Surf and Earth

Two days ago I accidentally pulled the emergency stop button the treadmill...I'll let you imagine how that story ends.

But here's a story I'll tell from start to finish. It's about some scallops, saffron and a big ass mushroom.

As many of you are aware, my spices arrived here this week :) You can imagine how happy I have been all week thinking of all of the things I could now make. One of the spices in my box is saffron. Not easily found in Canada, at least not where I was living. But, occasionally, I would find some and when I did I would buy a lot of it. This happened to be the case just before I was leaving Hamilton, so I bought 6 packs and put them in the package to be mailed here. At some point this week I started thinking about said saffron and decided I was going to work around that this weekend.

Saffron has a very unique taste. I'm not even sure how to describe it, I guess maybe a bit bitter and earthy, but you definitely know when it's there, and when it's not. It has a characteristic bright yellow color in any dish, as you will see in the picture. The spice itself is red (it's actually the stigma from crocus flowers) but when you soak it in hot liquid it releases a beautiful yellow pigment and flavor.It is the world's most expensive spice by weight, but luckily, you don't need much for the desired effect.

So, what I decided on was to make a saffron sauce. I have seen it before, but never tried it, so naturally I had to try to make it myself. It's fairly simple; some shallots, white wine, saffron, a bit of cream, salt and pepper, and a bit of butter (of course). Et voila! Saffron sauce. Of course, other flavors can be added to this if you like.

I knew all week this was what I was going to make. But that was easy part. The bigger question was what was I going to put it on? I suppose I could have just chugged it, but that's no fun :) So, like I always do when I don't know what to make, I went to the market to look around and let the local selection decide for me. First stop, cheese guy. This guy has about 30 different kinds of British cheeses at his stall, so I almost always go there first to give them a try. I'm sure I will have sampled them all by the end of the March. This week I went with the blue goat cheese (one I had last week but was so god I had to get more), Wensleydale with cranberries, and "red devil" which is a spicy Leicester cheese. Next stop, seafood guy. This is a small stall but he has a pretty good selection. What caught my eye was the sea scallops. Normally they kind of blend into the background (ice), but these ones still had the roe attached, which is bright orange. That was enough to convince me that I wanted them, and worked out well as a pair for the sauce. Next stop, wander around the veggie stalls. Boom! Perfect looking portobello mushrooms.  Into the bag! It was with the mushrooms that I my plan all came together in my head. "Surf and earth". Clearly you understand where there "surf" part of that comes from, but the "earth" comes from the other earthy ingredients I was going use; mushrooms, blue cheese, saffron, tarragon. All of these things signify earth to me, and also give of those characteristic earthy flavors. Blue cheese might not really come to mind when you think of earthy flavors, but lets be honest, the mold kinda tastes like dirt right? Well, it used to taste like dirt to me, and I never used to like blue cheese, but I have developed a fondness for it over the last few months, and while I still think it has a bit of dirt taste, it has so much more than that.

Without further adieu, I introduce to you, Surf and Earth. Pan seared scallops on top of a blue goat cheese stuffed portobello mushroom, with fresh tagliatelle and saffron sauce. And of course, a beautiful white wine, 2008 Pegasus Bay sauvignon/semillon blanc from the Waipara Valley, NZ. Highly recommend it!

A picture book!

You know in the movies where someone walks into a room or turns their head to see something and it becomes slow motion and looks as though the heavens have opened up to shine a light on the most beautiful thing they have laid their eyes on and they have a look of sheer excitement on their face? That happened to me yesterday....

It all started because two nights ago I drank some expired milk (which passed my smell test, I'll have you know) which likely what made me feel ill (perhaps I need to modify my test). I ended up awake for a good portion of the night, slept a bit in the morning, but woke up still not feeling very well. My entire torso felt like it was in turmoil, so I stayed home from work. I'm generally not one to laze around when I'm not feeling well. I always think that getting out and doing something will make you feel better. I suppose I can now legally call that the "Dr. Morash theory of healing". So, according to my theory, I decided to go for a walk around town and see if I could find a cheap backpack because my duffel bag was not working out on my bike. Luckily for me, it was one of those rare sunny days, and I just made it out to enjoy the last bit of sun.

I walked almost all the way to my gym because I had passed by a store there that I was sure would have them, and sure enough they did. On my way home I decided to go the long way around and take a trip through the "ethnic" part of town and check out the shops. I came across some nice flower shops

 

Then I found exactly what I was looking for, and suddenly my stomach issues seemed far away.

Asian Shop:

Then, right next door, Indian/Sri Lankan Halal Shop:

I went into the Asian shop first and browsed around. It was a lot larger than it appeared from outside and it had every Asian ingredient that I could think of. Naturally, I picked up a few standard items...

1) A wok
2) Tamarind paste
3) Red curry paste
4) A large bag of whole dried red chilies

Then I went next door to the halal shop. Again larger than I anticipated with all of the standard items one would normally find. Then.... I saw a little door.... barely high enough for me to walk through standing up straight... and as I walked through the door I had my movie moment...

The whole room was spices and rice and sambols and pastes, oh my! I almost passed out! I don't know how long I was in there... I lost track of time because my mind was focused on the "hot" vs "very hot" chili powder, the vanilla beans, the cardamoms, the turmeric, the cumin, the.... I'll stop, because if I don't stop now I'll list them all which may lead to excessive drooling and potential over stimulation induced tears.

I checked out the rest of the store in anticipation of when I start to really get cooking. They have a nice butcher in the back of the store, and loads of other great stuff, including this beautiful piece of work

I have had chili chocolate before but not with lime. This is a whole new experience. Its like chocolate with the flavours of Thailand. It's soooooo good. I'm eating it right now. First comes chocolate, then comes lime, then comes chili...in the baby carriage? This rhyme doesn't seem to work as well as the original... let me try again... First come chocolate, then comes lime, then comes chili in it's good time. It's so sweet, it's so sour, it's so spicy I need a shower. Well not really, it's not that hot, but it's noticeable and it's delicious.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Siberian pole dancing isotopes!

OK, the last items on my old list of blog topics are as follows:

a) Siberia
b) Posture
c) Sunglasses
d) Radiation safety
e) Pole dancing
f) Hot dogs


Since they're on the list I feel obliged to tell you about them since I know you're all chomping at the bit to know what I have to say... *cricket... cricket...*. Okay, I know none of you are waiting to hear about any of it... except maybe the pole dancing, so like a crappy reality TV show I'll save that til the end to make sure you read all the other less interesting parts before it :)

*****Nerd alert***** (I'm going to talk about work)

So, Siberia! One of those places you think you'll never get to see, or would even want to go to because at -70C, who would?? Well, I do, and I very well might in the coming years! Let me tell you why. My new supervisor is in contact with a Russian scientist (who I believe has done some work in the UK before, or trained here, I can't remember) who wants to begin researching on native Siberians because they have such extreme adaptations to living in the cold, unlike any other human society. For example, many of them have mild pulmonary edema which arises from inhaling cold air which cannot be warmed sufficiently before it reaches the lungs, cardiac hypertrophy, obesity, elevated metabolism, and the list goes on. The most interesting part to me, is the fact they have such high metabolism, yet store abnormal amounts of fat. I know this has something to do with storing fat as insulation and generating a lot of metabolic heat in order to keep the body warm, but as of yet (as far as I know), no one knows how this occurs. While the science of this population is cool, so is the social science aspect. It turns out that the Russian government has been trying to get many of the Siberians to move south to warmer areas of Russia. In fact, they have been giving them money to purchases houses and flats in these cities as incentives. They've been doing this because these (rather large) Siberian cities (300,000-400,000 people) are entirely UNsustainable and isolated, and the government must fork over a lot of money and supplies to keep them going, which they obviously no longer want to do. If I were living in Siberia, I'd say hell yes get me outta here! But it turns out they had the exact opposite reaction. Many of them are apparently afraid to move more south because they believe that living in the warmth with kill them. Crazy, I know! But very interesting.

It would be a great project to be a part of, not just scientifically, but socially as well. At this stage it's a matter of putting it all together and applying for some funding to be able to do the work, so we'll see what happens. This is part of the reason I like the lab that I am working in. Andrew (boss) has many collaborators and works on a lot of different physiological problems, which means by association, so will I. I think personally and professionally this is going to make an impact on my career as a scientist and I am excited about all of it. I'm also excited to be doing it here at the University of Cambridge. Everyone knows that is one of the world's best universities, and I, after 2 weeks of listening to how this place works, have finally figured out why.  One afternoon I was trying to meet with Andrew to discuss some things, but every time I went to his office he was busy with students. This would almost never happen in Canada, because the faculty members would be telling the students to talk to their TA's instead. But here, the whole system is different...

a) The teaching in each semester is divided, so that for example, one physiology course, is taught by many professors, for short periods. So, the expert in one area teaches their section for 1-2 weeks, then the next, and so on, so that each professor is never over burdened with teaching load.

b) They have what they call, "supervision", which is generally faculty members, postdocs or senior PhD students who work with small groups (3-4 people) from whatever college they are associated with and discuss whatever the students are working on. Not necessarily to help them, but to stimulate them. Often times these supervisions are to go beyond the limits of the class and encourage the students to apply what they learn.

In the end, what this means is that the faculty members have much more time to focus on their research, which is why research at this university is leading among others, and they also have more time to spend with the students to help them, encourage them, train them, etc. which is why the students leaving Cambridge after a 4 year undergrad are generally better off than undergraduates from say, McMaster. The students here don't beg for marks so that they can get into med school. They actually work for it here. But I most certainly think the main difference is the time that students get to spend one on one with their professors. I know in my own personal case this is definitely true, because if it were not for one of my undergrad professors I would not be where I am today. Its very refreshing to be here in this type of learning environment, where the students actually want to learn, and the teachers actually want to teach. I'm going to keep this all in mind when I eventually land a faculty position. While I'm here I also plan on doing a bit of teaching/supervision and I'm really looking forward to it!

Now that I've made this place sound perfect, I will tell you why it's not. While it is a great place for learning, it's very much a waste of time for many things. I've never seen so much bureaucracy and paper pushing in all my life. I had to fill out close to 20 forms when I arrived here, all bullshit information that no one is ever going to read. Then I had to register for courses for both animal handling and radiation safety because without those I would not be allowed to use animals or isotopes in my research. Keep in mind I have been working with animals and isotopes for 5 years already, but I still have to do this again. I did the radiation safety last Friday, and it was a joke. Total waste of an afternoon for me. Granted, there may be some new users in the room who liked it, but realistically, someone can babble on to you for 4 about how to do something, but until you actually do it yourself you're not learning anything. Thank god for wireless internet and cell phones. I spent the afternoon doing work and chatting to people while they played videos from the 90's where the actors pretend like their super excited about what they're doing in an attempt to make the video interesting but instead have made it unbearable to look at. Furthermore, half of the videos were just plugs for different companies selling isotopes, with a bit of safety thrown in here and there. Great job guys, I really feel safe now and this was a very informative afternoon. NOT.

The real fun starts with the animal handling course though. First of all, you have to pay to take it, about 400 pounds. It's ridiculous. I'm glad I'm not the one paying. Second of all, it's only offered once per month, and it's 4 days long. 4 days???? WTF I'm not training to become a vet here! But the real kicker is the fact that they only have 12 spots for each session. TWELVE. And guess how many people work with animals at this university? A hell of a lot more than 12. Needless to say, I have to wait until MARCH to do my training, and then I still have to apply for the "license" after I'm done the training, which takes another month to get. How the hell is anyone supposed to do any work around here??? You'd think being in such a smart place that they could figure out that they need to run the course more often or take on more people for each one, but no... that's not happening. Regardless, there are some loop holes we can get through and I'm starting work without my license.

Now that you've read through all of this I will throw in the pole dancing bit as a reward. Actually, it's not even that good of a story. hahaha. But essentially, we had a party for my housemate who was moving out a couple of weeks ago. Things got a little crazy towards the end, and someone decided to haul the lamp out into the middle of the room. And no, it wasn't me this time believe it or not! Everyone was reluctant to give it a whirl, except for this one girl who came out of nowhere, and she worked that lamp like it owed her money! I didn't know whether to be impressed or worried that maybe she was doing this as a part-time job! But then I remembered that she is doing her PhD at Oxford so I doubt she is working as a pole dancer on the side... I hope. Anyway, it was at that moment that I decided these people were fun and I was going to have a good time here :)

The "neuromuscular junction"

I didn't want to go to the gym tonight. I was tired all day. I was very unproductive. I sat and stared at my computer most of the day. I came home and collapsed onto my bed, jacket, shoes and all, and I laid there, and laid there, and I wanted to sleep. I wanted to crawl under my duvet, turn on the heating blanket and sleep until tomorrow at noon.

But I didn't. I got up, and I changed my close, got on my bike and went to the gym. I hated it all the way there. Every turn of the peddle felt like a struggle. When I got there, I put my stuff in a locker and proceeded to the cardio room and got on a treadmill. I thought, alright, I'm just gonna do a short workout because I'm tired, and I don't want to do anything. So, I set the treadmill to 5 miles knowing full well that I wasn't going to walk or run anything close to that tonight, and I started.

I walked half a mile at 5.0km/h, then I ran half a mile at 7.5km/h (I realize I'm using miles and km/h, but that's how the machines are setup... I don't know why). Then I walked again... about a 1/3 of a mile, and then I wanted to run. So I ran, for 2/3 of a mile. Then I walked for about a minute, and I wanted to run again, so I did. This time at 9km/h. I was running and I stared ahead, completely focused on an unrelated sign stuck on the wall below the tv that said "sky sports", almost mesmerized. I was so focused on it, that I started moving forward on the treadmill, as if trying to get to it, and if it weren't for the console on the front which stopped me, I would have run right off. At one point, I felt a chill wash over me. It started in my lower back, and washed right up over my head and down my front, similar to being washed over by a wave in the ocean. I kept going, and in the end, I finished the 5 miles.

Maybe that chill was just in my head, or maybe it was a physiological response in my body. As a physiologist, I would tend to lean towards the latter. But your physiology and your neurology are so intricately linked that can you really separate the two? Do you know what a neurotransmitter is? It's a small chemical, that is released, generally starting from the brain, from one nerve when that nerve is stimulated, and it binds to the next nerve in line to stimulate it, and at the end of the line there is a "motorneuron" which forms a neuromuscular junction at your heart or skeletal muscle, and the neurotransmitters released from that motorneuron stimulate the muscle to contract. So when they say "it's all in your head", it's true, literally and figuratively. And then it moves to your heart, literally and figuratively. And then it gets in your skeletal muscles, and it moves you, literally and figuratively. And in the end, it comes full circle back to your brain, because you feel good, you feel proud, you feel accomplished. Then the cycle repeats itself. 

Beans are my friend!

I've been trying to decide today which section of my list I would tackle in this post. The issue is that many of them are intertwined, obviously; how could you have discussion about radiation safety without mentioning hot dogs?? I'm just kidding, those two are unrelated. Since it's been a while since I wrote about food I've decided to do that first. It's also because I'm hungry and thinking about other topics when I'm hungry is a task I have yet to master. So, today's thoughts will circle around beans, not so much about beans themselves, but in relation to burritos, coffee, and friends, as I mentioned in my last post.

Perhaps, like me, the first thought that pops into your head when you think about beans is the associated gaseous release, also known as passing gas, windy poo, farting, breaking wind, or the infamous and occasional "shart" (shit+fart). Unfortunately, none of what I have to say today is on this topic, but I wanted to get your attention. Now that I have it, I want to talk about burritos. Last week during a dinner with some of my new friends, a card was brought to the table with 9 stamps on it from a place called "Nanna Mexico", and the stamps were for the 9 burritos which had been bought by the owner of said card. This card was given to someone as payment for a lost bet as to who would finish writing their thesis first. The recipient was so excited because he knew he was getting a free burrito and was telling everyone how good this place was. This got me a little excited because it was close to my office, and I love burritos. Let me tell you why I love them.
a) As many people who know me can attest, I love to mix foods together. I love the combination of flavors, textures and temperatures and a burrito does just that.
b) A burrito has everything in it basically, it's like the Canada's food guide wrapped up in a tortilla.
c) They are highly customizable, in that you can put in whatever you want, so they are always a crowd pleaser.
d) I love everything inside of a burrito, individually, but the product is greater than the sum of it's parts.

My ideal burrito contains the following ingredients:
1) Beef - Beef is my favorite burrito meat, generally ground beef (but I will do steak as well on occasion) seasoned with those delicious Mexican seasonings
2) Beans - Refried beans are the best, but any kind of seasoned beans in there are good
3) Guacamole - Essential. That creamy avocado and zesty lime with a touch of cumin and coriander...... YUM
4) Rice - any rice will do, but if it's nice spanish rice that's the best :)
5) Veggies - salsa, onions, peppers (sweet and hot), tomatoes, lettuce, corn
6) Sour cream
7) Cheese

My ideal burrito is then rolled and placed in something like a panini press so that it's becomes a crispy tortilla on the outside and a hot, gooey, spicy, delicious concoction on the inside. Sounds delicious right? You want one right? I want one too. So I went to get one at "Nanna Mexico" after hearing how good it was. WRONG! Let me tell you what my ideal burrito turned into:
1) Beef - plain ground beef, no seasoning whatsoever.
2) Beans - plain kidney beans, no seasoning
3) Guacamole - this part was the only good aspect
4) Rice - plain white rice, no seasoning
5) Veggies - lettuce, 2 jalpeno slices
6) Sour cream
7) Cheese

This was rolled up and handed over the counter, "uncooked".  So what I ended up with was a soggy, flavorless, mild, tepid burrito for my lunch, and it ruined my day. Which brings me to point b) from my last post; Word of mouth in relation to food. I generally rely on this because for the most part, if someone is going to tell you something is delicious, or a restaurant has great food, it's because it is and it does. However, this nameless person, clearly has not experienced a burrito the way that I have. I should make him one the way I like it and see what he thinks. Or maybe he likes burritos like that? I guess it's all personal preference. In any case, I have learned my lesson not too get my hopes to high before investigating foods in the UK.

A couple of days later, this same group of friends came to our house to have to tea and cake, and we all decided to play a game after. Now you're asking, how does friends playing a game have any relation to beans? Well, when you play a game called "Bohnanza", beans have everything to do with it. The game is German in origin I think, but the language doesn't matter because anyone can play. Essentially, the game contains a deck of cards, and on the cards are pictures of different types of beans (red beans, green beans, coffee beans, soy beans, etc) as well as the value of a crop of those beans. Each person has two "plots" in which beans (cards) can be planted and when you have enough of the same type of bean you can "harvest" and sell the beans for coins, and then start a new crop. The aim of the game is to have the most amount of coins. The interesting part is how it's played, which is slightly confusing to write out, but basically it involves bartering and trading beans and making deals with other players. So, you can imagine how friends can be made, and lost, in a game like this. The "new girl angel" on my left shoulder told me to play nice and have fun, while the "competitive girl devil" on my right shoulder said, "crush these Europeans!". Lets just say, competitive girl got her way, and I crushed them all (with my very profitable coffee bean crop!), including the guy who gave the bad burrito recommendation. While that was satisfying, I did feel a little bad at beating them at their own game my first time playing, so I made them all the cheesecake the following day which seemed to restore their appreciation for having me around. Initially, I had cut the cake into 8 pieces because there was 8 of us there. Fairly standard sized cheesecake pieces. But they said to cut them in half. So I cut it into 16 and everyone had a piece. Two minutes later, everyone at the table had the other half of their piece, and it was all gone. I like to think that it was the perfectly cooked, moist, creamy cheesecake that made, but in all honesty it was likely mom's raspberry coulis recipe that did them in. In any event, I have some pretty cool friends here already :)

While coffee may have cost me some friends during game time, it has made me a couple of friends at work. I love coffee. I used to hate coffee, I thought it was awful. But now that I am able to discern the different flavors and roasts and the subtle intricacies of the bean, I love it. Coffee beans to good coffee are like grapes to good wine. In this city, there is no shortage of whole coffee beans and coffee shops, all making extremely good coffees. Unfortunately, those same shops are also the ones with the pastries, so I have to be careful. Sometimes, or all the time, (lets be serious), I need a coffee during the afternoon to get me through the work day. Not because I need the caffeine (well, sometimes that's why), it's mostly because I need to take a break from what I'm doing because I have lost interest or have become inefficient for some reason. So, like most work places, you round up the crew and go get a cup a joe. At this point, I really don't know enough people to do that, so I would go on my own. But the other day, the other post-doc from my lab, Francesca, was in the office, along with Nisha who is a PhD student from another lab, and they took me to show me how to work the coffee machine in our "tea room", which took my money and dispensed no coffee. Regardless, Francesca is going be a good friend of mine, I can already tell, from one thing that she did that afternoon. Before I tell you what she did, I have to tell you that she is as Italian as they come, fresh out of Italy, she'll tell you anything and she has a contagious laugh. So, when we came back from unsuccessfully attempting to get coffee she sat down at her desk, with a 4 pack of those drinkable yogurts, and DOWNED two of them. First of all, I didn't know you could consume yogurt that fast. Second of all, and I only found this out after, she is lactose intolerant! According to her she was, "going to have a good night after that!", hahahaha I'm laughing just thinking about it now. Maybe she should hang out with this guy. So, I like her because a) she will endure a bit of pain to eat something that she thinks tastes amazing, and b) she has no problem talking about digestive issues. So the moral of this story is, you never know who you will meet over coffee.

As you can see, and as weird as it sounds, beans have played an important role in my social life here!

Did pac man ever go to the gym?

Well hello there! I'm only realizing now that it has been 12 days since my last post. So that's why Jodie was bugging me :P! I honestly thought it had been 5 or so... hahaha. I guess the saying is true that "time flies when you're having fun"!

I'm now trying to recount the last 12 days to decide what's worthy of mentioning. Topics I hope to include in this and upcoming posts are as follows (in no particular order): a) burritos, b) word of mouth in relation to food, c) the gym, d) coffee, e) Syberia, f) cycling, g) posture, h) goals, i) friends, j) sunglasses, k) radiation safety l) pole dancing m) hot dogs (strictly unrelated to l), n) the importance of beans in relation to a), d) and i) and last but not least o) cheesecake. I guess I better start writing!

As you can see, many things have caught my attention this past week but I will start with some of the larger changes/events which have taken place. First of all, and at the top of my priority list, was finding a good gym in Cambridge and joining it. CHECK. I am now a happy member (for 3 months) of a lovely fitness facility located a mere 4km from my house. 4km???? you say. Yes, 4km. Why? Well for a number of reasons. a) It has a pool and I love swimming, I find it relaxing yet a fabulous work out at the same time for my entire body, b) it's very clean, c) it's spacious and I don't feel cramped even when it's busy, d) it has a large variety of classes for me to attend and e) it has a spa and a very nice cafe in the atrium. I realize a spa and a cafe really have nothing to do with working out but it's an added bonus.... and the coffee was good when I went to check it out so that may have swayed me (not the coffee from d) above). I joined on Wednesday, and I have been twice so far; Thursday and today (Saturday). My first personal trainer session is next Friday which a woman named Charlie. I'm a bit worried she might bite me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he5fpsmH_2g), but am none-the-less looking forward to it. I somehow managed to get 4 1-hour sessions for only 25 pounds... might have been a mistake, but I didn't say anything.

I feel very good about having joined, and my first two times there have been great. I have been working hard, and it feels good to sweat again. For the first time in my life I actually feel and believe that this is going to make a difference. This is it, because this is who I am now. I'm not what I used to be. As of this moment I will pledge to all my "followers" and readers that the next time you see me, I will be a changed (physically) person. I am already a changed person. I am Dr. Mami Chula, and I go to the gym 6 times a week.

Some may think that the distance between my house and my gym is quite far, and perhaps might dissuade me from going on the days I feel tired, but I think will be fine because of f) - cycling. I have, as of Thursday, acquired a bike. So, 4km via bike is relatively little, especially for me because cycling is one of my favorite activities and it's relatively flat here. Furthermore, it's a good warm up so when I get in the gym I can jump right into whatever I'm planning on doing. That being said, I was 75% sure that my first time cycling to the gym would be my last because cycling in this city is comparable to putting pac man inside of an even smaller maze with 20, instead of 4, various colored guys trying to get him. Let me explain. First of all, the streets here are so small that in most cases there is only room for one way traffic, (although it is marked as two way), so cars in many cases cannot pass cyclists, and it feels as though you are being chased down the street. Also on that same street are 300 pedestrians and other cyclists all off in their own world, whom you have to avoid or ding your bell at to get them out of the way because there is no where else for you to go, and you cannot stop or the pink guy behind you will run you down because he's late for an overcooked roast and a pint (more on roasts and pints in another post). Second of all, there are virtually no visible street signs here (particularly at night), and street names change for no reason even though you're on the same street, and the streets are short meaning that many turns must be made to get anywhere, similar to the pac man maze. Now, because you're being chased by a green guy, you can't stop and think or look for a sign, you have to make a decision, NOW, and you can't change you mind. So, you better hope there isn't a red guy around the corner because that's where you started to go and there is no coming back. For this reason, I get lost a lot when I am on my bike here, and like pac man, end up having to back track through places I have already been to get me some fresh dots. So thus far, my trips to and from the gym, while being physically easy, have been mentally exhausting. This is also why I have decided not to cycle to work, because I enjoy thinking about my upcoming day, or reflecting on the day gone by during my walks to and from work, but on a bike in this city you can think of nothing else other than trying to not to get run over, or not running over someone else. 

All in all, it's been a productive week filled with change, new ideas, new goals, new friends and new experiences. I'm looking forward to telling you more about it!

Resisting Temptation

I can't help it. I am a slave to the pastry. If and when I go to culinary school, it will be to become a pastry chef. I have to walk by this shop everyday. And this isn't even the worst one! I love pastry, and my weakness is the savory ones. The meat pies, the curry chicken cornish pasties, the cheese and tomato phyllo turn overs.... you get the point.  When I walk to work in the morning, it's all I can smell. That sweet buttery pastry dough rising into a crisp, browned, pocket full of savory, soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicious fillings.... oops, just drooled on myself....

I have been pretty good so far. Actually, I have been REALLY good. I haven't had any, well, not in Cambridge ;) I know it's only been 4 days, but this is a miracle for me, because anything is wrapped in puff pastry is automatically one of my favorite things to eat.

I'm not a fan of totally eliminating certain foods from my diet, and this is no exception. But I will set a goal with respect to pastry, in that "I only eat pastry once per week". This is my first goal of 2011. My second goal of 2011 also has to do with food, but more generally. I haven't figured out how to word it properly yet because it encompasses many things. So I might have to break it down. The long and short of it is that, while still enjoying cooking and eating, I need to eat healthier.  My third goal, which goes hand in hand is with respect to exercise. At the moment, I don't know where the gym is here, or how I get access, but I will figure it out by the end of the week. For now, the miles and miles of walking I do each day will have to suffice. I will come back to this when I've had more time to figure it all out.

In the meantime, I will continue to resist temptation every morning.

Home sweet... Cambridge?

So, I have been in Cambridge for 4 days now, but it feels like much longer. It also feels like I could stay here for a while, which is good, since I am staying here for a while, but it's also good in a sense that I feel comfortable and safe here which doesn't often happen in a foreign city. Having said that, I do realize that in grander scheme of things, the UK is really not that different from Canada, and that likely has a part in the way I feel. However, what really evokes these feelings are the people and the food, and the combination of the people with the food, that I have experienced in these few days. And if that is any indication as to how these next two years will progress, than I am in for a treat!

I will start by introducing you to the 3 people who have really made me feel at home, Rocio, Andres and Alex, my new housemates. Really fantastic group! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be dropped into. They're all very friendly and sociable, they like to go out, and we've had some really great conversations already. On Friday, my first full day here, we all went out for dinner to a Japanese place called "Teri-aki", not to be confused with it's neighboring restaurant, "Aki-teri". No Joke. Those are the names. It was a very simple lively place with the staple sushi and noodle/rice bowls that you would imagine. I had yaki udon, which just means pan fried udon noodles, with seafood and vegetables, a dish that I used to order in Hamilton quite frequently. While the flavor was as good as it was in Canada, the seafood in the dish really made up for it. There was a ton, and it was all cooked to an exactness that you don't often find with a mixed seafood dish, or in something pan fried. I'm talking scallops, shrimp, calamari and different kinds of fish all at the right consistency. I was really impressed, and wish I knew how they accomplished it! The next night, we all went out to a movie together, and then met up with some of their other friends for dinner/drinks. We all went to a pub, which was quite nice. Really cool atmosphere, laid back yet fancy and calm yet vibrant at the same time. We sat next to a nice little fire place, which added to my enjoyment as I have not been the warmest I should be lately. I was really hungry when we arrived, because it was about 9:30pm, but I resisted my urge to order a full meal since it was late in the evening. Instead, I had a salad, which worked out better in the end anyway. Now, Salad and I have a love hate relationship. The love comes from the fact it's healthy and I can basically make any combination under the sun. The hate comes from the fact that there are many other more pleasurable foods out there that I'd rather be eating. So, it's not that I hate salad per se, it's that I generally wish I was eating something else. However, this was not the case on Saturday night. I didn't want my salad to end (although my bowels were likely glad that it did). When I read it on the menu, it seemed fairly standard, and something I would normally gravitate to, a) because it has goat cheese in it, and b) because it came with a balsamic reduction. The other main ingredients were roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, mixed greens and some other stuff that I forget. I forgot what else was in it because one of the above listed ingredients was so good that I could care less about what else was going on. Even the goat cheese was second to this, and if you know anything about me, goat cheese is one of my all time favorite foods. So what was it? It was the sundried tomatoes. Normally, not a big fan. I'll eat them, but I wouldn't request them. I never really found them all that appetizing. But now, I think it was just the way they were prepared, because THESE sundried tomatoes were AH-MAZING! They were those shitty little soggy slivers drenched in oil either. They were quartered small tomatoes (a bit larger than cherry tomatoes, but not a full sized tomato) and they were actually "dried" and not soggy. They had the most brilliant sweet and natural flavour that a tomato should have with a hint of simple seasoning, and they were dried right to a state of hydration that was near perfection. Combine those with goat cheese and you've basically made my night. Meanwhile, this salad was making it very difficult for me to focus on the three new people I had met and was having dinner with. Two guys from Germany, and (another) woman from Spain. Again, like the others, really great people! It's such a pleasure to be surrounded by like minded easy going people. How fortunate am I to have all of this already after only 4 days? VERY.

On Sunday I had the day to myself, not because my housemates weren't here, but because I went off exploring the city a little more. Originally I went out to purchase somethings for my room (which I succeeded in doing), but I ended up going into a health food store, and also stopping to read menus at a variety of restaurants on the street. First, the health food store was great! I went in looking for raw cacao beans, but they had none, instead, I left with an organic fair trade dark chocolate bar infused with Arabica coffee and some tamari and garlic flavoured organic rice cakes (which are less like cakes and more like square crisps). I knew the chocolate would be good, but wasn't sure about the rice cakes. They were either going to be really really good, or really really bad. They're really really good. The perfect snack I would say. They're hard to describe because I have seen anything like them, so I can't compare them to anything. They are good to eat on their own, but I think I have come up with a few other uses for them as well. Second, the restaurant menus. In one area of the street, there are 3 french restaurants in a row; Cote Brasserie, Cafe Rouge, and Brasserie Gerard. I had walked by them several times in the past few days since they are in between my house and my office, but never really paid much attention. Well, I can tell you, after I read the menu, they had my full attention. So much so, that today, when my best friend Ishna came to visit from London, we went to one of them for lunch.

Cote Brasserie. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere, simple decor and lovely lunch time music. What was really amazing, aside from the food which I'll get to, was that they offered a 3 course lunch menu for only 11 pounds! WTF? I couldn't believe my eyes. There were 3 options in each section; the appetizer, entree and dessert. We each ordered something different from each section, except for dessert, where we both ordered creme caramel, because lets face it, why would you want to eat anything else? Except maybe creme brulee, but that wasn't on the list. Also, each got a glass of red wine.

For starters, we had crispy whitebaite with lemon and tartar sauce and cauliflower, potato and leek soup. All very delish. For the entree, I will show you what we had, and let you drool....

It was divine.

Food Euphoria

I think it's about time I start to share my thoughts on some of the food I have consumed in the last few days, because if I let it build up anymore I will never find time to write about it all.

While in London, I was taken out for dinner by 2 of my closest friends to celebrate (belatedly) my PhD defense/convocation. We went to a Moroccan restaurant by the name of Azou (www.azou.co.uk) which was awarded best North African Restaurant in "Ramsay's Best Restaurant 2010". It's very small, in a not so busy area of London, with, if I recall correctly, only ~8 tables (See photo). I was very excited because I have not had much experience with Moroccan food in the past, and there was a variety of items (and words!) on the menu which were new to me. Definitely a learning experience! For my appetizer I had king prawns in a spicy coriander sauce. First of all, praises to them for actually serving KING prawns, because although it appears on many menus, that's not often what you get. Second of all, the spicy coriander sauce was to die for. In fact, my friends were actually dipping their appetizers into my sauce and we ended up wiping the bowl clean with bread. I can't really think of how to describe it, and I'm not sure if it's because I don't know how, or it's because my entree was on a whole other level and that's all I can think about. As I write this, I can still taste it. Here is the description from the menu of what I had:

Tagine el Ain: tender lamb shank with prunes, apricots & almonds in an "intensely flavoured" sauce, garnished with sesame seeds.

I immediately got turned on after reading this, for a number of reasons. First, I didn't know what a "tagine" really was, so the unknown intrigued me. For those of you who don't know, it's an earthenware dish with a distinctive conical lid, which allows the steam to condense back into the food to enhance its' flavour. The food that is cooked in it is also called a tajine. Second, lamb shank is one of my favorite things to eat, so long as it's prepared properly. I don't often eat it because it can be hard to find and is not the leanest cut of meat in the shop, but I think I knew going into the restaurant that I wanted lamb that night. In addition, I find fruit pairs remarkably with lamb. Third, what does "intensely flavored" mean??? I had to know. And I didn't want to be told, I wanted it in my mouth. So, 15-20 minutes later it appeared in front of me with a side of couscous. When our server lifted the lid off of the tagine I was immediately engulfed by the brilliant aromas wafting around me. There is was, a nice lamb shank basking in this dark, rich and thick sauce with whole prunes and apricots and sprinkled with sliced almonds and sesame seeds. I could hardly wait. I knew it would be too hot to start eating so I just took a bit of the sauce from around the cooler edge to try it..... I now knew why intensely flavoured was written as "intensely flavoured".... because that it's basically the only way to describe it.  I can't even bring to fathom the variety or the amount of spices that went into it, but I can say that the combination was something I had never experienced before in any type of cuisine. It was a curry in a sense, but nothing close to any of the Asian or east/west/north/south Indian curries I've had in the past. It was outstanding. What I recall most was cinnamon, which is interesting in itself, and is usually not one of the dominant flavors in savory dishes. I'm definitely going to start experimenting with it more. The lamb shank itself was cooked to perfection... soft and falling away from the bone easily. By the end of the meal my eyes were not even open... it was that good. The union between the rich lamb, the sweet fruits, the intense spices of the sauce and the earthiness of the almonds and sesame seeds made for one of the best tasting and most euphoric dishes I have eaten in my life.

As a physiologist, I wish I knew what the pathway was between taste and smell sensory receptors and the state of euphoria that I was in. Whatever the connection is though, it's a strong one, and one that I think we all possess. It's just a matter of finding the foods that trigger it, much like many other mental states we experience in life. In life, where all of our senses are constantly bombarded with stimulation, we have to be able to sift through and find what suits our own bodies to be able to live life to its fullest.

Hola Mi Amigas y Amigos!

My first real post was going to be about the amazing Moroccan food I had the other night, but I'm going to save that for number two, because I have something far better to share. MY NEW LIFE!

As I sit in my new bed, in my new house, in my new city, in my new country, I'm feeling quite content and very much at home. If you couldn't tell by the title, I'm living with a couple of people from Spain, and also one from Vancouver. They are all really nice and I feel like I have connected with them already. They helped me get my stuff in the house and we sat and had tea for about 1.5 hours and talked about everything under the sun! The house is very nice and bigger than I expected... and very clean! I love my room, which is quite large (lots of room for guests... wink wink), and the kitchen, which has been recently renovated. Can't wait for my spices to arrive so I can fully test it out!!! I'm about a 20 min walk from my building on campus, and conveniently, there is a supermarket on the way!

As I sit here thinking about tomorrow I feel very confident. Confident that I made the right choice to come here, of the future and confident of myself. I'm excited to wake up tomorrow and walk into work and get my new life started! I can sense good things coming my way!

This is my time.

In the beginning...

I love food... A LOT. I love everything about it. I love the feelings associated with shopping for, preparing, cooking, sharing and eating food. I love the diversity of the flavors, the way they combine with each other to form something totally new. The possibilities are endless! But what I love the most is how it brings people together. There are few things in life that give me more pleasure than preparing a meal for my friends or family.

Through food, I have learned so much about the world around me, and I want to continue this trend as I start a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge. I've never written anything before... outside of technical scientific papers, so bare with me! I have to give props to Jodie, who has not only inspired me to start this blog, but has shown me the benefits of self expression. For now, I will say that many of my posts will be about food (well, once my 2.5 kg of spices arrive from Canada and I start cooking), and the associated life lessons I undoubtedly will learn along the way while cooking and sharing food with my new friends, and old :)