And to the Pastafarians, happy pasta day. I hope you never run out of basil for your tomato sauce.

Next Saturday the temperatures are expected to reach a high of -7C (20F) and a low of -15C (5F).

Here’s a picture:

Snow in the Maritime Garden

the pier in Burgas

Those silly rituals led by men in musty dresses don’t appeal to me. This day is also a day when fish is the traditional meal, especially carp. That’s what I care about. I have always fondly remembered the only time before today when I had it, stuffed with walnuts, onions, and tomatoes, so long have I wanted to replicate the recipe. I tried doing it in Madison, but finding carp was next to impossible. Eventually I found out that Asian Midway had fresh carp on Fridays. So I went there only to find that the carp they had was bigger than my oven! So I tried the recipe with black sea bass and it was scrumptious. Finally today I made the original recipe with carp and it turned out delicious. I’ve included it after the fold.

St. Nicholas Carp -- final result

St. Nicholas Carp

For the fish: I bought a small (1.7kg) carp. The size of the fish doesn’t matter as much as whether you can put in your roasting pan or not. As I’ve mentioned the recipe also works with sea bass. Start by scaling the fish. Do this under running cold water. That way the scales don’t fly all over your kitchen. Then slit the fish’s belly and remove the viscera. Wash the cavity under running cold water. Keep washing the fish until there water runs clear of the blood. Salt the cavity and let it sit while you prepare the stuffing. (Put the fish somewhere cold, like the fridge).

For the stuffing:

• 2 large onions
• 1/3 big carrot
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1.5 cups walnut chunks
• 2 tsp lovage
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• several sprigs of dill
• olive oil, salt to taste
• bamboo skewers (or strong toothpicks)

Preheat the oven to 225C. Roughly chop the onions, carrots, and 3 of the tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onions and carrots. Saute them for about 10-15 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the spices and stir and cook for a several minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, reduce the heat to low and let simmer until everything is tender. Then add some chopped fresh dill and the walnuts and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Now you are ready to stuff the fish. Place the fish in a roasting pan and stuff it with the….stuffing (what else!). Then use the bamboo skewers to close the belly. If you are into arts and crafts, you can also sew the fish with needle and thread. You’ll have plenty of stuffing left to put under and around the fish. Now slice the 4th tomato into slices and arrange on top of the fish. If you want, put some sprigs of dill on top of the fish.

Put the fish in the oven and bake at 225C for about 10min. Then lower the temperature to 180C and bake for another 30-40 mins. Baking time depends on the size of the fish, the oven etc. I would start checking it after 45 min to see if its done. It’s done once the meat is opaque and kind of flaky.

The recipe is for about 4 servings. Enjoy!

In order to spare the delicate sensibilities of some of the readers, the problems are below the fold. Feel free to share ideas/solutions in the comments. In a few days I’ll post solutions.

Problem 1. Two mathematicians Alice and Bob were talking about their children. Typically absent-minded Alice had remembered that Bob had three children, but had forgotten their ages. So she asked Bob how old his children were. In true mathematical (read abstruse) fashion Bob answered:

“The product of their ages is 36 and the sum of their ages is the number of the pink house across the street.”

“I still don’t know their ages,” replied Alice.

“Well,” Bob added. “The oldest one is a really giften theremin player.”

Alice was then able to work out the kids’ ages. Are you?

Problem 2. Cory and Deyan are two mathematically gifted kids, who have just met at Deyan’s house. Deyan wanted to know where Cory lived. As Cory was Bob’s son, he told Deyan:

“The number of my house has two digits. If you subtract from it the number, but the digits reversed. (eg. 52-25) you’ll get the number of your house.”

“Trivial,” said Deyan, and in no time he worked out Cory’s house number. Can you do the same?

The concert gave me an idea to post my only published poem. I wrote it during a poetry workshop in 1996. I was 18, attending the Armand Hammer United World College. Sometime during the school year (perhaps even around World AIDS day) two poets, Joan Logghe and Judyth Hill came to the college to present some work of the group Write Action. This was a group comprising people with HIV and AIDS, caregivers, family, friends, and allies and giving these people a creative outlet. At the end of the workshop/poetry reading, details of which are hazy, Joan and Judyth asked us, the students, to write things in response. I think we all wrote poems. Did some of us submit them, did they collect all of them, and then selected some to be published? I don’t remember, but the end result is that my poem, “Quantum Theory of Love” got published in a small anthology called Catch Our Breath: Writing from the heart of AIDS.

I think it’s a fitting occasion to share it with others once again. Here it is below the fold.

I missed blogging about the World AIDS Day yesterday. To my shame, I had forgotten about it and was only reminded late in the evening, at a concert by the local music high school. Their last piece was a reorchestration of the music from Requiem for a Dream and they dedicated it to fighting the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse.

The concert gave me an idea to post my only published poem. I wrote it during a poetry workshop in 1996. I was 18, attending the Armand Hammer United World College. Sometime during the school year (perhaps even around World AIDS day) two poets, Joan Logghe and Judyth Hill came to the college to present some work of the group Write Action. This was a group comprising people with HIV and AIDS, caregivers, family, friends, and allies and giving these people a creative outlet. At the end of the workshop/poetry reading, details of which are hazy, Joan and Judyth asked us, the students, to write things in response. I think we all wrote poems. Did some of us submit them, did they collect all of them, and then selected some to be published? I don’t remember, but the end result is that my poem, “Quantum Theory of Love” got published in a small anthology called Catch Our Breath: Writing from the heart of AIDS.

I think it’s a fitting occasion to share it with others once again.

I missed blogging about the World AIDS Day yesterday. To my shame, I had forgotten about it and was only reminded late in the evening, at a concert by the local music high school. Their last piece was a reorchestration of the music from Requiem for a Dream and they dedicated it to fighting the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse.

The concert gave me an idea to post my only published poem. I wrote it during a poetry workshop in 1996. I was 18, attending the Armand Hammer United World College. Sometime during the school year (perhaps even around World AIDS day) two poets, Joan Logghe and Judyth Hill came to the college to present some work of the group Write Action. This was a group comprising people with HIV and AIDS, caregivers, family, friends, and allies and giving these people a creative outlet. At the end of the workshop/poetry reading, details of which are hazy, Joan and Judyth asked us, the students, to write things in response. I think we all wrote poems. Did some of us submit them, did they collect all of them, and then selected some to be published? I don’t remember, but the end result is that my poem, “Quantum Theory of Love” got published in a small anthology called Catch Our Breath: Writing from the heart of AIDS.

I think it’s a fitting occasion to share it with others once again.

The bill proposes that anyone who advocates on behalf of queer people serve 7 years of prison; if you are convicted of gay sex, you can be incarcerated for life; if you know about an instance of homosexuality but don’t report it, you too can go to prison for three years.Finally if you are also HIV positive, you can be convicted of “aggravated homosexulity,” and executed.

This is beyond horrifying.

What’s even more terrifying and the reason for the title of the post is that this law didn’t spawn out of nowhere.

Sharlet also revealed that the sponsor of the notorious proposed, Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act, David Bahati’s is a member of The Family, as are other leading advocates, as well as President Museveni.  There is a growing international effort to stop the bill.

Read this post for some more information on the connection.

Words fail me. This is the true and loathsome face of the American “Family” organization, which is the Family referenced in the quote above.

This what I did tonight. I was about to make the traditional Rice and Tomatoes dish here. On a whim I decided to make a risotto. Even though I didn’t have the recommended type of rice, nor white wine, I was still able to make an acceptable dish. So how does one make it? Read below the fold.

First as they inform us on every season of Top Chef, risotto is not simply a rice dish; it is a way of cooking the rice: by slowly adding water, ladle by ladle. The secret is constant vigilance. You must stir constantly the dish. You cannot really leave it unattended. So, if you are making other dishes, make sure they are ready before starting the risotto.

What rice should you use? Use medium to short grained rice. Cookbooks suggest that for best results you should use Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or Arborio rice. Other types may also produce decent outcomes. However, you must not wash the rice, since that would wash away some of the starch, which is something we want in the pot.

Begin by chopping the onions (or leeks) or whatever vegetables and herbs you need for the dish. Brown them in some olive oil. Then add the rice and let it cook in the fat until it becomes translucent.

At this point, you can start adding liquid, which is broth. (Control the salt, if you use store bought broth!) Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add liquid bit by bit, about half a ladle at a time and stir constantly. Once the rice has absorbed the liquid, add some more.

It is customary to start by pouring in some wine first.  If you use wine, heat it first. Always add hot liquids to the risotto. Keep adding liquid and stir constantly. You should immediately notice how the dish becomes creamy from the starch in the rice. It is this silky creaminess which is the mark of a good risotto. Cook until the rice becomes al dente.

Risotto is served with a just bit of liquid left and should not be sticky. When you put the rice on the plate, it should “run” just a little bit. You should be able to serve it on a flat plate without the liquid running off the plate.

Once cooked, the risotto must be served straight away. If it sits, the rice continues to absorb water, and the dish becomes a goopy mess. (I think you can partially redeem it, by adding some water and briefly heating it while stirring. I think it would restore some of the creaminess, but it would further cook the rice.) If the recipe calls for it, you can stir in some Parmigiano or some other kind of cheese, heavy cream, or butter for extra smoothness. I usually don’t do it.

And that’s it. It’s really quite simple and, by choosing different kind of products, you can vary the recipe according to what you have available in your pantry.

I’m thankful that, despite the vast distance between us, Max and I are still together.

I discovered this group featured on a friend of mine’s blog(some NSFW stuff on the blog). The group’s called Fucked Up (this is their blog), and they are a punk band. Apparently the lead singer is a shirtless bear who sometimes sings in his underwear and puts suction cups on his belly. Now that’s a concert I’d like to go to. I didn’t hear much music in the clip, but neither did I at a Sleater Kinney concert I once went to. Here’s the youtube clip.