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Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Third Annual APRIL FOOD DAY!

For the third year in a row, Easy and Elegant Life’s Editor, Chris Cox and I are pleased to host APRIL FOOD DAY, Bloggers Fighting Hunger. April Food Day 2011Here’s what you can do to help!

You can add the logo for Feeding America, the national food bank, to your blog. Feeding America has also set up a special URL for donations, here.Feeding America

You can tell the story of how many people in America:

  • In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children
  • In 2009, households with children reported food insecurity at almost double the rate for those without children, 21.3 percent compared to 11.4 percent.
  • In 2009, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (21.3 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (36.6 percent) or single men (27.8 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (24.9 percent) and Hispanic households (26.9 percent).
  • In 2009, 7.8 percent of seniors living alone (884,000 households) were food insecure.

You can tell your readers what a contribution to Feeding America, or a local food bank will do to help those who are hungry:

  • Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to approximately 5.7 million different people per week.
  • Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites. 

Here’s what else you can do:

  • Add the Feeding America, or April Food Day link to your Facebook status
  • Tweet about April Food Day
  • Link your post here, so we can see how many participants we have.

On behalf of all of the people you will be helping, thank you so much!

Manila

Pada 7 Juli 1995 pukul 15.45 pesawat Luzon Air yang ditumpangi oleh Bernardo Bagio mendarat mulus di lapangan udara internasional Benigno Aquino, Manila. Cuaca cerah, langit biru tak berawan, angin berhembus kencang dari Laut China Selatan dan udara lebih sejuk dibandingkan dengan Jakarta yang panas menyengat. Sebuah pelabuhan udara internasional tidak terlalu besar jika dibandingkan dengan Cengkareng International Airport, tetapi di mana-mana tampak lebih bersih dan rapih, tidak ada kesan semrawut. Setelah selesai chek passport dan visa dia segera bergegas menuju hotel dengan taxi Blue Bay yang menurut informasi dari internet terletak di pinggiran kota disebelah utara Manila. Perjalanan menuju hotel melalui jalan yang tidak terlalu macet, jalan raya lebar aspalnya berwarna hitam tidak berlubang, di sepanjang jalan ditanami dengan pohon pinus, membutuhkan waktu 45 menit, mobil bergerak menuju utara ke arah Angeles, jarak seperti ini dan dengan kecepatan sekitar 75 km per jam, biasanya kira-kira 50 km.

Impian Bagio bepergian ke luar negeri menjadi kenyataan. Dari sejak kecil impiannya pergi ke luar negeri terinspirasi oleh pengelana muda dari kota Ngawi, Karl Bono yang melakukan perjalanan keliling dunia pada decade 60. Sepanjang perjalanan menuju hotel dia tidak berkedip melihat pemandangan yang baginya sebetulnya nyaris tidak beda dengan melihat pemandangan di Jakarta dan kota-kota lain di Indonesia, karena wajah-wajah orang Filipina serupa betul seperti orang Manado yang pernah dijumpainya. Di sebuah toko buku di Jakarta, dia pernah berjumpa sekilas dengan seorang pengunjung yang dia kira dari Manado, ternyata wanita ini berasal dari Davao, Mindanau, yaitu Filipina bagian selatan.

Informasi hotel murah di kota ini mudah didapatkan melalui internet enam bulan yang lalu. Tarif hotel ini murah dan sangat terjangkau untuk turis seperti dia, yaitu USD 35 per hari. Ia telah membayar dimuka kamar yang dia pesan di hotel ini tiga bulan yang lalu. Check in dilayani oleh seorang pegawai perempuan front office hotel yang cantik, murah senyum, giginya putih rata, dan bibirnya basah agak tebal, tetapi sensual. Namanya Deborah Carrera, dapat dilihat di badge nama yang melekat di dada kanannya. Hotel Manila Cantik, ya memang cantik walaupun hotel ini kecil saja, yaitu hanya mempunyai 30 kamar, namanya terdengar sangat Indonesia, karena ternyata pemilik hotel ini, Armando Cortez pernah berkunjung ke Bali 20 tahun yang lalu. Room boy, Enrique Valdez menceritakan singkat tentang hotel ini sehingga diberi nama Manila Cantik. Bagio bicara sedikit dengannya dalam bahasa Tagalog yang masih patah-patah, bahasa sehari-hari yang digunakan oleh kebanyakan orang Filipina. Tetangganya di Bogor orang Filipina, Salvador Hernandez, bekerja di sebuah pabrik semen di Cibinong sebagai staff konsultan, dia yang mengajari Bagio berbicara dengan bahasa Tagalog. Hotel ini terletak di jalan raya antara Manila dan Angeles, tetapi masih di wilayah Metro Manila.

Bagio tidak sendirian datang ke Manila, tetapi bersama keponakan laki-laki isterinya, Gavin Alexander dengan isterinya, Rossy Alberta dan dua anak mereka, Marvel dan Elizabeth, dan kedua orang tua Rossy, ayah dan ibunya. Memang dia mengeluarkan biaya sendiri, tetapi dia sebenarnya sangat tidak menyukai dengan rombongan besar ini, karena tiga kepala keluarga berarti tiga agenda perjalanan; yang merasa mempunyai uang banyak, merasa mempunyai kuasa mengatur perjalanan dan yang merasa paling dituakan, juga merasa mempunyai kuasa mengatur perjalanan, sedangkan dia berada pada posisi di antara kedua kondisi ini. Ibunya Rossy tampak paling cerewet suka mengatur orang lain. Isteri Bagio dan anak perempuannya tidak menyertai perjalanan ini, karena isterinya telah merelakan dia pergi ke luar negeri supaya dia dapat menikmati uang pensiunnya didapatkan bekerja di pabrik semen selama 35 tahun. Namun, dia tidak memperlihatkan terang-terangan, bahwa dia tidak menyukai keberadaan mereka, karena dia telah mempersiapkan ide cemerlang sejak satu minggu sebelum berangkat untuk melepaskan diri dari campur tangan mereka.

Mereka memesan tiga kamar yang semuanya double bed, karena semua kamar single bed yang seharusnya satu kamar untuknya sudah full book. Setelah membersihkan badan mereka berkumpul di kamar si cerewet menikmati minum teh dan makanan kecil berupa crackers yang tadi sore kami beli di sebuah mall market dalam perjalanan dari airport ke hotel. Mereka juga membeli tiga botol besar air mineral. Nyonya tua cerewet mengusulkan supaya besok kalau keluar hotel selalu dilakukan bersama-sama supaya jangan ada yang terpisah, jangan sampai ada terjadi sesuatu kalau nanti terpisah. Ia sama sekali tidak protes. Hemmm, … tunggu, waktunya belum tiba. ia membawa uang  untuk liburan ini lebih dari cukup untuk kembali ke Jakarta, lagi pula apa yang harus dikuatirkan berlebihan di kota yang kondisinya hampir sama seperti Jakarta. Filipina dalam kondisi aman, hanya orang yang tidak dapat diam mulutnya saja yang membesar-besarkan masalah, harus begini, harus begitu. Memang Bagio anak kecil mau diatur seperti cucu-cucunya.

Ia bangun pagi paling awal dari mereka, terlihat kamar mereka masih gelap, waktu menunjukkan pukul 04:30, langsung dia mandi. Bergegas mengejar waktu dia cepat berpakaian. ia melihat di meja kecil di depan kamar masing-masing telah siap satu botol dari 1 liter air mineral, teh, dan kopi di dalam termos; ditambah satu piring berisi 6 potong snacks. Gerak cepat dia memasukkan cairan yang dia curi dari kamar praktek dokter Wahyuni ke dalam termos teh dan kopi dan supaya lebih meyakinkan lagi dia memasukkan bubuk valium 5, masing-masing 5 gram, dan aduk rata pakai sendok kecil, sedangkan sisa cairan maut dimasukkan ke dalam botol air mineral mereka dengan mikrosiringe yang dia bawa dari Bogor, bekas lubang kecil ditutup dengan seal tape transparan. Dokter Wahyuni, tetangganya adalah dokter hewan yang buka praktek di depan rumahnya, dia kadang-kadang terima pasien gook, gook, gook untuk dioperasi. Nah, cairan maut ini, biasa digunakan untuk operasi supaya pasiennya yang berekor itu menjadi stoned. Biasanya waktu stoned sekitar 6 jam. Ia akrab dengan Wahyuni, bahkan dia sering menyaksikan tetangganya mengoperasi pasiennya yang berekor itu di dalam ruang kerjanya.

Pukul 07:00 waktunya coffee morning, mereka menikmati di depan kamar masing-masing. Nyonya tua cerewet yang pertama membuat usulan ke mana mulai perjalanan libur pada hari pertama di Manila ini, dia mengusulkan jalan-jalan ke Makati; belum ke Manila kalau tidak ke Makati, katanya. Seperti orang yang paling tahu saja Manila itu seperti apa. Anaknya, Rossy berkeras mengusukan ke Quezon City, mau ke Galandra Steak House, yang kata orang di Jakarta, itu restoran paling top di kota ini. Pergi liburan jauh ke Filipina hanya untuk beli beef steak, seperti di Jakarta, Bandung, atau Bogor tidak ada steak. Setengah jam kemudian cairan dan bubuk maut itu sedikit demi sedikit sudah menunjukkan gejalanya. Satu demi satu mereka masuk ke kamar masing-masing tak bersuara karena mata mengantuk … akhirnya yang terdengar suara dengkuran orang pulas tertidur. Waktu menunjukkan pukul 08.30 waktu Manila.

Mereka sedang menikmati alam mimpi yang indah sedang menikmati lezatnya beef steak di Galandra, di Quezon City. Secarik kertas memo dia tinggalkan di kamar keponakannya, Herman yang tidak terkunci, sebuah memo singkat :

===  Jangan mencari aku. Selamat berlibur indah di Filipina. Kita bertemu lagi di Bogor  ===
Bernardo Bagio.

Ia menyerahkan kunci kamar ke recepcionist,  menyelesaikan pembayaran kamar, dan dia pergi keluar meninggalkan Manila Cantik 4 jam sebelum waktu check out. Ia menuju ke selatan ke Legazpi. Mereka akan bangun dari tidur nyenyak mereka kira-kira 6 jam lagi dan dia sudah tiba di kota ini. ia mengambil keputusan ke Iloilo mengambil jalan darat karena dia ingin menikmati pemandangan sepanjang jalan ke selatan pulau Luzon, pulau terbesar di negara ini. Keindahan pantai Guimaras sudah sering dia dengar dari tetangganya orang Filipina. Ia mengharapkan lebih atau paling tidak sama eksotiknya dengan Kuta di Bali.

Namun, ada benarnya juga kata nyonya tua cerewet itu, bahwa belum ke Manila kalau tidak melihat seperti apa Makati. Dengan menaiki taxi dia menuju ke Makati perjalanan membutuhkan waktu 30 menit. Di distrik ini terdapat lebih 50 bank internasional dan regional Association of South East Asia Nations, beberapa dari mereka adalah bank papan atas, 5 nama di antaranya yang aku ingat, seperti First National City, HSBC, American Express, Bank of Bilboa, dan Bank of Ilocos Norte. Banyaknya bank seperti ini menunjukkan barometer ekonomi di sini cukup baik, investasi di bidang perkebunan, pertanian, industri semen, dan pariwisata paling menonjol, terutama perkebunan tebu. Filipina adalah penghasil gula terbesar di Asia. Perempuan Filipina rata-rata cantik dan berpendidikan tinggi, tidak heran setiap tahun mereka selalu masuk nominasi Miss World. Selain sebagai tempat basis ekonomi, Makati juga tempat terkenal untuk demonstrasi oleh pengikut Cory Aquino, isterinya Benigno Aquino yang terbunuh di lapangan udara Manila setelah kembali dari Amerika, yang tergabung dalam People Power yang menuntut supaya Presiden Marcos meletakkan jabatan pada tahun 1986. Distrik ini lebih kurang sama dengan Bundaran HI tempat orang di Jakarta melakukan demonstrasi. Satu jam dia menikmati pemandangan di distrik ini. Ia melanjutkan ke Monumen Jose Rizal terus ke danau Rizal, tempat reservoir air minum bagi warga Manila Metro dan sekitarnya. Temannya orang Padang, namanya adalah Asrizal. Barangkali, pahlawan Filipina ini masih berdarah Minang di Indonesia.

Perjalanan menuju Legazpi di provinsi Albay rasanya memang tidak beda seperti perjalanan Jakarta ke Semarang, tetapi manusia selalu mencari selingan lain kalau memungkinkan. Ia duduk di kursi depan di sebelah supir, perempuan berkulit hitam manis, lebih condong wajahnya seperti orang Jawa, tetapi namanya yang tertera di badge di dada kanannya memang nama perempuan orang Filipina, Sarita Pimento. Mobil Mitsubishi L300 dari perusahaan travel Gulf of Panay melaju kencang, tetapi lembut tanpa hentakan-hentakan seperti yang biasa dilakukan oleh sopir-sopir di Bogor. Hembusan angin dari samudra Pacific terasa menyejukkan, mobil di sini memang jarang menghidupkan AC, karena tanpa AC pun lebih sejuk dibandingkan di Bogor yang sekarang terasa panas.

“You run this car smoothly. How long have you been working as driver?”, tanyaku membuka pembicaraan sambil menoleh kepadanya.
“Five years. I work for my husband had an accident then I took over the whole business in my household.”
“Where the province are you from? Luzon? Or Leyte?”
“Frankly to say, I’m not Philippines bybirth but I was from Indonesia. I was born in Surabaya, then Pimento, my husband married me twenty five years ago. You, where are you from?”
“Lho, sampeyan wong Suroboyo, toh sakbenere?”
“Sampeyan soko ndi? Wis suwi tenan aku ‘ra ketemu karo wong Jowo.”
“Aku wong soko Mojokerto. Jenengmu koyo wong Spanyol. Sarita.”
“Jeneng iso ngapusi wong, tapi atiku ora tau ngapusi wong liyo.”
“Kok iso ketemu jodoh karo wong Filipina. Piye mulane ketemu?
“Jenenge jodoh yo jodoh ketemu ning Tunjungan. Bapakku dodolan martabak manis, aku ngewangi, lha, deweke mampir saben dino.”

Mobil telah melewati Lopez dan melaju terus ke Mercedez dengan kecepatan 80 km per jam, jalanan lebar, tapi sepi melewati pegunungan berhutan pinus yang lebat dan sejuk. Di sepanjang perjalanan sangat jarang dijumpai penduduk. Sarita mengurangi kecepatan mobilnya, karena mobil terasa oleng ke kanan, mobil dihentikan ke pinggir jalan. Ban depan sebelah kanan tampak kurang angin. Kesempatan bagi penumpang, terutama yang laki-laki untuk kencing. Ia kencing di tempat agak jauh, kira-kira 30 meter di bawah sebuah pohon yang lebat daunnya, yang penting pistonya tidak kelihatan. Tidak sulit bagi Sarita menambah angin ban sebelah kanan, karena di dalam mobilnya sudah ada kompressor ban portable yang digerakkan dengan aki mobil. Di kejauhan, terlihat sebuah mobil mini bus besar Ford 2500 cc menyalip sebuah mobil lain di depannya, kecepatannya mungkin 100 km per jam. Kedua mobil ini jaraknya kira-kira 100 meter. Pintu bagian belakang Ford terbuka, sesaat kemudian dari belakang Ford ini terdengar rentetan suara tembakan senapan mesin. Sopir mobil yang disalip ini tertembak, mobil oleng ke arah mobil Sarita, tetapi tidak menabrak, dan berhenti 10 meter di depan mobil L300. Ford mengurangi kecepatan, tetapi rentetan senapan mesin dari belakang mobil ini tetap menyalak ke arah bagian samping mobil sasaran. Ford berhenti di sebelah kanan jalan, segera empat orang keluar dari dalam dengan membawa M16.

Dua orang di sisi kiri sementara dua lainnya di sisi kanan; jika yang seorang menembak senapan M16, yang seorang lain dalam posisi siap menembak; jika peluru habis, orang yang tadi dalam posisi siap menembak, ganti menembaki, begitu seterusnya sampai 3 magazine. Dua di antara mereka adalah perempuan, keduanya di sisi sebelah kanan. Sementara sopir Ford dari sejak tembakan pertama M16 telah siap di bagian belakang mobil merah. Dari pintu belakang, keluar seorang, tetapi kakinya sebelum menjejakkan ke tanah, tembakan beruntun AK 47 dari si sopir Ford menghabisi riwayatnya menjadi manusia. Sopir mobil travel L300, Sarita dan semua penumpang, laki-laki, perempuan, anak-anak, dan semua yang kemungkinan dapat menjadi saksi hidup dihabisi tanpa ampun. Dua orang laki-laki yang juga sedang kencing dibawah pohon, 20 meter di sebelah sisi kanannya tampak terkejut dan berusaha lari, tetapi peluru-peluru M16 yang dipegang oleh perempuan-perempuan yang di sisi kanan lebih cepat dari kedua orang ini. Mereka tidak tahu sama sekali ada yang lolos dari perhatian mereka sedang mengamati dari rimbunan pohon.

Perampokan! Mobil yang disalib oleh Ford itu adalah mobil perusahaan kurir pembawa uang, logo di pintu mobil itu menunjukkan identitas perusahaan, Secure Carrier. Paling tidak di dalam mobil ini terdapat 600 juta peso. Semua uang dikemas di dalam tas demi tas besar seperti koper terbuat dari bahan polyester tebal. Mereka bergerak cepat. Hanya dalam waktu 15 menit mereka selesai memindahkan semua koper uang ke dalam mobil mereka. Namun, seorang dari mereka yang memegang AK47 melemparkan satu bundle uang rampokan mereka ke arah hamparan rumput tempat orang-orang yang telah mereka tembaki tadi mati tergeletak. “Untuk biaya pemakaman,” katanya dalam bahasa Inggris. Kalau melihat penampilannya, orang ini adalah pemimpin mereka. Mereka bergegas pergi. Waktu menunjukkan pukul 17.00, matahari sudah condong ke barat. Sepi kembali.

Perlahan Bagio keluar dari persembunyian dari balik pohon. Sepi. Bayangan gelap dibalik pohon-pohon pinus mulai menutupi senja hari. Ia mendekati sopir mobil Secure Carrier yang telah mati. Ia merogoh dompetnya dan memeriksa isinya. Ada surat ijin mengemudi mobil truck umum, untuk sepeda motor, dan kartu tanda penduduk. Namanya, Gonzales Ramirez, kota kelahiran Tarlac, umur 50 tahun. Semua indentitas masih baru semua, hanya selisih sedikit bulannya, tetapi masih berlaku untuk beberapa tahun mendatang. Di dalam dompet terdapat uang sebesar 5000 peso, tidak butuh. Bagio hanya memerlukan identitas sopir ini, lainnya dibuang ke dalam lantai mobil. Ia berjalan menuju tempat madame Sarita tergeletak mati terkena peluru pada leher dan dadanya. Ia juga merogoh dompet perempuan ini untuk mengambil identitas diri tempat perempuan ini bekerja.

Satu bundle uang yang dilemparkan oleh pemimpin gang perampok terletak 10 meter dari tempat Sarita tergeletak. Satu bundel pecahan USD 100, nilainya USD 50 ribu. Dengan mobil travel L300 dia kembali menuju ke arah Manila. Ia menyimpan separuh bagian dengan membuka rekening di Bank of Ilocos Norte dan separuh lainnya dikirimkan ke rekeningnya di Indonesia secara bertahap. Ia masih mempunyai waktu ijin tinggal di Filipina dua puluh hari lagi. HBP.

Schnipp!

Milan Kunc and Moritz Rrr are the brains behind Ata Tak, a German independent record company who throughout the 1980s released music by the likes of Der Plan, Holger Hiller, and Pyrolator. As well as putting out the music they also designed the record covers creating their own unique look for the label that on the odd occasion would adorn the sleeves of Depeche Mode singles. The style is very much post-punk eclecticism: vibrant colors akin to the designs of Barney Bubbles or Malcolm Garrett, mixed with a twee illustrative style. The label is still going and, should you wish to do so, you can order a sample of their back catalogue via the Ata Tak website, or if you are not much in to paying for things you can admire a small selection of their artwork below.






To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

Guess who was having a bad day after the last couple of weeks being all happay happay and joyous? So as I sat and watched the match alone last afternoon sorrow my old friend came visiting me again and all the good work of the last couple of weeks seemed to have been washed off. All my promises to keep myself happy each day, working towards that dream and living in the moment vanished and all that was left were these stupid silly tears and I didn't even know what exactly was bothering me or maybe I did. Nothing made me happy. Not even India beating Pakistan by 29 runs in a not so spectacular fashion when on ordinary day I would have been elated and brimming with joy.

I woke up despondent too though I confess I tricked myself into thinking all was good. I come to office and open my inbox only to receive a nasty e-mail from a senior from the head office whom I had been dealing with for a legal notice and I had been so understanding and cordial and how does he repay me? Well he turns around and puts the entire blame on my shoulders. I was taken aback more than anything. People trying to put each other down doesn't even appall me anymore. It is understandable. I am not even being pessimistic about this. Sometimes this is just the way it is. We live in a dog eats dog world I thought and went about my work with a mission.

Rav and I went for coffee and I was trying to act all is fine until he broached yesterday's topic and I erupted. I knew all along what was bothering me. I just needed someone to acknowledge it. When I see someone who is some 4 years younger to me at work hear me out so patiently when we ain't even good old friends from college but known each other for half a year maybe or not even that, I realise all is not always wrong with the world. Even on bad days someone does come around and make you smile or surprise you with their enthusiasm to get your work done like another colleague who got the information I needed in a couple of hours and left me dumbfounded. I was getting myself ready to hound him for the next couple of days and getting the info or our Counsel whose neck I have been breathing down turns around and sends me a message to "Relax and I'll take care of it." I know that all is not always fine with the world but I also know all isn't always bad with this world.

I sent a text to Rav saying "Thankuuu for listening to my gibberish. Someday when we are in different and happier places you and I are gonna be laughing at all this silliness." He says "So true. :-)"

So here goes this Howard Zinn quote I stole from Fino's blog which left me with a "things will fall into place" feeling even on a bad bad day.

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
--Howard Zinn

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Korean Potato Pancakes, Gamja Jeon

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When I saw Lilyannette's gamja jeon or Korean potato pancakes, I knew I had to make them for breakfast asap. Breakfasts are testy meals in our home because Wey is always too sleepy/grumpy to eat. He prefers savory brekkies and since he eats in the car on the way to school (a not-so-uncommon practice here given the early start of school), I have to make sure the food doesn't spill easily.

I've only ever eaten and cooked pa jeon, a veg pancake with seafood that my Korean neighbor had taught me years ago. I love potatoes and a friend whose sons are six-footers has this theory that kids are taller when fed on potatoes so I'm desperately adding potatoes to my 16 year-old's diet. The truth is, I think, other than genes, easy eaters like my older son are tall because they eat everything and get a better range of nutrients. Anyway, I googled gamja jeon and stumbled upon a fantastic site for Korean recipes. Aeri's blog has very authentic Korean recipes and I like that like me, she posts what she cooks for her family. From what she has posted, you can make just about any kind of jeons so I used whatever I had in the fridge--bacon and leftover canned tuna. I added chives from my garden and half a chili and a couple of shiitake mushrooms that were drying up. Jeons are great for using up veggies and meat that you otherwise wouldn't know what to do with and also good for kids who otherwise won't eat veggies. It makes so much sense to feed my family savory pancakes stuffed with carbs, protein and vitamins than pancakes of carbs, sugar and fat (read: pancakes with maple syrup and butter--the Canadians won't be pleased). Really, if you think about it, a lot of sweet stuff like cakes and desserts are plain unhealthy food that makes us fat and sick. That's why I have stopped stocking my fridge with juices and sweet snacks and cakes are only for birthdays and special occasions.

Lilyannette's gamja jeons look light and crisp, almost like tempura. I didn't measure the ingredients and my gamja jeons didn't turn out as light but were still crisp outside and soft inside. And tasty. I think pancakes are versatile and you can test and try until you get the texture you like. For lighter pancakes, use less flour or use Korean pancake flour from Asian grocers. A bit more oil will make crispier pancakes. Be creative and throw in any veggie you have or like and come up with your own signature jeons. If making jeons for breakfast, you can cut the veggies and meat the night before. Grate potatoes when needed because they oxidize and brown easily.

Korean Potato Pancakes, Gamja Jeon
3/4 cup meat (bacon/tuna/crabsticks)
1 cup mixture of finely-cut veg such as carrots/chives/spring oions/bell peps/long beans/zucchini etc
2/3 cup onion, chopped finely
2 medium-sized potatoes (about 400 gm unpeeled), grated finely
1 red chili, thinly sliced
1/2 cup plain flour (or Korean pancake flour, which makes lighter & crispier pancakes)
2 large eggs
1/8 t salt (or to taste but remember the dip is salty) 
pinch of white or black pepper

Choganjang dip : 3 t light soy sauce and 1 t white rice vinegar but I like to substitute 1 teaspoon of the light soy sauce with dark soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee's) for a slightly sweetish taste. 

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1. Grate the potatoes finely but not so fine that they turn mushy. I don't squeeze out the nutritious liquid.

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2. Mix everything together in a bowl. The batter should be very thick. If using bacon, fry it until fat is transparent or better still, until golden brown~btw, canned tuna tastes great but Wey prefers bacon~

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2. Heat up a non-stick frying pan. Grease lightly (for crispy pancakes, use more oil) with veg oil. Drop a large spoonful of the batter and flatten it out into a circle about 10 cm/4" diameter for eating with your hands, smaller if serving with chopsticks. Another way is to make a big pancake (saves time) and cut into wedges. When the bottom side is golden brown, turn over.

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3. Serve hot with the dip.

Hazelnut Raspberry Mousse Cake

Pure delightful moist tangy sweet amazingness

Source: Cake adapted from “Celebration Cakes” by The Australian Women’s Weekly, Hazelnut Berry Delight; Raspberry mousse adapted from Bakers Royale blog; Chocolate Chantilly from “Chocolate - more than 50 decadent recipes” by Dominique and Cindy Duby.



Taste:
6 (out of 5)



Difficulty: 5 (out of 5)



Ingredients


For the cake (2575 cal)

- 125 g butter, chopped (895 cal)

- 1 cup icing sugar (775 cal)

- 3 eggs (210 cal)

- 1/4 cup self – rising flour (110 cal)

- 1/2 cup hazelnut meal (345 cal)

- 75 g sour cream (160 cal)

- 150 g fresh or frozen raspberries (80 cal)

For the mousse (830 cal)

- 3/4 cup whipping cream (615 cal)

- 1 1/2 cups / 150g frozen raspberries (80 cal)

- 1/4 cup brown sugar, not packed (135 cal)

- 1 packet / 7g gelatin

- 3-4 tbsp cold water

For chocolate Chantilly (550 cal)

- 0.9 oz/ 25 g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped (140 cal)

- 1/2 cup / 250 ml whipping cream (410 cal)

Total: 6 inch round cake, 3955 cal, 8 servings, 495 cal / serving



Instructions


For the cake

1. Grease a deep 6 inch / 17 cm cake pan, line the base and sides with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined between additions (mixture may curdle at this stage). Sift in sifted flour, hazelnut meal, sour cream, raspberries and blackberries.

3. Bake the cake at 350F for about an hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing onto the wire rack to cool.

For the raspberry mouse

4. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it bloom for 20-30 minutes until you prepare the raspberries.

5. Heat raspberries with the sugar in a small saucepan; let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Puree warm simmered raspberries in a food processor. Push puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Set aside.

6. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.

7. Warm up the blooming gelatin in a microwave for 10 seconds until the gelatin melts. Mix well and pour into the raspberry puree mixture. Whisk until mixture thickens to syrup consistency. Fold raspberry gelatin mixture into soft peaked cream.

For the assembly

8. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 parts (this is called "torting" the cake). Here are my tips on how to cut perfectly horizontal layers without any special equipment.

9. Line the sides of a 6 inch spring-form pan with parchment paper. Place the lower layer of the cake into a spring-form pan, pour a third of the raspberry mousse on top and spread evenly. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers. Leave the cake in the refrigerator until the mousse sets completely. It might take an hour or two.

For the chocolate Chantilly

10. Bring whipping cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the boiling cream on top of the chocolate and mix well until combined and uniform. Let cool in the fridge; overnight is best, but several hour would also work.

11. Once cool, whip with an electric mixer until medium peaks.

12. Remove the set cake from the spring-form pan, carefully peel off the parchment paper off the sides of the cake. Spread cream Chantilly in a thin layer over the sides and the top of the cake. Refrigerate for one more hour.



Afterthoughts

1. This cake tastes absolutely amazing. It is so soft, moist, has a slight hazelnut flavor, hint of sour from the raspberries, a tiny bit of bitterness from the chocolate Chantilly, and all these combine in a perfect melting in your mouth bliss. I will certainly be making it again.

2. The cake turned out very tall, much higher than I expected, about 3 inches – I was lucky to have a tall spring-form pan, otherwise it might have turned out into a huge muffin :-). I prefer lower cakes, so next time I will use half of the amount in this recipe and shorten the bake time. This will give 2 layers, and would use 2/3 of the raspberry mousse. I will keep the same amount of the chocolate Chantilly though, because it was barely enough this time. I had to literally scrape the bottom of the bowl ;-).

How to divide a cake into perfect horizontal layers

"Torting" = cutting the cake horizontally to create layered cakes.

Making layered cakes has always been an insurmountable challenge for me: I could never tort a cake. The knife would always go at an angle and I would end up with clumsy scraps of cake. I tried many things: putting toothpicks in the cake to mark where it should be cut, using dental floss or a Wilton cake leveler – they just would not cut it for me ;-).

And then one sleepless night I came up with a method that so far had produced 3 perfectly torted cakes. And the best thing was: I did not need to buy any specialized equipment.



What you need:

- A baked cake

- One container with straight level walls that the cake can fit into (can be a cake pan, in which the cake was made)

- Several flat plates / coasters that fit into the container to support and elevate the cake

- A sharp knife with a blade longer than the width of your container



In my case I used a 6 inch cake, a 7 inch plastic food storage container, three 7 inch round cork coasters and an 8 inch chef’s knife.



What you do:


1. Gently mark with the knife place on the side of the cake where it should be cut.

2. Put the needed amount of support (coasters / plates / cardboard) into the container, so that when the cake is placed on the support the cutting mark will be exactly at the level of the container walls. The cake should be stable and parallel to the container floor.

3. Hold the top of the cake with one hand, to hold the cake in place. With the other hand cut the cake so that the knife is supported by the container walls both near the handle and near the tip. Make slow steady sawing motions with the knife, making sure it at all times lies flat on the container walls.

4. Voilà!



And this is the link to the recipe of the Hzelnut Raspberry Mousse cake in the photos.

Kepalang Basah, Maju Terus, Lupakan Malu

Di negara ini, Indonesia tercinta ada dua orang yang berasal dari satu daerah yang sama, yakni Sulawesi Selatan, mereka bertengkar secara terpisah. Anda tahu bukan, bahwa Sulawesi Selatan adalah gudang tempat asal banyak pemain bola kaki yang telah mengharumkan nama Indonesia. Kalau mau mencari nama pemain badminton terkenal di Indonesia, Jawa tempatnya; sebaliknya kalau mau mencari pemain bola kaki top, Sulawesi Selatan tempatnya. Persatuan Sepak Bola Makassar atau PSM adalah klub sepak bola di Indonesia yang cukup disegani dari sejak dulu [dari sejak jaman Majapahit]. Medan [PSMS], PSM [Makassar], Bandung [PERSIB], Surabaya [PERSIBAYA], dan Malang [PERSEMA], mereka adalah macan-macan lima besar di Indonesia. Siapakah dua orang yang telah aku sebutkan di atas? Mereka adalah Andi Malarangeng, Menteri Pemuda dan Olah Raga, Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu, pemegang amanat dari Presiden SBY untuk mengelola olah raga dan pemuda di Indonesia dan yang lain adalah Nurdin Halid, Ketua Umum Persatuan Sepak Bola Seluruh Indonesia [PSSI].

Pada 26 Maret 2011 telah diselenggarakan Kongres Besar PSSI di Riau. Who’s who yang diundang untuk mengikuti kongres tidak jelas dan hasil kongres juga tidak transparan, maka pemerintah melalui Kementerian Menpora, Andi Malarangen tidak mengakui lagi Nurdin Halid dan Nugraha Besoes sebagai Ketua Umum dan Sekretaris Jenderal PSSI. Semua dana bantuan PSSI yang bersumber dari APBN untuk sementara waktu dihentikan sampai terbentuk pengurus baru untuk perioda 2011-2015. Secara tidak langsung Presiden SBY yang memberi perintah langsung untuk menghentikan orang bandel ini, Nurdin Halid untuk meletakkan jabatan. Pemerintah tidak akan intervensi langsung masalah olah raga ini, jika Nurdin Halid dan konconya, Nugraha Besoes tidak keterlaluan dengan kebandelan mereka ini. Sudah lebih 2 tahun yang lalu banyak orang tidak menghendaki kelanjutan Nurdin Halid menjadi Ketua Umum.

Menurut peraturan FIFA, jika seseorang telah pernah menjadi narapidana, orang seperti ini tidak diijinkan menjadi Ketua Umum suatu persatuan sepak bola yang terdaftar di dalam FIFA. Nurdin Halid pernah dihukum penjara karena kasus korupsi, seharusnya dengan statusnya seperti ini, dia harus tahu diri meletakkan jabatan sebagai Ketua Umum. Ia tidak meletakkan jabatan, bahkan tetap menjadi Ketua Umum dan mengatur PSSI dari balik jeruji penjara. Peraturan PSSI berbeda bunyinya dengan FIFA, yaitu seseorang yang tidak sedang menjalani proses pidana diijinkan menjadi Ketua Umum. Peraturan versi PSSI ini pasti hasil kongkalingkong orang yang tidak bertanggung jawab. Banyak orang lebih percaya peraturan FIFA, karena masyarakat tahu, Nurdin Halid banyak bohongnya. Siapa yang mau percaya dengan seorang koruptor?

Seharusnya NH sudah mundur dengan kesadarannya sendiri begitu dia masuk ke dalam penjara karena kasus pidana korupsi, dengan demikian dia akan lebih dihormati sebagai orang yang tahu diri. Nurdin Halid sudah kepalang basah untuk mundur secara terhormat, jadi yang dilakukannya adalah maju terus pantang mundur tanpa malu, walaupun punggungnya diberi label, orang tidak tahu diri. Cukup hanya sampai di sini saja, jangan lagi ada Nurdin Halid jilid kedua. Kita membutuhkan orang yang dapat menghidupkan dunia sepak bola Indonesia, bukan orang yang hidup dari sepak bola. HBP.

Rumah Bapa Di Sorga

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place of you [John xiv:3].

Pada 12 Maret 2011 telah terjadi bencana alam besar di pantai timur Jepang, di sebelah utara Tokyo, yaitu gempa bumi berkekuatan 8,9 skala Richter dan disertai tsunami yang telah menelan korban 10000 korban tewas, belum terhitung ribuan lainnya yang hilang. Bandingkan dengan gempa dan tsunami di Aceh yang telah terjadi pada 24 Desember 2004, berkekuatan 9,0 skala Richter telah menelan korban tewas hampir 200 ribu orang, maka yang telah terjadi di Jepang bagi mereka jumlah korban tewas ini sangat besar. Skala kerusakan bencana ini juga lebih besar dibandingkan dengan di Aceh, yaitu gelombang tsunami berkecepatan 800 km per jam dan jangkauan gelombang pasang tsunami mencapai lebih 20 km, bandingkan dengan di Aceh yang hanya berkecepatan 700 km per jam dan hanya mencapai sekitar 10 km saja. Gempa tidak terlalu banyak merusakkan bangunan infrastruktur dan bangunan gedung bertingkat, tetapi pembangkit listrik nuklir Fukushima Daiichi dan sebuah pengilangan minyak mengalami kebakaran hebat akibat bencana ini.   

Sebagai negara yang paling sering terkena bencana gempa, kata tsunami sendiri berasal dari Jepang yang berarti gelombang pasang, maka para ahli bangunan negara ini selama bertahun-tahun telah membuat banyak bangunan gedung bertingkat yang diperkirakan mampu menahan gempa. Bagaimana pun hebatnya tekhnologi yang dikembangkan oleh akal budi manusia, siapa yang mampu melawan kedahsyatan kekuatan alam. Manusia berusaha sekuat tenaga dan pikiran, tetapi kedahsyatan alam datang dengan kekuatan melebihi yang telah dirancang oleh manusia. Mereka mengatakan, bahwa semua gedung dan bangunan infrastruktur telah dirancang untuk gempa kekuatan 8,9 skala Richter, tetapi Fukushima Daiichi yang kokoh tidak mampu menahan getaran gempa. Pembangkit listrik tenaga nuklir ini memiliki 4 reaktor nuklir, beberapa di antara mereka mengalami kebakaran. Kebakaran yang sulit dipadamkan di kompleks reactor nuklir ini telah melelehkan bahan bakar reactor, seterusnya menyebabkan penyebaran radiasi nuklir yang tidak terhindarkan lagi. Instansi berwenang terkait keamanan kota telah memerintahkan seluruh penduduk kota Fukushima mengungsi ke luar kota.

Manusia mungkin saja mampu membangun gedung bertingkat yang mampu menahan gempa kekuatan >>> 9 skala Richter, tetapi tentu membutuhkan biaya pembangunan yang mahal sekali. Lalu rumah atau gedung seperti apa yang aman untuk tempat tinggal manusia tanpa ada rasa takut terkena musibah gempa? Rumah yang tahan terhadap getaran gempa adalah rumah Bapa di Sorga. Setiap orang yang percaya kepada Anak pasti akan memperoleh rumah ini cuma-cuma, karena Yesus Kristus sendiri yang telah memesankan tempat itu bagi yang percaya kepada-Nya. Landasan rumah ini juga dibangun dari bahan yang sangat kokoh, yaitu landasan Kristus. Banyak orang di seluruh dunia mencari rumah yang kokoh dan bebas banjir, sebaliknya banyak dari mereka salah memilih rumah. Mereka mendiami sebuah rumah yang dikira mempunyai suasana kasih dan damai sejahtera, justeru yang mereka dapatkan adalah sebaliknya, yaitu perceraian, rebutan harta warisan, percabulan, madat morfin, mabuk minuman alkohol, penipuan, dan seterusnya segala macam kotoran dunia. Semua peristiwa yang telah aku sebutkan ini adalah jauh lebih dahsyat dari getaran gempa mana pun di dunia.

Sebut saja, perceraian. Jangan engkau sebut ini adalah peristiwa biasa saja. Perceraian adalah gempa besar yang menimpa sebuah kehidupan rumah tangga. Sepasang suami-istri selama belasan tahun membina rumah tangga dan anak-anak mereka menikmati suasana gembira melihat mereka rukun, tetapi pada satu hari harus menerima kenyataan pahit, karena mereka harus bercerai. Aku pernah menyaksikan seorang istri tega meninggalkan suaminya dan kedua anaknya untuk menikah dengan seorang laki-laki yang usianya jauh lebih muda dari perempuan ini. Mereka dulu adalah tetanggaku. Kasihan anak-anak mereka yang telah menjadi korban perceraian. Gempa besar pasti meretakkan tanah sehingga terbelah dan selalu berakhir porak poranda. Demikan pula dengan perceraian, gempa kehidupan yang meretakkan mahligai rumah tangga sehingga terbelah dua dan pasti berantakan. Somoga tidak terjadi! Jika di dalam hati anak-anak timbul perasaan dendam kepada salah satu dari orang tua, jangan salahkan mereka. Orang tua tua egois telah merampas kebahagiaan anak-anak karena keras hati untuk bercerai.

Aku baru saja selesai membaca sebuah novel yang bercerita tentang seorang ayah yang kaya sekali, tetapi doyan kawin dan tidak pernah memperhatikan kehidupan rohani anak-anaknya. Sepanjang hidup ayah ini yang dipikirkan dan dilakukan adalah menumpuk kekayaan sehingga dia termasuk kelompok orang kaya di Amerika. Ayah ini telah 3 kali menikah resmi, semua istrinya adalah bekas sekretarisnya, dan istri-istri ini telah diceraikan. Masing-masing istri mempunyai anak, semua 6 anak. Ada seorang wanita lain juga bekas sekretarisnya dibuat hamil sampai melahirkan anak, kemudian anak ini diadopsi oleh sepasang suami-istri pendeta. Anak lahir di luar nikah ini kemudian hari menjadi seorang missionarist di suatu negara berkembang dan di wilayah sangat terpencil. Ketika ayah ini mati, harta warisannya menjadi rebutan anak-anaknya. Sebetulnya, ayah mewariskan seluruh hartanya hanya kepada putrinya yang jadi missionarist, karena anak-anaknya yang lain dianggap tidak memperhatikan dirinya pada hari tuanya selain harta saja. Kecewa ayah ini pada hari tuanya. Ayah ini bunuh diri dengan terjun dari gedung 14 tingkat miliknya setelah selesai menulis surat wasiat warisan. Melalui kebijakan pengadilan setempat anak-anak yang lain hanya mendapat bagian 1/250 bagian saja dari total warisan setelah dipotong pajak dan bagian terbesar lainnya untuk missionarist yang akhirnya tidak dapat diterima, karena missionarist mati kena malaria. Bagian missonarist diserahkan ke perwalian dana amal. Harta warisan yang jatuh ke tangan orang yang tidak bertanggung jawab juga sebuah gempa besar di dalam rumah tangga. Gempa itu adalah ribut rebutan harta, bahkan disertai taruhan nyawa. Engkau dapat kehilangan orang yang engkau cintai melalui perebutan harta, karena di situ ada harta, di situ pula Iblis mempunyai ramuan menciptakan gempa besar di dalam sebuah rumah tangga. Ingatlah baik-baik : carilah rumah yang kokoh dibalut oleh kasih dari Tuhan. HBP.

hello...hello kitty

salam...

selamat pagi..selamat petang... selamat malam..
cukup sistem 24 jam kan..
yes!! sempat jugak aku up date blog aku akrini..
biasala.. study study jugak.. tapi kalau da penat tu, kembali menghadap lappy jugak akhirnya..
entry kali ni aku wat khas untuk baby girl yang aku jumpa semalam..
nak tengok gambar dia..
siyess sumel sangat..
niyh..niyh.. kat bawah ni gambar dia.
tadaaa..



sumel tak.. ??
aik korang tak nampak!!
try tengok betoi-betoi..
camne plak tak ley tengok niyh..
oppss. lupe, earth hour (dan..dan...kan)
takder la, aku lupa nak snap gambar budak tu..
my mistake.!! tu la, da teruja sangat, da tak hingat hapa da..
sorry guys

tapi ape kaitan ngan entry ni??
meh..meh.. cheq habai mai..
aku panggil bidak tu. pinky girls..
siyes sume pink.!!. dari atas kepala sampai la ke kaki..
pinkkk kalerrr ma..
tapi kat sini, aku bukan nak refer kekaler tu. .
tapi merujuk kepada...
ni haah..
helllooooo.....
haha..ye2.. hello kitty.



atau yang bawah ni pun boley..


suke yang more to bunny thing..

ni aku sikit citer sal hello kitty ni. Hello Kitty adalah sejenis alat permainan patung anak kucing yang terkenal di dunia. Watak ini berasal dari negara Jepun. Hello Kitty. adalah salah satu dari watak fiksyen yang dihasilkan oleh syarikat Jepun Sanrio dan yang paling popular di antara watak milik syarikat tersebut. Watak itu, kucing putih bercirikan bow atau hiasan lain pada telinga kiri, dan tanpa mulut. Dihakcipta dalam 1976, Hello Kitty sekarang merupakan cap dagang satu dikenali seluruh.

gitu kan....
sedikit sebanyak sal hello kitty niyh..

dolu-dolu aku pun suke ngan hello kitty ni..
yela..girlsss..
siapa yang tak suke..
sekarang kalu aku nak cirik pun hello kitty ni,
aku cari yang macam ni..



like that kind of stuff..
kecik..kiut miut je!!
sooo..
sape cakap budak-budak je suke hello kitty ni..
orang dewasa pun suka kot...
bukti yang korang boley jumpe adalah..
ini haahh.... kereta..
siap hias dalam bagai..kemain lagi kan..



korang wat la ikut suke ati korang aku tak kesah..
nak letak kat tayar kete korang pun takpe..
hubuh la..hubuh...
aku still tak kesah..
bukan kete aku pun kan..

tapi jangan sampai tahap yang niyh..
over bebenor da tuh aku rasa..





What a marvellous reason to be able to get off from work early!

Its D day today and all of us are looking at heading out of office to watch the mother of all matches with our buddies or within the comfortable confines of our homes. Honestly I can't wait to get out of office. What a marvellous reason to be able to get off work early! I don't even think any of us are taking any permission. It is just presumed that we definitely do not want to be watching this grand spectacle in this clinical white and grey environment. To think Mohali is almost as the crow flies. Sigh!

I finally got permission to activate my BB services on my new phone. I was actually asked to get permission from the Project Director. I was astonished like WTF! I am fickin' gonna be paying for it anyways and all this officialism for something as measly as BB services.

Abhi's boyfriend who is a die hard cricket buff shall be on the train throughout the entire period of the match just so that he can meet her tomorrow cos it happens to be some anniversary of their's. Wow I wouldn't have done that for any of the supposed ex loves of my life. Like NOOOOOOOOOOOOO WAYYY am I gonna be sitting in some rickety train while the match of a lifetime is taking place.

Okie my thinking is too clouded today with anything except the match. Abhi, J, Rav and I are gonna be taking a lift from this fool who has been making goopy eyes at me as long as I can remember. So this morning at the cafeteria over coffee I was thinking out aloud saying "How do we go home?" and cheeky J with that smirk on his face says "Why with Mr. Goopy Eyes? He offered all of us a lift last morning itself." and for once I agreed cos we really don't have an option the other being taking a metro which is super duper fast and fancy( The airport line) but today I don't wanna make even that much of an effort.

So here's to the Indian team. May you play splendid cricket and give the men in green a run for their money literally and figuratively. ;-)

“Winning isn't everything...it's the only thing.”

Vincent Van Gogh 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

April Food Day Links List

Please post a link to your post about April Food Day - not your entire blog, just the April Food Day post! The link will take you to another page where you'll enter the URL for your post, and then it will bring you right back here.

April Food Day 2011

We are pleased to host the Third Annual April Food Day: Bloggers Fighting Hunger! To participate, please post the April Food Day logo on your blog and add a link to either the national food bank, Feeding America, or your local food bank. April Food Day 2011

To encourage people to donate, you might link directly to the donations page. Feeding America has a secure on-line donations page: HERE.

If hunger has touched you, or someone you  know, I hope that you will consider sharing the story with your readers. A personalized story helps make Hunger in America more real to people.

Additionally, please Tweet about April Food Day, and add it to your Facebook status on April 1.

I will be posting a links list so that everyone can see who participated. Look for that tomorrow!

Mensch und Ton



Croox are another in a long line of amazing early eighties German minimal synth bands who seem to have faded into obscurity after only two albums. The song in question, 'Mensch und Ton', sounds like a cross between D.A.F and Metronomy, and comes from a compilation of european post-punk entitled 'Partysnaks' (record sleeve pictured above) that you can download from The Last Days of Man on Earth.

Croox - Mensch und Ton

The Ambulance Station, Old Kent Road



Few would cite Peckham as a cultural hotspot. Yet, during the 1980s a disused fire station in the heart of the area became a centre for music, art, and anarchy. Dale Marshall traces the history behind this unique project and uncovers South London’s forgotten musical heritage.



Old Kent Road in South East London is a place, which though steeped in history has seen better days. The road on which Chaucer’s pilgrims once passed through in The Canterbury Tales now has little more to its name than a few supermarkets, retail parks, and the obligatory McDonalds drive-in. There is however one curiosity worth a mention. Half way down the street in the second floor window of an old fire station stands a mechanically operated doll dressed in full fireman’s regalia. His jolting robotic spasms, visible to passers by on the street, have made him a local talking point, much to the delight of the stations new occupants, an antiques and fireplace retailer. Yet, an unusual sight such as this becomes largely overshadowed once you learn of the buildings colorful past. Between 1983 and 1987 the building was not a fire station or even a place to buy fireplaces but was in fact what is best described as an “autonomous cultural centre” that in its short life played host to such legendary bands as Pulp, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Butthole Surfers and, Primal Scream.



Built in 1905 to house the newly formed London County Council city fire services the station was in use for nearly sixty-five years before its abandonment in 1969. Having left the building to rot it remained empty for over a decade until a group of anarchist-punks began squatting there in the early eighties. The expansive ground floor space was quickly cleared and turned into a music venue, which for reasons unknown was donned The Ambulance Station. As a member of the punk group Flowers in the Dustbin, Chas Loft played at the venue and recalls the atmosphere. “There was a stage arranged so that when you played you had your back to the Old Kent Road side of the building” Loft says. “What does stick in my mind is that the venue was always very hot and the packed, with sweat and naked torsos dancing in twilight and heat.” Gigs were often ramshackle affairs as Pete King, a young punk at the time, confirms. “I remember one night the sound was so distorted that nobody could hear what the singer was saying. It was so bad that upon completion of one bands set, the female bass player went round afterwards to apologise to every member of the audience.” Despite the technical difficulties, the venue provided a space for groups from a wide range of genres to perform on the same bill meaning there was an eclectic mix of three-chord punk, avant-garde electronic music, heavy industrial clattering, and twee indie-pop. Phil Wilson, the lead singer of cult indie-pop group The June Brides played at the venue on several occasions and remembers how the ‘melting pot’ mixture of different scenes was viewed as a bonus: “Nothing peps a young indie-pop band more than coming on stage to face a few hundred punks with Mohicans and having to try win them over!”



The musical styles were not the only thing that seemed to jar with each other, with the venues energetic mix of people a world away from the demographic of the area. At the time, London was still reeling from the social and political unrest of the late seventies and whilst acting as a cultural hotbed for movements such as Punk, larges areas of the city were suffering from neglect. Old Kent Road was, as Phil Wilson remembers: “Scary, decaying, and Poor. The Ambulance station seemed to be the only thing with any life in the entire area, other than the pubs. And the life there involved boxing, so it didn't really appeal to an indie group.” For Simon Crab, whose experimental group Bourbonese Qualk were one of the venues in house bands the tough location was a big influence. “I think that living in such a marginal area had a direct impact on our music and the imagery we used. It was often criticized as an “industrial” affectation but it was just everyday landscape to us.”



Acting as a beam of light in an area otherwise culturally starved the venue attracted the cream of the British indie music scene. Undeniably the most infamous gig held at the venue involved a then underground group called The Jesus and Mary Chain who had been recently billed as ‘the new Sex Pistols’ by the NME. The gig was one of the groups first major London shows and gained the venue huge notoriety going down in musical folklore as the “riot” gig. In attendance was fanzine writer and music journalist Kevin Pearce who recalls the tense atmosphere that evening: “There was a real sense of anticipation about the Mary Chain gig as there had been so much media coverage”. In a review of the event published in music magazine Zig Zag, Tony De Le Fou describes the pandemonium that ensued: “Those closest to the stage had a frantic, po-going time of it, continually getting up onstage to join in the mayhem as the force of the barrage unfolded.”







If the raucous behavior within the venue was not enough, the reception visitors would receive once outside the front gates would certainly get the heart racing. As Simon Crab explains: “The hostility came from local gangsters, pub owners, Millwall fans and Nazi skinheads. The building was quite heavily protected and hard to get into - the stairwell was sealed with metal gates and we generally went around armed. Despite this, I had a large bodyguard whenever I went out after receiving death threats from skinheads.” Finding it difficult to cope with some of the more hostile residents in the area the original settlers soon wanted out and decided to pass the baton to another group of south London based squatters known as the Recloose Organisation.



Soon after their move in late 1984, the Recloose Organisation set about fixing-up those spaces that were still dilapidated. “A lot of manual work needed doing,” recalls Simon Crab. “With the top floors having been left untouched for so long, this included not only skilled work such as replacing piping, windows and tiles on the roof, but also removing one meter deep layers of dead pigeons from the floor”. Whilst the music venue was an integral part of the building, the work carried out by the Recloose Organisation not only rejuvenated those spaces which were still dilapidated but also redefined the purpose of the Ambulance Station. In addition to the music venue and bar the newly formed Ambulance Station co-operative built a recording studio, sculpture/screen-printing workshop, café, darkrooms, artist studios, and offices for S.N.O.W (Squatters network of Walworth & Southwark) who, according to sources close to the organization, in 1985 re-housed more people in the borough than Southwark council.



With so much happening the Ambulance Station began to gain increasing attention from the mainstream press. In 1984 the makers of a BBC Arena documentary focusing on the history of Old Kent Road decided to pay a visit. Simon Crab recalls that the program: “had quite a big effect on the local community – they had previously seen us as dirty squatters but were really impressed with what they saw on the TV - they all came round to have a look.” This was not the last time The Ambulance Station would be a focus of the press. A precursor to the anti globalization marches of the nineties, the famous ‘Stop the City’ protests were in part organised by anarchist groups within the squat and involved protestors blockading the streets of London’s financial district in a bid to halt trading. Reports from the time claim that one of the marches helped caused a one hundred million pound shortfall in trading on one day alone.




However, in many ways the Ambulance station was a victim of its own success. In part due to the disruption caused by the protests the government passed the Public Order Act of 1986 allowing the police to hold regular raids on the Ambulance Station often with little or no reason given to the residents. Yet, external pressure was not the only problem, with in fighting between the occupants quickening the Ambulance Station’s demise. Simon Crab recalls the tensions within the building at the time: “There was an increasing factional dispute between The Ambulance Station co-operative and what I would call the 'stoners' which often turned violent.” Frustrated by the breakdown in solidarity, many of the cooperatives members including the Recloose Organisation decided to move to new premises, leaving the building prey to junkies and dealers. Eventually, in 1987, the council evicted the remaining squatters and seized the building.



In many respects, it seems a waste that a building, which once was a thriving hub of cultural activity, is now home to a “fireplace showroom”. Perhaps even more tragic is the fact that no one in the area seems to have any knowledge that such a place once existed. On a recent visit to ‘The Blue Mantle’ as it is now known, I questioned one of the young salesmen as to whether anyone who worked there knew anything about the buildings history. The response was less than enthusiastic, with the telling remark: “To be honest mate, everyone who was around then is probably dead.” Once you manage to dodge past the salesman up the main stairway you can still access the top floors of the building where you will find the last remnants of painted murals and anarchy symbols flaking away on the walls. Other than this, the rooms are stripped bare housing little more than a few dusty covered mannequins who stand eerily in the corner of the room.



There have been a number of drastic improvements to Old Kent Road since the squat closed. Most notably, the Nazi skinheads that used to terrorize the residents have given way to a more diverse and co-operative community. In spite of this, nothing since has filled the cultural gap left by the Ambulance Station, and whether or not you agree with squatting, after hearing the stories of what was once here, it is hard not to feel a sense of loss. For Simon Crab going back to the building provides a chance for reflection. “I have mixed emotions about it,” Crab remarks. “On one hand it was a once in a lifetime experience of idealism realized. On the other it was a huge opportunity wasted.”


Monday, March 28, 2011

Coconut Creme Caramel

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Coconut creme caramel

The first (and last) time I made creme caramel, which is custard flan, it was a spongy and holey flop. I ate a very good flan last week and that challenged me back into the kitchen, after a 2-week break during which the family ate mostly noodles and leftovers.

Creme brulee, similar to creme caramel but has a hard caramel crust, is the more flashy-looking of the two custards. I prefer creme caramel because the molten caramel blends well with every spoonful of the custard, giving a smooth silky feel in the mouth. The crisp caramel of creme brulee is impressive but takes too much attention from the custard and tends to be too sweet. It's also the more troublesome of the two custards to make because you need a strong blow torch to caramelize the sugar without melting the custard.

This recipe, from an old issue of The Australian Women's Weekly, was copied into my recipes book but like  a hundred other recipes that I've copied while at the hairdressers and doctor's clinics, I never got around to testing it. Btw, these days I don't scribble recipes on paper napkins and ATM slips because my phone camera does the job. Bob's right, the times they have changed.

I didn't want to run out to get coconut cream so I mixed powdered coconut with dairy cream and milk instead. The result was excellent although I think fresh coconut milk is always infinitely better than canned. For plain flans, use milk, cream and pure vanilla extract instead of coconut cream. You can use individual ramekins or a large round pan to make a large single flan for a big party. Remember that flans will spread out a bit when they are turned out so make them a little higher. Height does matter when it comes to looks.

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Coconut Flans
1/3 cup caster sugar (or 1/2 cup, if you want more caramel syrup)
1/3 cup water (or 1/2 cup)
180 ml milk
300 ml thick coconut milk or cream
4 eggs
6 t caster sugar (or double the amount if you like it sweeter)

If powdered coconut is handier, whisk 25 to 50 g into the cream. For plain flans, use a milk-dairy cream mixture and add 1 t pure vanilla extract.

1. Put 8 ramekins of 8 cm/3" diameter (or use one 8" round pan) in a baking pan. Pour water into the baking pan until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins/pan. Preheat oven to 170 C.

2. Put the 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water into a small pot and let simmer without stirring (swirl the liquid) until it thickens and bubbles and turns golden. Remove. If the sugar browns too much, the caramel will taste bitter.

3. Pour the caramel while it's still hot (careful, because hot caramel sugar is VERY hot) into the round pan or divide among the ramekins. It's okay if the caramel hardens and doesn't cover the whole surface of the bottom of the ramekins. The caramel will liquefy and spread out evenly after baking.

4. Put the eggs and 6 teaspoons of sugar into a large bowl and whisk well until sugar is dissolved.

5. Put the milk and cream into a small pot and heat until hot but not boiling. I remove the pot when I see the first bubbles beginning to form at the side of the pot. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking the egg mixture rapidly as you pour.

6. You can either sieve the hot custard into a measuring jug so that you can divide it equally or you can sieve the custard directly into the ramekins. I like a flan of at least 1"/2.5 cm high. A 1" -deep uncooked custard will spread out to 3/4" high when turned out so start with 1 1/4"-deep custard to get a turned-out flan of 1". Bake for 45 minutes. For the single custard, bake longer, depending on the height of the custard. The centre will still be jiggly but firm up upon chilling. It's best to chill the custard overnight so this is a good dessert to make ahead of a party.

7. To serve, run a blade around the inside of the ramekins/pan and turn over onto serving plates. Serve very cold.