The Saké Squid Cup

As I mentioned before, the Japanese sometimes drink Saké from dried squid or cuttlefish. This is called "Ika Tokkuri" and they are making a comeback. Check out this article about them and even see a couple photos. This is certainly an example of a "green" product because you can eat the squid cup when you are done drinking out of it.

"And Now For Something Completely Different"

Enjoy some silliness!

Top Ten Rejected Saké Names

10. Kikko Man Juice
9. Godzilla's Fiery Pee
8. Rice-a-Roni, the Tokyo Treat
7. Love Hotel Drippings
6. Golden Shower Ginjo
5. Jak-Off Junmai
4. Happy Hiroshima Memories
3. Elixir of a Used Schoolgirl Panty
2. Spit of the Syphilitic Samurai
1. Die Gaijin Dai-Ginjo

Top Ten Avant-Garde Ingredients of the Future

10. Mold
9. Dried placenta
8. Kitty Litter
7. Play-Doh
6. Fingernail clippings
5. Organic dog food
4. Hemlock
3. Belly button lint
2. "Yellow" snow
1. "Long pig" (Look it up!)

Top Ten Rejected Restaurant Names

10. Cats, Dogs & Other Pets
9. Week-Old Leftovers
8. Piss & Vinegar
7. Swine Flu Cafe
6. Overpriced & Tasteless
5. Testicle Trattoria
4. Benny's Buffet & Vomitorium
3. Fat Gluttons Only
2. Dan's Diarrhea Diner
1. Hitler's Kosher BBQ

Top Ten Signs of a Person Overly Obsessed With Wine

10. Your children are named Cabernet, Chardonnay and Pinotage.
9. You are building an addition onto your house, using only corks.
8. You work three jobs, two solely to pay for your wine.
7. You have memorized all of Parker's ratings for French Bordeaux for the past 20 years.
6. You drink wine with breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, 365 days a year
5. You can recite the names of over 5000 wine grapes.
4. Your entire house is wallpapered with pages from the Wine Spectator.
3. Every evening, you watch your DVD of Sideways.
2. Your key chain has a corkscrew, tastevin, wine collar, wine stopper, aerator, wine pourer, and personalized wine charm.
1. You have legally changed your name to Oenophile.

Top Ten Reasons to Be a Wine Blogger

10. Free wine!
9. You have the potential to stand out among 1000 other wine blogs.
8. You don't need to know anything about wine.
7. You can work at your own pace, whenever you get a chance.
6. Wine is sexy.
5. Many bloggers will assist you if you have questions.
4. You'll become a celebrity among your family and friends.
3. You can feel like a professional wine writer.
2. Free wine (it deserves mentioning twice)!
1. You can earn money.

Top Ten Reasons Not to Be a Wine Blogger

10. Most of the free wine you receive sucks!
9. You will likely get buried in obscurity among 1000 other wine blogs.
8. It will be painfully obvious you know nothing about wine.
7. You'll end up spending as much time writing as a full time job.
6. Being a wine geek is not sexy.
5. Many bloggers will plaigarize you and bad mouth you behind your back.
4. Your family and friends won't actually read your blog.
3. Professional wine writers will despise you.
2. You actually prefer beer and vodka to wine.
1. You'll earn enough money to buy an extra cup of coffee each month.

This is my 2000th blog post! Over the past 2 1/12 years, I have averaged about 2 posts a day. I pondered long over what type of post would be appropriate to commemorate this special occasion. In the end, I took the advice of El Jefe, who suggested I consider WWMPD, What Would Monty Python Do. As I contemplated that advice, I decided to write something silly, and hopefully funny. You be the judge of that.

Feel free to add your own contributions to any of the above lists in the Comments.

2002 Ferenc Takler Bikaver Reserve

While perusing the shelves of the Lower Falls Wine Co., I found a Hungarian wine and it was under $20. I have tasted few Hungarian wines so here was an opportunity to expand my palate, one I could not refuse. Plus, I trusted that if this wine store chose to stock this wine, it was likely a very good wine. They did not let me down!

Hungary has a lengthy history of wine making, extending back to the period of ancient Rome. Their vineyards, spread over 22 wine regions, have a number of indigenous grapes, some common Central European grapes as well as some international ones. About 70% of their production are white wine, and their total production has unfortunately been decreasing in recent years. Only about 20% of their production is exported, and you certainly don't see many Hungarian wines at local wine stores.

The most famous wine of Hungary is the famed Tokaji, a sweet wine made from botrytized grapes, the first wine to be produced in this manner, even before Sauterne. Another well known Hungarian wine, though not close to the quality of the Tokaji, is the Bikaver, the "Bull's Blood."

The 2002 Ferenc Takler Bikaver Reserve is a nontraditional type of Bull's Blood made from the Szekszardi region in southern Hungary. It is not traditional as it does not contain the same blend of traditional Bikaver, which often had the Kadarka grape as the primary component. This Takler wine is a blend of 39% Kekfrankos (also known as Blaufränkisch), 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Kadarka, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It has an alcohol content of 13.5%.

The Takler winemaking tradition extends back a few hundred years, but the winery encountered some problem during the communist years. In the early 1980s, Takler began to rebuild and restore their vineyards and winery. Currently, the family has about 75 acres of vineyards and produces a variety of wines from indigenous and international grapes.

The Takler Bikaver reminds me of a blueberry-flavored Bordeaux, and I very much enjoyed it. It has a dark red color and an intriguing earthy aroma with hints of spice and red fruit. When you taste it, you first get a mouthful of fruit, blueberry, black cherry, and raspberry which then transforms into a spicy and earthy finish with strong tannins. I paired this wine with a slow-roasted pork shoulder, and it was a tasty match. The wine did not overwhelm the roast and the spices covering the roast complemented the flavors of the wine. This is definitely a wine I would recommend.

Have you expanded your palate lately, trying a wine from a less common region?

Mare Sustainable Seafood Dinner: Jan.19

North End coastal Italian eatery, Mare, will partner with The CleanFish Alliance, a national seafood purveyor committed to promoting great tasting, sustainably produced, authentic artisan seafood, in hosting a sustainable seafood dinner. This event will be held on Tuesday, January 19, at 7pm.

Guests will enjoy a four-course dinner by Executive Chef Greg Jordan, featuring a selection of sustainable seafood from around the world paired with sustainable and organic wines from neighborhood wine shop, The Wine Bottega.

Also on hand will be CleanFish Alliance representative, Alisha Lumea, to educate the guests in the origins of the seafood and the careful steps that are taken beginning with catching and sustainably farming the seafood to when it reaches the plate.

The Menu

First Course:
Atlantic Halibut crudo from Gigha Island, Scotland, with grapefruit pulp and basil
Paired with 2007 Alois Lageder Muller Thurgau, Alto Adige

Second Course:
Blue Abalone, from Bream Bay, New Zealand, with roasted foie gras, fig gastrique and brioche toast
Paired with 2007 Antonio Caggiano Fiano di Avellino "Bechar", Campania

Third Course:
Spaghetti alla chitarra, with Laughing Bird Shrimp from Belize, wilted arugula, cherry tomatoes and lemon crema
Paired with 2007 Bocchino Langhe Rosso "Tom", Piemonte

Fourth Course:
Faroe Island Sea Trout with pancetta braised swiss chard, cannellini bean puree, Chianti mustard glaze
Paired with 2004 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva, Toscana

Cost: $75 per person

For reservations or more information, call 617-723-MARE (6273)

I will be attending this event so hope to see some of my readers there.

Mare
135 Richmond Street
Boston, MA

Moyasimon 1: Tales of Agriculture

"...alcohol is basically just yeast poop." (p.172)

At the start of January, I raved about a manga cookbook and find myself now praising another compelling manga. Moyasimon 1: Tales of Agriculture by Ishikawa Masayuki (Random House Publishing Group, Sept.2009, $10.99) is a trade-sized paperback of 234 pages. It was first serialized in Japan in August 2004 and as of July 2009, eight bound volumes have been published. Del Rey Manga recently acquired the license to publish the manga in English and the second volume is due in May 2010.

The basic idea of the manga may seem bizarre but if you suspend your disbelief, you'll enjoy it very much. Tadayasu Sawaki is a new student at an agricultural university. He possesses a unique power, the ability to see and interact with microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, with the naked eye. He can even pick up in his hand a single microorganism. A professor, and a couple of other students, want to exploit Sawaki's power.

There is a scene at the start of the manga which really seems to set the tone and style for the rest of the manga. It is a striking, comedic, educational and some might even consider it disgusting. Sawaki suspects the body of a missing student may be buried on school grounds. In actually, a professor has prepared "kiviak," which entails burying a dead seal that has been stuffed with 70-80 seabirds. After six months, the inside of the birds has fermented. Then, you remove the birds, rip out their tailfeathers and suck out the liquid interior through the anus.

Moyasimon, which is loosely translated as "koji mold man," discusses a wide range of topics, including bacteria, fermentation, Saké brewing, agriculture, cheese making and more. These are all topics that will appeal to food lovers and I am sure you will learn something new. You will also learn about Japanese culture. Want to know about the second smelliest fermented food in the world? Then read this book!

Yet the book is not a dry lecture. A comedic framework gives structure to the manga, and there are plenty of amusing and interesting characters. Even the bacteria are given personalities! It is a fun read, and you will likely finish it quickly, and then be eager for the next volume. Though you'll have to wait five months for volume two.

This is definitely another food-related manga which I highly recommend. It is original, fun, informative and thought provoking. I just wish U.S. comic publishers would produce similar books.