AVOCADOS - THE SEXY FRUIT

June 26, 2009 

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

I love avocados. I eat them at dinner and sometimes for breakfast or lunch in the form of an avocado sandwich (avocado chunks between two slices of Italian bread and a little olive oil). In my culture, avocados are ever present. It amazes me when some of my Anglo friends state they have never eaten this fruit (and it is a fruit) or don't even know what it is. The more amazing since avocados are cultivated almost everywhere these days. By that I mean they are grown not only in the Caribbean, Florida and California, but also in South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Hawaii, Australia, France, Sicily, Egypt, and even Israel. And these days you get them year round. Not like in my youth when they were available mainly in the summer months and September.

Avocados have been with us ever since the Conquistadors landed in Mexico in 1519. Avocados got their name from the Spanish. They couldn't pronounced the Aztec name for it, ahuacatl. Instead they called it "aguacate." I figure what got the Spaniards interested was that the Aztecs considered the avocado a sex stimulant (the name, ahuacatl, means "testicle"). Whether you believe it or not, they are delicious, simply peeled, cut into slices and served, sprinkled with a little salt.

They are numerous avocado varieties out there. My favorite are of the West Indian type, especially the "Butler" which is grown in Puerto Rico. It's medium large, a glossy green and has a smooth skin. I also like the "Itzamma," also produced in the island. This one is very large with a rough skin and a very attractive yellow flesh. The most common avocados as of late are the Hass variety (it was first cultivated in California in 1926). They are found almost everywhere. Here, in the wilds of Vermont, where my wife and I spend the summers, that is the only type we can get. I am not a particular fan of this variety. But, it'll do in a pinch when nothing else is available. It's akin to the experience I had years ago when I visited a friend in Montana. There were no New York style bagels to be had. We had to eat Lender's frozen bagels. And, guess what, they weren't too bad since there was nothing else. One must adjust to the circumstances.

If you're not too sure about picking out a ripe avocado, simple: press on the skin. If there is a slight indentation, then it's ripe. Another method (especially with large avocados) is to hold them to your ear and shake them. If you hear the pit moving inside, it's ripe. Do not select over-ripe avocados---those with a dark purplish almost black skin and that are soft and mushy to the touch.

Below is an avocado-crabmeat salad from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America. If you can't find or afford fresh lump crabmeat, canned crabmeat will do. The dish goes great with steamed white rice.

ENSALADA DE AGUACATE Y JUEYES (Avocado-Crabmeat Salad)

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat

1 cup mayonnaise

1 lemon, cut in half

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 fully ripened avocados

2 medium ripe tomatoes. cored and cut into slender wedges

Extra salt for sprinkling

Parsley sprigs for garnish

1. Pick over crabmeat to remove any shell or cartilage.

2. In a bowl, combine crabmeat, mayonnaise, juice of 1/2 lemon, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix lightly.

3. Cut avocado in half, peel and remove pit. Cut each half into 6 to 8 wedges. Squeeze remaining lemon half over the avocado to prevent discoloration.

4. Place crabmeat in the center of a large serving platter. Arrange avocado and tomato wedges alternately around the crabmeat. Sprinkle wedges slightly with salt.

5. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

HEALTH CARE---GOOD GUYS VS. BAD GUYS

June 19, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

Normally, I try to avoid political issues on this blog, and remain content pontificating on cooking and my beloved martial arts. However, in view of what's happening on Capitol Hill, this is no time to remain quiet.

The knives are already out, the former remnants of the Evil Empire are scheming to destroy what could finally become a reality---a national health care plan for every American. Now, when we talk about a national plan we are not talking about (heaven forbid) socialism---the bugaboo word that makes conservative right-wing politicians apoplectic. What we are talking about, kiddies, is a plan that would give everyone the option of enrolling in a government-run plan; or they could remain with their current health care, if they desire. We are talking about choice---and isn't that what America is all about?

Well, not according to its opponents And who are these worthies? The usual suspects: the insurance industry, the pharmaceuticals and, yes, some doctors. Why are they against it? Simple. A public plan could charge premiums that are 30% lower than those of comparable private plans. According to the latest polls, 70 to 76% of all Americans support such a plan. About two-thirds of those with current private insurance would hop on board a government plan. Such a plan would also curtail costs, which is a benefit to everyone.
The insurance and pharmaceutical companies, yes, the evil guys, are adamantly oppose to this. They don't want Americans to have choice. It would cut into their profits. For profit hospitals and doctors say they couldn't sustain the lower fees. Tell that to the people of McAllen, Texas, where, even though it has the lowest household income in the country, it also has the highest health care costs in the nation.
See, this is how it works. The insurance companies charge the premiums for health care. They set the price on each and every procedure a doctor performs. Since they are in it for the loot, they try to keep premiums (what you pay for the service) high, and costs low. That's why you hear those horrid tales of cancer patients who can't get treatment because the health plan has nixed it due to expense or, in some cases, outright refuse to pay for the treatment. Most bankruptcies in America are due to individuals who go belly up due to medical costs which they can't sustain.
And would a government-run plan be any worse than the current private insurance options out there? Most of the doctors I know positively hate the paperwork and nit-picking involved when dealing with the insurance companies. It's not medical personnel who tell them what treatment they can't or cannot perform, it's some faceless schlub citing rules and regulations. Would a government bureaucrat be any worse? I know of two physicians, one a cardiologist and fellow martial artist, who closed their practices because they could no longer contend with the headaches of the private insurers. If nothing else, a government-run plan would keep these private entities honest.
Oh, as to that socialism crap. We already have a socialist plan. It is accorded to every member of congress, fully paid by the tax payer...you and me. It's a plan where they and their family members are fully covered. So the next time some blowhard politician, usually a holier-than-thou Republican (and some Democrats), all in the pockets of the insurers, start hollering about how a government-run plan would lead to Lenin and Stalin coming back from the grave, ask them why you and I can't have what the politicians have. I would trade in my health care plan for one of theirs any day.

The bad guys are plotting and, despite what the majority of Americans want, they could sink the prospect of national health care. My friends, don't let them do it. Don't let the evil guys win, don't let the special interests shaft you. I know, I sound like a public service announcement, but a lot is on the line. Contact your representative, senator, whoever. Make your voice heard, just like the protesters are doing now in Iran, text, tweet, blog, cell, Facebook and fax. Inundate congress with your righteous anger. This is too big and too important to have it sunk by a minority whose only god is greed.

BEER: THE BEVERAGE OF THE GODS

June 14, 2009 

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

Ninkasi, you are like the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is like the onrush of Tigris and Euprhates andphrates."

---from "The -Hymn to Ninkasi"

Summertime and the livin' is easy---barbecues, ball games and BEER. Unfortunately, beer has always been portrayed as the poor man's drink. A beverage for the masses. Maybe that's true, and maybe it's not. But you know what?---beer has a royal, historical pedigree. It just ain't joe six-pack in front of the boob tube swigging Bud and watching football. Beer is, in fact, the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. It is older than wine. It is older than tea, or coffee. Tell that to you high fallutin' friends the next time they sniff up their noses while drinking Cabernet.

Beer, according to the historical record, was discovered by the ancient Sumerians, and was produced, in quantity, 5,500 years ago in Iran. Sumer (or Sumeria) was an ancient kingdom laying between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is known as Mesopotamia in the Middle East. It is here that the oldest evidence of beer drinking in found, in a 4,000 year old Sumerian tablet showing people drinking beer through straws (see caption above).

But beer was more than a drink for the great unwashed. It was a "divine nectar" favored by their gods. In the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest work of literary fiction which dates from about 2150-2000 B.C.E., the hero of the saga, Gilgamesh, meets a wild man in the forest, Enkidu, who is eventually civilized by eating cooked food and drinking---guess what?---beer. The poem says that he "drank seven pitchers of beer, his heart grew light, and his face glowed and he sang with joy." Sounds like a beer bash in the local pub or college dorm. And there's more. 

Sumerians had a prayer to the goddess Ninkasi. The prayer, found in 3,900 year old tablets, and known as "The hymn to Ninkasi," serves both as a prayer and a method of remembering a recipe for beer (and this in a culture with few literate folk). Ponder that one the next time you chug Coors Light.

It could be said that beer was instrumental in our evolution from a primitive to a more advanced society. The Code of Hammurabi (Codex Hammurabi), one of the first set of ancient written laws (from Babylon c. 1790 B.C.E.), included ordinances regulating beer and beer parlors (read that, bars). There is even a theory that beer saved the nascent religion that gave rise to our Judeo-Christian tradition. It puts forth that the manna that God had sent from heaven to save the wondering Israelites after they left Egypt was a bread-based porridge-like beer called wusa. Next time you go for services to the church or synagogue, hit the congregation with that one.

Beer was vital to all ancient grain growing societies. It was the main beverage in ancient Egypt where it was made from barley. The Africans made it from millet, the Chinese used wheat, and the Japanese used rice. It was brewed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, who called it cerevisia, from the Celtic word for it. That's very similar to the Spanish word for beer, cerveza. It was a common drink during the Middle Ages and popular in the northern and eastern parts of Europe, where it gave rise to another popular legend, that of Gambrinus (1371-1419). Also known as John the Fearless, he is believed to be the inventor of hopped malt beer and the unofficial patron saint of beer. Whether this is true or not, is open to debate. We do know that though beer was made from various grains it wasn't until the 9th century that hops (flower cones from the hop plant) were added for flavoring and also as a preservative. The method was perfected by the Germans in the 13th century which made for longer lasting beer that could be exported.


Today beer is consumed worldwide, with all kinds of brews, from high end to low end. So, the next time you open up that six-pack, remember that you, too, are partaking of a beverage of the gods.


Included is a recipe, Cabro Boraccho (Drunken Goat), from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cusine in America (Avalon Books). The recipe calls for a light lager beer. Dark ales are not recommended. Save that for savoring in the glass. Goat meat can be found in Caribbean or Middle Eastern markets, or you can order it from your local butcher.


CABRO BORRACHO (DRUNKEN GOAT)

3 pounds goat meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
6 fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 12-ounce can lager beer
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, peeled and quartered


1. Rinse meat under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle meat chunks with vinegar or lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours or, better still, overnight.
3. Drain, rinse again in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano.
5. Heat oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Add goat meat and brown evenly on moderate heat (about 4 minutes).
6. Add tomato sauce, onion, cilantro, bay leaves and beer. Stir to combine.
7. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or until fork tender.
8. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook another 30 minutes. If the sauce is not thick enough, uncover and cook until sauce thickens. Serve over rice or on its own with crusty bread.
Yield: 4 or more servings.

David Carradine: Requiem

June 9, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

It came as a shock to hear about the death of actor David Carradine, 72, in Bangkok, where he was working on a new movie. Most of us recall Mr. Carradine from the ground-breaking TV series of the 70s, Kung Fu. By Mr. Carradine's own admission, the series was both a blessing and a curse. It gave him not only national but international exposure, but it got him typecast forever with that role. Even though he made other movies such as "Bound for Glory," possibly his best role, where he portrayed folk singer Woodie Guthrie, it was forever the series, Kung Fu, that was attached to his name.

As practitioner of Shaolin Style King Fu for over 35 years, I feel we owe a debt to Mr. Carradine and the TV show for popularising the art. I was an avid fan of the show. It sought, in its own way, to explain the concept of Kung Fu while still being entertaining. Though I may have had qualms about the way Kung Fu fighting was portrayed in the show, I still found it vastly enjoyable. What it lacked in realism it more than made up in entertainment.

David Carradine was the eldest son of John Carradine, a prominent character actor of the 1940s. He was in his thirties when he got the part of Kwai Chang Caine, a Taoist monk fleeing from the law in China by escaping to the America West in the 19th century. Actually, Mr. Carradine got the part through a fluke. And this is the controversial part of the story. The one person credited with the original idea of an "eastern western" was none other than Bruce Lee, who had given Kung Fu (or Gung Fu) its first exposure in the 60s TV series, The Green Hornet. In it he played the Green Hornet's sidekick, Cato, who was adept at this "inscrutable martial art." Bruce Lee had pitched the idea with the possibility of him playing the lead in the show. Unfortunately, given the temper of the times and, yes, the racism, it was believed that American audiences were not yet ready for an Asian leading man on TV.

Mr. Carradine, who had appeared in movies and Broadway, was given the role. It helped that he had studied dancing, primarily ballet and tap dancing, so that he was agile and limber enough to portray the martial arts master and monk who, when he wasn't spouting Confucian sayings, was setting things right in the Old West---and only when violence was absolutely necessary. Mr. Carradine himself had complained that after the first TV movie, when the show became a series, the Federal Communications Commission got involved and they set some rules and guidelines. To whit, no one was to be killed in the show; and the fight sequences had a limited time in which to be shown. So, usually, the fight sequences were reserved toward the very end of an episode and, in some cases, were displayed in slow motion to make it more stylized (which the FCC loved).

The show itself was not, admittedly, historically accurate. Not that most TV viewers cared at the time. Since Bruce Lee had been turned down for the role, the story line was changed so that the protagonist was a half-Chinese, half-American boy who enters the Shaolin Temple. He is trained and then sent out as all monks are to do good works in the countryside. However, in an altercation he kills the Emperor's nephew while protecting one of his masters from the Temple. So he goes on the lam to America. The concept of a Shaolin-trained monk traversing the American West in the 1870s is captivating but for the fact that it could never have happened. By the time of the Quing Dynasty in China (1644-1911), the Shaolin Temple had been destroyed by the government, because of fear of rebellion. All its monks had been forced to flee and they started training in secret, and eventually their martial arts techniques spread to the general population.

As noted, Mr. Carradine was not, like Bruce Lee, a martial artist. He did study martial arts sometime later, mainly Tai Chi. As for Bruce Lee, denial of the role only added to his frustration about making it in America. He went back to Hong Kong, where he had been raised and found, to his amazement and pleasant surprise, that the audiences there loved his portrayal in The Green Hornet. In fact, in Hong Kong it was known as the Cato show. The rest, as they say, is history. He started making movies there and changed the whole concept of the martial arts feature. Honestly, prior to Bruce Lee coming on the scene, most of the martial arts movies (and I've seen most) were positively dreadful. The scenery, the choreographing, the acting, everything was terrible. Not for all, but for most. Bruce Lee infused the martial arts genre which his vitality and gave it sophistication. He led the way for all the others that came after.

As for Mr. Carradine, my prayers and condolences go to his family and loved ones. It is sad that he passed away at this time. His career had been given a boost with the Kill Bill saga, in which he played a mastermind of a gang of assassins who is hunted down by his protege played by Uma Thurman. It was the typical Carradine role: understated but affective. He will be missed.

Spam and SPAM

June 4, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

Like everyone else in this universe, every time I go through my e-mail listing I have to tackle those pesky little messages known collectively as spam---one of the most egregious evils ever devised by the human mind. But this also bugs me for another reason. It categorically puts a negative attribute to one of humankind's greatest innovation: SPAM. Spam and SPAM (evil and good, dark and light, the worst and the best that we can configure). Let me make it as clear-cut as possible: I may hate spam, but I love SPAM. And I, as a voice of one, object to the fact that the word has come to be associated with such a nefarious Internet activity.

Computer spam is an unsolicited electronic message. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: "Irreverent or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of newsgroups or users." Whereas SPAM is the "miracle meat" (as defined by its producer, Hormel Foods Corporation) which was launched in 1937 and, according to some pundits, saved western civilization. Supposedly, SPAM stands for "Shoulder of Pork and Ham," its primary ingredients. Others have derided it as "Spare Parts Animal Meat." Whatever you call it, it has its supporters and detractors. Like political parties, you either love it or hate. I am in the supporters' camp.

No less an authority than Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed that the two things that won World War II for the Allies were SPAM and the Jeep. Nikita Khrushchev (a former leader of the Soviet Union) said that it saved the Russian Army from starvation on the eastern front. Because it didn't need refrigeration, it was shipped to every GI on every battlefield. Though soldiers complained about having to eat it every day, after the war they continued to do so. When I was a kid, my mother would cook it every way possible. Then as now, it was considered "poor man's food." We still love it.

Whatever you think of its pedigree, SPAM today is sold worldwide. The English, bless 'em, never lost their taste for it. Today, outside of the U.S. it is sold most in the United Kingdom and South Korea (yes, South Korea). In Hawaii it is called the "Hawaiian Steak." One popular dish is Spam Musabi, a combination of cooked SPAM with rice and nori seaweed. SPAM is even used by the Israeli Defense Force as a primary ingredient in combat meals. Only difference is, they use beef instead of pork. Also, the Hebrew word for SPAM is Luf. It has so captured the popular imagination that even Monty Python, the English comedy troupe, used it to headline their Broadway musical, Spamalot. SPAM even has its own museum in Austin, Minnesota. I doubt if you'll ever see a museum dedicated to spam.

So there you have it. One of the greatest inventions of humankind versus one of its greatest foibles. Next time you hassle with the spam on the Internet, just shut off the computer and open up a can of SPAM, make a sandwich, or serve it as an appetizer, or cook it in any variety you want. Believe me, it will be much more rewarding than fighting the infernal machine.

The following is one of our favorite SPAM recipes. My mother would make it for breakfast, and it's a delight now as then. What's good about SPAM these days is that it comes in different varieties. There's Classic SPAM, Hot & Spicy, Low Sodium, SPAM Lite, Hickory Smoked, and my favorite, Roasted Turkey. Use which ever version you like, and enjoy.

SPAM AND CHEESE OMELET

6 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

1 12-ounce can SPAM, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, and slices cut into

1/4-inch strips

1. In a bowl, beat eggs lightly and add pepper, basil, garlic, and half of the Parmesan cheese.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet (preferably cast iron). Add SPAM and cook until meat is heated (2-3 minutes).

3. Add eggs, cover and cook over low heat 12-15 minutes or until egg mixture is set on top.

4. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble.

5. Cut into wedges and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.