Dutch ladies wanted for Taste/smell & perception experiment!!

My favourite researcher is urgently looking for a few more Dutch ladies between 26 & 31 years old, who studied “HBO”  or higher. 

You’ll perform some computertasks for about 2 hours, in Amsterdam (before the end of next week!). Je moet Nederlandse zijn. The research is for the Brain and Cognition department of the University of Amsterdam. You will earn € 20,- in cash.

Do you fit the criteria? Please help out my friend, contact me and I’ll send you the info & bring you in touch.

taste dlcs

European Wine Wars: after Tocai, it is the time of Prosek… and Teran

Great article!

European Wine Wars: after Tocai, it is the time of Prosek… and Teran.

I prefer Prosek above Prosecco and Slovenian Teran above Croatian. BUT Any of the above are better price- & quality- wise compared to anything for sale in The Netherlands.

Terrano wine is primarily grown in Kras plateau within the Slovenian Primorska wine region (where it is called Kraški teran) and Italian Carso DOC (with two main varieties called Terrano del Carso and Carso Rosso (red Carso)), as well as in the West Istrian wine region of Croatia (called Istarski Teran or Terrano D’Istria in Italian). Teran is the principal red wine grape in these regions. 

This wine is a great appetizer and has always been appreciated for its medicinal properties. As with all other refosco family wines, some believe that Kraski Teran is the Roman puccinum (although some also believe that puccinum was a white wine similar to Prosecco). Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that puccinum was the favorite of Augustus‘s wife Livia who lived to the respectable age of 82. The medicinal properties of lactic acid and bivalent iron, that are highly contained in Kraski Teran, have been confirmed by a modern medicine. The wine stimulates the appetite and facilitates digestion of fatty foods

Grozde

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrano_(grape)

A Saturday in Amsterdam..

Museum & market.

HELP WANTED! Who can draw me an octopus?

Which artist/ hobbiest/ follower/ reader/ friend/ designer CAN and would like to (digitally?) draw/ design me an octopus/ pulpo/ inktvis/ hobotbnica LOGO?

I’d like all 8 tentacles to be visible because I have 8 specialisations I’d like to refer to.  Also I’d like the octopus to be a bit more friendly than some of the examples below. 

I can’t pay you, BUT I know how to play around with SEM & SEO, I’ll (online) advertise your skills/ your site/ your company for life!

By the way;

There are 289 species of octopuses, ranging from the giant octopus in the Northern Pacific (Octopus dofleini), which has on average 3 m (10 ft) in length and weighs 15 kg (33.3 pounds) (but the record was of 10 m (30 ft) in length and 272 kg (604 pounds)) to the male argonaut octopuses that are 2 cm (0.8 inch) long.

Octopuses live only 1-3 years in the case of females and up to 5 years in the case of males. They mate (at least females) just once for several times when they reach sexual maturity.

The penis of the octopus is called hectocotylus and it is formed of the third tentacle on the right of the male, which is modified in various ways to effect the fertilization of the female’s eggs. It stores spermatophores (packages of sperm cells). After one mating, when the male loses its hectocotylus, it won’t be able to copulate again till the next season, when a new hectocotylus grows.

In common type octopuses, males die within few months after mating, without regenerating another hectocotylus. The shape and size of the hectocotylus varies greatly among octopus species, being used for species identification.

Sorry for the unpermitted use of images I found through Google. I don’t own any of the images above. 

1st BBQ of the season!

Improvised, unplanned and spontaneous. 

Studentfood

Even as as student I loved quality food. That’s actually the time I started experimenting with cooking; many of my friends often ate at my place.

I am horrified when I see what some students consume for dinner… they often consider cooking a burden, or think they don’t know how to cook and of course there are more important things in life than spending too much time on preparing food. Nowadays in The Netherlands many ingredients are pre-cut, pre-washed and even pre-sorted in order to create a quick meal. On top of that there are many choices of ready made sauces, soups etc., all of course full of additives….

Baked beans- studentfood by DLCS Management

What did you eat when you were (are?) a student?  Did you cook?  Did you consume enough vitamins?  Were you aware of the fact that studying would be “easier” after consuming “brainfood” ?

Food Markets

The best food markets I’ve ever visited were in Barcelona and London.

The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria (Catalan pronunciation: [ɫə βu.kəˈɾi.ə]), is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona,Catalonia, Spain and one of the city’s foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona’s opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods.

La Boqueria by DLCS Management

Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark, Central London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and sells a large variety of foods from all over the world. 

Borough Market

Borough Market

Have you ever been to any of these two markets?

What is according to your opinion the best food market in the world? 

More info about my favourite market in Barcelona: http://www.boqueria.info/index.php?lang=en

More info about my favourite market in London: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

EatWith – a new way of culinary tourism/a new dining experience

EatWith.com is a global community marketplace offering unique dining experiences in private homes around the world. Connect with amazing hosts, meet new people and experience the hottest new foodie trend!

When EatWith founder Guy Michlin was on vacation in Crete, the best meal he had was in the home of a local instead of in a restaurant. After visiting the tourist restaurants his wife and he found this personal experience so special, it was worth much more than a visit to a restaurant. He came up with a new business concept, so everyone could experience food this unique way.

EatWith has started the set up of this food community experience in Israel and Spain and will soon expand to the rest of the world.

As host, you choose the menu, dates, times and price. EatWith acts as an intermediary between the two parties and takes 15% on the total price of the dinner or lunch.

The set-up of this  “global community that brings together people who are passionate about cooking  and travelers looking for a different lunch or dinner” has commenced in Israel and Spain, but keep your eyes open; soon you will encounter Eatwith in many more places! Keep an eye on them! I say this community that lets you enjoy authentic and intimate dining experiences in people’s homes will be booming!

Check out the site & browse through your potential future hosts’ profiles: http://eatwith.com

EatWith

What do you think about this new concept? Will you join the community when it comes to your hometown or when you visit a new place? 

Culinary events and festivals in The Netherlands 2013

For me, food should be enjoyed, experienced and shared…
I found some moments to look forward to! Here’s an overview of some of the upcoming  culinary festivals  in The Netherlands’ (& Belgium). Anything to add?

April 6 & 7 - Kom in de Kas ,Whole Netherlands
May 9 & 10 - Antwerpen Proeft ,Antwerp, Belgium
May 9 -12 - Proef Amersfoort , Amersfoort
May 17 – May 20  - Eindhoven Culinair , Eindhoven
May 22 – June 2 - Tong Tong Fair , Indonesian festival Den Haag
May 25 & 26 - Outdoor Eating , Almere
May 30 – June 2 - Proef Mei , Bergen op Zoom
May 31 –  June 2 - Italie Evenement  , Kasteel de Haar, Utrecht
May 31 – June 3 - Smaakvol Arnhem , Arnhem
June 6 – 9 - Taste of Amsterdam , Amsterdam
June 7 – 9 - Smaakvol Breda , Breda
June 21 -23- Lekker Venlo , Venlo
June 28 – July 1 - Leiden Culinair , Leiden
June 28 – June 30- Culinair Zandvoort , Zandvoort
June 28 – June 30  - Meppel Culinair , Meppel
August 1 – 4  - Haarlem Culinair , Haarlem
August 22 – 25 - Preuvenemint Maastricht , Maastricht
August 23 – 25 - Castricum Culinair , Castricum
August 28 - Visserijdagen Harlingen , Harlingen
August 30 – September 2 - Culinair Alphen , Alphen
August 30  – September 2 Proeven in Groningen , Groningen
September 13 – 15  - Texel Culinair , Texel
September 14 – 16 - Smaakexplosies Zaandam , Zaandam
September 26 – 30 - Tilburg Culinair  ,Tilburg
November 17 - Hoorn moet je proeven , Hoorn

 

HERE’s an old blogpost about my favourite food festival EVER.  

 

Will you let me know if you visit one of the food events or festivals? 

Naturally painted Easter eggs

Are you painting any this year? I’m going to try dyeing the eggs the natural way. Here are some tips:

naturally dyed onion skin Easter eggs

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Colored Easter Eggs Using Natural Dyes

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide

It’s fun and easy to use foods and flowers to make your own natural Easter egg dyes. The two main ways to use your own dyes are to add dyes to the eggs when boiling them or to dye the eggs after they have been hard-boiled. It’s a lot faster to boil the dyes and eggs together, but you will use several pans if you want to make multiple colors. Dyeing the eggs after they have been cooked takes as many dishes and more time, but may be more practical (after all, most stoves only have four burners!).

Try both fresh and frozen produce. Canned produce will produce much paler colors. Boiling the colors with vinegar will result in deeper colors. Some materials need to be boiled to impart their color (name followed by ‘boiled’ in the table). Some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold. To use a cold material, cover the boiled eggs with water, add dyeing materials, a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and let the eggs remain in the refrigerator until the desired color is achieved. In most cases, the longer you leave Easter eggs in the dye, the more deeply colored they will become.

Here is the preferred method for using natural dyes:

1. Place the eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered.
2. Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar.
3. Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more eggs or for a more intense color.
4. Bring water to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. If you are pleased with the color, remove the eggs from the liquid.
7. If you want more intensely colored eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight.
8. Naturally-colored eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry.

You can use fresh and frozen berries as ‘paints’, too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them. Happy Easter!

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Color	Ingredients
Lavender	Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice Red Zinger Tea
Violet Blue	Violet Blossoms Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Hibiscus Tea Red Wine
Blue	Canned Blueberries Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled) Purple Grape Juice
Green	Spinach Leaves (boiled) Liquid Chlorophyll
Greenish Yellow	Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)
Yellow	Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Carrot Tops (boiled) Celery Seed (boiled) Ground Cumin (boiled) Ground Turmeric (boiled) Chamomile Tea Green Tea
Golden Brown	Dill Seeds
Brown	Strong Coffee Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (boiled) Black Tea
Orange	Yellow Onion Skins (boiled) Cooked Carrots Chili Powder Paprika
Pink	Beets Cranberries or Juice Raspberries Red Grape Juice Juice from Pickled Beets
Red	Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Canned Cherries with Juice Pomegranate Juice Raspberries