Do you realize that there were no net jobs created in the US during the entire decade of the "naughts?" None at all. No wonder so many people are troubled, and many are furiously angry, or in despair.
I just removed a number of people from my Vox "neighbors and friends" lists who hadn't updated their Vox since sometime in 2008. It feels sort of harsh to me to do that--but I guess they aren't active, and a fair number were no longer members.
Every morning while I was away I had some sort of spicy noodle dish with an egg for breakfast. And one day I noticed they have these tiny little bananas in Thailand. Here we have monster bananas that can last you three days. So I took a photo of it near my egg so you can see how small it was but someone said - they might just think they have huge eggs. But I can assure you my egg was average in size. Not in flavour though.
And this was my lunch one day. Prawns with pineapple. And chilli. Best to assume that anything you order in Thailand has chilli in it. We ate somewhere different every day dinner and lunch but its impossible to get through a fraction of the places. Every second shop is a cafe or restaurant. Then there are the guys with street stalls hooked up to their bikes as well.
And they always had nice or interesting glasses everywhere. This was the mango daquiri Daz ordered.
And this is something we don't get at home. It looks like twisties in a bottle. In yummy classic yellow.
We went into Patong this day. That place is mad. Thats where all the bars and ladyboys are. We didn't go to them because we had little children with us. We went in to go to this huge shopping centre there. Not often you see a bar in the middle of a shopping centre. Not here anyway. There you can buy alcohol anywhere. At the chemist or the 7 eleven. When you get a meal deal at burger king one of your drink options is beer.
Its actually the Jung Ceylon centre. Not the jungle.
I didn't go to McDonalds myself but Lizzie tells me you can get a pork burger and a broccoli pie.
Patong was where the girls found the man selling dvd's. Or he found them. He took them back to his shop which was at the back of a massage shop through a secret door. I think they bought about 80 between them. Kimba thought he was taking them away to be sold into sex slavery or something and made Nat stand with her foot wedged in the door. He kept saying to them - It safe, it safe, this is my business.
Some of them have been dodgy. Like New Moon. No one had heads. Which made it difficult. But at 1 or 2 dollars each you take the chance
And here is the pedestrian crossing. Do not assume cars will stop to let you cross at the pedestrian crossing.
And there was a guy walking around with this lizard you could buy, but I didn't think we'd get it through customs. He tried to put it on my shoulder but I ran away. He put it on Daz though but I wasn't quick enought to get a photo. And he would've charged me for taking it anyway.
And the Soi Easy Bar. Where I think if you spend too long, you may need to visit the Clinik.
Thats really what Patong is about. Bars and girls. And ladyboys. Its a little disturbing when you see the amount of old european men roaming around with the young bar girls. Sad really.
But you can't go to Phuket without checking out Bangla Road. You have to - get your sleaze on - as Lloyd said.
Saffron scented sweet rice was likely brought to India by Mughal invaders. It is one of the few dishes that was assimilated in the all the subcultures of the country, from the Kesar Bhaat served on Rakshabandhan by my mother to the Zarda Pulao eaten as breakfast during Ramadan by my Muslim friends. Different versions, sweet, savory, those with milk and those without, are found in all Indian cuisines.
A mention of Hyderabadi zaafrani rice (a savory meat-rice-saffron version, a specialty of Hyderabad) in a movie gave my sister a craving for this old faithful. I was more than happy to oblige.
1 cup raw long grain rice (Basmati has the best fragrance)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, or ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup slivered pistachios
1 tbsp Cuddapah almonds/almondettes (optional)
1 stick cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
1 tbsp warm milk
1/2 tsp saffron (If you are not familiar with saffron, start with 1/4 tsp.)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp raisins
- Soak rice in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
- Soak the saffron in warm milk for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Melt the butter/ghee in a heavy non-stick pan. (I used a anodized saucepan that can go directly from stove to oven.)
- Add the nuts and stir until the nuts are toasted and golden brown, about two minutes.
- Remove the nuts from the pan. Then add the cinnamon and cardamom to any butter remaining in the pan and heat on medium-high heat until they sizzle.
- Add the drained rice and stir until toasted, about five minutes. Then add 1 and 1/3 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the water is absorbed.
- Add the saffron soaked milk, sugar, raisins and half the nuts. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
- Cover the pan with lid/aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove and let the rice rest for ten minutes before uncovering. Gently stir, sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and serve.
This is the perfect recipe for winter, considering that saffron, nuts and raisins are all 'warm' by nature. Delicately sweetened and deeply scented with saffron, it makes a delightful, festive dessert at the end of any meal.
Just as I said in response to Emmi:
So far, I have enjoyed my first day as old man Spock. Or is it the start of the new year and decade? The completion of the holidays, which are both fun and too busy? Or because we are (finally) getting to go on a vacation--Florida, here we come!--before too long??
The year always goes too fast, doesn't it?
Did I achieve what I set out to achieve this year? Yes and no. Somewhere along the way my aims changed. But that's the nature of life .... things change. More changes this year, more changes next year.
Luckily photography looks to be a constant within those changes.
Hmmm I just realised that I've come full circle and I'm back to where I started with photography and my view on life...
... the glass is half full and I love taking pictures of the beautiful things in life!
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