weka

Eaten to extinction, Balic. And for torakris I will drop any sports comments. However, I managed to lose the entire froth section off the top of a cappucino in Wellington, just lifted up in the wind and flew off. - Weka

Yep, I think they did and they liked to shove all of it in the ground together and steam it, yum! Hungi! Some tribes even tried eating each other As I recall some Maori brought and raised dogs specifically for eating, as well. That dog breed is also, now, sadly extinct. Sad about the cricket, but I am more bummed about the Hurricanes, Wellington's rugby, losing in the semis. - Weka

Balic, A weka is a diurnal, day loving, bird similarly shaped to a kiwi, but actually a rail not a ratite. Other ratites are the emu, rhea, ostrich and moa, which the Maori polished off at too many lunches and it is now sadly extinct. Found this in of all places a the Hingham Journal hailing from Massachusetts on 27 Feb this year: "The Weka and the Takahe are both flightless birds in the rail family that includes coots and gallinules. Most rails are very secretive and seldom seen. The New Zealand Weka, by contrast, does not shy away from people. It can swim and has feet strong enough to kill rats and stoats." Very apt. The weka like many NZ birds has no qualms about shouting its name, in this case, in your face. The last one I saw diligently worked at putting its beak through my pink plastic water bottle. Meanwhile a week earlier one had shattered my Milford Sound hotel's dining room picture window with its beak. I guess, it just couldn't understand why it couldn't get to its placesetting and wished to file a formal complaint with the maitre d'. The weta, note the "t", on the other hand, is your giant cricket. http://www.wwf.org.nz/earthsaver/es_17.cfm includes the following description and a great close-up. "Wetas Wetas are only found in New Zealand. They have out lived the dinosaurs and have changed very little over the last 190 million years. Wetas are very large by insect standards - only the African Goliath beetle is bigger. They look quite fearsome, with heavily spined legs and large jaws. However they only bite if they feel threatened. Wetas are mostly nocturnal and they live in lots of places including burrows, inside caves and in tunnels in trees. The Giant weta species on Little Barrier Island is called wetapunga and one pregnant female weighed in at 71 grams, which is bigger than a garden bird. Many of the giant species now only survive on protected land or offshore islands and are endangered." http://www.wwf.org.nz/earthsaver/earthsave...images/weta.jpg Although I like to do macro photography of such beasties when I can convince my companions to hold them, I don't hope to share too many characteristics with them. They would make great B film monsters, I think. - Weka

Thanks, indiagirl. - Weka

Good call balic!...a useful rule of thumb is to never cook with an alcohol you can't palate straight out of the bottle. "Cooking Sherry"!!...Ugh?!?!? - Weka

Marlene, Invite accepted, pending all other things like food prep and classes. No clue on my schedule for the latter yet. - Weka

Don't know about that Holly, but I suppose the golf club is long enough. However, the dutchman who first introduced me to golf on the shores of Ireland, just north of Dublin, seemed pretty pissed off when I started playing better than him on the second day, so maybe he was following your gambit. Of course, my stealth reason for being there, was to take in the most excellent view of the sea. I should probably reclassify myself as a scenic golfer, or scenic driver I still recall the abuse my colleague dished out to the dog that ran off with the only golf ball he hit onto the green with a single stroke that day. We officially quit because of the dog, but I have a sinking suspicion it had more to do with the nearly tied score. - Weka

Geezzz.... I just had a bad follow-up thought on my last post... Would employ in the golf cart, make me the mobile 19th hole? - Weka

I'm up for golf, but am not sure whether you'll be up for my golf as I have had but a few lessons but can certainly keep the ball on the course So feel free to tell me to go jump regarding the golf gig. Maybe I can come and drive the extended bar golf cart around? I can dig up my mixed drink knowledge from the bartending class I took my senior year, first time at university. And I have a clean driving record. If the Heartland contingent heads South, I hold to my promise on helping with accomodations, might involve padding the hardwood floors though as the bed supply is only slightly better than the cardboard and duct tape furniture. - Weka

Hate to run countercurrent to you on this...but actually it is a word, Bourdain's use is just a bit bizarro *not a word so far as I know*. Apparatae however seems to lurk in a number of scientific papers...a few ganders for you all: "Indeed, evolution has provided biological agents with highly tuned apparatae to efficiently pick up the information necessary to carry out useful actions. " from Ewert, J-P., Neuroethology: an introduction to the neurophysiological fundamentals of behavior, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1980. "Mira, on the other hand, argues that the theoretical and legal apparatae in play have been changed without her consent." from The Limits of Thinking Theory: Responding to the Theory/Practice Debate in Asian American Studies by Wendy Hui Kyong Chun I seem to recall it in some Isaac Asimov books as well It might be good to note though that the word is not English, tis Latin. But then he threw a French phrase in that article as well. From the Vatican's website: "69. Editiones librorum liturgicorum lingua vulgari apparatae omni ex parte congruant cum titulis, ordine textuum, rubricis et numerorum ratione, quae in editione typica exstant, nisi in praenotandis iisdem libris praepositis aliter statuatur. Inserantur insuper quaevis additamenta a Congregatione de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum approbata, sive in supplemento quodam seu appendice sive loco suo, prout Sedes Apostolica statuerit." So, Bourdain's "We are all all-too-familiar with the frequency, density and structural integrity of our respective contributions -- and the viability of our flush apparatae." can just join the club Maybe he fell asleep listening to a subliminal Latin learning tape? Somehow I don't think he is best buddies with the Pope. - Weka

As a child I used to make peanut butter and spaghetti sauce sandwiches. Not sure I would still like them though... - Weka

cabbage ~22% potatos ~10% You would neat to eat a hell of a lot of them

So if one can't get into Zaika in London and has time for but one Indian meal there, where might one go? Anyone else have a best there? I've been scratching my head about this and recall a good place buried somewhere off Fleet St. I savoured an excellent lamb rhogan josh there once. But alas I haven't a clue where it might be or if it still might be, as that was mid-90s. It was one of those hole in the wall restaurants. Also are there any really good Balti houses in London or is the border for this beyond the orbital? I've been to some round about Birmingham and south of Stoke on Trent and would love to recreate the experience in London. I miss table naan and an excuse to eat straight from the pot. Oh, and with even less of a shot of success, does anyone know of a Balti restaurant in the US or a decent Indian restaurant in North Carolina? If I have headed too far off topic, please flag me, but I'm hoping that best Indian meals might also manifest in other non-core places where Indian expats have settled. I know one of mine was at a friend from Bombay's, home in LA. Thanks a million - Weka

Edmonds Cookery Book, the stalwart in any New Zealander's kitchen. Been about since 1907, unlike me Leads one to a perfect pavlova, scrumptious scones and a kickass custard...oh and lest I forget and get in loads of trouble....the Christmas fruitcake recipe with royal icing you can stand on! Don't try that last recipe unless your packing a kitchenaide or stronger steel as the mixer will go kerplunk kerplak kablooey. The thoughtful folks at the sure rise baking powder joint also remember to include every chart known to man for conversions, cooking temperatures, etc. Have been fighting over the only stateside copy in our family for years and it shows the battlescars...need to remedy this soon as else we will be mailing the silly thing back and forth in the post. - Weka

Moonshine...hmmm will check with some folks further west of me in the hill country. I don't think they will let you make that stuff in Cary Also, anyone up for bread pudding? I've tested it on a few southerners already and apparently it meets standards. Only problem is I have yet to find a local place in the Triangle that makes decent crusty bread that will actually go hard, if left out, not soft. Any ideas Varmint? - Weka

But seriously, at the risk of sounding extremely naive, I didn't realize anyone actually paid for a Chef's table. As I recall the last I attended was an invite type thing. It hadn't ever occurred to me to actually seek one out and pay for it, at least not on the individual diner's level basis. Blissfully wishing to remain unaware of the financial exchanges involved in an excellent meal, wine and good company - Weka

"Nel mezzo camin di nostra vita, mi ritrovai per una selva oscura"...obviously that French reading dude is still stuck in that forest. Apologies to Dante - Weka

Varmint, C.A.R.Y. yep onto that one thnx and just had to slight it as the contemp. house fell out of the twister a mile or so wrong side of your fair city's line. Went blind looking at all those trad. houses and even worse transitionals pretending to be contemporary. No worries on that contained bit though, hasn't worked anywhere else yet and the fortifications are self-imposed and virtual to all but the inmates within, I believe. 'sides am only about a third yank rest is midwest and internat. mongrel. Certainly, my husband is just a plain old foreigner, from a far away faery land called Yorkshire...he'll probably try to bring singed peat on a Doc Martin to this shinding. Cement lawn is cool! We have mainly trees and since they won't let us have a mini-prairie, we plan to ditch the strip of lawn, if the neighbours don't kick up a fuss, and put in a garden of some sort. Hubbie would want a flagstone patio as they don't do decks where he's from. No lawnmowers for us! Just have to find my way around the architectural, or is it, landscape subcommittee, can't believe the rules they have in Cary, like a pack of lawyers relo'ed together from the great North and set up a residential law firm. So count me and my husband in and closer to the date we can pitch in with additional concrete, as opposed to cyber-planning and set-up. By the way was just an innocent bystander at that Chicago gig, playing the Jetson's pinball machine with a nickle on a string in the corner of the room, far from the cat fight at the milkcrate bar. Also spent a bit of time checking out the handiwork on the dog's front, right amputation as well, was strange technique with creative relief. Got to go look that one up in a book, could revolutionize vet. surg. So no worries, mate- Weka

If they'll let me out of the anatomy lab at State I'll be there. Shame we are doing 3 dogs and a cat fall semester. Pig is in the spring with the other farm animals. We landed in Cary, NC, officially today, closed on a house while I was still recovering from last night's Heartland outing up here in Chicago. Gotta love power of attorney and a husband who can sign his name, over and over and over and... If anyone needs directions to furniture fantasy land out west in high point we can help as we hail from between High Point and Greensboro last. So northeast Cary puts us within spitting distance of that citadel-like Raleigh beltline. But I'll be able to play tennis on our neighbourhood court without confusing the white lines with fat streaks and ashen trails Do you have any lawn left Varmint or did you trade it in for the court? I guess one must have his priorities. We're working on non-poly bute pipes at the moment. You wouldn't believe the crap they plumb southern houses with even the bats flew out of our crawlspace in disgust We can not, and I repeat not, call that pig Wilbur! Due to imminent proximity we can likely provide an auxiliary kitchen, double ovens, wet bar and five burner gas range (hob for the Brits) anyone? We might even be able to provide some accomodation, although our chairs may be bouncy balls from Toys R' Us and the tables one step down from prefab, read converted box cartons with artistic as well as structural application of duct tape. All of course laid out on inlaid hardwood floors. Not sure we have our priorities straight! But there is a jacuzzi tub, a shower with dueling showerheads and three bathrooms INSIDE. There is also a pool somewhere about OUTSIDE, but have yet to find it. And due to the last owner having a real Picasso, unlike my poster from the MET, as well as some one of a kind grand pianos, this joint has humidity control. So what is a good % humidity setting to complement the air conditioning in the height of the NC summer? Likely it will still need to be on in Oct. So a long winded count me in +1... Oh, and I just may know a banjo player. - Weka