Don’t forget to play Chicken, Where are You?
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Lower fuel prices and a global economic downturn combined to produce cheap airfares from NY to several international destinations in 2009. With our savings accounts full and credit cards empty, we elected to take a few 5-day weekend trips the 1st half of 2009.
Following are some generally chicken-free photos from Iceland, Berlin, and Rome. Next stop: Barcelona.
A couple of editorial cartoons from The Philadelphia Inquirer (Tony Auth) and the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Chan Lowe), respectively, along with a picture of a painting I’ve been meaning to post from the most recent presidential election. The painting is by Bruce Elliott, whose wife owns the Old Town Ale House in Chicago and where it has been on display since last year. Mr. Elliott has recently drawn Mr. Rod Blagojevich in the buff, as well. Both of Mr. Elliott’s amusing artistic diversions were referenced in the Chicago Tribune.
Nice recovery from my friends at The Economist.
The New York Times latched on to the curious vasectomy trend, though I found NYT’s Leslie Alderman less entertaining and thoughtful on the subject than CNN’s Ms. Park (the Basketball theory - c’mon, that is funny).
Vasectomy’s are not the final word, it seems. Men are conflicted. Curious.
Apparently, business at online dating sites is booming. At OkCupid (aimed at ‘a … casual, youthful crowd), there has been more than a 50% spike in registered, active users since April 2008. At eHarmony.com (20 million paying subscribers), a recent study found that ‘25% of women said stress about the state of the economy made them more inclined to seek a long-term relationship’. Also, visits to the website jump on days when the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls more than 100 points.
Theories:
1. As the economy slows, people have more time to devote to private lives.
2. Uncertain times increase the desire for companionship.
3. Living alone is expensive - find a mate and split the cost.
In the spirit of microeconomist Steven Levitt at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Mr. Freakonomics), The Economist article proposes a fourth, less naturally intuitive possibility: the boom is neither a nesting instinct nor desire to save money, but a desire ‘to do something that makes <people> feel better about themselves’.
So says Noel Biderman, who runs AshleyMadison.com, a subscription-based business model that arranges affairs (as seen on Dr. Phil and Larry King, per the website splash page, and also offers a 100% Affair Guarantee).
Apparently, ‘never before have so many people been looking for a bit on the side’.
A $49 subscription to AshleyMadison.com is less than the average co-pay required for a vasectomy.
Linda finds all this less amusing, though I apparently get a 2 for 1 - have an affair and get a vasectomy, though those were not precisely the words she used.
Hmm.
Curious.
It appears CNN has scooped my venerable friends at The Economist.
“Why are we suddenly having an explosion in guys asking for vasectomies?”
Is it ok to say that at work?
Vasectomies in Cleveland are up 50% and 48% in New York. The article posits two theories. One theory is that people are accelerating medical procedures in advance of losing health benefits, usually associated with job loss or job uncertainty. The second is that a loss of confidence in future employment prospects results in a reduced birthrate.
While there is ‘no national registry of sterilizations‘, historical evidence suggests that periods of severe economic crisis coincide with lower birthrates. I think the chart is suggestive of the underlying pattern if not cause and effect, though a Dr. Jones suggests “It is unlikely that some guy read the Dow Jones numbers that day and said, ‘Why don’t we have a vasectomy?’” Evidence to the contrary, Dr. Jones.
There is also a website www.vasectomy.com that should be considered for a good design award. From the home page, readers are presented with two simple options:
1. Click Here for Vasectomy Information
2. Click Here for Vasectomy Reversal Information
I conject that on this topic it is difficult to be more straightforward than that.
A third theory provides thought provoking insight into the male psyche: basketball.
Since ‘vasectomies are likely to produce tenderness, discomfort and slight swelling…usually <require> a day or two of recovery, ginger movement and icing of the soreness..men time their vasectomies around major sports events such as the Masters Golf Tournament and the NCAA basketball tournament to keep themselves entertained during recovery’.
Practical, but still curious.
Cheers to journalist Madison Park and my new friends at CNN.
Per the trusted Wikipedia source, Hakarl is fermented shark. The reason it is fermented is because the shark itself is poisonous when fresh due to a high content of uric acid and trimethylamine oxide (aka urine).
Yum.
The reason I know this is we returned from Iceland about 3 hours ago and some people in Iceland consider Hakarl a food.
As background for the uninitiated, Hákarl is traditionally prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or basking shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way pressed out of the body. The shark ferments for 6-12 weeks depending on the season in this fashion.
Following this curing period, the shark is then cut into strips and hung to dry for several months. During this drying period a brown crust will develop, which is removed prior to cutting the shark into small pieces and serving. The modern method is just to press the shark’s meat in a large drained plastic container.
First-timers are sometimes advised to pinch their nose while taking the first bite as the smell is much stronger than the taste. It is often eaten with a shot of the local spirit, a type of akvavit. Eating hákarl is often associated with hardiness and strength.
Those new to it will usually gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it due to the high ammonia content.
We had not read this last part before our trip, but a picture (or series of pictures) is worth a thousand words.
We posted our 2008 Christmas Card today. For those of you receiving an old-fashioned paper version, they are stamped and going belatedly to the post office today.
Wishing you a prosperous 2009 - good luck to your 401(k).
It is 6:45 AM on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. I have already cast my ballot. Please do the same.
New York 8th Congressional District 2008 Presidential Ballot
An Introduction to Pho
We love to eat pho, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup. We had pho for the first time (not surprisingly) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We sampled the dish at a few different restaurants, our favorite being Pho Hoa. I have since returned once and hands down, this is the best pho I have ever had.
Leveraging content from Wikipedia, pho consists of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). This is all served in a bowl. The broth is generally made by simmering for several hours a collection of beef bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, and spices. Seasonings include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, charred ginger, cloves, and sometimes black cardamom pods. The noodles, called bánh pho in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles, although dried noodles (also called “rice sticks”) are also used (frequently in the US, based on our experience). A bowl of pho is garnished with a combination of green onions, white onions, coriander leaves (cilantro), ngò gai (culantro, or long coriander), Thai basil, lemon or lime wedges, and bean sprouts. Several of these items are served on the side, along with fish sauce and a collection of hot spices and peppers, so you can concoct your own bowl based on personal preferences.
We eat pho tai, which is pho with thin slices of rare eye of round. The slices are thin enough that the hot broth cooks them through. Broth, noodles and sides are standard - variations (and names) are based on variations in meat content, which can include tendons and organ meats if you are so inclined.
A surprisingly thorough history of pho, including a recipie, is found at Vietworld Kitchen. We have not tried this recipie having concluded from prior (largely successful) attempts at homemade pho that it is
easier and cheaper to go to a restaurant (expect $5 to $6 per bowl). Recipies generally result in 4-6 quarts of broth - that makes a lot of pho - far too much for 2 people. For those that do not live within a 15 minute walk of several pho joints, invite some friends and give the recipie a go. Keys are paraboiling the bones, star anise, fish sauce, slightly freezing the meat so it is easy to slice thinly, and using fresh noodles if you can find them.
Our Continuing Pho Journey
Upon return to Chicago in 2006, we scoped out local Pho restaurants. Linda has a cousin from Vietnam (no joke but an extended story) who had a few suggestions and took Linda to lunch one day when I was out of town. Chicago has several immigrant neighborhoods - including 2 Vietnamese areas plus a variety of Asian ethnic groups in and around Chinatown. We had two regulars in Chicago - Pho Hoa (review) on Broadway between Lawrence and Argyle and, nearby, Pho Xe Tang (Tank Noodle Restaurant - review), on the corner of Broadway and Argyle. Both are good - I found the broth at Tank Noodle to be more flavorful - but we did not really frequent one more than the other.
Pho in New York is superior in quality and flavor. My all-around favorite is Cong Ly (review) on the corner of Chrystie and Hester on the Lower East Side / Chinatown. Debating pho is a dicey proposition, especially as a non-Vietnamese. My point of view is that there are 5 basic pho evaluation criteria - the broth, the noodles, the meat, the sides, and the ambiance of the restaurant.
Almost every Pho restaurant I’ve been to is a dump - floorescent lights, formica tables, and tile floor - so they all score evenly on this criteria (our favorite in Vietnam has no windows). Definately not a first date kind of place. The sides are consistent - bean sprouts, fresh basil leaves, fish sauce, hot sauce, and hot peppers. Variations include the freshness of the sides, soy sauce (on the table or not) and lime versus lemon. My wife informs me that in Vietnam (and Asia), pho is served with a kaffir lime, that kaffir limes are not widely available in the US (or are expensive), and that lemons are frequently recommended as the closest readily available alternative. I don’t use either, but the distinction is important to Linda.
The big difference between noddles is fresh versus dried. Thin, fresh rice noodle makes a positive difference. Broth may be the most important item and is partly personal preference - I tend to prefer a meaty broth with a noticeable star anise flavor. Who knew I liked star anise?
Cong Ly has flavorful broth, fresh noodles, and good meat (quality and quantity) - and a particularly dreary ambiance. So far tops in our domestic quest.
Since we eat pho almost every week, in addition to Cong Ly, we have a few regular destinations here in New York. Pho Grand (review) is closest to our apartment. On a good day, this place has the best broth, though quality varies between average to very good. Similarly, the quality and quantity of meat varies. Noodles are Pho Grand’s downfall - consistantly average (dried). Inconsistency aside, at worst Pho Grand has good Pho and some days it is <arguably> the best in town.
Also good is Pho Bang (review), where we frequented most regularly before finding Cong Ly. This is probably our second choice. Pho Bang is dependable, has the best noodles, the freshest sides and is Linda’s favorite as a result. The broth is consistent but lacks the flavor of Cong Ly or (on a good day) Pho Bang. Again, the differences are slight between the three restaurants, and if you don’t eat 52 bowls of pho a year, will likely be undetectable.
If you have a personal favorite in the United States, please share. Off this morning for a bowl of pho.
