Frustrating

OK, custom type is cool. But the NYT’s presentation of the alternative – widely available commercial type – is incredibly irritating. There are two headlines to the article, one the real version and one in the web page title:

Down With Helvetica: Design Your Own Font

When Comic Sans Isn’t Enough

<rant>First, Helvetica is beautiful. Up with Helvetica, damnit! Yes, it is probably overused, but it is more than iconic – it’s the type foundation of innumerable icons, from the NYC Subway (and Chicago CTA, tracked tight and often lovingly kerned) to Panasonic, 3M, and even Microsoft.

Second, shouldn’t that be “Down with Times New Roman” (the default for the millions of Word users out there, and ugly whenever it’s larger than the 8- or 10-point size it was designed for) or “Down with Fucking Arial,” Microsoft’s incredibly skeezy (and ugly!) ploy to avoid licensing the real thing?

Third, on the web title: comic sans enough for what? Signaling to your readers that you’re a completely unsophisticated moron? Look no further than comic sans!

</rant>

in case i ever deal with the echr

This comprehensive overview in the making compiles the leading cases per Convention article - useful and extremely handy for both academics and practioners (and an authoritative addition to existing books which provide similar overviews). Thusfar Articles 6(1), 8, 34, 35 en Article 1 of the first Protocol have been made available online.

week 4

• collard greens
• chidori red kale
• radishes
• lettuce
• mesclun
• two kohlrabis
• crimson salad turnips
• sugar snap peas

what to make

• strawberry gelato
• somtam-like thai salad with cabbage, tomatoes, dried shrimps
• braised radishes
• kale & radish greens some kind of curry
• mooli parathas
• asaparagus beef
• more salad
• candied bacon ice cream

week 3

• daikon
• baby lettuce
• savoy cabbage
• french breakfast radishes
• asparagus
• strawberries
• Iron Creek black cherokee tomatoes
• Mick Klug shelled peas

painting on scott :)

Chicago World Naked Bike Ride 2008
Originally uploaded by shadows of hyperion

how do you say “early summer” in saladian?

Early Summer Salad
Originally uploaded by gay.goy.gourmet

Pleasantly surprised

The post office apparently ripped the cover of a New Yorker. But then they taped it back together and stuck it in an apologetic bag!

Summer CSA Week 2

We were down in St Louis on Wednesday last week so we got our box on Saturday. The previous week witnessed some pretty awful flooding in Illinois and the farm was, in Vicki's words, in a state of emergency so we'll probably have two or so weeks of pretty lean boxes. She sent two pictures of the situation.

Nevertheless we got a box this week, and still had asparagus from last week. I also picked up some strawberries from Vicki and some shelled peas (one of my favorite things in the world) from Mick Klug.

Note: Many posts and recipes for a while at least will be tagged with a “660” indicating that they come from the new book 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. I was even more tickled to learn he was gay and has a kid. He writes in the preface, “My partner sowed the idea for a curry book, ‘a big one,’ he said, ‘nothing like any before.’”

I have already dubbed this summer the Summer of Indian Cookery for us, just as last year unofficially was the Summer of Mexican Food. That is not to say we will forgo the temptations of fresh masa nor luscious manteca, only that we are exploring another rich and exciting culinary tradition.

• spinach
• kale
• two lettuces
• baby lettuce
• french breakfast radishes
• green onions

• green curry with peas and asparagus, sticky rice
• patli dal (yellow split peas and spinach in yogurt-peanut sauce) 660
• kala chana masala with cornbread 660
• scallion pancakes
• green garlic chole hummus
• big delicious salad
• rigatoni with lentils and simple canned tomato sauce

echr separate opinions

The possibility to write and attach separate opinions to the Court’s judgments must undoubtedly be one of the more attractive aspects for the judges in Strasbourg – an aspect which may make their ECJ colleagues somewhat envious, for that matter! But possibly even bigger is their appeal to observers of the Court’s work. Often the opinions, whether concurring or dissenting, offer insights in core discussion points in a judgment. Also, they may give clues about developments in the Court’s position.

Summer CSA Week 1

• turnips with greens
• radishes
• a giant lettuce
• bok choy
• amazing mesclun
• lots of asparagus
• green onions
• (green acres) strawberries

• saag gonglu with quick rising fennel seed butter naan
• salad with strawberries, spring onions, balsamic
• braised radishes
• more asparagus and tofu thai curry
• steamed bok choy with oyster sauce

decadence with hedonism sauce

decadence with hedonism sauce
Originally uploaded by gay.goy.gourmet

Yesterday I made pasta for the menu below, and had left over the ragged ends, the maltagliati or badly cut bits.

When I went to the Federal Plaza market this morning to get mushrooms to stuff with bacon and garlic (also see below), the mushroom people had morels of all things, for $60 a pound. I asked for $5 worth and promised that I wouldn't share them with anyone.

So, lunch today is pasta fresca maltagliata, with morels sautéed in butter, tossed with an egg and topped with a flurry of parmigiano. And a glass of wine, naturally.

once every few months

I encounter a shirt that, if I did not buy it, would make me a bad me.

a dinner menu

• baked mushrooms stuffed with bacon and parsley
• roasted asparagus with saffron yogurt sauce
• fresh pasta with spinach and garlic chive pesto
• burnt piloncillo ice cream with brownie bits

yummy lunch

rice with egg and furikake Originally uploaded by gay.goy.gourmet

a bowl of rice and a raw egg and a sprinkling of furikake tarako (dried cod roe and seaweed). I am always sad to reach the bottom of the bowl. It is somewhat less attractive but more delicious once stirred.