Author Archives: Dr. Bear

About Dr. Bear

Lived many places, love food, unable to not have a conversation, earned PhD in Philosophy.

Lovely, lovely Notes

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Like anyone else, I have a tendency to form an opinion and then let that opinion shape my perceptions. Of course, this is wrong; I should not let my opinions do the work for me, but should try hard to listen to my experiences and let them shape my opinions.
Opinions are a useful and necessary tool for getting a handle on this messy busy world, but aren’t as useful–and are often harmful–if they do not fit the actual world. A flat head screwdriver isn’t the best tool to unscrew a Phillips head screw; a shot-gun is even worse.
That seems hyperbole (Overstated Hyperbolic?!? From Dr Bear?!? I am shocked! Shocked!), but I am certain that each of us have encountered people who use opinions like shotguns, or even heavier artillery.

Experience is our teacher–although not always our friend–and we much be open and pay attention to her.

…But I digress, in my usual New Madrid river flow kind of way.

I have written in the past about the importance of the hand-written note,  and have spoken disdainfully about electronic communication.
While I still believe in the importance of a hand-written note, in the past few weeks I have had to re-think my view. You see, I received two lovely notes electronically, and I had to admit that they were wonderfully human, and gracious, and authentic. The writers each took time to personalize them, and each of them carried the personality of the person writing, as well as a bit of the conversations we had shared in the past. They showed a respect for me–treating me with kindness and dignity, and even some empathy.

The odd thing about them was, they were both negative responses to requests.
One was a letter from a prospective employer for whom I had made the short list, and with whom I had interviewed; it told me they would be going with another candidate, although they were very affirming of me and my credentials, and were very open about the reasons they had decided to go with the other candidate.
One was a negative response from an RSVP, but it was punctual, gracious, and very kind.

Both were so much more than a computer generated “Thank you for your interest, but…” e-mail, or a dashed off “Sorry, something came up, but let’s do coffee sometime” text.  Each was so much better than the growing tendency not to answer at all. Each of the rejection notes treated me with dignity, as a human with feelings. Each note communicated, was specific, but also was clear and firm, as adult to adult.
Both of the notes were written by human beings.

I guess that is more important than paper or pens and ink or stamps; when we communicate with other human beings, what we say should be able to pass the Turing Test–it should be clear that it is being said by a human being.

Even better, what we write or say might have some basic empathy, so that it is clear that it was said by a real Mensch.

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Tomato and Cucumber Salads

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Heirloom tomatoes (2)I am fond of tomatoes, and I am fond of cucumbers; this is a pretty good time of year to get either. I have written about these before, both as a blog and an audio–strangely enough, roughly a year ago–so you might look there, but here is another approach.
I had never really thought of this as a recipe, more like something I just threw together every night, but I guess there is a recipe of sorts–but all measurements are approximate, since tomatoes are of different sizes, sometimes you have a lot, sometimes you don’t, and you may need 8 helping if you are having guests, or just 3 or 4 if you are eating alone.

Ingredients:
Really, this is what it is all about. These are great salads if you have great ingredients, uninspiring if you don’t. Other than the olive oil and salt, they were all things I could find locally. 

For the Tomato Salad:
Tomato Salad (2)Of course, if you arrange this with sliced fresh mozzarella, it becomes a Caprese Salad.

  • tomatoes
    –about a fist sized helping for each one eating (granted–I have big hands, so be generous). They should be and smell fresh, and it is best if they are an interesting heirloom variety; the last time I made this, for a cast party (I really miss you guys from The Dresser), I found some odd medium sized Tennessee Twister and Stripe varieties which were a delight for the senses.
  • fresh basil leaves
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • a generous amount of olive oil

For the Cucumber Salad:
Cucumber Salad (3)Of course, your could add onion to this, too.

  • cucumbers
    —fresh and local are best, but English cucumbers are really good, too, so locally grown English or Persian are the best. Skins are good, and give more flavor, but if the skin is too tough, peel it, or peel it in strips.
  • fresh savory–a generous amount, maybe the leaves from 4 or 5 stalks.
    —for the idea of savory instead of dill, I am indebted to the lovely Mrs. Rosenbaum of Abingdon, Virginia.
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • vinegar (I like rice wine vinegar because it is sweet & gentle, and doesn’t change the color)

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: gather and wash all the ingredients. Pat them dry a bit as well.

Step 2, cutting the guests of honor: theoretically bite sized, but I have a big mouth. I prefer the cucumbers thin and the tomatoes thick.

Step 3, a salt: sprinkle with salt to taste (I like quite a bit more than none, but not so salty it overwhelms everything)Savory & Basil

Step 4, adding herbs: strip the savory off the stems, rub it between your palms, and sprinkle it over the cucumbers. Cut the basil in a chiffonade, and sprinkle it over the tomatoes.

WHAT IS A CHIFFONADE, YOU ASK?
Basil Chiffonade (6)A chiffonade is leaves cut across into long strips. The best way to do this is to stack a number of the basil leafs together, then roll them sideways into a bundle–like fine cigars rolled on the thighs of beautiful women, and then cut them across the roll with a sharp knife (OK, maybe clean scissors).

Step 4, dressing for dinner: pour the vinegar over the cucumbers and the olive oil over the tomatoes.

Final Step, share and enjoy: serve them to friends on the back porch with a good cheese, freshly baked French bread, some cold water, and a good wine–maybe a nice Côtes du Rhone.

Moving and Striving

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It has been a while.

We have had to make some changes, a new setting, a more flexible location, a bit less solidity, a little more melting into air, but the rent was good and we can get out of the lease easily enough.Lettres Gordes

As always, we welcome your letters and solicit your questions.

Although we will continue to have the regular staff,Beer Week 2014 (4) we solved some of our staff shortages.
We are now offering internships. Entrepreneurial experience and philosophy–what could be more appealing? Also, 3 meals day and a place to stay.
Legal restrictions make it impossible for me to mention their names, but welcome aboard, you six.

The format and the menu are the same, which means anything is possible.

HermannOh, a special thanks to our new friend the Graf von Igelström, for helping us move, and especially for all the help straightening out the vent system.
Drop by anytime, Hermann.

Chasing Words

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Sun casting out light,
the birds competing with song,
the day before the day.

 

The new sun casts out
its light in straight lines,
while it playfully wrestles the little clouds.
From on their phone lines,
mockingbirds compete
with trills and songs and whistles.
The day before the day.

 

The sun casts out
its light in lines
as I make my way;
the birds compete
with trills and rhymes;
the day before the day.

 

Rounding the corner, I look up from the dog and am stunned.
Through clouds gilt-edged against the sun, the light cuts out in straight bright lines. Around the light, the sky is a brilliant blue, fading into the dark gray blue of the mountains. The air seems alive with light, but at the center of it all is the rising sun.
From telephone pole to telephone pole, the mockingbirds call out, competing to see who will win the morning.

I already have;
I walk on, beginning a new day.

Shoefly Scones

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I could just break down and call this really large molasses cookies, but I think of them as scones. This is a reprint with a few corrections of a recipe I published last June.Shoo Fly Scone 4 I needed something new and fast for breakfasts this week, and thought I would make these again.
I also left some for my dear friend Mel and her family, since today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Mel!
By the way, I did some field-work since last year, and the pronunciation of Scone become more like “scon” the further north you get.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups flour (Whole wheat, white, both, as you wish) and ¼ more for the topping
  • Optional: add ¼ cup of gluten and ¼ cup of brewers yeast for extra protein, and to make the scones firmer.
  • ¼ cup of sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp cold butter
  • ¾ cup plain yoghurt
  • ½ cup molasses (or dark corn syrup, or a mixture)
  • 1 egg

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Preheat the oven to 400°, assemble all the ingredients, run to the store because you are out of molasses, and grease a baking sheet.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In one bowl sift (mix if you don’t have a sifter) the flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast & gluten, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3, pastry cutting: Cut in the ice cold sliced butter, using either a pastry cutter or a knife. I suppose some processer thingy can do this, too, but I don’t own one. The result should be crumbly.

Step 3, pastry cutting addendum: Take a quarter cup of flour, mix it with a few tablespoons of sugar and some cinnamon, cut in a tablespoon or more of butter, and set it aside for the crumble topping.

Step 4, mixing the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix the yoghurt, the molasses and the egg.

Step 4, combining the big mess: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. THe results might be a bit gloppy. Try not to overwork the dough.

Step 5, baking: Flouring your hands, form little scone sized patties out of the dough (should be 6 to 8, depending on your size preference) and put them on the greased baking sheet.  Grab some of the crumble topping and top the dough with it liberally. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. See how they look. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

Final Step, share and enjoy They do make a handy breakfast, which is much easier to eat in the car than the pie. To your left, they are pictured with my Rhubarb-Almond Scones. They are perfect for sharing over breakfast, or in the afternoon over tea, or for dropping by and giving to friends.

Sideroxylon

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Why the long shorts?

When the Bistro was on the road recently, I happened upon a copy of USA Today (June whiteredseersucker12, 2014), that printed thing whose lack of journalism is compensated for by colour. In it, an etiquette and style writer criticized how short men’s shorts were becoming. After all, she wrote, who wants to see a man’s thighs?
The photo that accompanied it showed this mid-thigh pair of men’s shorts.

 

Seriously, USA Today?
He is wearing a pair of pink seersucker shorts, for crying out loud!
Your problem is its length?

At athletic events, of course, the longer shorts of the time are coupled with high athletic socks, giving us a look like this:Lionel Messi (L), Bruno Alves (R)

Which is not too different from this:victorian bathingsuit

bruce_jenner_wheaties_boxI certainly am not an advocate of short shorts.
Somehow, Bruce Jenner came back, but we certainly don’t need his  I’m not really that big of an advocate of shorts in general. They are comfortable in warm weather, but not very high on the fashion totem.
But this: mid-thigh being considered “too long?”
or even long? Not exposing anything but the knee?

This is a little crazy— especially when we think about the standards for women’s shorts.

Among the ancient Greeks, the male body was a symbol of Netuno19bpower—virility and action rather than a passive, vulnerable object—and therefore depicting it nude was a symbol of power.
By contrast, in our culture, clothes are power, so the more power a man wishes to project, the more he puts on—business suits, hunting cammo, or Teflon armour.
So maybe length does matter.
Of course, the gaze we fix upon women’s clothes is much more sordid.

We have always been ludicrous when it came to women’s bodies, but here in the 21st century, when we should have been getting away from our hang-ups and cultural expectations are we going to start worrying about not exposing men’s thighs?

Our Nation’s founders all had bodies, but two centuries later, American’s are as obsessed and repulsed by them as ever.

Men’s thighs— OY!
Have a bialy— it’ll do ya’ good.

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Bialys

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On New Year’s Eve, we listened to an article on NPR about a judge who made his own bialys. I recall having heard or read the word thrown around a few times, but hadn’t really pick up on them. When he said warm chewy roll crisp on the outside with sautéed onions and poppy seeds, he had my rapt attention.
Beets & Bialys jan 21 (2) (1202x808)A bialy shares some common qualities with its cousin, the bagel, but is so much more fun. It has a thick, high-gluten dough like a bagel, but isn’t boiled before braking to make the outside so chewy–it is just baked. It is also filled with onions & poppy seeds–not unlike an Ashkenazi Mini-Pizza.
The bialy epicenter in this country is the Jewish bakeries of the various boroughs of  New York City. Originally, the bialy is believed to have been called Bialystoker Kuchen, and they came to this country with Jewish immigrants from the beautiful Polish city of Białystok. Many of these Immigrants came for economic reasons, or to escape Tsarist Progroms like the one in 1906. Going into the 20th Century, the majority of its residents were Jewish, but the 20th Century took a devastating toll on the Jewish population of Białystok.

A good source for this history is Mimi Sheraton’s The Bialy Eaters. This recipe was modified from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from The Bread Bible.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

  • 2 cups King Arthur bread flour
  • 2 Tbsp wheat gluten
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • pinch sugar
  • a little less than a cup of warm water
  • 1 tsp salt

For the onion/poppy seed topping:

  • 2 Tbsp butter (or more)
  • ½ small chopped onion
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds (or more)
  • ½  tsp course salt (kosher would make sense, kids.)

 

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Assemble all the ingredients, rummage around the pantry to find your poppy seeds, run to the store because you are out of butter, &tc.

Step 2, Sift & Leaven: sift the flour and gluten into a separate bowl (I like the chewier texture the gluten gives it, but I’m sure you could omit it–FOOL OF A SCHNOOK!!). In your mixing/bread-making bowl, add the yeast & the sugar to the warm water, whisk & let it rest a bit.

Step 3, Come together & knead: gradually add the flour into the yeast. Before it Bialy dough (3)becomes too thick, add in the salt. continue to add flour (maybe more than 2 cups?) until it is very, very, very still–downright resistant. Knead, knead, knead. This is the weirdest dough I have dealt with; like the Golem, I hope it’s on our side.

Step 4, Rest & Rise: coat the dough with olive oil, put in a large bowl and allow it to rise. For best results, this would be a slow rise, several hours, but it can be rushed in a warmer place to an hour or so.

Step 5, Shape & Rise: divide the dough into 6 balls (fewer if you want them big, Bialy dough (2)or more if you want them small). Flatten the balls with your hands on a parchment sheet–the shape you are looking for is a flattened roll with space in the middle to hold filling. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let rise for another 30 minutes or more.
Note: some also prefer the bialy more flat & dimpled. You can also play with cheeses & pizza toppings, &tc.

Step 6, Heat & Toppings: preheat the oven to 475 degrees. If you have a stone to bake them on, that’s great. In the mean time, chop and sauté the onions in the butter on a low heat–you want them soft, but not browned. Take it off the heat and stir in the Poppy seeds & the salt.

Beets & Bialys jan 21 (4)Step 7, Put it all together: press the middles of the rolls down a bit more and cover this indentation with the onion mixture. Put tem in the oven for 10 minutes, or until them are golden brown.
Mother's Day 2014 (4)
Step 8, Take them out & Enjoy: allow them to cool a bit, but they are best fresh. You can eat them plain, or with a little schmear (cream cheese) maybe some capers. They are great as a side to Beets & Bialys jan 21 (3)salad or to Borscht.

They make wonderful gifts –I mean, as soon as you say butter, onions & poppy seeds, most people are ready to go–at least the sort of people I hang out with.

I also like to use them as buns for sandwiches. Black Bean Burgers on Bialy Buns with Fries (5)
My favorite is with Black Bean Cheeseburgers and Fries.
In fact, that’s what Wode, Mousy & I will be having for supper later this evening, if you wish to drop by.


 

Travel

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Sustained by bouncing
between one sensation sight smell taste sound song and another,

I ride on the spirit of the end of a world cup soccer match.

The mountains are frozen in their dance, dipping down into the cottony mist just to rise again dark and blue and green as my car floats around them.

I give a dollar to the harmonica player hunched like a question mark upon the mosaic of the front of a closed store. I strike a match for Gypsy when she asks and squat to meet her dog Shakey; Gypsy is wrapped in a dress as motley as Tibetan prayer flags, and she lights the second half of her roll-your-own.
I hold that spent match in the corner of my mouth like a blessing, like a kiss, as I walk on.

Like a skipping stone, I skim along between sensations and ideas,
sustained by each image or laugh, every word and rhythm, each sight and color, every sound and song, each taste and smell, and every person—

every person as grimy as a tin can, brilliant as a star.