My Slow Food Movement

I have had a great summer of camping, mountain biking, hiking, swimming and long boarding. Best of all, I have been able to give my children some great experiences and memories. Life is beautiful.



What's coming to The Aimless Cook?

Slow Food. Last weekend, my friend had a farewell party before moving away to another city. I did something radical to some by giving them my microwave. I have never lived without a microwave since I was 9 years old when my parents bought this woodgrain monstrosity sporting dial controls and an analogue clock. I thought about the whole thing and realized that I really only use the microwave to reheat and defrost things. I might bake the odd potato or steam some vegetables, but other than that, it sits on the counter taking up space. Since I learned to cook real meals, I have had no real need for something that has become the one stop convenience appliance for heating up the pre-packaged crap that some test kitchen calls food.

The Slow Food movement is grabbing hold of my life as I look every day at what's happening to the way we eat as a society. We are a culture that is being indoctrinated on convenience and the perception that we just don't have enough time to enjoy the simple things in life anymore. What started for me as an observation of my effect on the environment through my buying habits has turned into something deeper. Who says I don't have time? We can be our worst enemies sometimes and unconsciously sabotage our own good intentions. All I've got to say is take a step back sometime and look at your life, and more importantly, relax.



Check out www.slowfood.com to get some information of what I'm talking about. In most cases, there is a huge amount of food being produced near you right now and readily available for you to take home and enjoy. Yet, we go to the grocery store and insist on buying apples flown in from New Zealand or buying Lunchables for our kids while the local deli has a fresher, preservative-free, more delicious assortment of locally produced meats and cheeses. Well, you get the idea. It's all about the way we're thinking, and as a result, the way we're buying.

So the show will be taking a deeper look at slow food as we take action in our lives and make more educated choices about what we eat and buy. We will be taking steps to reduce our waste by eliminating the take-out containers, buying more bulk, refilling existing containers when possible and generally being conscious of what we spend our money on.

Sorry for the long post, but I guess it's been 6 months, so I had a lot to say. Until next time, take care.

J

New media and my goals for the future...

 

This week I hit 150 subscribers for the MrJingjong (The Aimless Cook) channel! More importantly, the quality of subscriber I have been getting recently have been surprising. I am really starting to feel like a part of the J-vlogging community. Facebook has also been quite a tool in promoting my YouTube endeavors and I'm finding that a lot of YTers are doing the same.

There's something surreal about the interaction in new media. TV just doesn't have that. Mind you, I still like TV, but if I were to make a choice today...internet FTW. There's something to be said about watching your favorite YT personalities and being able to comment, rate and interact with them. When I made the decision to get serious about my channel, it was cool to be able to pick up and learn everything I needed to in order to make it all happen. I watched a lot of what the other YouTubers were doing, what tools they were using and listened to the comments to tweak my channel into what it is today. It's still a work in progress, but I'm having so much fun in the meantime

What does the future hold for MrJingjong? Well, I think it's a reasonable aspiration, but I want to hit 500 subscribers by the summer. I want to be able to reach even more viewers and get more involved in the YT community through collaborations and guest spots. I would also like to take my first trip to Japan. It's always been on my life's "to-do" list as I have been into Japanese culture for a long long time.

Of course, I also want money. Nothing wrong with wanting money. One of the first J-bloggers I seriously got into was Danny Choo. He has been a real source of inspiration to the work I do. It's true that your passion can take you anywhere, and in my case, I know that I can get what I want out of life by just applying myself and putting energy into what I love doing most, which is cooking, teaching and making engaging content for my viewers. Cookbook, DVD...yes. Definitely.

So, that being said, I want to say, "Thank you" to the YT community for the great comments, support and encouragement. My channel is steadily growing and finding its niche among the many cooking channels that are already out there. I'm glad that I can be a source of information and entertainment for the viewers and I plan to continue as long as there are people that love to cook.

100 Subscribers!! Thank you for your support!!

Last weekend, I broke the 100 subscriber mark! I was so stoked and I wanted to just say thank you to all the viewers that are watching and enjoying my videos! A special thanks to Runnyrunny999 and Busankevin for promoting my channel. Thanks, guys!

What's goin' on?

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. With YouTube and the cooking blog, it's tough to play catch up with everything. Since that evening at the hockey game, things have been pretty good. I did a collaboration cooking video with my friend, Taro, aka Runnyrunny999 and also appeared in his cooking video. The vids are at the end of this post.

As a matter of fact, its been a busy weekend for videos. In addition to Runny's vid, I did a Spam Musubi video that will be released on Friday. My friend, Kaori also asked me to make a video of her koto performance this past Sunday for the anniversary of the Evergreen Church. That was her first public performance since she was in Japan. Way to go, Kaori! That video will also be at the end of the post.

Speaking of that church anniversary, the food was phenomenal. Since most of the congregation is Korean, so was the food. I had Japche, ribs, rice cakes...man, you had to be there.

Just one last thing; I want to thank everyone who watches my channel for your continued support. Thanks to Runnyrunny999 for the collabo, I'm getting more and more subscribers everyday and I hope to get 100 soon. I have big visions for my humble channel so keep watching and tell your friends!

Until next time...

A Trip to Calgary: The Good Old Hockey Game

I had the pleasure last week of spending some time with a couple co-workers from Saskatchewan. They had been in town for the past 3 weeks to help us with a special project. Since I had been out of commission recently, it was refreshing to get back into the swing of things by hanging out with these two crazy chicks on an adventure in the big city.

As you can see, it was also a week full of finger food. Rest assured, I did get my share of the 4 basic food groups: wings, fingers, nachos and riblets. All of this nutritious food washed down with refreshing beer. (Beer is essentially liquid bread, you know)

After a few days of this wonderful fare, it was time to go experience our national pastime. It was time to go to the hockey game. I picked up the girls at their hotel after they had done a little shopping to 'prepare'. A couple Calgary Flames T-shirts and some temorary tattoos and we were ready to roll. We picked up some free burritos in the hotel lobby, jumped in the car and we were off.

Here are the highlights of this epic evening. Hope you enjoy, and when you come to Calgary, don't forget to go to the hockey game. Until next time...

The Day I Joined the Cult of Mac.

Throughout my many years of being a PC user, I have always been "Mac Curious". After my crappy Christmas in the hospital, I thought it would be a good excuse as any to treat myself to a nice gift. So, I went to the Apple Store on December 30th, 2009 and officially became the proud owner of a MacBook Pro.

It's been 4 days since I made my purchase and all I can say is that I am in love. Can you love a computer? If they are sexy, you can... I guess, and they are sexy. There is love in every aspect of this product. Even the box is incredibly beautiful with its molded black, plastic tray and foam-lined lid. As I opened the box for the first time, I was greeted by the signature logo on the Aluminum unibody case. Lovingly wrapped in plastic by angels just for me, it was pure pleasure unwrapping this beauty.

I have never had an OOB experience like this since I was 9 years old, opening up my Millenium Falcon toy, complete with Han Solo and Chewbacca figures.

The refreshing thing about Macs is that, unlike PC notebooks, Macs are not overloaded with crapware that's supposed to make your computing experience easier. When ever I buy a notebook PC, I usually expect to spend the first couple hours uninstalling the wares that the manufacturer installs. After that, I am endlessly adjusting and tweaking Windows to my preferences, getting rid of the dashboard, taking out toolbars, deleting unnecessary shortcuts, etc... Oh yeah, they actually include the recovery dvds. You don't have to spend additional hours making your own.

I was pleased to be able to use my new MacBook Pro right out of the box with a touch of the power button. After entering my name and registering, I was greeted by a nice welcome video and I was on my way. The learning curve for this new frontier is gentle. There are a few things different about working on a Mac, but once you get the hang of it, you're good to go.

Right away, I wanted to learn how to edit video with iMovie 09 and after a couple practice sessions with some test clips, I was making some great looking video. Just in case you want to see my first iMovie edited video, check out the Happy New Year post. The graphics card and processor handle my video wonderfully, rendering my transitions and previewing my clips with ease. It's truly great to have this new tool.

A Trip to Texas

Imagine my delight when my mother asked me to come visit her in Texas for Thanksgiving. Its been 7 years since my last visit to her place, so of course I wanted to go! As a bonus, my aunt and uncle from Toronto were also visiting, so it was a family reunion of sorts.

Tommy Bahama's, The Woodlands

 

I got off the plane, realizing that I hadn't eaten anything since the morning so we ended up going to the Woodlands for some dinner at Tommy Bahama's. The restaurant sits in a beautiful town square-esque part of Market Street. I could write about the delicious Tuna poke with fresh avocado, or the southern crab cakes, the roast chicken with asian vegetables or the fish tacos, but I'll just show you the pics.

Tuna Poke with Avocado

 

 

Roast Chicken with Asian Vegetables

 

 

Fish Tacos

 

Southern Crab Cakes

Nighttime in Woodlands, TX

The next day started with my uncle waking me up at 7, asking me if I wanted to go play golf. Golf in November is a rare treat for someone that's used to putting away his clubs in October and not taking them out til mid-April. That is the life of the Canadian golfer.

Quick 9 at the Village Golf Course

An afternoon of shopping for the kids made for a full day. Of course, it was time to eat again. This time, we saw a brand new resto near the interstate beckoned us... Mama Juanita's. It was time for some TexMex.

The Customary Tortilla Chips and Salsa

Cheese Stuffed Poblano Pepper

Normally, I love stuffed poblanos, but this one suffered the wrath of good old American gluttony. An over-the-top, oversauced, over-cheesed monstrosity that would go better with a Big Gulp.

The Combo Fajita

I was pleasantly surprised after that poblano of what was to come next. I followed the owner's suggestion and ordered the combination Fajita platter. It was a platter of 4 kinds of meat: pork, steak, chicken and shrimp, served on a sizzling platter on a bed of caramelized onions accompanied by your choice of warm flour or corn tortillas. Fajitas are always dramatic, wherever you order them. They are preceeded by their telltale sizzling sound as the server approaches the anxious diner. A trail of steam and the charbroiled aroma of meat follow as this signature dish is delivered to the table. Mama Juanita's fajitas were sublime. I won't try to describe the taste. Fajitas do enough talking on their own.

The Cancer Survivors Plaza, Museum District, Houston

My last day in Texas was simple. I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. There were a couple exhibits in town that were worth checking out. I'm also a sucker for the giant dinosaur skeletons and shrunken heads.

Oooooh, dinosaurs...

My favorite parts of the museum were definitely the Rainforest exhibit and the Aztec artifacts. There were also some pieces from the Famous Jeweller to the Tsars, Faberge...not BRUT by Faberge, but the one that made all the eggs. Anyways, the rainforest exhibit was filled with tribal pieces, textiles, tools, weapons, art and photographs of daily tribal life. The pinnacle of this exhibition were the shrunken heads, which I haven't seen since a childhood trip to the Smithsonian in DC. The Aztec artifacts were also very interesting to me, since I have always wanted to see the ruins in Mexico. I think museums are the best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially when you travel to other cities. There are a few great museums in Houston and I hope to visit the others when I return.

So my weekend was relaxing and fun, filled with a bit of culture and great food. It was short-lived, but I was starting to miss my friends. As I conclude this entry, I am already thinking about my next big trip...Manila! Take care and enjoy watching the video. Thank you for your support and please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe! Until next time...

Part 2, coming very soon!

Burger Fix Part 3: Peter's Drive-In

For most Calgarians, Peter's Drive-In is an institution. Whenever I'm driving on 16th Avenue and peer over at that white and blue building, the smell of charbroiled burgers, the lineup of hungry guests and those lurking seagulls in the parking lot only mean that something delicious is close. I can't remember how many times I've paid homage to this landmark burger mecca, but I was about to once again.

A Present from Peter

The menu of Peter's has remained pretty much the same since their debut in 1962. You won't find grilled chicken sandwiches or fish here. I can also assure you that you won't see anything that resembles a salad...nothing here even rhymes with salad. Now that we're clear on that, let's move on to what Peter's does have; Burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, ice cream treats and some of the best shakes you will ever attempt to drink through a straw. As a matter of fact, Peter's claims that you can mix up to 3 of their 30 milkshake flavours for a combination of more than 4500 flavours.

"Small" fries

On this day, I opted for something simple, so the double cheese it would be. I also got an order of small fries, or what Peter's calls 'small' anyway. Trust me, if you are eating alone, don't order the large fry or the seagulls will be visiting for free lunch.

Not a pretty sight

Burger nirvana...

The burgers are charboiled, dressed in a signature fashion that makes them uniquely Peter's. Each patty is made from fresh chuck, individually submerged in their BBQ sauce before being tucked into freshly baked, custom-made buns. They are then lovingly wrapped in their foil before making their way to your mouth. As you can see, we're not making pretty burgers here. Just consistently delicious.

I'll leave you with this tip: if you are coming to Peter's Drive-In, just remember: they only take CASH. Don't catch yourself making that realization when you're in the drive-through queue. Yes, it's happened before. Also, when you're making your order at the Drive-through, don't expect them to tell you how much the total is going to be. Expect an, "ok, thank you" then move on. A little 'Soup Nazi', eh?

Until next time...