Interesting article. I love suits.
http://www.economist.com/node/17722802?story_id=17722802
12.23.2010
12.20.2010
Risotto with Bacon and Mushrooms
I'm reposting an older blog post. My wife and I are now trying to live a much more vegetarian lifestyle, for financial, environmental, and cruelty reasons. So don't expect to see a lot more bacon in the future!
Risotto is really easy to make, thought a little time consuming since you have to stay at the oven most of the time to ensure that the liquid doesn’t absorb too fast, or the rice begins to burn.
Here’s what you need:
1 cup Arborio rice
Olive oil (used the glug method, so I don’t have an exact measurement)
1 large onion
Bacon
Chicken broth
Left over broth from a roast (this is why we save and freeze our roast broth; you just shave the fat off the top while it’s still frozen)
2 cups red wine (We used 2005 Epicuro Aglianico Beneventano from Trader Joe’s)
Mushrooms (we use Portobello from Trader Joe’s and just chop them up)
In a separate pot, mix both broths and heat them up. You aren’t cooking them, but rather warming them so they don’t cool down the rice when you add it. Basically you are trying to mix two things at the same temperature. I can't stress enough how much richer the broth from the roast makes this taste! Of course you can use store bought broth and still get great results, but there is something nice about using something you created yourself, and it guarantees that you risotto won't taste the same way twice.
We used the same pan to prepare everything. We chopped up the bacon into little bits and then cooked it in the bottom of the pan. Next we added two glugs of olive oil and the onions. You don’t want these to cook completely; since they are going to be in the hot pan the entire time they will have plenty of time to cook. We added the cup of Arborio rice and make sure that all the rice is coated evenly with oil. Next we added the two cups of wine. Once that’s absorbed you add 2 cups or so of the warm broth. (I say “or so” because we just added to ladles worth, and as far as I could see each ladle was around a cup.)
That’s about it! You just keep adding the broth 2 cups at a time, waiting for the broth to be absorbed before adding the next batch. My wife told me an excellent way to check if the broth has been absorbed enough. Pull your mixing spoon, or spatula, through the rice. If liquid quickly fills in the trough behind the spoon it needs to absorb more, if it doesn’t, or it’s really slow, go ahead and add more. Now what about the mushrooms you may ask? Well since they absorb so much liquid you want to wait until the very end. I didn’t add ours until there was only 2 cups left of broth to go, and they turned out fine. Just keep the risotto on the heat until the mushrooms are at your preferred crispness. We also added some fresh cheddar cheese that we coarsely grated, I like how the cheese thickens and stretches throughout the dish.
Serve immediately in a bowl. We added parsley to garnish, but that was mainly because we had bought parsley for some reason, and thought it would be a nice touch. Surprisingly I thought it was a really great touch, since the light and cool parsley was a nice contrast to the warm and rich risotto. Now is also a good time to use up the rest of your wine too, yum!
Risotto is really easy to make, thought a little time consuming since you have to stay at the oven most of the time to ensure that the liquid doesn’t absorb too fast, or the rice begins to burn.
Here’s what you need:
1 cup Arborio rice
Olive oil (used the glug method, so I don’t have an exact measurement)
1 large onion
Bacon
Chicken broth
Left over broth from a roast (this is why we save and freeze our roast broth; you just shave the fat off the top while it’s still frozen)
2 cups red wine (We used 2005 Epicuro Aglianico Beneventano from Trader Joe’s)
Mushrooms (we use Portobello from Trader Joe’s and just chop them up)
In a separate pot, mix both broths and heat them up. You aren’t cooking them, but rather warming them so they don’t cool down the rice when you add it. Basically you are trying to mix two things at the same temperature. I can't stress enough how much richer the broth from the roast makes this taste! Of course you can use store bought broth and still get great results, but there is something nice about using something you created yourself, and it guarantees that you risotto won't taste the same way twice.
We used the same pan to prepare everything. We chopped up the bacon into little bits and then cooked it in the bottom of the pan. Next we added two glugs of olive oil and the onions. You don’t want these to cook completely; since they are going to be in the hot pan the entire time they will have plenty of time to cook. We added the cup of Arborio rice and make sure that all the rice is coated evenly with oil. Next we added the two cups of wine. Once that’s absorbed you add 2 cups or so of the warm broth. (I say “or so” because we just added to ladles worth, and as far as I could see each ladle was around a cup.)
That’s about it! You just keep adding the broth 2 cups at a time, waiting for the broth to be absorbed before adding the next batch. My wife told me an excellent way to check if the broth has been absorbed enough. Pull your mixing spoon, or spatula, through the rice. If liquid quickly fills in the trough behind the spoon it needs to absorb more, if it doesn’t, or it’s really slow, go ahead and add more. Now what about the mushrooms you may ask? Well since they absorb so much liquid you want to wait until the very end. I didn’t add ours until there was only 2 cups left of broth to go, and they turned out fine. Just keep the risotto on the heat until the mushrooms are at your preferred crispness. We also added some fresh cheddar cheese that we coarsely grated, I like how the cheese thickens and stretches throughout the dish.
Serve immediately in a bowl. We added parsley to garnish, but that was mainly because we had bought parsley for some reason, and thought it would be a nice touch. Surprisingly I thought it was a really great touch, since the light and cool parsley was a nice contrast to the warm and rich risotto. Now is also a good time to use up the rest of your wine too, yum!11.16.2010
Champagne
"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and I drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it, - unless I'm thirsty." - Lily Bollinger (When asked "When Do You Drink Champagne?")
Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and I drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it, - unless I'm thirsty." - Lily Bollinger (When asked "When Do You Drink Champagne?")
11.10.2010
Sip
Sip is my favorite coffee house in Chicago. When I used to live in River West, I probably went there at least 4 days a week. Almost always I ordered the light roast Dom with an extra shot. It got to the point it was like "Cheers" where everyone knew me when I went in there. If I wanted something other then a Dom, I had to speak up quickly or they would just start making it for me! Another bonus is they serve Intelligentsia coffee, a locally roasted bean.They now have two outdoor seating areas and a nice two floor seating area in the back as well. Free wi-fi too. If you are ever in Chicago near the corner of Grand and Ogden, go to Sip and order something. DO NOT go to the Starbucks that opened just across the street!!
11.09.2010
Building on Superior
This is a picture of one of my favorite buildings, or at least the parts you can see. Not surprisingly, some greedy developers are building on each side, leaving it to settle into a permanent twilight during the day. It kind of suits the building though, kind of like an Addams Family in the city type of thing. I hope they never sell and it crouches there all ugly and old forever.
11.04.2010
What was he thinking?
Here is a pic of a guy I saw at my local Starbucks.
I cropped his face out, because if he knew he was online, the only way he could regain any sort of dignity would be to challenge me to a duel to the death.
I know I'm not the fanciest dresser out there, but come on! Uggs for men? Sweat suits when it's obvious you are not going to be sweating? And due to cropping reasons, you can't see his "Under Armour" branded baseball cap, which he was wearing indoors.
I cropped his face out, because if he knew he was online, the only way he could regain any sort of dignity would be to challenge me to a duel to the death.
I know I'm not the fanciest dresser out there, but come on! Uggs for men? Sweat suits when it's obvious you are not going to be sweating? And due to cropping reasons, you can't see his "Under Armour" branded baseball cap, which he was wearing indoors.
11.02.2010
Dressing Your Age
I've copied and pasted the following article from men.style.com, particularly their Details magazine section. While I do appreciate the spirit of the article, I do find it rather ironic that it appears in Details. No one who's 30th birthday is in their rearview should be seriously looking at this magazine.
It's Time to Start Dressing Your Age
If your thirtieth birthday is in your rearview, lose the rebellious-teen uniform.
-By Katherine Wheelock
Still clinging to that earring and biker jacket? Tell us your thoughts on dressing younger than your years right here.
Dressage
Image credit: infgoff.com
Call up a mental picture, for a moment, of Dina Lohan. In your mind's eye, the 45-year-old stage mom is probably wearing a low-cut top and a denim miniskirt. Maybe a pair of UGGs. In other words, an outfit a lot like one her 21-year-old daughter would wear. If you're reading this story and you're a 35-plus-year-old wearing a faux-vintage Urban Outfitters T-shirt and plaid Vans, you and Dina Lohan have a lot in common. Only, not having a honey-colored spray-on tan and highlights, you don't look as good.
In addition to the midriff-baring mom, you're inadvertently aligning yourself with another type you probably scorn: the Midlife Crisis Man. Being 38 and wearing a retro Sea World tee under a hoodie to Sunday brunch is essentially the same as being 48 and wearing a leather bomber and dog tags. You and Midlife Crisis Man—see Anthony Bourdain (dressing like a punk might be his thing, but the man is over 50) and Harrison Ford (the dad jeans don't cancel out the fear-of-mortality earring)—each might as well be wearing a big ol' baseball hat that says I'M AFRAID OF GETTING OLD.
"I don't get it," says Tim Gunn, Project Runway mentor and chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne. "I think men look older when they try to dress young. You stop and look at them, because there's something incongruous about it. And then you realize—wait, this person is way too old to be wearing those clothes."
"So many people have a distorted view of themselves," Gunn, who's 54, adds. "I remember once a few years ago seeing my reflection in a department-store mirror, and for a moment I thought, What's my father doing here?"
What motivates some men to cling to the vestments of their youth like a 4-year-old to the last pair of SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas in Toys "R" Us no doubt varies. But it can usually be categorized in one of two ways: deliberate (you don't get your ear pierced at 52 by accident) or unconscious (If I don't remember that 35th birthday, then it didn't really happen, right?). And it manifests itself in ways both subtle and heartbreakingly obvious.
"I've found recently that older guys are wearing clothes that are far, far too small for them," says British men's designer Oliver Spencer. "There's nothing worse than an [old] guy who's very fashion-conscious but not in shape wearing small shirts."
"A 45- or 50-year-old guy shouldn't be wearing ripped jeans or leather jackets," Spencer continues. "They shouldn't even be wearing jeans that are all washed out—those are for kids."
But what exactly is the turning point? How do you know when it's time to shed the uniform of your twenties for good?
"The hip quotient is a very defining one for many men," Gunn says. "But you have to reassess [your wardrobe] at regular intervals. It's different for every man—it depends on your body changing, your lifestyle changing, your work changing. I think I did an assessment at about 40."
Patti Stanger, founder of the Millionaire's Club dating service and host of the Bravo reality show Millionaire Matchmaker, points to a reasonable middle ground between dressing like an understudy for Keith Richards and shuffling around in hiked-up polyester pants.
"You have to give up the leather bombers and the Members Only jackets, yes," she says. "But it's not like you have to put on a grandpa Missoni sweater. My boyfriend's 50. On the weekends he wears Vans—adult Vans, the ones that look like boat shoes, not kids' Vans. I wanted to buy him a hoodie recently and he said, 'No, that's too immature.'"
But conquering arrested sartorial development—and then resisting the urge to regress—takes discipline.
Jean Touitou, the French designer and founder of A.P.C., is well over 50. He treats the abundance of graphic T-shirts and hoodies available to him like an aging socialite treats the dessert cart.
"Skinny jeans. I can't do it," he says. "Down jackets. I'm too old to wear them. It's not very sexy. If I were a woman or I were gay, I couldn't take the aging-rocker look. It seems it's a trend because we do not accept death, apparently."
So get a Ferrari. Get a 22-year-old girlfriend. But dress like a grown-up. To do otherwise is to undermine your dignity.
"I'm proud of my age," Gunn says. "I dress for the body I have and the work that I do and how I want the world to perceive me. I want to look like someone people trust and believe—not dress like somebody I'm not."
His point is a solid one. Self-delusion isn't flattering to anyone. Ask Dina.
It's Time to Start Dressing Your Age
If your thirtieth birthday is in your rearview, lose the rebellious-teen uniform.
-By Katherine Wheelock
Still clinging to that earring and biker jacket? Tell us your thoughts on dressing younger than your years right here.
Dressage
Image credit: infgoff.com
Call up a mental picture, for a moment, of Dina Lohan. In your mind's eye, the 45-year-old stage mom is probably wearing a low-cut top and a denim miniskirt. Maybe a pair of UGGs. In other words, an outfit a lot like one her 21-year-old daughter would wear. If you're reading this story and you're a 35-plus-year-old wearing a faux-vintage Urban Outfitters T-shirt and plaid Vans, you and Dina Lohan have a lot in common. Only, not having a honey-colored spray-on tan and highlights, you don't look as good.
In addition to the midriff-baring mom, you're inadvertently aligning yourself with another type you probably scorn: the Midlife Crisis Man. Being 38 and wearing a retro Sea World tee under a hoodie to Sunday brunch is essentially the same as being 48 and wearing a leather bomber and dog tags. You and Midlife Crisis Man—see Anthony Bourdain (dressing like a punk might be his thing, but the man is over 50) and Harrison Ford (the dad jeans don't cancel out the fear-of-mortality earring)—each might as well be wearing a big ol' baseball hat that says I'M AFRAID OF GETTING OLD.
"I don't get it," says Tim Gunn, Project Runway mentor and chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne. "I think men look older when they try to dress young. You stop and look at them, because there's something incongruous about it. And then you realize—wait, this person is way too old to be wearing those clothes."
"So many people have a distorted view of themselves," Gunn, who's 54, adds. "I remember once a few years ago seeing my reflection in a department-store mirror, and for a moment I thought, What's my father doing here?"
What motivates some men to cling to the vestments of their youth like a 4-year-old to the last pair of SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas in Toys "R" Us no doubt varies. But it can usually be categorized in one of two ways: deliberate (you don't get your ear pierced at 52 by accident) or unconscious (If I don't remember that 35th birthday, then it didn't really happen, right?). And it manifests itself in ways both subtle and heartbreakingly obvious.
"I've found recently that older guys are wearing clothes that are far, far too small for them," says British men's designer Oliver Spencer. "There's nothing worse than an [old] guy who's very fashion-conscious but not in shape wearing small shirts."
"A 45- or 50-year-old guy shouldn't be wearing ripped jeans or leather jackets," Spencer continues. "They shouldn't even be wearing jeans that are all washed out—those are for kids."
But what exactly is the turning point? How do you know when it's time to shed the uniform of your twenties for good?
"The hip quotient is a very defining one for many men," Gunn says. "But you have to reassess [your wardrobe] at regular intervals. It's different for every man—it depends on your body changing, your lifestyle changing, your work changing. I think I did an assessment at about 40."
Patti Stanger, founder of the Millionaire's Club dating service and host of the Bravo reality show Millionaire Matchmaker, points to a reasonable middle ground between dressing like an understudy for Keith Richards and shuffling around in hiked-up polyester pants.
"You have to give up the leather bombers and the Members Only jackets, yes," she says. "But it's not like you have to put on a grandpa Missoni sweater. My boyfriend's 50. On the weekends he wears Vans—adult Vans, the ones that look like boat shoes, not kids' Vans. I wanted to buy him a hoodie recently and he said, 'No, that's too immature.'"
But conquering arrested sartorial development—and then resisting the urge to regress—takes discipline.
Jean Touitou, the French designer and founder of A.P.C., is well over 50. He treats the abundance of graphic T-shirts and hoodies available to him like an aging socialite treats the dessert cart.
"Skinny jeans. I can't do it," he says. "Down jackets. I'm too old to wear them. It's not very sexy. If I were a woman or I were gay, I couldn't take the aging-rocker look. It seems it's a trend because we do not accept death, apparently."
So get a Ferrari. Get a 22-year-old girlfriend. But dress like a grown-up. To do otherwise is to undermine your dignity.
"I'm proud of my age," Gunn says. "I dress for the body I have and the work that I do and how I want the world to perceive me. I want to look like someone people trust and believe—not dress like somebody I'm not."
His point is a solid one. Self-delusion isn't flattering to anyone. Ask Dina.
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