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Tasty Treats Pt2: Birds Nest Beverage and Mochi

Well i had a big night last night and need to recover, so whats better than a nice Health drink made from Birds Nest (aka Bird Saliva...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird's_nest_soup ) and White Fungus....

Last episode i told you that i would ramp it up next time... this is right there in the deep end, but hey i'm hopeful that it might surprise me if not cure my hangover.

The drink pours like a jar of saliva would... syrupy slightly yellow and with floaty bits. The smell was along similar lines, little bit mushroomy but the taste is what really threw me. Whereas i thought it would be savory and salty and mushroomy it was closer to a light sugar syrupy taste, very reminiscent of the gelatin coating that is used on Fruit Tarts, really quite unpleasant but not totally disgusting. But as i sit here having only taken a few small sips i realize that to really review it i need to really take in the health benefits, i need to skull the rest...

*skulls it down in one go*

Hmmm what can i say at a time like this but.... yuck. It really feels heavy in my stomach like it is already purchasing its return ticket. The mix of the sweetness and gelatinous texture did not slide down well as the squiggly fungus matter in the bottom finished it off. This was like drinking Saliva, like a sloppy wet kiss. Only instead of it coming from the wonderful Zooey it was straight from a bird called the Swift.

As for my health, right now i am not feeling healthier... in fact my health has lost a few points... but we'll have to see what the future holds as most things that taste bad are actually good... hopefully.


The other item was a little easier to digest but no less odd.... Mochi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi )

These little glutinous rice balls seemed like a nice dessert, they did however let me down a little.

The sweetness was nice, it was not overpowering and quite mellow, it was once again the texture that really made this a challenge. They were soft, kinda like a mix between a marshmallow and well... play dough. I decided to try two varieties, green tea and sesame.

The sesame was not too bad, the marshmallow texture was a little odd but the contrast from the surrounding seeds worked in its favor and the center of black sesame was quite appetizing... the other odd thing was the fact that the sesame seemed to have a soy taste so the contrast between the salty and sweet came into play.

The green tea one was the opposite. Play doughy and sticky it was hard to swallow. Leaving an unsettling feeling in my stomach. the centre was this weird goo that tasted overly sweet. Like eating raw scone dough.

I can see how some of these would be a nice treat, but really you have to pick the right ones. It was an interesting experience.

Twilight Review... Two Years in the making.

Ok, those of you who know me personally will know my absolute Hatred towards the Twilight series... this hatred was purely by what i had heard about the film and really had no basis... this i will admit now. However i have just watched the film before writing this blog... i know it has taken a while but this was really hard for me to do knowing how much dislike i would have... even harder was the challenge i gave myself to be unbiased....

Lets just say after watching the film my respect for it has grown... unfortunately the naked eye could not pick the difference in level and so i can safely say that i dislike this film just as much as i did before, and heres why....

Twilight follows your typical Romanticism Storyline, Two lovers, separated from the world around them unable to fit into society must make the ultimate sacrifice to be eternal with each other... the same storyline can be found in Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and even David Bowie's Heroes... its a tried and true plot and most of the time it works.... unless you happen to pile on top of that bad acting, awful dialogue, unrealistic settings and a shitload of teen Angst... this is where we find Twilight.

Romanticism practically invented the Vampire, Dracula was your typical charachter of that era, alone against the world, misunderstood and mistreated, forced to live in solitude and become the monster within and so it would only be fitting to do a film of this sort....in theory.

Lets start with the script because i feel this was the worst part of the film, you know when someone tries to write poetry for the first time, they will think up long descriptive words, massive flowing sentances about nothing at all, trying to sound emotive but really just sounding like a thesaurus? This was the script to twilight, there weren't long drawn out sentances and overy descriptive words but it was like they were trying too hard to describe their feelings that they forgot to emote them. Everyone has heard the key lines..."your'e like a drug to me" "i'd Die for you" hearing these just leave you sick to the stomach. Nobody talks like this, not in history and probably not in the future...especially a 17 year old. Its like they had taken the dialogue from a soap opera, or something from the Romance section of Borders. The film is the script and it is on this level that the film fails no matter what images it puts over it... but even these were a let down. And don't even get me started on how this raped the vampire mythology!

First of all the make up.... would have worked on stage, but in a film we are meant to buy it as being real, putting a shitload of white stuff on your face a vampire it does make you not. It almost made them look like mimes and totally distracted from the film. The fact that Bella too looked just as pale confused the imagary even more, if anything she should have been more colourful to show the difference between them, hence the conflict.

Secondly the camera work and effects were well below par, it looked like it had been shot for TV, hand held shots randomly placed to express something that wasn't there, a camera should be strategically placed with reason, making it handheld randomly does nothing but confuse. And the Effects... now this was where i thought i would have something to like in this film, oh i was wrong... i will admit the car scene where Edward jumps in looked pretty cool... but the rest, the fast running etc. Looked like something i could do in After effects. 

Finally the Acting, which goes along with the angst... There was only one actor i liked in this film and he wasn't even a lead role. It was Billy Burke who played Bella's Father. The scene where she has to lie to him to stop danger from coming onto him actually made me feel bad for him, as he turns to her and tells her he can change was heart wrenching and for that one minute scene i actually felt something... then the movie carried on and i was back to nothing. The worst acting award definatley goes to Edward himself... i know he didnt have much of a script to go with but really he could have shown some emotion...any emotion... waving your head does not express suffering! oh... and there was lots of unwarrented Angst... enough said about that.

In the end though i Digress.... this was not the worst film ever made.... the soundtrack was pretty cool and i can see how this would appeal to 16 yr old girls who don't give a rats arse about story and just want to see angsty expressions...however to the older people who love the series although i can't make judgement about your taste i ask you one question.... "Why???"

I could go read the book to really get a grasp of this series but really it would do nothing to make me hate this any less. This a film i am glad i finally watched because now i can put it behind me and forget all about it... i have seen worse but bad is bad... and this is just that.

Tasty Treats Pt1: Dragon Beard Candy

Just a bit of an intro here, i have decided to make a note of all the new things i am attempting to try this year, basically anything i find on my travels overseas or to Asian Grocery stores.... 

I found these at the local Asia Mart and had to try them, they looked like almonds wrapped in insulation, the type of stuff you'd find in a roof. What it is however is (according to one website) Over 8000 strands of sugar woven by masters of confectionery....

The truth is that beyond looking suss, it actually is really just Chinese Cotton Candy, filled with sesame seeds and almond, really tasty. The texture is odd, you try to pull it out of its little patty cake tin and bits of sugar cotton break off floating onto and around you... my clothes are still dusted in some.

Overall this is not really that strange, but it is different and rewarding. The Candy coating is sweet but not over the top like the American counterpart and the centre is crunchy and sweet and nutty and really bring a nice palate to the snack. I now have an Empty Dragons beard box... lets hope the rest of my Tasty Treats are the same....

If it looks good... Eat it!

Well... its been a while since i posted here, and really i have no excuse so lets just both move past that and back into Blogland!

A while back i posted a blog about an upcoming trip to South America, unfortunatly due to a few circumstance changes i am now not taking that journey just yet. Instead i am going solo, to wonderful South East Asia! My plan is to do it in tours, this makes for easier solo travlling as i wont really be solo and will help me find some cool places to see. I will have time on my own in Hanoi and Bangkok but travelling between the two will be under the guidence of a guide... and my main motivation for this trip.... the food!

The way i see it, Taste is the only sense we have left that is still unexplored, not so much as a species but as individual. It is highly varied across different countries and the variations are extreeme to say the least... while we may see beautiful sights we can relate them back to something at home, touch is already mostly covered in day to day life.... and as for smell... well it usually comes alongside with taste. But Taste... how can you possibly describe to someone the taste of snail unless they try it themselves... the texture of grasshopper...sure its crunchy... but there is so much more to it... Food is culture, it is history and it is unique.

I have really gotten addicted to a show called "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" and i reccomend people watch it, basically its an american chef who travels round the world eating unique things, like the beating heart of a snake or worms fresh out of a branch... i know some people have cringed at this but what you need to understand is why these dishes have come about and open yourselves to looking past what you know of them and try them...

Most people do not take advantage of this to its full potential, the culture we have dictates against it. Things that are perfectly normal overseas are seen to us as being disgusting for no other reason than society has taught us to see them as such. We would not think twice about eating a bulls testical but in some countries it is seen as nothing more than a good source of protein. If we as westeners get over what we beleive to be wrong then we can expend ourselves so much more into the cultures around us.
When i travel i will set myself a mantra... unless it will kill/make you sick...TRY IT. If someone offers me sheep penis and rice i will try it, if someone offers me desiesed meat i wont... simple. Whether or not it will taste good is just part of the joy... if its bad at least i will know it is bad rather than leaving myself wondering.

South East asia is known for its markets and street food... these will be my main areas to be in, i am worried about getting Gastro and food poisoning but upon reading a whole lot of articles some saying that i should avoid almnost everything.... some saying that they read that same article but said fuck it.... i am going somewhere in the middle ground..
When i am on the tour and the guide offers me something... anything is fair go.... alone i will only eat things that are cooked in front of me and popular with others... if i get sick so be it... but i am playing it safe.
Some things i cant wait to try:
-Scorpion
- Coffee that has passed through the digestive system of a Monkey
-  Snake

Travel is all about adventure, it is about leaving your comfort zone, it has purpose in cultures and it will be interesting to see how and why these foods came about. And i will blog accordingly about them...

Of cource while i am over there i will enjoy the scenery and the history, i will drink and party it up... but the markets, the food will be my focus... i will not eat pad thai or anything i'd normally have at a thai resteraunt... i am going to eat whatever the locals eat... and it is going to be awesome!

Dessert - Top 5 of 2009

So 2009 is on it's way out... another 365 days of Experiences, Memories, Failures have entered the zeitgeist making way for what will come in 2010.... and so i bring you the year that was in the form of 5 Top 5 Lists:

1. Top 5 Movies I Saw 
5.  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - This series can do no wrong for me, some people felt that this did not feel complete as a film, but thats fine with me because this film did what it was meant to do, got me excited for the final 2 movies!
4. Where the Wild things are - This did something that i did not expect it to, it scared me. Thats right the big headed fluffy monsters actually frightened me... not in the sence that they looked scary but in the amount of drama and emotion that they had was astounding. James Gandolfini was intence!
3 500 Days of Summer - I was a really big fan of the soundrtack to this film before i actually saw the film itself, i am pretty certain that no film can be bad if zooey deschanel is in it, The happening was not a bad movie, sure everything about it was bad except for some cool death scenes but the fact that zooey was in it for at least 40% of the film made it good. end of discussion. This film not only had zooey but was also well written and performed. Made me feel all sad :(
2. Up - Pixar can do no wrong, they know how to make you fall in love with animated charachters, something that seems to be lacking with other studios these days. In the sad scenes of this film i wont deny that i did shed a tear, not as much as some of the people who saw it with me mind you... this is a great film and more adult that most pixar films, which i think is a good direction to take.
1. Star Trek - This made my number one for two reasons....1. I am a closet Trekkie, my dad's a trekkie and so i grew up watching all the incarnations, 2. this movie was the bomb. Enough said, even if you are not a trekkie  go check this out it is designed to be  for everyone. I saw it 3 times, once on imax... this is my movie of 2009.

2. Top 5 Albums i Bought/Aquired:

5. Where the Wilds things are OST - Great loveable songs from Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, cartchy tunes with a hint of that heavy punk sounds that we are used to from Karen O. "All is love" gives me goosebumps.
4. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures - I am usually in two moods about supergroups... on one hand i am excited, this is considering that the line up is to my liking (in the case of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones i was VERY Excited) but on the other hand i am cautious as supergroups seem to have a flaw in the fact that such heavyweights tend to try and outdo each other, and thus the bands usually sound like a mess. This band however did nothing of the sort. These guys deliver raw powerful songs and deliver them with style. Leaning towards the Queens of the Stone age meets Kashmir style Zepplin this album made me want to just mosh all day. Awesome!
3. Little Lion - Mumford and Son - Amazing tracks on this album, racing banjo sounds and that distincive vocal sound from Marcus Johnstone this is quite possible my favorite folk album of 2009... strongly contended by
2. The First Days of Spring - Noah and the Whale - After their previous release caught my attention i was really excited about the idea of them making an album with the inclusion of an orchestra and i wasn;t dissapointed. NATW have a wonderful ability to add an intense emotional feel to their music and this does more than that. Great album about what comes after a break up.
1. Head of the Hawk - Bluejuice - Bluejuice's first album didn't do much for me, it was a bit heavy on the hip hop sounds for my liking, the release this year however was nothing of the sort, a great party album with catchy tunes that you can sing/jump along to. The reason this album is in number one is for one reason, of all the list it is the album that affected me the most when i listened to it, it made me get up off my seat and dance, it may not be the pinnacle of technical music brilliance, it may not have poetic lyrics that inspire but it made me happy, it made me feel good... and isnt that what music should do?

3. Top 5 Podcasts i subscribed to:

Before i go on i should say that podcasts to me are an escape, i listen to them mostly on train rides and i mostly listen to ones that involve a lot of inane chatter, this useless discussion seems to do wonders for travel time as if i were in a pointless pub chat with mates... if you choose to listen to any of these i suggest you do the same, they are no fun playing to others as i have tried as it will bore them quickly... podcasts are a personal thing.

5. Five Taco's and a Taco - Two guys from the states who compile a top five list  each episode on some topic... previous topics have included "Top Five animals you could take in a fight" "Top 5 toilet ettiquite rules" and my favorite "Top five Cat movie titles" one of which was "Brokeback Meownton", a lot of inane chatter but you grow to like these guys and their quirks and their Choose your own adventure readings are top notch!
4. Coverville - This is a great music podcast, its basically as you have probably guessed from the title a cover song podcast, weekly the hose Biran Ibbott picks an artist/topic and presents a list of cover songs appropriatly. This is a great way to discover new music and hear versions of your fav songs in a different light. The choices are sometimes hit and miss but when you do hear one you like its really great.
3. Culture Club - This is a segment on Triple J that has been podcasted, its a really absurd look at music and where certain elements derive from.. these short episodes will teach you how ACDC is in a lot of ways closely related to nitche and how Richard Wagner was the original Emo... great well produced segments that give you a different perspective on what we hear.
2. Hamish and Andy - The great thing about podcasts is the ability to listen to the good bits of a radio show and cut out the bad music... this is the case with Hamish and Andy, they are really funny guys and know how to entertain, they may be playing an old formula, they may have sold out to commercialism, but they are funny, they entertain and they are free to listen to without the crap music.
1. You look nice today: a Journal of emotional hygene - This is quite possible the funnies load of dribble i have ever heard, its like sitting in a uni bar with 3 really odd nerds and talking crap. These guys make up some of the strangest garbage including ideas for a new education program for kids which involves someone coming into the school, drinking and then yelling at the kids for an hour... classic!

4. Top 5 Concerts/Performances

5. Sound Relief - Sydney Football Stadium -  This was more of a festival than a concert and so i am going to focus on one performance and that was Coldplay... this was the first full act of the day that i had been there for and it was amazing, from the giant yellow balloons that came down upon the audience to the spectacular run that Chris Martin made from the front of the stage through the crowd... this was to be remembered... oh and the duet with john Farnham was good too...
4. The White Album Concert - Sydney Opera House - This was a risky one, a recreation of the entire Beatles White Album, song for song or at least it would have been risky had it not been for some of Australias most taleted performers actually playing the tracks, Chris Cheney, Josh Pyke, Phil Jamison and Tim Rogers belted out the tunes in real style, adding a bit of themselves to the tracks. This was really spectacular and had me singing along and really getting into it. Chris Cheney owned the guitar parts, Tim Rogers delighted with bhis stage antics, Phil Jamison Surprised with his vocal abilities and Josh Pyke Rounded it off... Great stuff.
3. Dream Theatre/Pain of Salvation - Hordern Pavillion - The real sign of how great this concert was was displayed through my lack of hearing upon coming out. For me this was a new experience, not the deafness but the support act Pain of Salvation, they really knocked me down with their relentless power and talent and then Dreamtheatre came out and finished me off. Dream Theatre is the supergroup that never was... each member is top of their game and it shows. Even if you are not a fan of Metal go see them, they will amaze.
2. Ben Folds Request Show - Sydney Opera House - This was a last minute buy for me, i had previously seen his live show a few days before and suddenly went along to see his request show. At the beggining we were all asked to write down our requests... these went on stage into a way to small fishbowl, requests spilling onto the floor. This was going to be a strange night. Ben folds did his best to make sure as many requests were played as possible, even to the point of making up songs to the requests that weren't quite  right. This was Ben at his best, unrehearsed, inscripted, pure talent.
1. Greenday - Acer Arena - I know i am going to get critisized for this, i know m,usic snobs out there with look down upon me and sigh... but i know even more so that i dont care. I grew up with green day, songs like Longview and Welcome to Paradise were my bread and butter in the punk scene and to hear these songs live was something i couldn't turn down for anything. But i expected to enjoy the music from the start,.... what i didnt expect was the show that they put on along side it. These guys know the formula to a great arena concert... make it big! Pyrotechnics, Amazing sets and most of all Audience participation, Billy joe Armstrong is a talented crowd pleaser, from the opening song he had the entire stadium standing up and singing along, he could gut us to do anything, clap, jump, scream and it felt awesome. He got audience members up on stage and got them to sing, the gave people the ability to stage dive and he made sure most of all that the crowd were just as much a part of the performance as the band itself.  Say what you will about the music, Greenday know how to put on a show, they know how to rock and they know how to make sure you come out feeling like you have experienced something that you never will again... until they next perform that is.


5. Top 5 Fads of 2009

5. Lychees - Canned to be precise, for a while this year i had an obsession, it became ingrained in my schedule, a can a night, cold just out of the fridge.... this was soon stopped when i started number 4
4. Milkshake Diet - I am now on a diet replacement shake program... i drink a milkshake for lunch and Dinner, going ok so far, struggling on Weekends and with some flavours... i.e Bananna and Lemon and Lime... just drank the former and feel like i am going to throw up.
3. Emergency Deoderant - I seem to have a large collection of deoderant scattered around my life, two cans at work, two at home, one in my bag...etc. This is because i keep forgetting to have them when i need them. I'll be on the train into the city.... long day at work and i forgot to refresh.... convenience store emergency buy....  this repeats without a can getting empty.
2. Blogs - i have two... if you have not seem my other one its at dinnermusic375.blogspot.com
1. Tea - I have now taken up membership in the tea culture, very thursday i am to be having High Tea with certain distinguished friends... thats right... i'm classy 'n' shit...


So thats the year thats been... i am glad you have taken this ride with me... and will look forward to writing more in the new year.....!

Chapter 7 : Sienta que yo es extranjero

I have recently decided to Travel. This is something new to me, the last time out of the country for me being when i was about 5 or 6 years old to a resort somewhere in Fiji... it is safe thus for me to say that i have never been overseas.

The Destination....South America.

Back to the homeland for me, being half Chilean myself this is a good chance to meet some of the family i have never met and really get a feel for my heritage as well as finally getting to experience a feeling of pure Culture Shock... the only problem is that i am not leaving till midway next year.

That's 7 months from now!!!

I am the type of person who gets really excited about things, overenthusiatic some might say and nothing gets me more excited than the idea of travel. And so since making this decision to travel some 2 weeks ago i have immerced myself in South America, Travel Blogs have been the main culprit, reading through peoples journeys, where they went, what illnesses they got, how many other travellers they ran into. These small excerpts of their lives, written to friends and families gave me a rush... that could be me, i could be writing about trekking to machu pichu... sampling a giant seafood platter equal in price to a maccas burger back home... meeting some locals or even some backpackers... making new friends from around the world....

Still 7 Months from now...!

I went and bought the Lonely planet guide, this book has travelled with me everywhere! When something is rendering at work and i cant use the computer i read the book... where's good to stay in Argentina? How much is a meal in Santiago? What vaccinations do i need to get? The amount of cool stuff to see and do and the cheapness of it all! The cool traditionally furnished Hostels or the Fancy hotels? Bus or Train????

Yet... Still 7 Months from now......!

There is a lot of planning to do for a trip overseas... a lot of forms to fill and things to organise. But Half a year is too far ahead for that, my main focus should be in saving money, but the thing is that i need to think about the trip, i need something to motivate me to save, to keep working.... something to look foreward to, my biggest fear however is that in 7 months time will i have exhausted South America for myself?

7 months isn't that long is it?