Just Sara

Visual writing

Sara — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:24:51 +0000

Blankness

I recently finished watching the BBC Wallander series n.2. I am a big fan of The Kurt Wallander Series, I read all the books last Summer before I moved to the UK. My mother had them all in the family library and she said they were really well written and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was looking for something new to read, so there it all started… I instantly got hooked on Kurt’s story. The Italian TV back then aired part of the Swedish series and it was very interesting, seeing the adaptation of quite a long series of books. I read 9 books of the series and I can’t wait to read the latest one, The Troubled Man. By the way, I also read “Italian Shoes” by the same author, Henning Mankell, and I loved it. I don’t know what is it with these Swedish authors and their sad stories. I really like them.

This afternoon, after I watched the latest Branagh’s Wallander, I was brought back to my last year at high-school. You’ll wonder why is that? Well… First funny thing is, I owe my high-school diploma distinction in Italian literature to Kenneth Branagh and his Henry V. Of course I later chose to become a veterinarian, but that’s another story. Back to Shakespeare, at the literature exam I had the brilliant idea to talk about Shakespeare in comparison with another Italian author and some of his tragedies. Long story short… Shakespeare was not in the program, but thank to Mr Branagh’s accurate films, I almost knew the Henry V by heart, haha! And I aced the exam. This memory made me giggle this afternoon. Maybe some day I’ll meet the man and thank him. I mean Kenneth Branagh, not Shakespeare, of course.

Then, Wallander also made me think of something else. Kurt finds out that his daughter writes poetry and she never told him, but preferred to share it with her grandfather, Kurt’s father. Wallander is a complex character, yet quite simple. It depends on your point of view. I like to think of him as a very sensitive man that struggles with his most intimate emotions and strives for perfection in his work, but he’s not infallible. A sad man. One of those deep characters that make you realise how difficult it is to handle feelings, relationships, insecurities. Fears.

All this reminded me of an assignment we once had at high-school, same class, Italian literature: “Do we write in sadness?” We were supposed to discuss Leopardi‘s thought that poets and writers in general are driven by sadness, torment and pain. It is somewhat true, not all poems or songs talk about funny, cheerful experiences. Going back to the initial Wallander theme, Emily Barker comes to mind, and her Nostalgia. Then, why do we like them so much? Yes, we. Take a random song in your .mp3 player and listen to the lyrics. The chances are, the lyrics are sad or mention regret, distance, loss, solitude etc etc. Yet, we love the song. I think this happens because there are some things that we cannot easily express with words. Poetry comes to the rescue, it’s a sort of visual writing, because we can toss words on the paper and mix emotions and memories, hopes and wishes, in just a few lines. It all make perfect sense to us. It’s complete, a condensed summary of how we feel and it tells a lot more than a thousand pages. Add the right minor keys to the music and you have one of those songs that recurrently pop in your mind whenever you feel a bit sad.

However, we can write when we are happy too. I’m sure some people only write when they are happy. I write when I have a lot to say and not enough will to explain it, so I sum it all up in a poem. It’s cryptic and crystal clear at the same time. I guess I’m a lazy writer. The eyes are my ink, my sight will read all the words that are not written on the paper or on what surrounds me.

The Dark Side of Social Media Privacy. A must read!

Sara — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:26:20 +0000

Please Rob Me!

“At PodCamp Toronto yesterday, one of the intriguing sessions was Brad Buset’s presentation about privacy, and how there needs to be more awareness of how much information we’re disclosing via social networks.

It’s an issue that has been lost in the shuffle amid the excitement about sharing what you’re doing, thinking, eating, going, drinking, buying and where you’re located. Everyone is pounding away on their keyboards to broadcast everything and anything without much thought to whether disclosing this information has a downside. In many ways, we’re drunk on social media.

The reality is there’s a dark side to social media that people need to serious start thinking about now. Every tweet, update, video and blog post is micro-chapter of your public profile that anyone can access. Sure, it’s information that is created for friends, family and colleagues but it’s also out there for other people with less virtuous interests.”

Continue reading… The Dark Side of Social Media and Privacy | Mark Evans Tech

Bento experiment #7

Sara — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:49:00 +0000

Yummy!

First ever veggie burger experiment! The burgers are made of chickpeas (cooked in water and then mashed) and diced potato, carrot, celery, a little bit of onion and some kale too, 1 egg white, salt and black pepper to taste. Patties are then rolled in breadcrumbs and cooked in a pan with just a little bit of sunflower oil.

A trick to avoid using too much oil: put a little oil in the pan, then use some kitchen paper to uniformly spread it in the pan and remove the excess oil.

The box also has some salad at the bottom, 1 tomato and some sauce made with fresh French cheese with a dash of chipotle paste, to give it a spicy/smoky taste.

Bento experiment #6

Sara — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:43:03 +0000

simple simple...

Now, this one is very simple… From left to right:

- salad with carrots, celery and green beans.

- 1 hard boiled egg; fresh French cheese with basil (as salad dressing)

- risotto with butternut squash: gently brown some onion with a little butter, add butternut squash cut in small dices, rice (half a glass of white wine, but I didn’t have it) and then vegetable stock, little by little. Add salt and black pepper to taste. When almost done, add parmesan cheese and let it melt, giving a creamy texture to the rice. Garnish with parsley.

Bento experiment #5

Sara — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:30:56 +0000

The sauce is yummy!

Today’s bento lunch box consisted in (left to right):

- 1 cup of rice (which I didn’t decorate, my bad)

- some steamed green beans and carrots (more or less 1 1/2 cup, almost couldn’t fit in the little box)

- a cod fillet that was smashed into the box and looks smaller than it was. I cooked it in a pan without oil, just some spices on one side (a mix of crushed lemon zest, olives, rosemary and pepper); and the 1/4 cup of sauce, shaped as a cupcake (thank you, Peter for the description!)

Sauce: 1 avocado, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 chipotle paste. Smash the avocado and make a cream with the other ingredients. Chipotle is smoked Mexican chillies, so the sauce is a mix of fresh yet smokey/spicy flavour. Try it, it’s really good if you like dips!

Total calories: approx. 510 (blame it on the sauce!)

No related posts.

Bento experiment #4

Sara — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:13:16 +0000

Omelette day!

This one looks lighter, and it also feels lighter, but the calories are about the same, bummer…

From left to right:

- 1 cup of rice, carrot sticks

- sorta-omelette made with 1 egg and 1/3 milk, 1 teaspoon flour, a pinch of salt and some grounded mixed pepper, rolled with about 1/2 cup steamed kale and cut into 4 pieces

- 1 tomato, 1/2 carrot, about 1/3 cup of cucumber, mixed salad spices, no oil

Total calories: approx. 460

Why I never really liked soy

Sara — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:23:52 +0000

Worth reading!

No offense, I like soy. But I also don’t. Actually, what I don’t like is the huge business behind soy-based products and how in some countries they are advertised as the (almost) only healthy option to replace meat or to top up your protein intake as a vegetarian. The following article very simply and clearly explain why a lot of processed soy-based food should not be included in any healthy diet, vegetarian or else. So… soy sprouts or dry soy beans, fine. But any processed soy is most likely as unhealthy as any other processed food. Food for thoughts… Click here

I guess I’m gonna make soy-free veggie burgers!

—

Comments from another website where I posted this link:

SL: I tried the soy protein thing and just felt miserable every time I tried to eat it. I finally gave up. Then a friend sent me links to articles on why it bad for me. I figured my better judgement was doing its job and have never tried it again.

Sara: The thing is, all the GM stuff started with soy. I’m okay with responsibly farmed and produced soy, but there’s a huge industry behind soy-based food and if we try to eat healthy, we should avoid processed food, soy-based or else. So… I think I’ll just avoid heavily processed soy
Besides, veggie burgers can be done without any soy at all.

TS: ICKY!!!

SL: When I was a vegetarian I had never heard of tofu. My best friend was also a vegetarian and she did not eat that processed soy/tofu either. I do not remember what we did eat but we were healthy.

Sara: I don’t think tofu is the biggest problem. The real tofu from Asia is probably good, I don’t know, I’ve never tasted any tofu. But it really makes me laugh when I see “veggie meat” on labels. Either you are vegetarian or you are not. Period. If you are vegetarian because you believe it’s better for your health or the environment (I would argue the latter), then do NOT look for “meat replacements”, you shouldn’t even need the word “meat” on the label, ya know… I mean, one thing is eating choices and habits, one thing is fashion and business and consumers being manipulated, so that they think they need (heavily processed) “healthier” food.

SL: I definitely did not look for ‘meat’ substitutes.
Also, I was wondering if tofu was the substituted ingredient in veggie burgers. If I understand your comment tofu is not that ingredient.
I just did some quick reading. I see what you mean about tofu not being bad -that it is other forms of soy that may be/are hazardous. In retrospect, I think I was just overdoing the tofu at the time I was feeling negative about it.

Sara: Yep, the article doesn’t really focus on tofu, but rather on all other soy-based stuff. I also believe the “veggie burger” in the title is to refer to “vegetarian food in general”, not only veggie burgers. As you said, tofu is not found in veggie burgers. not that I know of.
I actually like veggie burgers, when they are made with fresh, healthy, sustainably grown ingredients. I make my own. Years ago, we used to cook a lot more than we do now. When I was a child, my mother didn’t by as many processed food. She still doesn’t, as we prefer fresh groceries.
But the amount of heavily processed food out there for the consumers to buy, is impressive now. Blame it on the lack of time… but I think we, as a society, have become more lazy, maybe. I can fix myself a perfectly healthy meal in 15-20 minutes when I get back home from work, but it’s definitely easier to stick something from the supermarket straight in the oven or the microwave. Well, unless I bought something homemade in some deli or vegetarian shop, what we find in most supermarkets is not even half as healthy as we’d think.
The other thing I’m also thinking is that being vegetarian requires that you do spend time cooking or preparing your veggies. So… maybe we, again, as a society, just need to find more time to spend in the kitchen?! lol

Bento experiment #3

Sara — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:40:18 +0000

Yummy!

This one is definitely less graphic

From left to right:

- 1 cup of pasta with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and some grounded chilli

- 1 cup of kale, cooked in a little water in a frying pan. Then place 1/2 cup at the bottom add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and some grounded chilli. Mix the other 1/2 cup with 1/2 cup of steamed potatoes. Halves the mix, add black pepper to 1 half and some curry powder to the other half. Make 2 small patties with each half. Cook in a frying pan, about 2 minutes per side. Garnish with carrot slices.

- 1 tomato and some cucumber, diced. Dressing: French fresh cheese with chopped basil.

Total calories: approx. 440

Bento experiment #2

Sara — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:44:30 +0000

The "Moustached Man"...

Meet the Moustached Man!
From top to bottom:

- steamed green beans (90 gr.), 1 egg split in half, 1 slice of cucumber split in half. I sprinkled some black pepper and parsley as dressing on the green beans before trying to make the eyes with the egg and the cucumber slice.

- iceberg salad, diced cucumber and 1 diced tomato, 1 tablespoon of French fresh cheese. OK, the moustache is a little funny shaped, I have to admit it. I guess I have to improve my food-shaping/carving skills

- 1 cup of steamed white rice, 1 tomato slice. I was out of inspiration for the smile, so I went for something simple, haha!

Total calories: approx. 450

As you can see, the box is quite handy, food is staying in place. The trick is really filling each section so 1- food doesn’t move around and 2- you have a decent lunch and you don’t starve yourself. The box is a Lock & Lock 500ml box with 3 compartments that can be taken out and washed properly. It’s air-tight, compact and very sturdy, as well as BPA-free

Bento experiment #1

Sara — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:24:22 +0000

Bento lunch

This morning I got a little creative with my lunch and the result almost looked like a bento lunch box. From left to right:

- 1/2 cup of steamed white rice, 1 carrot cut in sticks

- 1 chicken breast fillet, diced, cooked in a pan without oil, just some spices (I used Schwarz Grilled Chicken mix: peppers, parsley and garlic). When the chicken is half cooked, add half an apple, diced, and finish cooking. The mix gets a nice brownish color and it’s tasty even though there is no oil

- 1/2 apple, 1 pear, diced; and some fromage frais (French fresh cheese, it tastes much like plain yogurt).

Total calories: approx. 400.

Veeeery light indeed! But hey, with this World Cup week, we’ve been having pizza, BBQs, wine etc. a bit more often than usual

For the rice, I used the trick I found on this awesome website, Just Bento: during the weekend I steamed 2 cups of rice and then froze them in portions (1 cup and 1/2 cup). So I had a total of 5 cups of pre-cooked rice ready to de-frost in the morning. Very nice!

PS: sorry I forgot to fix one carrot eye, I didn’t notice it and then I ate my lunch and it was too late to take another picture