eG Foodblog: Mooshmouse - Back-to-school Dining on the Left Coast

[Mooshmouse]

Brain.

Earth to brain.

Come iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin brain.

Drat. I knew it fell out somewhere back there in August. Or so it must have if I actually volunteered to do an eGullet Foodblog during back-to-school week. Oh well. Chalk it up to temporary Mommy-brain insanity.

Mental lapse aside, I suppose I should introduce myself and the rest of the Mouse house.

*curtseys demurely*

I'm Joie, a real estate marketing executive in my former life and a stay-at-home Mom in my current one. Co-habitating in marital bliss with my husband Ian who indulges my love for all things food-related. Mommy to our four-year-old son Noah whose growing passion for food is almost as big as mine. Owner of Shadow, the largest Norwegian Forest Cat in all of Christendom who adopted us two summers ago. We've been living in a beautiful heritage house in Vancouver, British Columbia for the past couple of years, housesitting for two friends of ours, and are in the throes of renovating a home of our own with plans to move in by month's end.

See what I mean about madness? The start of school, home renos... what was I thinking?! Nonetheless, I hope that you'll fasten your seatbelts and join our family as we rush headlong through this first full week of September. Cooking will be far from gourmet this week as Ian, Noah and I readjust to our fall schedule. To placate Soba, I'll try to squeeze in some Filipino food over the course of this blog. And we'll close off the week with some fellow eGulleters at Aurora Bistro's A Taste of British Columbia! dinner.

Fire away with any questions you might have about Vancouver, Filipino food, preschooler dining habits or life in general. For the span of this week, my house is your house and I'm more than happy to accommodate.

Let's have some fun!

[Smithy]

Well, isn't this cool, and aren't you the daring one! I thought blogging during a more-or-less normal week was difficult enough. It's fun, though.

I know nothing about Filipino food, so I hope you'll give us a great rundown on it. What sorts of ingredients does it use? Is there any special cookware that gives it a special touch? What about cooking methods (braising, grilling, etc.) What's your connection to Filipino food?

I hear Vancouver is a beautiful place. Please be sure to tell us what the weather's doing and show us some photos of the area. Gratuitous family and pet photos are de rigueur, of course: we must see the largest Norwegian Forest Cat in Christendom, and no doubt your child and husband are the cutest ever. What are your markets like?

Blog on!

Edited to hide my geographic ignorance (thanks, *Deborah*!)

Edited September 6, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[Ling]

Liar liar, pants on fire! I thought you said you weren't doing the Food Blog this week!

Include some pics of my bf, Noah, please.

Looking forward to this blog!

[*Deborah*]

Your boyfriend, Noah?!?!

Noah stands on his head for me!!

Looking forward, Joie!

[peppyre]

You brat!! You lied to all of us.

This should be fun. I can't wait to see photographic evidence of you using your kitchen.

I actually think it's time you weighed that cat of yours. I think she may surpass my giant.

Good luck! It's going to be one busy week for you.

[Pam R]

Any good Filipino restaurants out there? Then you wouldn't have to cook...

I fell in love with Vancouver (despite the rain) on my first visit out there last November - I can't wait to see your Vancouver.

[jamiemaw]

Well done, Joie, a busy week for all and annoying to be inside even for a minute in this gorgeous weather. Am particularly looking forward to seeing Filipino dishes pile up on your dining room table. Great timing with the Aurora dinner as well--I'm sure Jeff will announce the prime time of the local larder like no other.

Bon chance,

Jamie

PS: That's my new avatar you see and yes, that's my bug-eyed head on a platter--just where, I suppose, any number of chefs would love to see it.

Edited September 6, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Pan]

Joie, I've really enjoyed your posts, so I'm very happy to see you blogging! In between all the craziness, I hope you have a great time!

[Mooshmouse]

David Duchovny's a liar... who says it always rains in Vancouver? It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood.

Here's the view upon which I gaze each morning as I take a pull from the elixir of life; today it's a cappuccino courtesy of Prado Cafe. The ivy-covered planter holds our tomato plants: Yellow, Brandywine, Yellow Brandywine, Siletz and Ugly Ripe, all grown from seedlings courtesy of Mrs. Daddy-A (merci beaucoup, ma chere amie). She also graciously provided us with an eggplant plant along with two chili plants: ancho and jalapeno. I see ratatatouille in my future! Aside from the veggies, our back yard also sports a profusion of herbs: two types of mint, oregano, regular chives and garlic chives, bay laurel and rosemary. I'll certainly miss this garden when we move.

I'm saving this yellow tomato for Noah to eat after school today. He loves to pluck them off the vines himself and eat them like apples. God bless my child for eating vegetables.

Coffee shot and gratuitous pet photo #1. Behold Shadow, in all her largeness, luxuriating beneath the bay laurel and the lavender. Let's just get one thing straight. Shadow was not the moniker we chose for her. She was so named by her former owners, our neighbours across the alley, who gifted her to us when they realized that she preferred spending time at our home to being picked on by her sister at theirs. Since Shadow adopted us, we've been trying to come up with a 'cooler' name, one more suitable for a feline of her girth... we're guessing she tips the scales at 18-20 lbs which is, believe it or not, a normal weight for cats of this breed. Tiny was my choice, Sylvester was Ian's. However, because we're unable to agree, the name search continues. Non-food-related, I know, but do y'all have any suggestions?

Thanks for the welcomes and well wishes everyone! I'm off on an errand run before I pick Noah up from preschool, so I'll field your initial round of questions a little later on.

[Ling]

I like cutesy names for pets, like Cupcake, Cheesecake, or Pumpkin. I'm going to name my dog Cupcake (well...when I get one. And YES--even if it's a boy dog!)

Your cat appeared out of nowhere when my date was knocking on the door Saturday night, and gave him quite a fright.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Pan]

Joie, you say:

I'll certainly miss this garden when we move.

Is a move in the works? To where?

[Dejah]

I've heard that there is sunshine in Vancouver. Glad I finally saw it with my own eyes...but will it last?

Looking forward to my introduction to Filipino food!

One of my friends had a cat as big or bigger than yours. He hunted most of the day in the woods around their home. The cat was a stray, and they called him Dumptruck. I suppose that's more suitable for a male.

[barolo]

This should be a fun blog. Like the others, I am really looking forward to seeing some Filipino dishes.

The cat? Hmmm.... I think she looks like a Tinkerbell

[jamiemaw]

I've heard that there is sunshine in Vancouver. Glad I finally saw it with my own eyes...but will it last?

←

Dejah,

Yes, our climate is why we're forced to use surplus Canadian Tire driveway salt for topping our heirloom tomatoes. In January.

And boy, are you out of the loop. Vancouver has been officially sanctioned by the UN as a No Fly Zone. Here, West Nile Virus only occurs on Frasier re-runs.

J.

Now back to regularly scheduled guinataang bilo-bilo, papaya atsara, fish balls, chicken a la King, caldereta, tocino, lumpiang shanghai with sweet & sour sauce, curry manok iban talum, kari imperial ...

[Smithy]

Although Dumptruck has its charm, I go for more literal/literary names, meself. What about Fingol? Or, to feminize that giant's name, Fingola?

I can easily imagine that cat giving a start to a date!

Back to food...how much of this stuff will you be able to harvest when you move? Maybe you could tell the present owners you're weeding?

[BCinBC]

I was pointing to that exact cat on Saturday, saying, "Wow, that is one fat cat."

"It's mostly fur," replied N. Cha, right.

Anyway, Sylvester is not bad but when you look at the picture, he is clearly a "Surly".

[Zucchini Mama]

Great to see you blogging, Mooshmouse!

As for kitty, I actually like the name "Shadow" as it befits the patterns on her back, which do resemble the patterns of the shadows in which she reclines. However, I also like "Fingola" AND since she's of Norwegian extraction how about "Krumkaka"? Or perhaps as befitting feline royalty she should have all three names:

HRM Shadow Fingola Krumkaka invites you to afternoon tea in the garden. Catnip juleps will be served!

Have Fun!

Zuke

Edited September 7, 2005 by Zucchini Mama (log)

[purplewiz]

I was pointing to that exact cat on Saturday, saying, "Wow, that is one fat cat."

"It's mostly fur," replied N.  Cha, right.

←

She looks a lot like our Oreo, who tips the scales at 17.1 lbs. And it very likely is a lot of fur - long fur can make a cat look a lot fatter than he or she is!

(And Mooshmouse, if Noah won't eat that tomato, send it here. I wish I could convince my tomatoes to grow like that!)

Marcia.

[jayhay]

So THIS is what you've been saving up for! I was just about to send a PM asking where you were...missed your posts.

Really looking forward to this week ....

[PaoPao]

Ahhh Joie, we all have such high expectations knowing your fine Culinary / Literary / Photographic talents! Now that's pressure, eh? My hats off to you doing this blog now with such a full plate. I've enjoyed it so far and look forward to the follow-ups.

[Abra]

I love Vancouver blogs! Being just a couple hours south of y'all, it's a little vicarious vacation to see your town.

And since you're the Moosh household, and she's rather a large and imposing cat, I'd call her...Smoosh.

[appreciator]

Hah.... I knew it would be you blogging this week (okay, you or Brian that is )

Looking forward to it.

And heh... about Shadow... how 'bout renaming her, Puddin'?

[Mooshmouse]

Dejah, to answer your question, the temperature was a wonderful 25°C today (or 77°F for those of you south of the 49th parallel)... not too shabby considering that we're now moving into Indian summer. As Jamie said, all the benefits of a temperate climate sans the skeeters. It's been warmer and drier than usual from about mid-July up until now, and they say that our beautiful summer weather should last until next week sometime with the odd sprinkle of rain thrown in to keep us humble. Fingers crossed.

Lunch on the go, courtesy of the kolachy shop which is co-owned by fellow eGulleters ktbear and Chef Fowke. Tasty, reasonably priced food made with lots of TLC. Warm bread. Meat. Warm bread and meat. It just doesn't get much better than that! Just ask Noah... he'll choose the kolachy shop over Mickey D's any day of the week.

Chef Fowke wouldn't sit still until this photo was just right. Here we have Thai Chicken Soup (coconut milk, chicken breast, lime juice, flavoured with cilantro and ginger) and a Lox & Cream Cheese Kolachy (cured BC wild salmon with capers, red onion and Philly cream cheese). All washed down with a Boylan's Grape Soda... the soda to end all sodas IMHO. I brought a couple of extras home for Ian's mid-renovation dinner break this evening including one of our favourites: a Mushroom Pesto Kolachy (roasted field mushrooms with basil pesto and Philly cream cheese).

[Radio7]

Wow Wow Wow.

I really do miss Vancouver. It's so nice to see pics from there. Which area are you in?

I've never heard of Kolachy - but it looks YUM! What do they do with the insides of the bread?

I have a question: which restaurant/food establishment do you frequent the most? Not necessarily your 'favorite', but the one you most regularly patronize.

As for the cat, I vote for "Princess Buttercup" - dainty! lol.

[Mooshmouse]

Now back to regularly scheduled guinataang bilo-bilo, papaya atsara, fish balls, chicken a la King, caldereta, tocino, lumpiang shanghai with sweet & sour sauce, curry manok iban talum, kari imperial ...

←

Wow, Jamie, that's quite an impressive litany... and you've managed to list a few of my favourites. Your knowledge of Filipino cuisine is a pleasant surprise; as Soba will readily attest, Filipino food isn't that widely known in North America.

I know nothing about Filipino food, so I hope you'll give us a great rundown on it.  What sorts of ingredients does it use?  Is there any special cookware that gives it a special touch?  What about cooking methods (braising, grilling, etc.)  What's your connection to Filipino food?

←

There's a fairly significant tome on Filipino food in the General Food Topics forum that serves as an excellent introduction to this ethnic cuisine. Over the coming week, I'll talk a bit about how the Filipino approach to eating has affected my own perceptions of food.

Any good Filipino restaurants out there?  Then you wouldn't have to cook... 

←

With the exception of Cendrillon in New York City, most Filipino restaurants I've come across serve homestyle food in a cafeteria-style setting, food that I'd love to cook more often if I wasn't so constrained by time. There are a few here in Vancouver, and I'm hoping to hit one for lunch tomorrow... you're one step ahead of me Pam!