Christmas

  • Feast of the seven temperature verified fish and Merry Christmas

    Posted: December 24th, 2011 - 6:13am by Doug Powell

    I’m not Italian, I’m not religious, but now that I’ve found a decent fish monger, the Feast of the Seven Fish is the kind of meal I can get behind in support of winter or summer soltisce, depending on your hemisphere.

    Or even for Christmas Eve.

    We did our own version on the barbie: snapper, ocean trout, farmed Tasmanian salmon, big prawns, little prawns, steamed oysters and Morton bay bugs from just up the road a bit, along with some sweet potato crisps and rustic bread (would have gone for Tassie mussels but everyone was sold out, so it was two kinds of shrimp).

    It was a feast, and we were grateful. Everything was cooked to a tender but safe thermometer-verified temperature. The bowl on the right is remnants.

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    Thermometers  |  0 Comments
    Christmas, feast of seven fishes, food safety, solstice, thermometer
  • Neil Young knows this: beware the Christmas ham, says insurer

    Posted: December 20th, 2011 - 3:52pm by Doug Powell

    Neil Young once had to cancel some tour dates because he sliced a guitar finger while making a ham sandwich.

    New Zealand's state-run Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), which offers universal insurance cover for accidents, released figures today showing the cost of treatment, rehabilitation and compensation for accidents recorded last Christmas Day have topped $NZ1.9 million ($1.45 million).

    That includes several claims for ham-related injuries - including carving mishaps and burns, neck and knee strains from carrying heavy hams, and even a crushed finger after a ham toppled from a stand.

    Most of the 3,040 Christmas Day injuries accepted by ACC resulted from outdoor activities - including frisbee, fishing, slippery sliding, trampolining and poolside antics.

    One person laughed so hard they fainted, hitting their head in the garden, another broke their tooth on a dislodged gem that ended up on the menu, and someone taking their post-lunch nap was injured when a drunk person stood on their face.

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    Christmas, ham, insurance, Neil Young, New Zealand
  • Xmas events shelved after Dublin hotel vomiting outbreak

    Posted: December 13th, 2011 - 8:55pm by Doug Powell

    The Regency Hotel in Dublin has had to cancel a number of Christmas events and suspend its food and beverage service after a suspected outbreak of norovirus linked to its catering services.

    Manager John Glynn told the Irish Times he had received “between 50 and 100” calls from people who had dined there last week complaining of being ill afterwards.

    “Last Thursday a number of people were in touch saying they had been at a function on the Wednesday night and were not well.

    “On the Friday evening the HSE was in touch saying they had had calls, and they visited the hotel and took samples from all the menus, including ice and water, which was stored in fridges over the weekend, to be examined in their labs.”

    He said all food and beverage operations in the hotel had been suspended since yesterday morning while all food and drink service areas were decontaminated, a process he said would take 48 hours.

    “We have had to cancel two events, affecting about 500 people, which is a pity but the people are very grateful and understanding of the stance I have taken.”

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    Norovirus  |  3 Comments
    banquet, Christmas, dublin, food safety, Ireland, norovirus, regency hotel
  • Merry Christmas from The Trailer Park Boys

    Posted: December 25th, 2010 - 11:34am by Doug Powell

    Holidays are all about tradition. After five years in Kansas, Amy and Sorenne and I have settled into a routine of lamb (that was last night), fish, cognac and champagne and no barfing, except 2006, when Amy was so sick we got married.

    There’s the television shows: It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Scrooged, endless children’s specials. TBS runs a 24-hour marathon of nothing but the quirky 1983 holiday entry, A Christmas Story. But for us, nothing captures the true meaning of Christmas better than the 2004 Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special.

    In this scene (language warning), Ricky extols to the congregation in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (that’s in Canada), about the true meaning of Christmas.

    “Sorry to interrupt, but I just had one of those brain-learning things pop into my head. … What is Christmas? I just got out of jail, which was awesome, you know, they don’t have presents and lights and tress, we just get stoned and drunk, it’s the best time. And I get out here and I’m all stressed out.

    “… That’s not what Christmas should be, you should be getting drunk and stoned with your friends and family, people that you love. … That’s Christmas. … Getting drunk and stoned with your families and the people that you love. And if you don’t smoke or drink, just spend time with your families. It’s awesome. Merry Christmas.”

    Or as Sorenne says, don’t make your friends and family barf with bad food safety.

     

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    Food Safety Culture  |  0 Comments
    Barf, Christmas, drunk, food safety, Sorenne, stones, Trailer Park Boys
  • Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – Xmas eve edition

    Posted: December 24th, 2010 - 11:10pm by Doug Powell

    Christmas Eve dinner in Manhattan with a couple of Kansas State modern languages graduate students from Senegal (they speak French there).

    Oven-roasted French-cut lamb ribs – cooked to 140F but still needed a quick zap in the microwave to bring out the flavor -- with roasted herb-garlic potatoes, Frenchy cheese, whole grain bread and salad.
     

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    Christmas, food safety, Lamb, Porn, senegal
  • Gratuitous food porn shot of the day (Xmas eve edition) -- French rib rack lamb

    Posted: December 24th, 2009 - 9:58pm by Doug Powell

    The things you can find on sale at Dillon’s supermarket (part of the Kroger chain) in Manhattan (Kansas).

    For Christmas Eve dinner, which has no special significance other than we made it home from Minnesota before the storm hit, only to get walloped in Manhattan, I decided to cook the lamb – with a rosemary, Dijon mustard glaze, to a yummy and greasy thermometer-verified 140F. Accompanied with roasted potatoes and carrots, along with microwaved asparagus in garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with whole wheat rolls and a mushroom-fat-free-lamb-stock roux. Served with a 2005 Zinfandel from Napa Valley courtesy of Amy’s Aunt Jean and Uncle Mark.

    Below is Sorenne doing her best Pebbles Flintstone impersonation on a lamb lollipop.

    Nothing like a hot tub in a 15F blizzard to remove the grease and mess and stuff.

    Christmas Day is usually T-bone steaks, but now I have to figure out if they are meat tenderized or not (good luck). More about that later.

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    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food, Thermometers  |  1 Comment
    Christmas, Lamb, Porn
  • If you swallow the charm, it's your fault; London diners sign Xmas pudding waiver

    Posted: December 24th, 2009 - 3:58pm by Doug Powell

    I have no use for Christmas pudding, fruitcake, or those stale, doughy cookies strewn with sprinkles.

    Gross.

    Christmas pudding is apparently a steamed dessert made with dried fruit, nuts, spices and brandy.

    It is common to put several charms or coins in the pudding, which are believed to bring prosperity in the New Year to the person who finds them.

    The owners of High Timber, a London restaurant in the financial district, say they were advised to draw up the indemnity form by lawyers who regularly dine there.

    Co-owner Neleen Strauss said,

    "I thought it was going to be a pain but decided to do it to cover my backside. We're based in the City so a lot of my customers are lawyers and they suggested it. It is a bit crazy but I decided to take their advice."

    The waiver says,

    "I absolve entirely High Timber from all blame or liability should I come to any harm including, but not limited to, a chipped tooth, or any injury as a result of swallowing it."

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    Charm, Christmas, Coin, Liability, London, Plum, Pudding, Waiver
  • Champagne and cupcakes, Trailer Park Boys, and hand sanitizers in massage practices

    Posted: December 6th, 2009 - 7:30pm by Doug Powell

    Holidays are all about tradition.

    And nothing says tradition more than the Canadian TV show, Trailer Park Boys.

    Amy and I have a polar bear that guards the compound during the long winter nights; we have champagne and cupcakes for birthday parties, and every Christmas Day, we gather round the hearth with whoever’s left in town, and watch the Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special.

    Trailer Park Boys is a popular Canadian comedic mockumentary television series that ran from 2001 – 2007 and focused on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents -- primarily Ricky, Julian and Bubbles (right) -- living in a fictional trailer park located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

    In the 2004 Christmas Special, Ricky interrupts the midnight mass to share the true meaning of the season:

    “Sorry to interrupt, but I just had one of those brain-learning things pop into my head. …  What is Christmas? I just got out of jail, which was awesome, you know, they don’t have presents and lights and tress, we just get stoned and drunk, it’s the best time. And I get out here and I’m all stressed out. … That’s not what Christmas should be, you should be getting drunk and stoned with your friends and family, people that you love. … That’s Christmas. … Getting drunk and stoned with your families and the people that you love. And if you don’t smoke or drink, just spend time with your families. It’s awesome. Merry Christmas.

    My mom and daughter Courtlynn spent the weekend in Manhattan (Kansas) for a little holiday cheer and to help celebrate Sorenne’s first birthday, and while we didn’t get drunk or stoned, we did just spend time with our family and friends.

    My other favorite Christmas movie, Mystery, Alaska, features Russell Crowe as a hockey-playing sheriff in the town of Mystery, Alaska. The 1999 movie has nothing to do with Christmas but oozes a Jimmy Stewart kind of sentimentality as a fictional small-town hockey team plays a game against the New York Rangers.

    One of the best segments is Canadian Mike Myers (party on, Garth) as play-by-play analyst Donnie Shulzhoffer, who asks during one of the breaks, “Anyone know where a guy can get a rub and a tug in this town?”

    Which raises a question: should hand sanitizers be used in a massage parlor, or by massage therapists?

    The Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies has concluded – maybe.

    With the rising popularity of hand sanitizers, some therapists are opting to rub an alcohol-based gel between their hands in lieu of scrubbing with soap and water. While hand sanitizers have revolutionized how we practice infection control, it may not always be the best choice for massage therapists.

    Bodyworkers' hands function as their primary tools. Because their tools are reused on each and every client, keeping their hands free of pathogens is a prerequisite to being a responsible therapist. Bodyworkers must wash their hands:

    · Before and after eating
    · Before and after using the restroom
    · Before and after each interaction with a client

    At first thought, bodyworkers may think that hand sanitizers save them time during their requisite hand cleansing. However, further investigation shows that this assumption is not accurate. In addition, hand sanitizers may kill most types of bacteria and viruses but they are not sufficient for removing body fluids from the hands. Thus, the old-fashioned approach using water, soap and a towel remains the preferred way for massage therapists to achieve clean, hygienic hands.

    Happy Birthday, Sorenne, and thanks to everyone who came by for champagne and cupcakes.

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    Handwashing  |  2 Comments
    Alaska, Boys, Christmas, Massage, Mystery Meat, Sanitizers, Sorenne, South Park, Trailer, Trailer Park Boys