plate. As they say in sports, she left it all on the field. Which, in the end, was more than good enough for me.
1 Ferry Building Marketplace
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 399-1155
Note: Boulettes Larder is not kosher, but it is a Foodaism favorite.
May 16, 2013 | 12:18 pm
Posted by Rob Eshman
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and you said, "Oh my God."
Most of the hummus recipes you come across on web sites, in print, on YouTube—they're just wrong. Most of the hummus you buy in stores, or get served at restaurants—it's just okay.
As hummus gets more and more popular, its manufacturers are aiming more and more for the middle. They are substituting variety for quality. You can get mediocre hummus in ten flavors (Avocado! Chipotle!), but try finding just one batch of perfect.
And perfect hummus does exist. Lina's in the Old City of Jerusalem. Naji's in Abu Ghosh. Light, almost fluffy, full of fresh flavor, creamy, warm. It's not Middle East peanut butter.
I eat hummus every day. I make it about once a week. I've used recipes, I've created my own, I've tweaked like Steve Jobs (z"l) on a bender. Below you'll find my basic recipe, which I've adapted from Erez Komaravsky's, the Israeli chef and cooking teacher. (A story on Erez appears in this month's Saveur, along with the recipe).
Whether you use it or find your own let these rules be your guide.
1. Do not used canned garbanzo beans. Ever. Take the canned beans in your cupboard and give them to a food bank.
2. Fresh ingredients are always better. Always. Fresh ground cumin seeds, fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh garlic. Never used bottled lemon juice, though a touch of citric acid can help. Erez uses a mortar and pestle to grind his cumin. You'll taste the difference.
3. Use good quality olive oil. Lots of it. In the hummus, as well as on top.
4. Don't forget the pepper. I use Aleppo pepper, but hot paprika or ground chili works too.
5. Use water. This is key. Reserve the water you boiled the beans in. As you blend your hummus, add the water to achieve a creamy consistency. Use a bit more than you think is correct, because after it sits you'll see the water is absorbed. If you've refrigerated your hummus, you can refresh it by whisking in some warm water.
6. Serve warm. Freshly made warm hummus topped with a bit of mushed-up garbanzos, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with chopped parsley and paprika is the ideal. And the pita should be warm too.
7. Use a blender, not a food processor. You get a creamier consistency.
Galilee-Style Hummus
[Adapted from Erez Komaravsky. See original here.]
1½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight; drained
½ cup tahini
¾ cup EV olive oil, plus more
¼ cup fresh lemon juice or more
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 t Aleppo pepper or 1 small fresh hot red chile pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 1/2 t Kosher salt, to taste
Bring chickpeas and 4 cups water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until chickpeas are very tender, 1-1½ hours. Drain, reserving ½-1 cup cooking liquid; let cool until warm, not boiling. Transfer all but ¾ cup chickpeas to a food processor with the tahini, oil, juice, cumin, garlic, chile, and salt; purée until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid and continue to purée until airy in consistency, about 5 minutes. Transfer hummus to a serving dish. Top with remaining whole chickpeas, drizzle with more oil, and sprinkle with salt.
After a a few minutes, taste and adjust seasoning. You may need more water for a creamy texture.
May 8, 2013 | 5:11 pm
Posted by Rob Eshman
Restaurants have souls.
It comes across as much in the food as in the feeling you get from being there. You don't find it out from the advertising. Otherwise every time you ate in an Applebee's you'd feel comfy and at home, instead of bored and dissatisfied. You don't discover it in the marketing. Otherwise every time you ate in a Burger King you'd feel edgy and cool, not gross and sad.
And it doesn't even come across just from the food. Plenty of places with great food leave you cold. Meanwhile, a place with a warm soul like my late, lamented Benice in Venice, may never get a Michelin star, but leave their diners feeling warm and satisfied.
And that explains why a visit to the small and very French Tarte Tatin Bakery & Café on Olympic Boulevard near Doheny Drive makes you feel like you're at home ... in Tel Aviv. The pastries at Tarte Tatin — pains au chocolat, croissants and, of course, tartes tatin — look and taste like something in the window of a Paris patisserie. They are stacked up behind the counter of the tiny all-white space, and they are deceiving. Because as good as they are, as French as they are, as close to the Patricia Wells-ian ideal as they are — the soul of Tarte Tatin is Israeli.
Chef and owner Kobi Tobiano is an Israeli of Algerian heritage. His little gem of a cafe is the kind of place you'll find tucked into a side street off Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard. It has no pretensions. The service can be spotty, sometimes rushed, always familiar. The food aspires, and reaches, an international standard. It is small, it hits way above its weight, and it is full of surprises — just like Israel.
The biggest surprise of all: You'll find the best Israeli breakfast in Los Angeles at Tarte Tatin.
In that imaginary café off Rothschild, breakfast would mean a selection of craft breads, thick leben cheese doused in olive oil, some feta, olives, chopped tomato and cucumber salad with za'atar, maybe a bite of homemade hummus and a couple of eggs. Order the Israeli breakfast at Tarte Tatin ($16) and that's what you get, along with dark, hot coffee. It's all laid out in neat white ceramic dishes, and every bite recalls Tel Aviv. Ask for Tobiano's smoky hot harissa, as well as for a glass of limonana — lemonade with mint.
The other surprise is the Tunisian Tuna Sandwich ($11.95), which has become my favorite tuna sandwich in the city. Tucked into a soft, homemade French roll you get olive-oil-packed tuna, slices of potato, a shmear of that harissa, olives, hard-boiled egg, pickles and slices of preserved lemon.
Where do the excellent olives and leben in this Israeli-French café come from? Tobiano's Lebanese supplier, of course. An Israeli chef of Algerian heritage running a French cafe in Beverly Hills using ingredients from Lebanon to make the best Israeli breakfast in all of Los Angeles — of course.
Tobiano trained professionally as a pastry chef and served as one at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco. He arrived in Los Angeles and worked as a private chef. Tarte Tatin is his dream-come-true place of his own, and as hard as he works — constantly, ceaselessly — and as much as he bemoans his lack of rest, you can tell he has created a place that exactly reflects the food of his heritage, the foods of his home, the foods he loves. That's what makes Tarte Tatin special. That's what gives it its soul.
Tarte Tatin Bakery & Café, 9123 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 550-0011. NOTE: Tarte Tatin is not certified kosher. But it is certified a Foodaism favorite.
Rob Eshman is publisher and editor-in-chief of TRIBE Media Corp./Jewish Journal.
May 1, 2013 | 3:31 pm
Posted by Rob Eshman
Is Galilee the next Tuscany?
This month Saveur magazine has a beautiful (and beautifully written) feature on the food and cooking of the Galilee region of Israel, by Gabriella Gershenson.
Galilee is indeed one of the world's great undiscovered food regions-- rich in culture, produce, cuisine, even wine.
In writing about the food, she of course must write about the people and their connection to that very special land, and, of course, their recipes.
Gabriella wisely spends time with Erez Komarovsky in Mattat-- Erez, whom I've written about before here-- is the Richard Olney of Israel, and Gabriella paints a picture of her visit to his secluded farm/cooking school that will make any sane person want to get on a plane, fork in hand, and head there now. Here's a sample:
When everything is ready, Erez and I dig in. The cherry and herb salad is zesty and sweet. The recipe is from the Turks, Erez says, who occupied this land for centuries. The roasted eggplant, meanwhile, tastes smoky and fresh, the combination of nutty tahini, hot chiles, and garlic one you'd find all over the Middle East. "In the Galilee, the influences are not from abroad but from the Druze and Arabs living here," Erez explains. "The richness of the culinary knowledge that I get here is unparalleled to what you get in the big city." Here, Erez picks mushrooms with Jewish Moroccans and Kurds, makes goat cheese out of milk from a Druze neighbor, and buys the foods they forage. Because of the divisions inherent in modern Israeli life, and the tensions between Arabs and Jews, his culinary curiosity feels like a political act, one that emphasizes the way the land connects the people. Before I leave, Erez tells me, "Borders are politics. Borders do not cut the food."
April 25, 2013 | 2:36 pm
Posted by Rob Eshman
Downtown Nissan is having a big celebration this Saturday April 27 to mark the installation of their Fast Charger. There will be test drives, discounts, demonstrations and a free "delicious lunch, brunch or dinner made from 100-percent organic plant-based ingredients." If you're an EV owner or EV-curious, by all means go.
As for me, I couldn't be more thrilled. Here's why:
Part of Foodaism is putting your mouth where your morals are. Hence Mark Bittman's thoughtful new Flexitarian column, which challenges eaters to eat as close to their ethical understanding of food allows-- but no closer.
And hence too my Nissan Leaf, the all electric car I leased two years ago next month. The Leaf was my attempt to live according to my strong belief that our reliance on fossil fuels is killing our planet and saving foreign despots-- when those two verbs should be reversed.
What I found-- and documented here, and here-- is that putting one's morals where one's mouth is can get messy. Because of a bureaucratic snafu, I was not able to install a home charger, so keeping my Leaf fully charged is a challenge (at our offices in Koreatown the landlord likes to turn off the electricity whenever I've tried to charge here). And the funny thing is, as the Leaf has gotten more popular, the challenge has only gotten greater.
That is because of something I'll call, because I can't think of a better term, the Leaf Paradox. Here is what happened. In the beginning, we Leaf owners were few and far between. So while there are few public charging stations, the ones that existed were generally open. I'd drive up, charge, be on my way. Meanwhile, us EV enthusiasts promoted the use of electric cars, and championed our righteousness. The result: more people bought Leafs, and Teslas, and hyprib plug ins. But the number of charging stations hasn't kept up with the number of cars. And because it takes hours to charge a Leaf, and there is zero incentive for a driver to return to his or her car and unplug, finding a charging station is becoming more of a hassle. The number of charging stations and the time people stay pluigged into them can't keep up with the number of EVs. The more successful EV sales are, the bigger the inconvenience. Somewhere there's a TED talk in this-- just not sure where.
One solution is fo there to be more Fast Chargers, like the one now at Nissan Downtown, which is at Washington Blvd near the Grand Street exit. It takes 16 hours to charge an EV from 0-100 percent when plugged into a regular wall socket. The 220v charger can do it in 8 hours. The Fast Charger does it in 30 minutes. And it will give you enough to get on your ay in much less than that.
This morning I drove to Downtown Nissan with my range estimator telling me I had no miles to go-- Zero charge. I met Paul Scott there, the nicest and least-salesman-like car salesman you will ever meet, a true EV believer. He hooked me up to the Fast Charger, and in 25 minutes I was at 80 percent-- enough to drive 70 miles.
I asked Paul if the Fast Charger is generally available, and he said that even when it's being used, "It's not being used for long."
They aren't cheap: $15,000 for the unit, and up to thousands more to install. But iof builders can incoprrate them into new coinstruction, the cost is not consequential, and it will go a long way to creating an EV highway, and resolving the Leaf Paradox.
Here's the info on Saturday's event:
What: Free public test drives of the all-electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF & unveiling of new EV fast charger
When: Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Nissan of Downtown L.A., 635 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015
Information: Nissan of Downtown L.A. (310) 403-1303
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text:
CHOOSE A LANGUAGE Deutsch English Español Français Italiano Norsk Português
The 170th Standard Tournament is a 60.0 four round Swiss Tourney. One round is played on Tuesday (January; 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th). You may choose from one of six different sections! We run both the "Open" and "U1500" sections at 2pm, 8pm, and 11pm (all ICC Server Time). **(U1500 Section will not run with less than 12 players however Players can join the Open section and All prizes will be awarded)** Join the Fun! 1st Place and Class Prizes are awarded in each section! Players at every level are enjoying challenging games and winning ICC membership extensions every month. Round 1 is Tuesday, January 4th. You only need to join once per month. ******************** To Join The Tourney ****************************** ** Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time of your section. ** ** Add The STtourney Channel to your channel list (Type: "+ch 32") ** ** You will see announcements that the Tourney is Open in Channel 32 ** ** Type: "Tell Pear Join" to enter the Open Section ** ** Type: "Tell Automato Join" to enter the U1500 Section ** Please read the help STtourney file on ICC for the tourney rules. http://www.chessclub.com/help/STtourney You can also find more information by typing /finger STtourney while on ICC. Por favor, consulte el apartado /finger STtourneyEurope para informacion en espanol. All entry and Pairings are performed by the "Pear" Bot for the Open Section and the "Automato" Bot for the U1500 section. These Bots will also help you start your games and collect results. A TD is available in channel 32 if you have questions or need help.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
FCC Considers Free National Public WiFi
Internet and phone bills may be a thing of the past if this proposal succeeds.
Believe it or not, free internet may be in your future. A report from the Chicago Tribune says the FCC is looking into the possibility of free public WiFi across much of the country.
While the proposal has thoroughly ruffled the $178 billion wireless industry, other big players such as Microsoft and Google support the idea, according to the report. They argue subsidization of this resource will lead to a new-age renaissance of development and innovation. Among the hidden benefits are big potential cost savings for local schools and businesses.
In addition to free web surfing, public WiFi could mean free phone calls, sophisticated healthcare monitoring and even driverless cars, according to the report.
Should the proposal pass, it will still be several years before the entire network is up and the kinks are worked out. Still, it would be the first time in the world any government has provided free WiFi on a national level, according to the report.
5:18 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
If they're gonna do that the least they can do is put a telescreen in every room too. That way I can get the latest news about the war with Eastasia, and i won't even have to leave the house to do the Two Minute Hate........
9:11 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Juve, and don't forget the camera so that the TV can watch YOU while you're watching it!
Tobias Cichon
5:31 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
This is how paradigm shifts and social/scientific/technological revolutions happen. I say go for it... open it up!
Mike Ruane
8:16 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Since there is no service that is "free", I would rather have multiple companies competing for my business than government bureaucrats peeping through my business. This sounds like the first sign of censorship.
Linda Carson
10:40 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
They already read all the Internet traffic and monitor phone calls. Project Vigilant
I'm 45 miles from Chicago and cannot get DSL or Cable of ANY kind. I also can't get WiMax.
6:24 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
In theory this sounds great.....but whats the catch? Higher taxes? Censorship?
7:53 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Mike, I know that's what you learned in school, but look at the reality. Our "free market", let them compete for my business system has resulted in an oligopoly of overpriced inferior service. Check out the prices and internet speeds in South Korea, Japan and Europe. We've been deluded into thinking we have great Internet service and we don't !
9:23 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
+1. Prices (internet, phone, tv) here are outrageous and service not that create despite the companies trying to sell us that they have the greatest customer service in the whooooole world.
8:10 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
But on the other hand what gives the despots better control than having the ability to shut down communication with the rest of the world? FREE internet? FREE Telephone? SOPHISTICATED HEALTH CARE MONITORING? All of this provided by the same group of inane politicians who have nothing on they're minds but getting re-elected, collecting free healthcare and huge pensions for themselves. If they can't balance the budget, where in the hell are they planning to get the money for more free stuff? Oh wait, I remember now. I'm locking my millions in a safe at home where Uncle Sam can't touch it.
8:13 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
One further question, Doesn't anyone who thinks this is a good idea remember reading 1984 by George Orwell.
8:25 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Yes, the tyrannical despotism throughout Europe, the UK and South Korea is chilling. Not.
9:13 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
You obviously have never been to South Korea. Try criticizing the government there and find out how "chilling...NOT" the repression there is!
9:45 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
What are you talking about? The Freedom House rankings of South Korea and Japan are identical -- 1 out of 7 on political rights, 2 out of 7 on civil liberties, and an overall status of "free".
8:53 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
This would be a security nightmare. If you hop on any neighbors unprotected wifi, and you have the computer smarts, you can hack their pc or share their session.
8:54 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
On top of that, you think AT&T/Comcast/Megapath/etc will stand by while many of their customers drop off the paid service?
Chronicles of Bob
9:09 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Yea!! And imagine if some punk steals your wi-fi, hacks into your personal CD collection of Peter Gabriel and blasts "In Your Eyes" on his Ipad, to steal the heart of your daughter...
Damn immigrants!
9:21 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
There will be a massive cost associated with this, it will stop dead all expansion of WiFi service areas becasue there will be no incentive to expand, and if you think the government can manage ANYTHING better than a market driven private sector you're delusional.
BTW, somebody is going to have to pay for installers to get unionized double digit raises and get taxpayer highly subsidized pensions at age 55. It'll be YOU!
We made airport screeners federal employees and they brought us unnecessary "groping" searches and other violations of our privacy and civil rights, at many times the private cost for the same quality of employee.
Government is the "anti-Midas". Whatever they touch doesn't turn to gold, it turns to $hit!
9:29 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
'' Government is the "anti-Midas". Whatever they touch doesn't turn to gold, it turns to $hit! ''
And the opposite is what ? What ever phone companies/ carriers touch does turn to gold, huge amount of gold but for them at your expense by charging you ridiculous amount of money for ridiculously poor or useless services. There must be a middle way in all of that
Chronicles of Bob
9:42 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Stop it shussbar... You're making sense... Don't you know this is what Hitler did first? I can't believe that you don't see how a free market system, a huge supply, cheap product, cheap labor and competition has driven down the cost of goods like cell phones and cable tv...
Mark Lenthen
6:21 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
Hacking over WIFI is a huge threat. This happens at hotels and coffee shops all the time. The best thing you can do is install security software from sites like http://www.wifisugar.com


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Originally Posted by Clirkus Now now, don't be jealous... What? I'm not o.o I enjoy being short. I was saying taller than you, not me xD
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" "The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire." "It is more blessed to give than to receive." "For the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident." "Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised), and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."
6'2" goodbye
Originally Posted by Christiefries OMFG A WHOLE INCH TALLER THAN HIM!!! WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE UP THERE? It was less being taller and more being taller and much lighter. AKA twig.
Glory Fades 80 Spam Talks Philosophy 3rd Edition Originally Posted by Azarthes I WAS GOING TO COMPLIMENT YOU BUT THEN I MISTYPED AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT I TYPED FOR THE LAST FIVE SECONDS WHAT Originally Posted by SmexySpiral I reiterate, I want a Herzi/KB/Jorick threeway. Originally Posted by Butter Herzi x Potted Cactus 5eva. Originally Posted by Azarthes Cactinth is now a thing. Originally Posted by TP You're all a bunch of idiots. And Herzi has awesome gifs. Originally Posted by Asuras Threadmon the television series. Herzinth Ketchum is a young lad looking to become the greatest poster there ever was. Originally Posted by Christiefries I had a dream about so much purple. I was wearing purple. I was in a purple room. I had purple objects. I thought of you. I felt like I was taking over your life or something. Originally Posted by Foxes I like Herzinth. Originally Posted by Elendra You are awesome Originally Posted by Bela You're a beautiful person Herzi. We should talk more. Originally Posted by Sherlock Holmes Herz is my new favorite. Originally Posted by Whetfeather XD love you, Herz. Originally Posted by Kangaroo You show little faith in Herzi's seductive abilities. She could get really drunk. Originally Posted by Christiefries I thought Herzi was a female when I first joined the Spamworld. Originally Posted by SmexySpiral People think Herzi's a woman? ... ... ... ...:D Originally Posted by Jorick People mistaking Herzi's gender amuses me greatly. Originally Posted by ★LunaLight★ I totally thought you were a girl too. Originally Posted by Clirkus You metaphorcally stab me in the heart, beautiful dame. Originally Posted by Herzinth You know I'm a guy, silly goose. Originally Posted by Clirkus I did not expect this. Originally Posted by Clirkus Uh huh. And to think I thought you were a really cute, kind of attractive in a weird way girl. Originally Posted by Clirkus You're a cross-setter then, like a cross-dresser but, with your set. Originally Posted by Hellis Also. I first thought you were a girl Herz XD. Originally Posted by Foxes "I think it's a woman. Wait, no..." Originally Posted by Foster Wait... Herz is a guy? Originally Posted by Albino Toad Herz, I thought you were a dude. Originally Posted by Herzinth I am.
Originally Posted by Christiefries What? I'm not o.o I enjoy being short. I was saying taller than you, not me xD I know that :P Originally Posted by Hank 6'2" goodbye ¬_¬ I'm taller than you astride my mighty steed. He's over 16hh and 1700 lbs.
Originally Posted by Antarctic Termite You are both wonderful people that's why. :3 Well, you're wonderful, Jorick's just cool and stuff.
6' even, 175lbs. I'm such a fatass.
Originally Posted by Herzinth It was less being taller and more being taller and much lighter. AKA twig. I think we're both a twig ratio-wise... Maybe. Iunno, I've seen you and we appear to be of similar width xD I'm 5'4" at 100lbs
Originally Posted by Herzinth 25lbs more than me, so there's clearly a problem. Do you srsly weight 115? How tall are you? Jesus Herzi you're tiny. o_o
http://i.imgur.com/Jk5TqOa.gif?1 Originally Posted by Azarthes I declare Tripmyhop as the second person in spam to be anywhere good at nick names.
Aaaaaaaand I just dropped my cordless mouse into a large glass of water. >.< This is not my evening.
Originally Posted by TripMyHop Do you srsly weight 115? How tall are you? Jesus Herzi you're tiny. o_o It's all in my legs, too.
Originally Posted by Herzinth It's all in my legs, too. wat
Forum Rules


text:
11" x 17" Locker Poster
Got love for Cody Simpson? Post up this new Cody 11x17 Locker Poster at school or in your room so you can see him every day! This poster design features two big waves on the bottom left and the top right corner and an image... Learn More -
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Decorate your room or locker with this Cody Simpson's 11"x17" poster featuring Cody Simpson's name in light green, and an image of Cody, himself, on the beach. -
Portrait Poster
"It's as good as it gets with the Cody Simpson ""Portrait Poster"" featuring a dreamy image of Cody on a unique dark green background. Also included in this poster design is Cody's logo in a white print on the bottom... Learn More -
Filmstrip Poster
The Cody Simpson Filmstrip Poster featuring the guitar image measures 18" x 24" perfect for framing -
Summer Lenticular Poster
Decorate your space with this cool and collectible Cody Simpson lenticular poster. Two awesome images of Cody alternate as you view the poster from different angles. It's like having two posters in one!


text:
Shavano Men RRP $ 109.00
A truly multi-talented boot for a wide range of activities such as travelling, cycling, everyday wear as well as easy ascents and hikes. The attractive velours leather with Liquid Rubber reinforcements and the asymmetric lacing create a fashionable and functional look. The grippy gripex™ Cougapproach sole developed by Mammut® and a stable, lightweight EVA IP wedge with integrated Mammut® Rolling Concept® ensure safety and comfort.
Item no. | 3030-02210 |
Colour | bark-light grey |
fabric leather 1 | Velours Leather |
fabric textile | Textile |
lining | Textile Lining |
weight in g | 688 g Size UK 8.5 |
Recommended retail price | $ 109.00 |
- Rolling Concept®
- Cougapproach Technology
- Asymmetric lacing
- Liquid Rubber Protection
- gripex™ Outsole Technology
Flex Index | A4 |
Last Index | Pure Ascent |
Ideal for
Travel, Biking, Urban ClimbingSuitable for
Walking, ApproachTechnology
Mammut has developed a range of technologies to increase the safety and comfort of its shoes. These technologies are applied differently depending on the type of shoe.
Shoes must be protected from water, wet conditions and dirt. Since wet conditions and dirt affect leather's natural properties, such as temperature control and comfort, shoe care is a very important area.


text:
We've selected the best candid trip photos submitted by our users to help you decide if the Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour is right for you. Make the most of your next trip to Florence with Viator's exclusive Photo Galleries.
At the organic farm
Photo by dyeaton66, 2012
We loved our visit to the organic farm - our tour, our lunch and the wine's!
Photo by novicetraveller, 2011
I am holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and someone is holding up me.


text:
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
7 comments:
- melledge said...
Hi Laura,
Nice to see you've found a suitable replacement. Have you ever considered registering a domain name such as "germangrammarpod.com" ? It seems to be available. You could even continue to host on Google Sites for free, just using your own domain name. Might make your great resources much easier to find. Just go here for more info: http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html
Thanks for the great podcast and learning materials. It's been an invaluable resource for me since moving to Germany.
Kind Regards,
Matthew (an American living in Germany) - 22 July 2009 08:59
Thanks so much for the podcasts. I have been teaching myself German informally over the past 5 years and find your in-depth explanations of the language very helpful. I have quickly been humbled into admitting that I am at best at the intermediate skill level, and plan to attend some night courses this fall. Mike - 29 July 2009 22:08
Just 'discovered' this website and wow... brilliant Laura! Brilliant.
I nearly wept with one of the more complex podcasts earlier, but in all honesty, after two years of teaching myself German your explanations were just fantastic.
I really appreciate it - I truly do.
Brit in Cologne. - 6 August 2009 23:21
Hi Laura-
Just wanted to say thanks for all your work! I've been self-teaching (intensively) this past year, and eagerly look forward to your new podcasts! - 26 August 2009 01:20
- Keith said...
I like your site. I'm currently relearning German after years of neglect (shame on me!). I'll continue to follow your site.
I tried to click on the link, but it doesn't seem to work? Am I doing something wrong? - 21 September 2009 13:51
- Laura said...
Hi Keith,
The link to the new site works for me. Is that the one you mean? If it is, I'm not sure why it's not working for you. You could try typing it into your address bar (maybe without the "home" that's on the end of the other links I gave): http://sites.google.com/site/germangrammarpod - 21 September 2009 15:21
- Laura said...
As I hope most of you know, German GrammarPod doesn't just have a blog, it also has a separate website with tables of all the information from my podcasts that lends itself to that sort of format. Until now, that website has been hosted by Yahoo Geocities. Unfortunately, Yahoo has decided to close Geocities in October 2009. Because of this I've moved the site.
I decided to move to Google Sites, because I'm hoping that a big company like Google will hang on to its free webhosting (and if it doesn't, will at least give me a decent period of notice to get things moved again like Yahoo did). So the new website is at http://sites.google.com/site/germangrammarpod/home.
If anyone spots any errors or missing bits, please can you email me and let me know? Google and Yahoo run rather different systems, and I had to think up new ways of doing some things on Google, which meant I couldn't just do a straight transfer. Because of that, it's possible that some bits got lost in transit, some links might not work or some transcripts accidentally got replaced by the wrong version. Let me know by email if you find any problems, and I'll put them right. - 5 April 2011 16:19


text:
Is Social Media Really Sociable?I grew up in the 50s through the 60s and into the mid-70s in Chicago, in a group named the Baggers. I strongly believe that most of my friends who became very successful business executives, teachers, police officers, and owners of companies achieved their success because of the social skills and the relationships they formed within the group. I've asked them about this over the years, and they agree. We are all convinced that we learned these social traits in our teens, and just by hanging out. We were also fortunate not having grown up with the electronic tools people have today, because we had to interact with others and learn the value of street smarts. We had to use our relationships and interpersonal skills to help create our futures. We worked and played as a team, won and lost, and experienced life. We worked at being friendly and establishing friends. We learned how to socialize, negotiate, communicate, and read body language. Sizing someone up was an art as well. And we figured out who we shouldn't hang with, who the BS-ers were, and who to trust -- skills that contributed to future success. In our conversations, we also feel concerned that today's parents are not encouraging their kids to go out on their own and make it. That many young people are getting too comfortable staying home and interacting via games, texting, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. They have not experienced how to interact with others in social situations, which will eventually hurt them in business. In my opinion, these social media tools are another excellent communication tactic like email, direct mail, PR, and ads. But are these great tools going to replace being sociable -- what we consider to be essential life skills? Again social media is all the rage now and its impact is life changing and I personally use all these channels to be more efficient and market Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT). But is it really social? I don't mean in the sense of staying in touch or being nice or courteous to people, I mean sociable... interacting. I've concluded the word "social" should be removed from "social media" and the whole thing should be changed to "digital media" or "emedia." What are your thoughts? |
A deeper understanding of how to effectively communicate using the latest technologies will be key to having a successful career.
Business leaders need to collaborate more with the educational community, and invest in training, to get workers of the future.
The key to your next career move or your next product pitch isn't in your PDA or smartphone -- it's in face-to-face communication.
The stories of the athletes make the television programming so compelling. It's too bad the world doesnt come together more often like this.
You want to know how to get the attention of a busy executive? A letter breaks through the email clutter.
Datasheets.com Parts Search185 million searchable parts


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S1 Pipet Fillers
Thermo Scientific* S1 Pipet Filler is a lightweight, cordless pipet filler that allows longer, fatigue-free pipettingfor use with graduated and volumetric glass and plastic serological pipettes.
Ergonomically designed, the S1 Pipet Filler offers simple efficient pipetting performance and maximum pipetting comfort. This pipet filler features a heavy-duty rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows approximately three times longer operation between charges than typical units using nickel cadmium batteries. Separate aspirate and dispense speed controls affords precise control over pipetting speeds and reduces risk of overpipetting with smaller pipets.


text:
Possible Duplicate:
Does Google use the Meta Description Tag for Description of Page?
I have no idea why this is happening.
An example http://www.londonofficespace.com/ofdj17062004934429t.htm
Title tag is: Unfurnished Office Space Wimbledon – Serviced Office on Lombard Road SW19
But is indexed as: Lombard Road – SW19 - London Office Space
If you look in the source code and search for this portion 'Lombard Road – SW19' You then find that it's next to an office image alt='Lombard Road – SW19'.
The only thing I could think of is that the spider somehow 'skips' our title tag and grabs this bit, and then inserts the name of the site (but WHY?)
Is there anything I can do with this? or is this a Google behaviour?


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Posts Tagged 'ABC Teach'
Turkey Tech – 5 Sites for Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas and Activities
Thanksgiving is approaching, and the shortened school week will have kids pining for turkey, football, family and a four-day weekend. So keep their minds focused on school using fun and interactive games and activities that also serve up a helping of history. Free Technology for Teachers has compiled a list of five websites that offer ...Read more.


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Let's hear them.
Does Robin return to the studio?
Does Artie appear to promote his book?
Does Howard stop working Wednesdays?
An exciting year of radio awaits!
Let's hear them.
Does Robin return to the studio?
Does Artie appear to promote his book?
Does Howard stop working Wednesdays?
An exciting year of radio awaits!
howchie continues to throw stones from hiz glass house.....
akumba mumbwangi
Know more bullshit.
Please don't use this as your signature
It will be revealed that a secret Illuminati consisting of Jackie, Billy West, Stuttering John and Scott Eizenger have been sending subliminal messages to Howard. These messages forced him to do awful shows and feel fatigued, thus only being able to muster the strength to work 3 days a week. It will further be revealed that AGT Howard is a doppelganger, and the real Howard is trapped in another dimension and has been since 2007.
I predict the show will blow...
"I pull out. I never use condoms, I'm a married man." Howard Stern 1996
I predict that 2013 will be my fifth year of not listening to the show.
Joan Rivers
Sandra Bernhard
Maroon 5
Al Roker
lather, rinse, repeat....
This is better than rejuvenation.
Photography's a joke. Anyone can be a photographer. You do your scary great pictures because you're a professional. I'll take my stupid...automatic camera...take pictures and we'll see if people can tell the difference. - HS, 2-1-02
My prediction is that the show will continue to massively suck moosenuts and when AGT fires up again it will become totally unlistenable. Or pretty much what it sounded like all through 2012.
My predictions:
- He'll start working five days a week and putting in extra hours.
- There will be two or three comedians constantly sitting in the Jackie and Artie chairs. Benjy will be relegated to the back offices and no longer on air.
- Howard's production company will start shooting his Porky's remakes.
- Howard announces that he will sign on as CEO of Sirius when he's done as a broadcaster.
2 days a week of the AGT wrap up show, followed by the AGT wrap up show wrap up show.


text:
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We offer US Domestic $6.99 flat rate shipping. Free shipping over $75. We also ship to APO/FPO addresses.
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Posts: 194
"Evil Bastard of the Mega Comment"
Perspective in RPG writing
October 26, 2012, 10:27:19 PM »
It was brought to my attention recently that much RPG writing just appears to be lists of facts. Do you think there is a common tone and voice to RPG fiction? What dod you think that tone is and how would you describe it? Why is that tone popular and would we be better served by a more narrative or personal style of writing?
the Windward
Posts: 1145
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Re: Perspective in RPG writing
Reply #1 on:
October 27, 2012, 05:34:47 AM »
I think the fact-based writing comes from a) the style most published RPG manuals use, and b) the purpose of the writing. Most RPG stuff gets written to be used, and to that end a writer tries to describe the useful stuff: the origins of the item, its effects, how to put it into a campaign, etc. They read like an encyclopedia listing. These are things that make the writing useful, because it simplifies getting whatever the writing's about into our game.
RPG writing as both facts
interesting tone. Look at CP's Boots Too Fine for the Earth, or Muro/Scras's Thick As Thieves. They weave the encyclopedic information on the subject as well as an interesting story and mood. I think the purpose of RPG writing does require the encyclopedia entry content, but the style can and probably should be adjusted to make it more atmospheric.
Dozus the Windward
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Posts: 3218
Re: Perspective in RPG writing
Reply #2 on:
October 27, 2012, 08:44:25 AM »
I have seen the opposite side of this tone, where there are not really lists of facts, and everything is presented from an in game perspective complete with biases, secret information or lacking major points of information. This was really much more prevalent in the 90s where a lot of material was presented in a vague fashion.
While it was certainly more entertaining to read, it was a harder to actually use as players and DMs who had read the same books could get into arguments over in game material because there were no facts, just artfully presented opinions. White Wolf was a major offender, and everything was a cipher, or red herrings, or all that.
The difficulty is striking the balance between something that is useful but ultimately boring (Dungeon Master's Guide) and something that is an engrossing piece of art but leaves everyone scratching their head because they don't know what is what (Vampire's The Book of Nod)
The Rogue Scholar
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Posts: 194
"Evil Bastard of the Mega Comment"
Re: Perspective in RPG writing
Reply #3 on:
November 04, 2012, 11:31:44 AM »
Thick as Thieves is an excellent example of what I am talking about. It may communicate the central idea about a thieves guild convention but it seeks to go beyond that in telling a very specific story about the origins of the convention, the personalities behind the convention and the culture that supports the convention and takes part in it. But the perspective and voice of the piece is unclear. For example in the "Origins of the Convention" paragraph one it is written
It all began when the upstart Dodgy Brotherhood, led by the ambitious Hoel Spaca began to encroach on the business interests of the venerable and established Soft Wall House, led by its charismatic guild master "Sil".
In this line we get several pieces of information and very efficiently the agon is defined. However, would the Dodgy Brotherhood agree with being characterized as upstarts and more importantly with other readers or players agree with the Dodgy Brotherhood being considered Upstarts. Would everyone agree that Sil is charismatic and the Soft Wall house is venerable? An interesting thing about gaming roleplaying as a media for storytelling is that SIl may by definition of his character Stats be charismatic and the role-playing notes for Spaca may read "ambitious". Thus, if the point of this section was to tell a GM or writer how to assemble a story, than those observation may be necessary. But the point of this section is not to tell a GM how to tell a story, it is a story to justify the existence of the convention. The entire vignette of father Jarry serves only to add flavor to scenario of the convention.
So who is writing this paragraph? We are getting opinions about the characters and their actions i.e. it was wise for law enforcement not to get involved. In paragraph two of the same section, during the description of the "Monsters Ball" the authors wrote
The "Monsters Ball" was a celebration not unlike a combination of our present Halloween and Carnival.
Here the authors make clear that their audience is modern day people, and thus we have story that is more like a recounting of a story. That is what is interesting about this to me. Instead of telling us the story, the author summarizes the story as if the story exists elsewhere. For example if I were to summarize "A Game of Thrones" by saying the worship of the Seven, as a religion, is analogous to christianity. If George R.R. Martin were to say that in an interview it is one thing, but if he broke form and wrote it in a Sansa chapter I believe it would seriously dilute the immersion and voice of the story. Even though it may clearly communicate a view the author wishes the reader to take.
The authors are laying forth a backstory a gaming resource, but there also graphic or poetic asides
Blood flowed freely, only to be washed away by the rains.
But picking apart this single post in particular is not what I am interested in here. The real question I want to ask is what is it about this tone that role-players find appealing. Are people drawn to roleplaying because they like to see the world, any world, in an unambiguous fashion-a God complex if you will? Or (as I have often postulate) role-players are not truly interested in the material, they see the material more as launching off point for their own ideas? But if Strolen's Citadel was ever just an idea guild, it left that long ago. Ideas are critiqued here on their writing, on their "believability and style. Would "Thick as Thieves" have been voted Golden if it didn't have this long back story?
I randomly open a roleplaying source book "Star Wars Galaxy Guide: Scouts" and I saw a very similar tone in the player's section. They didn't break form to overtly reference modern day events or concepts, but it had this same all knowing yet opinionated style. Thick as Thieves has 21 votes and is a Golden sub. What is it about this style that draws people to it? Why refer to stuff that has perspective or personality as "Fluff" as Scrasamaz does?
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Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: kingkongit27 @ http://asianuniverse.net/forums
A man was attacked by a kitchen knife, suspect surrenders himself to the police
In Tuen Mun yesterday, a man suspected of having a mental illness attacked a man. The victim who is an employee of Vitasoy was on his way to work, a man suddenly rushed out and used a kitchen knife to attack him. The victim's suffered serious injuries on the left side of his neck. The victim received help after escaping 200 meters and was taken to hospital, his conditions are currently stable. As there were Vitasoy strikes a few days ago, the police are worried that it was connected with this case. After a hour, the attacker surrended himself to the police at the police station.
The victim who was attacked has been named Hung, 43 years old and is an employee of Vitasoy. At about 9am yesterday, while going to work from the Fu Tai area. A man suddenly attacked him with a kitchen knife, Hung couldn't avoid his attacks and got seriously injured. A female security guard discovered the victim after he escaped 200 meters. She informed the police and got intouch with the victim's son on his behalf. He was then taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
The police investigating the case found that the victim was a Vitasoy employee, but doesn't initially know whether the incident was connected with the earlier Vitasoy strikes. The police searched for the attacker's weapon and the ground floor of the building taking fingerprint, but did not find anything.
More than an hour later, the suspect attacker Chung, 59 years old surrended himself at the police station. He claimed he was involved in the earlier incident injuring a victim. The police arrested him overnight for enquries. After enquries, it was found that the suspect had a history of mental disorders and that he didn't know the victim personally. The police will investgate further on whether the suspect attacked the victim due to losing control.
The spokesman for Vitasoy stated that the company have been informed that a staff member had been injured and in contact with their family. Since the police are investigating the case, they will be inconvenient to comment further.
Tuen Mun District Council member Chan Man Wei pointed out that there are ex-mental illness patients living in Fu Tai, but never occured any violence before. He will continue to follow the case.


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adjective \ˈfȯs-tər, ˈfäs-\Definition of FOSTER
: affording, receiving, or sharing nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties
Origin of FOSTER
Middle English, from Old English fōstor-, from fōstor food, feeding; akin to Old English fōda food
First Known Use: before 12th century
transitive verbfos·teredfos·ter·ing \-t(ə-)riŋ\
Definition of FOSTER
: to give parental care to : nurture
: to promote the growth or development of : encourage <fostered the college in its early years>
— fos·ter·er \-tər-ər\ noun
Examples of FOSTER
- Such conditions foster the spread of the disease.
- Would you consider fostering a child?
First Known Use of FOSTER
12th century
Related to FOSTER
Rhymes with FOSTER
biographical name \ˈfȯs-tər, ˈfäs-\Definition of FOSTER
Stephen Collins 1826–1864 Am. songwriter
biographical nameDefinition of FOSTER
William Z(ebulon) 1881–1961 Am. Communist
biographical nameDefinition of FOSTER
William Zebulon 1881–1961 Am. Communist
Learn More About FOSTER
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Monday, February 4, 2008
Was Manson Up To Monkee Business?
6 comments:
- Allan said...
I hesitated, thought why bother, and you'll soon enough understand why.
Your little blog is just exploding as the best TV review in Canadaland, Bill.
It's all I could have hoped for.
Now, you bring up Charles Manson, and I'm not exactly sure if I should perhaps just leave that one alone.
Then again that would go against my perceived duties (self-deluded no doubt) as making pretensions to being a journalist.
For if we witness something in the course of our lives should we stay silent, or do we owe it to others to, to speak so to speak.
Charles Manson as you know wrote a song that the Beachboys recorded, and a song that Guns and Roses also recorded.
I had heard Manson's original recording of the song and thought that the song was one of the best I had heard, and being a music reviewer for an underground newspaper in Vancouver but finding myself sitting in Los Angeles on a Sunday morning with nothing to do while Manson sat in jail awaiting trial, I decided to go interview him about his music.
We never did talk directly but nevertheless had some interesting communication in the course of that summer in 1970, I visited the three young women in prison as well and lived for a month at Spahn Ranch with the remaining group.
You're wondering why I would bring all this up.
It's a very tiny tiny "thing".
Imagine for a moment having had those experiences and then 40 years later finding a blog item that finds it an interesting piece of lost trivia that there was a Monkee connection to Charles Manson.
I met the Monkees once too. - February 4, 2008 at 10:16 PM
- Bill Brioux said...
Thanks for the kind words about the blog Allan. Hope you keep coming back.
Very curious to hear more about your Manson encounter. Have you posted about this at your blog? Point us there.
You probably already know this, but you can watch the Beach Boys perform that Manson song, "Never Learn Not To Love," on YouTube. It was performed in 1968, on of all things, The Mike Douglas Show. - February 4, 2008 at 11:27 PM
- Allan said...
No, I've never put it on a blog, Bill.
In fact, I carried the story around in my head for a long time and never told anyone about the whole experience.
Then in '88 William Deverell pointed out that I should write about it if it would help me unburden myself of it. But it was another twelve years before I did. It wasn't an easy thing to talk about, but I did try and bring back the memories in an draft that took days. I tucked it into a corner of the net and haven't returned to it since.
And now with each year passing I think about it only infrequently, and have learned that most people would of course be intrigued, but only for about five minutes.
But for me it was a profound meditation on sanity and and sacrifice.
I had no interest at all in the murders. My fascination was their lifestyle and freedom, which was incredibly daring. It was futile to even think of adapting their philosophy, it was just too far out. Still, I did get involved, the way we do with people we like, and will always see myself as part of that family. These things happen.
And in a small and private way it has left me sad and isolated, like an old soldier, and heartbroken over three young women, who are still my age.
Here is part of it.
But let's get back to JPod.
Man, that show really creeps me out. - February 5, 2008 at 2:38 AM
"allan" is an apologist for the CBC - he's paid to blog and post comments on the internet to dispel rumors and criticism for the CBC - and now we learn that "allen" lived with the Manson Family - how fucked up is that?
- February 5, 2008 at 1:52 PM
- DMc said...
Good stuff Bill. An entertaining segment.
I still say the thing with Carson and the cat happened. In my heart of hearts, anyway. - February 5, 2008 at 3:21 PM
- Allan said...
The commentor over-estimates the CBC.
And probably busies himself developing new views of 9/11 as well.
I don't apologize for the CBC.
They're eminently qualified to make their own excuses.
And appear to be getting a fair amount of practice these days.
Loved the Superbowl coverage and confronting the Dexter ads, Bill.
And now you're dealing with the Late show scene - you are hitting all the marks - it's quietly thrilling to see.
And the lay-out and graphics, and your obvious effort in each post, man, ease up, you're embarrassing other bloggers with this kind of quality. - February 5, 2008 at 4:01 PM


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Conservatives call bull on UW bicycling study
Last week, a local financial executive called me a "stooge."
I was somewhat insulted, but mostly curious.
There was no question what I had done to inspire the vitriol. It was my reporting on research that projected the physical and environmental benefits to be gained if Midwesterners turned to biking or walking for 50% of their trips under five miles. (The report can be found here).
For that, I was deemed a "pawn of the left."
The criticism mirrored that of other self-described conservatives and made me wonder again why advocating for bicycling is deemed a liberal pursuit.
In an email to the critic, I posed the question this way: "It would seem that cycling, as a cheaper alternative to driving, would be a transportation option embraced by conservatives. It's cheaper for the individual and the required public investment, compared to road-building. In most debates, though, it seems conservatives view cycling as a liberal enterprise. I realize you're probably busy, but your insights into that divide would be welcome."
He did respond, at some length, but later asked that I not share his dissertation on the blog. He explained that it might cost him clients, who hold an opposing view.
Fortunately, conservative blogger James Wigderson posted a somewhat similar critique on the MacIver Institute web site. Another post, in the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, argues bike lanes add to traffic congestion.
Wigderson has previously ridiculed investments in cycling infrastructure, and he followed a similar path in critiquing the study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
For a number of reasons, Wigderson found absurd the idea that Midwestern residents would bike or walk upwards of five miles to run errands.
"If I took a bicycle everywhere I went, I wouldn't be able to use my cell phone," he wrote. "The gasping for air would get me arrested for making obscene phone calls."
His larger point was more practical than physical:
"My wife's trips today to the grocery store, Menards hardware store and for take-out pizza all should have been on her bicycle. But of course that wouldn't work. It's hard to carry the latest Christmas outdoor decorations from the hardware store on the back of a Schwinn, even with a basket. Two gallons of milk, cereal for a week, bacon, eggs, bread, and light bulbs weren't going to fit on the back of the bike, either. As for the carry out pizza, that might have worked. Just leave the two-liter of soda and the breadsticks behind."
Wigderson ably expressed his view that the study's preposition – that 50% of trips under five miles could be managed in non-motorized fashion – was unattainable.
But his post, and my financial friend's response, failed to answer my larger question about conservatives and their opposition to investments in cycling.
I think it's worthy of discussion, preferably in a thoughtful, fact-based, non-insulting manner.
74 Comments for "Conservatives call bull on UW bicycling study"
rekmke Nov 09, 2011 4:41 PM
The article didn't cite "death rates" going down, it said "1,100 lives saved". I agree that the "death rate" of bicylists would go down if there was a greater number of bicyclists, but that fact doesnt' refute my point. ANY increase in death for bicyclists must be subtracted from the presumed lives saved number of 1,100 in order to be a fair analysis. You bringing "death rates" going down only serves to confuse the issue as a "rate" is something entirely different than a raw number and I think you know this.
Can we also agree that the notion of everyone making half of their trips that are less than 5 miles by bike is so totally unrealistic that it is silly to even use as the basis of the study? People like you and the authors of this study like to cite examples in New York and other metro areas with a population concentration that Milwaukee doesn't even come close to. We aren't New York City and I think it's time you accept that.stebo35 Nov 09, 2011 4:43 PM
@stebo - I do not disagree that the aggregate number of cyclist deaths will increase. However, there is a not a good predictive model to determine what that number may be. The point about the death rate going done simply refelcts that the rate of increase in deaths is inverse to the number of cyclists. In other words, not many more people die when more people use bicycles. And we also know that when fewer cars are used there will also be a corresponding reduction in motor vehicle fatalities. I do not have any study to back me up here. But I did state the I believe the raw number of cyclist deaths would be statistically insignificant. ANd again, if you want to add the projected number of additional cyclist deaths due to collision then you must also then deduct the projected number of motorist deaths.
As for your point that it is ridiculous to believe that people throughout the entire Midwest (not just Milwaukee) cannot make 50% of their trips under 5 miles by bike I respectfully suggest you do some more homework. A recent study of transportation for the city of Milwaukee shows that more than 50% of all trips are less than 2 miles. Not all trips have to be exactly 5 miles.
And looking at other cities with similar populations and climate (Minneapolis for example) show much higher ridership than MKE. In short it IS both possible and reasonable.
What is missing is the awareness and the will of individuals.BDWIRunner Nov 09, 2011 7:46 PM
Living in a small Northern Wisc. town there are many benefits to biking:
Bike trips to the bakery make the doughnuts taste better
The coffee shop trips are more complete
Dairy Queen trips with my children... a personal favorite
After church,you can hear the sermon again whistling in the wind
A backpack to the super market holds a serious bag of groceries
For the single guy...chicks dig a guy on a bike and for the gals there is nothing sexier
Trips to the hardware store seem to make the house project a little easier to swallow
Trips to the gym offer a great warm-up/cool down
Even trips to the lake, pool or swimming hole bring back childhood memories
Load up the Burley with your fishing gear and bring home some fresh bluegils...done that more than once
Pedal up to a meeting or school activity...definately a great ice breaker with the kids
Library trips:A book and a bike...does it get any better?
Biking over to a friends for conversation or party...are awesome times!
To a downtown club for a cool beverage or two...refreshing
Biking is not really a chore,it burns calories, you get your vitamin D and excercise, you relieve stress...heck all this talk makes me want to ride my bike!martyd Nov 10, 2011 5:19 AM
I've spent a couple of weeks this year in the Leerdam, Netherlands area where I walked from the hotel (aprox 1 mile) into town nearly every day. I was able to walk on a walking/biking lane. I saw lots of things carried by bikers but the most interesting was a man riding his bike with a friend on the back who was holding a case of beer. Americans seem to prefer cars and many don't want to hear/believe anything that might divorce them from their beloved car. People need to be more receptive to thinking that alternatives may be good for them (and their families). Just because it is the way we do it doesn't make it good.
Mamsy Nov 10, 2011 3:07 PM
Great conversation here.
Re: [[From google maps, a five mile trip would be from the zoo to the Ambassador Hotel, and would take 42 minutes by bike (and 37 by bus).]]
Just because Google maps expects you to travel roughly 7.5 mph, doesn't mean you have to go that slow. Avid riders on road bikes ave. between 22-24 mph; solid citizen bikers can ave. 12-18 (depending on age/health, etc.) after a very short break-in period.
And you feel like a million bucks with even that basic boost in fitness.I happy dirt Nov 10, 2011 6:12 PM
Being a serious bicyclist since 1971, many a road occupant has passed my way. Most are respectful, but some act as if I am but roadkill looking for my spot. My commutes to work, have ranged from 3.8 miles to 31 miles during my 38yrs of employment. Through thunderstorms, sub-zero, 98 degrees, gale-force winds, and a host of creatures racing across my path, I have endured. Having weathered all that, I didn't need to be treated special, just equal.
Ordinary Cyclist Nov 15, 2011 9:27 AM
Why has cycling become a left leaning pursuit? Geez enough already! Look at the face of any kid who has just learned to guide a two-wheeler with no help from mom or dad and you can see its pure fun. Your horizon just expanded and suddenly you can go places you never thought possible. Whether you're Scott Walker, the Fitzgerald boys,Nancy Pelosi or Herb Kohl the cycling experience is a shared one and for a brief time we all feel the same. If you're lucky you can carry this over to your adult rides. I feel very fortunate to be healthy enough to enjoy semi-competitive cycling as I creep up to 60 years old. I firmly believe if we could get both houses of the legislature out on a group ride once a week cooperation would improve.
YaHey Nov 15, 2011 11:44 AM
I stop at red lights ALWAYS. How many cars stop at a red before turning right? Be honest now... I do admit to rolling through stops signs on neighborhood / side streets but only if no traffic. I also get exasperated at cyclists who blow through stop lights and signs in front of traffic, but not any more exasperated than at speeding, failing to yield / signal cars. Car drivers disregarding the law are far to numerous to count
YaHey Nov 15, 2011 11:54 AM
Although I'm a Madison Liberal (and proud of it), I am conservative in the frugal context. That is a major factor about why I commute via bicycle spring, summer, and fall. From the mid-'70s-until I retire. I have saved tens of thousands of dollars for all incurred costs of driving/parking a car. Of course, the other benefits are immeasurable including the opportunity to exercise the office situations away as one pedals.
I also dress professionally for the office and plan ahead. If I plan to wear a skirt, I put it in my pannier and wear shorts (or jeans), changing when I arrive at the office.
For grocery shopping that requires three or more bags, yes, I drive my car. A neighbor who cannot drive due to vision problems, does his family grocery shopping using his bicycle and an attached unit. For the rainy weather, a poncho works great.
Thanks, Mr. Held, for offering the opportunity for discussion of the topic.Bike Commuter Nov 15, 2011 7:33 PM
As someone who tries to bike as much as possible but without being a zealot (you won't find me on the bike much n February!), I have found it surprisingly easy to do a lot of my travel by bicycle once I got in the mindset. I bike to work 7-8 months of the year, which is only 2 miles but I'll also bike into downtown for meetings. As for groceries and other errands, a few years ago my wife bought me a great little cart (ByKaboose) that can hold a week's worth of groceries, a propane tank, a case of wine, and even my tuba. I've gone as much as 2 weeks straight without having to get in a car! And it's not a political thing - I save gas and other expenses, and stay in shape.
Marc G Nov 16, 2011 7:33 AM
The best thing about biking for errands is looking for reasons to ADD trips, for more exercise and fresh air, instead of trying to consolidate trips to save on gas. Think about it!
Got a Burley trailer when #1 son was nine months old. Before he graduated to a trail-a-bike and then his own bike, he was sharing space in the Burley with friends, and often groceries. It's not unusual for me to get four 12-packs, a gallon of milk, and all the usual staples in the trailer. Lightweight cereal and bread fit nicely in the back of the Burley where they won't throw off balance too much.
The Burley has taken many trips to Home Depot. I don't think I'd haul concrete blocks, but if buying something like 10' of PVC pipe, I have taken a saw along to cut it to job length before transporting it home. 4" corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe rolls up nicely inside the trailer. A couple of gallons of paint? No problem.
I often put my propane tank in the Burley to get it refilled. That seems like a lower risk to me that putting it in the car.
After I change the auto oil, I almost always put the used oil and filter in the Burley to take them for recycling.
I've taken a kid to the doctor and dentist on a bike, although the orthodontist is out of range. We bike to swimming lessons, piano, school, and often we bike to go out to dinner.
For carryout pizza, I used to have a rear rack with adjustable outriggers (Load Llama) that was perfect. Of course an Ian's large wouldn't fit on that (oops, liberal reference!).
Dry cleaning goes in the Burley, just as easily as in the car.
As stated by others, panniers work well for a gallon of milk, loaf of bread, bottle of wine.
I bike twelve months a year. Although I avoid biking during snowfall and on ice, this usually only amounts to a few days each year.Arghhhhh Nov 16, 2011 9:52 AM
I bike every chance I get in decent weather, whether it's errands or just to get fresh air & exercise. It sure beats paying for another tank of gas. If you ask me we were born to ride bikes.I agree with the beer carrying Netherlands folks, we need to awaken to the enormous array of alternative possibilities for getting around besides our $$ guzzling autos. thanks for this discourse Mr. Held. Cudos to Matt Busche!
eyeshaveit Nov 17, 2011 11:26 PM
That is a question that has puzzled me: why has bicycling somehow gotten enmeshed in the liberal-conservative divide. I am old enough to remember when the conservation movement counted a number of prominent conservative/Republican legislators among their champions. These days such people would likely be branded as "RINOS" and targeted for defeat in the primary.
I can understand opposition to bike projects as opposition to government spending. But then, for consistency, I would expect even more skepticism towards highway projects, which are many times more expensive than bike projects and, despite the myth, are only partially paid for by users.brthompson Nov 20, 2011 8:30 PM