TastyDesign

Free Hao Wu!

Lea este post en Español (via El-Oso.NET)
English version via  Global Voices
We appeal to the Chinese government for Hao Wu’s immediate release!

What happened to Hao?

Hao Wu (Chinese name: 吴皓), a Chinese documentary filmmaker who lived in the U.S. between 1992 and 2004, was detained by the Beijing division of China’s State Security Bureau on the afternoon of Wednesday, Febuary 22, 2006. On that afternoon, Hao had met in Beijing with a congregation of a Christian church not recognized by the Chinese government, as part of the filming of his next documentary.

Hao had also been in phone contact with Gao Zhisheng, a lawyer specializing in human rights cases. Gao confirmed to one of Hao’s friends that the two had been in phone contact and planned to meet on Feb. 22, but that their meeting never took place after Gao advised against it. On Friday, Feb. 24, Hao’s editing equipment and several videotapes were removed from the apartment where he had been staying. Hao has been in touch his family since Feb. 22, but judging from the tone of the conversations, he wasn’t able to speak freely. One of Hao’s friends has been interrogated twice since his detention. Beijing’s Public Security Bureau (the police) has confirmed that Hao has been detained, but have declined to specify the charges against him.

The reason for Hao’s detention is unknown. One of the possibilities is that the authorities who detained Hao want to use him and his video footage to prosecute members of China’s underground Churches. Hao is an extremely principled individual, who his friends and family believe will resist such a plan. Therefore, we are very concerned about his mental and physical well-being.

More about Hao: From Scientist to Computer Guy to Filmmaker.

Hao began his filmmaking career in 2004, when he gave up his job as a senior product manager at Atlanta-based Earthlink Inc. and returned to China to film Beijing or Bust, a collage of interviews with U.S.-born ethnic Chinese who now live in China’s capital city. Before working for Earthlink, Hao worked as a product manager for Internet portal Excite from 2000 to 2001 in Redwood City, CA Before that, Hao had also worked as a strategic planning and product development director for Merchant Internet Group, an intern for American Express Co. and a molecular biologist with UCB Research Inc.

Hao earned an MBA degree from University of Michigan Business School in May 2000 and a Master of Science in molecular and cell biology in July, 1995 from Brandeis University, where he was awarded a full merit-based scholarship. Before studying in the U.S., Hao earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the China University of Science and Technology in Hefei, Anhui province in June, 1992.

Hao the Blogger.

Poema: "Tio Juancho", por Ruben Villalobos

To read this poem in English visit Nebur's World

Tio Juancho

(por Ruben Villalobos, traducido al Español por Marianne Villalobos)

Cánteme, tío,

enseñeme las canciones de los pájaros

que nunca he visto volar,

enséñeme las canciones que ya no puedo recordar.

 

Dígame, tío,

como me dijo cuando le pregunté hace tantos años:

¿por qué duermen algunas plantas al tocarlas?

¿por qué dan algunas hierbas una leche calmante

que puedo untarme a la piel

para aliviar las picadas de los mosquitos

que en todo caso a Ud. no le molestan?

¿Por qué al cortar el tallo del banano

el mismo crece al instante delante mis ojos?

Y ¿por qué crecen unos guineos pequeños, marrones y dulces

mientras otros crecen grandes y no tan dulces

pero ricos, cuando Mamacita o

Yaya o Mercedes

(pero nunca un hombre)

los fríe y les echa sal?

 

Dígame tio,

¿cómo puede hacer cocada todo el día

(todos estos años),

romper la cáscara del coco

con un solo machetazo y

darme el dulce limo mantecoso del coco

que resbala por mi lengua

(todos estos años)

rallar el coco, mezclar la miel

sobre el fuego candente

que cuece la cocada y le quema a Ud.

(todos estos años),

embolar la cocada aun caliente

y dajarla enfriar mientrars qu Ud. limpia la paila

y el batidor

y el machete

para que estén listos para la próxima vez,

entonces llamarme para que pruebe el dulce recien hecho

¡Rubén, vén acá!

A Poem: "A Lost Art" by John N. Hilliard

This poem is a tribute to the long gone culinary art that has vanished from our cultures. This is a cry that was written around 1910, I am not sure the exact date, but it is just beautiful. I would do more research in the future to find out the exact dates and location of the author when he wrote it. No doubt this is a n important piece in culinary history. Immigrants from Europe mostly felt frustrated about the food prepared in the US at the time.

A Lost Art (by John N. Hilliard)

Ah! the culinary art - faith! has it fled
With the dead?
Do the monarchs of the modern kitchen know
How to broil or roast or fry,
Make a soufflé or a pie,
Like the ancients did?
Well, I answer, "No!"

For the people of the present, young and old,
Live for gold,
And they have no leisure sooth in which to eat;
See them scorching home on wheels,
Thirty minutes grace for meals,
Or they walk their soles and heels
Off their feet.

Read the golden "ads" in cars and magazines
Of baked beans,
And of banquets concentrated in a can;
Read of food prepared in flakes,
And of patent flour cakes,
Good for all the ills and aches
In a man.

´Tis a wondrous age, I grant, an age of steam,
And supreme;
´Tis and age of wonders wrought in steel and stone;
´Tis an age Time can not pace,
When our thoughts with lightning race,
And our words are tossed through space
To each zone.

But we have no chefs, today, of any fame
Like Careme,
Like Chatillon, a Vatel or a Ude;
We fry beef stakes in a pan,
Which is bad for the beast or man,
And we breakfast on a plan
Just as rude.

So the culinary art, I think, has fled
With the dead,
With the ancient recipe for Massic wine;
Ah! I would I had the pen
Of a Savarin, for then
I would teach all kinds of men
How to dine.

Tags: poem, poetry, cookingdiva, culinary art, panama, chef

Meme: 10 things you never knew about me...

Thank you Ilva for tagging me for this MeMe!

Well, I won't make you wait any longer,...here they are:

1. Two years ago, when The CookingDiva blog was born, all the recipes and stories were posted in Spanish. Then I decided to write in English too, and created the "TastyDesign" blog (the one you are visiting right now). Time passed and I noticed that most of my visitors where from English speaking countries..., so since then I write recipes in English and post them at the CookingDiva blog.
2. I am "obsessive convulsive baker/cooker."  I can  go on  and on for days (just  taking  short breaks).  There was this time when I  cooked continuously for  72 hours, then I learned that it is possible to cook in my sleep!
3. I prepared my first soup at the age of five. I bugged my mom until she let me do it. I put a little chair in front of the stove, and with her next to me I prepared a delectable fish soup that had everything I could find in the kitchen at the time! Then, my mom helped me to serve it and we (my mom, my dad and little-Mely) had an unforgettable lunch. I was so excited!  I was so proud of my parents because they managed to eat the soup :)
4. My first fruitcake: After insisting for so many years,...my mom let me prepare my first fruitcake at the age of 7-8 yo, I am not so sure about the exact age. Since I was a big girl then, with lots of cooking experience (LOL!) she let me do it by myself. She helped me measure all the ingredients and we went through the recipe a couple of times before she went shopping. I was supposed to have the cake batter ready to bake when she returned home. To make the long story short, I can tell you that I had the great idea of tasting the "port wine". Wow,...what a body, what a flavor!!! It was my first time savoring such a thing. Hmmm...., delicious! That is the last memory I have...When my mom came back home I was on my back, on the floor, with my eyes wide open....horrified because the house was spinning! No cake, no nothing. Thanks to that experience I hated alcohol for many many many years :)
5. I am the oldest of my parent's three children. My sister Paola was born 5 years after me and she has now a beautiful daughter: Paola Alexandra. I adore that little girl. My mom says that she looks exactly like me when I was that age! My brother Juan Manuel was born 8 years after me and he is a computer genius, and the dog sitter that takes care of Silky-Lu and Anibal when I travel.
6. My mother language is actually Portuguese. I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil when I was really young and then went back to Sao Paulo to go to college.
7. I have been writing poems in Spanish mostly since I was a teenager. They are all impregnated with tears of love and passion. I have loved too much I guess :)
8. I believe that one of the sexiest things in life is "bread dough". Maybe that's why I bake so much :)
9. I rarely watch TV, and when I do so...it is the perfect setting to take a nap.
10. I love to eat flowers, specially roses, and for that purpose I grow them organically. I also make flower essences from tropical flowers (like the Bach flower essences), for stress relief.

Now I am inviting the following bloggers to continue this meme:

• Kelly from the Make Me Cook blog
• Kelly from the MsABCMom blog
• Sao Mai from the Cocinalia blog
• Tania from the CandiedQuince blog
• Cannella from the Zuccheriera blog

Tags: chef, Panama, cookingdiva, meme, food blogs

The "Seven" MeMe

Thank you Tania, Ms. Candied Quince, for tagging me to do this  fun meme!

7 Things to Do Before I Die:

1. Read all (or most) of the books in my library. I've got thousands.
2. Grow lots of fig trees.
3. Travel to the places I have not traveled yet, and learn about their culture and cuisine.
4. Learn more languages.
5. Make people understand that there is no need to live life with fear-based beliefs and assumptions that undermine love and bring the unnecessary drama to our lives.
6. Meet my blogging friends in person.
7. Make my own cheese from raw, organic milk from happy caws.

7 Things I Cannot Do (or things I do NOT enjoy doing):

1. Go diving. I used to, but not any more.
2. Read maps. I really prefer the nifty GPS devices.
3. Read manuals for most electronic devices.  I do not have time for that :)
4. Not grow roses.
5. Not cook.
6. Not peeking at every kitchen.
7. Ignore beauty, everywhere.

7 Things that Attracted Me to Blogging:

1. Meet people with the same interests, and love for cooking.
2. Show the world that I care, sharing.
3. Motivate people.
4. Write more and better. Inspiration.
5. Put  my country, Panama, in the food blogs map.
6. Document my travels and cooking adventures.
7. Learn about other cultures and culinary traditions.

7 Things I Say Most Often:

1. “No MAS Silky, go!!!”
2. “Go to bed Silky, it's too early!”
3. “Let's go shopping!”
4. “I think I need a new chef coat!”
5. “You need a bath Hannibal!”
6. “What a beautiful day!”
7. "It's hot!"

7 Books I Love:

1. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
2. Angel & Demons, by Dan Brown
3. A Cook's Tour, by Anthony Bourdain
4. The Universe in a Single Atom, by Dalai Lama
5. The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra
6. The Four Agreements, The Voice of Knowledge, & The Mastery of Love, by Don Miguel Ruiz
7. Fingerprints of the Gods, by Graham Hancock

7 Movies I Watch Over and Over:

1. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ~  Jim Carrey
2. Chocolat ~ Johnny Depp,  Juliette Binoche
3. Goodfellas ~ Robert De Niro
4. Like Water for Chocolate (Como Agua para Chocolate)
5. Charlie's Angels
6. There's Something About Mary ~ Cameron Díaz
7. Pretty Woman ~ Julia Roberts
   

7 Bloggers I’m Tagging:

1. Nerissa at Deetsa's Diningroom
2. Lera at Myriad Tastes
3. Anthony at Anthony's Bachelor Cooking
4. Michelle at The Accidental Scientist
5. SaoMai at Cocinalia
6. Vickie at The Moveable Feast
7. Cannella at La Zuccheriera

Tags: chef, Panama, cookingdiva, meme, food blogs

Of course I am a dreamer!

They called me "Milk Chocolate", but to assure the best taste I prefer to be  71% or more "Dark Chocolate". It is the best for baking!

Thank you Tanisha, and thank you Kelly for letting me know about this:

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Hasta Buenos Aires, Argentina: Felicidades DulceJulian!!!

Hasta la hermosa ciudad de Buenos Aires, en Argentina, enviamos nuestras felicitaciones al Chef Julian Bubello, mejor conocido como DULCEJULIAN en la cybercocina universal.

DulceJulian ha sido toda su vida un chef de corazon, pero en fechas recientes ha culminado sus estudios en Artes Culinarias.

Siendo el caso de que los  "chefs",  en todo el sentido de la palabra, son los que han ganado ese merito con su esfuerzo, amor, dedicacion y talento natural, te digo mi querido amigo, que ya tu eras un "chef" mucho antes de recibir el papel!.

Te queremos todos, y te pedimos que llenes tu vida de triunfos gastronomicos, para que a la vez nos envies un rayito de luz con todas tus recetas. Un rayito de sol de esa ciudad tan hermosa que es Buenos Aires, y que yo adoro con toda mi alma.

Abrazos,

Melissa

Tags: chef, Argentina, cookingdiva, cocina, panama, dulcejulian

From Elvira's Kitchen: "Dinde au Whisky"

Oh Elvira, just when I think I have seen it all in the kitchen...you come up with this "drunken chick with a sensual tan". For sure all the guests at the dinner table will be talking about it!

Take a moment to visit her charming blog "Tasca da Elvira" and get the delicious recipe!

Happy Holidays!

Chef Melissa

Tags: poultry, recipe, cookingdiva, chef, panama, portugal

Ant Farm

People often think of insects as pests,...and they are so right!

Today I found out that there is an ANT FARM living inside of my  new DELL laptop! I am shocked and insulted by those little devils. And the funny bit is that I do not EAT near the computer---that is a no-no.

They probably were looking at the food pictures I post in my blogs, and they are so yummy looking that made them go inside looking for the goodies. I can't blame them if that is the reason :)

I think that technology is exacting its revenge and forming alliances with the insect world. Just think about it, makes total sense.

Thankfully I have not lost any information, but the monitor is flashing lights left and right. So, tomorrow will take the baby to the computer shop for a good cleaning. Hope they have not eaten anything important, so I can have my computer back to blog again.

Beware.

Melissa

Tags: ants, laptop, cookingdiva, ant farm, panama, bugs

Vintage: "Why is true love like STRANSKY Steel Ware?"

This is a great ad from a 1904 magazine! Click on the picture and find out why?

Tags: vintage, ad, cookingdiva, chef, panama