If you have a television, I'm sure you have seen this commercial for the Kia Soul. If you haven't seen it, or just want to refresh your memory, I have embedded it below.
While watching the television, I had an epiphany about Kia's marketing department, hamsters, and people who hate this Kia commercial.
Unfortunately, racism will always be a part of any society. In America, overt racism is generally rare (unless you're pumping gas in West Virginia). However, covert/latent racial attitudes remain alive and well.
In America, urban culture has become primarily associated with African-Americans. In producing/writing this commercial, Kia's marketing/commercial developer must have recognized that a large part of Kia's customer base are either urban or people who appreciate urban music and culture. The marketing writers probably selected Black Sheep's single The Choice Is Yours (Revisited), hired dancers, and choreographed an urban-themed commercial.
Then someone realized that too many Americans are disproportionately afraid of African-Americans. So they replaced African-Americans with hamsters. Because really? Who hates hamsters?
The idea is to keep the marketing appeal of urban culture, but not activate the latent prejudice many people maintain. Unfortunately, this means if you hate this commercial, the "sanitizing" didn't work for you.
Ergo, if you hate this commercial because of the hamsters, you hate black people!
Disclaimer: This was obviously tongue-in-cheek.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Japanese Style Curry over Fried Mahi-Mahi.
Cooking can sometimes be a haphazard experiment. The other day I decided that I had to use up some potatoes, celery, carrots before they began to go bad... so I opened the freezer to look for protein.
I found a few frozen Mahi-Mahi filets, and about a pound of ground beef. I also found 3/4 of a pack of Japanese curry blocks, and a three cups of chicken stock.
Hm.... so I diced up two yellow onions, sauteed the onions with salt & pepper until they're yellow, then added the ground beef and sauteed until they're brown.
Then I added the chicken stock, dissolved the curry blocks, and added my potatoes, carrots, and celery. Brought the pot to a simmer. Cooked for one hour.
I decided I wanted to pan fry the Mahi-Mahi with a nice panko crust... so I tossed the filet in cornstarch, dipped it in eggwash, then liberally coated it with salt & pepper seasoned panko. Fry until brown.
It was delicious. The End.
I found a few frozen Mahi-Mahi filets, and about a pound of ground beef. I also found 3/4 of a pack of Japanese curry blocks, and a three cups of chicken stock.
Then I added the chicken stock, dissolved the curry blocks, and added my potatoes, carrots, and celery. Brought the pot to a simmer. Cooked for one hour.
I decided I wanted to pan fry the Mahi-Mahi with a nice panko crust... so I tossed the filet in cornstarch, dipped it in eggwash, then liberally coated it with salt & pepper seasoned panko. Fry until brown.
It was delicious. The End.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Old Country Currency.
We recently had to make some unexpected travel arrangements for the old country. Because of the rapid development of events that necessitated the unexpected travel arrangements, the Mrs. and I were relatively unprepared. We thought we didn't have any old country currency, and because the scheduled flight would arrive rather late at Chiang-Kai Shek International Airport, we were concerned about having to sit around in the airport overnight until the currency exchange was open for business.
Thankfully I remembered I had a wallet I exclusively used in Taiwan...
This is the only old country money I brought left.
All the currency is logically sized - and a visually-impaired person can tell the difference between the different notes.All the "paper" currency is actually plastic. The 500 NT note has a youth baseball team on the front, and a Taiwanese deer on the reverse. The 100 NT pictures the founding father Sun Yat-sen on the front, and the reverse is covered by a picture of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial. The largest coin is 10 NT, the intermediate size 5 NT, and the smallest is the 1 NT.
Having 626NT, the equivalent of $21.19 USD, will get you to any major city from the airport, with change to spare for some simple nutrition. But the increasingly weak USD plus annual inflation might be catching up to me, and I may need update my emergency travel kit... maybe I'll get another 1000 NT note.
Thankfully I remembered I had a wallet I exclusively used in Taiwan...
This is the only old country money I brought left.
All the currency is logically sized - and a visually-impaired person can tell the difference between the different notes.All the "paper" currency is actually plastic. The 500 NT note has a youth baseball team on the front, and a Taiwanese deer on the reverse. The 100 NT pictures the founding father Sun Yat-sen on the front, and the reverse is covered by a picture of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial. The largest coin is 10 NT, the intermediate size 5 NT, and the smallest is the 1 NT.
Having 626NT, the equivalent of $21.19 USD, will get you to any major city from the airport, with change to spare for some simple nutrition. But the increasingly weak USD plus annual inflation might be catching up to me, and I may need update my emergency travel kit... maybe I'll get another 1000 NT note.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Splatter Screens.
If you like to cook, you will invariably have splatter. Whether you're boiling a pasta sauce, or frying something, if there is any temperature gradient between your cookware, the heat transfer media in the pot (i.e. oil, water, etc), or the food - you will have splatter.
Sometimes you can stick a lid on the pot or pan (i.e. simmering a soup), but sometimes you need to let the evaporated moisture escape (i.e. frying).
The solution? A splatter screen. So when I began my quest to look for a reliable and cost effective splatter screen, I browsed through my local Bed Bath & Beyond. They had two kinds in store - an OXO splatter screen, and a Farberware splatter screen.
I ended up with neither. The OXO splatter screen was essentially a flat disk with many punched holes - basically a flat colander. I decided against it because it had too much thermal mass, which because of the temperature difference, will allow moisture to condense and remain in the frying pan. Nope - not good at all.
The Farberware splatter screen was a true woven screen, and it featured activate charcoal woven in the mesh, which was supposed to be "odor" absorbing.
Um... I'm not sure what other people are cooking, but I'm not interested in absorbing odor. I'd rather smell my food while it is cooking. Thank you very much!
Anyway - at the end I decided to get a Progressive International Stainless Steel Splatter Screen, which was on sale at $12.99.
I christened the splatter screen by frying some panko-crusted scallops and Mahi-mahi. It worked like it was supposed to, allowed moisture to evaporate, and stopped the errant oil splatter in its path! Yay!
Sometimes you can stick a lid on the pot or pan (i.e. simmering a soup), but sometimes you need to let the evaporated moisture escape (i.e. frying).
The solution? A splatter screen. So when I began my quest to look for a reliable and cost effective splatter screen, I browsed through my local Bed Bath & Beyond. They had two kinds in store - an OXO splatter screen, and a Farberware splatter screen.
I ended up with neither. The OXO splatter screen was essentially a flat disk with many punched holes - basically a flat colander. I decided against it because it had too much thermal mass, which because of the temperature difference, will allow moisture to condense and remain in the frying pan. Nope - not good at all.
The Farberware splatter screen was a true woven screen, and it featured activate charcoal woven in the mesh, which was supposed to be "odor" absorbing.
Anyway - at the end I decided to get a Progressive International Stainless Steel Splatter Screen, which was on sale at $12.99.
I christened the splatter screen by frying some panko-crusted scallops and Mahi-mahi. It worked like it was supposed to, allowed moisture to evaporate, and stopped the errant oil splatter in its path! Yay!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Why is the USD such a confusing currency?
The dime is 10¢. The nickel is 5¢. The penny is 1¢.
But why is the dime, even though it is the largest denomination of the aforementioned bunch, the smallest? The dime is the smallest in diameter and is the thinnest of all currently circulated US coins. Dimes from 1965 to the present are made out of 75% copper and 25% nickel. The Nickel is 5¢, but is bigger than the dime and has the same 75% copper and 25% nickel composition, but has more material than the dime.
And who uses the penny anyway? Vending machines don't even accept them anymore.
Saturday Morning Musings...
But why is the dime, even though it is the largest denomination of the aforementioned bunch, the smallest? The dime is the smallest in diameter and is the thinnest of all currently circulated US coins. Dimes from 1965 to the present are made out of 75% copper and 25% nickel. The Nickel is 5¢, but is bigger than the dime and has the same 75% copper and 25% nickel composition, but has more material than the dime.
And who uses the penny anyway? Vending machines don't even accept them anymore.
Saturday Morning Musings...
Friday, January 28, 2011
Abolish the TSA and install Personal Anti-hijack Devices.
The Transportation Security Authority spends about 82% of its total budget, approximately $5.5 billion dollars on Aviation Security and Federal Air Marshal Program.
This is my alternative to the enhanced screenings and armed air marshals.
With a push of a button from the cockpit, the cabin will be depressurized, the masks will drop, as well as these Personal Anti-hijack Devices. I don't think anyone can successfully hijack a depressurized plane with a bunch of angry and scared passengers armed with box cutters.
And in a regular airline emergency, the box cutters can be used to cut stuck seat-belts, and if one is unfortunate enough to end up in Lost, fight polar bears and unseen monsters with the box cutters.
This is my alternative to the enhanced screenings and armed air marshals.
And in a regular airline emergency, the box cutters can be used to cut stuck seat-belts, and if one is unfortunate enough to end up in Lost, fight polar bears and unseen monsters with the box cutters.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
I thank Julius Caesar for Belgium. Carbonade Flamande!
Every July 13 should be celebrated as Julius Caesar appreciation day. Born in 100BC, Julius Caesar, in his quest to elevate himself as dictator of Rome, marched his Legions through what is modern France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium before his failed attempt to conquer the Britons. Because Roman Legions marched wherever they went, Julius Caesar's engineers built roads and bridges. Because marching armies needed to be fed and a place to rest, Julius Caesar's armies built a chain of forts, many of which became settlements, that litter the modern borders between France, Germany, and divides Belgium into Flanders and Wallonia.
While Belgium has had to deal with ethnic instability and a complicated government, its unique geography as the ethnic boundary between the French and Germanic peoples has provided its people and the world with Belgian beer and culinary wonders like French frites!
Anyway, all this anthropological crap is just a strange interlude to what I was really interested in sharing, the carbonade flamande!
Ingredients:
• 2 bottles (~12oz.) of a drinkable wheat beer (I used Hoegaarden)
• 3 pounds of beef (chuck)
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 tsp of minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 pound of mushrooms
• 1/2 pound of carrots
• 1 medium stalk of celery
• 6 small/medium potatoes
Instructions:
1. Chop the onions into 1/4 inch strings. Cut the carrots, celery and mushrooms into bite size. Wash/peel the potatoes and cut them into over-sized bites.
2. Clean and trim the beef. Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes. Liberally apply/rub salt and pepper all over the cubes.
3. Open a bottle of beer. To verify its freshness and suitability for cooking, take a swig. Taste good? Great! Unfortunately, now you don't have enough beer for the stew, so go ahead and finish that bottle and open another one (for cooking). Let it sit on the counter while you begin cooking.
4. Apply high heat to a large oven safe cooking vessel with significant thermal mass. I used my stainless steel pot (~6 quart). Add some oil, then sear the cubes of beef until they've developed a nice flavorful brown crust. We do this for flavor. Contrary to conventionalwisdom, searing does not seal in juices.
5. Take your time while searing, good things come to those who wait. Once you're done, set the beef aside in another bowl, and pour the juices on top of the beef. Don't wash the pot. You'll see why later.
6. Preheat your oven to 300°F.
7. Apply medium heat to your beefy pot. Apply some oil. Then throw in your onions with a pinch of salt. Saute until they're brown and the bottom of the pot is de-glazed.
8. Toss in your minced garlic and stir. Then toss in the flour and stir.
9. Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture is sticky, and somewhat brown. Then pour in your beef broth and that bottle of beer sitting on the countertop.
10. Toss in your thyme, bay leaves, and vinegar. Bring the mixture up to a slow simmer.
11. Toss in all the beef with all the juices. Toss in all the carrots, celery, mushrooms and potatoes.
12. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer again.
13. Loosely cover the pot, and stick it in the oven. Set a timer for 2 hours.
14. Drink some more beer and wait. Thank Julius Caesar for landscaping the cultural national borders of Western Europe.
15. Many beers later (2 hours), serve the carbonade flamande with something like bread, rice, egg noodles, boiled potatoes, or frites!
While Belgium has had to deal with ethnic instability and a complicated government, its unique geography as the ethnic boundary between the French and Germanic peoples has provided its people and the world with Belgian beer and culinary wonders like French frites!
Anyway, all this anthropological crap is just a strange interlude to what I was really interested in sharing, the carbonade flamande!
Ingredients:
• 2 bottles (~12oz.) of a drinkable wheat beer (I used Hoegaarden)
• 3 pounds of beef (chuck)
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 tsp of minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 pound of mushrooms
• 1/2 pound of carrots
• 1 medium stalk of celery
• 6 small/medium potatoes
Instructions:
1. Chop the onions into 1/4 inch strings. Cut the carrots, celery and mushrooms into bite size. Wash/peel the potatoes and cut them into over-sized bites.
3. Open a bottle of beer. To verify its freshness and suitability for cooking, take a swig. Taste good? Great! Unfortunately, now you don't have enough beer for the stew, so go ahead and finish that bottle and open another one (for cooking). Let it sit on the counter while you begin cooking.
4. Apply high heat to a large oven safe cooking vessel with significant thermal mass. I used my stainless steel pot (~6 quart). Add some oil, then sear the cubes of beef until they've developed a nice flavorful brown crust. We do this for flavor. Contrary to conventional
5. Take your time while searing, good things come to those who wait. Once you're done, set the beef aside in another bowl, and pour the juices on top of the beef. Don't wash the pot. You'll see why later.
6. Preheat your oven to 300°F.
7. Apply medium heat to your beefy pot. Apply some oil. Then throw in your onions with a pinch of salt. Saute until they're brown and the bottom of the pot is de-glazed.
8. Toss in your minced garlic and stir. Then toss in the flour and stir.
9. Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture is sticky, and somewhat brown. Then pour in your beef broth and that bottle of beer sitting on the countertop.
10. Toss in your thyme, bay leaves, and vinegar. Bring the mixture up to a slow simmer.
11. Toss in all the beef with all the juices. Toss in all the carrots, celery, mushrooms and potatoes.
12. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer again.
13. Loosely cover the pot, and stick it in the oven. Set a timer for 2 hours.
14. Drink some more beer and wait. Thank Julius Caesar for landscaping the cultural national borders of Western Europe.
15. Many beers later (2 hours), serve the carbonade flamande with something like bread, rice, egg noodles, boiled potatoes, or frites!
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