2011 has been a veritable music armageddon for me. One of my top 5 bands broke up this past week, and one of my very close outliers broke up a few months back. (the top 5, in no particular order is The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, R.E.M., and The Red Hot Chili Peppers) I posted about the White Stripes when that happened. I couldn't not post about R.E.M.
I'm a little young to be a true R.E.M. fan. They formed a few years before I was even born. But that doesn't mean I haven't listened to everything they put out over and over again, entranced with their poetry and tact alongside honest expression of human experience, while, all the while, carrying the torch for progressive change despite the political apathy most music (especially in their genre) slid into after 1975.
Their final album, which I just heard straight through for the first time a few weeks ago, isn't their best. It's not even their fifth best. R.E.M. hasn't released anything as good as Monster since Monster and they haven't released a single track as good as the worst track on Automatic For the People (Monty got a Raw Deal) since Electron Blue.
But even so, Electron Blue exists.
There was, there will always be, something inspiring, critical, dangerous and seductive about R.E.M.'s music. There is a message of despondent hope, buried deep inside their overall ouvre that will forever remain unique to their sound. I'm content with the fifteen albums they released. If they only released Everybody Hurts, Losing My Religion, End of the World, and What's the Frequency Kenneth, they'd be a top 20 band in my mind with those 4 songs. But they have so much more. The One I Love is the realest, most succinct and glorious love song ever recorded, and I don't know that that will ever change.
There is a wanderer in the R.E.M. listener. Something longing, yearning, pining for a deeper, more honest, more useful existence. There is hope and tranquility, but it is otherwordly.
It does sadden my spirit, to know that Collapse into Now, a mostly boring album will be the last thing they ever release. But on the other side of that, I am thankful for all R.E.M. was and will be in me, for me, forever.
Soak into this video, let it soak into you, and ponder when, if ever, a band like this will come again:
Someday, perhaps, we'll all find our river.
-Zack
"3 and a half minutes felt like a lifetime"
-Better than Ezra
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Eating (in) Cleveland: Noodlecat
This past Tuesday, before the mid-point of 3 baseball games in 1 week (two in Cleveland, one in Cincinnati), my dad and I tried out one of Cleveland's newest Asian restaurants: Noodlecat.
Noodlecat, as I saw it, had amazing potential. It also has an outstanding location, in between Tower City and E. 4th. As a lover of the noodle bowls I had while in China, I had been anxiously looking forward to my first meal at Noodlecat. Unfortunately, it was an overall disappointing experience.
First, I've got to point out one thing: when it comes to food (especially Asian food, but all food in general), I prefer traditional Chinese styles, seasonings, and methods above all else. The complexities of the flavors within a deceptively simple set of dishes equals, for me, the perfect canvas for cuisine. Thai, Japanese, and Korean food are all similar, with different spices and a few different techniques, but if all of east-Asian food were a pizza, Chinese would be the crust.
Noodlecat, from the beginning, was a disappointment because it's not a Chinese noodle restaurant. It's primary focus is Japanese-california fusion, with some "traditional" dishes mixed in, all of them Japanese. I don't mind Japanese food, and indeed, I love sushi. But I will take a traditional Chinese noodle bowl with wheat noodles, carrots, onions, and chili paste over a fish-based Japanese soba noodle dish any and every day of the week. That's just the honest truth about my preferences. Soba noodles are chewy, stiff, and card-boardy all at once and completely unappealing in appearance. Unfortunately, Noodlecat only serves dishes with soba noodles.
It's also overpriced. I realize that it's "unique" and "Japanese" so you can charge whatever you want in that part of cleveland, but a little bit of nori, some onion and sprouts tempura, and a bowl full of fish sauce and soba noodles just isn't worth 14 dollars, even if that's not too far off how much it costs to make (which it isn't; not even if you buy every ingredient at Giant Eagle). There may have been more than that in my dish but it didn't taste like it. That's really my biggest complaint with noodle cat: it was a bowl of salt and soba noodles, with a soggy piece of "vegetable tempura" (which lacked any identifiable vegetables beyond the sprouts and onion) that was practically impossible to eat with chopsticks thanks to the now-turned-to-rubber breading.
So, I didn't like my dish much. My dad claimed to like his, but it looked to be about the same, with some different things going on. It claimed to be "surf and turf" but I think it just had clams and crab, so I don't know what the turf part of that was supposed to be.
I understand that Japanese food is a lot "fishier" than most. I also believe though, that, properly prepared, there isn't a type of food most people won't enjoy. Tempura, for instance, must be light and crispy. If it isn't, it's ruined. Granted, mine was served atop a noodle soup. I understand that, but if the food is ruined by its presentation change the presentation..
That's the bulk of my opinion on Noodlecat. I was also put off by their lack of any typical soft drinks. I understand the desire to go local/organic, but there's also a full bar in the restaurant. Concievably, you can't actually order whatever drink you'd like, because they don't carry things like Dr. Pepper and Sprite. No matter how good the organic cola is, nothing goes with spiced rum like regular Coca Cola. Ironically, this also made the experience markedly inauthentic: you can't go anywhere in Asia without the ability to order a Coke or Pepsi.
All of this was topped off by a waitress that basically treated us like idiots for trying to order regular pop and like second-class customers for not ordering an appetizer. Sorry, irritated waitress, for not knowing what's on the menu at a brand new restaurant, and for not having time before a baseball game to have a full meal.
No, I wasn't altogether pleased with Noodlecat. The food was filling enough, though I would have preferred the Jimmy John's next door, for half the price and ten times the quality.
-Zack
Noodlecat, as I saw it, had amazing potential. It also has an outstanding location, in between Tower City and E. 4th. As a lover of the noodle bowls I had while in China, I had been anxiously looking forward to my first meal at Noodlecat. Unfortunately, it was an overall disappointing experience.
First, I've got to point out one thing: when it comes to food (especially Asian food, but all food in general), I prefer traditional Chinese styles, seasonings, and methods above all else. The complexities of the flavors within a deceptively simple set of dishes equals, for me, the perfect canvas for cuisine. Thai, Japanese, and Korean food are all similar, with different spices and a few different techniques, but if all of east-Asian food were a pizza, Chinese would be the crust.
Noodlecat, from the beginning, was a disappointment because it's not a Chinese noodle restaurant. It's primary focus is Japanese-california fusion, with some "traditional" dishes mixed in, all of them Japanese. I don't mind Japanese food, and indeed, I love sushi. But I will take a traditional Chinese noodle bowl with wheat noodles, carrots, onions, and chili paste over a fish-based Japanese soba noodle dish any and every day of the week. That's just the honest truth about my preferences. Soba noodles are chewy, stiff, and card-boardy all at once and completely unappealing in appearance. Unfortunately, Noodlecat only serves dishes with soba noodles.
It's also overpriced. I realize that it's "unique" and "Japanese" so you can charge whatever you want in that part of cleveland, but a little bit of nori, some onion and sprouts tempura, and a bowl full of fish sauce and soba noodles just isn't worth 14 dollars, even if that's not too far off how much it costs to make (which it isn't; not even if you buy every ingredient at Giant Eagle). There may have been more than that in my dish but it didn't taste like it. That's really my biggest complaint with noodle cat: it was a bowl of salt and soba noodles, with a soggy piece of "vegetable tempura" (which lacked any identifiable vegetables beyond the sprouts and onion) that was practically impossible to eat with chopsticks thanks to the now-turned-to-rubber breading.
So, I didn't like my dish much. My dad claimed to like his, but it looked to be about the same, with some different things going on. It claimed to be "surf and turf" but I think it just had clams and crab, so I don't know what the turf part of that was supposed to be.
I understand that Japanese food is a lot "fishier" than most. I also believe though, that, properly prepared, there isn't a type of food most people won't enjoy. Tempura, for instance, must be light and crispy. If it isn't, it's ruined. Granted, mine was served atop a noodle soup. I understand that, but if the food is ruined by its presentation change the presentation..
That's the bulk of my opinion on Noodlecat. I was also put off by their lack of any typical soft drinks. I understand the desire to go local/organic, but there's also a full bar in the restaurant. Concievably, you can't actually order whatever drink you'd like, because they don't carry things like Dr. Pepper and Sprite. No matter how good the organic cola is, nothing goes with spiced rum like regular Coca Cola. Ironically, this also made the experience markedly inauthentic: you can't go anywhere in Asia without the ability to order a Coke or Pepsi.
All of this was topped off by a waitress that basically treated us like idiots for trying to order regular pop and like second-class customers for not ordering an appetizer. Sorry, irritated waitress, for not knowing what's on the menu at a brand new restaurant, and for not having time before a baseball game to have a full meal.
No, I wasn't altogether pleased with Noodlecat. The food was filling enough, though I would have preferred the Jimmy John's next door, for half the price and ten times the quality.
-Zack
Friday, September 16, 2011
Over and again
There are so many things I could say, so many things about which I could write, right now. It's been quite some time since I've posted anything. I've ate at a few new places, I've finished a couple books. I would really like to write about one of them..."Me, Myself, and Bob" by Phil Vischer. It's about the rise and fall of Veggie Tales, but more than that, I think it's about anyone and everyone who has ever attempted anything of any significance.
But right now, I don't think I can, I don't think I quite want to write about that yet.
I've been pondering, for a long time, a post about hip-hop and how I see its place in the world. But it doesn't quite feel ready yet- not for me to write, and not to face the world.
And yet...I've got to write about something. Just..something. Because I've got to write something.
Redundancy.
We're within 64 days of the wedding now. I should have more to say about that...I wrote so much about going away to college. I wrote so much about leaving Wooster.
But I have no idea what to say about getting married. I think, perhaps, it really is that unknown, or at least that indescribable, at least for me. It's exciting, but in ways I'm not sure I would have ever expected. All of what I would expect is there: the excitement to be joined, forever, with the person I love most; the person I believe, above all others, God ordained from the beginning of either of our lives, for each of us to be with for the remainder of our adult lives. I am excited that the reality that has always been will be realized and made public on my birthday this year. At times in my life, I've famously anticipated birthdays. But this one will always take the cake as the best, most important, most memorable. If one deserves the best possible day on their birthday, I can't imagine a scenario where I won't get to have that for the rest of my life. For that, I am thankful and excited.
But the bulk of the excitement comes from a different source from all the giddiness, even from all the relief that planning and spending on this whole thing will be over. It comes from a deep, placid, consuming desire and assurance that we, on the other side of everything, can, hand in hand, look out upon whatever the world is every day from November 20th forward, and know, whatever comes, we can, we will, face it together.
There will be and have been bumps and bruises along the way to wherever it is we're heading- but there is no shearing of the bond.
If you ask me today, how I know Alexandra is the one for me, the best, most honest answer I can give is this: it feels as if our wedding, though full of ceremony and celebration it will be, is, ultimately, nothing more than a making public of a reality that has been and will always be.
I love Alexandra; I love her so incredibly much. No matter what I say, no matter how hard I think, I can't come up with a list of reasons that trumps one single, solitary, deep and unyielding truth: I love her because every part of my being is convinced that no one else in all the world belongs by my side, nor I by her or his, even .008 percent as Alexandra and I are to be, joined together by God, for God, and for the good of Cleveland, Ohio, The United States, and the world.
-Zack
"The crown of thorns was worn, we put the tritons down
We found new forms of anchors, deep inside the ground"
-Flobots
But right now, I don't think I can, I don't think I quite want to write about that yet.
I've been pondering, for a long time, a post about hip-hop and how I see its place in the world. But it doesn't quite feel ready yet- not for me to write, and not to face the world.
And yet...I've got to write about something. Just..something. Because I've got to write something.
Redundancy.
We're within 64 days of the wedding now. I should have more to say about that...I wrote so much about going away to college. I wrote so much about leaving Wooster.
But I have no idea what to say about getting married. I think, perhaps, it really is that unknown, or at least that indescribable, at least for me. It's exciting, but in ways I'm not sure I would have ever expected. All of what I would expect is there: the excitement to be joined, forever, with the person I love most; the person I believe, above all others, God ordained from the beginning of either of our lives, for each of us to be with for the remainder of our adult lives. I am excited that the reality that has always been will be realized and made public on my birthday this year. At times in my life, I've famously anticipated birthdays. But this one will always take the cake as the best, most important, most memorable. If one deserves the best possible day on their birthday, I can't imagine a scenario where I won't get to have that for the rest of my life. For that, I am thankful and excited.
But the bulk of the excitement comes from a different source from all the giddiness, even from all the relief that planning and spending on this whole thing will be over. It comes from a deep, placid, consuming desire and assurance that we, on the other side of everything, can, hand in hand, look out upon whatever the world is every day from November 20th forward, and know, whatever comes, we can, we will, face it together.
There will be and have been bumps and bruises along the way to wherever it is we're heading- but there is no shearing of the bond.
If you ask me today, how I know Alexandra is the one for me, the best, most honest answer I can give is this: it feels as if our wedding, though full of ceremony and celebration it will be, is, ultimately, nothing more than a making public of a reality that has been and will always be.
I love Alexandra; I love her so incredibly much. No matter what I say, no matter how hard I think, I can't come up with a list of reasons that trumps one single, solitary, deep and unyielding truth: I love her because every part of my being is convinced that no one else in all the world belongs by my side, nor I by her or his, even .008 percent as Alexandra and I are to be, joined together by God, for God, and for the good of Cleveland, Ohio, The United States, and the world.
-Zack
"The crown of thorns was worn, we put the tritons down
We found new forms of anchors, deep inside the ground"
-Flobots
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Eating (in) Cleveland #4: India Garden
Thanks to a-nothing-else-to-do viewing of the Cooking Channel's Spice Goddess (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/spice-goddess/index.html) Saturday morning, Sunday became "Indian Food Night." Indian food holds and will hold a special place for Alexandra and I, as it was the food that brought us together (although, really, it wasn't the food at all, in and of itself). It had been a long time- too long- since we'd had anything Indian, and having absolutely no idea how to cook Indian food ourselves (lack of ingredients, time, and mastery overtaking the tips we saw on t.v.), we had to find a restaurant to satisfy our shared craving.
A shot in the dark on a google search later, and we ended up at India Garden on the west-end of Lakewood.
At first glance, it looks inconsequential-really, the building is little more than a two bedroom house converted into a restaurant. If there weren't a sign out front (in painfully orientalizing type-face at that), it wouldn't look like a restaurant at all. Even upon entering, the place is less than wholly outstanding in decor. It's dark in an almost-but-not-quite elegant sort of way, with few real decorations around, save for a few Indian scarves draped around the entrance. I'm actually amazed at the seating they cram into the small space. It was nearly 8 p.m. by the time we got there, so I imagine any dinner crowd had thinned, so it wasn't cramped, but I could envision a pretty tight dining room if enough diners were present; especially for their advertised lunch buffets. From the looks of the place, I wasn't sure what to expect. It didn't look like anything special, but experience has generally shown international food to be at its best when the restaurant looks to be at its worst. India Garden, in that respect, did not disappoint.
It was probably the best food I've had at an Indian restaurant, and I don't say that easily- I've thoroughly enjoyed most of the food I've had at any Indian restaurant. It probably wasn't as spicy as I generally like, but it wasn't bland. That's actually pretty high praise-without proper spice, food that's supposed to be spicy comes off quite bland most of the time. Perhaps this means India Garden has found a way to cater to the weaker American palette without sacrificing flavor. I ordered something called Chicken Jalfrieze. I don't really know what that means, but it was a tomato based curry with onions and cream. The pop of the coriander seeds within the sauce was perfect- not overpowering the total dish, but complimenting the overall bite. We only ordered regular naan, but it was excellent- wonderfully crispy outside giving way to the right sort of pillowy chewiness inside. For an appetizer, we ordered vegetable pakora. Pakora often means something like American onion rings, but with other sorts of vegetables. These, however, were a sort of vegetable mixture, ground up and fried as a sort of Indian hush puppy. I don't know enough about Indian cuisine to know if this is a variation common in parts of India or unique, but I enjoyed it because it complexified a generally simple dish. Instead of a stringent onion or pepper on its own, the pakoras featured flavors of onion, spinach, squash, and chickpeas all wrapped into one bite. With the addition of the green chili chutney, it was a splendid appetizer.
Aside from the delicious food itself, I must say something about the service: in addition to excellent and timely, the hostess and (multiple) waiters who served us Sunday night seemed to actually care about us as more than a table of customers. The hostess asked how our day had gone and told us, frankly, about her weekend and how she enjoyed spending the day with her daughter before coming in that afternoon. It's that sort of touch that makes me want to go back more than perhaps anything else. I can probably find more great Indian food in Cleveland. I imagine I can find better Indian food in fact. But most restaurants aren't going to provide the service and personality by way of their personnel.
In the end, I'm glad we chose where we chose, at random. I'm sure we'll try other places and some of them Indian, but I'm completely unconvinced we'll become regular patrons at any other Indian restaurant in Cleveland.
-Zack
A shot in the dark on a google search later, and we ended up at India Garden on the west-end of Lakewood.
At first glance, it looks inconsequential-really, the building is little more than a two bedroom house converted into a restaurant. If there weren't a sign out front (in painfully orientalizing type-face at that), it wouldn't look like a restaurant at all. Even upon entering, the place is less than wholly outstanding in decor. It's dark in an almost-but-not-quite elegant sort of way, with few real decorations around, save for a few Indian scarves draped around the entrance. I'm actually amazed at the seating they cram into the small space. It was nearly 8 p.m. by the time we got there, so I imagine any dinner crowd had thinned, so it wasn't cramped, but I could envision a pretty tight dining room if enough diners were present; especially for their advertised lunch buffets. From the looks of the place, I wasn't sure what to expect. It didn't look like anything special, but experience has generally shown international food to be at its best when the restaurant looks to be at its worst. India Garden, in that respect, did not disappoint.
It was probably the best food I've had at an Indian restaurant, and I don't say that easily- I've thoroughly enjoyed most of the food I've had at any Indian restaurant. It probably wasn't as spicy as I generally like, but it wasn't bland. That's actually pretty high praise-without proper spice, food that's supposed to be spicy comes off quite bland most of the time. Perhaps this means India Garden has found a way to cater to the weaker American palette without sacrificing flavor. I ordered something called Chicken Jalfrieze. I don't really know what that means, but it was a tomato based curry with onions and cream. The pop of the coriander seeds within the sauce was perfect- not overpowering the total dish, but complimenting the overall bite. We only ordered regular naan, but it was excellent- wonderfully crispy outside giving way to the right sort of pillowy chewiness inside. For an appetizer, we ordered vegetable pakora. Pakora often means something like American onion rings, but with other sorts of vegetables. These, however, were a sort of vegetable mixture, ground up and fried as a sort of Indian hush puppy. I don't know enough about Indian cuisine to know if this is a variation common in parts of India or unique, but I enjoyed it because it complexified a generally simple dish. Instead of a stringent onion or pepper on its own, the pakoras featured flavors of onion, spinach, squash, and chickpeas all wrapped into one bite. With the addition of the green chili chutney, it was a splendid appetizer.
Aside from the delicious food itself, I must say something about the service: in addition to excellent and timely, the hostess and (multiple) waiters who served us Sunday night seemed to actually care about us as more than a table of customers. The hostess asked how our day had gone and told us, frankly, about her weekend and how she enjoyed spending the day with her daughter before coming in that afternoon. It's that sort of touch that makes me want to go back more than perhaps anything else. I can probably find more great Indian food in Cleveland. I imagine I can find better Indian food in fact. But most restaurants aren't going to provide the service and personality by way of their personnel.
In the end, I'm glad we chose where we chose, at random. I'm sure we'll try other places and some of them Indian, but I'm completely unconvinced we'll become regular patrons at any other Indian restaurant in Cleveland.
-Zack
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