On the Coffee Table: Yakitate!! Japan, Volumes 5-7

Title: Yakitate!! Japan, Volumes 5-7

Writer and Artist: Takashi Hashiguchi

via Amazon

For those of you new to the program, Yakitate!! Japan is a manga series about a bakery in Tokyo.  There's a gifted hero (Azuma), a scrappy sidekick (Kawachi), a brooding mentor (Matsushiro) and a fawning female potential love interest who is also technically the boss (Tsukino).  Picking up where we left off in Volume 4, Azuma and Kawachi are competing in the company's rookie baker tournament.  Not surprisingly, Azuma ultimately wins.  While I understand following the classic comic book superhero narrative with fidelity, occasional failure might make Azuma more interesting.  But I digress.

via Amazon

After the tournament, the gang's next adventure is a trip to France.  There will be a tournament there, too, but first our friends must explore the baking culture of one of the world's most important bread nations.

via Amazon

A couple of important characters gain prominence in this run:

• Shigeru Kanmuri, Azuma's opponent in the newcomer tournament - a talented baker and also a nice guy, a friendly rival in the end.  After the tournament, he chooses to join the South Tokyo branch where our heroes work.  Now he's one of the gang - and a bit of a schemer.
• Yukino Azusagawa.  A new good guy is counterbalanced with a new antagonist.  Yukino is Tsukino's oldest sister.  She's slinky and sexy but evil.  Initially, Shigeru worked for Yukino's branch but was understandably a bit put off when she blew up his research lab as punishment for losing to Azuma.  

There are 19 more books in the series, though no more currently on our shelves.  I'd read more given the chance.  The stories are highly entertaining, if a touch predictable.  The cliffhangers are effectively intriguing and I do learn a bit about baking along the way.

Squid Eats: Restaurant Poco

via Restuarant Poco

Restaurant Poco is a small and popular establishment in downtown Burlington, an ideal spot for us if we have evening plans in town.  Poco doesn't take reservations so the best plan is to arrive early and cross your fingers.  When we've managed to get there right at 5:30 when they open, we've had no problem.  For our most recent visit, we arrived at 5:40 and the tables were already filled.  Two seats at the bar?  Perfect.

Poco is a shared plate restaurant serving what is described as "Globally Inspired Cuisine" meaning, essentially, no-holds barred fusion.  I'd say the most prominent influences are Asian.  This time, we ordered karage (Japanese-style fried chicken) and a pork belly dish, both scrumptious.  Sitting at the bar allowed us to watch the exceptionally talented bartender.  He was impressively ambidextrous, stirring one cocktail with his right hand, shaking another with his left.  He used Punt E Mes for my Manhattan which brought a raisin-y flavor.  I'll have to try that some time.

The atmosphere is casual for a place with such elegant food.  All of the staff are friendly and personable.  Despite multi-tasking like a champ, the bartender was engaging and happy to answer my questions.

After we left, my wife proclaimed Poco as her favorite restaurant: we're always happy with what we order, both food and drinks are more interesting and innovative than other places we go.  I know we'll be back.

On the Coffee Table: Paul Freedman

Title: Ten Restaurants That Changed America

Author: Paul Freedman

via Amazon

Paul Freedman's book is an ambitious project.  As advertised, the author tells the stories of ten American restaurants: Le Pavillon, Chez Panisse, Antoine's, Howard Johnson's, Schrafft's, Mamma Leone's, The Mandarin, Demonico's, The Four Seasons and Sylvia's.  I would argue that the restaurants have reflected American culture more than changed it - except for maybe one, because I know of the impact it's had on my own life.  That said, maybe I'm underestimating the influence of the others.  More on that in a bit.

The history goes back two centuries.  Delmonico's is the earliest establishment documented in the book, opening initially as a pastry shop in 1827.  The history of the industry offered is fascinating, along with the accompanying cultural histories of New York City, New Orleans, the Bay Area and the American highway.  Freedman also presents thoughtful insights into the impact of Italian, Chinese and Black cultures on our nation's food.  In this, there's a lot of crossover with Krishnendu Ray's The Ethnic Restaurateur (my reflection here).

As with Ray's book, Freedman's has changed my view of the restaurant world.  A couple of specific revelations, both noted previously in this post (comments inclusive):

• Using actual train cars for diners is not the mere quaint cultural custom I'd always assumed.  What we think of as "roadside diners" are the transplanting of an entire process of food preparation and service from the railroad industry.  
• Fried chicken and waffles doesn't come from the South at all.  The dish was invented at Sylvia's in Harlem.

The restaurant of the ten which I will concede has had an impact on my own life is Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California.  No, I've never been to Chez Panisse.  In fact, I've never even been to Berkeley.  Owner Alice Waters was a pioneering force behind the locavore, farm-to-table and Slow Food movements which have changed the eating habits of thousands if not millions in the half-century since she first opened her restaurant.  Among those profoundly influenced is my own wife who works hard to follow these principles with, I'm not shy to say, magnificent results.  

I enjoyed the book tremendously and learned a great deal.  It fuels a question I've pondered for a long time: what is American cuisine, really?  Is there such a thing?  Freedman doesn't answer the question but his book adds a lot to the discussion.

Star Trek: Force of Nature

Episode: "Force of Nature"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 7, Episode 9

Original Air Date: November 15, 1993

via Memory Alpha

Several ships have gone missing in the Hekaras Corridor.  While investigating, the Enterprise encounters two scientists who claim that excessive warp drive use is causing subspace rifts.  Unfortunately, they turn out to be right.

"Force of Nature" is an obvious environmentalist allegory and one with a rather surprising target.  The entire Star Trek concept is dependent on travel at warp speed, usually at several multiples.  Long-term, the warp 5 limitation suggested at episode's end could have hampered the franchise a great deal more than it has.  In truth, the interstellar speed limit is almost never directly addressed - only in two further TNG installments.  However, references to "maximum warp" are intended to mean maxing out this responsible limit rather than a ship's capabilities.  Plus, the variable geometry pylon was invented for Voyager as a work-around for the problem, obviously essential for a ship expected to cover so much distance over the course of its saga.

Per usual, the message show doesn't work so well for NextGen - poignant but clunky.  For the second time in Season 7, Data's relationship with his cat Spot is the highlight of the episode.  That's not good.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Michael Corbett played the role of Rabal, one of the Hekaran scientists.  Corbett was born June 20, 1956 in Philadelphia.  He landed a part on Broadway just two weeks after graduating from the Boston Conservatory of Music.  Broadway credits include Nefertiti, Grease and Come Back Little Sheba.  

While on stage, Corbett was discovered by a casting director for Ryan's Hope.  That gig led to further soap opera work on Search for Tomorrow and The Young and the Restless.  Corbett has since had a second career as a television real estate expert, primarily on NBC's Extra.  He has also written three real estate books: Before You Buy: The Homebuyer’s Handbook for Today’s Market!, Find It, Fix it, Flip It! Make Millions in Real Estate—One House at a Time and Ready, Set, Sold!, The Insider Secrets to Sell Your House Fast—for Top Dollar!.

Squid Cooks: Pan-Cooked Lamb Burgers

Necessity is the mother of invention.  We had ground lamb rather than ground beef and the oven is currently out of commission (though the stove burners are fine).  So with a few on-the-fly adaptations from my usual recipe, we had acceptable lamb burgers for dinner, medium rare.

I did check my improvised choices against Mark Bittman's advice in How to Cook Everything: The Basics afterwards.  I didn't add oil to the pre-heated pan - my wife gave me a little grief for that, too.  I did four minutes on each side, same as I do with the broiler.  Bittman recommends 5-10 on the first side, 3-5 on the second.  I was satisfied with the doneness of the final product anyway.  The burgers were fine, I think - not so different from beef with just a touch of the distinctive grassy flavor of lamb.

Star Trek: Necessary Evil

Episode: "Necessary Evil"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 2, Episode 8

Original Air Date: November 14, 1993

via Memory Alpha

A mysterious Bajoran woman hires Quark to steal something for her, a box hidden away on the station from the Cardassian occupation days, when Deep Space Nine was known as Terok Nor.  In the midst of the job, our favorite bartender is shot.  So begins a trip to the past when Odo first arrived at Terok Nor and Gul Dukat manipulated him into investigating a murder.

It's on now.

"Necessary Evil" takes Star Trek somewhere new.  The story could not have been told on The Next Generation or the original series.  This is not one of Picard's Dixon Hill adventures on the holodeck.  There's no telling the computer to end the program.  Odo's noir mystery is the real deal and the impact on his relationship with Major Kira by the end is not something either of the two previous series could have endured.  Particularly in NextGen, any interpersonal tension between the principals could always be explained away by possession by an alien entity or some other futuristic madness.  By the end of 42 minutes, all is forgiven.  Not so this time.  Odo, Kira and the audience are left to live with uncertainty.  In hindsight, we know those two have the most twisted road to travel of any pairing on DS9.  But none of that matters yet.  Now, there is only the damage and the questions.  

I perceive another, more subtle development as Deep Space Nine comes into its own.  The essential narrative of "Necessary Evil" has little to do with Sisko.  Even with the strongest Data and Worf stories, neither truly ends until the (temporary) protagonist makes good with Picard.  Once the captain declares you safe at home, we can all move comfortably on to next week's adventure.  "Necessary Evil" doesn't feel that way.  Odo, Kira, Quark and Gul Dukat share a complex history that predates Starfleet's involvement.  I don't see this as a weakness of the Sisko character - quite the contrary.  For whatever reason - superior actors, more confident writers, more consistent concept - the creative drivers of DS9 trust the secondary and even tertiary characters more than TNG's team ever did.  As such, even "stuck in one place," DS9's world expands more quickly and comfortably.

Acting Notes

via Marvel Animated Universe Wiki

Katherine Moffat played the role of Vaatrik Pallra, the aforementioned mysterious Bajoran woman.  Moffat was born July 8, 1958.  "Necessary Evil" was her second of two Trek appearances, having played the part of Etana in TNG's "The Game."  Her films include The Beast Within and Spy Hard.  Television guest gigs include Legend and Babylon 5.

Squid Mixes: Leap-Year Cocktail

The Leap-Year Cocktail combines gin, Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth and lemon juice with a lemon twist for garnish.  I got the recipe from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology.  It was invented by Harry Craddock at the Savoy in London, first served on February 29th, 1928.

The Manhattan is definitely the most popular cocktail at our house.  The solid runner-up is the Sidecar.  Anything lemony is already winning with my wife.  In fact, I found this particular concoction when she asked if I had anything featuring a lemon.  Fortunately, variations on the sour concept are plentiful and Regan's book has handy charts for finding them.

We both enjoyed the Leap-Year - a bit more balanced (less citrusy) than a Sidecar, in fact.  My wife said she'd be happy to have one more often than once every four years.