The Meaning Of A Good Fight And To Be A Villain

This is not cooking or food related, but as of late it has been getting to me. So for those who are new to this blog or just me in general. Back when I was younger let’s say I was a bit more rambunctious at times then I really should have been. You don’t need to know everything, but back then I loved to get in to little scraps here and there. Sometimes they would be friendly, and other times they would not. You guys know how that is.

Then someone showed me what it really meant to fight for the first time. It was at a point of my life where I was debating keeping the door open on cooking. Masanobu Watabe. A perfectionist trained by a french heavyweight of the era he has had tragedy plague him at every step. He still had the pride to keep his head up and say he could still do it even going so far as to say he could do it himself. Normally you would be allowed two assistants, but how he held himself throughout the entire match made me think of him as the winner despite the verdict going the other way. He had to hear his painful moments brought to air in front of a worldwide audience. He held his ground when people would talk about his marital issues and his decision to keep going despite everything. I was so young back then, but I was inspired by his ability to deal with what I thought back then was a situation too painful to continue. He didn’t need to swing a fist or throw a kick or drive someone in to the ground. He fought to keep his composure and show everyone his love for the food he makes and how it can make people happy.

Well, a lot more happened and for those who do not know I love Pro wrestling. Yes, it is fake I know still don’t care because the stories and the personalities can be just as engrossing, as inviting as any other platform to tell a story. So brings us to the second man that showed me the meaning of a good fight and helped me understand a little more about myself.

He works in the WWE as William Regal. I tried to be the goody two shoes and I couldn’t stand myself. I cannot think the world will be at peace and stand up for all the goodness in the world as much as I want to see it win. He had faced alcohol and substance issues for many years and lost the chance to be a World Heavyweight Champion, but he survived and many years after claiming himself a “villain” he won king of the ring. He did it because he loved it, and he felt he could contribute something to it. Despite being a bad guy in his own eyes he helped me learn it is okay to be whoever you are. Learn from your mistakes and keep going was another thing I had learned and he was a major reason in that.

I am a bitter, jaded, angry sometimes brutal individual that wants everyone to be happy. Everyone has the right to be happy, and while I don’t know the best way to do it I will fight for it. I have never been arrested or charged with any of the idiotic things I have done and I am thankful. I learned the meaning of a good fight without having to pay a higher price for it. I learned it is okay to be a villain. I will be the guy in the black hat and hopefully someone has fun wearing the white hat.

Every so often I will have a story of some of my villainous acts. You may find them to be funny times of a kid who didn’t know anything and still doesn’t or stories about someone just trying to make a little sense about fighting for what’s close to heart.

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Three Waves of Cuisine

In cooking one can boil the where of their culinary homeland pretty easily. When it comes to recipes the case is a little harder, but still manageable. Many times though when people ask someone who cooks what kind of food they like to cook this little detail goes out the window. In any case here are the three general time frames of cuisine.

Classical
This would be the recipes that are often heralded by many critics. These are the ones that have passed from generation to generation. Things that have been around for many years in some cases hundreds or even thousands. From here you will see less technical ways with common ingredients of the era. This food often while have a higher bar of detail in flavoring using a strict set of ingredients while still trying to create new recipes within it. Le Tour D’argent’s hey day was due to more popular recipes that could be seen as classical french food. Often times also the French, Japanese, Chinese, and Italian cuisines will go more back in to their culinary history as they have many centuries of recipes to go through in a style of food that has been found pleasing on the world stage.

Modern
This would be the most popular time frame of cooking simply with what you have using the basic techniques that the common person has access to. Most places nowadays will go through this era of food as it is often the easiest to create often by here say or just by the equipment and time available to cook. Here is where will we say newer countries really begin to make their stand as well as some who maybe have not been given the same opportunities due to simple lack of knowledge about it. This would include a fair mix of countries including the America’s, Spain, Indian, Korean, and most of the Arabic states.

Neo Cuisine
This is where fusion would be situated, and the realm of neo cuisine is the unexplored the new and brash scientific edge meeting a different set of flavor combinations that neither era of cuisine before it could have dealt with. David Chang has a great penchant for making good food no matter the ingredients. Another style of food that would be here is molecular gastronomy. Where more of the new ground is still being made. Every national cuisine can be done in to a new style making it an interesting exchange between the new style and the older version. A restaurant idea could be even made on highlighting the difference between the old and the new while having the tasters enjoy them both in their own special ways.

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Ten Colors of Chinese Food

Chinese Food has always interested me for many reasons. One is the simple size of the country translated well in to bringing a wide diversity with many different forms. Another is the diversity of recipes withing the styles. To be a master of Chinese cooking makes someone respect the ingredients and use them with great grace, attention to detail and more then a thousand years of food history to go look through for inspiration.

Eight Regional Styles

Sichuan – Any self respecting fan of the old iron chef will know a little about this as Chen Kenichi was trained in this form of Chinese cuisine by his father. It is popular for using fresh water fish as well as beef, pork, and chicken. Most times it will be associated with hot and spicy flavor combinations using different kinds of peppercorns and condiment with garlic as the basic flavor components in sauces. Sichuan peppercorns will make an appearance sometimes and one of the more well known dishes is mapodoufu. A spicy chunky bowl of warming happiness with tofu.

Anhui – From the Huangshan Mountains it is relatively close to everything allowing it and Jiangsu style to be the family when it comes to style. What separates Anhui from many of the others is the more prolific use of herbs. Many Chinese styles classically use spices and not herbs or very little in comparison. Herbs give the most flavor through liquids, and that is the case as some of the more popular cooking techniques include wet methods like stewing and braising. It also a larger number of mushroom dishes due to the home environment in the forests I truly think as we all get more health conscious there may be a resurgence of Anhui and Jiangsu dishes.

Hunan – Hunan in some cases may be the spiciest of cuisines, but that doesn’t stretch to every dish with one of their most well known dishes being orange beef. It is one of the more unknown cuisines. You can look at this and Sichuan as brother cuisines both known for using chili and garlic, but each having slightly different ways of using ingredients. Preserved meats are also popular in both often times to add a bit of seasoning as well as protein to the dish.

Beijing – Based on the capital of China it has a more well rounded appreciation not making it strong or weak using any cooking technique. It is more difficult to do well as it will often use more complicated procedures to make everything just right. It is also known as Peking style food the most well known recipe is Peking duck and one of the more interesting subsections of food comes from this city cuisine.

Shandong – One of the most interesting things in this version of Chinese cooking is the uses of steamed and fried breads instead of using rice exclusively. It also seems to be one of the most influential depending on who you ask. In any case this food from the northern coast line. It can almost be looked at a step from the balanced Beijing style to the more specialized cuisines. Between those two camps lies Shandong style food with some ingredients that people in western countries that people would be more comfortable using then those found in other cuisines.

Jiangsu – As the brother in style to Anhui you will find a major difference when looking through some of the food and that is the basis of texture. Texture is very important in Chinese food on the same level as the basic flavor of the thing. Jiangsu brings out softer textures in food for people to enjoy and works on keeping that while flavoring the dishes making sure the texture works with the flavor. Braised spare ribs are popular dish and a good example of this relationship of texture and flavor.

Fujian – This cuisine has more seafood dishes then some of the other cuisines due to its placement on the south eastern coast. A number of their dishes do not focus more on the spicy or salty instead trying to be the fifth flavor, umami to the forefront. For those who do not know umami can be categorized as a harmonizing savory flavor. Soups and broths are more popular in this style of food as well.

Guangdong – This is also known as Cantonese and is one of the more popular forms of Chinese cookery in Hong Kong and does not favor one technique of cooking over another. So you are just as likely to deep fry in this cuisine as steam. Seasonings will be a little lighter with a wider range of fruits and vegetables being used versus something like Hunan. Dim Sum would also mostly based from this style of cuisine.

Two Circumstantial Styles

Imperial
Imperial Chinese cuisine or the food based on the recipes used for the royal family. Normally when trying these recipes my experience shows it will be more meticulous then other cuisines. But, if you have the passion to add then this can really be artistry on a plate. Often times the balance of flavors will be important while other cuisines may be more known for one set of flavors over another.

Chinese Medicinal Cuisine
As America and the rest of the world begun the shift to pharmaceuticals the ancient way of medicine in the forms of meals still continues. The history that this cuisine has can reach back a couple millennia by conservative estimates meaning that this has had many years where new ideas can be built and re worked and I really think that every country should have a form of native medicinal cuisine. People can eat themselves to better health, and some people may have problem because many of the items is based on the health first.

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The idiot look

So me and my old roommate had this little system as he believed I was a little too blunt on his less then stellar ideas or he didn’t want to come out of his room because he was that lazy. He will ask a friend when they are over to ask me something concerning a situation and give me the answer in his stead making everything a great game of telephone. Before everything could get from my actual dissection to purple monkey dishwasher their was soon a signal that I had developed. Now many times as long as there is reasons behind it that make some modicum of sense or fall behind strong religious level beliefs I would not give much care. Back then though I was a bit more aggressive in my procedures being labeled from my chef at about this time as “a new Lewis Black”. Ranting annihilation of all the points that held this plan together until it turned more into a smoky crater on the landscape.

It all started off with this one look and I hope everyone out there has one of these looks. The look when you were just confronted with something so awe inspiringly dim that you had a reflex to produce this. Moments when you wonder when the bar is open or when you can go take a nap. Mine has me pinch the bridge of my nose take a deep breath and start wondering where I can get a soda, break, and a good whiskey. My knuckles rest against my forehead. I just let them see me do that, and they know the answer.

My family has even noticed this look with a couple times where I couldn’t answer straight away vocally. Which happens when it is ingrained as deep as your morning rituals. So my question is when you are getting that feeling of being surrounded what is the look on your face that helps communicate the stupidity of something? What qualifies as stupid to you?

 

Everyone should have one of those looks because it is something that can really save your day when you find yourself surrounded by the spirits of stupidity.

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Let’s try this – New year changes and a look back on the old year

Looking back on the list of things I wanted to do last year it was a tall order for anyone who had the charisma, resources and drive befitting a small country. As a single human being I only made two goals. I did draw 100 times although I don’t post much about my art. And the cookbook is out albeit in electronic form only so at least there is some success there.

Still there are some things that can be done so this time we are going to reign in the scope just so we can make progress. 5 goals for the new year that some people may look as a step down, but it is one step on the road.

1. Publish a book in either hard or soft cover format. – It is one thing to write it, and it is another to actually hold a professional looking book in your hands. I would like that once at least.

2. Soon I will have a project page. I want to finish one project this year.

3. Be more open on here. Things bother me while I am working or studying as they bother you and I am sure that I could get more practice by writing something on it. As long as I stay open from a communication aspect then this will be fine.

4. Release one product – Start selling a product whether it be my all natural bath salts (Natural to the point of not even artificial colors or chemicals to preserve it I found a way around that.)

5. Have more fun, and overall have a better year.

Pretty open stuff some pretty pointed overall five things to keep things rolling.

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Police protests – Thoughts as of late

So you have a group of people who thought they were completely within their rights and through the actions of another group they are insulted and made a mockery of. The tension rises and things get more severe. Emotion overtakes common sense and many things that would seem clear suddenly become so confusing.

Who did I just describe? The protesters who feel the racism is still as prevalent today in the police force or the police themselves that feel that through a mistake which happens in all occupations and made worse by wondrous storm of idiocy. It seems that both of these groups seem to want blood and honestly that makes me a little sad.

I don’t know the stories about what runs in each side’s collective thoughts so I cannot say if one is right or one is wrong. Both sides have made moves I do not agree with on a basic scale. Is someone instantly a martyr if they try to rob a store with a loaded firearm and get shot? Continue reading →

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Experiences on Youtube 1

Let it be said that if something was easy then everyone would do it. After doing some videos I have had a little bit of views in the small amount of time that I had done. 125 views in the two or three months. Not bad, but after some conversations and a hard look at it I realized some things.

After some communications throughout different branches I need to focus it in a little bit more. I want my channel more about the positive but instead of investing my time showing the good of a game I just did what I thought would be good and hoped it worked. So I did some thinking and figured out how I am going to do this. So I have my journal for youtube stuff and reading over it it seems that my videos do need to be more focused. I can still be about the good in the games industry I just should pick my spots a little bit better and work on building a base first then overall just doing what may be good.

It may be embarrassing for someone to tell you that you are doing something wrong, but when someone does it you can tell if they are just trying to rankle you or just trying to make it so you get depressed. It is hard to do when you love something and you want it to succeed from the very bottom of you but it doesn’t.

Learn from it and keep your focus which sounds so easy on your screen, but is so difficult to pull off in truth. Good luck, in your goals and now I am going to try this again after more research to make my stuff even better.

Oh and here is my youtube channel for games and currently on break to try some different things.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MrBigTAnderson/

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Why are they not fired yet?

Yes, the post this week alluded to a break coming up for me, but I had to get this out of the way.

A couple times over the year I made a statement that I did not want to dive in to anything political because I like to think that political beliefs are a lot like religions no two people look at it exactly the same and even if they do that may not translate to them practicing those views the same.

Except looking back over this past year I found a lot of things that made madder then a hornet in a bee hive. First, let’s get some info out there so people know the kind of person they are dealing with when they read this because now it seems you can be dismissed in to a red our blue political group quicker then the gangs could in a California prison. Yes or no, democrat or republican, right or wrong it all seems to be one way or another and it just makes me mad.

Because when I grew up I was told how America was the best in the world. How it was the world’s jewel and you know what when I was in grade school I truly believed it. I thought the American Dream was something that could be attained with hard work and a stiff upper lip. I still do in some respects today. What really hurts me is you cannot look with all the data coming out nowadays about how this country actually ranks and say that we are number one.

We are not.

In fact in many things we are not even in the top ten.

Mathematical literacy: 36th according to the National Center of Educational Statistics in 2012
Check for yourself – Here is the source.
Scientific literacy : 28th according to the same source
Reading literacy : 24th

Health care among a group of industrialized countries: 11th OUT OF 11! This is competing with other countries who should be in best essences our rivals and friends and we are ranked dead last according to the common wealth fund, and we are the most expensive.
Don’t believe me? Check this source.

But you know what that can be a little shoddy after all it is not a complete look at all countries health care, and even Mohammed Ali can be taken down if against the wrong opponent. So according to the World Health Organization report from 2000 who kinda make their rent on looking at health things and how they work decided to look at all the countries and give us a ranking.

Overall health system ranking : 37th
Page 18 has the table to check.
That is not a glitch, nor a typo, a mistake or any other synonym for a screw up there was a class of countries ahead of us with better health systems.

On top of that the entire net neutrality issue which has been bounced back and forth between the house and congress enough times to piss exactly a third of the web world off. Topped with a growing set of bad business moves from corporations seems like there are enemies everywhere and nary a stone to stand on with your allies.

A recent case where the Supreme Court allowed ignorance of the law to be an excuse by the officers that had to enforce it.
Right here.

In short and to be rather blunt. A lot of stupid shit is going down and people think it is okay.

It is not okay, and here is my little opinion on the times where people may look at it and judge it on its own merit.

On top of senate and the house moving in and out with the presidential elections it takes a lot of time to know everyone at each level and understand in depth what may happen. I try to keep updated but I am also trying to pay bills and make this place I live a little better so my time has to to be spent elsewhere. Well, with the opinions on many in Congress and the House of Representatives here is what I suggest.

A simple yes or no vote. At the middle of every presidential term the country and its people vote again and if the votes don’t come back or if a majority of them are negative then everyone is fired. No severance packages, no insurance, no special little parting gifts and no chance to get it back. If you get booted in that way you can never run for a position in either two branches again. Why would not voting count against the politicians? Not voting is a response albeit it is not one of confidence so if the country does not feel confident or feels negatively in another aspect of the work of our politicians then they get canned, and we get some new blood in to change it.

Oh and about the whole supreme court if confidence falls in them then they will be under another vote where like the house and congress vote they need 51% and if they don’t then it is game over.

I personally think that the only good that has been done in the past decade has been on accident. I don’t have any faith in my politicians to keep crayons out of their nose when there are good, smart, hard working people making the backbone of America what it can be versus the politicians making the beer belly on it. Because it all boils down to what are the points of these laws and bills they pass and are they helping or hurting the people. I think it is hurting the people and I think there is not another job in the world where you can fail for so long and get paid more then the majority of your country’s workers and at $174,000 yearly average it is a pretty safe bet that the politician get a good deal over the people they are supposed to represent.

Just fire them so we can start over. They deserve it. Also I am not a politician just a guy working on some dreams. Have a good year everyone.

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Some times things don’t work

Well, this was a blog post I was not happy to make. But to honestly represent my path and how it has been sometimes you have to show the bad as well as the good.

Some days you try to stay positive and all of it seems to blow up in your face and other days it just seems like no matter what you do it just is not good enough.

Well, it is good enough. Hardships sometimes do not come to us fairly and those who say that they make their own luck and expressly push themselves behind that line may be happy. I have lived a life where that line simply does not hold water. Nothing against people who use it because if that works for you then great and it does no good for me. So why am I typing this?

A lot of things have blown up in my face as of late and because of that I can not feasibly figure out how to continue this. So until further notice this channel will be on hibernation. I will do my best to put myself in a better place to write and think so that when I come back I have more in my arsenal and I can better apply that. Because people still need to know the power of dreams. Too many of us have thought them to be childish when really there is not much more of a pure thing then someone’s dreams. So if this comes up it will be a goodbye for now. I will return to this and the youtube channel with a little more ability some new ideas to try and maybe a new something or something something something spam spam spam spammity spam. All jokes aside have a good year.

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10 things I want to do in 2015

Every one will have their own new year’s resolution in a couple days as will I. Now it isn’t time for the life changing for the better, but just things I want to do if i ever get the chance. So with that here are ten things I want to do provided I get a chance to do it and they are in no particular order.

10. Interview A Porn Star
Some people may ask “why?” Well, it is a group of people who normally don’t get much word out in the general population which if anything this blog does have is a general audience. I think that an interview with someone in that profession about things out of it can really show some of the good points these people have. Often times porn stars do not get much more credit then a prostitute. I think that it can be a positive view on the industry showing these people are just that, people and would probably be a nice conversation over all.

9. Create A Full Five Course Meal Using Tea
I always wanted to use different teas in every dish balancing the positives of such things. I think it could be a really good experience for everyone who gets to try it. If I can make it like a full feast for many people eating it would be awesome.

8. Voice Act As An Awesome Old Man
Because it. would. be. GLORIOUS!!

7. Get Paid For Doing Nothing
Don’t We All.

6. Tour Jameson Whiskey
For those who do not know when I partake in adult beverages Jameson is my drink of choice. I have been interested in distilling spirits for a while and to see how they do some of their things would be amazing.

5. Make A Free Card Game
When I was growing up there was a time where I could not buy a lot of cards so I had to trade for whatever I got. If I have enough time I will do something and have it free to play so it will be about the strategy and the fun and not the trade value fluctuations and constantly changing game market.

4. Own A Unique Chef Jacket
Crooked Brook has plenty of options and I always at least one at top two that was just what I wanted in a chef jacket which will most likely not be fashionable but oh boy I will love it like it was a plushy animal crafted from childhood dreams.

3. Drive A Flying Car
It will be 2015 and there are no flying cars. I don’t know how older readers feel about this, but I feel cheated.

2. Attend More Conventions
There are so many things I want to do that if possible that going to conventions would be a fun experience. It would also be a great places to network on the side.

1. Take A Trip Out Of The Country
I always wanted to see different countries. The culinary history of the Chinese, French and Japanese alone would be worth what would be added to my arsenal. On top of history and all the things you can see and do it would be great.

Well, these are like extra credit if I can get them done then great. If not then oh well.

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