by Sam Tackeff | Sep 24, 2012 | Blogging
When you write a blog, you quickly learn that you get a thousandfold more spam comments than you ever will actual comments. This can be disappointing at first, until you figure out that you can take immense pleasure in reading some of this spam every so often. I’ve noticed a new trend in spam in the past month or so – highly pertinent “foodie” spam. The topics are actually in line with your original posting, and read like so:
Spam, on Thomas Keller: “I have been to Per Se not once, not twice but thrice and it was tdcnsaenrent each and every time (Mere mention of his Oysters and Pearls inspire erections/lubrication). He owes me; however, Erika owes me not a thing. Rather, I owe her a favorite. I’m going to go with anything truffle. Truffles fill me with warmth and mirth. Godspeed, Erika. Godspeed”
Spam, on Scotch Tasting: “I don’t think I could live without a good sligne malt in the house. 16 Lagavulin or 10 Laphroaig do me just fine. The 12 year old Lagavulin cask strength was disappointing though. Too bad.I don’t think I’ve ever had Ardbeg. I’m too poor to sample them all.”
Spam, on Cabbage: “still if I step in something I always know what it is !!!As to the smell of cabage it always reminds me of when I worked with the homeless in Liverpool and the centre always smelt of cabbage and it was overcooked yugh ; it put me off it for years.”
Spam, on Pizza, and Reviewing: “The lasagna pizza doesn’t have feta on it. It is fresh rcoitta. Not intended to pack a flavor punch like feta.In fact nothing at il pizzaiolo has feta. If you really wanted to try their signature dish you would have tried the margherita D.O.C. which is made with imported San Marzano tomatos, buffalo mozz, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil the closest thing you can get to what you’d eat in Italy.If you are going to write a review, at least get your facts straight. I’m relived I had eaten at il Pizzaiolo before reading this review not only because I would hate to have missed the pies at il Piz, but also because now I know not to take you seriously as a food-reviewer.” {Editor’s note: Oh thank goodness, I was worrying how you would judge me.}
I’m guessing that some of these are actually scraped comments from chat boards or blogs, and I’m certainly glad that Aksimet catches them, but I’ll award points to spammers for changing it up. I’ve been so sick and tired of Viagra advertisements.
For more entertainment, please spend some time over here at “Tom Reads His Spam”, where you can hear Tom reading his own spam in dulcet tones. I’m particularly fond of this one.
Do you take pleasure reading your spam? Bonus points if you share the most creative spam you’ve received here.
by Sam Tackeff | Sep 22, 2012 | Challenge
I’m not sure how it happened already, but it seems that Fall has arrived. While New Englanders are already bracing themselves for what is likely to be a horrendous winter, I’m just so thrilled that my favorite season is here. Fall foliage, creative layering, mulled apple cider, pumpkin chocolate chip cake (though, not for a while yet for me), pumpkins, warm blankets and lingering in bed in the morning.. I love it all.
Fall also feels like renewal to me. For someone who loved school, I was always excited to be back in action come September. Even though I’m no longer a student, I always feel the urge to pick up new books and read all season long. Things happen in the fall.
Physically, I’m much more suited to fall. You don’t get overheated or sweaty, and you don’t freeze. In New England, there could be snow tomorrow, or 85 degree weather for the next two months, so I’ve learned not to take any good day for granted. And today was a glorious day. Temperature in the low 70’s, and it felt like summer, but this tree had eagerly shifted outfits. I’m so looking forward to the next few months.
This morning I had a late start, or at least, as late as my adult brain would allow me to go. Gone are the days where I could sleep in until noon. This is not a bad thing. After a few hours with a book, we headed out to Needham to pick up my race packet for tomorrow!
We opted for a brunch at Whole Foods, and each parted ways at the salad bar to find our own meal. I made a big colorful salad, with eggs, tomatoes, roasted peppers, squash, onions, carrots, cabbage, a little bit of sweet potato, a spoonful of cashews, oil and vinegar. On the side I treated myself to “dessert” – a Coconut Cream Pie LÄRABAR. The ingredients in these bars are great – dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews and coconut oil, and they taste delicious! (Dates however are super sweet, and this definitely was a treat for me, given that I’ve now had them two days in a row. Danger!)
After brunch, we finished up our errands with a trip to Pinkberry. Which I abstained from. Devon tried out their seasonal chocolate hazelnut flavor, and I had this delicious iced tea from the Starbucks next door. We sat outside for a while, people watching, chatting, and upgrading Devon’s phone to iOS 6. I’m likely going to switch to the iPhone 5 next month, and am looking forward to everything except for the switch from the awesome Google navigation to the travesty that is the current Apple dot thing. Even with the new turn by turn… y’all don’t know what you are missing.
In the late afternoon I headed out for my daily walk. An hour around the neighborhood listening to a podcast before returning home to make dinner. I finally found a good little route with walkable hills! My legs miss those Noe Valley walkabouts, and I’ve been yearning for steep inclines lately!
For dinner, I took out two lamb shoulder chops from the butcher, which I seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin. I then started on some cabbage – I chopped up a small 1/2 head of green cabbage which went on the stove with some of my homemade chicken stock, salt and pepper. I let it wilt down for about 10 minutes, seasoned it with some cumin and lime juice, and took it off the heat.
Then, I quickly fried up my chops. 3 minutes on each side for mine, and a few extra minutes for Devon’s.
I set them aside to rest, and fried up a single fresh pork sausage, and a tomato for myself. Here’s my dinner plate:
After dinner we watched Top Chef Masters (go Chris!) and Kenneth Brannaugh in Wallender. I can’t say enough about every single show from the BBC these days, and PBS for airing several incredible seasons of Masterpiece in a row.
Dessert, because I reckoned I hadn’t eaten enough today – a chopped up apple with a spoonful of coconut butter and a spoonful of almond butter.
Now, to bed, so I can get sleep before the race!
by Sam Tackeff | Sep 22, 2012 | Breakfast, Lunch
When you are no longer of the age that a sleepover is a common occurrence, it becomes rare that you have breakfast guests on a weekday unless you have regular traveling visitors. Making breakfast for a friend is one of the great pleasures in life. (Brunch, even with the same foods, is a different beast entirely.) In our house, I regret, breakfast is usually a singular activity, so I was thrilled to get a visit from my friend Caroline. She got an egg, tea, and melon, and for me coffee, two eggs and a tomato, and a banana sliced with almond butter.
Today was the first day that I’ve been out of the house for lunch for weeks, and I was excited to play hooky and see the city with Caroline. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Boston Common and the Public Gardens, checking out the farmers market in Copley, strolling down Charles Street. This stately fur ball was seen in front of Savenor’s, dutifully waiting for his human friend. And maybe a marrow bone.
After discovering that Caroline’s desired chai hot chocolate was still not at being sold at the chocolate shop, despite the fact that fall is almost here, we headed off to Brookine to pick up her friend’s wedding dress, and forage for lunch. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to eat. We debated Cutty’s (even though I’m not enamored with it), sushi, Anna’s (she’s from Texas, so that was out). I learned that Caroline had never been to Flour, so I decided that a trip to the South End was in order.
After finding a fortuitous two hour visitor parking spot in the South End (when does that ever happen?), we headed over to Flour. It is here I should note that this particular occasion at Flour made me really appreciate a) the fact that my current food restrictions are not life threatening illnesses that so many of my friends have to deal with, and b) the fact that there are some supremely lovely people in the world.
At 3 o’clock, there was no line, so I felt a little more comfortable attempting to order food that was restriction-friendly. I opted for the lamb salad (without the delicious tomato chutney or goat cheese, alas), and immediately the folks behind the counter were more than accommodating, and full of suggestions. Could I eat carrots? Avocado? Tomatoes? Suddenly what I assumed was going to be a slightly boring salad became exciting again. The oil was a blend that I was wary of, so they gave me a side of olive oil and vinegar, and I ordered an espresso and made sure to give a good tip.
After our lunch, we walked the South End, and headed over to Formaggio on Shawmut. Because I’m a regular at the Huron location, I felt that it was high time that I check out the other location in the city. The shop was full of all the same goodies on a smaller scale, and all around a good place to check out if you are in the area. I learned however that they didn’t have George Howell Coffee! Instead, I picked up some medjool dates, and we headed over to the South End Buttery for tea. (It’s been so long since I last visited!)
The iced tea here is delicious – I believe it’s iced earl grey.
After our lovely afternoon, Caroline dropped me off at home, and left to Providence.
I headed out to Trader Joe’s to pick up some fixin’s for dinner. Usually I make a meal for us to share, but I’ve been making sure not to impose too much lately with my food choices. We each got our own meals – Devon got hot dogs and beans, and I had a complementary fresh gazpacho, topped with fresh pork sausage from M.F. Dulock’s. The same, but different!
