The CD's that Change Things (1):

I was walking home from the office today (it's about 2 miles, which makes a nice bit of exercise after a long day of reading) and a song came on the iPod that got me thinking. There are certain songs, and for those of us born before, say, 1990, albums that are so clearly attached to a time and a place. Like the smell of chocolate chip cookies or the ocean, they can bring back memories that are so vivid - sometimes painful, sometimes happy, but always worth having. I thought I might write a few entries about some of those albums from my life and see what memories you, my reader(s), have. Anyway, I'll start with the song I heard today and the album it came from.

(What's the Story) Morning Glory - Oasis (1995).

The song I heard today that prompted this post was "Some Might Say", and it had me thinking back to my first year in Japan. I had first heard of Oasis through a review of the album Definitely Maybe that was on "All Things Considered" on NPR. There was something about Liam and Noel and their tendency to get into fisticuffs on stage that just said, "You have to get into this group" to me. That first CD was fantastic, Morning Glory was truly a CD of its time and place.

I bought this CD in the fall of my first year in Japan for the first time, and while the first set of memories that came back as I listened to "Some Might Say" were of my then girlfriend's apartment and the "Oh god, you're listening to that CD again...?" looks she used to give me whenever I put Morning Glory on, what I really associate that CD with is Karaoke in Gifu.

My gaijin friends and I used to go to this tiny little karaoke bar on the weekends that had probably 8 seats along the counter and room for 4 or 5 more people at one table. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the place, but I am sure I averaged one night per week there over the course of 3 and a half years. They charged 500 yen ($5, or so) cover and 500 yen per drink, and you could sing all you wanted. For some reason this little joint ended up attracting this eclectic crowd of English teachers, office workers, college kids, and borderline yakuza types. I practiced my (very poor at that point) Japanese on virtually any young lady who was unlucky enough to sit next to me, and probably watched Titanic (without sound because people were singing) 50 times.

Somehow, though, a night out there was never complete without somebody breaking into "Don't Look Back in Anger" (Track 4 on the CD). Sometimes it was me, sometimes it was Charlie (our stereotypically depressed Brit), sometimes someone else. I can't really describe it in a way that does it justice, but that was simply the perfect song for 1996/1997 in Gifu, Japan.

Anyway, listening to it again today it's remarkable how well that CD stands up over time. "Wonderwall" is still a pretty perfect pop song, even if I have no idea what it's about; "Champagne Supernova" is just as over the top and self-righteous as it sounded 12 years ago; and "She's Electric" still brings a sly smile to my face (especially the "she's got one in the oven/but it's nothin' to do with me" line).

I'll leave you with a shot of the normal goings on from that karaoke bar in Gifu. This would have been Halloween, 1997. Brad, Me, Keiko, Shannon, and Naoko (L to R), with me and Shannon doing our best Puffy (or, Puffy AmiYumi for you Americans). Good times.

 

A Couple of Winners:

Well, dear readers, it's been a couple of hectic weeks at school, but here we are on Spring Break. For the undergrads (and those who remember that experience), that seems to mean trips to Jamaica, Mexico, and other destinations far more exotic than anywhere I ever went for S.B. For PhD students, though, Spring Break means studying 9-6 instead of 8-7 plus 9-11. We've got to recharge the batteries too, you know!

Anyway, that all means more time in the kitchen, so today I have two recipes to introduce. First, is a lovely bay scallop risotto. Now, I much prefer the big meaty sea scallops that brown up nicely, but in a pinch bay scallops are quite yummy. They also cost MUCH less. This week I picked up about 300 grams for $3.00, where the same weight of sea scallops was going for $10. Bay Scallops are small, though, so the sear doesn't work as well as you might like. This is why I tend to use them for pasta sauces, mousses, and this risotto.

Here, I started with a bunch of shrimp skins that we had been saving in the freezer. Those, a clove of garlic, some onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and peppercorns went into a pot to simmer for a couple of hours to make a lovely shrimp stock. Following that I went with basic risotto technique. In the last 5 minutes of cooking I added some thinly sliced mushrooms and the bay scallops. When ready to serve, I hit it was some paremsan and some chiffonade of red and green shiso leaves. Shiso leaves, for those who don't know, are sometimes called Japanese basil, though I find them to taste nothing like basil. Still, they are a pungent herb with an incredibly fresh taste. Lovely for this dish. A nice, dry Spanish rose was the perfect wine for this.

In the meantime, I also had the urge for some Mexican food. I love enchiladas and so decided to go with some meatless, black bean enchiladas for something a little lighter. I sauteed up some onion and garlic, and then mixed in a can of black beans that had been drained and rinsed. Add some cumin and paprika to taste, along with a diced jalapeno. You could go with more jalapeno or even a habanero here if you live with someone who likes spicy food (which I do not, so I do what I can to sneak some spice into our food...one of these days she'll get used to it, I figure).

I poured some enchilada sauce on the bottom of the caserole and then warmed each tortilla one by one in a little oil. Fill each, roll them up, cover with sauce, and top with cheese. These go into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or so until the cheese is nice and bubbly. I served these with some fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice.

Hopefully I will have another chance to cook this week, but it all depends on how the research papers go...

Tai Murray and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra:

This past Friday was the 5th of our 6 subscription concerts at the SSO, and actually the last that we will be able to attend. Our 6th concert is on May 9th, and we are leaving for Japan from Cleveland on the 10th, so I'll be giving those tickets to some lucky person here in Syracuse.

Anyway, several weeks ago we heard Jennifer Frautschi play Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole and this time was Tai Murray playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E. Ms. Murray is one of the most accomplished violinists, for her age (she was born in 1982), that I have heard. She had an incredibly clean tone, and showed good command of the very technical sections of the Mendelssohn. Surprisingly, Amazon.com does not have any CDs by her available, though I suspect that we will begin to see some in the near future.

With that, it's time to look forward to next year's SSO season.