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jacks-tracks · 6 months

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3 layers high

lazily lying in my hammaca, looking up through the ficus branches, i see that the sea grape tree flowers are blooming, tiny white trumpets absolutely buzzing with honey bees. 500 feet above them a frigate bird is cruising effortlessly, across the cerulean sky, never a wingbeat, hardly a feather moving. And 15000 feet above all that, on the same course as the bird is a jetliner. 3 worlds in one view.

Saturday market,where i went to restock my fridge with fruit and veg, only to find that Saturday is when all the people from the surrounding villages come to buy and sell. The already crowded aisles are now packed with piles of produce, crafts, and dried fish(PHEW!). The happy crowds mill about, mostly looking,occasionaly bargaining, always slowly moving. It's not at all unusual for old friends to meet and stop to chat, blocking the path, but patience rewards and eventually a hole opens and one can slip through. Being so North American oriented I'm impatient to get to my next stall and buy and go, but that is not how it works here. Customer eye the variety, fondle the goods,put them back(wash your vegies), and maybe make an offer, usually rejected and a counter offer is advanced, only to be greeted with exclamations of astonishment," Can it really cost so much?" More back and forth, all good natured, and not always are agreements met.Usually the vendor will throw in an extra to sweeten the deal, perhaps some spices or an old onion for free. What's confusing to me is that most of the vendors have the same stuff, rows of tables loaded with home grown tomatoes, piles of fruit, or braids of garlic, and i don't know how one chooses. There are always strolling guitar playing troubadors, touts calling out "get the best here", kids running wild,a few stray dogs, and some very old people brought from the farm for an outing. Fewer beggars than in the past, though I did pour spare change into one little old ladies begging.basket . I think that anyone who has to beg deserves my charity, and older women especially. The Maria Sabina juice bar still does a good trade and I've had juice there for many years. A large cup of carrot juice costs $3.50, and uses more carrots than you'd think. Totally refreshing,and sanitary. Like the tortilla stall,change is given by a hand wrapped in a plastic bag. It,s a relief to sit down and have a drink while watching the passing throng In a small world moment i see that the juice bar uses the same juicer that I have at home. Should I tell them about the internal fuse and Samcos ingenious external breaker installation?

Most of my shopping is done at the wholesaler who sells mostly to vendors but lets me shop.Vast bins of vegetables, piles of fruit(apples are a big seller here, direct from Washington state), sacks of onions , carrots, potatoes, shifting heaps of tomatoes, all shuffled by knowing buyers (wash hands again, soak vegies in clean water), buckets of garlic, bags of coffee, and lots of rough looking roots that even I can't identify. Mushrooms, avocadoes , mandarins,bananas, and tomatoes are best put in the bag last. i bought all those things and more, Peppers green yellow and red, Jamaica for tea, papayas if they have them(papaya is a major crop here but prices are stupid, most going to Mexico city for sale there), mangoes ,but they come from Yucatan and are 100 pesos a kilo($8 ). There are bags of buns, cilantro by the bale, and all packed in overflowing aisles, where shoppers pick their choices, and porters continually trot through the crowd , packing boxes and bags of produce to dark back rooms or up already crowded stairs to upper floors. That store moves a lot of food,perhaps enough to keep their prices down Joining the old women and campesinos shufffling towards the tills, i get some avocadoes, snatch a hand full of mushrooms, and have to ask for a bag of jamaica. Electronic cash registers, fixed prices and printed receipt, No b.s here, I added my produce to the walnuts from the specialty tienda, got an over priced papaya in the main market, got to the coffee shop too late for honey. Total load 40 pounds, cost all in $60, enough produce for a week when added to the salad fixings, sprouts i make, and lots of juices. Shopping at home was never like this!

Fishing! Tortuga Jimmy got me out with 2 other guys for a days offshore fishing. Nice boat and a calmer day, gorgeous sunrise(we leave at dawn(6:30) and after a slow start landed 3 dorado. I got a small one which i would have released but for the eye ball hook. Shared out 4 ways we each got 2 kilos of fillets, expertly sliced on a board by the deckhand. Dorado don,t fight much, and are boated by the deckhand simply by hoisting them in board by the line, Dorado really are the florescent(sp?) green you see in pictures, but in dying fade to a royal blue, then mottled green. Mine thrashed around inside the boat, splashing my pants with blood which took salt soaking and bleach to remove. Now my pantlegs are a bit grey on top and nice and white from the knees down! 15 miles offshore, looking for birds feeding or driftwood where the dorado lurk. We were visited by dolphins who swam right under the boat, too smart to take a lure, and saw dozens of really big turtles. We also saw 25 kilometers of set lines, long ropes festooned with hooks and flagged and each end they catch everything, are totally illegal, and will kill the sports fishing here. The captain was understandably reticent when asked about who fished them, said there was nothing his association could do, and when we saw the pickup boat it had a tarp cover to disguise it from satellites. Big money, crime pays.

And to round out the week,it,s the International surf competition, here. Puerto is #6 in the world for surf, and locals are very good. 1000 spectators watched from the beach, as the surfers rode big waves(5 meters) doing some fine rides. The specialty is running across the wave inside the falling crest, pulling out before it folds, then doing 360 degree spins on the rest of the wave. 3 mornings have seen suitable waves, and it,s big deal here. Although there is a music event each night, surfers are early risers, so the blaring rock faded by 10pm, to be replaced by the disco thump of the cactus beach club till dawn. Mexico is always noisy, traffic, music, dogs, roosters, vendors, delivery trucks at llhours,and the ever present deep vibration of the surf, pulsing in a backbeat..

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poly-eats · 11 months

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Cantina Laredo

River: Last night, Jon and I went on a date! And that means it's time for some good food. Tonight's restaurant of choice was Cantina Laredo at the Mall of America, a self-described "Taste of Modern Mexico." Their dinner menu, which includes things like soups, tapas, tacos, fajitas, and enchilladas, as well as lots of fruity drinks, tequilas, and mezcals, seemed interesting and, despite me having been to the Mall many times before and passing by this very restaurant, I'd never tried it until now, so we thought it was perfect for a post-Spencer's-shopping-trip date idea.

When we got there, it was relatively quiet, though it was a Wednesday night, so that wasn't too weird. We got sat at a table in the corner with very pretty appetizer plates! Actually, the whole restaurant was decorated very nicely, with a classy, dark wood theme throughout and some woven baskets and other wall-hangings to give it some flair.

Our first dish was a classic tortilla chips and dip. I forgot to ask what was in it, as I like it very much, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say there were some kind of beans, chilies, cilantro and maybe some garlic in it.

This dish however, was where we ran into a main problem with the restaurant that was absolutely no fault of theirs. For those of you who do not know, there are some people with a gene that makes cilantro taste not like the yummy staple of Mexican cooking that it is, but more like getting your mouth washed out with a bar of soap, and, unfortunately, Jon has been cursed with this trait. That would have been fine, had we actually remembered to ask our waiter for no cilantro on things. So unfortunately, a large chunk of Jon's night was spent picking cilantro off of his food, and this dip, which I liked very much, was kinda off-limits to him, unfortunately. Again, I want to stress that it's no fault of the restaurant, we just forgot to make them aware of this.

Dragon Fruit Fresca

River: Anyway, Jon's going to tell you about the drink he got! I usually don't get anything since I'm the designated driver between us, but I get to have small sips of whatever cocktail he tries. In this case, it was the Dragon Fruit Fresca, a mix of Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Monin Dragon Fruit Syrup, fresh lime juice, and Fever-Tree Sparkling Grapefruit, for a price of $15.

Jon: Good drink! Much Fruit! Now, back to River with the food.

River: T...that's your whole review? Maybe I shouldn't make you be designated driver and I review drinks instead...

Jon: Okay, okay... In all seriousness, the drink was tasty, and the alcohol wasn't very noticeable (most alcohol tastes like how rubbing alcohol smells to me). I was a little disappointed by the amount, as the glass was mostly filled with ice, and that's a little sad for $15

River: I would agree, the lime masked the bite of the tequila well, which allowed it to be a smooth, tropical drink. I tend to not like lime as much, so it wasn't exactly my kind of drink, but I think that it was well-put-together and, had I liked lime more, I think I would have maybe stolen this one from him.

Anyway, as he said, onto the food!

Chicken Nachos

River: The first dish we ordered was the nachos, and, full disclosure, this was a lot more fancy than I thought it would be, since I was expecting something like the greasy pile of chips, cheese, meat, and other toppings in a basket that I served at my last job. Being on the tapas section of the menu, however, it makes sense that they would be more bite-sized and more refined. These had three options; one for $9.50 with no meat, one with grilled chicken (which we got) for $15, and the most expensive option at $17, which included fire-charred skirt steak.

I was pretty happy with the grilled chicken ones. They had a layer of refried beans hidden under the melted cheese that I didn't even notice until Jon pointed it out to me which added some nice flavor, and on top there was a nicely-seasoned slice of chicken, some refreshing diced tomatoes, and, of course, Jon's nemesis, cilantro. They also came with scoops of sour cream, guacamole, and some sliced jalapeños. I especially liked them with the sour cream, and they were a nice starter, and I got to take some home with me for lunch today! I'm also a bit of a "good plating" nerd, so the construction of this dish made my brain very happy.

Jon: As mentioned prior, I have a genetic bias against anything with cilantro (which sucks, as I now cannot call myself a true human trashcan who will eat anything put in front of me), but despite this (and a few minutes of picking off the cilantro), they were pretty good! My only real complaint is the amount we got for the price (I'm stingy by nature, though, so take that with a grain of salt).

Chicken Enchiladas with Beans and Rice

River: Just recently at work I got introduced to the magic that is creamy poblano enchilada sauce, as we made a version for our customers, so when I saw that the menu had, as they describe it, "Pulled chicken enchiladas, monterey jack, with sour cream poblano sauce," I knew I had to try it.

As you can see, I got the option with two enchiladas for $13 (you can get a third for another $3), which isn't bad based on just how much food there was on the plate. I don't know if this picture really does it justice, but a problem (or a bonus, depending on how you look at it) that we had were that all of our plates were enormous, especially Jon's, which you'll see in a bit. We ended up taking home two full takeout boxes, so really, it's like you're getting two dinner's worth of food for the price of one. In terms of taste, the enchiladas were very smooth and rich, and not overly-soggy. The sauce was mild but flavorful, and my only complaint would be that I was struggling to pick it up cleanly with my fork, which made it a bit messy (though that could be just an enchilada thing in general).

The rice is fairly good, it wasn't mind-blowing, but it was definitely better than my attempts at making mexican rice at home. It was subtley tomato-y without being too overpowering, and was a nice side dish. The beans, however, were very good, and I guess I've just never had good refried beans before, because I've always pictured them as being soggy and gritty, but these ones were neither. They were smooth and were topped with cheese, and went very well on our leftover tortilla chips. Overall, I would absolutely get this again, and I'll probably have the leftovers for lunch.

Grilled Steak Fajita Burrito

Jon: I can actually rate this one fairly, as the cilantro was only a garnish!

The rice was pretty good! I personally prefer my rice to stick, but overall, pretty good rice! The beans were pretty good refried beans, I just wish it had a bit more mozzarella (What can I say, I'm a whore for cheese). The main dish, the Steak Fajita Burrito, however, was an honest shocker. I was expecting something similar to what you would probably make at home, just with fancier ingredients. What I wasn't expecting was a monster of a burrito, slathered in a delicious cheese sauce with a wonderful kick of spiciness inside. And it was no slouch with the steak either, the whole thing was packed with it! I would have eaten it all if I wasn't told to save some space for dessert (I am eating the leftovers as I type this, it's even good cold).

My only issue is that, when ordering it, you have to specify that you want the burrito, NOT the fajita. The menu has this placed under the 'Burrito' section, with its name being 'Grilled Steak Fajita,' and there's also a fajita section with steak fajitas. Everything in the burrito section has fajita in the name, so be sure to specify, so as to not confuse the waiter!

Overall, with the sides and the massive size of it, definitely worth the $17 price!

Flan

River: Finally, we had one of my favourite desserts that I have to get every time I see it on a menu, flan! For those who don't know, it's a mexican caramel custard dessert, and the texture is a mix of jell-o and egg tart filling. I am a huge texture person and a lot of the way I experience and enjoy food is by how it feels in my mouth, and flan always feels so soft and luscious, it's great. This version was no exception to that high praise, and at just $8, I'd definitely get it again!

Jon: I had never had Flan before, so I was pretty excited with how much River had been hyping it up! The texture was nice and smooth, and it tasted pretty good! It's not my favorite dessert by a longshot, but i'll happily eat it again!

In Conclusion...

River: I'd say this is a fantastic restaurant with good food and reasonable prices. We spent about $90 there including a tip, and I think that's good given that it was a fun date and with the amount of leftovers we got out of it. I'd absolutely come back here again to try some more food, such as the Sopa de Tortilla ($6.50 cup/$10 bowl), the Pescado Tacos ($14.50 for 2/$16 for 3), the Carne Asada ($25), or the other yummy-sounding desserts like the Mexican Apple Pie or Mango Tres Leches (both $8.50). I'd definitely recommend it to someone who has a taste for quality mexican food that's a bit higher-end, or just anyone who likes flan like me.

Jon: I agree! Although I say some of it is a bit overpriced (Over a dollar per nacho!!), the food is good enough to warrant many return visits in the future! Will definitely have to try the 'Cancun' next time I'm there!

#food #food diary #cantina laredo #food review #foodie #restaurant #mexican cooking #enchiladas #flan #nachos #burrito #mexican cuisine #good food #food blog #mall of america #cooking

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midi8 · 1 year

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So today I tried to turn the wheel to start the engine again and it didn’t do. I was hitting with a hammer on a huge wrench I bought in supermarket. Loud and resonant and metal sound. The wheel came off with a bolt. They were not rusty at all. I figured out that all WD40 I was sprinkling last week over this damn wheel most likely didn’t go in. So I put more in there. Plus I took little pipe from the fuel pump and put diesel (again) into the injector holes and in the main part where the old oil is sitting.

Suspicious redneck male came by the dock and said whatcha doing on that boat and then said yeah, somebody died on that boat year ago and left after I said that I’m the new owner. Steve or Bob.

I borrowed vac from Jeff and vacuumed all gunk that super old people produce with their dogs and burning stoves and oil splashes from frying probably fish. Carnivorous senile white people. Fridge is pretty new though. And the stove. And water filters. And shower cabin.

I washed the shower cabin and water didn’t go out. I put oil dipstick in the sink hole and bubbles came out so water went away and I thought could I break the fucking plastic pipe with that stuff. No, it’s not sharp enough. But water came in the main bilge. Just because you have to turn on the pump when doing this, okay. This pump doesn’t work. So whole fancy shower doesn’t make sense cause it all comes to the bilge. Ok.

And then I turned vac on to clean a bit and it started to buzz and produced smoke so I stopped. I have to tell Jeff I broke his vac.

All day wearing rubber gloves. I cleaned parquets where it still is present, thinking of may be removing all. Started to clean v-berth but it needs separate week.

Then I sandpapered wooden parts of the hatch and they came out very nice. I have to do it all the way around. All these ugly wooden parts can come out as new.

But solving the engine problem is crucial cause I have three months and then I have to either find a job or to leave to Mexico and further. Cause I have negative decision on my asylum procedure and I can’t pay lawyers. Plus may be it’s too late, we’ll figure it out tomorrow.

I ate good today, coffee, hummus+tortilla, vegan pot stickers, granola bars and tika masala with vegan bratwurst. Cooked in microwave, cause it was the only option. Combucha and aloe vera drinks. This boat is big, 39 feet, it has three cabins. But someone stole beautiful anchor winch with foot buttons and it’s crazy to lift up this anchor manually. My previous boat, Peregrine was 34 feet but only 3,5 tons netto. This one is 8 tons. Lots of space and cute underground-like walk around engine room to the stern skippers cabin (which is stripped down to the bone, may be they decided to change everything, or may be old owner died there)

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thegeminisage · 3 years

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one of many reasons castiel spent the first year of knowing dean trying not to strangle him: dean's weird little winchester-only dialect

i’m fucking obsessed with this right now, so buckle in for a meta. a cool fun (horrible) thing about dean's dialogue is that a good 90% of what comes out of his mouth is:

a pop culture reference ("you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and shazam, you're roma downey?")

references to real life phenomenon ("i don't wanna wake up missing a kidney in a bathtub full of ice" "try new mexico, i hear he’s on a tortilla")

these also often take the form of nicknames, and dean has a tendency to give people nicknames in general or call them something besides their given name, whether it’s affectionate or rude ("easy there, van damme" "so i’m girl interrupted" furthermore castiel = cas, ezekiel = zeke, etc, see also frequent use of "chucklehead" "asshat" and on the nicer/endearments end "buddy" "pal" "sunshine" etc)

an idiom ("a snowball's chance" "if it smells like a duck...")

slang ("drinking the koolaid" "jonesing for some hooch" not to mention the literal endless amount of words dean uses to refer to killing - gank, waste, juice, ice, etc)

a metaphor ("power up your batteries" "fly me back to my page on the calendar")

a euphemism ("cloud seeding" "i'd have given you an hour alone with her first")

sarcasm (his habit of replying "peachy" or "super" when asked how he is)

wordplay (see: the entire "vampirate" and "werepire" debacles)

completely nonsensical (guessing what happened to a magical artifact: "it was dug up by tomb raiders? it was seized by the king of the dead by warlords?")

said at lightning speed - if you pay attention, dean actually talks a LOT, usually a mile a minute (this makes me feel a way when you recall him being nonverbal for a year at age 4 but that’s another post)

slang IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE (casual usage of “guano,” etc)

a lie, a deflection, a joke, etc

or worse, something dean’s NOT saying, deliberately, because he’s one of the most repressed people on earth

the end result of all this being:

dean winchester is utterly infuckingcomprehensible.

think about this. there's an ENTIRE SECTION on EVERY SINGLE EPISODE PAGE of the spn wiki devoted to JUST explaining dean's pop culture references, because the average viewer won't have seen everything he's talking about either. they have a whole page for this called “hunter’s lingo,” but honestly, it’s not all hunters, just sam and dean’s fucking batshit communication style. even i don't understand dean half the time. SAM gets it, sam speaks it back to dean a lot in the early seasons, but that's because sam and dean are 1. practically two halves of the same person 2. FREAKS. every time we get an episode that involves outsider POV is devoted to them going "what the fuck is WRONG with them?"

enter castiel. technically speaking, the show implies that angels are omnilingual. castiel should understand every language known to man, but knowing the meaning of words doesn't help him understand the following:

pop culture references

references to real life phenomenon

nicknames

idioms

slang

metaphors

euphemisms

sarcasm

wordplay

you get the idea.

listen to me. look me in the eyes. castiel cannot understand a single fucking word that comes out of dean's mouth. my guy laid a hand on dean winchester in hell and immediately fell in love with him and has no fucking idea what he's talking about ever. because not only is dean winchester's way of speaking CLINICALLY insane, and sometimes incomprehensible even to other human beings who are not sam, castiel is an angel, and someone prone to taking things even more literally than other angels do

go back and watch and watch seasons 4-5 especially. the reason cas does so much squinting and head tilting is because every time dean opens his mouth castiel has to open up his mental "dean winchester dictionary" and translate entire paragraphs on the fly, because again, dean never shuts up!

what makes this extra hilarious to me is this gem:

this line is from 5.13. at this point cas has known dean for AN ENTIRE YEAR AND A HALF. what you see here is my guy SNAPPING. cas made an EFFORT in this scene. he asked who glenn close was. he's telling dean that he can't understand him. he is doing his level best to have a normal conversation with this guy he has a crush on and for the life of him he cannot do it (equal but opposite energy to cas blowing up the gas station and motel room in 4.01, tbh)

yes, cas can understand dean's tone. he can use context clues, and he usually gets the general idea. and when cas DOES understand dean's jokes, he laughs at them. the first time we ever see him smile is during their 4.07 heart-to-heart when dean says "it was a witch, not the tet offensive." since cas has knowledge of human history, he knows what the tet offensive is; he got the joke, and he laughed.

but as far as actual dialogue goes, he consistently struggles to keep up. even after metatron gives castiel the pop culture knowledge in season 9, cas struggles to put it to put it to proper use (dean: "you wanna just walk right into the death star?" cas: "what does a fictional battle station have to do with this?"). whenever he asks dean to clarify it's always when he’s most annoyed, like most of the time he knows it would be futile but he's too annoyed to care. (dean: "i don't know who's on first, what's on second!" cas: "what IS second???") i’m pretty sure he spends seasons 4-6 wanting to shake dean by the shoulders and ask him why he is LIKE THIS.

it takes cas - who, again, is omnilingual - YEARS to begin to acclimate to dean’s speech and start speaking that language back to him. it's season 8 before we start really hearing him use slang, season 9 before he begins to understand wordplay, season 10 before he starts using pop culture references (to other angels, who immediately fail to understand him, which disappoints him immensely), and season 11 before he really gets into metaphors. i don't remember what season he started using "yeah" instead of "yes" but i do know it took a really damn long time.

and honestly, i don't think cas truly got the hang of it until at least season 11-12. that's something like 7 or 8 YEARS. it’s more than half the time they’ve known each other at the point of the series finale.

so what's true romance, fellas? it's falling completely and totally in love with the most inexplicable person you will ever meet in your whole 4.5 billion year life, even though you have yet to understand a single thing he's ever said to you. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[spn masterpost]

#destiel #dean winchester #castiel #deancas #supernatural #liz's meta #liz makes stuff #liz's spn stuff #i have a whole other thing about how cas will code switch when he's around angels vs humans but this post is already way too long #seriously debated waiting and posting this in the morning because i want people to reblog it but fuck it! 2am meta.#season 5 cas: completely in love: i have no idea what the fuck you're saying to me. i love you. i'm going to kill you. why are you like thi

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kuramirocket · 3 years

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Spirulina consumption dates back at least to the reign of the Aztec emperor Montezuma (1467-1520). The emperor was very fond of fish – and would send couriers to relay the 300km from his capital to the Gulf of Mexico just to be able to enjoy them fresh. These runners managed to cover long distances thanks to their natural EPO – dried spirulina! After being harvested as a sort of blue-green slime using very finely meshed nets, the spirulina was then dried in the form of patties and eaten together with cereal grains, seasoned with chilmolli (a sauce of tomato, pepper, and spices).

Unfortunately, the Mexican spirulina sources disappeared when the Spanish conquistadors dried up the lakes that supplied it, in order to create pastures and farmland for growing corn, tomatoes, and the like. Spirulina was soon forgotten in the region.

This occurred with Lake Texococo where Tenochtitlán was situated. Before modern times, the Valley of Mexico was flooded by Lake Texcoco and adjoining bodies of water. The Aztecs founded their capital city, Tenochtitlán, on an island in the lake in 1325.

Here, the waters exhibited the perfect balance of salinity and alkalinity for spirulina to flourish. The Mexica called the foodstuff tecuitlatl, a Nahuatl word that roughly translates to "rock excrement", though they held it in decidedly higher esteem than its name suggests.

"Oral traditions say that the Mexica couriers and runners in ancient Tenochtitlan would eat dried spirulina cakes with corn, tortillas, beans, chillies or mole as fuel for long-distance travel," said Denise Vallejo, an indigenous first-generation Xicana chef who runs the vegan Los Angeles pop-up Alchemy Organica.

Even without modern science, the Mexica could recognise the nutrient density that has made spirulina such a favourite today. It boasts about 60-70% protein by weight and has essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals, especially iron, manganese and B vitamins, according to the Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. It's so healthy and relatively easy to grow.

Of course, to the arriving Spanish conquistadors in the 16th Century, it mostly just looked odd. Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote in his 1568 memoir about "a species of bread made of a kind of mud or slime collected from the surface of the lake, and eaten in that form, and has a similar taste to our cheese." And Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún included illustrations of spirulina harvesting in his 16th-Century ethnographic study, the Florentine Codex.

"After the Spanish invasion, most of its consumption declined with the draining of the lakes in the Valley of Mexico," Vallejo said. "And many of the Spanish didn't enjoy its 'cheesy' or 'slimy' properties. Knowledge of its consumption was lost for a long time."

The Western world rediscovered the nutritious ingredient in the 1940s.

"So many of the 'superfoods' enjoyed today have a rich history in Mesoamerica: chia, amaranth, cacao, avocado, cactus," Vallejo noted. "I think the current decolonising movement in Xicanx is helping us to rediscover and remember our ancestral foodways. We get to take back our foods and our plant wisdom. The more we eat them, the more we awaken that DNA and that history."

Map of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan

The Spanish were in awe of Tenochtitlan’s size and magnificence, comparing it favorably to cities in Europe. One of the invaders noted, “These great towns and cues [temple-pyramids] and buildings rising from the water, all made of stone, seemed like an enchanted vision from the tale of Amadis. Indeed, some of our soldiers asked whether it was not all a dream.” Cortés was eager to exploit the land’s wealth.

While the Aztecs had skillfully managed the water that surrounded and sustained them, the Spanish settlers “paid little attention to the careful co-existence with water that peoples of the Valley had cultivated for generations,” writes Barbara Mundy, associate professor of art history at Fordham University and a specialist in 16th-century Mexico. “Instead,” she continues, “they started a new war against the water in the Valley. This war lasted over 400 years, as Spaniards tried to get rid of all of the water by draining the lakes. They searched fruitlessly for drains (thinking the lakes were like bathtubs with a plug), built tunnels through the mountains that caved in, changed the courses of rivers, all in an attempt to dry up the Valley, perhaps to turn it into bone-dry Extremadura [a region in Spain] of their ancestors.”

The Spanish drained Lake Texcoco because flooding was becoming a major problem for the city, by then being called Mexico City. Situated in a high-elevation valley, Lake Texcoco sits at the bottom of a natural drainage system in Mexico's central mountains. In the early 1600s, a series of major floods nearly forced the Spanish to abandon the city. At one point, much of the city was underwater for about five years straight. Rather than leaving, the Spanish started building canals and tunnels to drain the lake, a project that would last centuries to be completed successfully.

During this period the Spaniards invested in several flood control efforts, but they were not successful. In 1788 they started construction of a massive canal to connect the basin to rivers north of the city flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. The open canal, which was up to 30 m (100 ft) deep in places, provided flood relief, but did not completely solve the problem, and flooding continued.

It's worth noting that the floods themselves were also partially caused by the Spanish. The natural geography of the Valley of Mexico encouraged flooding, but the Aztecs had managed to control this through land and water management. The Spanish destroyed many of the Aztec aqueducts, deforested the surrounding region, leveled hills and natural barriers, and eliminated some of the marshlands. All of this made the flooding worse, forcing the need to drain the lake.

The project of the “desagüe” was successful in that by the early 20th century most of the lakes were gone, subterranean pumps working night and day to pipe water out of the Valley via tubes that cut through mountains. Today, Mexico City, which was built upon the ruins of Tenochtitlán suffers from both chronic flooding and a shortage of freshwater; the problems once solved by the great engineers of the ancient Aztecs.

*edited 11/18/21 for the addition of more information.

Sources: (x) (x) (×) (x) (x) (x)

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storiesofsvu · 3 years

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I'm about to invade your ask box. Hope that's cool.

Your photography of the grey stuff cupcake made me think of this question. I've only been to Disney World/Land once and didn't try any of the cool food. What Disney food and drinks do you recommend?

Omg INVADE AWAY! ESP about Disney! Okay...I’m doing this by memory, and it’s been a while so I will likely forget things, but lets go park by park:

WDW

Magic Kingdom: classic Mickey pretzel, Mickey ice cream bar, Mickey ice cream sandwich, found at most kiosks throughout most of the parks. Pretzels are delicious and come with cheese sauce automatically now, YUM.

-Corn Dog Nuggets from Casey’s corner. They’re exactly what you’d think they are and they are the best meal/snack

-Giant cinnamon buns from Gaston’s Tavern

-Grey stuff from Be our Guest (need reservations, lunch & dinner are very different) breakfast is the most worth the cost, but no grey stuff

-Dole whips, kiosk in adventureland(also have these at Disneyland) pineapple soft serve in a cup or with pine juice in a float! Great to eat while waiting for parade in the sun

-Pecos Bills in Frontierland: has a fajita platter, its HUGE, ask for an extra set of tortillas (will cost but cheap) then go WILD at the free topping bar, more than enough food for two people

-I THINK they might still have poutine at the little kiosk across from pecos, waffle fry poutine but they might’ve gotten rid of it

Hollywood Studios:

I’ve heard great things about Star Wars land & Toy Story land food, but haven’t been since they were built...the rest of the food at DHS is crap. Except for the pb 7& j milkeshake from 50’s prime time cafe, it’s a sit down restaurant with great food, but you can get milkshakes to go at the bar that’s walk in

Animal Kingdom:

-Avatar land has some great meals and snacks, and some super yummy boozy (or non boozy) slushes

-Yak & Yeti sit down is my fave, they also have deep fried cream cheese wontons on the dessert menu, YUM.

-Harambe market place has great smaller snack/small meal type things.

-Flame Tree BBQ is the best bang for your buck, big meals and portions and lots of choices

Epcot:

-Best food out of all parks, hands down.

-Skip future world food completely, it’s all your basic burgers and fries minus Sunshine Seasons inside of the Land, they’ve got some super delicious, super fresh, and grown in house meals.

-world showcase is WHERE IT IS AT though.

Canada: sit down restaurant Le Collier, their filet mignon is to DIE for, holy shit (they also exclusively use Alberta beef, so you know its good) also peep that pretzel bread, and beer & cheddar cheese soup. You NEED reservations here and it fills up FAST (one of the smallest dining rooms on property)

-Uk: fish and chip stand. Literally the only fish & chips I’ve found since being in Aus that taste good. Beware the seagulls though... the Welsh Dragon drink at the rose & crown is bomb!!

-France: grand mariner orange slush(during flower & garden get the pink slush) amazing baguette sandwiches inside the bakery, along with so many good treats

-Morocco’s quick service has great platters, the vegetarian platter is delicious!!

-Japan: Tokyo sunset drink, their quick serve is super good, but your basic Japanese food you can get anywhere

-Italy: in the wine shop, a glass of rose regala! Inside Tutto Gusto, go to the bar and get a espresso martini. They don’t have a quick serve, but Via Napoli has great pizzas, and during food & wine their food is amazing (duh)

-Germany: grapefruit beer (also a great choice if drinking around the world cause its only 2%) also LIFE HACK: go to the very last shop in the shops on the left, they have cheese plates & wine flights for like $5 a piece! Don’t waste your time on the pretzels, they’re usually stale/dry.

-Norway: people are obsessed with the school bread, but i don’t like it, but their bakery has lots of yummy options

-Mexico: fucking a avocado margarita my friends! (If you want blended) or a cucumber margarita for not blended. If spicy is your thing, get a jalapeño one. They’re all located inside the temple in the small margarita shop also TONS of tequila options, it’s tiny, so there’s going to be a line and chances are you will have to buy one and not get a seat unless you want a long wait.

Advice on drinking around the world (aka, having one drink in each country) ITS EXPENSIVE, budget like $120MIN. Get one drink, drink it between that pavilion while you explore, AND the next one, skip the 2nd country and get a new drink in the third (aka, start in Canada, drink your beer during it and the UK, get a fresh drink in France and so on) repeat this over two loops around world showcase. Also SHARE drinks, and for the love of god drink water, it’s florida after all.’

RESORTS:

Starting with my favourite “monorail pub crawl” we usually opt to do this during out MK day and start on the monorail there, heading to....

Contemporary: the Blue lagoon drink from the Wave, it’s a fishbowl drink meant for sharing and there’s gummy fishes in it.

-Otherwise, time it right and head up to the California Grill lounge to watch the sunset/fireworks

Polynesian: the Lapu Lapu upstairs by Ohana is served in a pineapple and super yummy. I prefer to head to Trader Sams downstairs. Inside is tiny and usually busy but they have an outdoor terrace with the same menu, the Zombie head is delicious, but hella strong. The Uh-ohh is meant for sharing and DELICIOUS and they set it on fire and let you throw cinnamon in it, which is bomb. The headhunter roll sushi is bomb

Grand Floridian: grab a glass of wine from the Citricos lounge i usually opt for a blush sparkling but now i cant remember the name. We usually also order a cheese board & charcuterie here and take them to the couches in the upstairs lobby to listen to the live music, but there’s a new bar there now so that’s probably not do able.

Fort Wilderness Resort & campground: Davy crockett’s tavern has some amazing moonshine drinks. Trail’s end is also a super bomb buffet, but the QUEEN of everything here is the Hoop Dee Doo musical revue (again, book in advance) it’s dinner and a show, dinner includes, cornbread, salad, fried chicken, ribs, potatoes, corn (ask for the Mac and cheese too), beans, strawberry shortcake, red or white sangria, red or white wine or beer, or non alcoholic drinks and IT IS ALL YOU CAN EAT AND ALL YOU CAN DRINK. Seriously. And the shows incredible.

Animal Kingdom lodge: the “Mara” their food court, has without a doubt the most authentic dishes and they are delicious, they also have “zebra domes” which are a dessert, they’re like...cookie chocolate, custard, with booze filling? I dont know how to describe them but theyr’e amazing

Disney Springs: Ragland Road. It’s my ride or die. You can create your own beer/cider flights for super cheap and the size of the drinks are decent! The shrimp and scallops on the appi menu are delicious

Also Earl of Sandwich: the holiday sandwich is my go to.

DISNEYLAND:

-honestly, overall, way better quick service food than WDW.

-Soup in a bread bowl in California adventure, different flavours of soup, or you can do salad (also check out the bakery next door where they give out free sourdough samples)

-In New Orlean’s square, just like, anything and everything, the gumbo is amazing, you must try the beignets, and the mint juleps

Okay that got WAY out of hand and there’s probably way more things that I’m forgetting or that or more authentic that I just can’t remember right now, BUT, there ya go!

#Disneyland #disney world #disney food #disney parks food #disney parks drinks #disney drinks

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the-steve-stevenson-experience · 3 years

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Dress For Where You Are Going, Not For Where You've Been

Day 2:

I don't think I slept very well. There's air conditioning in the bedrooms, so that wasn't an issue. The curfew is 10pm weeknights and 12midnight on weekends, so after 12 there wasn't any of golf cart noise. And those little fuckers are noisy. I woke up early, like 6am and really couldn't get back to sleep. I stayed in bed trying for like an hour, but finally just got up. I made coffee and sat out on the balcony. The chairs that are out here are not super comfortable, but are ok. Like I couldn't sit out there for hours. Which is good, because I could sit out there for hours, if you know what I mean. I wanted to try some place for breakfast, so I walked the block to the beach, there is a nice beach right there with no wall and the two piers on either side are a good distance apart. I stood at the corner of the road and the beach pondering which way I should go.

(My directions are all screwed up here. My window faces east. In my head I should be facing south. I don't compensate for the fact the country is long and thing, and runs north and south. The cay that I'm on also runs north and south. I am basically at the top of the Caribbean Sea, top being north of course)

This kid walks by, and I ask him where there is a good place for breakfast. He tells me of a place, and points down the beach. He then says, walk with me I'll take you there. So we walk. And we talk. He just moved to San Pedro from Corozal, a small village in the north, near Mexico. He was working and going to school. He decided to move here for work, and to continue school. He then tells me that he was robbed at gunpoint and had nothing. Then Covid hits, and the jobs went away. And, I'm thinking that he was gonna hit me up for money. He then tells me that he met some guy who let him stay in one of his vacant houses, and gave him food, and some money, and how he is really thankful for people like that. So, now I'm thinking he won't hit me up for money.

(One thing I learned when I was in Mexico was that people will often times help you out by taking you somewhere, finding something, talking to people for you, or whatever. There are nice people first and foremost, but they are also acting as a concierge. And, it is appropriate to send a little cash their way)

Which reminds me, I want to give the Chief of Security something for his time. Me and Denerik walk to a place on the beach called Jambel Jerk Pit. Now, those Americans with a 14 boy mind will think that name is funny, but the food is good, and that bartender made a great mango smoothy. I had the chicken and pork combo jerk. Oh, and I did give Denerik a couple bucks Belize for his time. He seemed a bit suprised that I offered. He, you do something for me and I'm able, I'll take care of you. Well, take care of might be a strong phrase. I won't let you die, is more accurate. The jobs aren't back yet. Some are. This giant new resort, Aria, just opened and hired 200-300 locals. He told me about it and is trying to get on with them. The woman who did my mani-pedi and massage also told me about it. I haven't heard a bad word about the place so far.

(There are still a lot of people out of work here. That's why it seems like I get hit up for cash a lot. Really, only twice in a few days. I get more than that in Denver)

It's not very busy or crowded here. There are no waits to do anything. A lot of places are pretty empty, but they are open. They aren't desperate, but the do kind of clamor for your business. I get people who will come out onto the beach and talk to me about coming into their business. They pitch you from their patios. They are like carnival barkers trying to get your attention. I was told that San Pedro had only one reported case of Covid. This whole country is taking it seriously though. Everyone wears a mask in public, and by public I mean unless you in your house, or sitting at a table in a restaurant, you are wearing a mask. They have a curfew in place, but things are moving into the open.

I did go and get that pedicure I've been wanting. I had a mani-pedi not too long ago, but it needed done again. I also got a massage. It was in this little joint out over the ocean. A nice breeze was blowing through, and she did a great job on all of it. They recommended a place for dinner. I was asking about what's Belizean food, and the dude told me that Belizean food is based on Mayan food. So, plantains, rice and beans, seafoods of course, cole slaw, potatoes, coconut, deer and even iguana meat. Haven't seen any of that yet. I will try it if I see it. This is Kriol food. I made plans to eat at the place they recommended.

Speaking of restaurants. Most places seem to have a Jamaican, Mexican, and American (read as US) influence. I've seen fried pickles on almost every menu. Jerked food is very common here. And, tacos and burritos are also. The whole tortilla, tamale, ceviche and other "Mexican" dishes are most likely common to this part of the world. Much like a lot of countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea have very similar foods, especially the southern Med.

I spent too much money in a gift shop. I needed some shirts because I forgot I owned any tank tops and didn't bring them. I needed a swim suit, again because I forgot the ones I already own. I normally don't do touristy shit, but today, I bout a few shirts with catchy, funny little phrases and Belize on them. I can't not look like a tourist here, so I'm not worrying too much about it.

(On my way back to the condo I was approached by some dude. He kept asking me if I wanted any. I finally looked him. He was asking if I wanted any while grabbing his crotch. I asked, "want any what?" I said, I was good, and he left)

I took my too much shit back to the condo, and then started walking to dinner. I can figure directions out pretty well, so I decided to find my own way there. Besides I couldn't remember the name. I knew kind of where it was, and I would know the name when I saw it. And, I didn't exactly get lost, but I did walk down some streets that a lot of tourists probably don't walk down. After walking around a bit, I found it, El Fogon. I had salbutes, like little tostadas, fried corn tortilla with tomato chicken, cole slaw, and a jalapeno. I also got the shrimp creole. It was all very good.

#travel #belize #caribbean #san pedro #kriol #creole #mayan #food of the world

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letme-sleep-please · 3 years

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It’s wild when you move from one place to another and people just do things differently. For example:

New Mexico: I could make a day trip out of driving 3 hours to Albuquerque, no problem. Even if it was just for an appointment. Washington: When people call to schedule an appointment, they think that they need to figure out something to do for the entire day to justify the trip. The trip takes thirty minutes. Additionally, I don’t know if it’s something with rural Washington or not but boy is it common among clients. When I make appointments in the closest large town an hour away the staff always make a comment about how far it is.

New Mexico: Calls the above food potato wedges. Washington: Calls the above food jojos. It confused me the first time I saw it but obviously got over it. People will look at you weird if you slip up and call jojos potato wedges. The menus don’t even explain what jojos are, you’re just supposed to know.

New Mexico: You’ve got to deploy those aggressive/defensive driving skills. You wait a second at the green light in case anyone wants to blow the red. Even then you still might get honked at. Washington: Maybe it’s because I’m close to the Canadian border and the whole rural thing but people are such nice drivers here. I’ve been engaged in a nice off at a four way stop before and felt awkward just accepting to go rather than passing it off once more. When I visit New Mexico and come back to Washington I am a jerk on the road for a few days.

New Mexico: Actually has spicy food. Washington: I can’t cook Mexican food for my coworkers because it makes them cry due to the spice. A lot of the Mexican food places use bell peppers to “spice” up the food. I’ve made a coworker cry with salsa that didn’t even have jalapeños or any sort of pepper at a staff party. The tortilla soup was left alone because that did have jalapeños.

New Mexico: Questionable sushi but I’ve eaten sushi from the college cafeteria so I guess I don’t fear death. Washington: Good sushi. I am not concerned about food poisoning at least. Though I suppose this point isn’t super relevant to the post.

Washington: I learn every so often that I’ve been pronouncing a town name as if it were Spanish, not native. Most of the towns with the double “L’s” in their names are not pronounced as a “Y” sound.

New Mexico: Pronounces the ñ in jalapeños. Washington: Doesn’t pronounce the ñ in jalapeños. Sometimes they don’t put it on the signs for them anyways. Pronounces jalapeños as hala-peeno. At least they get that the “j” makes an “h” sound.

Anyways, this has been a fun I’m avoiding sleep for no reason rant. I’m curious what other differences people have seen when they’ve moved from one place to another. Tell me. I want to know.

#beckles rambling again #New Mexico #I really miss the food there #Washington #but it’s so pretty here #sorry for the weird spacing #mobile ya know

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littlethingwithfeathers · 4 years

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Quarantine Cuisine: Beef and Bean Chili

There’s nothing like holing up with a big bowl of chili... Funny story though. I didn’t actually like the stuff until a friend made chili for dinner one night. Not wanting to be rude, I had a bowl... and then went back for seconds. His secret? He puts beer in his chili. And now so do I, though I’ve got a secret about that of my own. But I’ll circle back around to that in a minute. Chili is one of those notoriously long cooking dishes. It needs to simmer for a good couple of hours at least before all the flavors properly meld together to make the tasty, rich concoction we all know and love. And I’m all about some long cooking, slow simmering dishes. But... seriously, chili is comfort food, and when you want comfort food, you want it right now oh my God please FEED ME SEYMOUR! So I have found ways to cheat. Four ways in fact. And before we get to the actual technique, I want to talk about them a little bit, because the tricks in play here go for more than just chili. You can make any sort of soup or braise all the richer by cheating just a little with ingredients that already have a complex, bold flavor. Here... watch... Chorizo sausage: for the uninitiated, chorizo is a heavily seasoned sausage hailing from Spain and Portugal, but very popular in Mexico as well. It’s a little spicy and super flavorful, plus all those flavors have blended and married and settled already... all you need to do is brown it and mix it in! So I do just that. Think of it as kin to andouille if you’re familiar with Cajun cuisine. Roasted poblano peppers: One way to deepen flavors is to roast something in a hot oven... Italians and Greeks do this all the time with red peppers, so why not here?

Chipotles in adobo sauce: These are great. Already flavorful. Already ready to go. Just chop ‘em up and toss them in... and don’t ignore the sauce in the can. Think of it like adding a dash of Worcestershire or miso to a dish. Same concept... different flavor profile. Beer: Going back to my original point... beer. Now you can use any kind of beer... most people use some kind of lager or amber ale in their chili, but I use Guinness. Why? Same reason for the above. It has a deep, savory flavor profile, plus... well, let’s talk about that flavor profile. Nutty... chocolatey... rich... a little cinnamon-spicey... sound like mole sauce to you? It fits the flavor profile of chili really really well. So that’s something to think about next time you’re worried about a bland dish. Cheat! Use a full bodied red wine for your stew... use a little splash of balsamic vinegar in your tomato sauce... how about molasses in a marinade... or look into premade spice blends and curry powders for a quick flavor boost. There’s no harm in cheating. It’s culinary tradition at this point.

Okay... on to the recipe! (oh... and for those curious about the spice level... I’d put this one at mild to medium. It’s definitely not spice free, but it’s not going to light your hair on fire either.)

Ingredients

Two pounds ground beef (I also like ground venison in this)

4-6 oz of pork chorizo (I use one link from Whole Foods)

4-5 tablespoons olive oil.

One medium onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

One large or two small poblano peppers

One can chipotles in adobo sauce

14oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice. (I like Miur Glen brand)

One can black beans, rinsed.

One can red kidney beans, rinsed (chick peas are also good in chili if you need a substitute.)

1 cup frozen corn kernels

48oz beef broth

1 tablespoon (ish) of chili powder

1/2 teaspon (ish) chipolte chili powder

1 teaspoon (ish) of cumin

1 can beer (I actually like Guinness for this, but I only use half the can in that case)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place poblano peppers directly on oven rack and roast for ten minutes. Flip and roast for five more. Place in a paper bag and crimp down the opening to seal in the steam. Allow to come to room temp. Then peel the plasticky skin off the peppers, cut open and scrape out seeds and roughly chop.

Seed and chop two of the chipotle peppers. Save the can because you'll want the sauce in a moment. (this only uses up about half the can... so save it for future endeavors!)

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until just starting to turn golden. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add chorizo and beef and cook through. Add tomatoes, peppers, and two or three tablespoons of the adobo sauce. Also add the beer if you're using it. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add broth and remaining spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

Add beans and corn and cook for at least another 30 minutes, but it can just be left to simmer until you're ready to eat.

Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, and (if you're weird) sour cream.

#chili #tex mex #food #recipe #quarantine #quarantine cuisine

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stancheslovez · 5 years

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I Come Back To You Chapter 1 (Stanchez)

Chapter 1

A week had passed since the Pines twins had graduated high school, and Dipper had suggested to his Sister that they should move to Gravity Falls permanently. In all honestly Gravity Falls was a far better place than the town they lived in back in California, the air just seemed so much cleaner too. Not to mention, the area as far more interesting than living in a big city which was always so congested. Sure, summer trips to Gravity Falls were fun, but the idea of just being there permanently was a pleasant thought that he and his sister had been talking over with each other for a couple of years now. They both had some friends there, and Dipper just felt more at home there each summer they visited.

When the bus arrived, Dipper grabbed for his bags and looked to Mabel. “Ready?” He asked, getting excited about being back in Gravity Falls once again, it was always exciting to come back more so since they were moving here with their uncles. “You bet!” Mabel replied, happily grabbing her bags as she followed him onto the bus. They’d sold most of their stuff beforehand so they could buy their things once there, it would save on shipping, so they didn’t have to bring a whole bunch of boxes with them.

She was just as excited as her twin brother, especially to see her uncles again, maybe finally get a boyfriend this time around or something if that was even in the cards. Mabel wasn’t as boy crazy as she had been back then, but she still wanted someone to love her.

~~~~o~~~~

A minor tremble could be felt in Gravity Falls, the place waiting for the twins to return, the small quake causing the Bill statue to tremble just a little like the demon encased inside was slowly waking from his slumber.

~~~~o~~~~

Stan stood in the kitchen of the shack as his popcorn was currently finishing up in the microwave when it had finished, he took it out and opened it up. “Do you think the kids want rooms of their own?” He asked, looking to Ford as he headed back to the living room and sat beside him. The man’s twin hummed in thought as he looked at Stan.

“Maybe, but we’ll have to ask them once they get here.” He suggested; glad they had built onto the shack a few summers ago just so that there was room for when the twins wanted separate rooms of their own. He took some popcorn from the bag that Stan had popped, stopping a moment when he felt the slight tremor. “That felt like a tiny earthquake.” He hummed, wondering what had caused it, but then again it could have just been the tectonic plates or something.

“Did you leave the portal on?” Stan asked after a moment.

“Nope, I distinctly remember turning that thing off before leaving the room,” Ford said, thinking about it a bit before nodding in confirmation. “But it doesn’t hurt to double check.” He hummed as he got up, putting the code in the secret door before heading downstairs to take a quick look.

Stan gave a small snort as he left. “Nerd.” He said with a hint of fondness as he put some popcorn in his mouth and eating it before turning his attention to the TV, their relationship was better these days and Stan felt better than ever. Even if they didn’t reconnect romantically, he felt that was fine, at least his brother was here, and they got along again. Besides, he was far too old for love anyway, though sometimes his thoughts would turn to the blue-grey hair in his dreams which smelled like alcohol out of nowhere.

He pushed that thought away…that had been a long time ago.

Ford returned a couple of minutes later, closing the entrance before heading back to the couch and sitting down beside his brother. “It was off; I’m not sure what the tremor was.” He said, not too concerned with the cause, though he did wonder about it a bit before his thoughts turned elsewhere. “We should make dinner for the kids before they arrive.” He said as his eyes turned to the time on the clock.

“What do we want to make? It’ll be about four hours; I know this nice chili Verde recipe from when I was in prison back in Mexico which will take about that long.” Stan suggested.

The other hummed in thought and nodded. “Sure, sounds like it’ll be delicious.” He said before getting up and heading toward the kitchen; he got out the pan to cook with and the meat they would be using for the chili as Stan set the popcorn aside before joining him in the kitchen. “Do we have any tortillas?” He asked as he got to work on cutting up the veggies and other things for the sauce.

“Yup,” Ford replied as he went to grab the bag that he had put with the rest of the bread items.

“Great, wrap them in threes, then put them in some aluminum foil. We’ll back them toward the end enough to soften them up.” Stan said and spent the next few hours cooking with his brother which he had found fun.

~~~~o~~~~

Soon the sign for Gravity Falls came into view, and Mabel beamed when she saw it. “We’re here!” She said, grabbing her brother’s arm in excitement and Dipper smiled, getting up when the bus slowed at their stop. He grabbed his bags and put them over his shoulder. Let's head to the Mystery Shack.” He said as they got off and he started walking; his sister grinning as she took off after him happily.

Once they reached the shack Dipper headed inside and looked around the living room before venturing further inside the house. “Uncle Stan, Ford?” Dipper called before reaching the kitchen and smiling as the scent of food hit his nose. “Kids, you made it!” Stan beamed as he made his way over, wrapping his arms tightly around the two in a bear hug.

“Ah! Squishing me!” Mabel squeaked.

Dipper chuckled a little as he hugged Stan back, smiling. “Hey, Uncle Stan.” He said happily as Ford came over and took them both in a hug as well, though not as bone-crushing as his brother had done a moment earlier.

“We’re so glad to finally be here!” Mabel said excitedly.

“We’re glad to have you both back,” Ford said, smiling. “Now, I’m sure both of you are very hungry after your trip.” He said.

“Starved, whatever you guys made smells good,” Dipper said, feeling his stomach grumble as he took in the smell of the food that was being cooked.

“Some authentic Mexican food straight from prison.” Stan teased.

“I love Mexican!” Mabel said excitedly.

Dipper nodded and smiled. “Sounds good to me.” He said as Stan got the food and hotplates.

“We even made some Mabel juice, though not the super potent blend,” Stan told them as Dipper and Mabel sat down at the kitchen table with Ford. “Alright, sounds good,” Dipper replied as they were served their food.

Taking a bite of his food, Dipper looked to his uncles, wondering what all they had done on their adventures while they were away for the school year; he always enjoyed hearing what all they had done while he and his sister were away.

“We fought a giant squid and were still being attacked by baby ones. I haven’t had so much calamari in my life!” Stan said, and Ford chuckled softly as he went on about other things they had done during the year over dinner with Dipper and Mabel listening, captivated by all that had gone on.

Once their storytelling of their events from traveling was over Ford sat up and looked at them. “Will you two be sharing a room again or do you two want separate ones this time?” He asked after a moment, knowing they both were practically adults now, and sometimes siblings didn’t want to share rooms when they were older. “We can share if there’s no room, we don’t want you living in the basement again,” Mabel said.

“Nah, we built an extra room on just in case you two wanted to have your own rooms,” Stan assured her.

“Yeah, so, no harm is done there.” Ford smiled.

Dipper nodded at that and hummed in thought. “Then sure, we can do separate rooms. Coin flip to see who gets the new room, Mabel?” He asked, looking to his sister who just gave a smug look. “I already claimed it!” She stated.

“Do I sense another butt kissing contest?” Stan grinned.

“Maybe.” Dipper chuckled.

“This should be entertaining.” Ford sighed, smiling.

“Very.” Stan nodded as Mabel stood up suddenly, taking the dirty dishes from the table since everyone was practically done eating and everything. “I call dishes!” She said excitedly as she put them on the counter, taking her sweater off and around her waist before starting the water and waiting for it to heat up enough with the soap.

“I’ll clean the living room!” Dipper added before leaving the kitchen to go work on the living room, and Ford chuckled softly while his brother got up from the table. “I’ll go make a scoreboard.” He said, leaving the room, god he’d missed these kids and was so glad that adulthood hadn’t changed them all that much.

~~~~o~~~~

Taking a swig of the liquid in his flask, Rick tasked himself with a project he had been pointlessly working on while Morty was out with Summer doing something, what that something was he wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t quite care. It was most likely that Morty was at school, and maybe Summer was picking him up? He couldn’t quite remember, but he knew she had graduated a couple years ago and didn’t go anymore.

His thoughts were interrupted when Morty came running into the open garage and trying to catch his breath, making Rick look up from his work. “Uh…R-Rick, I think we have a problem…” The boy said, twiddling his fingers a little as he bit his lip before speaking up once again. “A kid at my school summoned a demon today, and he was saying weird stuff...” He said causing Rick to set his project down.

Project forgot he stood up and rolled his eyes. “A demon? What the hell is it with kids these days? Summoning demons…” The old man couldn’t believe kids these days were so careless with things like the supernatural, it was ridiculous what people did, like summoning demons for whatever the hell reason they had. “Alright, what does this demon look like?” He asked, grumbling a little as he made his way over to a box and started sifting through it for stuff that might help in the situation, though he didn’t deal much in the supernatural. No, science was more his thing, and sure, he dealt with the supernatural every once in a while…but it just hadn’t been something he had worked to make sure he was prepared for thoroughly.

“Uh…you know the triangle thing on money? Just like that except, symmetrical…and suave?” Morty said, thinking. “He convinced half the kids to give him souls, and he didn’t even do anything.”

Rick scoffed at this and rolled his eyes. “Of all the…you don’t willingly give your soul to a demon no matter how smooth talking they are!” He groaned, making an ah-ha noise when he found a box of salt, handing it over to Morty before grabbing a few other things. “Alright, let's go and get rid of this thing.” He said before hopping into his space ship and took off when Morty got in the passenger seat.

“The demon said he finally made it to a universe that didn’t have a ‘Gravity Falls’ in it, do you know what that is?” Morty asked, looking to Rick who stopped a moment to think, god he hadn’t thought that place in years…thought about that fierce as nails brunette he spent a lot of the time making love to when they weren’t off doing some form of crime. The only person he felt anything for as much as he had Dian.

“Gravity falls? It’s a small town with a lot of supernatural activity…it’s in another dimension. This is going to take a lot more than just us two Morty. That demon is not going to be easy to get rid of.” He said as he drove his ship.

“Have you met him before?” Morty asked, looking a little afraid, if he and Rick couldn’t take this demon, then who could? His grandfather could practically take on anything and outsmart them or annoy the holy hell out of them till they wanted to just die or try revenge that just outright failed.

“Sounds like Bill Cipher…and if that’s the case, we’re in a shit tone of trouble,” Rick said as the ship approached the school, the place was on fire and looked far more different than he had last seen it, now reshaped into the form of a pyramid. “Oh fuck…” Rick said as he observed. “Yeah, that’s Bill, fucking Bill all over.” He may not have met the demon, but he had heard of him somewhere in his travels, the guy was known as a nightmare demon, and he had caused quite a lot of chaos.

His thoughts were interrupted when Morty spoke up. “So…what do we do?” He asked, wringing his hands nervously and Rick sighed as he sat back, watching the chaos unfold in front of them. “We’re taking a trip to Gravity Falls for one…where is your sister? She was here to pick you up right?” He asked.

“I think so, I ran to find you as soon as I sensed trouble…” Morty said, upset. “What if he eats Summer?” He asked, freaking out a little bit as Rick grabbed a blaster from behind his seat, handing it to Morty before grabbing another for himself. “Let's go.” He said, getting out of the ship and heading inside. The place was total chaos, weird eyeballs turning people to stone and carrying them away while random monsters partied. Bill was in the middle of the gymnasium looking around. “Man, this dimension is defenseless! I’m a genius!” He said happily.

“Okay, that’s not good…” Rick said and hit one of the creatures before it could get either him or Morty as they looked for Summer and his grandson was trying his best not to hyperventilate while he shot at the monsters with his grandfather. “Summer!” He called, hoping that his sister heard him.

As he called for her Summer poked her head out of one of the classrooms. “Morty!” She called, and Rick grabbed Morty’s arm, leading him over toward his granddaughter as he shot at a few of the creatures. “Let's get the hell out of here.” He said once he had her and started for the door.

“What about Bill? What’s he going to do?” Morty asked, afraid as another wall burst into flames, by the time they made it out they would see that the influence was spreading at a steady pace. “You two get in the car, I’ll see what I can do,” Rick said before leaving to head back inside.

Morty frowned and turned to Summer. “We can’t leave Rick alone; he said he couldn’t stop Bill on his own!” He said, and Summer bit her lip as she thought a moment before grabbing his arm. “Maybe he has some extra weapons in the car.” She said before dragging her brother out to the car so they could get some blasters so they could help.

~~~~o~~~~

Rick entered the room, blaster, in hand as he took in the sight of the gym turned throne room, glaring at the triangle as he spoke. “I don’t appreciate you trying to take over my dimension.” He said as he held his blaster up and shot it at him only for the demon to stop the blast with his hand. “And I don’t appreciate old people trying to stop me, either.” He said.

The triangle grabbed at Rick, bringing him closer before frowning as he caught a very faint scent on the elderly scientist before him. “you carry a faint smell…you’ve Been to Gravity Falls! Are you a dimension hopper?!” He asked in a demanding tone as he glared at the man before him.

“I am, and I haven’t been to Gravity Falls in years, but I’m aware of you. I don’t know why you’re here in this dimension, but I’m going to take you out of it.” He said as he started creating a circle and chanting; Rick wasn’t much on messing with demons or anything, and he probably wasn’t doing this right, but at least it could stop this guy from ruining everything.

Before much else could be done Bill roared and smashed Rick hard into the ground, preventing him from trying much else. “No you don’t, old man! I may have lost there, but I will not lose here!” He roared as Rick cursed, groaning as he got up shakily as he looked at the triangle with a slight smirk. “Ooh, I’m scared.” Rick taunted, rolling his eyes as he got back to chanting as he tried to stop the demon, but Morty and Summer had come back, trying to shoot at him once more causing the triangle to roar once more as he reached for Summer only to be shot in the eye by Morty which sent the demon spinning.

“You little fucker! Always the eye! That’s it, you’re dead, all dead!” He shot random bolts of energy at kids, missing mostly since he was unable to see but some grazed Morty’s shoulder, it burned more than anything he had felt before.

“Morty, Summer! Car, now!” Rick yelled, knowing they wouldn’t win this one; he was going to have to break down and head to Gravity Falls if they were going to take on this demon. He ran to the car, making sure Summer and Morty got in before getting in himself as his grandson held his shoulder, trying his best not to cry with how painful it felt.

As Rick drove off Summer looked at the burn on Morty’s shoulder to see how bad it was while their grandfather pulled up a portal for the car to go through. His injury was significant and discolored, but it wasn’t bleeding much thankfully, but it took the same of Cipher’s seal as the ship landed in front of a shack that was in the middle of the woods. “Grandpa, where are we?” She asked as her eyes fell on the building in front of them, it looked like one of those dumb tourist traps, though it didn’t seem like it had visitors these days.

“Gravity Falls, Oregon…and this is the Mystery Shack,” Rick said.

“The place Bill Mentioned?” Morty asked, shoulder throbbing a bit, though it felt better since it was doctored, getting out of the ship with Rick and Summer. “Yeah, this is it.” Rick sighed as he looked around.

~~~~o~~~~

Stan turned off the TV when he heard something and narrowed his eyes. “Ford, did you hear that?” He asked, and Ford frowned, getting up from his chair. “Sounded like a ship landing or something…” He said as he went to the door, looking to investigate as he checked outside the window. “We have visitors…and hey came in a space ship.” He said, a little confused since they looked human. He turned to see his brother slipping on his brass knuckles before heading out the door. It was then that Stan stopped in his tracks as he looked at the man before him, going slack-jawed as he looked at the man with the grey-blue hair as well as the scent of booze that followed the man like it always did. “R-Rick?!”

Rick looked to him and scratched his head, feeling a slight bit nervous at seeing the other man before him. “Stan, hey.” He said before noticing the other man coming out the door. “Looks like you got that portal working...”

#Stancehz #Rick and Morty #Rickmorty #Rickcest #Rick Sanchez #Mortycest #Morty Smith #Stanley Pines #Ford Pines #bill cipher #Dipper/Morty #Dipper Pines #Mabel Pines #fanfiction

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sliceannarbor · 5 years

Text

Jeff Gordinier

Food & Drinks Editor, Esquire Magazine Author/Food Journalist Hudson Valley, New York jeffgordinier.com noma.dk Photo by Andre Baranowski

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

In this, our 122nd issue of SLICE ANN ARBOR, we are honored to present food journalist and author Jeff Gordinier. Gordinier talks with SLICE about his new book Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World — and life.

Jeff Gordinier is the food & drinks editor at Esquire and a contributor to The New York Times, where he was previously a reporter. In his latest book, Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World, Gordinier chronicles four years spent traveling in Mexico, Australia, and Denmark with René Redzepi, a Danish chef and the creative force behind Noma, often referred to as the best restaurant in the world. Gordinier provided commentary for an episode of Netflix's Chef's Table series featuring Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun in South Korea and an avatar of Asian temple cuisine. His work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Real Simple, Entertainment Weekly, Details, Elle, Fortune, Creative Nonfiction, Spin, Poetry Foundation, and anthologies such as Best American Nonrequired Reading. A graduate of Princeton University, Gordinier is also the author of X Saves the World and coeditor of Here She Comes Now. When he’s not working, you can find him taking care of his four children. Gordinier lives north of New York City with his wife, Lauren Fonda; they have a view of the Hudson River from their bedroom.

[Jeff Gordinier will be at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, to celebrate the release of Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World, where he will be in conversation with chef George Azar, owner of Flowers of Vietnam, Detroit. The discussion will be moderated by Devita Davison, executive director of FoodLab Detroit].

FAVORITES

Book: Impossible to say, but for now, Patti Smith's Just Kids, James Schuyler's Selected Poems, Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.

Destination: Anywhere I have never been before, so I will say Japan.

Motto: "I promise I will get back to you."

THE QUERY

How [and when] did the concept for Hungry originally take shape?

When I first met chef René Redzepi, in 2014, I was working as a food writer on staff at The New York Times, and it's safe to say I was wary of the fame he had achieved and skeptical about the New Nordic movement that he had instigated. Redzepi and I wound up traveling through Mexico together for a story I wrote for T Magazine, and that led, over time, to more Noma-oriented encounters and experiences. I soon started spending my own money to check out what Noma was doing in Copenhagen and in Australia, et cetera, and eventually I became intrigued enough that I quit my job to join the circus: I left my post at the Times and began tagging along on the trips that make up the bulk of Hungry. (My gig at Esquire gives me a lot of leeway to travel, and the only way to tell this story was to be free to hop on a plane at a moment's notice.)

For decades I've been a fan of the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back, which captured Bob Dylan at a crucial moment in his career, with all of the friction and frustration that that entails. We're lucky that Pennebaker managed to be present to get footage of Dylan, this pioneering cultural figure, when the singer-songwriter was in the midst of so much pressure and transformation. I guess I hoped to do a similar thing, in a book, with Redzepi — I felt as though I had warts-and-all access to this influential person during a genuine inflection point, and I didn't want those observations to go to waste.

What if, I thought, you were riding alongside Dylan from, say, 1965 to 1968 — from the moment he (controversially) went electric all the way through the recording of Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding? That sort of framework seemed available with Redzepi, because he and the Noma crew were preparing to embark on a series of risky, difficult pop-ups (in Japan, Australia, and Mexico) at the same time that the chef was planning to shut down the restaurant that had made him famous and reopen it in a new form on a site that looked like an abandoned nuclear dump. It was a dramatic set-up - and impossible to resist.

What was your overall vision for the book, before you embarked on the journey?

I had embarked on the journey long before I envisioned it as a book. I was just taking these crazy trips. Along the way I got to thinking that I might have material for a book. The structure of the book came together finally, in my mind, when I realized that it was a cult narrative: Hungry is ultimately the story of a lost man (that would be myself) who found clarity and purpose by joining a cult, only in this case the cult happens to be a restaurant called Noma.

How would you describe the evolution of your relationship with René Redzepi, from day one to the end of the travels?

He talked. I listened. At first I was slightly dubious regarding the whole mission of Noma, but eventually I realized that there was no point in trying to say "no" to this chef. It was more fulfilling to say yes.

What was a typical day like as you worked your way across the globe?

A lot of eating, a lot of driving, a lot of talking, a lot of analyzing. By the end of each day I tended to be exhilarated and exhausted. But I should point out that I didn't perpetually travel with Redzepi for years on end. Most of the time I was simply back home with my family, working on articles, et cetera. And Redzipi was back in Denmark with his family and his restaurant team. We would take these trips now and then, usually on a whim, over the course of about four years.

Who did you meet along the way from the culinary world (or from other worlds) that you'll likely never forget, and why?

Reporting the book was like being stuck in a culinary version of The Canterbury Tales, because famous chefs floated in and out of our orbit as we moved along. David Chang, Kylie Kwong, Danny Bowien, Enrique Olvera, Roberto Solís, Rosio Sánchez, to name but a few. What I won't forget is the summer day when René and Nadine Redzepi held a picnic in their backyard at which some of the world's top chefs got together and cooked: Jacques Pépin, José Andrés, Danny Bowien, Kylie Kwong, Jessica Koslow, Gabriela Cámara. Daniel Patterson, Bo Bech, Alex Atala. That was wild.

Is there a moment that stands out as most remarkable during the journey?

Really it was one remarkable moment after another. That's why I kept going back. It felt like an amplified version of life.

How has Redzepi changed the global culinary dialogue about wild and cultivated sourced ingredients?

Answering that would take a couple of days.

Why did Redzepi "have to do this," a question you asked early in your travels, referring to the closing of Noma in 2015 and its reopening/reinvention in 2018?

Most chefs work hard in a ridiculously challenging environment. Many chefs are perfectionists. But Redzepi is unlike anyone I have written about in the sense that he is never satisfied with sitting still. As readers of Hungry will see, he's allergic to coasting. At this point he and the Noma crew could just keep cranking out the most popular dishes. Customers would continue to beg for tables. But Redzepi seems convinced that his creativity would dry up if he let that happen. So he's always conjuring new challenges — exercises in team-building and flavor-searching that would wear most of us out.

How did this experience ultimately create reinvention in your life; how did it change you?

When I first met Redzepi, I was feeling stuck, which is something that happens to a lot of us, of course. Redzepi's philosophy — his whole approach to living — represents the opposite of stuckness. Like so many intensely creative people (from Bowie to Beyoncé), he's adept at escaping stuckness by propelling himself forward. He doesn't like to dwell on the past; he doesn't like to stay put. When he and I met, I was in a period of my life that was pretty much all about dwelling on the past, and that contrast seemed narratively fruitful to me. (The book starts off by quoting the first lines of Dante's Divine Comedy, which is sort of an inside joke, because from one vantage point the Divine Comedy can be read as an extravagant metaphor for Dante's midlife crisis.) I felt like both Redzepi and I were at pivotal moments in our lives. As readers will see, I wound up getting kicked out of my mental rut.

What is the wisdom of tearing it all down and starting over?

I think what drew me to Redzepi, long before I tasted his cooking, was his crazy commitment to making the most out of his life and the opportunities that have come his way. For those of us (and maybe it's all of us) who toy with the notion of reinventing ourselves, well, Redzepi comes across as a kind of mad avatar of renewal. He has reinvented Noma itself over and over, and he has also, in a way, reinvented Copenhagen, almost single-handedly turning it into one of the most compelling culinary cities in the world. It can be seductive and intoxicating to be around people who have that kind of energy.

What do you think the Danish chef might have learned from you along the way?

I am still much better than he is at making tortillas.

#jeff gordinier #andre baranowski #noma #foodlabdetroit #reneredzepi

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sims-psycho · 5 years

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Let's see... First half for Billie and second half for Andie (if you want to do all of them 😁💗)

Challenge accepted Chuska, challenge accepted… 😝

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? ~ Probably Tegan2. Are you outgoing or shy? ~ I have moments of both, I’d like to think I’m normally quite outgoing but I tend to be shyer when I’m in a completely unfamiliar place3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? ~ There’s a guy that’s been coming into my work every day, I look forward to our chats4. Are you easy to get along with? ~ I think so, I can be a little bossy, but I’m not a confrontational person5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? ~ I have no idea *laughs*6. What kind of people are you attracted to? ~ Kind people7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? ~ I doubt it, but you never know8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? ~ No one right now9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? ~ Only if it’s with someone I don’t know very well10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? ~ Tegan11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? ~ “I forgot sorry, I’m at the Library now tho” Andie wanted me to make her some hair dye but I forgot, not that interesting 12. What are your 5 favourite songs right now? ~ Death with Dignity by Sufjan Stevens, Lorelai by Fleet Foxes, Mexico by The Staves, The Golden Throne by Temples and The Alter by Wye Oak 13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? ~ Not particularly14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? ~ No, only because I know there are always people behind them15. What good thing happened this summer? ~ I got a new job16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? ~ Definitely not, I don’t miss my college boyfriend17. Do you think there is life on other planets? ~ There has to be, with the vastness of space there must be some sort of life out there18. Do you still talk to your first crush? ~ No *laughs*19. Do you like bubble baths? ~ I LOVE bubble baths20. Do you like your neighbours? ~ I don’t really know them21. What are you bad habits? ~ I have quite bad OCD about certain things, like checking the doors and windows are locked before I leave my apartment, even though it’s on the top floor, no one is going to be scaling the side of the building any time soon *smirks sadly* I’m also terrible for jumping to conclusions and lashing out when I’m upset, but I’m trying to get better at that *smiles*22. Where would you like to travel? ~ Italy has been at the top of my list for a while, and I’ve never been to Korea despite my grandma being from there23. Do you have trust issues? ~ I can be a little guarded, but I wouldn’t say I have trust issues24. Favourite part of your daily routine? ~ When I read in the evening before bed, it’s so peaceful 25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? ~ My lips26. What do you do when you wake up? ~ Get up *giggles*27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? ~ Sometimes I wish it was a little darker because I’m so pale and I always have to wear a thick layer of sunscreen in the summer28. Who are you most comfortable around? ~ Tegan, and my Mum29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? ~ No30. Do you ever want to get married? ~ Eventually, but not anytime soon, you actually have to have a partner for that anyway *laughs*31. Is your hair long enough for a ponytail? ~ No, and it hasn’t been for a while, I like it short *smiles*32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? ~ *laughs and blushes* Hmm, I’m gonna go with Matt Smith and Ryan Gosling 33. Spell your name with your chin. ~ Just because I’m using my chin doesn’t mean I don’t know how to spell my own name *smirks*34. Do you play sports? What sports? ~ I don’t, I used to run for my school when I was 15 but not since then35. Would you rather live without TV or music? ~ Hmm, TV36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? ~ Yes, and I never will37. What do you say during awkward silences? ~ I normally just sigh heavily a lot38. Describe your dream girl/guy? ~ Someone kind, whos’ open to new things39. What are your favourite stores to shop in? ~ Old ones40. What do you want to do after high school? ~ I’m not in high school, and haven’t been for a while *smirks*41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? ~ Yes, people can change42. If you’re being extremely quiet what does it mean? ~ That I’m either thinking deeply or tired43. Do you smile at strangers? ~ If they smile at me, yes44. A trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? ~ That’s a tricky one, I’m gonna have to say bottom of the ocean though45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? ~ My alarm *giggles*46. What are you paranoid about? ~ People going into my room when I’m not there47. Have you ever been high? ~ Yes once, I didn’t like it that much but Kit is trying to get me to try it again so we’ll see how that goes48. Have you ever been drunk? ~ Many times *laughs*49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? ~ I practised some elemental magic without Tegan knowing…50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? ~ Grey, I was at Andie, Kit’s and Kaspers and got cold so put on one of Kaspers, it was huge on me *laughs*51. Ever wished you were someone else? ~ Not anyone in particular, but I used to wish I wasn’t a witch52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? ~ Right now nothing *smiles*53. Favourite makeup brand? ~ Milk Makeup54. Favourite store? ~ There’s a little hippy shop down near the docks called Intrigue that I love55. Favourite blog? ~ I like the Rookie blog56. Favourite colour? ~ Orange57. Favourite food? ~ My Mums Stir Fry58. Last thing you ate? ~ Some toast and jam59. The first thing you ate this morning? …the toast and jam *laughs*60. Ever won a competition? For what? ~ I was part of the relay team when my high school won a regional athletics championship *smirks* other than that no61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? ~ Never62. Been arrested? For what? ~ Nope63. Ever been in love? ~ I don’t think so64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? ~ I’d rather not *smiles awkwardly*65. Are you hungry right now? ~ Nah, I just had my toast and jam *laughs*66. Do you like your Tumblr friends more than your real friends? ~ N/A67. Facebook or Twitter? ~ I don’t have either, been thinking about making a twitter recently though68. Twitter or Tumblr? ~ Tumblr!69. Are you watching tv right now? ~ I’m in the middle of a Bates Motel episode as we speak70. Names of your best friends? ~ Tegan, Andie and Kasper….and Kit if I have to *smirks*71. Craving something? What? ~ I could go for a banana milkshake right now…72. What colour are your towels? ~ Light blue72. How many pillows do you sleep with? ~ 4, I’m a pillow addict *giggles*73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? ~ My little rabbit, Hopper 74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? ~ Only a few, and only Hopper is in Anne Arbor with me, the others are at my parent’s house75. Favourite animal? ~ I love cats and rabbits *smiles*

76. What colour is your underwear? ~ Oo, getting straight to it are we *winks and giggles* they’re black and lacey, love77. Chocolate or Vanilla? ~ Both!78. Favourite ice cream flavour? ~ Cookie dough, I could eat it all day every day *drools*79. What colour shirt are you wearing? ~ Bright yellow, like my personality *laughs*80. What colour pants? ~ Pants? Ohhhhh, you mean trousers, well, skirt I guess cuz that’s what I’m wearing *laughs* It’s black denim81. Favourite tv show? ~ I like that 70′s show *smiles*82. Favourite movie? ~ Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is AMAZING *grins*83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? ~ Haven’t seen either84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? ~ 21 Jump Street!85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? ~ I HAVEN’T SEEN MEAN GIRLS!86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? ~ I like the starfish, and dory, and the lil baby octopus *smiles*87. The first person you talked to today? ~ Kit I think88. Last person you talked to today? ~ Some random drunk girl in the park *giggles* I was drunk too so it wasn’t that weird89. Name a person you hate? ~ Hmmm, I can’t remember *smirks*90. Name a person you love? ~ There’s SO many people! I love Erik and Maya and Tegan and Alex and Tortilla and Billie and Kasper and Kit! *grins*91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? ~ I don’t think so, have you got any suggestions?92. In a fight with someone? ~ Not right now93. How many sweatpants do you have? ~ Like, 2 *smirks* 94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? ~ Definitely more than 2 *laughs* more like 20 tbh95. Last movie you watched? ~ I watched some space one with Kasper and Kit, I think it was called Intergalactic or…Interstellar! That was it, Interstellar *giggles*96. Favourite actress? ~ Cate Blanchett!97. Favourite actor? ~ I just answered this, didn’t it..?98. Do you tan a lot? ~ Not in a shop or anything, I’m outside a lot so I’m naturally tanned99. Have any pets? ~ I have Kit, does he count? *laughs*100. How are you feeling? ~ Pretty good 101. Do you type fast? ~ I talk fast102. Do you regret anything from your past? …103. Can you spell well? Yeah, I’m alright, all these computers and shit don’t really help tho104. Do you miss anyone from your past? ~ A couple people from back home, but Maya says I can go and visit them whenever I like *smiles*105. Ever been to a bonfire party? ~ Yeah! They’re the best! *grins*106. Ever broken someone’s heart? ~ I’m not sure 107. Have you ever been on a horse? ~ Yeah! I used to ride along the beach back in Straya all the time *smiles*108. What should you be doing? ~ Right now nothing, it’s great *laughs*109. Is something irritating you right now? ~ I’m laying on my rug and it’s a bit itchy if that’s what you mean110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? ~ Oh yes!111. Do you have trust issues? ~ No, I can just make people forget the things I don’t want them to know112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? ~ Tegan I think113. What was your childhood nickname? ~ Little fish, Kit still calls me it sometimes114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? ~ I’ve been aaaaallllll over the world *grins*115. Do you play the Wii? ~ No?116. Are you listening to music right now? ~ Yeah. I’m listening to Paramore! 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? ~ Yup!118. Do you like Chinese food? ~ Yup yup! *laughs*119. Favourite book? ~ I like Milk and Honey, it’s pretty *smiles*120. Are you afraid of the dark? ~ I’m not afraid of anything121. Are you mean? ~ Kinda sometimes, but not too nice people122. Is cheating ever okay? ~ Hmm, I guess if you’re not happy and being treated badly then yeah123. Can you keep white shoes clean? ~ Nope nope nope *laughs*124. Do you believe in love at first sight? ~ Nah, lust at first sight tho…*smirks*125. Do you believe in true love? ~ Like from fairy tales and shit? I guess126. Are you currently bored? ~ A little bit, but \i normally a, so don’t take it personally *giggles*127. What makes you happy? ~ Quite a few things, Being at the beach, hanging out with my friends, and ripping the throats out of people who are bad *smiles sweetly*128. Would you change your name? ~ Nah, I like my name!129. What your zodiac sign? ~ Leo130. Do you like subway? ~ I guess, I don’t have it a lot131. Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? ~ *laughs* I dunno, laugh a lot *laughs*132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? ~ Kasper133. Favourite lyrics right now? ~ “You’d really like it in the limelight, You’d sympathize with all the bad guys, I’m still a victim in my own right, But I’m the villain in my own eyes”134. Can you count to one million? ~ Duh, I’m not stupid 135. Dumbest lie you ever told? ~ Oh god, I’ve told so many I can’t remember *laughs*136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? ~ Closed, what kind of psycho sleeps with their door open?137. How tall are you? ~ 5′7 *smiles*138. Curly or Straight hair? ~ somewhere in-between 139. Brunette or Blonde? ~ Well my hair is like a light brown, it goes kind of blonde in the summer140. Summer or Winter? ~ Summer! *grins*141. Night or Day? ~ That’s tricky, but probably day, I do most of my work at night142. Favourite month? ~ June! It’s my birthday month! *giggles*143. Are you a vegetarian? ~ Far from it *laughs*144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? ~ Milk, mmm *drools*145. Tea or Coffee? ~ Coffee!146. Was today a good day? ~ Yeah! *smiles*147. Mars or Snickers? ~ Mars all the way!148. What’s your favourite quote? ~ ”do not bother holding on to that thing that does not want you” - Rupi Kaur149. Do you believe in ghosts? ~ No doubt, I’ve met some, they’re not as scary as humans make them out to be, so misunderstood 150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? ~ “no”

#billie #andie #oc's #character development #this took me so long omg #but i loved every second of it #they're so different i love it

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