Patel Brothers is the best! I’m so excited to start making dal again. We now have 4, count ’em, four types of dal to make! I’m most excited about moong dal. Masoor Dal and Urad dal are awesome but moong really makes me think of home.
The other food I’d be making for the first time is Upma using newly purchased mustard seeds.
Credit: http://recipeblog.in/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rava-upma.jpg
This was the first beer I tried from Sri Lanka. I picked it up from the trusty Eagle Provisions on 5th avenue. I actually didn’t notice that it said Pilsner at first on the bottle, so the first sip was a bit shocking.
Overall taste was very fruity, more in the range of Hefeweisen to me than hoppy. Like many beers, also notes of honey. I don’t know pilsners well but if you like fruity, light beers, this isn’t bad.
Drop of a Hat Rating: 6/10 Andy Richters
….on having the most metal costume at the Olympics! Sparkle Snake around a black shirt? Fuck yeah!
Apparently it was designed by Vera Wang.
Credit: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35475931/displaymode/1176/rstry/35464455/
Also, congratulations on the Olympic Gold Medal.
After watching Food Inc I started paying a little more attention to my meat purchases, but as Pollan explained, it’s a difficult task. So until I can figure this out….I picked up a type of meat not discussed: Lamb.
The funny thing is that you cruise by chicken or beef and the packages often have many labels now, such as hormone free, low fat etc. The lamb however has a strange and rather creepy sounding label which read “Certified Young and Tender.” In no other context could you use this and not be arrested haha. I feel like I’m on a date with this lamb. Anyways, the lamb was delicious. I will be inquiring about a second date soon.
Boston.com’s section The Big Picture consistently presents the most beautiful pictures of cultural events around the world (such as Hajj). This link from Carnival/Carnivale are no exception. I’m of Indian descent myself so #31 in particular caught my eye. Enjoy.
Carnivale
My girlfriend and I have started a tradition of cooking a nice meal at home for Valentine’s Day rather than sweat trying to find a table at a fancy restaurant we can’t get reservations at.
I’m excited this year to be making massaman curry, sweet potatoes with peanut sauce and either Gingerbread Cupcakes or Litchi Coconut Cheese Cake.
The inventor of the frisbee , Fred Morrison just passed away. I have some great memories of ultimate frisbee as a youth. The frisbee is one thing I most associate with the beach too.
I love this picture!
Credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/technology-obituaries/7223147/Fred-Morrison.html
Got the rejection notices for my 2nd and 3rd submissions from Seed.com. No worries though. I’ve claimed 6 more articles which to work on. Licking my wounds and moving on. This isn’t a site I expect to go away any time soon – I’m still happy for the opportunity.
I heard an interview with Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal scientist and autistic person on NPR the other day. The interview went into her work on devising humane ways to treat animals and the connections between autistics and humans.
She also invented something brilliant for autistic people called the Hugging Machine:
Source: http://www.autism-in-the-christian-home.com/images/squeezemachine.jpg
A hug machine — also known as hug box, squeeze machine, or squeeze box — is a deep pressure device designed to calm hypersensitive persons, usually individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The therapeutic, stress-relieving device was originally conceived and designed by Temple Grandin in 1965. Autism profoundly affects both social interactions and sensitivity to sensory stimulation, often making it uncomfortable or impractical to turn to other human beings for comfort. Grandin solved this by designing the hug machine so both she and others could turn to it for sensory relief, whenever needed or simply desired.
Source: Wikipedia
What wonderful idea. Such a simple notion. It’s worth noting that a movie called Temple Gradin based on her life is coming out soon on HBO starring Claire Danes.
Last Night’s Superbowl was exciting but not as high-scoring as I was expecting. I’m really, really happy for New Orleans. Not that they need an excuse to party in NOLA but this is cause for celebration. The symbolism of the victory wasn’t lost on anyone. I hope this brings an influx of tourist and dollars to New Orleans.
The Saints played a relatively clean game last night to the surprise of many. Was this because the Indy defense handles themselves well? Partially. The Saints defense, largely absent during the first half, stepped it up in the second. Obviously all credit goes to Tracey Porter for that all important interception which sank the Colts chances.
—-
Below are what I thought were the top three best ads:
Betty White for Snickers: She’s so likable. And what a time for a comeback. Some people have started a facebook group petitioning for her to host Saturday Night Live!
Google: Easily the most striking commercial and as a friend mentioned, probably the cheapest to make. Also, I didn’t know you could just type in a flight airline and number and find out the schedule?!
David Letterman with Jay Leno and Oprah: My goodness. How unexpected was this? I read that Letterman and Leno hadn’t seen each other in 20 years? Hatchet buried? Not likely knowing Letterman.
Also worth noting: Last night was my first superbowl party (granted it was only the 5 of us)!
Foods eaten included:
Cannoli
Fried Chicken Wings
Hot Wings
Chili
Deli Sandwiches
Potato Chips
Modest Amount of Beer
Panditustad's Blog 
