Snack Sack

I have a Hangover!
It's nothing a little Gatorade can't cure.

So, in keeping with the nature of Snacks, this post is going to be chock full of morsels that are varied and discernible in subject matter, that are quite separate entities.

First off: I did not know that Dumpster was a brand.

Secondly, a Limerick based on the names of people i know:

i lost the old keys to my cartits
i did not want to walk very fartits
so i got on my yacktits
and rode all the way backtits
and had one more drink at the barrtits

Lastly, a To-Do List:








It's Sunil's Birthday Week!

Snacks I Didn't Like Until Recently

When I was in Kindergarten, we played a counting game where Miss FIelding basically gave us each a bowl of olives and we had to count as many as we could. And she was like, "You can eat every single one you count!" and all of the kids cheered. And I did not get it because I thought olives were gross. And I told that very agressively to Miss Fielding and she changed my behaviour card from a green light to a yellow light.

But now I love olives! Maybe because I only know how to cook when olive oil is involved? Butter burns too easily. I only know how to bake with butter. I really like cooking, but I go about it in a totes lazy fashion.

I went through a phase where I wanted to name my children after things you could put in dishes, like Olive, and Rosemary, and Basil. They would be perfect names were I to take part in a whimsical cute fake British family.

And pickles. I mean, pickles are pickles. I hated pickles, but I loved the way they sounded equal parts juicy and crunchy when someone would bite into one at lunch in high school. And I liked the way they smelled, all briney. But I hated their taste, until quite recently!

I have developed a taste for Gherkins. Gherkin is also the name of a building in London. I wonder why.

Hall and Oate...Meal?????

Halloween costume IDEA #4

A Snack, Covered in Fresh Ground Pepper

Fresh Ground Pepper's
Inaugural Open Mic Extravaganza!
presented by The Centrifuge
on The First Friday of 2009!
January the 2nd.

The 45th Street Theatre
354 West 45th Street
between 8th and 9th Avenues
2nd Floor

Cost: FREE!!!!

We will have drinks, new-year merriment, and a variety-show style evening of works-in-development

The night begins at 7 pm
Featured Artists: You.

Otherwise, the mic will be open for you to bring new artistic works of all shapes and sizes.
Seriously.
Bring anything and everything. If you don't have something yet, you have TEN days to CREATE. It's not every day we have an THEATRE TO OURSELVES and a roomful of artists! Even if you want to bring writing, find actors there, and have them read for us, that's perfect.

We can't wait to see you!
We can't wait to see what you bring to the table!
Let's kick in the New Year with some Fresh Ground Pepper!
for more information email:
thecentrifugeny@gmail.com

Post Snack

I saw Matthew R. Gehring's PostSecret play last night. I was very much moved by the experience. It plays for the rest of the week on the 2nd floor of Tisch. I would post more information but I think it's sold out.

Upon much musing, I have decided that this snack site is sort of a descendant or derivative of PostSecret. What it stands for, how it operates. Tiny things that bring to mind larger things. Or large things, made small. Nibblets and Tidbits, Snacks and Secrets.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Snacklog

Subject: A Rebirth of Snacks

Originally Sent June 20, 2008

Snacks, Literally

cheese fondue

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine, 1966.
Servings: About 6

ingredients

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (preferably Swiss, such as Fendant)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons kirsch

1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 lb Gruyère , coarsely grated (2 cups)

instructions

Accompaniment: cubes of French bread on fondue forks or long wooden skewer

Special equipment: a fondue pot

-Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard garlic.
-Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.
-Stir together cornstarch and kirsch in a cup.
-Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (do not let boil).

-Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue.

-Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

-Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping.

fotografia courtesy of googlegooglegoogle

Snacklog

Originally emailed January 17, 2008

Subject: A Snack for Others

http://www.freerice.com/

fotografia courtesy of googlegooglegoogle

Wiki Snack- Tapas

This one's for Scoville:

I just Wiki'd "Tapas." Here are some tasty morsels.

The Origin of The Species

"According to legend, the tapa tradition began when Castile's King Alfonso the Wise recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink."

The Eytmology of Tapas, or Tapa, which is Spanish for "lid"

"A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this 'cover' with a snack.

It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks in order to eat, making it a top.

Some believe that the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus 'covering' it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.

Another popular explanation says that the king Alfonso XII stopped by a famous venta (inn) in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of sherry. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking his wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry 'with the same cover'. "

According to Scoville

"In Spain, that shit is FREE!"

Generic Food Network Tapas Recipes

For those of us who can't get to Spain, and would like to make our own

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_pa_tapas

Wiki Snack

As I sit at my kitchen table eating a Saturday lunch of green beans, baby tomatoes, tuna, and cheese, I did some googling of "snacks" in order to further my study.

"A snack food (commonly called a snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner – but one rather that is intended to assuage a person's hunger between these meals, providing a brief supply of energy for the body. The term may also refer to a food item consumed between meals purely for the enjoyment of its taste."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snack_food ... it's part of wikipedia's "Meals" series

"Whether you're getting together with family, going to a holiday party, or celebrating at the office, you'll probably be asked to bring a snack or dish."
-http://southernfood.about.com/cs/appetizers/a/party_snacks.htm ... which, may I add, includes recipes for many kinds of cheese straws, slow cooked cajun pecans, and donna's nachos...

"Here are creative and healthy ways to satisfy your hunger. Your stomach is growling, but lunch is hours away. You could indulge yourself with a snack, but you think it's best to avoid treats altogether and wait for lunch. Though you may feel guilty about snacking, snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, mini meals several times a day can help manage hunger and reduce bingeing. The key to incorporating snacks is to plan them with variety, moderation and balance in mind. Select foods that satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients."
-http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/HQ01396 ... I basically just cut and pasted around every reference to weight loss.

"The Indian snacks are usually delicious and mouth watering. Savouries like samosas, aloo tikki etc. are commonly served in India. This section is comprised of recipes which have been passed on for generation together in Indian homes. The crispness and tempting tastes of indian snacks is liked by young and old alike. These can be easily prepared at any time. It is ideal to serve snacks before coffee or tea."
-http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/index.html ...just for kicks.

A Minor Introduction, and the First Snack

These are Snacks.

Snacks are These!

What are Snacks?

The word "Snack" can perhaps be defined as "something small to munch on,"

"a morsel of goodness that strings you along to your next meal,"

"an edible tidbit,"

et cetera.

Snack with an s on the end is simply the plural form of this.

For a short or long while now, I have been interested in not only the snack of the mouth, but the snack of the mind. The art of snacking transcends the teeth, I feel, and reaches outwardly toward the morsels of life that spark our neurons, if only temporarily. They can be the random fact we read in a news article that astounds us, the bit of music we hear that etches itself in our memory, the random act of kindness that leaves us a smile, the photograph we see that engages our wonder. They can be anything, anything, and everything, small or big, momentous or minute, the work of a second or many days. They are snacks. And these? These are snacks.

With that, it is my privilege to share them with you.

This is a toadfish.

My father, a great man, always wears the same shirt when mowing the lawn. On it are several toadfish, along with the emboldened phrase "So many toadfish, so little time."

What does it mean??