I’m going to miss a lot of things about Vancouver: the weather, the people, the food. In the latter category, I doubt there’s a place I’ll miss more than Refuel, my home away from home over the last twelve years. Today, we swung by for lunch and enjoyed…
Their Salumi Platter comprised of (from left to right): 18 Month Dry Cured Berkshire Ham, Fennel Pollen Salami, Saucisson Sec, Sopressata, and Dry Cured Chorizo.
Slow cooked garlic risotto with Italian parsley and albacore tuna tartare. The reason we came. Akemi had a hankering.
And two of my favorite desserts from the Refuel kitchen: chocolate pot de creme with caramel mousse and peanuts, and warm sugar pie with pear puree and vanilla ice cream.
I did a little shopping and returned home with three interesting ingredients:
For dinner tomorrow, I’ve decided to try my hand at pappardelle with braised veal cheeks and porcini cream. All of the recipes I’ve checked out call for red wine, but I’m going to go with a port reduction (and veal stock) as my braising liquid. Most of the recipes suggest searing the meat first in hot oil, but I think I’ll go a different route, rendering some guanciale (far right) in a cast iron pan and then using the savory fat to brown the cheeks. As for the box in the middle – I spotted it at a specialty shop and decided to pick it up. It is, I believe, one of the hottest sauces on the market, made from the Indian Ghost Chili which boasts a rating of 855 000 units on the Scoville Scale (the scorching habanero, in comparison, comes in at between 350 000 to 580 000 units). Apparently, the Indian government is weaponizing the stuff for use against terrorists. Good to know. Anyway, I sampled the stuff last year when I received a bottle of another sauce made with the same pepper, Dragon’s Blood, from a blog regular. Carl joined me in the taste challenge and I had Lawren record the event for posterity’s sake. Head on over to this entry and scroll down to check out the vid (October 22, 2009: Julia Benson! Jennifer Spence! Birthday Swag! The Weird Food Purchase of the Day!). Note my poker face as I sit back, casual as hell despite the inferno in my mouth, and patiently wait for Carl to pop the chip in his mouth.
Anyway, a couple of Akemi’s friends came by tonight and after a little snack –
Fresh sea urchin on rice –
I decided to break open the bottle (and the fun), but only after removing the yellow CAUTION tape:
For those of you who can’t read the warning on the label, allow me – WARNING: Use this product one drop at a time. Keep away from eyes, pets, and children. Not for people with heart or respiratory problems.
How hot was it? Well, let me put it this way. Seconds after sampling a couple of drops on his rice, my guest, Masa, turned beet red, started coughing, then hiccuping, then had to down a glass of almond milk before staggering out on to the back porch to collect himself. Not beet redness for me, but plenty of hiccuping and some coughing. Probably the hottest thing I’ve ever eaten.
To all those offering requests on alternate publications for the Stargate: Atlantis script, Extinction – alas, I don’t own the rights. They rest with the studio. Ideally, I’d love to see it on screen but, barring that, I’d love to see it go out in script form (rather than, say, a novel, comic book, or radio play). But, as I said, the decision doesn’t rest with me.
With it looking more and more like I may be spending much of 2011 in Toronto, I’ve decided to reprioritize my reading and viewing lists. I’ve got one month to read and watch the books and dvd’s I’d been hoping to leisurely get around to. No time for filler. It’s only the good stuff. Thus, I’ve started on Gail Simone’s Secret Six run, kicking off with Villains United, then following up with the four trade paperbacks. Very much looking forward to it.
Mailbag:
Tenacious D. writes: “Oh, SyFy. You remind me so much of Peter Kavanagh. So busy spinning complete bullshit to cover your own ass, to the point where the writer of your show literally has to berate you like Weir did.”
Answer: Not quite. The first quote – http://twitter.com/Syfy/status/36112527372845056 – can be interpreted two very different ways, and I said as much (“Not sure that was the intention of the response…”). As for the second quote – “In this case we had pre-committed to 2 seasons of SGU before we started airing it.” – it’s unclear, perhaps somewhat inaccurate, given that the two-year commitment was ratings-dependent. What was “Chotto bullshit” was the inference (not Craig’s) that “regardless of how well or bad Season 1 did, they were obligated to give a new season.”
majorsal writes: “i’m not an expert on this at all, but if you were very much wanting to stay in vancouver, couldn’t there be a way of doing that, but also still being a writer for this new show?”
Answer: Yes. If I was only a freelance writer for the show, I could just go down for a week and write from Vancouver. In this case, I would be doing more than freelancing.
Les Ferris writes: “Is there any chance we’ll ever get to learn the details of what the SG1 and SGA films where going to be about?”
Answer: See above. I think a nice glossy hardcover exclusive containing the script (with, perhaps, bonus interviews of cast and crew) would sell very well.
Elminster writes: “Ok, turn the page. We’ll have the script read in, what, 54 days?”
Answer: Try 102.
Bryan M. White writes: “Does that fact that you referred to that script as “that script” mean it will never see the green light of a production schedule?”
Answer: Not necessarily but, like I already said, the cancellation of SGU has stymied whatever progress the SGA script had made since MGM’s announcement that it was finally moving forward with other hitherto paused productions.
Guillaume writes: “Joe, do you seriously find it normal that the next season of a show is decided upon the first 10 episodes of a previous season ?”
Answer: I actually do. Given the show’s scheduling, that would be the only way (given the standing method of gathering ratings) of gauging the show’s performance.
Shadow Step writes: “So, will that new show be full of sex?”
Answer: Tons!
DeanGrr writes: “The trilogy “First Strike, Adrift, Lifeline” is an exciting, fast paced story where one crisis builds on another, with the McKay/Sheppard wit thrown in. But, we’re talking about the genocide of a whole race in Season 4 Atlantis, that began with the nuking of Asuras.”
Answer: “Race” would be debatable. Many would argue they were very complex machinery.
DearGrr also writes: “When do royalties become valuable as a writer?”
Answer: Uh, immediately? Royalty pay-outs differ and are dependent on the types of contracts worked under. For instance, Canadian writers (working under WGC contracts) receive an advance chunk of royalty payment as part of a heavy production bonus when their script goes to camera.
asdasdg writes: “Will we be seeing more of Destiny’s underside (your tormenting me by not giving a straight yes or no). Totaly unrelated to Stargate, but have you ever played Zeta Flow? what was your favorite Stargate Episode (other then 200).”
Answer: Can’t recall if we see more of Destiny’s underside. Never played Zeta Flow. As for my fave Stargate episode: August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes
dasNdanger writes: “Joe, I stopped by last night, saw the Extinction script, and got really sad. Sadder than I’ve been since the cancellation of SGAwas announced. I just left. I’m still sad. I think I need a hug.”
Answer: Rally the troops and convince the studio to either publish the script. Once you read it, you’ll be incapable of sadness.
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