Reservations about No Reservations
I have to stop watching travel shows. I do not have the money yet to go to the places I see depicted on the Travel Channel, such as, oh, Indonesia. I want to go there, experience it, and part of me wants to indulge in the culture. I've already fallen in love with the region, long before I really saw anything about it ever. I bought a bamboo windchime in college at an import store, made in Indonesia. Fell in love with it. Are you asking about the Noah Bell? That's from India. Both are places I now want to go to, even for a summer. So tonight, while watching Anthony Bourdain on television in a little cabin on a lake, the cameraman showed a set of windchimes. The same windchimes I am holding in my hand right now (or will be when I'm done typing this sentence).
But alas, I cannot go there yet. I know I've always been a person to ask someone else, "Why are you making excuses?" but this is an instance where I need to do so. I do not have the money to go there yet. So, why am I instead downloading music from Indonesia and India on iTunes? Because right now it's the closest I'll get to those countries.
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Okay, I knew those hooks in my ceiling from a lamp when I was a kid would come in handy - one is holding the Indonesian bamboo windchimes while the other is holding the Noah Bell. I just have to be careful how I move in this room while writing and composing as any small movement will start a cacophony of bells. Beautiful.
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If you are wondering where Indonesia is, it is a chain of islands north-west of Australia, between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is in the same neck of the woods as Borneo (remember Survivor?) and Papua New Guiana (Going Tribal on Travel Channel).
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So why am I so enamored with the music of Indonesia? Other than I have fallen in love with it? There is so much of it, so many varieties of cultures. Search for the term "Music of Indonesia" in iTunes and you will get back 150 results, with even more results if you click on individual albums, all catalogued and published by The Smithsonian Institute. I don't know where to begin on downloads, and am afraid that I will miss something. I know that I can come back to it at any point, but I want it all now. I love it.
My heart is at home, but my spirit wanders the world!
Just got done watching Anothony Bourdain's
No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and I have to say that I am once again struck by the beauty and simplicity of a foreign culture (is the word "foreign" easier to spell in another language? What about "language?"). He had a travel guide this time from his office in New York, and she was my age about, so he ended up doing a lot of the things she wanted to do: party, play in arcades, karaoke (he didn't sing though - or at least they didn't show it). They showed a kimchi factory. Beautiful. That mixed with some crab and some raman noodles, and add some onion and celery too, and you have a meal. Love the stuff, but don't think I'll be making it anytime soon - I don't trust my cooking that much (and I've seen my relatives try sauer kraut - same method/basic principle, slightly different culture/ingredients).
Kimchi Recipe (if you dare!) from
http://www.davidtinney.net/korean-kimchi-recipe.html. There are many varieties, and if in doubt, just go to your nearest oriental grocer.
Kimchi Recipe:
2 Chinese cabbages
5-10 spring onions
Sea salt or other non-iodized salt, at least 100 g
4 heaped tablespoons (about 20 g) Korean chili powder
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoonfuls sugar, any kind
Tablespoonful kim chi sauce
Small piece of ginger (5 g), crushed, or teaspoonful powdered ginger
Half an onion (optional)
Method:
Rinse the cabbages, then quarter them lengthwise, discard the stems, and then chop the cabbages laterally, which should leave you with the largest pieces measuring perhaps 5 cm on a side. Don't get too carried away while doing this.
Now that we have lots of little bits of cabbage, it's time to salt them. Place the cabbage in a clean plastic bag or equivalent and sprinkle salt over each layer. The best kind of salt is sea salt, although non-iodized table salt will do. This will create a brine solution with the cabbage juice.
To ensure the cabbage is properly salted, sprinkle salt onto your wet hands, then rub it into the cabbage pieces. Press the leaves in your hand to squeeze as much water out of them as possible. Once finished, tie up the bag and set it aside for 5-6 hours. Check it after three hours to ensure that everything is all right, stirring the mixture if necessary.
Take the cabbage out of the salt solution and rinse it if necessary. It should be a lot softer than it was. Again, remove surplus water. Place cabbage in a sealable plastic box. Add the spring onions, chopped into small pieces. Crush the garlic and ginger in a press and mix in. You may also add half an onion, finely diced, if you wish.
It is also recommended to add kim chi sauce. This is the only ingredient that you can't always buy at a non-Korean supermarket. There are several different kinds, many of which contain fish or other seafood such as oysters. You only need one tablespoonful.
Add the chili powder. It is possible to use other kinds of chili powder; if you use hot chili powder, you should reduce the amount. Add two tablespoonfuls of sugar.
Mash the chili powder into the leaves as you did in much the same way with the salt. If the color doesn't seem dark enough, add more chili powder. It's a good idea to wear gloves while doing this.
Put the containers aside for three days.
Finally the kimchi is ready. It should be soft in consistency, but not too mushy, with a little crunchiness left in the larger pieces. You can eat it as is, or use it in your favorite Korean recipes and it makes a great stir fry, too.
