Built in 1859, Fort III was part of the Brialmont fortification around the city of Antwerp. Construction works ended five years later, in 1864 revealing the fortress’ unique entrance to the reduit and unique capponières, which weren’t built in other forts of the second southern fortification belt.

Let’s talk Folate

You may have heard about Folate (or Folic Acid — we call it Folate when it’s found naturally in foods, and Folic Acid when it’s a synthesized form, such as in a pill or laced in your favorite breakfast cereal). Folate is one of the many B Vitamins (B9), and has many important roles in the body. Notably, it plays a key part in the synthesis of red blood cells (a deficiency in Folate can lead to a type of anemia called macrocytic anemia, characterized by the formation of abnormally large, immature red blood cells). Folate is especially important during times of rapid cell division (think: pregnancy); folate deficiencies in pregnant women can cause serious neural tube defects, which lead to abnormal development of the spine, skull, and brain of the fetus — this discovery is the reason why most breads, cereals, rice, pastas, and other whole-grain products in the United States are fortified with folic acid.

There is a small amount of evidence that suggests folate/folic acid may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Folate decreases Homocysteine in the body. Elevated homocysteine may decrease the ease at which blood flows through blood vessels, increasing the risk for blood clots and possibly a heart attack. Thus, increasing folate in the diet may decrease the risk for CVD. It’s not certain. But increasing folate foods isn’t going to hurt, either.

This brings me to the theme of tonight: Black beans (yay!) … Now that you’ve gotten a taste for the importance of folate, note this:  One cup of black beans contains 64% of the daily value for folate.  If that’s not enough, they also contain cholesterol-banishing fiber (another anti-CVD perk), and they are a low-calorie, low-fat, vegetarian source of both iron and protein. Sweet!

Enough science. Let’s make some food.

This is my vegetarian version of enchiladas (or, as my co-intern Heidi suggested, “awesome-ladas”) — slightly spicy, and filled with a yummy combination of black beans, corn, peppers, and of course cheese. I make my own sauce; I usually try to find a brand of Mexican-style tomato sauce called “El Pato,” but apparently Connecticut Whole Foods stores don’t sell such things. Instead, I used Muir Glen brand’s chipotle diced tomatoes, making sure to puree them real well. You can use whichever you can find (or maybe just a can of regular tomato sauce, if spicy foods aren’t your thing). If you use tomato sauce, just replace one 8-ounce can of sauce for the 1 cup of diced tomatoes.

Black Bean and Corn Enchi Awesome-ladas

Sauce:
3 tsp Smart Balance or similar
1 tsp flour
4 oz tomato paste (eyeball 2/3 of your average 6-oz can)
1 cup Muir Glen Organics diced tomatoes with chipotles
Water (as needed)
1/4 cup New Mexico chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt, to taste

Place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into a 2 cup measuring cup and add water to make 2 cups of tomato-y liquid. Melt the “butter” in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add your tomato paste, tomato liquid, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Mix well, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste the sauce halfway through, testing for flavor and consistency. Add a little water if it seems to thick. Add salt to your taste.

Filling:
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapenos, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or 2 Tbsp dried)
1 Tbsp lime juice

Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, sauteeing until the onion is translucent. Throw in the bell pepper, jalapeno, and corn, and cook for a few minutes more. Add the black beans, cooking until heated through. Remove from heat, and season with cilantro and lime juice.

Putting it all together:
You’ll need:

Enchilada Sauce
Black bean filling
1.5 to 2 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
about 14 corn tortillas (depends how many you can squeeze into your casserole)
Nonfat Greek yogurt (or nonfat sour cream), olives, and scallions for garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, and spread about half a cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom. Next, using the sauce from the pot, take a tortilla and dip it in enchilada sauce, making sure to coat the whole tortilla (other recipes would have you fry the tortillas first… we’ll skip that step here). Place a generous spoonful of the bean mixture in the middle of the tortilla, followed by a sprinkle of cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place seam-side down in the casserole. Note: this works best as a two-person assembly line — Person 1 dips, Person 2 fills, then Person 1 rolls. Repeat, repeatedly, until your casserole is filled with enchiladas. Smother the enchiladas with the remaining sauce, then give the whole thing a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly. Serve with a dollop of nonfat yogurt, and whatever other garnishes suit your fancy.

Buen apetito! Serves 6 hungry enchilada-lovers.

The Cochuah region has not been a peaceful area. At Yo’okop we have evidence of several fortifications that may even date to separate events (such as the Terminal Classic abandonment and the later Postclassic reoccupation and abandonment of the site). However, the most commonly found traces of fortifications are much later. The Cochuah region was the centre of the Caste War and its aftermath (1847-1901). In 1847 Maya groups rebelled against the Creoles (Mexicans or Yucatecans of Spanish descent). The early successful campaigns by the mazehual (“Maya”) in 1847-1848 almost drove the Creoles out from the peninsula. However, these campaigns ultimately led to a series of setbacks and approximately 40 percent of the population of Yucatan died between 1846 and 1850.

Close to Yo’okop lies Fortin Yo’okop which has a four-bastion design. I’ll discuss it in another post. This is the only true fortification in the area since it appears to have been constructed for this single purpose. The fort lies at the very boundary between what was Spanish/Mexican controlled areas and “wilderness.”

Caste War fortification at Ichmul

Smaller Caste War trincheras (not trenches, but low fortification walls) are found near Colonial/Early independence settlements in the region. The most impressive ones, apart from Fortin Yo’okop, are to be found at Ichmul which was one of the first cities under attack. The town was attacked on Christmas day in 1847. The town resisted 20 days of rebel attacks. In 2004, we mapped the western part of the Central Acropolis.  This portion of the acropolis contains several trincheras. The walls were either built during the 1847 attack or from when the federal militia recovered Ichmul in 1848. The Caste War largely depopulated the town. Ichmul was resettled again around 1900.

Central Acropolis at Ichmul

It was a lovely autumn day, the family were at a loose end and we were keen to get some fresh air. What better than a walk round a castle and a sit on the beach? We therefore planned a double hit of Bodiam Castle and nearby Hastings as our destinations.

Bodiam Castle

After slipping through the pretty village of Bodiam, we arrived at the entrance to the Castle grounds and were charged £2 just to park the car….in a field. This gives you access to the grounds of the castle which, in fairness, are pretty stunning. The castle is entirely surrounded by a moat and for a time you wonder how you will get in. On the far side is the ticket office and causeway to gain entry. We paid our £5.80 each and went in.

The interior of Bodiam Castle

Considering that the outside looks so complete it’s almost a bit of a shock to find the inside such a ruin. Apparently it was ’slighted’ by Parliamentary troops during the Civil war. There was a Halloween treasure hunt for children while we were there which looked fun and I was a bit disappointed that my daughter wasn’t quite old enough to have a go.

Graffiti on the walls

You can go up several of the towers and along a small patch of wall which give you some super views of the Sussex countryside. Check out some the ancient and not so ancient graffiti on the walls. There is also a 15 minute video to watch about the history of the castle. As ever with National Trust properties, I find them pretty interesting but I do slightly question the value for money.

Overall, a cool place and worth a look. I’d only bother going inside if your especially keen though.

A tower of Bodiam Castle

Many American children are lacking in sufficient levels of one vitamin in particular: vitamin D. The main source of that vitamin comes not from ingestion, but from exposure to sunlight, which plays a key step in vitamin D synthesis in cells. Guidelines recommend that children have levels of vitamin D of at least 50 nmol/L. But a study found that about 1 in 5 kids — 6 million total — had levels below that mark. More than two-thirds of children have levels below 75 nmol/L, which is the level recommended for adults.

Since darker skin pigmentation makes absorption of sunlight more difficult, and thus synthesis of vitamin D less efficient, it’s not surprising that African-American children are much more likely to be deficient in vitamin D than white children. Children in the study who took multivitamins had higher levels of vitamin D, but less than half of kids actually take multivitamins. In many parts of the country, sunlight during the winter months is inadequate to produce vitamin D at sufficient levels. Plus, that particular vitamin does not occur naturally in a lot of common foods, so it’s hard to get it from other sources.

How can children get their needed vitamin D then? Some suggest that foods should be fortified with the vitamin to make it available to the entire public. The problem with that is, with some people already getting sufficient levels of the vitamin, adding into the food supply might be overkill. The best approach is probably encouraging the use of supplements. That way, kids don’t have to worry about too much sun exposure either, which can of course lead to skin cancer. But if we do nothing about this problem, we might see an increase in the health effects associated with not enough vitamin D intake.

Read more about this study in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Mausoleum of Ghitath al-Din Tuqhlaq the founder of Tuqhlaq dynasty is a beautiful structure build in Persian style of architecture located in Delhi. This is one of the very famous tourist attractions in the capital state. The Mausoleum is connected by a walkway to the southern outpost of the fortification and the elevated walkway leads to the artificial Lake. The actual Mausoleum is build up of single-domed squire tomb. The wall of the mausoleum is made up of granite stones and the sides of the mausoleum are made of red sandstone. The inland with inscribed panels and the huge pillars are made of marble. There are three graves in the mausoleum Ghiyathmal-Din Tuqhluq’s his queen and his son and successor Muhammad bin Tuqhluq. There are many monuments and forts in Tuqhluqabad which is worth watching.

Delhi international airport is well connected from all parts of the world, and this is the nearest airport to the destination. The Delhi railway station also have good rail network. The city has plenty of world class hotels and resorts for tourists to stay.

This was my second visit to Panhalgad a.k.a Panhala. We reached Panhala in the afternoon and still the weather was pleasantly cool on the top. First visit was more of ‘khao-pio-maja karo’ types. I made it a point to hire a guide this time, who could explain and give the historical information about the fort.

To reach Panhalgad (from Kolhapur):

1. Take Kolhapur-Ratnagiri highway (NH204)
2. Travel some 20-25 Kms to reach the base of the fort.
3. Take the road to the top.
4. Car is allowed inside the fort and you can see different places on this fort by driving your own vehicle.

About Panhalgad (मराठी: पन्हाळा, पन्हाळगड), also known as ‘Panhala’or ‘Panhalla’ or ‘Panalla’ which literally means ‘home of the serpents’. The Shilahara king Bhoja II between 1178 and 1209 CE built Panhala fort. The Yadavas defeated Raja Bhoja and captured this fort and then through changing hands it came to Adilshah of Bijapur. In 1659, Shivaji Maharaj defeated Bijapur general Afzal Khan and conquered Panhalgad. In May 1660, Adil Shah II sent his uncle Siddi Johar to lay siege to Panhala. Siddi Johar came with huge army and the siege continued for 4 months. At the end of which all provisions in the fort were exhausted and Shivaji Maharj was on the verge of being captured. Also there was no enough force to fight against Johar and his army.

The only option left with Shivaji Maharaj was an escape from the fort. With few trusted soldiers and his commander Baji Prabhu Deshpande, they escaped in the dead of the night to fort Vishalgad on 13 July 1660. Another troop with Shivaji’s barber, Shiva Kashid, who resembled like Shivaji in his looks, kept the enemy engaged, giving them an impression that Shiva Kashid was actually Shivaji. Shiva Kashid was caught and killed immediately after the truth was known. Furious Siddi Johar sent his army to chase Shivaji.

At the pass through the mountains, called ‘Ghod Khind’ (‘khind’ means ‘narrow pass in mountainous terrain’, ‘Ghod Khind’ means Horse Pass – literally through which only a single horse could pass) Baji Prabhu let Shivaji Maharaj proceed towards fort Vishalgad and fought a battle with 300 odd men against Siddi Johar’s army in thousands. He fought bravely till he heard the cannon firing from fort Vishalgad, which was signalling that Shivaji has reached safely. Baji Prabhu fought relentlessly, at times with swords in both hands. He breathed his last along with many great men of Shivaji like Sambhaji Jadhav, Bandals, etc.

Ghod Khind was covered with blood of 300 Marathas who willingly gave up their lives and fought to the last man for the cause of freedom. The pass was then renamed as ‘Pavan Khind’ which means ‘Sacred Pass’ and known for sacrifice and bravery of Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his men in Maratha history.

The fort went to Adil Shah. Finally and permanently Shivaji occupied the fort in 1673. Panhala fort housed 15,000 horses and 20,000 soldiers in Shivaji’s rule.

Much later, Sambhaji, Shivaji’s son was kept under house arrest in Panhala fort. He escaped from here along with his wife on 13 December 1678 and attacked Bhupalgad. He returned to Panhala, however, on 4 December 1679 to reconcile with his father, just before his father’s death on 4 April, 1680. The fort remained with Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Chatrapati Rajaram, Tarabai and Chatrapati Shahu until it went to British and now belongs to Government of India.

Awesome statue of Baji Prabhu Deshpande is erected at the entrance of the fort. Our guide took us to different places of interest like – Tabak udyan, Andhar Baav (hidden well to protect drinking water from getting poisonated), Someshwar temple, Teen Darwaza, Raj Dindi bastion, Sajja Kothi (where Sambhaji was kept under house arrest), ancient Hanuman temple, Rani Tarabai’s palace, Ambabai temple, Kalavantin Sajja, Ambarkhana (Graineries and commodities storage), Dharmakothi (from where donations were done to poor and needful), Teen Darwaja, Wagh Darwaja, Someshwar temple, etc. The fort is one of the largest forts  in Deccan with perimeter of 14 km, 100+ lookout posts, 2772 feet above sea level and 400m above the surroundings with more than 7 km of fortifications (Tatabandi). Views of Jyotiba, Konkan, Masai Pathar from the top of the fort are amazing.

The replica fort called ‘Pawangad’ lies adjacent to Panhalgad. It has ‘Tupachi Vihir’ (ghee well) i.e. a well built for specially for storing ghee. In olden times, a well was used to store and decompose ghee, which was later used as an antiseptic for injured soliders. Application of this ghee on wounds created intense burning sensation but avoided turning septic and healed faster. Apart from Pawangad only forts Ajinkyatara and Purandar have the remains of such wells and Ranjan (a large earthen water-jar).

Panhalgad and Pawangad forts together stand today depicting magnificent history of India. While descending, I again halted at statues of Baji Prabhu and Shiva Kashid for few moments. Panhalgad once again gave me a chance to experience and remember the history of great Shivaji Maharaj and his men who made Maharashtra.

There is continued debate over whether governments have the right to fortify our foods and drinking water with vitamins and minerals as a public health strategy, in order to address a health problem.

Have we become a ’nanny’ state, where governments have to make decisions regarding our diet for us, that we apparently no longer able to make for ourselves?

Call to add fluoride to bottled water

Fluoride

Take the case of fluoride added to our drinking water. According to the Victorian Department of Health’s Chief Health Officer,

Water fluoridation helps protect teeth against decay, and is the most effective way of allowing everybody access to the benefits of fluoride. Scientific studies have shown that water fluoridation is a safe and effective way to reduce tooth decay, even though there is widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste.

Earlier this year, there were calls for fluoride to be added to bottled water. Does this remove our right to chose what we put into our bodies?

The debate continues with the use of fortified foods, such Vitamin D, Iodine and folate.

Vitamin D

Studies indicate that Australians suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. While most Vitamin D should be obtained from exposure to the sun, which presumably is readily available in Australia, certain food sources contain significant amounts of vitamin D.

Rich sources are fish, especially fish with a high fat content, such as sardines, salmon, herring and mackerel. Other sources of importance are meat, milk and eggs, and fortified foods such as margarine.

In Australia, there is mandatory Vitamin D fortification of table edible oil spreads (eg, low-fat spreads) and table margarine, and voluntary fortification of modified and skim milks, and powdered milk, yoghurt and table confections (eg, Frûche dairy products) and cheese.

While the United States fortifies a large variety of foods, the fortification levels and range in Europe is very low.

Iodine now mandatory addition to bread

Iodine

And now, Iodine is on the hit list as an added extra in our foods. In fact, it has now become mandatory to fortify the bread in Australia with iodine. While iodine can be an important factor in the development of newborn babies, the AMA concedes that,

Although we haven’t seen any large numbers of babies born who are severely iodine deficient over the years, it’s the subtle changes that are important, … anything that we can do that gives babies the best chance and the best start in life is really worth doing

So is adding things into our food and water for the good of those that are not able to make wise choices for themselves? Some of the commentary on response to the iodine article include:

It has to be pointed out that a healthy, balanced diet will provide sufficient Iodine in most cases. We can’t just keep shoving stuff in bread and water to make up for people’s poor dietary choices.  (Ford: 09 Oct 2009 10:44:34am)

Yet the point of the article was that iodine levels in the average population are deficient, so there goes that statement. So the alternative is let the people get sick, afterall it is their own fault, resulting in more pressure to our already overtaxed health system when those people get sick. Brilliant idea – NOT. (lopati: 09 Oct 2009 11:13:04am)

 That’s not true, particularly in Australia. You could be eating a ‘healthy’ diet of home grown fruit and vegetables in many places (like Tasmania, Canberra, Adelaide Hills to name a few) and not getting sufficient iodine because it is deficient in the soil. If you were also avoiding salt (because it is linked with increased blood pressure) or not using iodised salt it would be easy to become iodine deficient. (luke warm: 09 Oct 2009 12:21:31pm)

Iodised salt can be bought anywhere, however some people are affected by too much iodine…so it is unfair to force this onto the public! If you need iodine, ask your doctor what the side effects of overdosing will be and how it works with any medications! You don’t know all the additives in food that can cause so many problems. (Pat Johnson: 09 Oct 2009 10:59:42am)

According to Australia’s Policy Guideline – Fortification of Food with Vitamins and Minerals, the mandatory addition of vitamins and minerals will only occur if there has been a demonstrated significant health problem and that the additives do not result in detrimental excesses or imbalances in the intake of the general population.

What but does this mean for those who would suffer ‘detrimental’ excesses? According to Deakin University’s Adjunct Professor Joe Lederman,

Australian consumers should have the right to claim for compensation if they are adversely affected by food which has been fortified with additives by Government mandate

Folate

He said while that attempts to encourage pregnant women to increase their folate intake through folic acid supplements and voluntary fortification of certain foods with folic acid, had resulted in a 30 per cent decrease in neural tube defects among non-indigenous infants, there was no change in the rates of these defects in indigenous Australian infants.

He also claimed that the mandatory fortification meant that,

Australians would be exposed to significantly raised levels of synthetic folic acid (that) …might cause serious illness or mask other serious health conditions.

He concluded that this mandatory fortification should be accompanied by a legal right to compensation should it result in ill-health in the future.

Perhaps education  regarding good diet should go hand-in-hand with the availability of fortified and non-fortified foods (and water), giving consumers the ultimate right to chose and the responsibility of what is right for their bodies.

The military fort was part of the third fortification around the city of Antwerp. It was the only one in the third fortification with an irregular formed plan. The construction of the Fort started before WW1 but the works weren’t finished when the war started. In WW2 it got quickly conquered and served mostly as a point of distribution. In the 1960’s it became abandoned.

Wine Service

‘Has it been chilled? Can you pop an ice cube in it?’

If, like me, you serve wine & food to customers for a living then this question will be as familiar as the statement ‘Ooh the soup’s nice & hot. ‘ Yeah, I’ve spent my whole career, as has the chef, ensuring I can put a bottle of wine in a fridge & the chef a saucepan of soup on a stove. So what else am I to learn from my WSET about wine service? Chilled wine has a place, as has the degree of chilling. Wine has an optimum placing, both arriving in its best receptacle as much as what next to.

Food fridges generally are set to 2-5ºC to ensure food is kept in its best condition for as long as possible. Drinks fridges not so cold. The coolest these should be at is 6º.
bettertastingwine has conveniently posted the matrix http://www.bettertastingwine.com/serving_temperature_chart.html so I’ll not simply repeat, but it is of note that the fuller the wine the warmer the service temperature. The light chilling of paler reds has become more common practice in the UK now. I shall be less keen with the ice bucket for the fuller whites, also our snugly warm room temperature is way too warm for even the biggest reds, it’ll be 1/2 an hour on the doorstep for the home service of these this winter at home.

I can open a bottle of wine, well practised, but there are a host of options for getting in there.
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My preference is the little green chap 2nd left bottom row, the waiters’ friend. My nemesis to his right. I’ve never tried the twin prong, so still have things to look forward to then. This image is from http://www.davidstuff.com/wine/glasses.htm who conveniently has a lovely selection of wine glasses too & some sound advice on their care. I particularly like this quote ‘If, like me, you don’t particularly care to handle your delicate crystal glasses after consuming more than one serving, then thoroughly rinse the wine residue out of the glass and clean it in the morning when your motor functions are more stable.’

One opening rule of some importance is the safe opening of sparkling wines. After ripping off the foil top, unwinding the cage, keep a thumb over the cork, turn the bottle away from people, hold at 30º take a firm hold of the cork & with the other hand turn the bottle. The force of the gas pressure in the bottle will send a cork away from you at dangerous speeds, but not a bottle away from the cork at noticeable pressure. If the fizzy has been a bit shaken up on its way to your hands, as the house Champagne seemed to have been on its way to http://www.graze-restaurant.co.uk whilst I was there, then the covering of the cork with a clean tea towel, then holding it through that, prevents the cork shooting out of your control & covers any lively activity after that. Done with flourish this looks professional. Sparkling wines always go back in the ice bucket to keep them cool, so a tea towel around the neck to dry the bottle is obligatory wherever it’s being served.

So looking professional with wine service, there’s a code of practice here. Show the bottle of wine to whomever has ordered it. The oldest gentleman is not necessarily this person these days, & the ‘host’ has often had the most botox so determining the most senior is treacherous in dimly lit service spaces anyhow. This is for them to read the label. I have been thankful of the ‘host’ paying attention here on many occasions. Offhand ‘I’ll take the Pinot’ could result in many a wine of many colours coming to the table, once they’ve said yes it’s their issue. The other important thing they’re reading is the vintage. Vintages run out, wine suppliers could tell the restaurant they’ve moved on, but this may not yet have been updated on the wine list. For certain wines this is significant, let the discerning customer make this choice. They get to taste the wine, only 50ml or so. They can say yes or no at this point. It could be wrong in any way, off, tainted, too young, or simply not typical of type. Whatever, it is my rule is to not serve it if the customer doesn’t like it, each restaurant has its own feelings on this. Pour everyone else’s glasses before returning to the ‘host’s’. How much? Well, in the ISO glass it was filled to the point where the bowl is widest, its safe to use the same rule with the glasses on the dinner table.

Breathing, not just whilst you’re at the table, but the wine too. Whites & rosés don’t need it, but, as I was corrected, ALL red wine opens up with some breathing, even the lightest Gamays. The more mature reds will need it to pour off the clean wine away from the sediment. The bottle must have settled for a day or so, so no shakey shakey on the way to the table. Best to decant away from the table after tasting. Do it against a light source, the romantic traditional way is in front of a candle. This is so you can watch the wine as it pours into the decanter, then as the sediment reaches the neck of the bottle stop pouring, this little bit is for the stock pot, not the wine glass. Even non-sedimented reds open more after decanting. It’s the aeration that gets oxygen into contact with the wine, so allowing aromas to come out. This makes a huge difference to very tannic reds as after a while the fruit aromas become more pronounced. There is an optimum time for this, so more than a few hours is generally too much. If there is something up with the wine, especially brett taint, then it becomes more apparent as the flavours develop. Double decanting is sometimes done to speed this aeration up. In some establishments the bottle is cleaned out & the wine returned to it. What makes no difference is simply opening a bottle of wine. The surface area at the neck of the bottle is too narrow to have any impact on the wine. If all you’re to do is let the wine breathe, pour a little into a glass, the customer’s hopefully, so the surface of the wine is in the body of the bottle.

Which glass for what? Beautifully shown on http://www.davidstuff.com/wine/glasses.htm The best shape, like the ISO, is a tulip shape. This is to maximise the surface area of the wine in ratio to the enclosed area above. Max your olfactory stimulation this way. The air above the wine is where the enjoyment all begins, so don’t generally fill the glass above the 2/3’s mark. The mid 20th century fashion for Champagne in Coupés was a bit of sacrilege, Marilyn had generally spilt most of it whilst tripping over anyway. The progress of the bubbles up through the Champagne imbues them with the wine’s flavour, so the longest route gives the most aroma. The flute always wins. The white & rosé glass is slightly smaller & tighter than the reds’ to concentrate their aromas. The ‘bowls’ for red wine allow all the bigger aromas room to dance. Fortified wine glasses are smaller again, not just as the measure served is less, but as they have higher alcohol present that vapour should be allowed to dissipate to accentuate the fruit & floral aromas. Sherries & brandies too have their respective glassware that bring out their best attributes.

So there’s the synopsis for bottle service, how about the ‘by the glass’ customer? Here there has been great debate on size. The Paris goblet? So beloved of Sharon Watts for a swift shot or 2 of Gin Angie-style when she needed a lil stiffna! That’s really the best use of this 70’s wine service globe, 125ml GS (Government Stamped) mark nicely eroded by the glass-washer over long reuse. There is no reason to have nasty glassware for glass service of wine. Any glasses can be sent off to get the GS, or wine can be measured before pouring into the glass to comply with licensing law. So again it’s back to how much?

125ml was the standard glass of wine size for many a year, then 175ml appeared as large. As our habits changed & eating out became more normal 175ml took over as the norm. This resulted in 250ml becoming large, pushing the 125ml definitively into being small. This is all well & good for choice, though few establishments offer all 3 sizes. Problems have arisen with compliance with due diligence as a licensee as wines have increased in ABV (Alcohol by Volume) through the late 80’s & 90’s. Without going all maths teacher, I don’t have the cardigan range, if wine were sold in 1 litre bottles the maths would be easy.
Wine at 8% would have 8 units in 1 litre. Wine is sold in 75cl bottles, so multiply the ABV * 0.75 to calculate the units of alcohol in a bottle. In this instance 8 * 0.75 = 6 units. Confused?
Well, that’s easy, so how many units in a ‘glass’ of wine? This is very important for people counting their units, usually drivers. Wine from this bottle in a 125ml glass = 1 unit; in a 175ml glass = 1.5 units; in as 250ml glass = 2 units.
With no ’standard’ for a ‘glass’ of wine the discerning or conscientious customer has a raft of questions to ask. More importantly the average ABV for most wines sold in the UK is upwards of 12%, that’s at least half as much again as illustrated. With 175ml taking over as the ’standard’ it pushes units consumed well over 2, even with food, dangerously close to a driver over the limit of their BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration). This is what is used to measure the levels of ethanol in blood that causes intoxication. The speed of alcohol becoming ethanol in a person’s blood stream is affected by gender, health, weight, recent food intake, personal absorption & metabolism just to name a few factors. So how large measures of wine should be served in & at what ABV to be responsible licensees is a hot topic.
‘How much til I’m over the limit mate?’
‘Just step in this medical examination chamber adjacent to the restaurant & I’ll let you know after an hour of tests!’

You’ve the wine in the desirable glass at a size you are comfortable with, now you’d like food with it. Unless drinking the wine on its own or finishing it before food then compatibility is pretty important for complete enjoyment. Many people choose wine after choosing food, or choose wine that will partner many food styles to keep everyone happy. I like a G&T before dinner so I can choose the wine after food choices. This restaurant http://www.ilsanlorenzo.it/ won me over on their approach by presenting 1st the aperitif menu, the only wines being by the glass; then food menu; then & only then the wine list.

There is great debate in restaurants over food matching, especially when ‘taster/grazing/degustation’ menus offer a matching wines option.
It seems the golden rule on incompatibility is oily & salty foods don’t partner tannic red wines well.
I’m going to run through the prescribed matches in the order of the Systematic Approach;
Intensity – Intensely flavoured food = Intensely flavoured wine. Not to be misread as heavy or rich.
Sweetness- Sweet food, also salty = Sweeter than the food sweet wine. Use the sweeties also with salted nuts & oily patés.
Acidity - Acidic food, also salty food = Acidic wines. Many tastings will show high acidity, that watering mouth feel.
Tannin - It’s the red meats here = Tannic wines.
Body - Lighter flavours = Lighter bodied whites & reds. Often the steamed meats with light sauces
Intense,creamy, rich foods = Full bodied whites & reds. This is where the seared meats, creamed potatoes & slow-roasted foods partner the chewy wines.

This is a bit of an over simplification perhaps, but as I get through the tastings I shall note the classic pairings, as I cook I shall try some of these out myself too.

So here is where I begin my learning

//

Now I’m off to reheat my duck & lentil soup from last night as I’m famished. It was the only way to use up the ruined Campo Viejo Rioja that was undrinkable from the day before. More on wine storage, Martin McColl, later

A favourite Friday after work haunt of ours, this “tasco” (tavern) affectionately known to all as the Badalhoca (you don’t want to know what that means) serves perhaps the best “presunto” sandwiches in town. The sandwiches are so good it’s the sort of place that you see all types of people rubbing shoulders together – today for example it was full of uniformed policemen doing exactly the same as us. Off duty no doubt(?!)  Definitely worth a visit if you haven’t been there. HJS

© *Firefox

   #mce_temp_url#

Caerphilly Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerffili) is a Norman castle that dominates the centre of the town of Caerphilly in south Wales.

Source: wikipedia.org

L’histoire commence au XIe et plus sûrement en 1265. L’endroit est saisissant, j’y arrivai en fin de matinée, toute la nuit il avait neigé, pas assez pour ouvrir les pistes des crêtes. Depuis Guillestre, la route remonte la vallée du Guil, entre défilé de roches noires et fond de vallée herbeuse l’été. Le verrou, ainsi baptisé par les pros de la fortif, semble effectivement, occuper le milieu de la vallée, juste après un dernier défilé. Dans les nuages et la neige fondante la construction recouvre tout le couronnement d’un éperon, à ses pieds le village. Triste en diable, avec ses pierres grises et ses toitures en “bac acier” vaguement couvertes de mocquelotte, il plomberait le moral d’un gagnant du gros lot de la Loterie Nationale. Au-dessus c’est pire, la masse grisâtre et suintante du fort achève de me glacer pour de vrai le dos, le fond de l’air est vraiment frais. Tu sais, cette humidité persistante, qu’est ce que je fais là, les potes sont restés dans le chalet à siroter des bières en jouant au poker. Au moins j’aurai un truc à raconter ce soir, ces zouaves ne m’écouteront même pas.
J’imagine l’intérieur, des couloirs bétonnés où règne le froid, la condensation sur les murs et les voûtes, des pièces nues, des casernements sinistres aux châlits rouillés, chaque cour que tu traverses est un courant d’air, la bise souffle là-haut. Heureusement c’est fermé, de septembre à juin. La position hautement stratégique de Château Queyras a déterminé Louis XIV pour le renforcement de la place. A la suite de la révocation de l’Edit de Nantes les Savoyards et les huguenots menacent à nouveau le Queyras. Vauban s’acquitte de la tâche à peu de frais, en 1700 il agrandit la superficie du site qui se transforme en fort. La partie médiévale est englobée dans une nouvelle enceinte qui occupe tout le couronnement de l’éperon, la garnison compte plus de 200 hommes. Tout le vocabulaire militaire est bien là réuni autour du vieux donjon à l’appareil incertain dissimulé par un grossier crépi : bastion, terre-plein en demie lune pour l’artillerie, galerie voûtée à l’épreuve des bombes. Au XIXe, le système défensif s’étend aux contreforts avec des batteries couvertes, c’est l’époque Haxo. Avec la stabilisation des frontières le lieu perd de son importance et devient une caserne pour les Chasseurs Alpins, épargné par les deux guerres du XXe, l’armée s’en sépare en 1967. Parvenu intact avec ses aménagements successifs depuis le XIVe, l’agglomération et la juxtaposition des bâtiments ne charment pas, l’harmonie grisâtre de l’enduit et du schiste n’arrange pas l’affaire, l’efficacité prime, heureusement nous sommes en montagne. R.C

A 2800 m, sur la route qui relie Nice à Barcelonnette, un des plus hauts cols d’Europe, des ouvrages de frontières de la ligne Maginot. A l’époque, la France, lasse de servir de terrain de manœuvre aux conflits européens se dotait d’un système de fortification hyper sophistiqué au positionnement moyenâgeux. Les ouvrages de Restefond furent les derniers entrepris dans la campagne de construction de la ligne, voilà pourquoi ils ne sont pas tout à fait terminés. De surcroît, l’édification était contingentée, à 2800 m la belle saison dure 3 mois, si le mode de construction est standardisé, il faut s’adapter au terrain et les ouvrages sont répartis un peu partout sur les crêtes voisines. De quoi s’amuser, d’autant que les matériaux ne montaient pas tout seul là-haut. Une partie des fortins est en pierre du pays, les plus récents sont bétonnés. De lourdes cloches tourelles en métal, estampées Thyssen, sont toujours entreposées au bord de la route sans avoir été scellées sur les casemates, au printemps les Allemands avaient envahi la Pologne. La route fut créée avec des ânes et des hommes pour les camions, remise en état dans les années soixante, elle accueillit le tour de France. La première fois que je l’empruntai, en 84 dans la brume seul au volant d’une Volvo asthmatique, j’aperçus vaguement les ouvrages, l’endroit était saisissant de désolation, quelques touristes Néerlandais, à vélo, s’échinaient pendant que mon os ne passait pas la seconde. La caisse donnait des signes de fatigue, j’avais hâte de retrouver le soleil de la côte.
Au second passage changement de décors, je me souvenais d’une route à une voie unique, défoncée, aujourd’hui un ruban de bitume serpente agréablement sur les flancs de la Bonnette, il y a une buvette au col et des hordes de voitures diesel glissent sur l’asphalte. Des panneaux en bois et plexi racontent l’histoire de Restefond. R.C

Martello Tower

Meet me on the casemate,
at the carfax of all my edges,
the killing ground,
the redoubt,
or on a level playing field, please.

There, in borrowed armour,
I will surrender all those hours
I have squandered in thrall
to your silence,
your distance,
resistance.

When the ink is dry on this declaration,
I will be free from the futility
of my obsession,
sailing away from the treachery
of your skin’s coast
in a boat made of fists.

Tonight, young men must be dancing
all along Brick Street,
fighting duels over you
which I am prevented from joining
by the terms of my capitulation.

Forty miles south of your mouth
I’m reduced to being a road sign,
mutely directing my admiration
in your direction.

Published in Poetry Wales volume 39 number 2

It seems topical to discuss folic acid fortification as it has recently been in the news and by the end of the year it will be a legal requirement that breads contain approximately 135µg of folate per 100g. I will actually not wade into the debate directly, fortuitously a study was published mid last month on one of the potential benefits of folate supplementation. The study looked at the effect of supplementation on the number of very preterm births and found that it had a protective effect.

First a little background might be in order, Folic acid is one of the B vitamins and is important in cellular metabolism. As a vitamin it is a nutrient that we must obtain through our diet. Food stuffs such as leafy vegetables and liver (mmm, liver) are good sources of folate however it is still a part of our diet that tends to be lacking. Because of this many western countries now mandate fortification of grain products with the vitamin. This is because of the important role it also plays in pregnancy and in particular the prevention of Neural Tube Defects, notably Spina bifida.

The study looking at folate supplementation and preterm births found that the important factor seemed to be duration of supplementation prior to pregnancy rather than the dosage of supplementation. In particular durations of greater than 12 months seemed to be most beneficial. However as the study was undertaken in the US the supplementation was taking place in conjunction with an existing fortification of bread products, this implies that the fortification alone was not sufficient to prevent all preterm births and that women that are planning pregnancies should continue to supplement with folate even after fortification is introduced.

In addition the folate supplementation was self reported by the women in the study at enrolment and after pregnancy had begun rather than being proscribed prior to attempts to conceive. This seems to mean that we must rely on the memory of the women to be accurate regarding the duration of supplementation. Despite this limitation there still seems to be a good correlation between supplementation and reduction in preterm births. Bottom line appears to be that supplementation in addition to fortification is a good idea for the childbearing among us.

I have just returned from one week’s vacation in Parga, on the northwest coast of Greece. My wife, son and I got “last minute” tickets to the Ionian coast. Although there are some interesting archaeological remains and buildings in this area (such as the monasteries at Meteora), these were beyond the goal for this trip. However, I briefly visited two forts, an old Venetian fort in the town of Parga and the fort of Ali Pasha in nearby Anthousa, built on a higher altitude in order to siege the other fort.

Venetian fort in Parga

Parga and/or its surroundings have remains dating back to at least the Mycenean period but the location is apparently first mentioned as Parga in 1320. In 1365 it was located on its current location and the castle dates back to this time as well. It was apparently founded by Normans. Parga was threatened by the Albanian-Serb Vlach Bogoi and the people of Parga asked help from the Venetians and they signed a treaty that lasted for around 400 years (1401-1797). During this time Parga was often under attack by the Turks and others and the site and fortress was torn down and restored again by the help of the Venetians.

Inside Ali Pasha's fort

In 1797 France became the new protector of Parga. This period was followed by a short period of Russian influence and then it returned to French governance again. It is during this period that Ali Pasha (1741-1822) joins the politics of the area. He was born in Albania and he supported the Turks in their war against Austria. As thanks for his contributions he received the title of pasha over the town Trikala in eastern Epirus. He allied himself with Napoleon who controlled the town of Preveza near Parga and later on Ali Pasha took control of Preveza as well. After Napoleon’s defeat Ali Pasha laid siege of Parga and in 1814 he built his fortress in Anthousa as the base for his operations. Since the French lost against the British, the Ionian islands, apart from Corfu, was transferred to the British. In 1817 Ali Pasha made an alliance with England who sold Parga to him. Ali Pasha was subordinated to the Turkish Sultan but he appears to have plans to create his own state. Not surprisingly this was not appreciated by the Sultan who had him shot down in 1822. Parga remained in Turkish control until 1913 when the region became part of Greece.

Ali Pasha's fort seen from Anthousa

David Davis, at the Libertarian Alliance, reveals that fortification may not be his strong point*.

Shelling the position of wh00ps, who has elected (as we say in the accident reports) to occupy a tower block, he says:

But you’d better hope your assaulters have not got artillery of any kind, I suppose. That the lifts might be put out of action by it, is the least of your worries! What if the building falls “at terminal speed”?

But then goes on:

How about a Motte-and-Bailey castle, or better, a proper one, or even the really really strategically-focussed ones, such as was built by Edward I…

If they do indeed have artillery, their reduction of any such structure is only a matter of time. More time, perhaps, than might be required to reduce a tower block; it would depend.

What wh00ps needs to resist the artillery, assuming they do have it, is an artillery fortress, such as those constructed with satisfactory mathematicality by Marshal Vauban.

Modern fortification relies so heavily upon secrecy and concealment that it is strategically best if it does not exist at all. At the Villa Underclass we therefore have invested relatively little in fifteen-foot walls, infra-red searchlights and Pilkington’s Optical Sabretape, and hardly anything at all in sirens, Land-Rovers and SMGs, but instead maintain the house in such an ordinary and anonymous condition that it could easily be supposed to conceal the shafthead of some secret underground government bunker.

* these Footlights-grade puns are supplied in tasteful 1lb. tins by Messrs. Harrods.

Warfare has been of interest in Mayanist studies for a long time. Once thought to be a peaceful civilization, it was transformed into a hoard of blood-thirsty shaman-kings by Linda Schele, David Freidel and others. As a general rule in these studies on past warfare it is argued that warfare increased in scale, frequency, and “nature” over time to reach a peak at the Terminal Classic and/or Postclassic. What is the archaeological basis for this assumption?

When hierarchically social formations appeared at the end of the Middle Formative, new political positions, titles, and offices emerged which people are believed to have desired and competed for. These positions were few and new ones were not created although the population increased according to David Webster. However, there seems to be little physical traces of such competitions around this time.

The situation is different with Late Classic material which is argued to indicate increased warfare in relation to earlier periods. Evidence for increased warfare consists of fortifications in site centers (like the ones at Yo’okop, see photo), the location of centers in isolated areas, and massive moat-wall complexes. It is believed that several centuries of elite polygyny, intermarriage among certain groups, led to a complex and fragmented political world. Thus, there is another assumption that fragmentation automatically leads to warfare. Without direct glyphic evidence, it is argued that factions of people desired the possession of resources, titles, and labor of others or that they wanted to create new polities.

Fortification at Yo'okop

Multiple burials, at for example Tikal, may indicate mass sacrifices of enemies. Some massacres occurred at a few places in relation to site abandonment, such as at Cancúen. However, the occurance of these burials are not bountiful. They are also known from Late Formative contexts, even at small sites, such as Cuello in northern Belize. But mass burials, indicative of sacrifice, should not be common at any time since warfare is not something done on a regular basis.

Webster argues that the Late Classic wars occured on a high frequency because warfare never included large military infrastructures. Hassig has argued that only 600-1000 elite warriors may have existed at Tikal at the height of its power. However, the wars in earlier periods would also have lacked this infrastructure. It is assumed that an experienced force of elites probably could have mobilized a large commoner force in case of emergency. Still, this is based upon analogies, since no archaeological or textual evidence for mobilising commoners exist for the Classic period.

Evidence for increased warfare is usually attributed to glyphic expressions. For example, the earliest “star war” event is noted at Caracol. Thus, most textual evidence of warfare relate to the 6th century and later. This may reflect new needs among the royal elite. These texts basically contain formulaic texts. No details, apart from the date, the event, the defeated ruler and his site, were mentioned. Defeats and victories were recorded by a ruler’s scribes, but defeats were only mentioned in relation to later victories. Thus, from these later inscriptions we cannot say how often warfare occurred in the Early Classic or the Late Formative. Much of data related to these earlier periods are likely buried under Late Classic constructions. The Late Classic period rulers claimed continuity between their own battles and successes of earlier kings and it is basically from these sources we know about earlier battles.

It is from the Classic period we have some indications when during the year warfare was most frequent. It appears to have peaked during the dry season (January-April). Planting sesason was in May, and harvest was from mid-September to the end of October. The few conflicts that occured in the June-September rainy season were shorter than the ones during the dry season. This pattern could potentially support an idea that “commoners” participated in warfare, as they were not confined to work with agriculture. But it might just as well be argued that elite warriors attacked their enemies when the stores were full after harvest (although storage facilities are rare in the Maya area) or whenever roads or trails were passable.

Further, Aldana argues that the correlation issue between the Long Count calendar and the Gregorian calender still has not been solved. The resolution of the GMT correlation concern a matter of at least sixty days and if Aldana is right we may have to reconsider the astronomical data as well, and when the “star-wars” and other warrelated events occurred. The Star war events are perhaps not related to the planet Venus after all but to meteors.

It is further assumed, from archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic remains, that warfare involved even more people during the Terminal Classic and the Postclassic than in the Late Classic, at least in terms of percentage since there was a general decline in demography (apart from the Terminal Classic northern lowlands). The iconography from the northern lowlands during this time show many participants, both in wars and rituals. This has been suggested to represent an emerging warrior society or order. The general idea is therefore that warfare changed in the Terminal Classic, such as the burning and sacking of sites that can be seen in Chichén Itzá’s murals.

This is to me a awkward conclusion from iconography. Mural paintings covering whole walls can, of course, depict more people than a lintel or a stela. Since we do not have many surviving mural paintings from the Classic period, until the Late Classic (Bonampak) and the Terminal Classic (Chichén Itzá), these few examples tend to stand for the whole past corpus. The Late Formative murals at San Bartolo does not emphasize war, but we cannot make a general judgement of the whole Maya area and the whole period from this fragmented and scattered evidence.

It is still far from certain that warfare affected a larger population at any period except when sites have been abandoned as a result of warfare, such as at Dos Pilas, Aguateca, Cancúen, Chunchucmil, Copán, Piedras Negras and Caracol. For such cases, Demarest, Rice and Rice argue for refugees that may have involved large populations. From what is presently known, before the wars in the Petexbatun area there is no direct evidence that warfare affected a wider population. There are not many indicators that large armies clashed at any time. The hieroglyphically recorded violent events may only have concerned a few number of combattants even during the Late Classic.