So, apparently today is my "star" birthday (according to the hindu calendar). So, this got us thinking about how solar and lunar calendars correlate. I've heard my dad talk about this (he's a serious astrology buff), but obviously it didn't stick :)
But why fear when Wikipedia is here! Which taught me the concept of a lunisolar calendar. And that intercalations are not just about adding a day for a leap year, but could also involve adding a week or even a month (like lunisolar calendars do every 2-3 years to match with the solar calendar). Which explains why solar and lunar birthdays are usually within a couple of weeks of each other.
Another interesting fact: apparently some lunisolar calendars can use the state of vegetation (depending on season, I guess) to determine when the leap month needs to be added! The Hindu calendar uses the phase of the moon to determine this.
This illustration of the hindu calendar simplifies a lot of the calculations of festival dates - which fall back by 11 days every year (because the lunar calendar has fixed months, but approximate years compared to the solar calendar).
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Granville Island Vet Hospital - among the best!
After an almost sleepless night with Vodka constantly shaking his head trying to clear his ears, I hopped on the internet to figure out what could be wrong. Hmm ... ear infection? Hematoma?!! Ear mites?!!! Eeeeek! Time to visit the vet! Except, we were in Vancouver. Wait, I have a vague memory of someone saying that the Granville Island Vet Hospital is pretty decent. And we were going to hit the public market anyway.
That hospital is awesome. I have pretty high standards after going to Redwood Animal Hospital, but this place rules. And Dr.Adam is awesome. Yes, it was a ear infection. And no ear mites! Phew! And she did a full physical on him. And I even got to peek into his gross ears :)
Ate a few treats, got a good brushing from the tech there and Vodka was all ready to go play again!
Thanks GIVH!
That hospital is awesome. I have pretty high standards after going to Redwood Animal Hospital, but this place rules. And Dr.Adam is awesome. Yes, it was a ear infection. And no ear mites! Phew! And she did a full physical on him. And I even got to peek into his gross ears :)
Ate a few treats, got a good brushing from the tech there and Vodka was all ready to go play again!
Thanks GIVH!
Whistler rocks - year round!
We were in Whistler on sunday and finally got a chance to check out the new bike park. It looks awesome! Might just have to try that out this year :)
It is pretty cool to hit a place that still has spring skiing happening on one mountain, while the other mountain has its slopes paved for mountain biking trails. And they even had a li'l zipline going near the whistler gondola - very cool!
Since dogs are not allowed in the gondolas (sucks!), Vodka and I decided to hike up Blackcomb while my mum, et al went up the gondola. It was pretty fun, we just followed the path of the ropes up the mountain. It was a beautiful day, and the moutain looks so different without the snow. And it is steep! Just as we went up this wicked gully, I saw a black creature about 1/4 mile up the mountain. Wait, make that 2 creatures. Mama bear and baby bear! Weeeee!!! First wildlife sighting in Whistler (and I don't have a pic :( ). We wandered up another 100m or so, but I decided to turn back - didn't think Vodka would end up protecting me from a disgruntled mama bear! :)
It is pretty cool to hit a place that still has spring skiing happening on one mountain, while the other mountain has its slopes paved for mountain biking trails. And they even had a li'l zipline going near the whistler gondola - very cool!
Since dogs are not allowed in the gondolas (sucks!), Vodka and I decided to hike up Blackcomb while my mum, et al went up the gondola. It was pretty fun, we just followed the path of the ropes up the mountain. It was a beautiful day, and the moutain looks so different without the snow. And it is steep! Just as we went up this wicked gully, I saw a black creature about 1/4 mile up the mountain. Wait, make that 2 creatures. Mama bear and baby bear! Weeeee!!! First wildlife sighting in Whistler (and I don't have a pic :( ). We wandered up another 100m or so, but I decided to turn back - didn't think Vodka would end up protecting me from a disgruntled mama bear! :)
House of Dosas - quite yummy!
As part of our quest for desi food in Vancouver, we hit House of Dosas on Kingsway - the place had no ambience whatsoever, but we heard good reviews about it.
The menu had enough dosa options to justify the name, so we got all excited! We started off with the pakoras (my mum was really leery about this, she didn't think the place "looked" desi enough!), but these were among the best restaurant pakoras we've had in a while. *yum* Then we ordered several dosas - the madras masala, paneer dosa and even an uthappam - which was awesome! The dosas were slightly tart, just the way we like it. And the paper dosa was super crisp and hot.
The carrot chutney was real tasty, but the sambar left a lot to be desired - not spicy enough, and definitely lacked tamarind. The one weird thing was that they had run out of idli podi (it was called "gunpowder" on the menu :) ) - that is plain wrong! No south indian restaurant should *ever* run out of this!
And we loved that the plates were all shaped like banana leaves - in fact, we initially thought that they were serving us on fresh leaves - nice touch! :) And the waiter talked to us in Tamil, haven't heard that in a restaurant in a while! Next time, I'll have to try their rava dosa.
The menu had enough dosa options to justify the name, so we got all excited! We started off with the pakoras (my mum was really leery about this, she didn't think the place "looked" desi enough!), but these were among the best restaurant pakoras we've had in a while. *yum* Then we ordered several dosas - the madras masala, paneer dosa and even an uthappam - which was awesome! The dosas were slightly tart, just the way we like it. And the paper dosa was super crisp and hot.
The carrot chutney was real tasty, but the sambar left a lot to be desired - not spicy enough, and definitely lacked tamarind. The one weird thing was that they had run out of idli podi (it was called "gunpowder" on the menu :) ) - that is plain wrong! No south indian restaurant should *ever* run out of this!
And we loved that the plates were all shaped like banana leaves - in fact, we initially thought that they were serving us on fresh leaves - nice touch! :) And the waiter talked to us in Tamil, haven't heard that in a restaurant in a while! Next time, I'll have to try their rava dosa.
The new and huge La Spiga
So, we finally got to check out La Spiga after they moved into their new location on 12th. This place is ginormous (the Lipp should've trademarked that word when he could've!). And we dindined with Vee and Martin (*yay*!)
Verdict:
The space is incredible - we were gawking at the high ceilings and the stark interior all evening. The patio is awesome - especially the chef's table. The huge inside space is well partitioned by the booths in the middle and the long couch - love that couch! And the decor is great - lots of old copper pots and pans on shelves, stark lighting, solid wooden tables, very nice.
The food - Not mindblowing, but pretty good. I'll give it a 3/5. The piadinas - as good as ever! The appetizers and salads looked a lot more interesting than the entrees. The roasted beet salad was pretty good, as was the cheese plate (especially that super creamy stinky brie!). My lentil&tomato soup was clearly oversalted and the flavors did not really stand out. The roasted potatoes were disappointing too - some of them seemed too dry, though drenched in olive oil. Pupp liked his risotto (the zucchini base was an interesting twist), Vee thought the pork was pretty decent and Martin said the lasagna was passable (this coming from the guy who makes the best lasagna I've *ever* eaten in my life!).
The wine list looks pretty impressive, and the Barolo we ordered was delicious.
Verdict:
The space is incredible - we were gawking at the high ceilings and the stark interior all evening. The patio is awesome - especially the chef's table. The huge inside space is well partitioned by the booths in the middle and the long couch - love that couch! And the decor is great - lots of old copper pots and pans on shelves, stark lighting, solid wooden tables, very nice.
The food - Not mindblowing, but pretty good. I'll give it a 3/5. The piadinas - as good as ever! The appetizers and salads looked a lot more interesting than the entrees. The roasted beet salad was pretty good, as was the cheese plate (especially that super creamy stinky brie!). My lentil&tomato soup was clearly oversalted and the flavors did not really stand out. The roasted potatoes were disappointing too - some of them seemed too dry, though drenched in olive oil. Pupp liked his risotto (the zucchini base was an interesting twist), Vee thought the pork was pretty decent and Martin said the lasagna was passable (this coming from the guy who makes the best lasagna I've *ever* eaten in my life!).
The wine list looks pretty impressive, and the Barolo we ordered was delicious.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Eat Gratin, be happy!
So behind on my postings. *sigh*
So, I finally got to try out a recipe from the latest Jay Solomon book that I bought a couple of weeks ago (Taste of the Tropics) - I love, absolutely love this book! I started off wanting to make this squash and scallions gratin, but I had no squash! Or scallions! But I did have a ton of fresh asparagus :) And shallots :)
Asparagus and Shallots Gratin
=======================
1 bundle asparagus - chopped into 1' pieces
1 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced (yes, I went overboard, like always!)
4-6 shallots - chopped fine
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t ground black pepper
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t sea salt
Heat oven to 350F.
Lightly saute the asparagus and shallots in olive oil, add spices and coconut milk and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
Oooppppsss! Apparently, I needed breadcrumbs to get the crunchy consistency for the gratin. Hmm, let's use tortilla chips instead. So, I broke up a bunch of chips, tossed them into the veggie mixture, and poured it all into a casserole and let bake for 10-12 minutes.
Add a dash of hot sauce and some flatbread = *happy*
Origin (of original recipe :) ) : West Indies
So, I finally got to try out a recipe from the latest Jay Solomon book that I bought a couple of weeks ago (Taste of the Tropics) - I love, absolutely love this book! I started off wanting to make this squash and scallions gratin, but I had no squash! Or scallions! But I did have a ton of fresh asparagus :) And shallots :)
Asparagus and Shallots Gratin
=======================
1 bundle asparagus - chopped into 1' pieces
1 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced (yes, I went overboard, like always!)
4-6 shallots - chopped fine
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t ground black pepper
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t sea salt
Heat oven to 350F.
Lightly saute the asparagus and shallots in olive oil, add spices and coconut milk and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
Oooppppsss! Apparently, I needed breadcrumbs to get the crunchy consistency for the gratin. Hmm, let's use tortilla chips instead. So, I broke up a bunch of chips, tossed them into the veggie mixture, and poured it all into a casserole and let bake for 10-12 minutes.
Add a dash of hot sauce and some flatbread = *happy*
Origin (of original recipe :) ) : West Indies
Icon Grill - *ick*
Icon has a new mac'n'cheese appetizer - fried mac with a jalapeno queso dip. Woooo!!! Somehow, they just managed to make a bigger artery clogger than their regular mac'n'cheese :) It does taste yummy, but that was the beginning and end of the good food at Icon.
To start off, our waitress got our drinks all mixed up - strangely enough, she heard 'Orange Drop' as 'Bartender's Margarita' - we were quite puzzled when our drinks didn't show up in cocktail glasses, and even more stymied when they tasted of tequila!
The menu had an interesting sounding tuna entree - thinly sliced, seared ahi tuna with a wasabi vinaigrette based salad - sounds good? That's what I thought too. And I ordered it. My first seafood entree ever! *so* excited. Until the food appeared. Somehow, my tuna had transformed into this giant thickly sliced steak-like "thingy". Ok, fine, I'm not intimidated (yet!), I'll try it ... one mouthful ... *ick*. This tuna tasted like it had absorbed all the salt in the ocean and then some! And it tasted like leather. *bleh*. And that damn salad was replete with celery. *grr*. Our other entree was the rock shrimp penne - apparently quite passable, that was a relief.
Yes, we complained about it. Yes, they took it off the tab. But for something that gross, they should really be paying me for it!
To start off, our waitress got our drinks all mixed up - strangely enough, she heard 'Orange Drop' as 'Bartender's Margarita' - we were quite puzzled when our drinks didn't show up in cocktail glasses, and even more stymied when they tasted of tequila!
The menu had an interesting sounding tuna entree - thinly sliced, seared ahi tuna with a wasabi vinaigrette based salad - sounds good? That's what I thought too. And I ordered it. My first seafood entree ever! *so* excited. Until the food appeared. Somehow, my tuna had transformed into this giant thickly sliced steak-like "thingy". Ok, fine, I'm not intimidated (yet!), I'll try it ... one mouthful ... *ick*. This tuna tasted like it had absorbed all the salt in the ocean and then some! And it tasted like leather. *bleh*. And that damn salad was replete with celery. *grr*. Our other entree was the rock shrimp penne - apparently quite passable, that was a relief.
Yes, we complained about it. Yes, they took it off the tab. But for something that gross, they should really be paying me for it!
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