Loud Thoughts

Spring of 2010, we brought our car in for a routine service: oil change, tire rotation, fluids, etc. We were about to drive it all the way to Seattle, from San Jose, and thought it was a good idea to make sure the car was in good condition. Two years later, the car told us that we should change the oil again; so we did. And we noticed the odometer incremented about 4,000 miles. Yep. Life is quite different from California here.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, people of my age group (35~55) drive 18,858 miles a year. That will be 33,716 miles more than I did for these two years. Counting only the fuel, wear and tear, parking and toll, and probability of accidents, each mile driven costs about 35 cents. Driving only 4,000 miles in these two years saved me $11,800.

I used to believe a 30-minute commute was a good one. I knew people, while in Silicon Valley, that drive from San Francisco, San Ramon, or Gilroy to work everyday. That would be 60 to 90 minutes of driving, one way. Those are the people who brought up the average for my age group. In addition to nearly $6,000 they would spend on the car every year, they would also spend almost 500 hours in it. That’s 1.5 hours a day of life, every day.

I came to Seattle for a job. I thought a new city would be fun to explore and experience, like my years in Beijing. This city offered me all those, and a better lifestyle.

I watch American’s Test Kitchen (and its extension, Cook’s Country) regularly. Recently, I was inspired by the way they grill chicken.

The science of this method is to eliminate the chicken’s (and, really, all fowl’s) anatomical difficulty for cooking them whole. The meat of all fowl are distributed unevenly. It is quite difficult to make both the breast and drums cooked and juicy at the same time. The trick is rather straight-forward: just flatten the whole thing. With a good pair of kitchen shears, one can easily cut through the back bones. The result is a whole-piece butterflied chicken.

Pat it dry, salt and pepper, and let it sit until the whole thing reaches room temperature. During that time, think what rub to put on it. The typical recipe involves something citric, such as lemon zest, and something sweet, like brown sugar or honey. For us, garlic paste, lemon juice, and soy sauce do the trick.

Heat up the grill and put the chicken on it, skin side down, for about 5 minutes. Then move the chicken to an indirect area, that heat does not directly apply to the meat, close the lid, and leave the whole thing alone for 20 minutes.

Open up the lid, apply whatever sauce you have concocted up earlier, and close the the lid for at least 10 minutes before repeating the basting process. This is also the time to insert the meat thermometer into the center of the breast. Check the temperature every 10 minutes until it reaches 170°F.

Put the chicken on the serving plate, tent it with foil, and wait about 5 minutes. I like to eat them with my hands. You? I really don’t have time to worry about that now.

How would you know if you were chemically dependent? What does it feel like to detox from an addiction?

I used to be a heavy smoker and quit cold-turkey. The first week was miserable. I craved cigarettes and didn’t know what to do with myself. The second week got better, and so on. I am pretty sure that I am addicted to caffeine. I get this dull headache around 2pm if I miss my cup of Joe. Only a good afternoon nap or a dose of Tylenol-equivalent can fix it, not even a make-up shot of espresso. So when a loving family member suggested that I might be addicted to alcohol, I accepted the challenge of abstinence for one month. A whole month! All 29 days of it.

There was no trembling, sweating, depression, or other typical withdrawal symptoms. I learned the various occasions that I drink: beers after work, wines with good foods, sports programs on TV, or lubrication for conversations. I don’t drink to get drunk. I drink to enhance experiences. I found ready substitutions for alcohol for all of them. Water, slightly flavored with a drop of lemon juice, works in most cases. Teas and juices work well too. But they enhance less.

Enhancement or not, counting its energy density, alcohol is essentially pure carbohydrate, like candy. I consumed less calories in February by drinking mostly zero-calorie beverages and eating less. (The foods were still delicious. I ate less probably for three reasons: less “enhancements” to encourage me to have another serving, being more conscientious of the foods themselves, and stronger will power without chemical influence.) By the end of the month, I was about 3 pounds lighter.

I found myself eating less red meat and “fine cuisine” in restaurants. Steaks, lamb, burgers, etc., are so much more enjoyable with a nice glass of cold lager or robust red wine; as fine restaurant foods with wine pairing. This is the same as when I quit smoking. Like desserts, a cigarette is nice after a good meal. I missed that for many years and definitely missed pairing drinks with delicious foods. Gosh, why are we made to crave unhealthy things?

Yes, like the USA, my prohibition ended.

Yes, I am trying to be healthier. No, I am not drinking beer with this salad. That’s another blog.

I do “spontaneous salad” once in a while. It usually involved tossing whatever in the fridge and a very spontaneous home made dressing. Most of those experiments ended up with a weird expression on everyone’s faces, including mine. Today, it was delicious.

Dressing:

Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, pressed garlic (one piece), honey mustard, agave syrup, ground pepper. Put everything into a bowl, whisk vigorously until it slightly emulsified. Portions “to taste” or “eye balled.” (Yes, I am a precision chef.)

Salad:

Costco “Spring Mix” greens. Half an apple, half an avacado, 4 slices of canned peaches. All cubed.

Toss everything together. Sprinkle generously roasted almond slices on top. Served in the tossing bowl.

I clicked the “automatic upgrade” to WordPress, whatever. Now I am a Chinese blog. Hmm…

I decided to live with this for a while. When WordPress asks me to upgrade again, I will choose the English version and see what will happen. For now, bear with me.