Marine etiquette and the Caribbean

A friend of mine just forwarded me the following video.

It is educational in nature with stunning images of reefs in the Caribbean and informs all users to ensure they are mindful of their environment and take steps towards its conservation.

The introductory song gave me chills - and although some may find the narrative a tad cheesy I was impressed with the PSA for highlighting corals AS WELL as seagrass and mangroves and really enjoyed how many subjects it covered, including not stepping on corals, making sure to anchor in safe places, not discarding plastics, and not collecting any corals or shells. I also really liked the fact that the producers not only educated you on what to do or not to do but most importantly told you WHY... and ended the video by forcing you to commit to memory what not to do ;)

Food cravings and cooking

I love food. Blame my french roots over my german heritage ;o)

I love eating food, I love looking at food, I love shopping for food, and I ADORE cooking.

I find cooking to be therapeutic.

During the last stint of writing my thesis - something that feels like a distant blur, and too fresh a scar, memory - I got myself into a sort of time warp of sorts. I don't think this is anything unusual. But it is a rather surreal and truly strange experience. I mostly worked from home, rising around 9am. I'd have breakfast, do some work and then embark on a cooking meditative at-home retreat. For all the little sleep (I'd rarely go to bed before 4am) I had I craved healthy everything else. I needed exercise, to breathe fresh air, and more than anything to eat healthy food. I think I never spent as much money on food as during those last 3 months. And I don't regret it for a second.

I guess in some ways that time has elevated cooking to something even more special for me. Therapeutic yes. But also as though it was a gift to myself in moments when I truly struggled to be kind to myself.

All this is a bit of a long winded way to share with you one of my favourite recipes! I modified it from one of my favourite cooking blogs 101 cookbooks, which I discovered through my dear and loveliest of friend Krista - who has made her dream come true and put up her own blog, pods and pans (wicked name don't ya think?!).

So here goes the recipe:

1&1/4 cup plain cottage cheese

1 cup feta cheese (crumbled) – you can also use Parmesan

1/4 cup flour

1 cup almonds (grind these in a food processor until they achieve a flour-like consistency)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), finely chopped

1/4 cup black olives

1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line a muffin pan with medium-sized paper baking cups (~10-12 it depends on the size of muffins you want). Alternatively use one of those flexible silicon muffin trays.

Put the cottage cheese into a bowl, add the eggs and mix well. Add all the other ingredients in the order above and season with pepper; mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, a spot before the edge. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until set, risen, and golden brown. You can serve them hot (my favourite) or at room temperature.

I have been thinking of opening a new bank account - now that I am no longer a student (hourray!!!) my current RBC set-up means I will be charged $10.95 per month. It potentially seems reasonable but I was curious to find out what's 'out there' and to compare features.
Doing a little research I came across this truly valuable website which provides just the type of info I was after.
So if you're having second thoughts about your account or would like to know how your bank is fairing, check it out!

random thoughts

Many thoughts jumbled and tumbling through my mind... I'll take the time to unfold and uncoil them before laying some bare... another day :)

Some random things I came across today though that I liked.

First the not so random one - a blog that my friend Danae started a short while ago (in french) about her thoughts and reflections on communication, well being, lomi lomi etc...

Where to recycle e-waste (and judging from the website a whole slew of other items too) in the Vancouver area.

While waiting to get my SIN card renewed at the Service Canada office today I came across a few exercises and tips from Williams health group that I quite enjoyed - the link will guide you to free instructional PDFs.

That's it for now :)

Why do we wait until the Ocean is burning?

This hit me like a torpedo fired arrow, straight to the heart.

From my friend Wallace J Nichols

Why do we wait until the ocean is burning?

Why do we wait until the mountain tops are removed?

Why do we wait until the big fish are gone?

Why do we wait until the big cats are hanging on?

Why do we wait until the old growth is new?

Why do we wait until the waters are poisoned?

Why do we wait until the seas are plastic?

Why do we wait until the ocean is burning?

The creative "genius"

I just watched this video:

and greatly encourage you to do so too!

In it, Elizabeth Gilbert, suggests that the creative "genius" is something that we all have - it's a divine visitor. And like visitors do, the "genius" comes and it goes.

And so...

whilst feeling myself move through incredibly dark spaces, often, in this final leg of the PhD writing process

when I find myself

in the pits of despair

when I feel like dumping this project

I'll remember to

Talk to the open air

and say

listen you thing

if this PhD isn't brilliant

then it is not entirely my fault because

I show up for work every day

and do my bit

but

you gotta do your bit too

:o)

How to eat a jellyfish

My supervisor, Daniel Pauly, always said that if we continue to harvest fish stocks at the rate we do, soon we'll be eating jellyfish. Though the gelatinous creature has been a pretty common menu item in China and Japan for many years, it certainly seems to be making quite an appearance even in those countries, slowly replacing more sought after fish, no doubt as a result of overfishing of prized species and vast proliferation of all sorts of jellies.

So it was with a smile and a pinch in the heart that I read the following article on the BBC this morning:

Choosing to eat jellyfish is all about cultural attitudes, according to Carme Ruscalleda, a celebrated chef at work in the kitchen of her Michelin-starred restaurant next to the beach in Sant Pol del Mar, on the Catalan coast. "Put jellyfish on the table in front of a European diner, and they'll say 'oh no, it's a monster from the sea, a nasty thing that stings'. "Serve it to someone from Japan or China and they'll say it's the perfect garnish for a summer dish, something delicious and good for you", she says. Ms Ruscalleda is particularly excited about the health-giving properties attributed to jellyfish. "The Chinese," she says, "say it improves the cardio-vascular system, balances blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps the joints, is good for the skin. I sometimes joke that jellyfish can cure everything except a case of flat feet".

...and call me skeptical, but the Chinese seem to attribute health properties to almost anything, and though I am willing to listen and happy to acquiesce if presented with sufficient information, jellyfish??????

All this sadly points to the fact that are oceans are in trouble... we've been saying so for years, but within the comfort zones of our daily lives we often feel too lazy to change anything and there is a general lack of willingness at the upper political levels to impose any changes necessary to harvest oceans in a sustainable way. If we were to visualise in a "terrestrial' way what goes on underwater when fishing most of us would call it criminal and abstain....
So, if we are serving jellyfish, one of the lowest items in the foodchain, we are in serious trouble and tomorrow those wars will indeed be fought over water and food...

Take a small step and get yourself a seafood pocket guide - you can even download some of these to your iphone, so no excuses:
In Canada Seachoice
in the US Monterey Bay Aquarium
In the UK MCS for general info and here the guide