Random commentary

[neadods]

Every time I see the "pick a topic for me to rant on" meme crop up, I think "Dudes! I find plenty of ways to raise my blood pressure on my own!"

Speaking of which, more on Spongebob. Mostly funny - definately read it just for the snark factor - but there's one quote that is stomach-turning: "Tolerance" and "diversity" are part of a "coded language that is regularly used by the homosexual community," said a spokesman from the reliably over-caffeinated Family Research Council.

There you have it - tolerance and diversity are teh gay. I'll let y'all do the relevant links to quotes from the founding fathers and the gospels about how "unAmerican" and "unChristian" that interestingly twisted mindset is.

(In a side note, I aspire to write like Bruce Kluger...)

And in other news... remember my father's heart attack? Which was at first a "oh, don't worry, it's kinda a complication of surgery" and turned into "he was due for this regardless"? My mother is sticking with the "regardless" side of things and she was there. But I made a chance comment to my aunt (father's sister) about how I was going to eat heart-healthily now (well... soon...) because my Dad had a heart attack and their Dad had died of one.

"Oh, [our] Daddy had an enlarged heart and blood pressure problems and all kinds of things," she scoffed. "Totally different."

Well, that was encouraging. Until my Mother told me that my Aunt has just been diagnosed with heart irregularities...

Oh, and have I mentioned that I'm terrified of going of Alzheimers, as both grandmothers did? And that google news had a series of articles yesterday about how heart health seems to dimish the risk of going gaga?

Expect me to start doing some serious posting of recipes on poly_diet. I'm finding very dark chocolate surprisingly unpleasant, and I've tried and I simply cannot, cannot drink even half a glass of red wine. Feh. So I'm going to look into wine-and-fish based Mediterranean recipes. (And wistfully wonder if drinking a peppermint patty every day would fill the flavinoid/alcohol requirement.)

Comments

[lizbetann]

As a red wine aficionado, I want to check what kind of red wine you are drinking before I allow you to give up on it entirely. *g*

Firstly, are you used to drinking alcohol at all? If so, what kind?

Secondly, what kind of red wine are you drinking? (If non-European, usually it is named by the varietal, the family of grape that made it. If European, why are you paying the import taxes when you could be buying a domestic wine of just as good quality for half the price it is more likely to be named after the location (sometimes a location is known for two different varietal, ie, "Burgundy" and "White Burgundy".)

One of the most common red wines in the grocery store today is Cabernet Sauvingon, which I generally can't abide. It has nasty, bitter tannins (the stuff that dries out your mouth, also in black tea, also what is used to tan leather), and because it is the "known" kind, tons of it is dumped on the market. (Same thing with Chardonnay, which is the "known" white wine. I loathe most Chardonnay with a fiery passion.)

Personally, I adore Zinfandel (not white Zin, which is the same varietal but not processed the same), but it can be the uber-red and too much for people who aren't used to it.

My father adores Merlot, and I would recommend that as a good red. If the problem with the reds is that they are too heavy/bitter, try a Pinot Noir. It is generally lighter in both color and taste (garnet instead of ruby).

[lagilman]

We already ruled out Zins, I think -- too high in the alcohol content. Ditto Sangeovese. I had suggested Pinot Noir already -- I'm not a big fan of Merlot, but yeah, if she hasn't tried it that might be the way to go.

Also, what do the diet gurus say about cooking with red wine, instead of drinking it? A red wine reduction might give the same benefits, but be acceptable to your taste buds...


Every time I see the "pick a topic for me to rant on" meme crop up, I think "Dudes! I find plenty of ways to raise my blood pressure on my own!"

*snicker* Thee and me as well.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

what kind of red wine are you drinking?

Something from the Italian market that is half melot and half something that starts with "p". I kinda like the way it wafts up my sinuses, but getting it down to waft is gagsome. (I feel the same way about scotch, she says irrelevantly.) Would totally rock in pot roast... which isn't in the polydiet.

I loathe most Chardonnay with a fiery passion.

Fantastic chicken marinade, chardonnay. Soak for 2 hours, dust with dill, and roast. Fancy it up with apple slices before roasting and a handful of pine nuts just after. Serve with steamed snow peas.

...uh, so I hear...

what do the diet gurus say about cooking with red wine, instead of drinking it

I'm not sure. I think it's "good but not optimal" (which appears to be the same response regarding grape juice). If necessary, I'll have a nightly nip of grape and cranberry juice (don't want to give up my morning OJ).

Maybe I should start looking into fruit juice mixers? Pour my 4 oz tipple into 4-6 oz of something else?

[lagilman]

Primitivo? That's a kissin' cousin to zinfandel. Not sure that would be your thing.

Try the pinot noir. You can get a decent, light one for under $15, so even if you hate the taste you can use it in cooking without hesitation (or make a grainta!)

If you find you're liking fruity and sweeter, you might want to look into a grenache blend....

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should start looking into fruit juice mixers? Pour my 4 oz tipple into 4-6 oz of something else?

Sounds like sangria, which can be very, very good indeed.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Firstly, are you used to drinking alcohol at all? If so, what kind?

No, and uh, none.

[lizbetann]

Aaaaah, that could be a lot of it. *g*

FWIW, I believe green tea has a lot of the same bio-flavinoids that red wine does. Now, I can't stand green tea, but I love red wine. Perhaps you would be the reverse? *g* (I also second the suggestion of a Grenache blend; the little I know about those wines suggests that they are used to "lighten up" heavier wines.)

And darn. I checked to see if White Zin (an excellent starter wine, for all that it is sneered at) would have flavinoids, but it seems like most of the beneficial elements are (say it with me) in the skin, which is what is excluded from White Zin to make it white (well, pink).

[faireraven.livejournal.com]

I need to look at the poly diet myself. Supposedly it's good for MSers.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I started a fledgling community on lj (see link above) to discuss it and swap recipes, as there is little information about it aside from a few articles out of England.

So far, I'm not getting a good batting average out of the recipes from the American Heart Assn. Got hopes for Mediterranean cooking; I like Greek and Italian food.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem with very dark chocolate. I find that 70% cocoa solids is absolutely as close as I want to approach for eating; Valrhona, which many of my friends enthuse over, is just too much.

However, I have 2 suggestions which may help you deal with the Really Dark Stuff: mole sauce (a staple of Mexican cooking) and lots of cinnamon (also a Mexican concept). Note that these are not overlapping! Mole sauce with cinnamon would be vile.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

and lots of cinnamon

I have several medieval & renaissance recipes that call for a cinnamon blend that is best replicated with pumpkin pie spice. The rice boiled in milk might do it for the calcium requirements, if I use 1%.

[karentoe.livejournal.com]

You've talked to your own doctor about the heart stuff, right? And did your dad smoke, your aunt smoke, and your grandfather smoke?

But if you do have genetic tendencies, you really need a complete physical to set up a base line so they can catch things early.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Don't have a doctor since I switched jobs, and no, no, and yes like a chimney. (Ask me sometime why my Dad doesn't smoke, it's a funny story, for slightly sadistic senses of funny.)

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

Hey, I figure if someone can give me a different theme to rant on, it might amuse me to diversify.*wry grin*

I don't like most red wines either because of idiosyncratic tastebuds--that make all Scotch, for example, no matter how good, taste literally like gasoline to me, and no, it's not just "try another Scotch, really" territory. Suricattus and other Wine-Knowledgeable Friends have been patiently trying to bring me along and swearing that no, not EVERY red wine will react this way to me.

Problem is all the ones they've gotten me to taste and enjoy, either stupid me didn't write down the name of at the time*smacks forehead* or are too expensive for the pocketbook at the moment. Feh.

In soup, though, I can tolerate red wine that is too strong-tasting for me to drink straight. How do you feel about soup?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

How do you feel about soup?

I'll eat it. Neither love nor loathe it.

[lagilman]

Stew. Adding a cup of red wine to stew gives it a vibrancy without the alcohol taste. The trick is to add a little as you go, tasting along the way, to find your comfort level.

(I typically use 1 cup of wine to 2 cups of broth)

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love very dark chocolate! I've stopped eating anything less than 70% cocoa, because it's too sweet and nasty and unchocolatey.

I love red wine, too, but apparently you can get a lot of the same benefits from grape juice. Although the alcohol itself has other health benefits.

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

I'm by no means a world class somolier (although I have pulled off the champagne bottle sabre salute without killing anyone). I enjoy reds far more than white wines; solely a tastebud preference. For me the more complex the red whine the better. Again not being a world class somolier I couldn' tell you about hints of currant or oak, I only know what I like. I've been picking up a bottle of Argentinian or Chilean wine every once and a while. It seems that these South American countries are on the verge of a wine renaisance pretty soon. With shifting climate conditions I can see why. Castillero del Diablo has been one of my favs from Chile I believe. I would also recommend trying an Italian valipocella; which tend to be medium bodied and less 'fruity'.
You may also try some desert wines, which are sweeter (Thunderbird, Ripple, and Mad Dog 20/20 do not count as desert wines ;), or aperitifs. I'm not sure what the flavinoid content of Port wines are (red wines fortified with brandy and aged in oak casks)but a small glass of port goes a long way (17-22% alcohol). Ruby ports are deep red in color; and tend towards a more grapey flavor; Fetzer makes a decent and inexpensive ruby port. Tawny ports have been aged at least 5 years and are more amber in color; Sandeman's 20 is a great example of these...and if you have no interest in ports whatsoever...sorry for the port rant ;)
-=Jeff=-

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Fetzer Port. Check. I like sweet things, so a dessert wine is probably the one that will get the most mileage outside of being a cooking ingredient.

[kamiki-seto.livejournal.com]

One caution on the poly diet; if you have any personal or family history of kidney stones, (particularly oxylate stones) this may not be the diet for you. The foods it relies on are largely high-oxylate foods that people who are stone-formers should try to avoid. I'm one of them. I average one or more stones a year unless I'm very careful about things like tea (all kinds), chocolate, nuts....you get the idea.

Kidney stones are a special kind of misery invented in Hell.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Dad had a kidney stone once, but I'm not sure if that counts as a major family history. On the other hand, thanks for the warning!