Tinypliny's Journal

12/14/2009 00:50 #50550

It was so good that...
Category: eating in

some people declared they could eat it at various intervals ranging from every second (of their lives? in hell? who knows?!) to every other day (in jail? on mars? in a geriatric ward?), and yet some others admitted to tossing 2/3rd of whatever they took discreetly into trash, and the rest were poisoned.

The point is, this recipe is not without its risks. With such variation in human reaction (and there were quite a variety of us at the potluck - from 7-ft palm trees to politically incorrect short pygmies to a graduate horticultural-establishment-management student from Cornell [who knew?!] - and of course the one normal person who threw 2/3rd in the trash, btw), there is a slim chance that you may meet some grotesque fate if you tried it.

Ah, disclaimer out of the way, time for the recipe. Really its just 5 steps.

1. Chop vegetables (Just pick something from across the colour spectrum and you will have a good mix. If you don't have a good knife, the acorn squash can turn into a hand-stuck-in-snowblower-like disaster.)

2. Toss in peanut oil, coarse ground cumin, salt and coconut shreds. Put into oven at around 150 - 175 degrees C (For you non-metric weirdos :

) Wait for the onions to turn very very slightly caramelized at the tips. Don't let the veggies burn - keep a watch. Roast the garlic cloves whole. (What? You couldn't spot garlic in that picture? Look again!)

3. Chop a bunch of fresh coriander (Sorry, (e:Paul)!), smash the roasted garlic into it. Mix in garam masala (Dry-roasted and ground: 5 (coriander seeds): 2 (black peppercorns): 2 (cumin): 2-3 cloves: Dried red chillies to taste: 2 (unroasted cardamom): 1 (dried mango powder/amchur) Mix in chopped green onions, and cooked garbanzo beans (Canned garbanzo is just gooey - you need to go the dried-beans-soak-6hrs-and-cook way. I heard that some canned garbanzo packs come with an additional risk of botulin sometimes - so its up to you).

4. Mix it all in with the roasted vegetables and give it another go in the oven - same temperature, till onions are a bit more caramelized, maybe 10-15 more minutes (Or you could skip the roasting-again bit, because its really murdering the veggies a bit more at this point).

5. Sprinkle with a mixture of toasted nuts (peanuts and cashewnuts) and crispy potato shreds with red chillie powder and salt). Serve.

666. Step back and watch the ill-effects on your unsuspecting victims.

PS: Heh, yes, the garlic cloves were not really visible in that picture. I figured you deserved at least a nice headache for reading the recipe, especially considering the wealth of emotions the people at the party ended up with. You are welcome.

PPS: No, I am SO not sorry.

theecarey - 12/14/09 23:20
It was so good, I wish I had some right now.

I still have my limbs after your knife wielding antics, so I suppose there wasn't unconscious inducing poison in it after all.

LOL at step "666", "non metric weirdos" and "If you don't have a good knife, the acorn squash can turn into a hand-stuck-in-snowblower-like disaster"

metalpeter - 12/14/09 19:25
Well I knew of your addative and luckly it didn't knock me out and a few others because of our toast to Tony's Birthday, so I survived but not sure about those who left after me, is that (e:theecarey) posting or is it (e:tinypliny) signed in under her name? Or maybe it is really the giant spider using (e:tinypliny) as an marient, HA.

hodown - 12/14/09 10:45
That looks SO good!

james - 12/14/09 09:45
Thanks Tiny. It was so freakin' good I am dreaming of it today.

jim - 12/14/09 07:53
Everyone loved it but me :)

And I was just not in the mood to try new food, I'm just kind of a boring eater.

theecarey - 12/14/09 01:06
Not fair, I am trying to go to bed and I just HAD to read your post; and now I laughed so hard my gut hurt. Oh yes, I have more to say, but I have to get to sleep.

12/11/2009 16:08 #50540

That whooshing sound from the piano!
Category: science

I listen to a lot of classical piano, and I have always been bothered by that whooshing sound between keystrokes that I can always hear (but some of my friends and my brother can never hear!)

In a distracted moment today, I learned that it is the sound of the open strings vibrating against the soundboard of an acoustic piano. So, THAT'S where it comes from!

In some recordings, they specifically place the recording equipment close to the soundboard because it gives the richest sound output - however the drawback is the whooshing sound... which apparently, not many people can hear.

The frequency of this "whooshing" is very low - hovering around 20-25 Hz. Some human ears can't pick up sounds in this frequency and auditory scientists speculate that the range of frequency hearing is genetically determined.

Fascinating, huh?!

tinypliny - 12/12/09 20:17
hehehe ;-)

paul - 12/12/09 19:30
freak! just kidding. I will have to check it out and see.

tinypliny - 12/11/09 21:40
I didn't know that! How interesting. So I guess I prefer the audience version of the recording!

And about Gould - I KNOW!!! I think its adorable that you can hear him in a sort of low croon when he is tuning the pieces internally!

uncutsaniflush - 12/11/09 21:07
(e:tinypliny) - During my time spent in recording studios, I learned that many sound engineers seek out the sound that you refer to as "whoosh". They consider it part of the natural sound of the piano box and think that it adds richness to the sound. If memory serves correctly, the idea to reproduce the sound of the piano that pianist experiences. On other hand, some sound engineers feel that a piano should be recorded so that it sounds it does from the audience in a concert hall - so no sound of the box and no whooshing.

My "problem" with classical piano is Glenn Gould. In some of his recordings you can hear him humming (for lack of a better word) as he plays.

jenks - 12/11/09 17:24
Oh, OK, so you're saying I'm more evolved (i.e. more advanced)? Ok, I can handle that.

;)

tinypliny - 12/11/09 17:14
Maybe this undercuts my evil intent, but its interesting to analyze what this really means. As you probably know, lower frequencies are travel farther than high frequencies.

And there is that popular science observation that Elephants can actually hear the lower frequencies rather than feel them - and they use this fact to communicate across the wilderness of Africa.

As humans, we live closer to each other, we don't hunt anymore, our societies have little to do with predation and danger awareness as probably mammals in the wild do.

It is possible that through evolution, we have progressively lost the gene-expression needed to hear the low frequencies - or maybe the allele controlling the trait is recessive. So hearing or not hearing these kind of sounds is merely an indication of what kind of population we share our genetics with, and where in the evolutionary tree we diverged from the parent population in Africa - and of course, which alleles we received from our parents and whether they are homozygous or heterozygous for the trait. :)

tinypliny - 12/11/09 16:50
Yes, that was my total evil intent.

jenks - 12/11/09 16:37
Gee thanks Tiny.
Now I feel insecure about my inferior ears that can't hear that sound.

GREAT.

12/09/2009 19:05 #50517

SoyMilk Vs Fat-Free Milk: Nutrition Data
Category: science

I keep thinking about getting another delicious carton of Soymilk ((e:tinypliny,50430)) but it is really just a very impractical and unwise obsession. The comparative nutrition charts show just why soymilk is not the rational choice.

Sunrich Soymilk 1 Serving.

It has added sugar (cane juice), vanilla flavour and carrageenan (a plant-based gum). I have never added these to my regular milk - why would I want to drink them now? Especially sugar?

Upstate Farms Fat-Free Milk 1 Serving.

Fat-free milk wins hands down in terms of higher quality of nutrients, clear-cut essential ingredients and no added sugar.

Take that, lizard brain.

PS: AAAAAAAargh. I still want it. This is getting so ridiculous! Anyone want to talk me out of this madness?!
PPS: Worse, I now want to get Biscoff Speculoos to dunk in them! Nice going. :/

tinypliny - 12/10/09 08:47
Soy has isoflavones that have a structure similar to the hormone, Estrogen. However, some animal studies have shown that the actions of these phytoestrogens (estrogens from plants) are not exactly the same as estrogens from animal sources.

But the jury is out on this one because
a) Whatever epidemiological studies have been done are all inconclusive if taken together (some indicate decreased risk and others indicate increased risk).
b) Some later cell-culture studies have seen that phytoestrogens act on the same signaling receptors and pathways as estrogens do.

There is an ecological argument that soy is protective against breast cancer because it is common in the diets of women from South-East Asia and these women have low breast cancer incidence/prevalence rates. However, it would be a stretch to say that these low rates are because of soy consumption because their diets and environment are also completely different when compared with Caucasian women or African-American women.

libertad - 12/10/09 07:00
Can too much soy lead to breast cancer?

tinypliny - 12/09/09 22:13
What is this - like a tit-for-tat evil thought induction??! You actually made me search stores that retail this light brand and I just found out the Tops, Niagara Street sells an unsweetened version!!

I want to go to there....

And just you wait, I am going to get you for this.

Jim, you are my sole friend in the morass of temptation!

theecarey - 12/09/09 20:44
when I drink cow milk it is always skim; I like the watery taste :) Hated milk as a kid (parents always bought "2%", most friends had "whole") and didn't know there were differences in milk until I had, in my 8 year old opinion, a "good" cup of milk at a friends house. I was so blown away that I made sure to remember what was different about it. Happened to be that it was Skim. 1% is the max I will go before it gets thick and gross feeling in my mouth.

Now, for soy milk, for much of the same reason, I prefer the Silk brand light plain
or light vanilla. :::link:::

check them out, and you might find that you can continue with your soy milk obsession.

Now I feel like a drug pusher. hehe

jim - 12/09/09 20:09
SOY MILK: THE DEVIL'S JUICE

tinypliny - 12/09/09 19:43
Um yeah... how is that supposed to talk me out of buying soymilk?

heidi - 12/09/09 19:33
What's the difference between fat free milk and water besides calories? Ew ew ew. Milk is supposed to be white, not blue or clear.

12/06/2009 18:58 #50484

Question for e:JBeatty: Pandan
Category: grocery

(e:JBeatty), have you seen Pandan at any store in Buffalo city?

From this

I really want to make Pandan-flavoured milk but I don't know where to find it... Any ideas?

PS: Pandan smells like a rustic wonderful variant of natural vanilla. Vanilla essence just doesn't reach the subtlety that is Pandan.

tinypliny - 12/06/09 22:46
Pandan milk actually tastes like vanilla flavoured soymilk. Since I decided that my unhealthy obsession with soymilk (e:tinypliny,50430) needs to be killed mercilessly, I want to make skim milk taste as fabulous, if not better and Pandan is the only way to go...

jbeatty - 12/06/09 22:25
I have never seen fresh pandan leaves anywhere. I bought some canned pandan juice stuff once to flavor a cake that didn't turn out :::link::: I have never specifically looked for the leaves but I would check a chau or the cambodian market on niagara st, that was where I found the canned stuff. They have lots of different fresh and frozen green things at a chau. Best thing to do if you are looking for something specific is to find the vietnamese name for it and ask them. :::link::: Good luck I wonder what pandan milk tastes like

12/09/2009 16:17 #50514

The Pink Glove Dance
Category: art

The Pink Glove dance was choreographed in St. Vincent Medical Centre, Portland, Oregon for the Medline glove division as a fundraiser for cancer awareness.

I love the sheer energy of everyone in the dance.

As a bonus for promoting their pink gloves, when this video gathers one million hits, apparently the glove company will be making a contribution to the St. Vincent hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community around the hospital.

Its good to hear about companies finding creative ways of using social media for donating to healthcare. A month back it was the #beatcancer experiment on Twitter - for every tweet, 1c was donated to 3 cancer research/care institutions. It didn't amount to much in the end (~$6K) but it was a nice gesture and good way to get people involved.