Bandwagon For A Good Cause

I apologize for my absence; my long one I should say. Things were just getting busy for me for a moment there.

I want to start my comeback with something for a good cause before I divulge into what I am cooking for dinner this evening (grilled pork chops with a lemon-shallot chutney). Recently, as a lot of you have heard by now, the NGO Invisible Children issued a video on YouTube that went viral in just 2 days. It hit 58 million views topping their expectation of just a mere 500,000. That isn't something to contend with in terms of marketing.

I watched the video and I want to start off by saying I have been traveling back and forth from Africa for a couple years now and I have seen a lot of the depressing stories you hear about on the news, in person. It isn't for the faint-hearted let me tell you. While I was in South Africa in 2010, I was in Pretoria meeting with some professionals in my field at Johns Hopkins Health Education satellite office and Invisible Children has done some serious work down there in South Africa. I also attended the 2010 Johannesburg Documentary Film Festival that same year and Invisible Children had submitted work there as well. Mind you, this was back in 2010. Invisible Children has been around for awhile.

Now to my point; recently, Invisible Children has been under fire for a lot of shady money issues. I am here to tell the conspiracy theorists that sustainable NGO's don't just throw ALL of their money that was given to them at once. It is given and used over time. Just like any other company, an NGO needs to make a profit and has an annual budget. People seem to confuse NGO's with charity's. Yes, a lot of money went into the documentary itself but for good reason don't you think? Look at what has happened as a result of it? I want to tell all of my readers (or lack thereof :P) that it is ok to bandwagon a good cause. It is COOL to do what everyone else is doing when it involves helping people and standing up for what is right. Our generation has forgotten what it means to stand for something and to help our world out. We need to change our world for the better so that we can be proud and so our next generation has something to be proud of; you.

So please help my friends out at Invisible Children and spread the word, donate and buy the Action Kit for April 20th when the world will fill the streets and decorate them with Kony 2012 posters and make him the most popular man in the world. Please watch the video below if you haven't. Thanks!

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

The Do's And Don'ts On A Date

The possibly most foul and overrated 'holiday' is approaching and it's time for the desperate to find their dates or attend those "Screw Valentines Day" parties. I am totally in for the latter because I am bitter and cynical; but I digress.

For those of you who are suckers for the holiday, here are some tips that I have purposely done on dates myself and not so purposely have done and guilty of. And for those of you who know me and whom have received advice from me when it comes to these matters, you know I've never let you down. The rules are as follows:

1. Do NOT get drunk. Guys tend to get arrogant when alcohol is involved. Which as a result makes them less attractive and makes them look stupid. I don't know, maybe you like that? I think it is a true sign of what is to come later on. If you get drunk, toss all chivalry out the door because hes trying to sleep with you at the end of the date. And, being sensible and mature as I am sure you are, kindly decline; you are then labeled as a prude. Funny how that works right? Better a prude than a trollop. So spare yourselves the bullshit and don't get drunk. A glass or two is ok but even then I would refrain because the temptation to order another will come around.

2. Do NOT talk about your past relationships. It is a complete killjoy for both parties. You don't want to hear about his or her's past, and vice versa. If you find yourself rambling on and you start talking about your past relationships; STOP. Immediately. It shows that you are running out of things to talk about. I like to think of the first and second dates as 'getting to know one another;' not what didn't work because you might cut your date short by describing the person sitting in front of you.

3. Do NOT look at your cell phone. In fact, turn it the hell off. That is a HUGE pet-peeve of mine. The person in front of you should be more intriguing to look at than your phone. If they aren't, you already have problems.

4. Do NOT put up a facade. That is probably the biggest mistake most people make on dates. Be yourself. Do not try to come off nicer or meaner than you really are because eventually, if all does work out, the truth will out and then you will appear fake. If he/she can't handle your true self, then it wasn't meant to be.

5. After the date and you have said your goodbyes (hopefully a kiss?), do NOT text him or call him until at least 2 days. Let him contact you. I am not saying play some sort of game with him, but it is the easiest tell-tale sign of how the date really went without embarrassing yourself. If he enjoyed it, he will contact you. RESIST THE URGE! If he is too afraid to contact you because he isn't sure if you liked him, then that's a win-win.

6. Do NOT get your hopes up and assume their will be a 2nd or 3rd or 4th date. You do not have the deal in the bag until you are seeing/talking to each other on a regular basis. You know you have nailed them when they can't stop being in constant contact with you. I am not saying be a cynic but it helps avoid heartache and depression and I am all about avoiding those.

7. On your date, order something (appetizer perhaps?) that both of you can share and enjoy together. Dates where two people order completely separate things are lacking connectivity from the start. I see it time and time again from distant observations and from personal experiences. Take my advice, sharing goes a long way. At the end of the meal, GET a desert and share it. That is truly an enjoyable moment when you are indulging in a chocolate lava cake or a crepe together.

8. Be funny! Guys or girls LOVE being able to laugh with one another. That to me is common sense and for those of my readers who know me, you know laughing is a big thing in my books and goes a LONG way. Talk about funny/embarrassing moments. You can really tell what kind of person the other is if they can make you laugh and laughing is contagious, let's be real.

9. Be original, don't go to the movies as a first or second date. How are you supposed to get to know them when the whole purpose of the movie is to shut up? Even if it is dinner AND a movie; the movie is pointless. Do that later down the road when you have run out of things to talk about.

10. Guys have the HARDEST time when it comes to ideas for dates, so kindly give him a nudge in what you think would be a nice date. After all, it is you he is trying to please. If he needs the extra help, help him. Don't play the whole damsel in distress card and make him make all the decisions for you. That whole "its up to you" act is atrocious and annoying. You might as well slap a tattoo on your forehead that says "I am high maintenance!"

11. Look for eye contact. Wandering eyes show that there is chemistry lacking. If you notice they are not keeping the conversation going and looking around, ask for the check and run.

12. Avoid talking about controversial things like politics, religion and money. Politics can get heated. Religion is boring and who really cares if you believe in god or not. If that is a deal breaker, you have some issues you need to resolve before you go on a date; it's 2012. Money never helps any situation. It can either make you seem high maintenance, spoiled or shallow or even inconsiderate because you don't know what the other persons background is or where they come from.

These basic steps are fool proof and will spare you a lot of bullshit if you follow them. Try not to think too hard in what is being said or done or what is not being said or done. Don't over-analyze things because your mind starts playing tricks on you and you start to disappoint yourself. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. You move on. Don't start feeling sorry for yourself because you then start to convince yourself it was you. If it didn't work out, it was the BOTH of you. Losing self-confidence allows you to lose your individual identity and it will show in your next date. Also, don't avoid meeting new people and avoid love because you are afraid to get hurt. Getting hurt is all part of the process and it's about the only thing to feeling human as we got. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and as cliche as that sounds, it really is true.

Lesson Four: No More Boxed Wine!!

Last but not least for my introductory lessons is but of course none other than wine. As I type this in the somewhat ill condition that I am in today, I can only wish I could have a glass right now and be able to truly taste the character of a fine glass of wine. I can't so I will go with memory and some shocking statistics from winebusiness.com

But before I divulge into numbers, let me start off by saying, NO MORE BOXED WINE! It is 2012, Franzia and Carlo Rossi are not ok no matter what the age. Now don't get me wrong, some of my most fondest memories of college included a good slap of the bag of some 'fine' boxed wine. What the hell did I know then? Certainly not what I know now.

For those of you who turn to wine and drink it solely to get drunk, you might want to reconsider the grape juice you are drinking from that box. First and foremost, Franzia is not wine at all but a "flavored wine product.' It does not go through the regal and taxing process' as real wines do. Not that you care because you don't drink Franzia because you are a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur, you are drinking it because it is easy to transport, chug and well it's fun (aside from that disgusting hangover). What our generation isn't realizing is that you actually not only could get drunk more fast off of REAL wine, you might actually find you enjoy it than its distant redheaded stepchild cousin. Granted you are paying like $11 for a 5L box of juice but at what cost?

You can find an array of all sorts of different wines that are less inexpensive but still taste as it should; like wine. The  more you explore the different varietals, the more your pallet will surrender to wine and you might actually find exploring different wines to not be only be entertaining but a nice thing to put on your weekend to-do list and not to just get drunk. Being drunk is the perk but the true enjoyment is the taste and refinement of the glass in front of you.

You have to think of wine as an experience. Your mouth has to go through three phases to really taste the complexity of your vintage. You have the "attack phase" which is the initial impression the wine will make on your pallet. You have the "evolution phase" which is the actual taste of the wine itself; for example the fruit or spice you might taste. You then have the "finish" which your pallet then decides the body and texture of the wine. Was it light bodied? Medium bodied? Medium to full bodied? Think of it in terms of milk. Light bodied (skim milk), Medium bodied (2% fat free), Full bodied (whole milk or even cream). As you can see, there is much more to wine and tasting it than just chugging it.

Now onto number. According to winebusiness.com:

In 2010, total table wine consumption continued to rise, up to 276 million cases, in the Wine Market Council’s estimate. But it is the core wine-drinking segment—20 percent of the population, representing 46 million U.S. adults—that clearly moves the market, Gillespie said. And this 20 percent of the adult population accounts for 91 percent of all wine consumption.
Core wine drinkers are those who drink wine daily (9 percent), several times a week (29 percent) or about once a week (19 percent) while marginal drinkers are those who drink wine less often than weekly—the greatest number of whom drink wine two to three times a month. Marginal wine drinkers represent 31 million U.S. adults, making the total of U.S. wine consumers 77 million.

There is also a generational shift in wine sales as well:

Six percent of Millennials (ages 17 to 34; 70 million) are drinking wine daily, 26 percent are drinking wine several times a week, and 19 percent drink wine once a week on average. This comprises the core wine-drinking segment of Millennials, accounting for 51 percent of them, compared to only 37 percent five years ago, Gillespie said.Generation X (ages 35 to 46; 44 million) was late in coming to the table for wine, but are making up ground, Gillespie said, as 62 percent are core wine drinkers compared to only 41 percent five years ago. Baby Boomers (ages 47 to 65; 77 million) have also continued the trend toward more frequent wine consumption in the past five years. Thirty percent of Baby Boomers reported that they drink wine several times a week compared to just 17 percent in 2005. And last but not least, in that they have the largest proportion of daily wine drinkers, are the over-65 wine drinkers who show only modest shifts in consumption frequency over the past five years, said Gillespie. But looking at recent consumption shifts of all generations together, the Millennial and Generation X segments are driving the growth of the wine market.

Wine is no longer just an opulent item, but a hobby more and more of our generation is starting to take a liking to. I encourage you to really reconsider buying that box of juice you think is wine and explore your local vendors selection, read the description and who knows, it could be a favorite. There are THOUSANDS of different vintners out there. Expose yourself to them and explore the different varietals.

Lesson Three: Open Yourself Up

I like to think of myself as pretty worldly and experienced when it comes to food. I started eating raw sushi (not handrolls) when I was in the 5th grade. Let's just say, my parents' sushi bill was not pretty when my dad decided to expose me to Octopus and Butterfish. I fell in love with trying new things just so I can say that I have. I was one of those annoying kids growing up who, when was around a discussion about how weird it would be to eat this or that, would chime in, "I have!" Yea that was me...

But it isn't just about saying that you have tried it, it's about the experience and the memory when going through the process. For example, August 2008 I went to Kenya on a volunteer trip to work in an HIV/AIDS clinic in a slum outside Nairobi called Dagoretti Corner. Met amazing people while over there, including the volunteers whom I will never forget. But I will never forget eating at this restaurant called Carnivore. I believe Oprah said it was one of the top 10 restaurants to eat at before you die. Anyways, it's a tourist trap needless to say but a good one that I don't even think tourists think to go to. There are a couple of them in Africa and I have eaten at the Langata, Kenya one and the one outside Johannesburg in South Africa; both relatively similar.

First you walk into this really eccentric walkway that takes you through Africa's wildest jungles (the vibe at least). There were some HUGE cats that were roaming about on the premises but they were just the locals trying to catch the BIG one that falls to the floor. As you continue through this tribal path, you enter into the main dining room which, centered, is this HUGE pit emanating massive amounts of heat. This pit was where all of the meats were being cooked.

And by meats, I don't mean your typical summer BBQ, lets-throw-some-burgers-on-the-grill type of meat; I  mean MEAT! The name of the restaurant truly lives up to its name. On this menu, although is seasonal, has Kudu, Crocodile (my favorite), Zebra, Impala, Wildebeest, Eland, Blesbuck, Buffalo, Warthog, Ostrich, Sable, Giraffe (yes giraffe), Hippo, and Waterbuck. The highlighted is what I had at the two different restaurant locations. The others weren't on the menu or else I would have tried them.

The restaurant is basically like a Brazilian-style buffet. The waiters walk around with skewers of HUGE hunks of this meat and slice it in front of you. Everything is cooked to perfection (who knows how Crocodile and Zebra are supposed to be cooked?) but it looked amazing. In the center of the table is a rotating culinary delight of sauces like mint jelly and garlic. There are probably about 10 different sauces to choose from all offering different experiences for your taste buds for the different game.

All the while, a waiter walks around who calls himself Dawa, which in Swahili means doctor. He makes this drink called the Dawa (what else) which is just straight Vodka, muddled lime, raw sugar and dressed to look like a mortar and pestle with the pestle having honey coating the bottom of it and then dropped into the glass for your own enjoyment.

Needless to say, the Dawa was very kind to us. 

The experience at this place left me in awe because where else in this world would you find a menu as ostentatious as this? My point is, when the opportunity presents itself and veal tongue is on the menu or foie gras; ORDER IT! You don't have to wait for a convenient trip to go to Africa or East Asia to experience the strange and adventurous cuisine the region has to offer. Restaurants in your area probably have some interesting things as well. It will probably be somewhat expensive but order it anyways, because if you are eating at a restaurant that has those kinds of options on its menu, you aren't looking to be cheap. And if you are worried about what the people around you at the table would think of you; who gives a shit? They probably wanted to order it but lack the courage to (this makes for entertaining dates). It is all about the here and now and living in the moment. Try something new, who knows, heaven forbid you end up liking sweetbreads or foie gras (I know I do). 

The world is your oyster, now shut up and indulge. 

To my friends, Janine, Erica, Lela, and Tom; where ever you are, thank you for sharing this experience with me and to my South African family, Shae and Grant, always missing you guys. 

Lesson Two: The Nuances in Butter

If there is one thing that the French (and Paula Dean) have taught us, it is that the iconic and most exuberant dairy product, butter, is the secret to a satisfying life. Notice I didn't say healthy? This isn't another healthy eating blog so if that is going to be a problem, you might want to move on, because in my idealistic world, there are no such things as calories and trans fat and well a good meal is a good meal regardless of how much love went into making it.

Anyways, this blog already sounds like a desperate outtake of Julie Powell's story on Julia Child's 524 recipes in 365 days, however, I will not be cooking 524 recipes in 365 days and certainly not by one person. I guess I could cook 524 recipes but sorry, there is no epic timeline here.

How does one appreciate the nuances in butter? Well, forget that it is the start of 2012 and that pathetic resolution you threw at the last minute into your conventional agenda of 'important things to do throughout my day' and go to the store and by a few sticks of butter because no fridge is complete without it. Besides, you can't really expect to follow this blog if you can't handle the mere fact that butter is the gateway to not only a coronary but to a satisfied husband, wife, grandparent or kid's stomach. And of course, you know what they say, butter is a gateway ingredient to more worse things, like... CRISCO!?! You won't see that on here. Promise.

Butter does not judge, it does not lie, and it doesn't give a damn on how you use it. Just use it! Sure olive oil as a substitute is great and I am not saying don't use it because I use olive oil all the time, but if I am centering my collation on comfort and robust flavor, I am going to use butter. I prefer European-style unsalted butter. Trader Joe's has the best selection or go the extra mile and go to Wholes Foods or Fresh Market; they will have the same quality product.

I mean think about it. All great things any culinary gourmonde would say to you is that butter is the key ingredient to their favorite dishes. Take for example, a risotto, a GOOD risotto will be rich, creamy and chalk full of butter and if it is not and I don't taste the succulence of the rich texture of butter on my taste buds, we got problems (Insert Snooki line here). 

Speaking of which, I have the perfect gluten-free risotto recipe that will comfort you anytime of the day and in any mood...

Asparagus Risotto:
Ingredients

• 1 pound of asparagus
• 3 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon of BUTTER
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots 
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
• About 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or whatever stock) 
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (none of that pre-grated shit from a bottle) 
• Last but not least, salt and pepper

How-To

1 Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

2 In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

3 While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

4 Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

5 Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Voila!

If that doesn't satisfy you, refer to this recipe with crab:

http://wino-sapien.blogspot.com/2008/01/crab-risotto.html

Anyways, back to what I was saying, you can't appreciate life if you can't handle the subtle nuances it has to offer, like a good home-cooked meal that has no boundaries. Limiting yourself to the luxuries of simple life only disables you into the crass American that you are. The French use butter in everything and they aren't fat as shit like we are? You know why? They are happy. They come home from work (whose to say they aren't just as busy as we are?) and sit down and enjoy not only each others company at the dinner table, but a home-cooked meal that probably doesn't taste like it came out of a box (hamburgerhelper). I think if anybody can appreciate the latter statement, it would be you college folk or just-recently-graduated-college-folk. Butter is NOT your enemy, you, yourself are your own enemy when you pay $12 for that venti cup of caramel macchiato that has much calories in it as a milkshake.

Lesson One: How To Become An Existentialist

In today's society, the Y Generation is in constant disapproval from our beloved elders. Take my mom for example, I don't think I will be able to make her proud until I have my "big boy" job and which in today's job market pool of unemployment flooded with people with their Masters and PhD's as well as a shit economy; let's just say, she is going to be one unhappy camper for a hot minute. The addition of this blog to my life isn't going to impress her but with a woman who is easily amused when the floors are vacuumed and dinner is being made by your's truly, am I really in an imposition to not write a blog? I digress.

So, you are probably wondering how to make it in life as insignificant young adults trying to make it to the next, less smelly, cubicle that your $35k education earned you. The answer is simple isn't it? Eat, drink and be young. Or more importantly, stay young. Typical advice you would expect an existentialist to give you right?

What is an existentialist? . 

To be spiteful of my professors who said Wikipedia is not a valid source, I am going to use it anyways because it makes me look smart and after reading it, still leaves you with an "ah ha!" moment:

"Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual. In existentialism, the individual's starting point is characterized by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophies, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience."

The latter definition is bullshit for someone who thinks or acts solely on the fact that they find the existing world they live in has sucked the life out of them to the point that all they have now is to appreciate the more smaller and simple things in life, that as Americans, we have completely forgotten. For example, the difference between a Malbec and a Rioja or more simply, the difference between good food and bad food. 

I am here to be your guide on how to live a practical life that will satisfy your adventure for new cravings that you never really thought you had; how to actually live as a young adult while maintaining that boring, paper-pushing job that you just oh-so love and the best part is, you can do it on any budget. And if you aren't satisfied, you can live vicariously through me anyways and make me feel like I am contributing to society. 

This blog is going to be my vice in coping with today's current disposition. I am going to be eating, cooking, featuring and wine drinking (a whole lot of wine drinking) and you, my little minions, are going to follow suit because at the end of the day, what else really makes you more happy after a hard day of work than food and wine? 

I, do so, solemnly swear, that I, Michael A. Pacheco, will make this blog not only entertaining to read but hopefully successful in making you learn how to appreciate the smaller things in life as we tackle post-college life (or any vantage point in life) and show those damn French that we DO know what good food is!

Bon appétit!