Adăugaţi sare!

Însă de ce adăugând sare, ananasul devine mai dulce? Un articol ABC Science ne spune că lucrurile se petrec mai degrabă în creierul nostru datorită interacţiunilor complexe dintre gusturi* (dulce, sărăt, amar, acru, umami).  De exemplu, dulcele şi amarul se anihilează reciproc, ca atunci când puneţi zahăr în cafea. În cazul nostru avem dulce, amar şi sărat. La nivelul papilelor gustative, sodiul din sarea de bucătărie este inhibitor al semnalului pentru gust amar, care nu mai ajunge la creier, astfel încât gustul dulce este mult mai pregnant (nu este contrabalansat de gustul amar din ananas). La nivel biochimic, reacţiile sunt de asemenea compexe.

* unii mai spun că există şi gustul picant (iute) sau cel metalic.

Photo by Kyle McDonald (via flickr)

Mate Soulmate SPDP  

Short Fiction – A Tasty Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Pune. Fergusson College Road. Vaishali Restaurant. 5 PM on a Sunday evening.

Crowded. Crammed full. Jam-packed. All tables occupied chock-a-block. Aisles teeming with people waiting with watchful eyes for signs of someone finishing their refreshments.

Suddenly I see a woman waving to me, beckoning me with her hand. Her face seems familiar – oh yes, she is Ravi’s wife. She is sitting all alone on a table for two with a half eaten masala dosa in front of her.

I walk towards her and give her a smile.

“Sit down, sit down,” she says to me, gesturing with her hand towards the empty chair opposite her, “Sit down here with me, otherwise you will have to wait for hours.”

I sit down opposite her and say, “Thanks.”

She summons a waiter and orders peremptorily, “SPDP.”

“Two?” the waiter asks.

“No, one SPDP for Madam,” she says pointing to the empty plate in front of me without even bothering to ask me, then she pauses for a moment and tells the waiter, “and get one Kachori for me.”

Before I can recover my wits, she says, “You like SPDP don’t you? Ravi told me.”

“Yes, I love the SPDP at Vaishali. In fact I come all the way here every Sunday…”

“To spend the day reading in the library opposite followed by an SPDP at Vaishali,” she completes my sentence.

“Ravi told you all this?”

“Of course. He’s told me everything about you. Ravi admires you so much, he always talks about you.”

“Really? But he never tells me anything about you.”

“What’s there to tell? I am only his housewife, you are his office wife.”

“Come on. Please don’t say that. There is nothing like that between me and Ravi. We are just colleagues – workmates…”

“Workmates?” Ravi’s wife interrupts, and then says with a hint of sarcasm, “I think you are his true soulmate – and I am only his mate!”

I am struck dumb, feel a bit uneasy, but suddenly the plate of SPDP is kept in front of me, so I look down and begin to eat.

“I’m sorry,” she says, “Don’t get angry. I was just teasing. I want you to be Ravi’s friend. He likes you so much. That’s why he is so happy in office and doing so well in his work.”

I stop eating; look up at her vacuously, wondering what to say.

“Ravi appreciates you so much he even brings you home to me every evening in his thoughts and talks…that’s why I wanted to meet you.”

“We’ve met before…”

“Only once, that too only an introduction, at the Office Annual Day get-together…we are hardly married for three months, you know, and you all are so busy, with your targets and all, so I decided to meet you, talk to you, get to know you better, make a friendship…”

“You mean…”

“Yes, I contrived this coincidence. I came to the library also, but you were so busy browsing that I did not want to disturb you, so I waited here in Vaishali knowing you would surely come for your SPDP.”

“You’re not eating your Kachori,” I say, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

“Here, you eat,” she says pushing her untouched plate of Kachori and katori of whipped curds towards me, “I am all full – I ate an Uttapam, Idli-Vada Sambar, god-knows-what, waiting for you to come…”

She leans forward and casually picks up a Sev Potato Dahi Puri from my plate, pops into her mouth and says, “Wow. I love the chatpata flavour of SPDP – you call it Umami taste or something – that’s what you told Ravi, isn’t it?”

“I think I’ll go now,” I say, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, making up my mind to have a long talk with Ravi the moment I meet him in the morning at work.

“No, no, don’t go, I want to show you something.”

“Show me something?”

“Yes, that’s why I came all the way here to meet you.”

We finish the SPDP and Kachori, I insist on paying the bill, she doesn’t object too much, and then she takes me to the drapery section of the Shopping Mall nearby.

“We are furnishing our new house,” she says, pointing at the curtain cloth on display.

I look at her clueless.

“I like yellow, you like blue, and since you have told him about the aesthetic cool tranquil beauty of the blue colour, Ravi is besotted with everything blue – blue shirts, blue trousers, blue table-covers, blue bed-sheets, blue napkins, the sober blue everything that you make him buy…”

I look furtively and self-consciously at the blue dress I am wearing, and say, “Okay, tell me which curtains you like.”

She points to a bright yellow floral print and says, “I like that one, I love yellow, so lively and cheerful… I hate sober gloomy colours, especially blue, it depresses me.”

Next morning at the office, Ravi says to me, “Hey, keep yourself free in the evening. We’ll go to Deccan for some shopping. You’ve got to help me select curtains for our new home. Then we’ll have SPDP at Vaishali.”

“Sure, Ravi, I’ll love to come with you,” I say.

Now I’ve got till evening to decide one thing – which colour curtains should I tell Ravi to buy – Yellow Curtains or Blue Curtains?

VIKRAM KARVE

 Copyright © Vikram Karve 2009

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve 

Appetite for a Stroll

vikramkarve@sify.com

I hadn’t made a risotto in a while and the last one I made was a bit sub par, so the other day I decided to try again.  I watched a couple technique videos on eatdrinkordie.com (Thanks Tom Colicchio) and made a portabello risotto.  It was pretty good and I went and got myself addicted.  This recipe is the third revision of the portabello risotto.  Eat at your own risk you just might get hooked.

This recipe will make about four large portions

Ingredients

• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 shallot fine diced
• 3 cloves carlic fine diced
• 1 large portabello cap large diced or 3 shitake caps sliced
• 4-6 cups vegetable stock
• olive oil
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

So this recipe requires a bit of patience so if you dont have about 45 minutes to kill you may not want to commit to it.  Add your salt and pepper throughout the cooking process for a balanced seasoning at the end

First off your going to want to heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a stainless steel pot  or deep pan.  Set the stovetop to about medium or just a little lower.  In a seperate pot get your stock warm, not hot, warm.  Add your onion and shallot to the oil.   The key to caramelizing onion is a medium heat and time.  just move them around occasionally until the onion becomes soft sweet and light brown in color. 

 To the onions add the diced garlic and rice.  Turn the heat up to just above medium.  toast the rice for about a minute or two being sure it is well coated with the oil and onions.   Deglaze the pan with about half of your wine.  Stir it so that anything stuck to the pan comes loose and mixes with the rice.   This is an important step for building good flavor.

By now your stock should be warm.   You want to add about a half cup of stock at a time stirring occasionally to release the starches in the rice which will eventually give it a creamy texture. 

Try not to let it boil in your pan.  If it boils the rice will have a soft texture, you want to end up with an al dente sort of texture no crunch but no mush either.  Just stir the stock in until it evaporates then add another half cup or so.  After a couple cups of stock have been ubsorbed add your mushrooms and balsamic.  Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is the desired texture.  From your first cup of stock it should take about 20 to 35 minutes depending on your temp to cook the rice properly. 

Once you think the rice is done add a quater cup more of stock your remaining wine and your chopped cilantro.  Stir until the consistency is such that when you run a spoon through it a trench forms and then slowly closes back up.  Garnish with a little more cilantro and raw mushroom.

If you have leftovers you can reheat them after they have been refrigerated by adding a little warm stock then brining it up to temperature in a frying pan.  Not as good as it was right out of the pan the first time but still good.

Today, for our Sunday Football dinner I made Chicken and Dumplings. I went to my all time favorite recipe website and found this recipe for Herbed Dumplings. Very Umani - um, that would be Umami – the word for the day, haha. Yeah, my younger nephew and I are watching the Iron Chef competition together. Unfortunately, I don’t have a single picture. There is nothing left of the dish, not so much as a dumpling to show. I used fresh herbs in mine, and added rosemary as well…it was good.

The new buzz word / so much so that I hesitate to use it / the 5th taste / the dimension that brings all others together in a euphoric moment of experience / I have had many of these moments / however they do not always happen with my palate / it has found its way into my very existence / transcending time / nothing before / nothing after / the simple truth of IS/ the perfect blend of everything /where all is understood and nothing needs explaining.

I had my first moment many years ago in NYC / I was walking along  W 72nd street /  it was a beautiful summer day / I had an amazingly simple experience in Central Park / and all of a sudden / I existed / yet differently / I was in my skin / but had no limitations / I literally became absorbed in the essence of the moment / I smelled flowers I could not see and heard leaves rustling three blocks away / CPW and 72nd Street / it took my breath away / but I could breathe / grace, harmony & peace intersecting at Umami Junction.

kai & gipsy fireside / Mt. Tabor, VT 2008

I have had many more experiences since then / some just as dramatic / some not / but every one as powerful / sitting on a log on a cold mountain night with Gipsy, my brilliant & gifted  friend / fire crackling and nose running / the smell of wood smoke, intoxicating and mesmerizing as it climbed its invisible ladder upward / dancing / to meet the stars that literally made the sky shimmer / or sitting on top of Celebration Rock / which is / in my book / Heaven on Earth / or when I dance / defying gravity and all its laws and expectations / putting the perfect piece of sushi in my mouth / allowing Umami to take over and combine the flavors, the atmosphere, the company and the celebration of creativity and friendship.

Embrace each morning’s mystery

Umami / all that is ordinary and expected give way to extraordinary and surprising / resting in a perfect state of complete surrender;  to all that was, is and ever will be / all these things lending their own exquisite voice to the harmonious sound that defies human understanding / transcending to a place that simply cannot be described / only experienced / share your umami moments with me / kai

Had you heard of umami a month ago? Me either. But since Kikoman started their discover umami campaign, I have seen it everywhere. They had to make umami dishes in a Top Chef quickfire and they had to make a whole umami meal on The Next Iron Chef. You get my point right? Umami is suddenly being talked about everywhere.

A month ago I didn’t even know it existed! But now that I do it’s pretty obvious to me that Umami and Millennials have a lot in common.

1. They are both a little hard to define- What exactly is umami? Is it savory, meaty, brothy, tasty? It’s one of basic tastes, but the definition isn’t as clear-cut as our other tastes, like salty and sweet.  Similarly, Millennials are a lot more difficult to define than previous generations. Do we love technology, do we use social networks, do we care about the environment? There are obviously no clearcut answers to these questions, because Millennials are so much more diverse than previous generations.

2. They both have people in a love/hate relationship- Most people either love or hate Millennials. Either you get the benefits they bring to your workplace, or you think they are a pain in the butt. Umami rich foods have a ton of glutamate in them, which similarly people either love or hate. Roquefort cheese, fish sauce and shiitake mushrooms are all foods characterized as umami rich. It’s difficult to know why, but you either like these foods or you don’t.

3. They both get overshadowed by hype- When I first saw the discover umami commercials I thought they were a load of crap. Umami seemed like just a bunch of hype to me. But then I did some research and found that umami isn’t just an advertising campaign. And I think the same thing happens with Millennials. Often times our negative qualities get overhyped and it is hard to see the reality behind our behaviors. But do a little research, and it’s easy to see all of the great characteristics of Millennials.

So it’s not exactly an equal comparison, but I think Millennials and Umami have a lot in common. Do you think so too?

Det finns en hel drös av böcker i hur du ska kombinera mat och dryck men är du “nybörjare” räcker det oftast med att utgå från några enklare regler för hur maten påverkar vinet och vice versa. Det finns en hel del klassiska kombinationer av mat och dryck som man kan bygga vidare på med alternativa tillagningstekniker, råvaror och texturer. Varför uppfinna hjulet igen? Ett annat bra och ofta säkert tips är att utgå från vinets odlingsområde och titta på traditionella maträtter från regionen – för självklart blir resultatet av lång tradition av matlagning att mat och vin närmar sig varandra på ett naturligt sätt.

Grundsmakerna i mat och vin påverkar varandra i högsta grad. Att använda en grundsmak i maten för att framhäva en egenskap hos vinet är väldigt effektivt – och förödande om man gör fel. Att kombinera fel kan innebära att maten eller vinet faller platt och upplevelsen går om intet. Därför är ett annat bra tips att gardera sig med två eller tre viner om man känner sig osäker och smaka dessa under tiden man lagar eller förbereder maten för att hitta ett vin som förhöjer din smakupplevelse.

Använd gärna följande lathund när du ska kombinera mat och vin – det kan löna sig att planera den där viktiga eller speciella måltiden;

Syra i maten minskar upplevelsen av syrlighet, strävhet och beska i vinet men förhöjer sötman. Syra i vinet  minskar upplevelsen av hetta, styrka, syrlighet och beska men ökar matens sötma. Sötma i maten ökar vinets syra, beska och strävhet men minskar vinets egen sötma. Sötma i vinet minskar matens hetta, styrka och matens egen sötma men ökar syrligheten och beskan. Beska/ bitterhet i maten ökar både vinets egen beska, sötma och också umamins effekt på vinet. Beska/ bitterhet i vinet ökar på samma sätt matens beska och sötma och minskar upplevelsen av syra och sälta. Sälta i maten minskar syra, beska, strävhet, sötma och umamins effekt på vinet och även sälta i vinet minskar syra, beska och sötma i maten.

Snurrigt? Inte nog med att grundsmakerna påverkar både i mat och vin – vinets egenskaper som smaker och dofter är väldigt viktiga när det gäller att finna samklang i maten. Vi har väl alla förundrats över vinkypare och sommelierer och deras vinspråk vid vinprovningar? Ett kul sätt att lära sig att känna igen olika bouquet och smaker i vinet är att använda ett vinaromset med essenser. Smak och doftminnen är starka och har man väl satt fingret på en doft i ett vin glömmer man den sällan så det är bara att “öva” och lära sig att känna igen de vanligaste så kommer mycket av sig självt.

Lycka till med de bästa kombinationerna av mat och dryck!

www.umamimami.wordpress.com for more blogging fun

www.tuscaninteriors.us for upscale, Italian Interior decorating

I am not a ‘blogger’, per se.  I don’t share the need to spill my emotional baggage on unsuspecting readers.  However, I do have an opinion and I, surprisingly and maybe not at the most opportune times, have quite a bit to say.  I am a bit of a foodie, but not completely defined by that.  I also love high-end shopping for some reason too.  I like being free to go and see the world, although I am very self-conscious.  There is a constant battle to find the balance between these things and a semblance of a normal life.  I see myself as a regular person with a slightly more sophisticated idea of quality than mainstream.  I could be wrong or selling myself short.  Hmmm….

So, see this more as a memory dump, rather than a journal.  Maybe if I put it out ‘there’, then it won’t be so cramped up in ‘here’, referring to my head.  And, maybe something worth reading may come up.  I don’t live large and I don’t want to.  I appreciate how the simple treats in life can add so much flavor to a sane existence.

My usual caveats are that I am not wanting to go in a malicious direction or hear any guff from strangers.  Keep it happy and fun!

Here are a few things that are buzzing around in my consciousness these days:

• Gourmet Magazine is gone!  I think that they were just gaining speed with the Diaries of a Foodie series.  I had visualized them translating that global foodie awareness into the print version.  Not enough time in a tough economy, I guess.  I am definitely surprised, deeply sorrowful.  I hope that another publisher will pick it up.  Otherwise, it is a loss.  I am even saddened that Southern Accents is no longer.  Both magazines are not past their prime.  There are many other mags that I would have put on the chopping block instead.
• Umami…you know what it is.  Well, I thought it was appropriate for me.  Whether we know of it or not, it is what we seek.  I love my comfort food and I love my foo-foo meals.  What do diner vittles and world-class dining experiences have in common?
• A few of my favorite foods: parmigiano reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, chocolate – the good stuff, sushi…

 I invite you to throw me a topic.  There is very little that I don’t have an opinion about.  As sheltered as I am, you may be surprised about how much I do know!  On the other hand, it may be interesting to learn about something new that could add a little spice to life!!

email me, boo: umamimami23@gmail.com, let’s laugh together!

P.S. Other contacts still work, too: www.lacoccinella.us, www.tuscaninteriors.us, lacoccinella@gmail.com, tuscaninteriors@gmail.com.

Vi är många som är tveksamma till smakförstärkaren glutamat (E 620 – E 640). Glutamat är ett salt av aminosyran glutaminsyra som finns naturligt i vår mat och som dessutom är livsnödvändig. Men det glutamat som används som smakförstärkare görs mer eller mindre artificiellt och här kan det uppträda en “spegelvänd” form av glutaminsyran. Det är framförallt dessa som kopplas ihop med symptom som huvudvärk, törst, svettningar och allmänt obehag. I “nutritionslitteraturen” kallas det för Kineskrogs syndromet eftersom MSC  dvs glutamat används flitigt i viss kinesisk matlagning.

I Sverige hittar vi oftast glutamat i olika smaksalter, framförallt ”Aromat” men också i mycket färdigmat såväl den som görs i butikerna typ grillad kyckling som i industrins köttbullar, skinka osv. Glutamat måste alltid deklareras på förpackad mat. Tveksamt alltså med butikens grillade kyckling. Kolla efter E620 till E640 om du vill undvika glutamat.

Men hur får man då smak utan glutamat? Glutamat ger umamismak dvs  en rund lite kött/proteinsmak. Oftast tillsätts glutamat för att snåla på råvaror och göra maten billigare. Så först av allt lägg till en bit morot, selleri och lök i soppan och såsen. Särskilt umamirika tycker jag, obs smak är en smaksak, är: jordärtskockor, kronärtskockor, svartrötter, sparris, svamp, banan, nötter, frön, libbsticka, torkat kryddgrönt och alla typer av lök. 

För att få mer smak gäller det också att bryta allför tydliga smaker. Det riktigt syrliga kräver något sött t.ex morot eller palsternacka i tomatsåser, banan i fruktmoser men också att tillsätta lite socker i saltlaken. En skvätt portvin, sherry eller konjak i såsen ger också som bekant mer smak och sött portvin, sherry bryter mot  det beska medan konjak och torr sherry ger beska åt det lite för milda. Det är också därför skinkan, det rimmade fläsket osv. innehåller socker. Men obs, obs det handlar oftast om minimala mängder. Ungefär lika mycket som om man går förbi med en sockerskål.         

Förövrigt är just salt och socker utmärkta smakförstärkare. De lyfter andra smaker. Och just tillsammans är det extra effektiva.

Mer läsvärt om glutamat och tillsatser hitter du på “Susanne Gustafssons” pdf.

Sometimes tastes come from unexpected places. After reading countless articles about David Chang and Momofuku and seeing the recipe posted for his Ginger Scallion sauce, I decided to give it a try.

The “sauce” stirred up childhood memeories of when my grandmother would bring back a simple poached chicken from Chinatown. On the side they would give you a small container of minced ginger, green onions, mixed with oil and salt. After trying this version from David Chang, it made me crave a simple poached chicken.

David calls for really whatever you have on hand, such as his Bamboo Shoots (page 54 of Momofuku), Quick-Pickled Cucumbers, pan-roasted cauliflower, a pile of sliced scallions, and a sheet of toasted nori.

After seeing I was running low on dried shiitakes, I hit the store. The randomness of my grocery store always makes for an interesting way to try to get a recipe done. This time they had no dried shiitakes – but they did have fresh ones and along with fresh snow peas, and a packages of noodles, I was in business.

I sauteed the trimmed snow peas and mushrooms in a little oil with a touch of black pepper, and served it with a bit of leftover pan seared beef, and a squirt of hoisin.

The noodle sauce was very good. But, after taking a mouthful of noodles with that pungently rich and intense sauce, I took a bite of a fresh shiitake and I was overwhelmed by the unexpected deep earthy flavour of the mushrooms. It was like tasting a mushroom for the first time. I never knew a simple mushroom could be so surprising.

When someone asks you what “unami” is, this, something so simple, absolutely what you should serve them.

But I still want my grandmother to bring me a chicken back from Chinatown.

Excerpt from:

Momofuku

Ginger Scallion Noodles and Ginger Scallion Sauce

Our ginger scallion noodles are an homage to/out-and-out rip-off of one of the greatest dishes in New York City: the $4.95 plate of ginger scallion noodles at Great New York Noodletown down on the Bowery in Chinatown.

Ginger scallion sauce is one of the greatest sauces or condiments ever. Ever. It’s definitely a mother sauce at Momofuku, something that we use over and over and over again. If you have ginger scallion sauce in the fridge, you will never go hungry: stir 6 tablespoons into a bowl of hot noodles–lo mein, rice noodles, Shanghai thick noodles–and you’re in business. Or serve over a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg. Or with grilled meat or any kind of seafood. Or almost anything.

At Noodle Bar, we add a few vegetables to the Noodletown dish to appease the vegetarians, add a little sherry vinegar to the sauce to cut the fat, and leave off the squirt of hoisin sauce that Noodletown finishes the noodles with. (Not because it’s a bad idea or anything, just that we’ve got hoisin in our pork buns, and too much hoisin in a meal can be too much of a good thing. Feel free to add it back.)

The dish goes something like this: boil 6 ounces of ramen noodles, drain, toss with 6 tablespoons Ginger Scallion Sauce (below); top the bowl with 1/4 cup each of Bamboo Shoots (page 54 of Momofuku); Quick-Pickled Cucumbers (page 65 of Momofuku); pan-roasted cauliflower (a little oil in a hot wide pan, 8 or so minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the florets are dotted with brown and tender all the way through; season with salt); a pile of sliced scallions; and a sheet of toasted nori. But that’s because we’ve always got all that stuff on hand. Improvise to your needs, but know that you need ginger scallion sauce on your noodles, in your fridge, and in your life. For real.– David Chang

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
(Makes about three cups)

Directions
Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it’s best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it’s stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Use as directed, or apply as needed.

Of course, I couldn’t find any sherry vinegar. I substituted real sherry and rice wine vinegar.

Grazie al libro di ricette regalatoci durante la scorsa puntata da Laura Carcano questa settimana ci siamo dedicati alla cucina meneghina. Utilizzando solo verdura di stagione abbiamo preparato una zuppa di castagne, rave e porri. Durante la puntata abbiamo parlato di:

• L’uomo che ha vissuto per un anno con soli cento oggetti
• Tristram Stuart, il freegano che fruga nei cassonetti
• Avete sognato quest’uomo?
• L’umami, il glutammato e la sindrome da ristorante cinese
• Le casalinghe fanno più sesso e il sesso fa più casalinghe

La playlist della serata

• Song Away – Hockey
• You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry & the Pacemakers
• Laura – Girls
• Burning Down The House – Tom Jones & The Cardigans
• Cannibal resource – Dirty Projectors
• Rigby Stew – Beatles VS Green Day

Per gli amici del podcast: ora abbiamo una pagina su iTunes. L’icona qui a lato vi porterà direttamente là. L’abbonamento è gratuito e ogni settimana scaricherete automaticamente la nuova puntata. Per tutti gli altri permane il metodo tradizionale.

I saw a piece the other day about the concept of Umami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami). It is Japanese idea concerning a certain combination of flavours working to produce a stronger flavoured whole. The example they used was marmite being spread on bread, under cheese and then toasted. The overall effect was to exagerate the flavour of the cheese. There are other ingredients which, when added to meals, boost the overall flavour. The ones highlighted were worcester sauce, tomato ketchup, and parmesan. They said that the highest form of Umami is expressed through sushi where the flavours are balanced to perfection in order to highlight all the constituent parts.

Yum, sushi!

Somehow this got me thinking about the nature of taste and emotion, how I feel about certain film, music and art. Whether there is an equivalent of Umami in these fields because there are some films that produce an indescribable feeling of contradictions that gives the whole flavour much deeper impact. A life-affirming ennui or hopelessness seems to be the thing that really makes a film impact on me most severely and I can’t always pinpoint why.

Sickert's 'Ennui', from the Tate's Degas, Sickert, Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition in 2006 - which was amazing by the way.

Films like About Schmidt, Donnie Darko, American Beauty, Fight Club, Lost In Translation, Old Boy, Pan’s Labyrinth, In Bruges, The City of the Lost Children, The Motorcycle Diaries, Spirited Away, Clerks, Batteries Not Included (yes, really), Leon, and Ghost In The Shell all bring me this feeling that I love completely but that I find wholly unsettling and disturbing. It is not just in film that it can be found either. The novels of Knut Hamsun, George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka, Nikolai Gogol, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Victor Hugo all have it. The art of Mark Rothko, Egon Schiele, Walter Sickert, and Vincent Van Gogh all have it. The music of Radiohead, British Sea Power (Man of Aran mainly), UNKLE, The Strokes, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Doves, Queens Of The Stone Age, Libertines, The Strokes, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday all have it at times. What is it that draws all of these together though?

Franz Kafka, does his strange surreal existentialism change the way I think?

For films it seems to be sadness and loss that particularly flick my switches. In literature there are few moments that have moved me so much as Prince Andrei’s death in War & Peace. The death of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables was another emotional one. Crime & Punishment was a terrifying one for me because I could feel it playing with my mind as I read it. I became so involved with Radion Raskolnikov’s plight and mental deterioration that my own mood changed. The starvation of the lead character in Knut Hamsun’s ‘Hunger’ and the Parisian exploits of Orwell in Down & Out make my heart yearn for something whether it’s a mythical and romanticised version of the past or something missing from my own existence and experience. It’s a struggle between these two poles and what balances it all out seems to be love in the middle. It’s hard to find the love in any of Orwell’s books but there is something there, perhaps a love of the poor and downtrodden people of the world. I’m not sure but everything else involves either a woman or God, or both. I’m certainly no Christian but the exhilaration of Jean Valjean’s piety was amazing to me. It invigorated me whilst simultaneously depressing and hurting me. A very strange sensation but one I do revel in when I discover it.

The pious, wandering ex-convict Jean Valjean.

Again and again I go looking for this feeling and it crops up in unexpected places. Certain key changes in a piece of music or a lingering shot of a normal room in a film will trigger it too. Something mathematical and related to the golden ratio I expect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio)? My thinking on this subject is so far only a week old but I will work on it and try to unravel exactly what it is that makes me tick in this respect. Other people must know this particular sensation too, perhaps someone else can help to explain it better than I am?

From the start of Lost in Translation

Charlie Tu has decided that umami (旨味) a basic taste characterized as “tasty”, “brothy”, “meaty” a/k/a MSG is his new favorite seasoning and has thus retired salt as his flavor companion to every dish. CANCER!

Commentary of the Day via Facebook re “Umami”

]]> http://clicfinland.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/voita-clic-lasit/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:03:12 +0000 casamarin http://clicfinland.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/voita-clic-lasit/

Nyt sinulla on mahdollisuus voittaa CliC Vision Reader lukulasit. Lifestylejulkaisu UMAMI arpoo yhdet CliC Vision Reader lasit lukijoiden kesken.Umami on verkkojulkaisu jonka pääaiheet ovat ruoka, sisustus, fashion, kulttuuri, vapaa-aika, blogit, filmit. Umami sisältää paljon mielekiintoisia juttuja ja sivut päivittyvät tosi usein jotein julkaisua kannatta lukea usein.Hieno kuvamateriaali tuo lisäarvoa fiksuille teksteille. Osa jutuista tehdään ruotsiksi ja englanniksi suomenkielen lisäksi.

CliC Vision Reader, väriskaala kuin sateenkaaressa

Osallistuaksesi kilpailuun tutustu Fashion bloggaaja Michaela’n blogiin.

Osallistu arvontaan viimeistään 30.10.2009 ja voit voittaa yhdet CliC Vision Reader lukulasit omilla voimakkuuksilla.

UMAMI kilpailuun tästä. Kilpailu on päättynyt, kiitämme runsaasta mielenkiinnosta ja toivotamme voittajalle Paljon Onnea!

Saturday night, the typical foodies: Brennan, Jess and I ventured to this little restaurant in West L.A, Umami Burger. Sounds intriguing no? The first time I heard about this restaurant was through this daily e-mail I receive from Tasting Table LA. They send me all the updates on what’s happening around L.A, which restaurants have just opened and closed, new food findings, basically a foodie’s reader’s digest. Brennan is always game for burger joints and Jess follows us to wherever we go What is Umami? It’s basically the “fifth taste”, as it is distinctly not sweet, sour, hot, or salty. In addition to having a unique standalone flavor, umami appears to enhance foods it is combined with, making other flavors richer and more intense. There was actually a recent Top Chef quickfire episode where the contestants had to create a umami dish, lots of Asian woody, earthy flavors.

When we arrived, this place resembled more of a sushi dive bar rather than a burger restaurant. There were already groups of people waiting outside for a seat. Honestly, the service was really slow when we got there. We waited over 30 minutes to get a table inside, just to be seated right in front of a wall. Not kidding. It was as if we were sitting at a desk doing homework, straight across, literally facing a wall. See for yourself…

The menu is fairly simple. A couple different burgers to choose from, some sides and drinks. Jess ordered the signature “Umami burger”. I don’t know if I really “taste” umami in the food, but apparently it’s there. Oh yeah, these burgers are like little sliders, but packed with a ton of flavor. I’m not too sure what is all in this burger, but from what I could taste, it had mushrooms, a Parmesan crisp and a very fatty, but oh so delicious beef patty

Brennan ordered the Triple Pork Burger-fresh ground pork spiced with chorizo and cob-smoked bacon, aged manchego, pimenton aioli. Like always, the bacon gets him everytime.

I ordered the Truffle Burger-Italian truffle cheese, truffle glaze

Overall, I probably wouldn’t come back just because of the wait and the amount of food you get for the price. The burgers were very tasty, but I could have easily gotten the same quality burger with more choices somewhere else. Also, I wanted to order their house salad, but apparently they ran out of dressing. It’s definitely a chic, trendy place with lots of beautiful L.A people, but there are tons of restaurants on La Brea that I would rather check out next time. Jess gives it one thumbs up.