how to crush your valentine or how to turn your crush into your valentine (girls guide)

instead of the usual hot lemon water, yoga and breakfast, begin you’re morning with a cup of really good coffee and a square of 101 cookbooks chocolate tart.  it’ll hit him like a ton of bricks (kisses).  he’ll be surprised how it tastes just like a giant candy bar and totally impressed with the flakes of sea salt.

turn on the stereo and play the brand new (releasing tomorrow) album our version of events, by emeli sande.  she crushes like leona lewis with beats and killer vocals never being too sappy.  she’s an actual song writer, transforming emotion into movement.  at a certain point surprise him with a kiss and a couple of dance moves probably while listening to this song:

later on in the day you’ll want to get started on a lamb shank stew.  after 6 hours of slow simmering aromatic madness, he’ll practically be a puddle, offering to help make the salad, set the table or whatever else you need.   for a little dinner ambiance i’ll have to recommend a tea lite candle set in something that will flicker prettily (nothing too fancy), wine in a small mason jar (again, nothing too fancy) and something like birdy’s skinny love, or a little jazzy something playing in the background.

at the end of the evening if you want to get a little sentimental, this could be a good song to have in the background while out under the stars or sitting on the porch, or maybe just brushing your teeth.

Renewing America’s Food Traditions

This book is devoted to some of the little things that make life really magical: the distinctive foods of the USA.  Im talking about foodstuffs, the actual ingredients that come from nature, which invariably astound in all their distinctive colors and permutations.  Every single food in the book could spin into a rewarding career for an assiduous ‘foodie’.  {Speaking of ‘foodie’, this term generally condescends of late.  Im assuming it comes from an anti-elitist standpoint, and thats understandable, but the grief that seems to accompany it is a little sad. }  Osage Red Flint Corn, California Mission Olives, Pre-Civil War Peanuts, Ossabaw Island Hogs… each of these foods are both ‘new’ and old.  There are hundreds in this book, and each one has the potential to re-invigorate local ecosystems and economies.  Refreshingly, there is no distinction drawn between native and non-native food traditions.  One of the beans originally comes from Russia, and the California Mission Olive came here with the Spaniards.  If its a food that has made its home here, it is regarded as part of our ‘Food Tradition’.  As a lens through which to view our history and possible future, this work is unsurpassed.  Expect to be overcome with a mild sylvan optimism while slowly working your way through this book.  Gary Paul Nabhan has been editing and compiling this kind of information for years.  For those who think the times ahead will be dim, stewarding one or two of these plants/animals may be the just the thing.  Truly an impressive work.  Renewing America’s Food Traditions – Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods (2008).  p.s.  it seems that all of the websites for these kind of vanguard groups are shabby and under-developed.  The tech girls/guys could really help the scene out by lending a hand. 

Critique Of The Prevailing Coffee Dogma

Its easy for most people to get on board the whole coffee thing: it tastes awesome, it gives you a nice boost, it makes your teeth sweat, etc.  And the dopest coffee companies have pioneered a business model that rewards far-flung regional growers around the globe, making coffee explorers out of all of us.  The idea that artisinal craft can thrive in the modern economy is proof that the future works.  We have the small independent-minded coffee companies around the world to thank for the excellent state of what PG Wodehouse would refer to as ‘a cup of the steaming’.

Now for the critique: maybe don’t tell people what to do.  I posit that the efforts of a good coffee house should culminate in the enjoyment of its customers.  I’m starting to think the rules surrounding the preparation of drip, french press and espresso have become dogma.  I know its best for my car if I change the oil every 3.000 miles.  I know i shouldn’t scratch my scabs.  Except wait- that’s my business.  More to the point: im not a fan of the 140 degree cappuccino thing.  I respect it as the temperature that best does something or other and I’m sure the coffee heads are totally on-point about it.  If i ask for a ‘capp at 160′ i want a smile and my total, thats all.  I like that I’m crafting my life and future with my choices, and I’m stoked about living in a time and place where its possible to do just that.  From Tokyo to Oslo to the Bay Area, coffee houses have become so juicy and rewarding for everyone involved!  i can take it from here.