Since starting to cook Japanese food, I’ve increased not only my knowledge of this type of cuisine, and my skills in its preparation, but along with trying new recipes, I’m continuously delimiting the dishes I prefer to cook and the ones l like to eat.
Although my rank-ordering has changed over time, one of the dishes I like to prepare is Chanko Nabe (a hearty stew).
Why? This meal is relatively quick to cook, I can easily find the ingredients that go into the recipe, and they are healthy to eat.
For those who don’t know, Chanko Nabe (also spelled Chankonabe) is considered to be the go to food of Japanese sumo wrestlers, and it is typically cooked in a hot pot or donabe (i.e., a traditional Japanese style clay cookware).
Moreover, there’s no single way to prepare Chanko Nabe, and lots of cooks use different ingredients and steps.
And in many respects this is the beauty of the dish, so that you can personalize it to your own tastes and that of the people who you will be preparing the dish for. (Incidentally although few English language Japanese cookbooks include recipes for Chanko Nabe, there are numerous ones on the web)
But here are the basics. You start with a firm base of dashi, add soy, mirin, and then you add chicken balls (which is typically ground chicken rolled up into meatball size), and then at the very end, the vegetables, typically Chinese or napa cabbage, and a carrot that is thinly sliced but cut in a decorative manner. I also include Chinese (not Japanese) style tofu cut into small half inch cubes.
Although some of the ingredients can be sourced from your Safeway or Whole Foods, at least half need to be purchased from a market specializing in Japanese food, or an Asian grocery store. This includes hurkasame noodles, different types of mushrooms, and kikuna. You can get by with substitutes, but the more you go the substitution way then the authenticity and fidelity to the Japanese cuisine gets compromised.
For a dish that includes almost everything but the kitchen sink it’s also important to have a sense of proportionality. I frequently lay out everything I think I want to put into the soup, but in the end cut back because I know the final dish will look overwhelming
Also, make sure you have a large enough pot. In fact you can never have a pot that is too big. And then it’s a matter of timing. Things that are going to take a longer time to cook go first and ones that are quick to cook go later.
As you get comfortable preparing Chanko Nabe you can experiment with different sources of protein (e.g., fish and meat) and vegetables (e.g., daikon, bok choy, etc.).
In short, almost every Asian cuisine has their favorite meat and vegetable soups. For example there are numerous Hot Pot recipes in Chinese and Mongolian cuisine; and Koreans have stews such as Budae Jjigae, but the Japanese have Chanko Nabe and it’s well worth exploring.
Photo credit:
Chanko Nabe
photo taken by @gwenaelledesign
https://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/5991d3c7-78ed-48e7-bad3-7d28f8c5847e.jpg477462Jeffrey Ian Rosshttps://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/jeffrey-ian-ross-logo-04.pngJeffrey Ian Ross2023-02-27 14:10:312023-02-27 14:11:31Wrestling with Chanko Nabe
In 2016 Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President, and the Republican Party gained control of the Senate. For more than four years a large chunk of the public continuously wondered what egregious and embarrassing thing Trump and his supporters would say or do next. This insecurity was highlighted when the capital was attacked by Trump supporters in what is now referred as the January 6th insurrection.
In the midst of it all was the global pandemic that led to countless deaths, diminished health outcomes, economic collapse of some businesses, and high levels of stress for numerous people.
These events took a toll on our collective mental health. In particular, on our ability to get a good night’s sleep.
There are lots of ways to calm down before going to sleep. Some people like to drink a hot cup of milk, others a cup of tea. Still some take a bath, eat an edible, or read fiction.
But since the pandemic I’ve been reading poetry to my wife at bedtime.
Yes, it sounds corny, but it’s made a world of difference in our ability to fall asleep, and our sleep patterns and thus our lives have improved.
I started by reading a handful of poems from well-known authors like EE Cummings and Pablo Neruda. After exhausting this limited supply I scoured the shelves in our house, found about a half dozen books of poems, and started to selectively read them to my wife at bedtime. To my chagrin, I found a lot of the poems a little boring and pedantic.
I also discovered that many of the poems are downright depressing, and frequently discuss dark subjects, like blood, death, and depressive states, themes that are not conducive to relaxation, ones that neither my wife nor I want to hear in the final minutes before we attempt to nod off to sleep.
In an effort to expand our options, we pursued the poetry section of the few remaining book stores in Washington DC and bought a handful of poetry books from them.
But my biggest success in finding appropriate poems have been via surfing the web. Pretty soon I landed upon www.poetryfoundation.com and each night skim their poem of the day. Once I find a poem that I like, I start digging into other poems by the author.
Poets that have eased their way into our bed time ritual, not to mention the excel file that I have constructed, include: W. H. Auden, Robert Frost, Nathalie Handal, Nikki Giovanni, Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, and Marjorie Saiser, to name a few. They lean towards pleasant visual images of nature, love, and acceptance; of a snowy days, walking in a forest, or along a beach.
During this process I’ve discovered numerous poets who I never heard about, whose body of work I never read, and probably would never had been motivated to explore, had I not chosen to read a new poem or set of poems each night.
The process has forced me to slow down when reading out loud, pronounce every word correctly, and pay greater attention to punctuation.
I’ve learned to appreciate the rhythm and cadence of the words assembled together.
And yes, it has allowed my wife and I to more easily fall asleep.
Photo Credit:
The Parnassus (1511) by Raphael – atop Mount Parnassus, 18 ancient and modern poets recite in the company of the nine Muses.
https://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2023-02-21-at-7.47.44-PM.png627972Jeffrey Ian Rosshttps://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/jeffrey-ian-ross-logo-04.pngJeffrey Ian Ross2023-02-22 16:00:562023-02-26 21:05:24The calming effect of reading poetry before sleep
That being said, there are lots of terms that even native born English speakers misuse, but in the area of higher education various words and expressions that many people use to indicate when a person earns a certification, degree, diploma or licensure are used inappropriately.
In this context, many individuals conflate or fail to distinguish among the words: achieve, acquire, award, complete, obtain, receive, and earn. Although these terms are connected to the situation when a person has completed all the requirements for a credential, and while sounding similar, these words are not really interchangeable.
The tendency to use words other than earn, minimizes the expenditure of personal effort, and sometimes struggle and sacrifice, and subtly prioritizes the earning of a certification, etc. as an economic transaction, rather than a symbol of a person achieving a recognized level of expertise, skills, and professionalism.
Why are each of the synonyms problematic?
To begin with, the word achieve, is most appropriately paired with a rank, and not a certification, etc. as in achieving a rank. For example, we may use this word in the sentence, “John achieved the rank of captain in the Grenadier Guards during the second world war.”
On the other hand, the expression acquire a degree, etc. is a bit of misnomer. The word acquire typically means to pick-up, purchase, or develop as in, “she acquired a taste for designer bags.” Yes in most situations, people pay money to get instruction that may lead to a certification etc., but this would also imply that the more one spends on this category of services, then the better the end product. This, however, is not always the case in certifications etc.
In general, award means, “To grant as merited or due.” This implies the person has done something special. As in awarded a prize. Award also sounds very close to the word reward. The word award does not say anything about effort needed to achieve the degree etc.. And the mere act of going to school, completing a course of studies, passing these classes is tough, as it should be.
The word complete is better, and we can make due with the idea that Jane completed her diploma in finance, but for inexplicable reasons rarely is this expression used. For example, a person completes a course of studies in order to graduate. But this word says nothing of whether the person actually secured the degree, etc.
The word received is also problematic. You receive a package in the mail. Or the football player received the ball and made a touchdown.
I much prefer the word earn when used in connection with a certification, etc. Earn generally means that the person’s efforts have been scrutinized by individuals designated or capable of making evaluative judgements, or a body designed to monitor the candidates’ progress, and that they have passed some sort of test (or a series of them) rather than simply been given a piece of paper for time in grade or because they have purchased the right to be given a certification etc.
https://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/4185983215_acfa86981e_o.jpg6821024Jeffrey Ian Rosshttps://jeffreyianross.com/wp-content/uploads/jeffrey-ian-ross-logo-04.pngJeffrey Ian Ross2023-02-14 14:57:222024-04-03 18:51:10What’s wrong with most synonyms for earning a certification, degree, diploma, or licensure?
Wrestling with Chanko Nabe
/by Jeffrey Ian RossSince starting to cook Japanese food, I’ve increased not only my knowledge of this type of cuisine, and my skills in its preparation, but along with trying new recipes, I’m continuously delimiting the dishes I prefer to cook and the ones l like to eat.
Although my rank-ordering has changed over time, one of the dishes I like to prepare is Chanko Nabe (a hearty stew).
Why? This meal is relatively quick to cook, I can easily find the ingredients that go into the recipe, and they are healthy to eat.
For those who don’t know, Chanko Nabe (also spelled Chankonabe) is considered to be the go to food of Japanese sumo wrestlers, and it is typically cooked in a hot pot or donabe (i.e., a traditional Japanese style clay cookware).
Moreover, there’s no single way to prepare Chanko Nabe, and lots of cooks use different ingredients and steps.
And in many respects this is the beauty of the dish, so that you can personalize it to your own tastes and that of the people who you will be preparing the dish for. (Incidentally although few English language Japanese cookbooks include recipes for Chanko Nabe, there are numerous ones on the web)
But here are the basics. You start with a firm base of dashi, add soy, mirin, and then you add chicken balls (which is typically ground chicken rolled up into meatball size), and then at the very end, the vegetables, typically Chinese or napa cabbage, and a carrot that is thinly sliced but cut in a decorative manner. I also include Chinese (not Japanese) style tofu cut into small half inch cubes.
Although some of the ingredients can be sourced from your Safeway or Whole Foods, at least half need to be purchased from a market specializing in Japanese food, or an Asian grocery store. This includes hurkasame noodles, different types of mushrooms, and kikuna. You can get by with substitutes, but the more you go the substitution way then the authenticity and fidelity to the Japanese cuisine gets compromised.
For a dish that includes almost everything but the kitchen sink it’s also important to have a sense of proportionality. I frequently lay out everything I think I want to put into the soup, but in the end cut back because I know the final dish will look overwhelming
Also, make sure you have a large enough pot. In fact you can never have a pot that is too big. And then it’s a matter of timing. Things that are going to take a longer time to cook go first and ones that are quick to cook go later.
As you get comfortable preparing Chanko Nabe you can experiment with different sources of protein (e.g., fish and meat) and vegetables (e.g., daikon, bok choy, etc.).
In short, almost every Asian cuisine has their favorite meat and vegetable soups. For example there are numerous Hot Pot recipes in Chinese and Mongolian cuisine; and Koreans have stews such as Budae Jjigae, but the Japanese have Chanko Nabe and it’s well worth exploring.
Photo credit:
Chanko Nabe
photo taken by @gwenaelledesign
The calming effect of reading poetry before sleep
/by Jeffrey Ian RossIn 2016 Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President, and the Republican Party gained control of the Senate. For more than four years a large chunk of the public continuously wondered what egregious and embarrassing thing Trump and his supporters would say or do next. This insecurity was highlighted when the capital was attacked by Trump supporters in what is now referred as the January 6th insurrection.
In the midst of it all was the global pandemic that led to countless deaths, diminished health outcomes, economic collapse of some businesses, and high levels of stress for numerous people.
These events took a toll on our collective mental health. In particular, on our ability to get a good night’s sleep.
There are lots of ways to calm down before going to sleep. Some people like to drink a hot cup of milk, others a cup of tea. Still some take a bath, eat an edible, or read fiction.
But since the pandemic I’ve been reading poetry to my wife at bedtime.
Yes, it sounds corny, but it’s made a world of difference in our ability to fall asleep, and our sleep patterns and thus our lives have improved.
I started by reading a handful of poems from well-known authors like EE Cummings and Pablo Neruda. After exhausting this limited supply I scoured the shelves in our house, found about a half dozen books of poems, and started to selectively read them to my wife at bedtime. To my chagrin, I found a lot of the poems a little boring and pedantic.
I also discovered that many of the poems are downright depressing, and frequently discuss dark subjects, like blood, death, and depressive states, themes that are not conducive to relaxation, ones that neither my wife nor I want to hear in the final minutes before we attempt to nod off to sleep.
In an effort to expand our options, we pursued the poetry section of the few remaining book stores in Washington DC and bought a handful of poetry books from them.
But my biggest success in finding appropriate poems have been via surfing the web. Pretty soon I landed upon www.poetryfoundation.com and each night skim their poem of the day. Once I find a poem that I like, I start digging into other poems by the author.
Poets that have eased their way into our bed time ritual, not to mention the excel file that I have constructed, include: W. H. Auden, Robert Frost, Nathalie Handal, Nikki Giovanni, Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, and Marjorie Saiser, to name a few. They lean towards pleasant visual images of nature, love, and acceptance; of a snowy days, walking in a forest, or along a beach.
During this process I’ve discovered numerous poets who I never heard about, whose body of work I never read, and probably would never had been motivated to explore, had I not chosen to read a new poem or set of poems each night.
The process has forced me to slow down when reading out loud, pronounce every word correctly, and pay greater attention to punctuation.
I’ve learned to appreciate the rhythm and cadence of the words assembled together.
And yes, it has allowed my wife and I to more easily fall asleep.
Photo Credit:
The Parnassus (1511) by Raphael – atop Mount Parnassus, 18 ancient and modern poets recite in the company of the nine Muses.
What’s wrong with most synonyms for earning a certification, degree, diploma, or licensure?
/by Jeffrey Ian RossIn order to minimize confusion, and be properly understood, it’s important to use words and expressions that mean what we say, and avoid ones that don’t.
That being said, there are lots of terms that even native born English speakers misuse, but in the area of higher education various words and expressions that many people use to indicate when a person earns a certification, degree, diploma or licensure are used inappropriately.
In this context, many individuals conflate or fail to distinguish among the words: achieve, acquire, award, complete, obtain, receive, and earn. Although these terms are connected to the situation when a person has completed all the requirements for a credential, and while sounding similar, these words are not really interchangeable.
The tendency to use words other than earn, minimizes the expenditure of personal effort, and sometimes struggle and sacrifice, and subtly prioritizes the earning of a certification, etc. as an economic transaction, rather than a symbol of a person achieving a recognized level of expertise, skills, and professionalism.
Why are each of the synonyms problematic?
To begin with, the word achieve, is most appropriately paired with a rank, and not a certification, etc. as in achieving a rank. For example, we may use this word in the sentence, “John achieved the rank of captain in the Grenadier Guards during the second world war.”
On the other hand, the expression acquire a degree, etc. is a bit of misnomer. The word acquire typically means to pick-up, purchase, or develop as in, “she acquired a taste for designer bags.” Yes in most situations, people pay money to get instruction that may lead to a certification etc., but this would also imply that the more one spends on this category of services, then the better the end product. This, however, is not always the case in certifications etc.
In general, award means, “To grant as merited or due.” This implies the person has done something special. As in awarded a prize. Award also sounds very close to the word reward. The word award does not say anything about effort needed to achieve the degree etc.. And the mere act of going to school, completing a course of studies, passing these classes is tough, as it should be.
The word complete is better, and we can make due with the idea that Jane completed her diploma in finance, but for inexplicable reasons rarely is this expression used. For example, a person completes a course of studies in order to graduate. But this word says nothing of whether the person actually secured the degree, etc.
Moreover, obtain is defined as, “to succeed in gaining possession of as the result of planning or endeavor; acquire.” Pairing obtained with things like degrees reflects a consumerist interpretation of education. Unless degrees or diplomas are being handed out without the necessity of doing any work, then it is best to avoid using this word in an educational context. Also the word “obtain,” does not acknowledge the hard work that the candidate has engaged in through their coursework and studies at an educational institution that if they complete their course work may confer a degree upon them.
The word received is also problematic. You receive a package in the mail. Or the football player received the ball and made a touchdown.
I much prefer the word earn when used in connection with a certification, etc. Earn generally means that the person’s efforts have been scrutinized by individuals designated or capable of making evaluative judgements, or a body designed to monitor the candidates’ progress, and that they have passed some sort of test (or a series of them) rather than simply been given a piece of paper for time in grade or because they have purchased the right to be given a certification etc.
Photo Credit
Photographer: Sergio Rivas
Title: Diplomas!