Tea Time

In a previous article, we talked about the complications with fusing local Californian products in global-style cooking. Then, of course, I proposed that the answer to that problem, is spice.

Spices are one of the most important ingredients in gourmet cooking. They are like the beads and baubles in a woman’s wedding dress, the corsage in the man’s tuxedo, the flower petals in the red carpet, the wedding statue on the cake. I use the analogy of marriage because California cuisine IS the marriage of two or ,probably, more cuisines. Simply put, spices are and will be always, an integral part of your cooking gear if you plan to tackle Californian cooking.

The amount of spice you employ per dish is going to be small, tiny even. In a gallon of soup, your spice might only reach a teaspoon. A tablespoon is surely cutting the limit, but it is manageable. Point is, you will have to mix and match spices of differing types and amounts to reach the desired flavor, that will not hide, but complement your dish. Spices are meant to ACCOMPANY the dish, not hide its true flavor. It is there to guide, to strengthen and to supplement the flavors. A tasteless soup gains depth through the right spice.

According to Andrew Lam, author of “California cuisine has turned to Crossroads cuisine”; “To live in California these days is to live at the crossroads of a global society and a global table.” It is no surprise that most of the restaurant and cafe owners in California are of people from different parts of the globe.

California has given birth a lot of current favorites used by other states. The California Maki Roll, Rice Cake (o-mochi) Ice Cream, Pupusarias (stuffed tortillas), Fresh-Mex (a play on Tex Mex, difference being the ingredient’s emphasis is on the ‘fresh’), Chipotle and others. Frying is usually not appreciated, with two foods only given the exception; fish taco and tempura.

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Vermont had been mostly dependent on what the good earth produces for them. Agriculture, in Vermont, produces at least a good market of close to two billion six hundred million dollars of income affecting directly, and indirectly the state of Vermont’s economy.

In the previous two centuries, logging had been the forerunner of Vermont’s economy. This over cutting and serious exploitation of the mountain forests had made Vermont’s floral system less appealing over the years however. Most of the forests that have been cut down are used for farms, but over the recent centuries, these farms had slowly disappeared. Vermont’s land and forest were allowed a chance to recover during that time.

Vermont’s apparent lack of industrial areas had also saved it from building and industrial failures, most of some of the surrounding states are still suffering from. The only industry that still exists up until today, (and is currently successful) is Vermont’s dairy industry. Most of Vermont’s forests are second-generation.

Dairy farming has been one of the more profitable industries in Vermont. At least a thousand farms still exist, though this is at an alarming figure. While milk production rose thanks to new technology, the market share of the state slowly declined. A large amount of this milk is also shipped into the Boston market and most farms may not sell their milk without a certification from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Another area of industry that is slowly growing in Vermont is the manufacture, packing and sales of artisan foods, fancy and novelty items and usually those from patisserie shops. Some of these brands include Cabot Cheese, Vermont Butter and Cheese, ginseng, Lake Champlain Chocolates, King Arthur Flour, and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Creams. Items include high-quality paint, teddy bears and snowboards which are exported from the state.

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Michigan is famous for a lot of things. It is a fact that Michigan is a melting pot of different people; the variety of fields wherein a professional could work in range from the technical automobile industry to a rambling natural science of growing fruits of all types. Interestingly, the fact that people in Michigan are able to flourish in all fields is remarkable. Michigan leads in the American car industry, and are leading distributors of certain types of fruits.

It is this amazing duality that captures the state as a whole being. Michigan has shown that they can take on one aspect or niche, and still excel in another facet of their lives. In effect, it’s like being in school again; and Michigan is that popular kid who is both good in Math and Sports. It’s quite special; being proficient in two very separate fields.

When it comes to the craft industry, the people of Michigan are no different. They are capable of merging two distinct styles and make them work in a single piece. I have seen them work with natural wood, carving them into a desirable shape. Then, just as masterfully, they are able to incorporate the very technical but likewise beautiful art of glassblowing. Together, it makes for a very exquisite craft.

It would be a shame to not let these wonderful pieces of art go unnoticed. Luckily, there are many craft shows occurring in Michigan on a daily basis. Going there is absolute fun; for while you can go around looking for various arts and crafts, you are also going to enjoy the thrills and shrills of a traditional fair.

Experience duality by visiting these craft shows. All you have to do is search for the on the Internet; you have no idea how a bit of Internet savvy can go a long way in finding all the information you need. Simply put, it’s the flier of the future for craft shows.

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If you are planning to start some sort of livelihood in the state of Nevada, it is important that you should at least have an inkling of an idea as to what is the financial standings and the promoted economy of Nevada.

Nevada is a bit of an agricultural country, with is produce standing on potatoes, onions (mostly underground roots and bulbs), alfalfa, cattle and hay. And where there is cattle, there is the presence of dairy products. Industrial roots spread through the realm of machinery, mining, tourism, printing, food and food processing, and electrical equipments. In Nevada, where there are counties with populations of less than 400,000; you could also venture that prostitution is legal there. Just watch out for a few of the other counties though (namely, Clark County and Washoe County for instance); they’re still against any form of prostitution.

Outside the metro areas, the largest economic activities are those of mining and cattle ranching. Gold, is the fore running mineral that is mined in the quarries of Nevada. At least close to 7 million ounces have been mined in Nevada with net worth running around close to 3 billion dollars, accounting to at least 8.9 or 9% of the overall gold weight collected around the world. The next mineral that is mined in Nevada, with a far run standing, is silver. The ten point something collected amount only reaches to a valued estimate of seventy million dollars. Others that are mined are construction aggregates (for filling and strengthening) gypsum, copper, lithium and diotomite.

A word of warning though. Mining in Nevada is not as cost-efficient and can be highly spendy.

Tax in the Nevada area reaches around 6.5%. Other counties can have add-on taxes as well, so it may go a bit higher sometimes.

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There is one attraction in Texas that can be called a small ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. It is the so-called Stonehenge II, inspired by the pagan structure in Salisbury, England.

It isn’t really stone, as what it would make you believe. In reality, out of all the henges around the attraction grounds, there’s only one in there that is actually stone. The others are made out of plaster, steel frames. metal lathe, and white washing. The original stone was given to Al Sheppard, the constructor and initiator of the project. He had decided to erect the stone on his ground. That was when the idea was conceived. A bit later, some Easter Island heads were added a distance away. The heads are a good addition to the overall feel of the place.

The project was an object of friendship. With the obscurity of one stone looking funny. The original arch was created, and soon others were added, until the whole structure was built.

The Easter island heads were added a few years after the henge project was finished. The Easter heads look just the same as the original statues minus the weathered-tone, the material used and the actual weight and cost. They have the same mysterious look, the tone and even the gaudy jewelry and others.

Apparently, before he died, he had taken a trip to Alaska and had an interest in adding a totem pole to the collection of Easter heads, stone henges and what not.

The entire plan was for it to be just a retirement house, but Mr. Sheppard had no idea how this was going to spark natural wonder. The whole attraction actually costs no entrance fee or anything, and visitors, tourists and resident children alike can frolic and play around the structures.

Just don’t do anything to destroy them. They are very important pieces to a very inspired man.

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The city of Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, located in Texas.

As a large city, it is quite easy to find good things to buy, good food to eat, and good places to visit. Texans would claim Houston is a good city, and the number of tourist spots in the area would keep anyone entertained for as long as their visit would allow them to.

For the naturally curious, their is the Houston Museum of Natural Science, an altar for the different branches of science. The museum has a butterfly center, a planetarium with stars and the usual revolving satellites, models of dinosaurs and much more.

There’s also the Museum of Fine Arts, which houses a very large and expensive collection of art pieces, most from around the world. Renaissance, tribal art, expressionist, abstract and even the pre-Dark ages. It also hosts art from its visitors, students from the surrounding art schools or rising artists, whose works may one day take the art world by storm.

We have the Houston Downtown aquarium, a 7-something acre complex that has renditions of famous waterways like the Amazon River, Louisiana swamp and others. There’s also a Ferris wheel inside, a helipad (makes me wonder what this is for) and a train tunnel that passes underneath a shark tank. Feel the excitement having a shark swim above you in menacing circles!

The Houston Zoo is a huge crowd drawer that boasts a collection of 4,500 animals, ranging from mammals, birds, felines, reptiles (alligators, anyone?). The zoo is also well known for having reared the largest elephant calf in all of the recognized zoos around the country. It is also probably the only zoo that hosts the Giant Eland, a rare specie of savanna antelopes. Believe me, being near this great-horned being is a wonderful experience that cannot be emulated by anything else.

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