Friday, February 28, 2003
It's just one of those days today, one of those wet fridays where I can't seem to get any work done at all, even though I've tons to do. I've been looking after my son all week (it's half-term), and it's just about done me in. Can't wait to get back to lecturing on Monday. I find looking after children so bloody sapping, especially when I've got other stuff I need to be doing. How does one sucessfully incorporate Child and Work? Currently, I'm ion my office, with my son watching a Tom&Jerry cartoon in the corner. Fortunately, noone else is in today. It'd be utterly impossible if they were. Anyway, sod it. I'll slope out early and do some shopping - anything to make me feel as if I've done something today!
Thursday, February 27, 2003
As promised, a recipe for lamb kebabs
Kuzu Sis
Ingredients:
Diced lamb (preferably leg), approx. 150 gr per person.
Olive oil
Garlic
Onion
Flaked Chilli pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Rosemary ot thyme
Finely slice the onion into rings. lay flat on a plate and give a generous covering of salt. This will leach the juices out of the onion. Leave for at least ten minutes.
Crush and chop the garlic, then mix with a generous amount of olive oil. Add chilli pepper, black pepper and rosemary/Thyme.
Trim the lamb of any excess fat.
Now, take the onion and hand squeeze the juices into the marinade. Don't throw away the onion, as it makes a nice garnish to a tomato salad.
Add the lamb cubes to the marinade and toss. Leave for at least one hour (but preferably overnight) to allow the marinade to flavour and tenderise the meat.
Skewer the lamb and cook on a medium grill or barbecue. turn the skewers regularly. Cooking time about ten minutes. Serve with fresh salad and bread, or slip into a tortilla wrap. Enjoy!
Kuzu Sis
Ingredients:
Diced lamb (preferably leg), approx. 150 gr per person.
Olive oil
Garlic
Onion
Flaked Chilli pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Rosemary ot thyme
Finely slice the onion into rings. lay flat on a plate and give a generous covering of salt. This will leach the juices out of the onion. Leave for at least ten minutes.
Crush and chop the garlic, then mix with a generous amount of olive oil. Add chilli pepper, black pepper and rosemary/Thyme.
Trim the lamb of any excess fat.
Now, take the onion and hand squeeze the juices into the marinade. Don't throw away the onion, as it makes a nice garnish to a tomato salad.
Add the lamb cubes to the marinade and toss. Leave for at least one hour (but preferably overnight) to allow the marinade to flavour and tenderise the meat.
Skewer the lamb and cook on a medium grill or barbecue. turn the skewers regularly. Cooking time about ten minutes. Serve with fresh salad and bread, or slip into a tortilla wrap. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Why cowardice and leadership do not mix.
Like most of us, I�ve been a bit concerned about this whole Iraq affair and its possible outcomes over the past few months. I remember that, in Part One in 1991, there was serious worry and talk about conscription in the UK. There was also a considerable amount of bollocks talked, too, of bragging boys slurring over their lager about how they�d be going to the Gulf to sort out Saddam. As everything started to roll, they were still to be found in the comfort of the pub. I, for one, didn�t want anything to do with it. Was I being a coward? I also know now that the commanders of the British forces then were all for pushing on to Baghdad and sorting out Saddam there and then, but were prevented from doing so by the American High Command. Was this just plain common sense, pragmatism, or cowardice?
I find the notions of courage and cowardice somewhat vexing. What passes for cowardice in some may be regarded as its precise opposite by others. When, however, I consider the actions of President Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair and of Saddam Hussein, I can only conclude that they all exhibit, not strength, but fear, and all of subtly different kinds. Let me begin with the latter of this triumvirate. Be clear, above all else, that Saddam Hussein is nothing but an inflated bully. He has done monstrous things, but he is not a monster. He is human, and we have had plenty of experience of the banal, everyday kind of evil that even the most average of us can commit over the past century. Bullies, almost by definition, are cowards. His is the desire to be absolute master of all that he surveys. This need is based on deep insecurity, and would seem to be founded on his childhood experiences. Nor is he alone: History is littered with examples of just such men who rise to power and affect absolute despotism. This is my first example of cowardice, where the strength of force is mistaken for the capacity to govern. He will end with being largely forgotten. Others of his ilk will, however, continue to rise.
What about George W. Bush? Well, I for one cannot forget his utterly shameful actions on September 11th , 2001, when he more or less literally disappeared into the ether. The action may be seen as pragmatic (after all, there were rumours of an attack on the White House), but ultimately, there was a Leader-shaped hole where the president should have been. Sure, he turned up in New York after the dust had settled and made a moving speech on Ground Zero, but by then it was a largely empty gesture. A leader must always be seen to be in the right place at the right time. Someone like Clinton, for all his many faults, would have been right at the centre of things, and damn the security guy�s advice. Now, I do not know what was going through Dubya�s head at the moment of the attacks, nor do I affect to, but I suspect that he was being led through it by the motley crowd that surround any leader. And therein lies his kind of cowardice: The irresolute soul that is blown too easily by the whims of others. Why else does he not speak up about things like the Kyoto Treaty, or the International Criminal Court, both of which are surely beneficial to humanity? It is also saddening to note that he surrounds himself with his father�s advisors: Can�t he find any of his own peers?
Finally, our own Dear Leader, Tony Blair. He acts resolutely, even does a fine impression of Winston Churchill. Why would I call him a coward? He is, in many ways, the opposite of George W. He says his own mind, does not suffer fools gladly, and is not swayed by the myriad of voices of different hues and opinions that surround him. Yet for all his poise and ready answers, he constantly looks like a man wracked with fear. His is the third kind of cowardice: that of the man who�s been found out, yet bluffly denies the truth and keeps staggering on through the lies he�s almost, but not quite, convinced himself are true. He knows that the light at the end of the tunnel is probably a train, but he�ll go on walking towards it nonetheless. Yes, it looks brave, but it isn�t. Quite simply, he will use force because he�s too frightened to use his imagination in this horrid situation with Iraq. And there is the nub of the thing, this whole hideous mess. American and British policy regarding that country is one which is goverened by a complete failure of the imagination. Iraq has been under effective siege conditions for over a decade, yet the regime still hasn�t fallen. On to plan B: Bomb the bastards. Let�s just bomb them back to the condition of a medieval theocracy, then we can have someone we can really hate, and be certain that they hate us right back. Oh yes. Right now, there are three cowards gearing up for a ghastly war, and thousands will die because of their inability to imagine. Two last thoughts for you, noble sirs: firstly, I believe in the old maxim , the greatest warrior is the one with no need of killing: what about you? Lastly, Mr Bush and Mr Blair, you both profess to being devout Christians. Do this wrong, and the devil will be toasting your backsides for an awfully long time.
That which is an omission in others, becomes a sin in a leader.
pjgallantry@hotmail.com
Like most of us, I�ve been a bit concerned about this whole Iraq affair and its possible outcomes over the past few months. I remember that, in Part One in 1991, there was serious worry and talk about conscription in the UK. There was also a considerable amount of bollocks talked, too, of bragging boys slurring over their lager about how they�d be going to the Gulf to sort out Saddam. As everything started to roll, they were still to be found in the comfort of the pub. I, for one, didn�t want anything to do with it. Was I being a coward? I also know now that the commanders of the British forces then were all for pushing on to Baghdad and sorting out Saddam there and then, but were prevented from doing so by the American High Command. Was this just plain common sense, pragmatism, or cowardice?
I find the notions of courage and cowardice somewhat vexing. What passes for cowardice in some may be regarded as its precise opposite by others. When, however, I consider the actions of President Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair and of Saddam Hussein, I can only conclude that they all exhibit, not strength, but fear, and all of subtly different kinds. Let me begin with the latter of this triumvirate. Be clear, above all else, that Saddam Hussein is nothing but an inflated bully. He has done monstrous things, but he is not a monster. He is human, and we have had plenty of experience of the banal, everyday kind of evil that even the most average of us can commit over the past century. Bullies, almost by definition, are cowards. His is the desire to be absolute master of all that he surveys. This need is based on deep insecurity, and would seem to be founded on his childhood experiences. Nor is he alone: History is littered with examples of just such men who rise to power and affect absolute despotism. This is my first example of cowardice, where the strength of force is mistaken for the capacity to govern. He will end with being largely forgotten. Others of his ilk will, however, continue to rise.
What about George W. Bush? Well, I for one cannot forget his utterly shameful actions on September 11th , 2001, when he more or less literally disappeared into the ether. The action may be seen as pragmatic (after all, there were rumours of an attack on the White House), but ultimately, there was a Leader-shaped hole where the president should have been. Sure, he turned up in New York after the dust had settled and made a moving speech on Ground Zero, but by then it was a largely empty gesture. A leader must always be seen to be in the right place at the right time. Someone like Clinton, for all his many faults, would have been right at the centre of things, and damn the security guy�s advice. Now, I do not know what was going through Dubya�s head at the moment of the attacks, nor do I affect to, but I suspect that he was being led through it by the motley crowd that surround any leader. And therein lies his kind of cowardice: The irresolute soul that is blown too easily by the whims of others. Why else does he not speak up about things like the Kyoto Treaty, or the International Criminal Court, both of which are surely beneficial to humanity? It is also saddening to note that he surrounds himself with his father�s advisors: Can�t he find any of his own peers?
Finally, our own Dear Leader, Tony Blair. He acts resolutely, even does a fine impression of Winston Churchill. Why would I call him a coward? He is, in many ways, the opposite of George W. He says his own mind, does not suffer fools gladly, and is not swayed by the myriad of voices of different hues and opinions that surround him. Yet for all his poise and ready answers, he constantly looks like a man wracked with fear. His is the third kind of cowardice: that of the man who�s been found out, yet bluffly denies the truth and keeps staggering on through the lies he�s almost, but not quite, convinced himself are true. He knows that the light at the end of the tunnel is probably a train, but he�ll go on walking towards it nonetheless. Yes, it looks brave, but it isn�t. Quite simply, he will use force because he�s too frightened to use his imagination in this horrid situation with Iraq. And there is the nub of the thing, this whole hideous mess. American and British policy regarding that country is one which is goverened by a complete failure of the imagination. Iraq has been under effective siege conditions for over a decade, yet the regime still hasn�t fallen. On to plan B: Bomb the bastards. Let�s just bomb them back to the condition of a medieval theocracy, then we can have someone we can really hate, and be certain that they hate us right back. Oh yes. Right now, there are three cowards gearing up for a ghastly war, and thousands will die because of their inability to imagine. Two last thoughts for you, noble sirs: firstly, I believe in the old maxim , the greatest warrior is the one with no need of killing: what about you? Lastly, Mr Bush and Mr Blair, you both profess to being devout Christians. Do this wrong, and the devil will be toasting your backsides for an awfully long time.
That which is an omission in others, becomes a sin in a leader.
pjgallantry@hotmail.com
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Another recipe for your raki enjoyment
Here's another quick recipe to add to your table as you sip on an ice cold raki.....
Patlican salatasi (Aubergine salad)
This takes a little while to make, but it tastes fantastic!
1 whole aubergine
1 large tomato
1 large capsicum (green pepper) or a couple of chili peppers
1 clove garlic
lemon juice or white wine vinegar
olive oil
Roast the aubergine, tomato and pepper on a barbecue (preferably charcoal-based) or grill until skins are blackened. Remove skins of aid items and place flesh in a bowl with finely chopped garlic. Mash as well as you can with a fork, carefully adding lemon juice/vinegar and olive oil. Alternatively, mix with a food blender. Serve alongside cilbir and raki on a fine warm summer's night. Enjoy!
Here's another quick recipe to add to your table as you sip on an ice cold raki.....
Patlican salatasi (Aubergine salad)
This takes a little while to make, but it tastes fantastic!
1 whole aubergine
1 large tomato
1 large capsicum (green pepper) or a couple of chili peppers
1 clove garlic
lemon juice or white wine vinegar
olive oil
Roast the aubergine, tomato and pepper on a barbecue (preferably charcoal-based) or grill until skins are blackened. Remove skins of aid items and place flesh in a bowl with finely chopped garlic. Mash as well as you can with a fork, carefully adding lemon juice/vinegar and olive oil. Alternatively, mix with a food blender. Serve alongside cilbir and raki on a fine warm summer's night. Enjoy!
A birthday thought
Happy birthday to me. Yes, I�m 35. It�s coming up to one in the morning, and only a few hours to the moment of my birth, which was 12.17 GMT on the 25th February, 1968. Apparently, it was wet and cold. The weather, that is. Just a few ideas in mind � firstly, all the famous people who were dead by my age. Yes, I know it�s terribly egotistical, but still�.James Dean, Jimmy Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Keats, Alexander the bloody Great et al. What about all the unknowns, though? I once heard of a statistic which I�m going to write down here. (Any statisticians, please note that you are free to contradict me)
In the minute that I was born, another ten people also entered the world.
Of us eleven, eight saw the light in third world or developing countries.
Of us eleven, seven died shortly after birth or before hitting the age of five.
Of us eleven, only four had any sort of formal education.
Of us eleven, only two were educated until the age of sixteen,
Of us eleven, only one (namely me) was educated to degree standard.
Of us eleven, only three survived to my current age.
Only two of us have become parents.
Only one of us will survive to the biblical age of three score years and ten.
So, to you, my soul brothers, my soul sisters, to you who were born at 12.17 GMT on 25/2/68, to we who survive this terrible, wonderful, awesome and turbulent world, I wish you a happy birthday, wherever you may be. Sadly, statistically speaking, you will not read this, as I am the only one of the eleven with access to a computer.
Happy birthday to me. Yes, I�m 35. It�s coming up to one in the morning, and only a few hours to the moment of my birth, which was 12.17 GMT on the 25th February, 1968. Apparently, it was wet and cold. The weather, that is. Just a few ideas in mind � firstly, all the famous people who were dead by my age. Yes, I know it�s terribly egotistical, but still�.James Dean, Jimmy Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Keats, Alexander the bloody Great et al. What about all the unknowns, though? I once heard of a statistic which I�m going to write down here. (Any statisticians, please note that you are free to contradict me)
In the minute that I was born, another ten people also entered the world.
Of us eleven, eight saw the light in third world or developing countries.
Of us eleven, seven died shortly after birth or before hitting the age of five.
Of us eleven, only four had any sort of formal education.
Of us eleven, only two were educated until the age of sixteen,
Of us eleven, only one (namely me) was educated to degree standard.
Of us eleven, only three survived to my current age.
Only two of us have become parents.
Only one of us will survive to the biblical age of three score years and ten.
So, to you, my soul brothers, my soul sisters, to you who were born at 12.17 GMT on 25/2/68, to we who survive this terrible, wonderful, awesome and turbulent world, I wish you a happy birthday, wherever you may be. Sadly, statistically speaking, you will not read this, as I am the only one of the eleven with access to a computer.
Monday, February 24, 2003
Why did I call this site �The Joy of Raki�? Simple. I love raki, and raki loves me. It is the answer, although you may forget the question. Doubtless there are some of you out there who don�t know what it is. Allow me the honour of introducing it to you.
Raki is an anise and grape based liquor found in Turkey. It is related to Lebanese Arak, Cretan Raksitas, Greek Ouzo and French Pernod. On a scale of comparison, however, where these drinks are, say, vehicles, Pernod is a Renault Clio compared to Raki, which is a Testarossa. Ouzo is fine, but rather sweet compared to the magical drink. What�s it like? Well, it�s definitely an acquired taste. Once acquired, its effects are best described as liquid cannabis. It infuses you with a general sense of joy and peace. A bit too much, you end up talking to angels with a gutter as your pillow. Much more and you�ll be sick as a dog in a barfing competition. The ideal amount is three generous measures, no more or less. How to drink it? Take two long, slim glasses. Place ice in each one, lots of ice. In one glass, pour in just ice cold water. In the other, pour a decent double measure of raki in. top up with more chilled water, and watch as the fluid turns milky white. Take a deep sniff, then a gulp. Now eat something or smoke a cigarette. Repeat until feel like your limbs have turned into a mild jelly. The best place to drink this? By the sea, preferably on a Gulet (a type of wooden hulled yacht) or in a decent fish restaurant, with the smell of the sea mingling with the scents of pine, wild thyme and honeysuckle breezing gently from the hills. Best done in the evening of a fine summer day, listening to good classical Turkish music. Alternatively, an Ocakbasi on a cold winter�s day in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, with a plate of kofte or kuzu sis in front of you and a Besiktas-Fenerbahce football match on the telly hanging in the corner.
Food is an integral part of the raki experience, and I�ll be blogging various foodstuffs that are easily made to complement your raki. Here�s a meze (starter). It may sound rather disgusting, but it is an absolutely fantastic dish. My wife first made it for me. Thanks, hun!
Cilbir
Ingredients
Eggs (2 per person is usually ideal)
Turkish or Greek style plain yoghurt
Garlic
Dill or mint
Flaked chilli pepper
Directions: Very finely dice (or crush) a decent sized clove of garlic. I usually do one clove per person. Mix into the yoghurt vigorously. Make sure the yoghurt isn�t too solid in consistency. Leave to one side to let the garlic infuse through.
Break the eggs into a bowl and scramble. In a frying pan, melt a little butter and vegetable oil. Once hot, pour in eggs mixture. Keep stirring eggs until cooked � the aim is to have little lumps. Once done, transfer eggs to a serving dish. Alternatively the eggs can be simply poached. Pour the yoghurt over the eggs. Garnish with dill or mint, plus the flaked chilli pepper. Eat immediately with fresh crusty white bread. Drink raki. Afiyet Olsun!
Raki is an anise and grape based liquor found in Turkey. It is related to Lebanese Arak, Cretan Raksitas, Greek Ouzo and French Pernod. On a scale of comparison, however, where these drinks are, say, vehicles, Pernod is a Renault Clio compared to Raki, which is a Testarossa. Ouzo is fine, but rather sweet compared to the magical drink. What�s it like? Well, it�s definitely an acquired taste. Once acquired, its effects are best described as liquid cannabis. It infuses you with a general sense of joy and peace. A bit too much, you end up talking to angels with a gutter as your pillow. Much more and you�ll be sick as a dog in a barfing competition. The ideal amount is three generous measures, no more or less. How to drink it? Take two long, slim glasses. Place ice in each one, lots of ice. In one glass, pour in just ice cold water. In the other, pour a decent double measure of raki in. top up with more chilled water, and watch as the fluid turns milky white. Take a deep sniff, then a gulp. Now eat something or smoke a cigarette. Repeat until feel like your limbs have turned into a mild jelly. The best place to drink this? By the sea, preferably on a Gulet (a type of wooden hulled yacht) or in a decent fish restaurant, with the smell of the sea mingling with the scents of pine, wild thyme and honeysuckle breezing gently from the hills. Best done in the evening of a fine summer day, listening to good classical Turkish music. Alternatively, an Ocakbasi on a cold winter�s day in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, with a plate of kofte or kuzu sis in front of you and a Besiktas-Fenerbahce football match on the telly hanging in the corner.
Food is an integral part of the raki experience, and I�ll be blogging various foodstuffs that are easily made to complement your raki. Here�s a meze (starter). It may sound rather disgusting, but it is an absolutely fantastic dish. My wife first made it for me. Thanks, hun!
Cilbir
Ingredients
Eggs (2 per person is usually ideal)
Turkish or Greek style plain yoghurt
Garlic
Dill or mint
Flaked chilli pepper
Directions: Very finely dice (or crush) a decent sized clove of garlic. I usually do one clove per person. Mix into the yoghurt vigorously. Make sure the yoghurt isn�t too solid in consistency. Leave to one side to let the garlic infuse through.
Break the eggs into a bowl and scramble. In a frying pan, melt a little butter and vegetable oil. Once hot, pour in eggs mixture. Keep stirring eggs until cooked � the aim is to have little lumps. Once done, transfer eggs to a serving dish. Alternatively the eggs can be simply poached. Pour the yoghurt over the eggs. Garnish with dill or mint, plus the flaked chilli pepper. Eat immediately with fresh crusty white bread. Drink raki. Afiyet Olsun!
Sunday, February 23, 2003
23.02.2003. Hello. I'm nearly 35 and about to enter a new demographic group, viz. not young. Bollocks to that! I now find that adverts for cool clothes will not be aimed at me. Fizzy alcopop stuff? Nah, past it mate. I am supposed to endure cliches about mortgages, a certain type of car, family life, and, when the time is right, haemorroid (sic) ointments and walk in baths. I so don't think so..........keep your eyes on this site....
pjgallantry
pjgallantry
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