Do You Wash Your Mushrooms Before Eating Them?

I’ve heard a lot of people tell me that you aren’t supposed to wash mushrooms under water because they soak up all the water and it alters the taste. I’ve always been told that you’re supposed to  clean mushrooms by just brushing off the clinging dirt particles. But I just can’t get myself past the idea of eating an unwashed vegetable. Mushrooms grow in the soil and with farmers putting in fertilizer to promote their growth I can’t help but think they just HAVE to be rinsed before eating. I don’t care if it alters the taste a little bit I just need my vegetables clean before cooking them!

Apparently a book called The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science & Lore by Harold McGee has an experiment which he did with washing mushrooms. He soaked 252 grams of mushrooms for about 5 minutes to see how much moisture they would absorb. Once he weighed them after removing them from the water he found that they had soaked up just a mere 6 grams of water. I don’t see why chefs would make such a big deal about rinsing mushrooms under water if it just makes that much of a difference. And that moisture increase was noted  after SOAKING them for 5 minutes. When I say rinse it means pouring water onto the mushrooms for a minute so the dirt particles can be washed away.

Do you wash your mushrooms before eating or cooking them? This light is turned off… 

update: this post got featured on i really like food… yay!!!!

Currently listening to Sunshine
Just Push Play
By Aerosmith

Who is your role model? Why?

When I was 3 my role model was …

My Dad. He had a lot of free time to spend with me because he was a college professor and he usually worked evenings and had whole summers off. He used to do my hair every morning, teach me interesting things about science and math, cut my barbie’s hair when I wanted to, everything a little girl could ever ask for. When I was in preschool, I used to see all the kids running to their moms screaming “Mooooooommmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!” when they came to pick them up. my dad was the only father who used to come to pick their kid up from preschool. Not knowing any better I used to run to him screaming “Mommmmmmmmmyyyyyy!!!!” too..

When I was 23 my role model was…

My mom. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was so strong for fighting against it. She went through all the chemo and radiation with strength bravery and optimism. She has been cancer free for the last 5 years.

Today at 27 my role model is…

My boyfriend. yeah I know it may sound corny and typical. But my boyfriend will hopefully be my fiance by the end of the year if things go as planned. He has taken the time not only to care for me but to bother what I think of myself and help me become a better person. He has taught me that it’s okay to think about myself first before thinking about others which I don’t do enough of. And he is the first person that has made me accustomed with the feeling of being alone. He said to me, I want you to learn to be happy on your own so you will never have to depend on anyone else for your happiness. I used to make myself ill feeling alone because I hated the feeling. I would get restless and depressed and it would make my skin crawl. To avoid that feeling and in my desperate attempt not to feel that way I would not treat myself right and hang out with all the wrong people. He’s my gojira… and yeah (another cliche coming your way…) I do love him… This light is turned off…

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Currently listening to Shattered
The Trucks
By The Trucks

What color describes your personality?

I love the bruise colors… i think my favorite colors describe my personality the best… lovable, moody, wearing my heart on my sleeve, insecure, very giving, hardened from bad experiences, crazy and whimsical, a dreamer, always thinking, hopeful, angry, learning from my mistakes,
Blues….

Purples…

and of course who could forget black…

I do get into a mood of frosted pink ( and i’m not referring to that sickly peptobismol color.. I’m talking bout cupcake frosting… almost white type of pink…) when I feel ultra feminine

but otherwise the bruise colors I’ve always loved since I was little.. this light is turned off…

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Currently watching
Nothing Like the Holidays

Why Should I Feel Guilty for Buying Blackmarket Goods?

Living in India, I get a lot of opportunity to buy knock off goods, otherwise known as black market merchandise. That can include branded sports gear such as Nike, Reebok, Puma, for like Rs. 600… (That’s about $12 US dollars!) the latest books for Rs 50..($1 US dollar!) or even Lacoste t-shirts for Rs 150….($3 US dollars) I could go on with this list, naming all the things I could buy off the black market for dirt cheap but I’ll refrain…

Let’s start with my favorite black market purchase: BOOKS!!! Counterfeit books are made on the streets of India by street hawkers. They get their hands on original books which they then have illegal copies made by local printing shops.(Slip a couple hundred rupees under the table and the printing companies get their cut off this black market deal.) The books can then be bought off the street for 1/10th of the price. Famous author Jeffrey Archer gave an interview to the P Mirror when visiting P. He was pretty surprised when he was handed a counterfeit copy of his own book by one of the interviewers. I think he was more shocked at how efficiently his book was copied to be made into a pirated book. I dont have a very good picture but here’s a small snap of the article in P Mirror with the headlines “Jeffrey Archer Stumped By His Pirated Thriller”

Now black market merchandise can ideally be categorized into 2 groups. There’s the stuff that’s real, which is usually made here in India itself or in countries like China by the brands themselves. When a surplus of merchandise is made and the brands don’t need all of it, they have whatever they need shipped back to the good ol’ USA or Europe or wherever they need it and the extras go into the black market to be sold. Then there’s local “craftsman” who like to make imitation merchandise. It’s not the real thing but some of them do a pretty damn good job of copying the real thing, that you end up liking the imitation better than the real thing! Below are some examples of counterfeit sneakers you DON’T wanna buy… Lol… yeah they have some goofy stuff out there. But you gotta know where to find the good stuff…

(These ones don’t even look real…but believe you me, there are the percentage of Indians who don’t know any better and buy it just to wear something that says “Adidas”! Talk about brand starved people??!?)

This photograph below shows one of the many stalls on the street where you can buy counterfeit clothing. As you can see at this stall they’re selling boxers with brand names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Emporio Armani, Reebok and much more… (You name it, they have it!)

My point is this. Why should I buy a pair of Pumas for $90 when I can get the same thing for $12? Generations today have become so obsessed with brands that they are willing to pay through their nose to have “Nike. Just Do It” pasted across their chest. Why should we be paying companies for advertising their brand names on our clothes? If anything WE should be getting paid for being their personal billboards.

The even more surprising bit is you’ll probably get a better pair of branded sneakers off the street than by going to the actual store. Most of the actual stores in India don’t take the effort of maintaining their merchandise. If you’ve ever been to India you’ll know there’s naturally a lot of dust in the air. The shoes they offer are so musty with the dust from around the store, they almost look used. You don’t even get the joy of having squeaky white new shoes to wear, when you buy them brand new! But these street sellers? They’re pros. They know people are going to buy something that looks nice. So even if they have their stall right next to an overflowing gutter of garbage and travel through the smog ridden city, they make sure their goods are nicely wrapped away in plastic to retain newness. Isn’t this what we learned about in school? Supply and demand, competition? If you have a better product  you’re going to get more people crazy about buying it! Is it our problem if the fakes are selling better and look more appealing than the originals? So why should we feel guilty for buying on the black market? this light is turned off.

Currently listening to
Lost Highway
By Bon Jovi

What is the weirdest thing you have eaten?

The weirdest things I have eaten in no particular order… Squid, snails, bear and alligator. The squid ive had on several occasions and its really good. it reminds of the texture of scallops…kinda rubbery but good. Ive had it in seafood restaurants and some in chinese restaurants. snails I had it once when my mom spoke of having escargot and the fact that its a delicacy in France and so she brought them home and made them and forced me to try one… not the most exciting thing to have. I think moreso tried to swallow it down quickly so i wouldn’t have to taste much. lol… Bear I had at a thanksgiving feast once. I didnt taste anything different to what probably chicken would taste like… Alligator I had when I went on a trip to the Everglades. It was part of the tour to have some at a diner nearby since it is a delicacy that they eat in Florida and also a way to keep the alligator population under control. It tasted like chicken. lol..

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Currently reading
New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)
By Stephenie Meyer

Obama will have 5 hours to move into his house. How long did it take you to move your current home?

That’s not surprising considering now that he’s got people doing things for him he’ll have plenty of help and White House staff to move in his stuff to the White House. And I’m sure his previous house was smaller than the White House and it’s always easier to move from a smaller house to a bigger one. Its always tougher and complicated to move from a big house to a smaller one. My current apartment took me 2 days to move in cuz I moved in all by myself with no one to help me.

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Currently
Tempest
By Jesse Cook

What are Your 5 Favorite Days in the Year?

October 31st- Halloween, because you get to dress up in a costume, eat lots of candy and be creative about what to dress up as,

The 4th Thursday in November of every year- Thanksgiving, I just love the warmth and family togetherness on this day… and the chance to meet cousins who I otherwise don’t get to see year round.

December 20th- MY birthday- the one day in the year where I can get pampered by all those that love me at the same time without feeling guilty!

December 25th- Christmasssss!!!! (I would like to say Diwali as well but the day changes every year according to the Hindu calendar so I can’t…)

December 31st- New Year’s Eve, to partaaaayyyyy and reflect on the year we finished and SURVIVED!!

What are your 5 favorite days in the year and why? They don’t have to necessarily be holidays or festivals it can be any day in the year that is special or important for you…

Currently listening to
Cool
By Gwen Stefani

What city were you born in? Do you have any memories attached to it?

I was born in Mumbai.

I think of Mumbai as hot and humid but fun to go shopping and hang out with friends. I love the ethnic restaurants and shopping at Linkin Rd and Bandra. I dont really have any big memories of Mumbai because even though I was born there I didnt grow up there. The few memories I do have are of our family house at King’s Circle in Mumbai…. Mostly running around the corridors of the empty house… and sitting on the veranda watching the world go by. I also spent some months there on the weekend with a really special guy i was with… that was pure fun.. mall crawling, mcdonald’s just chilling out together was fun… i think we spent so much time laughing and just having fun that it didnt matter where we were… ahhh getting carried away… memories *sigh*

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How different is your blogging persona from your actual personality?

I think I am more real in my words than in my actions and day to day life. I treat xanga like a journal so it is the true me inside and out. In my actual persona I may feel shitty inside but if someone comes across me I will put on a mask and say hello and pretend like nothing’s wrong. On my xanga I can say what I actually feel inside without feeling inhibited or conscious. i think im more real on xanga than in real life because in real life most get inhibited by what people will think or say whereas on xanga i feel free enough to say what I want no matter what people comment. I also feel free enough to express my true emotions on xanga so If Im sad I come out and say it. But in real life. Real life can sometimes be too busy to stop and absorb your emotions. If you’re going to work or school you’re not always going to tell people if you’re feeling low or shitty inside cuz sometimes its too private or you dont feel like sharing it. But on xanga atleast I keep an anonymous diary so I dont feel inhibited to talk about my feelings and I can say it like it is. Either way, I dont think its a bad thing. Whether your blogging persona and actual persona are the same or different its not a big deal as long as they arent too different from the real you. If you’re being true to yourself then there’s no problem.

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As of right now, what song relates to your life and why?

I chose this song I think because of the terrorism that has been marring our world a lot more frequently.  The Mumbai terrorist attacks are still fresh in my brain and I just can’t help but think that people are just being so stupid about fighting with each other. This song is about how mankind, since the beginning of time, have always been impulsive about having more power when it comes to anything. Fighting for land, eager to fight with one another….That need to have power leads to fighting and hurting one another instead of co existing. I think we all need to take a step back and embrace one another instead of fighting with each other. Sure you’re probably thinking. “well I’m not a terrorist. i can’t make a difference to all the fighting between religious sects and countries” But even in small ways we each can make a difference. Like, not judging each other unecessarily, holding the door for that stranger behind you while walking into a building, refraining from shouting abuses if someone gets in your way. Even if you feel it’s necessary to say something to a person who’s wronged you, the same point can be made in a polite calm manner. Mind YOUR OWN BUSINESS. People I think its a weakness of everyone’s to get nosy and look at what others are doing. We need to stop doing that. Once people see what others are doing, they get jealous, they start competing and that’s when the hatred starts. (I have a bigger house than you, I have more cars than you, I get a better salary than you) These are petty things not worth competing/fighting/ for.. You should be more interested in attaining your own happiness in whatever way you feel is correct or right or good without wondering what everyone else has. Taking the time to know your neighbours whoever they may be, and most importantly, respecting other people’s beliefs no matter how different they may be from your own beliefs. This will in it’s own small way help with the global fight against terrorism and help us all co exist.

“Right In Two”

Angels on the sideline,

Puzzled and amused.

Why did Father give these humans free will?

Now they’re all confused.

Don’t these talking monkeys know that

Eden has enough to go around?

Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,

Where there’s one you’re bound to divide it.

Right in two.

Angels on the sideline,

Baffled and confused.

Father blessed them all with reason.

And this is what they choose.

And this is what they choose…

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey

Over pieces of the ground.

Silly monkeys give them thumbs,

They forge a blade,

And where there’s one

they’re bound to divide it,

Right in two.

Right in two.

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.

Over pieces of the ground.

Silly monkeys give them thumbs.

They make a club.

And beat their brother, down.

How they survive so misguided is a mystery.

Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here.

Cut it all right in two [x4]

Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky

Fight over life, over blood, over prayer,

overhead and light

Fight over love, over sun,

over another, Fight…

Angels on the sideline again.

Benched along with patience and reason.

Angels on the sideline again

Wondering when this tug of war will end.

Cut it all right in two [x3]

RIGHT IN TWO!

Right in two…

 

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Currently reading
How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls
By Donna Dale Carnegie