eat; eatpinklove meets glo

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I met a wonderful woman named Gloria (affectionately known as Glo) a month or so ago and we finally ate together this week. She  has her own blog about food, music and things she loves and has been tempting me with talk about her Arabic (Palestinian) foods and flavours and I was in absolute seventh taste bud heaven when Glo invited me around for lunch. She made a BIG bowl of Fattoush and while she prepared the salad, heated up a piece (or three!) of pita bread on the stove for me to try Lebneh, which she poured olive oil over, Za'atar which is an amazing combo of spices and her home-made Hummus (one tip for all ye out there; never, ever invite me around and distract me with food while you're doing the cooking!!!!) OMG! I was soooooo excited I almost wet my pants over the party that was happening in my mouth!

Arabic cooking uses lots of spices, similar to Indian cooking but without the heavy cooking time. It is super fresh and light and mainly served as Mezza, which is the Arabic version of Tapas. I must admit that Glo's Hummus put mine to shame, and I have always been proud of mine! More oil, more garlic and more lemon next time!

Above is what I ate while Glo was chopping. To the left is Glo's amazing Hummus and to the right is the Lebneh spread onto a piece of pita bread and then dipped into the Za'atar...YUM!!!! (I must remember to take a photo before diving right in!)

So I've decided to share Glo's recipe for Fattoush Salad. It is really simple to make but what gives it something special is the Sumac spice powder. You will be able to find this in most spice stores.

Glo's Fattoush Salad

Serves 4

What you need;

4 small pita breads

4 Roma lettuce

2 organic tomatoes

2 Persian (Lebanese) cucumbers

10 small spring onions

2 bunches of curly leaf parsley

1 bunch of mint

3/4 lemon juice

3/4 olive oil

4 tsp ground Sumac

salt and pepper to taste

Start by placing the pita breads into an oven on a med to high heat while you're chopping and preparing the salad. Keep an eye on it so you don't burn them!

Chop the lettuce, tomatoes cucumber and spring onions as shown in the pics above. Add it all into a big bowl and set aside.

To make the dressing, chop the parsley with a Mezzaluna knife if you have one, into smallish pieces. Do them same with the mint. Add to the oil and lemon juice that is in a cup and stir in the sumac, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Break the pita bread into small bite size pieces and add to the awaiting salad. Pour the herb dressing over the salad and toss. Place the salad into individual servings and sprinkle with a little more Sumac.

Buon Appetito!

I'm really loving cooking with other people so if you out there have an amazing vegetarian dish (preferably vegan) that you would like to share with me and be a feature in an upcoming post, send me a message and we'll work out a day of pure eating indulgence!!!! For all you in the States, I'm only here for another two weeks before I return home, so get to it! Those in Australia, start booking me in for a lunch date after the 30th of March and let's eat!

pink; pink constellation

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This past week, I went to an artist talk at California Institute of the Arts by Martin Kersels, who is the current co-director of the Art Program at the College. I must admit to seeing two pink works, one by Kersels and one by a current second year MFA student, so next week I will be posting about the pink work by the student.

Martin Kersels dominates the room with his presence. A large man with a large presence, one cannot help but notice him when he is in the room, and this is what he plays on within his practice. Kersels began his talk where most artists don't, at the beginning of his practice, before he completed his MFA at CAL Arts. He showed us works he produced between 1984-1993 while being a member of an all male art group called SHRIMPS. The influence of this group on Kersels performance practice can still be seen today. They performed live performances where they explored 'daintiness' and other characteristics not normally associated with large men. One such performance was the men taking on feminine attributes while wrestling with female wrestlers, with their movements being restricted by small platforms. The result is often humorous and fun and Kersels definitely knows how to make his audience laugh.

Pink Constellation was created in 2001 and is a two part work, the other titled Tumble Room. The work revisits the movie technology of the revolving room, famously used by Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding in 1951, where a camera is fixed into place as it looks into a room. I wanted to concentrate on Pink Constellation rather than Tumble Room as I have seen similar works to Tumble Room before, but I will briefly write about it towards the end of this post. The image above and below are video stills of Pink Constellation. I really searched hard to find a copy of this video on the net but was unsuccessful. You will just have to imagine it. 

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Kersels uses the image of a teenage girls room as the backdrop to the performance and throughout the nineteen minute video performance, strange things happen (as if watching someone dance on the walls and ceiling wasn't strange enough!). The beginning of the video sees Kersels himself entering the room, dressed in outlandish zebra print pants that look like he just stepped out of the eighties, paired with a brightly coloured orange top. One is completely struck by this image as it contrasts so vividly with the image of a sweet looking teenage girl and the girly pink bedroom. My first impression was, 'what the hell is this?!?!'

The video wavers between Kersels and a teenage girl and their individual interactions with the room. Where the teenage girl looks graceful and totally comfortable within the room, sometimes seen just reading, Kersels looks awkward, clumsy and a little creepy. They both dance at some stage during the nineteen minute performance; the girl, graceful and seamless in her dance as the room is revolving, Kersels jolted, unrelated and awful to look at throughout his dance. It reminded me of those scenes where the drunk Uncle gets up to dance at your party and is a total train wreck but you can't seem to look away.

This is where Kersels interest in contrast and expectations lies, of what a big guy should be within our society and how we may view them. We don't see big men as dainty, nor do we see them as being graceful, even if they are. There is a point where the room is not nailed down anymore and the video comes to a crashing end, literally, when the last five minutes or so, sees Kersels struggling with a collapsing room around him. Not only is Kersels himself thrown around the room, unable to get his balance, but he is now struggling to protect himself from the harm the teenage girly room is about to inflict. The bed, the desk, the lamp and even the bedside table, all become weapons against this middle aged male intruder. What a fitting end to an attempt to relate to the life and thoughts of a teenage girl.

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I did like this work by Kersels, even though at first viewing, I was a little creeped out by his initial entrance into the pink room. This work is successful at portraying contrast because of the teenage girls room backdrop. It becomes the antithesis of daintiness and gracefulness, prettiness and the entry point to femininity. It is all that Kersels is exploring within his practice as a large man trying to fit into a world that seems to want to continually put stereotypes onto people like himself.

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The picture above is Tumble Room. It has been shown at various museums around the world. It is the teenage girls room slowly tumbling into a destoyed void. Kersels mentioned that he buys the furniture from Ikea, and then 'updates' the posters on the walls so it becomes a contemporary teenage girls room. He showed us collages he had created for its recent showing that included pictures of Justin Bieber and Edward Cullen to be taped to the wall of the bedroom. He seemed to take delight in imagining himself as a teenage girl and what and who they would idolize at that age.

love; ten things I love this week

1. OMG!!!! Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?!?!?! Cats with wigs...yes, they do actually make them specifically and you too can buy one for your precious little fuzzy love! It's soooo strange but oh so right! You can check out more at the website. LOVE!!!!!

2. The real life Simpsons house! I am not a fan of The Simpson's but I can certainly appreciate anything from cartoons transformed into reality! The house was built as a competition to win way back in 1997. The house does still exist, but it has been de-Simpsonized :0(  You can see what it now looks like here. One day I hope to have a house that looks like this! Check out the interior photos here.

3. Speaking of cartoon houses made into reality...Mini's kitchen at Disneyland is my sort of kitchen!!!! LOVE!!!!

4. Finding this little piece of stuffed joy! I was walking to the bus stop and came across it just sitting on the fence. A big thanks to the person who made me smile :0) LOVE!!!

5. I came across this really cool photo but can't download it! Check out this link. LOVE IT!!!

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6. Cafe Gratitude coming to L.A! Oh how I loved this place in San Francisco and they have finally arrived here in L.A. They have titles for their meals like "I Am Elated" for their raw burrito and "I Am Extraordinary" for their BLT. Crazy really as it does feel odd to make a statement like that to your waiter/waitress but it is part of the experience. Go hippy!!!!! Pity I only now have a two weeks to enjoy the place before I head home to Australia. LOVE!

7. The bathroom at Cafe Gratitude. This photo doesn't show it well, but written all over  the mirror was "I am an expression of beauty". LOVE!!!

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8. Sorry guys but I couldn't resist! More Cafe Gratitude! On Saturday night I went back to Cafe Gratitude with my housemate and bought their cookbook!!!! YAY!!! When I left San Francisco, that was one of my biggest regrets not having bought their book. Now I have it! And yes, you'll all benefit from me owning it! LOVE!

9. This car I'm driving! Yes it is an ex cop car! My friend Megan from Kumquat Kitchen drives this car around sometimes (don't ask!) and she has lent it to me for the week that she is in Hawaii. It is soooo funny watching people react to the car. One guy yelled out to me "Aint you gonna give him a ticket!!!!" while I was stopped at the lights. Soooo funny! LOVE!

10. Cruising along Mulholland Drive. Yes, Lynchy reference here.  If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it! Lot's of great views of Lala Land. I'm playing tourist for the next two weeks here in Lala Land. Oh how I will miss this place :0(

eat; mexican inspired avocado boats

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I am loving the idea of a 'salad boat' and so for this week, I couldn't resist but post my latest creation! Here in California, we have Mexican food in abundance, but I have not been a fan. Maybe because it is based around meat, or maybe I don't like my food looking like it's a dogs breakfast, either ways, I cannot help but associate it has 'hang over' food or 3 am food! I have been taken to everyone I know 'favourite' Mexican restaurant as a way to introduce me to 'the best'. Nup. Still haven't found what I'm looking for in Mexican food. So this week I decided to create my own Mexican inspired amazingness that even a true Mexican would be impressed with. And here it is!

Serves 2

What you need;
1 ripe avocado
1 organic tomato
1/4 red onion
1/2 yellow capsicum (bell pepper)
big handful of fresh corriander (cilantro)
1 can of black beans
4 Tbs olive oil
1/2 garlic clove
juice of half a lime
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
good quality corn chips that are unsalted (health store quality)

Chop up the tomato, red onion and capsicum into small pieces. Place in a bowl. Roughly chop the fresh corriander and place in the bowl with the other vegies. 

Open the can of black beans and drain in a colander. Rinse under running water and drain well. Add to the vegies and mix together.

Mince the garlic into a small bowl and add oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix and set aside.

To prepare, lay out as many con chips on a plate as you would like to eat. Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed. Gently peel away the skin. Be careful not to destroy the shape. Gently place on the corn chip base aiming to keep the avocado level.

With a spoon, add small amounts at a time until, piling as high as you can get without it collapsing into the corn chip bed.

Drizzle the dressing evenly over the top of the salad with a teaspoon. Vola, an avocado boat fit for the king of Mexico!

Eating this can be a challenge. I suggest serving with a knife and fork so you can slice small pieces of avocado and scope up the salad onto a corn chip and eat it in a similar way to a chunky dip.

Buon Appetito!!!

pink; surrounded islands

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Between 1980 and 1983, something special was happening among artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and a whole army of people including engineers, seamstresses and marine biologists. That something was a plan to 'wrap' eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay, in 6.5 million square feet of pink woven polypropylene fabric.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude have been wrapping things since 1969, when their first attempt was to wrap the coast in Little Bay, Sydney, Australia. Since then, they have created a 400 meter curtain in the Rocky Mountains, a 40 kilometer fence in California, wrapped a bridge in Paris and a building in Berlin. They are definitely a result of the hippy movement from the sixties and their ephemeral works draws our attention to the environment and changes our perception of it. The artists do not leave their footprints on the earth with their works, as once the works have been exhibited for a period of time, nothing is left except for photos, drawings and plans created for the project.

So why choose the colour pink to wrap the islands with? Well, why not really! It has been noted that the artists chose pink because it is a Latin colour, to highlight the flora on the actual islands, because it is an "extremely sensitive" colour and so highlights the evironmental issues around these islands and because it reflects the different tones in the earth and water it surrounds. But ask Jeanne-Claude about their work and she states, "Our art has absolutely no purpose, except to be a work of art. We do not give messages." Ahhhh got to love that straight shooting French attitude!

Whatever the reasons Christo and Jeanne-Claude chose pink, I think the aesthetics was a perfect choice and the eventual completion of the project does highlight environmental issues no matter what colour they would have chosen. It is a beautiful project having cleared out some forty tons of varied garbage: refrigerator doors, tires, kitchen sinks, mattresses and an abandoned boat that had been on or around the island. It is definitely a work that was ahead of it's time and a real pleasure to be able to imagine experiencing this feat in 2011, almost 30 years later.

love; ten things i loved this week

Last week, I was still away from L.A so below are some things I loved about visiting a small area in Arizona.

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1. Australian Shepherds, affectionately known as 'Aussies'. The bed and breakfast we stayed at in Beavers Creek had two of these dogs. I'm not much of a dog person but they were soooooo cute and affectionate! Loved them! It is funny that they are named Australian Shepherds when they actually did not originate there. LOVE!

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2. David Singing Bear. David was introduced to us by the bed and breakfast people and we organised for him to take us around for the day. David is of Eastern Band Cherokee decent and had lots to share with us. What a warm fellow! LOVE!

2. Montezuma Castle in Arizona. What an amazing site to see these dwellings created into the side of the cliff, standing well preserved, to instigate the imagination. They were built around 700 AD. LOVE!

3. Montezuma Well. This is a sinkhole in Arizona and is a sacred place amounst the Yavapai people.  It was such a beautiful place to visit and I could definitely feel why it was considered a sacred place. LOVE!

4. Jerome. This old mining town has now become a tourist town and is set up high on a hilltop. It is such a cute looking place that was dotted with snow and has a history of whore houses, hotels and wealth. It has mines drilled throughout it's hillside and is a wonder the buildings haven't caved in! LOVE!

5. Old sign for a Whore House in Jerome. I'm not sure if it is the original sign but it sure does look like it! David did mention that this building was once a Whore House, but is now a gift shop. LOVE the stripy socks!

6. These pink flamingos! Seriously, I have no idea what they were doing there (St Pat's day?), but set against the back drop of the hills surrounding Jerome, they were very impressive indeed! Brought a smile to my face. LOVE!!!!

      

 

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7. Driving along the historic Route 66. I will do the drive one day from L.A to Chicago, but for now, I can proudly say I drove along for five and a half hours on this amazing stretch of highway and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I do LOVE to drive!

8. These signs along Route 66. They are really cool with a vintage feel to them, advertising local businesses and some made of wooden slates. Nice to see advertising that is not for major corporations! LOVE!

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9. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I LOVE TRAINS!!!!! I took the train from L.A to Santa Fe and back, which was a 19 hour train ride one way. Sunsets and sunrises are pretty spectacular on the trains. LOVE!.

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10. The Feminine Mystique. This is the book I took away with me and I read almost all of it on my train travels to and from Santa Fe. What an amazing book! If you don't know of it, or you do but haven't had the chance to read it, do yourself a favour! LOVE!!!

eat; raw falafal served in a salad boat

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This alternative to the deep fried greasy falafal, will send the reluctant falafal eater crazy!!! I followed the recipe from bittersweet blog but have adjusted it to my liking. They are made with nutritious raw sunflower seeds and dehydrated to lock in the goodness. Gotta love that!

I served the falafal in 'salad boats' which make for fun eating!

Makes 20 falafal

What you need;
1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh continental parsley
1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbs tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dry the soaked sunflower seeds a little between two layers of a kitchen towel. Add half the amount into a food processor and all the other ingredients and whiz until it is a paste. I like my falafal with texture so with the other half of the sunflower seeds, I pulsed it in the food processor until the seeds were just broken up. If you like your falafal smooth, simply put all the seeds in together with the rest of the ingredients and whiz until you get a consistency you like.

Combine the paste mixture and the sunflower seeds into a bowl, mix it thoroughly with a spoon. 

With two teaspoons, form small balls and place on a greaseproof sheet and spray the falafal with olive oil. They should be about bite size.

If using a conventional oven, place the falafal into a very slow oven for about 6 hours to dehydrate, remembering to keep the door ajar with a wooden spoon.

To serve, prepare each serving plate with two Roma lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with grated carrot and cherry tomatoes that have been cut in half. Place three falafal to each salad boat. Drizzle with a tahini sauce made by mixing 1/4 cup tahini, 4 Tbs water, 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, salt to taste.

Buon Appetito!