A Vacuum’s Best Friend

August 31, 2009 – 10:04 pm

The other dust collector, 10 year-old Gregory Evans of Tuscola, Illinois isn’t fascinated with dust, but with the machines that collects it.

Collecting vacuum cleaners since he was three-years old, he has gotten to know the machines quite intimately differentiating the vacuum cleaners by sound. His unwavering excitement in finding a new model to add to his collection is unprecedented, even using the old terminology “carpet sweeper.”

The first patent to the carpet sweeper was given on August 30, 1901 to Hubert Cecil Booth, a British Engineer. In 1908, James Murray Spangler, who worked in department store in Canton, worked on a fan motor attaching it to a soap box since the carpet sweeper he was using caused him to cough. He further worked on his contraption and in 1908 received his patent. He formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Company. William H. Hoover improved upon Spangler’s design and soon after Hoover became a household name.

Bissell made other changes to the design by adding bristles, which is still used today.

Gregory is quite bright, knowing the differences between vacuums as to which contain bellows, have a crevice tool and which ones have bristles. His utmost place to visit is the Hoover Vacuum Museum in Canton, Ohio.

By Christine Otis | Posted in What's going on | Comments (1)

Without a Bone in It

August 26, 2009 – 10:26 pm
Sesame seed encrusted tuna steak with roasted Israeli couscous and steamed spinach

Sesame seed encrusted tuna steak with roasted Israeli couscous and steamed spinach

Many different cultures have impacted this great city of Philadelphia which can be seen in the available foods at the market and in restaurants. It has opened my food palate and cooking skills. Crisscrossing different cuisines to create something new, I have made dishes like Israeli couscous with a Mediterranean flare served with tropical-style salmon.

I’ve combined my Greek cooking knowledge with Mexican cooking skills and added a Hawaiian flicker creating something distinctly my own. Friends, family, co-workers and neighbors can attest to my culinary skills. I have taken from one culture and combined it with another to mix and match. It’s called fusion, but I’d like to think it of more as a paint palate: finding what compliments, what works and what doesn’t just like painting a canvas.

I’ve dared to tread where others would think not wise to combine certain ingredients. Case in point: Combining rose petals with sesame seeds, pounding them down into a paste with a mortal and pestle and adding other ingredients into the mix creating a sauce served over pasta that my guests savored.

My background? It comes from being a vegetarian for a number of years when it wasn’t en vogue. What I found is that there weren’t many places that catered to my non-meat eating habits. With few choices at restaurants, I began to cook at home.

I learned by trial and error, one of the best possible ways to learn how to cook. One of the things I quickly learned and understood was how spices and herbs combine to create flavor. This is where I really learned the trick of the trade.

Most culinary schools are meat focused. Solely relying on meat for their stocks, sauces and other bases, they forget about the non-meat eater. They also don’t necessarily know how to have flavor in soups without meat. It stumps them. I know because I’ve come across many chefs in my life. Try to find a truly vegetarian chef. They’re out there, but they’re harder to find.

Some of my soups I create: 17 bean, lentil, green pea and pumpkin.

I’ve learned how to fool the palate making meat eaters thinking they are eating meat and no, it’s not from a tofu product. It’s understanding the texture of vegetables and how you can manipulate them.

I’ve had people say to me: “It’s going to be tasteless without meat.” Or one of my favorites: “I can’t eat that. It doesn’t have meat in it!”

What is the big deal? A lot of our American cuisine is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, which has a lot of vegetarian dishes. It’s the American culture that has gotten meat crazed forgetting how wonderful food can be without a bone in it.

I recently visited Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York that serves food that is solely vegetarian, including the desserts. The widely known restaurant usually has a waiting list to get in. And guess what? Meat eaters go there, too!

And you might be surprised that I do cook with meat. This is one of the most puzzlingly things for people who eat my cuisine. They love it, but I have no idea what it tastes like.

There’s something else about being a vegetarian that’s different. What I smell. I can tell the quality of meat by the way it smells. My sense of smell is also a bit keener than a meat eaters.

Learning how to cook also takes time. Sometimes it takes me years to get things right. I don’t know why, but learning how to properly cook rice took years of practice.

I know that may make some laugh, but it’s the truth. What was my problem? It wasn’t part of my culture, so I didn’t know how to cook it right. I asked people with Asian and South American backgrounds. That’s when I started to get it. They told me how to cook rice and taught me the difference between rice grains.

Korean rice is not the same as Chinese rice or Japanese rice, nor is jasmine rice the same as basmati. All of it is different, consisting of various textures and flavors.

Just like with couscous. Moroccan couscous is not the same as Middle Eastern couscous nor is it like Israeli couscous. Each has its own texture, flavor and aroma. Similar, but not the same.

Just look at the potato. Is a red bliss potato the same as an Idaho potato?

Is a filet mignon the same as a hamburger?

Okay you get my point. 

And yes I’m ignorant, too. There are many cuisines I want to taste and some I’m less willing to, but I want the new experience, the adventure into a realm I don’t know that I’m just dying to try.

By Christine Otis | Posted in Cuisine | Comments (2)

Chocolate Dunkin’

August 17, 2009 – 8:06 am

Next year’s Easter molds should be interesting.

When they asked me if I wanted a hot chocolate pedicure, I said sure. What I didn’t understand was that they were asking me. As I patiently waited for my hot chocolate, lying back relaxing, while the masseuse was working between my toes, I asked if my hot chocolate was coming soon.

She reassured me it was. 

I love letting my mind shut off while my feet get all the attention they deserve. It can put you to sleep. The applications of different pressures, working out knots, smoothing everything out, it feels so incredibly good. Have you ever had one? There’s nothing like it.

I asked if I could have my hot chocolate now.

My foot felt suddenly warm. It felt really good. I noticed that it didn’t feel like the usual soak in water, but I didn’t mind. My feet were worth it.

I opened my eyes looking for the hot chocolate when I looked down at the earth color that surrounded my feet. I assumed it was one of those new types of pedicures that soak your feet with earthen minerals. I looked up with a quizzical ignorance and asked: “Where’s my hot chocolate?”

She pointed at my feet.

How could my ignorance be so blind?

Despite holding back her laughter when she saw I didn’t understand, at least she was polite in the explanation that my foot was enjoying the hot chocolate treat.

“You mean my foot is drinking my hot chocolate?”

“Yes, ma’am, your feet are in a chocolate bath.”

“Oh.”

Disappointment overcame my stupidity. I really wanted the hot chocolate.

I guess it could be considered like a dunked doughnut or an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate sauce, only this one I wouldn’t want to lick or take a bite out of.

They took my feet out one by one that were now encased with solidified chocolate.

“They sure look like an interesting type of treat.”

The woman just looked at me and then started to take my foot out of the chocolate mold.

“What do you do with the chocolate?”

“Would you like it ma’am?” As she held a piece up to me.

I made a mental note to myself to not allow my friend to convince me to get a new kind of pedicure in the near future. I guess I should have paid more attention to what she was saying. I just heard pedicure and said: “Sure!” just like an idiot would.

I shook my head no as she waited for an answer.

“Sometimes chocolate foot dip is tasty. We have one patron who eats it.” Then she started laughing. “Only kidding of course.”

Nodding, I said: “Yes, that’s funny.” Then I noticed all the chocolate pieces they had in bowls in the room. Granted it was wrapped, but was it reused? I hated that thought, but I couldn’t help myself.

Then I was suddenly thankful that I didn’t get my cup of hot chocolate like I so desperately wanted. What if that was reused? Then I started to wonder, wouldn’t this make the most interesting chocolate Easter candy wrapped in one of those Easter baskets?

I wanted to ask them for my foot mold because I thought it would make a hysterical Easter gift, but decided against it. They were already looking at me like I was a weirdo that was going to eat the chocolate that just came off my foot, so I felt it was in my best interest to keep my mouth closed.

Only in America would there be such a thing as a chocolate pedicure.

Then I wondered what Jane would do on Coupling.

Coupling is a British sitcom full of sexual innuendoes and funny predicaments.

I know Jane would have still asked for the chocolate regardless of how people would have looked at her.

I didn’t have the guts to do it.

Then it hit me. I could do this at home and have the same results and still use the mold as a funny Easter present and no one would look at me funny.

As I tipped the foot masseuse with my chocolate gold coins, I couldn’t help but wonder, did the Mayas have chocolate foot rubs?

By Christine Otis | Posted in Feminine Ways | Comments (0)

Got Goat?

August 11, 2009 – 11:02 pm

Goats are one of the earliest domesticated animals that have had a big contribution to our dietary intake of protein from North Africa to Asia to South America.

Recent media reports state that goat meat consumption is on the rise in the United States. Most Americans are just catching up to the rest of the world. Goat meat is the highest consumed meat around the globe.

It is gaining popularity on the west coast, southwestern and southeastern parts of the United States showing up as the new “in” thing on the dinner menu. This influence is from the increasing number of people from other cultures who eat goat regularly in their diet.

Greek, Latin, Jewish, Caribbean, Mexican, Spanish, Asian and Arab cultures have goat meat in their cuisine.

That’s just naming a few. 

An alternative to beef, pork or chicken, goat meat is higher in iron, lower in cholesterol, lower in fat and calories and higher in protein than any of the other meats previously mentioned.  

Goat milk is also easier to digest than cow’s milk. It has to do with the casein protein.

The casein protein is softer and smaller in goat’s milk and is more similar to human milk making it is easily absorbed by the digestive system.

The casein protein in cow’s milk is larger making it more difficult to digest for humans. Sitting in the colon where it can literally ferment, it causes the consumer symptoms of lactose intolerance. Translation: cramping, bloating, pain and quite probable, diarrhea.

Goat cheeses like chèvres, feta and caprino are softer than cow cheeses and are easier on the stomach for the same reasons that goat milk is easier on the stomach.

Considering goat cheeses and milk have hit mainstream in grocery stores, it is now time for goat meat to do the same.

Des Moines of all places has served up goat along with San Francisco and New York restaurants.

Don’t be surprised if the next time you go out to eat, the menu offers cabrito, chevon, capretto, or curried goat.

With flavor similar to lamb but with a less gamey taste, it is lean and tender. The younger the goat, called a kid, the more flavorful, lean and tender the meat is. 

Halal and latino markets and any place catering to an ethnic population would sell goat meat, the new “alternative” meat for many Americans despite it being around for thousands of years.

Sources: USDA, nutrition.gov, MAYO Clinic, Alabama Cooperative Extension, Sun-Sentinel, NY Times

By Christine Otis | Posted in What's going on | Comments (1)

Happy Birthday Smokey!

August 9, 2009 – 7:37 am

 

How many of us know Smokey Bear?  The beloved icon of Americana that shaped our youth and captured our hearts with powerful commercials of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s that sent home the message of how to properly care for putting out the flames and keeping the animals and forests alive. 

August 9, 1944, 65 years ago today, Smokey came into being.

That’s right.  It’s the bear’s birthday!

Touting his “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” campaign, many came to widely know the importance of forest fire prevention. The campaign is the longest running public service advertising campaign in US history.

Although Smokey Bear was a fictional character, in 1950 a lone bear cub had been caught in a firestorm in a forest fire in New Mexico. The bear sustained burns to his paws and needed care. He received the care he needed and found a home at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. where he became the national symbol for the real life Smokey.

It was in 1952 that Smokey became “Smokey The Bear” with the anthem created by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson. “The” was added between “Smokey” and “Bear” to keep rhythm for the anthem, thus creating quite a bit of controversy to the bear’s name.

There were 22 million forest fires in 1944 before the ad campaign came out compared to approximately 6.5 million today.

Beginning at 2 pm on the patio of the Whitten Building, Smokey’s birthday party is taking place on August 10 at the Whitten Building USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where the release of Smokey’s new bilingual “big book” for children will be made available to a new generation.

The party includes a reading of the book, a performance by Alexandria Children’s Chorus followed by the cutting his of cake by Smokey himself. The illustrator will also be there to sign his book.

Happy Birthday Smokey!  We love you!

For more information you can contact the forest service at (202)-205-1134.   

Sources:  Smokeybear.com, USDA

By Christine Otis | Posted in What's going on | Comments (1)

Only the iPod Survives

August 7, 2009 – 9:18 pm
 

Wissahickon Trail in Fairmount Park is a perfect haven for exercise enthusiasts with a supportive tree canopy.  Lush with greenery that helps block out the beating summer sun, many ride, walk, or jog on the trail and some even take their pooch for a walk.    

23-year-old Mary Kathryn Ladany put on her iPod and went for a jog on the trail.

The trees are numerous and plentiful on the trail. Many grow sideways because of the hill that is next to it. Old with a character all their own, the trees create solitude for anyone seeking refuge from the city. Unbeknownst to the jogger, one particular tulip poplar would be her downfall.

Wednesday night, August 5, Mary Kathryn, was jogging near Valley Green and Forbidden Drive. Listening to her iPod she may have never heard the cracking branch. 

“A large branch about 30-feet in length that fell, broke off a tree about 50-feet high in the air,” said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

It broke her neck killing her instantly. When she was found, her iPod was still playing.

How is it that the iPod didn’t sustain any damage, but for Mary Kathryn it was her end?  Shouldn’t it be the other way around? 

It was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

She was a graduate of Bucknell University and a teacher at Dobbins Career and Technical High School.  

My condolences to her family and friends. 

Sources:  NBC, Fox News, Daily News

By Christine Otis | Posted in Freak Accidents | Comments (0)

eRockit: The Hybrid Motorcycle

August 6, 2009 – 8:36 pm

Want a new way to get around?  How about the eRockit?  The “highly emotional electric motorcycle” is the new green way to go. German inventor, Stefan Gulas, came up with the revolutionary concept based on the bicycle. Combining the exertion used on a bicycle with an electric propulsion system, it multiplies the pedaling effort by factor of up to 50. This increased energy is sent to the rear wheel, which gives it speed. No separate acceleration pedal, just pure power of pedaling, so the faster the driver pedals, the faster it moves. Reaching a top speed of 50 mph with only hand brakes to slow down, the hybrid motorcycle is something to see. 

Weighing 225 pounds (100 kilos), it uses a lithium-ion nanophosphate battery that needs to be charged for every 60 to 80 kilometers, but can last for 50,000 kilometers of use or about 10 years, which ever comes first. The eRockit also uses regenerative braking which uses the energy for braking to recharge the battery. 

Not considered to be cheap (aprox. $40,000), four prototypes have been tested and made with only 10 vehicles planned for the year. Expecting to lower the price tag further, Stefan Gulas plans to visit America in November to talk to people about his invention.

Despite the price tag, it is still cutting edge.  

What’s so revolutionary about this design is that the amount the driver exerts is equally as important as the mechanics. Pedaling charges the battery, so it’s also like a two for one deal. Considering the acceleration pedal is the driver, this invention not only makes it green conscious, but health conscious as well with no exhaust, little noise and a bit of a workout, too.

The company, ErockIT GmbH, was founded in 2005 by inventor Stefan Gulas.  Click here to visit their Website.

By Christine Otis | Posted in What's going on | Comments (0)

Bizarre Accidents at the Tour de France

July 21, 2009 – 8:46 pm

Following the Tour de France, Levi Leipheimer fractured his wrist at the end of Stage 12 and had to withdrawal from the tour.  During stage 14 a motorcycle hit a woman, killing her and a couple others were injured by a motorcycle as well.  A couple cyclists were shot at during Stage 13. 

This year’s Tour de France is marred by bizarre events.

Bizarre events do happen.  I should know.  I’m a product of one. 

I had the best and most hysterical fall—if there could ever be such a thing—in the fall of last year.  This I know for certain: I can make people laugh at my hardship and I will never look at geese the same way again.

I’m a cyclist.  I love the speeds I can gain while riding.  Coming across other cyclists that have a better speed than me is an appetizing challenge. 

The aerodynamics at play is simple.  While they push the air in front of them, they create a lower pressure behind them, creating a draft. 

That’s right, I’m a drafter. 

The catch, you have to remain close to the cyclist in front of you, to have the advantage of drafting.  Your wind resistance decreases the closer you are to the biker in front of you.

It isn’t much different than geese when they fly creating their “V” formation.  The lead breaks the air in front while those behind have less wind resistance, creating less drag.  It is the best energy conservation imaginable.   

Just like animals that roam in packs, so do cyclists.  A peloton is a group of cyclists riding together.  Cyclists can create a pace line which is called an echelon.  By being in the pack, they create an even bigger draft.  The advantage is obvious.  It saves energy for the unit as well as for the individual. 

Geese also stay in packs called a gaggle.  When in the air, they are called a skein.

What do you call a gaggle changing to a skein? 

Dangerous.

Who said ignorance doesn’t hurt? 

The goose opened its wings after hearing the call to take flight.  The wings got caught in my bike wheel as I was biking by.

A freak accident. 

The goose waddled away from the calamity, a true hit-and-run.  I didn’t hear any further honks after its squawking of coming into contact with me; just a few fallen feathers remained on the asphalt road. 

And it’s the asphalt road where Saxo Bank rider Jens Voigt hit face first when his bike hit a lip in the road during Stage 16 of the Tour de France.  Considered to be another possible freak accident after he hit the lip, he slid 20 feet before he came to a stop.  He was making the second largest decent on Stage 16 when he had the accident that left him unconscious.  He gained consciousness on his way to the hospital and is now recovering.

This is the second team member that Saxo Bank has lost in a week.  During Stage 10 Kurt-Asle Arvesen crashed after attempting to miss a spectator.

Click here to view Jens Voigt’s crash. 

Sources:  New York Times, Sky News, Tour de France, ESPN, YouTube.

By Christine Otis | Posted in Freak Accidents, Sports | Comments (2)

2009 Pro Cycling Tour

June 8, 2009 – 4:17 pm

On the last loop, the pro cyclists kick into high gear for the finish. Video by Christine Otis

Presented by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and sponsored by TD Bank, yesterday was the pro cycling tour of the Philadelphia International Championship for men and the Liberty Classic for women.  The cycling circuit is a 14.4 mile loop starting from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway around Logan Circle to Manayunk and then climbing the infamous Manayunk Wall with its 17-percent grade rise, ascending close to 250 feet in a half-mile and then onwards to Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park.  The men make the 10 loop trek completing 156 miles while the women make the four loop trek completing 57.6 miles. 

Many people might not be aware of the reason why Benjamin Franklin Parkway is chosen.  The founders, David Chauner and Jerry Casale, wanted the ending similar to the Tour de France where it ends on Champs-Élysées in Paris, France.  For those of you who don’t know, Benjamin Franklin fashioned the parkway after Champs-Élysées.

This year marked the first time the women cyclists caught up with the men, marking their impressive hallmark in women’s cycling.  The men’s race began at 9 am, with the women’s beginning ten minutes later.  There may have been initial confusion with the women cycling along with the men, but make no mistake women have come along way in the world of cycling.

This is the most important single day cycling race in the United States.

The race almost got cancelled due to the city’s budget problems and the downfall in the economy.  The monetary gap of $500,000 needed to cover the race came in the nick of time with a couple more sponsors coming in at the last minute.     

Having been a spectator for this event on different occasions throughout the years, there’s one thing in particular I love about this race.  As the clustered cyclists whiz by, the sound that’s created is like the buzzing of dragonflies.  These dragonfly racers are clocking upwards of 45 mph.  It’s one thing to watch, it’s another to hear them.

Capturing action shots, learning a lesson and bringing home two great souvenirs—a cowbell and one of the Swedish racers’ water bottles—made this event one of the most memorable.  Crouching precariously low to take a photo while the cyclists were on their last loop, something flew straight at me like a torpedo.  Concerned for my safety, I moved and missed the shot.  It was a water bottle.  Lesson learned: who the hell cares what’s coming at me, take the damn shot!  It would have made an excellent photo with their slanted frames away from me with a high-speed water bottle in the foreground coming straight to the camera’s lens. 

The 2009 pro race results are:  men’s: Andre Greipel, Greg Henderson and Kirk O’Bee.  Women’s winners are: Ina Teutenberg, Joanne Kiesanowski and Shelley Olds.

By Christine Otis | Posted in Sports | Comments (3)