Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

finally the peas have returned.

Thanks all for the encouragement.

I am a really slow learner. I've discovered that my bread maker is far better at mixing and giving a first rise to all my bread doughs even though I'm not cooking them in the bread maker itself. It's going to be a dream for wet pizza dough. It gives a little heat for the rise like a proper professional dough conditioning oven and of course it creates a mini humid environment for a couple of hours. And much less messy than the Kenwood and the second hand knead. She loves that she just wipes a single bowl rather than the clouds of flour I normally leave around.

I fancied some bagettes for supper and wifey had planned something else but I wheighed the stuff in the tray this afternoon and set the machine which got on with it. I used the little oven and injected five minutes of steam, and it was gorgeously crisp and sweet. This evening I asked her to taste the bread first and she ate a whole baguette with some butter and ham and loved it.

It is really weird how all the food I most enjoy seems to be simple easy peasant stuff.

Wow Jeff, you just started doing that for pizza dough? Have been doing that for years. I even have a custom cycle for it. Mix, rise, knead, rise again. So easy! The only way to do it.

We ordered a bunch of fresh (flash frozen) seafood from a place in Alaska. It arrived yesterday, still frozen solid. We made a piece of salmon for dinner last night and enjoyed it very much.

We also have some huge scallops, halibut, and king crab legs the size of Chris's arms! These look amazing!

Looking forward to trying the rest.

We are hunkered down tonight while it snows, sleets, and otherwise precipitates. Stay warm and safe all!

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Nice colour commentary on the bread J! So glad Mrs. J enjoyed your efforts! :)

JP...your salmon looks delish and Chris' smile says it all for the king crab legs! Enjoy!

Thanks M ....

Yes JP, nice fish!

I haven't used it for pizza dough yet, and it will be interesting to see how the breadmaker gets on with 70% hydration ....

I've not used it for pizza dough because of my obsession with envelope fold/knead before stretching and the belief that the madhine will over knead and give it a too closer crumb. It is those folds and stretches which give the crumb in the piccy below.

Hi JP and all Coolers, we are also hunkering down with this relentless storm...lots of snow since this morning. No fish for us today; Roberto decided to unearth from the freezer a carrot, red pepper, and chorizo soup, which was perfect for ending a grim day. I have not gone out of the house today and am sort of climbing the walls! hopefully I'll get to the gym tomorrow...

Second Day in China -

Saturday morning I woke up about 0500 and made Nescafe. I was able to surf the internet... so long as the sites were not blocked by The Great Firewall. The FAO had assigned a student to be my helper. He came at 0700 to take me to breakfast at one of the campus dining halls. I had a couple of hard boiled eggs, a stick of some sort of deep-fried 'bread' and a flat sort of bread/bun with sweet green bell peppers in it (you have to be careful of the green peppers - some are sweet bell peppers, some are 'blow your head off' hot). There was no salt. I avoided the strange 'congee' soups... and Chinese taco-type things - filled with 'Spam', pickled radish/vegetables, lettuce, sauce and hot chili pepper spread.

After breakfast at 1000 the FAO and car & driver picked me up along with another newly arrived laowai (foreigner) teacher and we drove 45 min. into Zhengzhou to open our bank accounts (I was paid by direct deposit every month). They insisted the name on my account be exactly as on my passport. This came back to 'bite me in the ass' (more about that later). All was well until I signed the forms in blue ink with a pen I had brought with me. The teller almost had a heart attack - all official forms in China must be signed in black ink. After re-doing the forms, I signed in black ink. We left the bank and I noticed a stand across the street selling fireworks. Being a pyromaniac, I ran across and bought a roll of 10,000 firecrackers and a hundred or so 'bombs' - they looked like little, 3/4" diameter soccer balls with a fuse... and are very powerful - ;pBOOM!

We stopped at a large Chinese department store where I bought a shower curtain with an extendable rod (to custom fit it to the room). I knew I could use it at the hotel, and figured my apartment bathroom would be the same. I was right.

Then we were off to the phone shop. Remember is was 2012 and smart phones didn't have large, 'on screen' keypads yet. I looked at several phones but couldn't make them work (my fingers were too fat)... or even if I didn't touch the screen, it would enter the wrong character. I decided against a smart phone and bought the cheapest, Chinese Nokia 'dumb phone' I could get. Then we had to go to a service provider (China Mobile) 'store' to get sim card(s), phone numbers and phone 'plans'. After much confusion, I chose a plan with no international calling (I used Skype for that), and had to wait while Chinese people thumbed through books with thousands of phone numbers trying to chose one. Finally, I got a book (you very quickly learn to grab/push... it's a matter of survival and not considered rude). There are different prices for different phone numbers - '7's are good, '4's are bad (unlucky). I chose a cheap number ending with double 4, and put 100 Yuan/kwai (slang)/RMB (renminbi "the people's money")... about $15 'on' my phone (this lasted about six months).

Then we went for lunch (noodle soup) at a restaurant after which they showed me the Downtown campus. The university has three campuses: one downtown, plus the Main campus and the South campus (literally adjacent to each other) 30-45 min. drive (5 hrs. if there's a traffic jam) out of town. We headed back to the Main camps (where the uni's hotel is located) arriving around 1500. That afternoon I explored some of the Main campus and surrounding area.

To be continued...

Bill B - We're really enjoying the tales of your time in China. What were you teaching?

English? :D

Yes, teaching English. Some students wanted to call me "professor" but I would always say "I have three degrees, but I'm a teacher not a professor." Officially, according to the university, I was a 'Lecturer'; and according to the government, a 'Foreign Expert' (I have the paperwork to prove it)... LOL.

Bill, did you speak Chinese when you arrived?

No... and still don't (at least no where near fluently). I did pick up 'survival' Chinese very quickly though.

Good heavens, those crab legs look extraordinary, does one serve two people?

I am a bit of a coward when it comes to bread making, we have a bread maker - somewhere- it was a present and the bread came out rather cake like and , frankly, not very nice. Do you mind telling me what machine you have, Jeff? I only make wheaten bread which is easy as it uses bicarb and buttermilk as the raising agents, but I'd quite to try to something else, without all the faffing of kneading.

Rp

Greetings Coolers! Another frigid day here 4 F and lots of new snow!

Bill...your adventure in being a Foreign Expert is making for a fun read!

In an effort to find a silver lining to our winter here is today's funny.....

Have a great day all!

Lots of great stuff going on here to read about.

Really enjoying the adventures of the fire maker!

Weather looks horrific for some.

Bread looks perfect.

Emtbsam mentioned a trip to Sydney! Bon voyage.

Hope that we will get to go too...at least by reading about it.

Have a wonderful day all!

Good heavens, those crab legs look extraordinary, does one serve two people?

They are a bit over the top... I bet they weigh about a pound each.

More importantly, I think, is how the heck am I going to cook them?? They won't fit into any pot that we own.

We'll try the halibut tonight. :D. Significantly less challenging.

Roads were crummy this morning as expected. But the snow has stopped for the moment.

5 weeks from today...will not exist for us! We will be in the air, crossing the Date Line on our way to Australia. We leave LAX Wednesday night and arrive in Sydney on Friday morning. No Thursday for us.

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Hasta la pasta ....

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Greetings from Canada’s we(s)t coast, where it is rainy, but warm(ish). The sun is just peaking over the horizon and it looks like we might see a bit of blue sky today.

Really enjoying Bill’s story. Love the details.

About the only thing I use my bread maker for is dough, but it sure is easy for that. Then dump it out, form whatever shapes are required, a final rise and into the oven. So much easier!

Hope everyone’s medical issues are under control. We don’t have real issues, thank goodness, and the minor issues we do encounter are handled. My biggest concern right now is dealing with aging parents. Took my 90 year old mother (who is admittedly getting somewhat frail) into town (Vancouver) yesterday so she could visit with my father who is in a rehab facility recovering from a stroke. He’s been there for a couple of weeks now, and is progressing well, and has recently been upgraded to the point where he is allowed to walk (with assistance) to dinner instead of being taken in a wheel chair.

Visiting makes for a long day though, as we have to take a ferry to get into town, and then the same back home. No idea how long he’ll be there, so we’re just dealing with it day to day, week by week. He went into the hospital here just after Christmas, and after some progress there, was transferred to the rehab, so it has been a long 6 weeks. We’re still not sure if he’ll ever be able to return home, so it’s been fairly stressful figuring out what will be happening with their living situation long term. My mother, although frail, is also feisty, and is determined to live independently as long as possible. We do have a “better at home” support program, which costs the (socialized) medical system a lot less than having them in an extended care facility, but the key is going to be my father’s mobility.

Very thankful for socialized medicine right now, as our only out of pocket expenses have been gas and ferry costs. I’ll try to keep this in mind when I do my income tax return!

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MLeh...best wishes for your father's continued improvement and that the living arrangements in the future will not be too stressful for anyone!

Coolers, forgive the slight downer ...

Some of you may recall me mentioning the case of Linda Carty who is in my view and of many acquainted with the detail of her case, an innocent woman currently on death row. Even anyone doubting her innocence would have to agree that she has not had fair justice and today we hear that her last appeal has failed and she awaits execution. We have been funding through Reprieve her fight and sent her books to her prison on her Amzon book list, and it's a sad day. It is bewlidering to me that this has been allowed to happen.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=45926969&postcount=3463

https://reprieve.org.uk/case-study/linda-carty/

https://reprieve.org.uk/press/witnesses-against-death-row-grandmother-admit-they-lied-following-threats-from-prosecutors/

https://reprieve.org.uk/press/british-death-row-grandmother-granted-new-hearing/

https://reprieve.org.uk/press/2011_11_21_linda_documentart/

Jeff, nothing to forgive; on the contrary, I applaud your stance and proactive support in this case. It is indeed sad.

Hope everyone’s medical issues are under control. We don’t have real issues, thank goodness, and the minor issues we do encounter are handled. My biggest concern right now is dealing with aging parents. Took my 90 year old mother (who is admittedly getting somewhat frail) into town (Vancouver) yesterday so she could visit with my father who is in a rehab facility recovering from a stroke. He’s been there for a couple of weeks now, and is progressing well, and has recently been upgraded to the point where he is allowed to walk (with assistance) to dinner instead of being taken in a wheel chair.

 

Visiting makes for a long day though, as we have to take a ferry to get into town, and then the same back home. No idea how long he’ll be there, so we’re just dealing with it day to day, week by week. He went into the hospital here just after Christmas, and after some progress there, was transferred to the rehab, so it has been a long 6 weeks. We’re still not sure if he’ll ever be able to return home, so it’s been fairly stressful figuring out what will be happening with their living situation long term. My mother, although frail, is also feisty, and is determined to live independently as long as possible. We do have a “better at home” support program, which costs the (socialized) medical system a lot less than having them in an extended care facility, but the key is going to be my father’s mobility.

 

Very thankful for socialized medicine right now, as our only out of pocket expenses have been gas and ferry costs. I’ll try to keep this in mind when I do my income tax return!

 

 

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Dear Mleh, We have been fortunate to enjoy parents for a long time. My mother died at 99 and she was healthy until a year prior to her death. However, she was frail and needed to be at a nursing facility, since I was working at the time and could no take care of her. I can sympathize with your feelings regarding living arrangements and continuous and extended visits. One loves them so much, but life and other family commitments get in one's way. Just be sure that your life remain balanced; after all that would be their wish.

First off, I'm sorry to hear that some of our beloved coolers are hitting some rough patches. As far as parents go, it's one of those things, that if we're lucky enough to have our mom and dad survive as we become senior citizens ourselves, I think we're pretty lucky. It doesn't make it any easier when things are having a downturn. Just know that we're thinking of you and it's a part of life that most of us either have dealt with or will eventually.

As far as the Linda Carty issue goes, I must have my head in the sand or are experiencing dementia as I'm not familiar with this case at all. I will do the due diligence and read up on her. Sorry it is so late in coming to my attention.

In the meantime, have a good evening all.......

Linda

Linda,

I promise you that you are suffering from neither. I was a founder member or Reprieve, not because of ny view on capital punishment per sé, but because of a strongly felt view concerning justice and in particular for capital offences. It wouldn't be hypocritical for someone who was even broadly positive about capital punishment to support Reprieve. I think it important that I and others simply ensure that as many people as possible knows what happens with respect to justice in their names in so called advanced, just and democratic societies.

Linda's case is one of far too many where it would be extremely difficult to conclude anything other than there has been a serious miscarirage of justice, and that it is likely that a decent innocent person will be executed,

Reprieve regularly asks for cash to fund DNA evidence research for people on death row, almost entirely African Americans, who cannot find the cash or resources to fund examination of evidence that might prove their innocence, and I have had the honour of meeting one such person who came to the UK and visited our Parliament to thank Reprieve supporters for saving his life.

Linda's case has nothing to do with DNA as there was no physical evidence at all to link her to the murder she is accused of, and anyone with the time and inquisitiveness it is extremely illuminating to read through the detailed history of Linda's case through the links from Reprieve's site.

The halibut was really tasty. I heated some garlic slices in olive oil, then seared the fish in a little bit of that oil after a light coat of flour, salt, and pepper. Then I added a splash of wine, lemon juice, and broth and let it poach. Meanwhile, I wilted some baby spinach in the rest of the garlic oil and added all the soft cooked slices of garlic once they were done.

The spinach was the base, topped with a chunk of fish and some air-fried potatoes. The poaching liquid was reduced and finished with a touch of butter then poured on top. So tasty.

The halibut and the salmon aren't orders of magnitude better, but they are comparable to what we can sometimes get at home. The biggest problem is whether we can actually find decent fish on a regular basis. We also ordered scallops which look way nicer than the usual offerings here, and the crab legs that I posted Tuesday are probably the biggest that I've ever seen. We'll eat them next week for a special Valentines' Day dinner.

Regardless, it sure is easy to place an order on the internet on a Sunday afternoon, and have a package of frozen fish delivered to your front door on Tuesday! And I don't have to worry about whether the local supermarket has any decent fish in stock. I think I'll be ordering from this place again. :D

PS Jeff, nice pasta and Spanish red. We had an Alsatian Pinot Blanc with dinner tonight. It KILLED me to pour even a little bit into the pan for cooking. Tragic!