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| Photo by Lauriann Wakefield, Little Starling Photography |
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Fearless Foodie
by Scott Heiner
Ethnic Food
I’ve always been extremely curious about almost everything, but it was
my LDS mission to Japan that got me hooked on trying weird foods. Fortunately, America has become an unrivaled melting pot of cultures with all the varied cuisines on earth. Now, I can virtually travel the world trying foods from everywhere without having to leave the USA.
In a previous article, I discussed the foods I ate in Japan. Now I’ll talk about some of the other ethnic foods I’ve discovered. Having become familiarized with Japanese food and eating with chopsticks, it was a natural step to try other Oriental cuisines, which have major differences as well as many similarities.
Chinese
We’ve all heard that the “Chinese” food we eat here in America isn’t real Chinese food. Chop-suey, chow-mein, and egg-foo-young are very different in China, and fortune cookies don’t even exist there. It turns out that Chinese dishes are adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China. Likewise, there is Mexican-Chinese food, Peruvian-Chinese food, English-Chinese food, French-Chinese food and so forth, all adapted to the palate of the particular region.
When we lived in Salt Lake, Sharon and I were invited by Chinese neighbors to a Chinese New Year dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Nothing we ate that night was on their regular menu; the staff had cooked genuine Chinese food. Some of the dishes were fine, but others had ingredients and flavors that were definitely out of our comfort zone. One dish was a sweet pudding made with white jelly fungus. Another item we definitely didn’t care for was the shark fin soup. The pieces of shark fin were really tough and gristly, almost like trying to eat pieces of plastic. Although something of a culture shock, the dinner was a very enjoyable just for the experience.
Thai
The first time we went to a Thai restaurant, we told the waiter that we were unfamiliar with their cuisine. He replied that they have 5 levels of spiciness: Coward, Mild, Medium, Hot and Authentic. He was right, and we stayed generally with coward or mild. However, we found that not all Thai food is spicy. Some dishes are normally mild or totally non-spicy; it just depends on the particular dish. Just be careful to ask.
Pad Thai is probably the iconic Thai dish: noodles stir-fried with vegetables and meat such as shrimp or chicken. A favorite of ours is chicken coconut lemon grass soup, a delightful taste combination of lemony coconut milk with chicken, mushrooms and onions. Egg roll soup is quite an unusual item consisting of crispy egg rolls in a broth. It’s supposed to be eaten quickly before the egg rolls get soggy. We are really fond of Thai cuisine and will go at the drop of a hat.
Korean
One thing I really like about Korean meals is the “banchan” which is the many small side dishes of vegetables, pickles and grilled meats that are served in the center of the table. Each guest selects items from the banchan dishes to eat with his or her own bowl of rice. The more formal the dinner, the more banchan dishes are served.
I especially like kimchi which is salted and fermented vegetables--usually napa cabbage--and various spices. Kimchi gets a bad rap in America as stinky and unbearably spicy, however it comes in many spice levels and smells no worse than dill pickles. I often have a jar of kimchi in the fridge at home, ready to enhance a nice bowl of rice.
An iconic Korean meat item is bulgogi: thin slices of beef or pork marinated and barbecued. It can be served with or without grilled vegetables. The marinade has a unique flavor and consists of soy sauce, sugar, garlic and other spices. Good stuff.
Another Korean dish I love is their vegetable pancakes. Called “bu-chim-gae,” they are made by mixing seasoned sliced or minced meat and vegetables in a wheat batter and frying in oil. It reminds me of okonomiyaki, my favorite Japanese food.
Every now and again, I crave the “Seoul Food” of Korea (sorry, I couldn’t resist that bad pun). Unfortunately, I don’t get any chance to eat Korean food up here at Bear Lake. Have to get down to Ogden or Salt Lake more often, I guess.
Vietnamese
I’m not that familiar with Vietnamese food, but I’ve liked what little I’ve tried. Banh-bao is a steamed bun dumpling that stuffed with onion, mushrooms, or vegetables. I’ve also tried pho (pronounced “fa”… go figure): a noodle soup consisting of broth, flat rice noodles, meat (usually beef or chicken) and spices. Pho is typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and various other accompaniments, such as dipping sauces. It’s good; I need to try it again.
The most memorable item I’ve had was stir-fried frog and vegetables at a Vietnamese restaurant in West Valley City. It tasted like chicken, but the chunks of frog meat were attached to the bones, which really weirded me out. It was really strange to nibble on a tiny frog breast or a leg as if I were eating a chicken breast or drumstick. Although I pride myself on being a “Fearless Foodie,” I do get my squeamish moments.
I’d like to try more Vietnamese food, but I’ll look out for the frog meat.
Tibetan
With only a single visit to the Tibetan restaurant in the Avenues of SLC, I have very little to go on for a decent opinion. We had a meat and vegetable dish that I’d describe as “stir-fried curry.” Since Tibet is located between China and India, that makes sense. We ordered a desert that turned out to be goat cheese with raisin filling, which we thought was very amusing. I could just imagine the thought process of an ancient Tibetan cook: “Let’s see, what would make an ideal desert? I’ve got some cheese here and some raisins. Humm… I’ve got it! A cheese and raisin dumpling--perfect!”
The Tibetan décor was very interesting, with a portrait of the Dalai Lama and some of his wise teachings. I need to go back.
There are many great possibilities with Asian cuisine, and I’ve really only scratched the surface. But Asian is only one main class of foods to try and enjoy. So many choices, so little time…what a quandary for a Fearless Foodie! Such is life.
Ethnic Food
I’ve always been extremely curious about almost everything, but it was
In a previous article, I discussed the foods I ate in Japan. Now I’ll talk about some of the other ethnic foods I’ve discovered. Having become familiarized with Japanese food and eating with chopsticks, it was a natural step to try other Oriental cuisines, which have major differences as well as many similarities.
Chinese
We’ve all heard that the “Chinese” food we eat here in America isn’t real Chinese food. Chop-suey, chow-mein, and egg-foo-young are very different in China, and fortune cookies don’t even exist there. It turns out that Chinese dishes are adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China. Likewise, there is Mexican-Chinese food, Peruvian-Chinese food, English-Chinese food, French-Chinese food and so forth, all adapted to the palate of the particular region.
When we lived in Salt Lake, Sharon and I were invited by Chinese neighbors to a Chinese New Year dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Nothing we ate that night was on their regular menu; the staff had cooked genuine Chinese food. Some of the dishes were fine, but others had ingredients and flavors that were definitely out of our comfort zone. One dish was a sweet pudding made with white jelly fungus. Another item we definitely didn’t care for was the shark fin soup. The pieces of shark fin were really tough and gristly, almost like trying to eat pieces of plastic. Although something of a culture shock, the dinner was a very enjoyable just for the experience.
Thai
The first time we went to a Thai restaurant, we told the waiter that we were unfamiliar with their cuisine. He replied that they have 5 levels of spiciness: Coward, Mild, Medium, Hot and Authentic. He was right, and we stayed generally with coward or mild. However, we found that not all Thai food is spicy. Some dishes are normally mild or totally non-spicy; it just depends on the particular dish. Just be careful to ask.
Pad Thai is probably the iconic Thai dish: noodles stir-fried with vegetables and meat such as shrimp or chicken. A favorite of ours is chicken coconut lemon grass soup, a delightful taste combination of lemony coconut milk with chicken, mushrooms and onions. Egg roll soup is quite an unusual item consisting of crispy egg rolls in a broth. It’s supposed to be eaten quickly before the egg rolls get soggy. We are really fond of Thai cuisine and will go at the drop of a hat.
Korean
One thing I really like about Korean meals is the “banchan” which is the many small side dishes of vegetables, pickles and grilled meats that are served in the center of the table. Each guest selects items from the banchan dishes to eat with his or her own bowl of rice. The more formal the dinner, the more banchan dishes are served.I especially like kimchi which is salted and fermented vegetables--usually napa cabbage--and various spices. Kimchi gets a bad rap in America as stinky and unbearably spicy, however it comes in many spice levels and smells no worse than dill pickles. I often have a jar of kimchi in the fridge at home, ready to enhance a nice bowl of rice.
An iconic Korean meat item is bulgogi: thin slices of beef or pork marinated and barbecued. It can be served with or without grilled vegetables. The marinade has a unique flavor and consists of soy sauce, sugar, garlic and other spices. Good stuff.
Another Korean dish I love is their vegetable pancakes. Called “bu-chim-gae,” they are made by mixing seasoned sliced or minced meat and vegetables in a wheat batter and frying in oil. It reminds me of okonomiyaki, my favorite Japanese food.
Every now and again, I crave the “Seoul Food” of Korea (sorry, I couldn’t resist that bad pun). Unfortunately, I don’t get any chance to eat Korean food up here at Bear Lake. Have to get down to Ogden or Salt Lake more often, I guess.
Vietnamese
I’m not that familiar with Vietnamese food, but I’ve liked what little I’ve tried. Banh-bao is a steamed bun dumpling that stuffed with onion, mushrooms, or vegetables. I’ve also tried pho (pronounced “fa”… go figure): a noodle soup consisting of broth, flat rice noodles, meat (usually beef or chicken) and spices. Pho is typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and various other accompaniments, such as dipping sauces. It’s good; I need to try it again.
The most memorable item I’ve had was stir-fried frog and vegetables at a Vietnamese restaurant in West Valley City. It tasted like chicken, but the chunks of frog meat were attached to the bones, which really weirded me out. It was really strange to nibble on a tiny frog breast or a leg as if I were eating a chicken breast or drumstick. Although I pride myself on being a “Fearless Foodie,” I do get my squeamish moments.
I’d like to try more Vietnamese food, but I’ll look out for the frog meat.
Tibetan
With only a single visit to the Tibetan restaurant in the Avenues of SLC, I have very little to go on for a decent opinion. We had a meat and vegetable dish that I’d describe as “stir-fried curry.” Since Tibet is located between China and India, that makes sense. We ordered a desert that turned out to be goat cheese with raisin filling, which we thought was very amusing. I could just imagine the thought process of an ancient Tibetan cook: “Let’s see, what would make an ideal desert? I’ve got some cheese here and some raisins. Humm… I’ve got it! A cheese and raisin dumpling--perfect!”
The Tibetan décor was very interesting, with a portrait of the Dalai Lama and some of his wise teachings. I need to go back.
There are many great possibilities with Asian cuisine, and I’ve really only scratched the surface. But Asian is only one main class of foods to try and enjoy. So many choices, so little time…what a quandary for a Fearless Foodie! Such is life.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Herald Journal article about the overlook
By Charles McCollum
Charlie McCollum is the managing editor of The Herald Journal. He can be reached at cmccollum@hjnews.com or 435-792-7220.
October 11, 2019. Who in Cache Valley hasn’t stopped at least once at the Bear Lake scenic overlook on U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon? Whether you need a bathroom break or not, the high perch offered for gazing down upon the turquoise waters of Bear Lake is pretty hard to pass up.
The enticing vista even inspired one of America’s most celebrated poets, May Swenson, to put pen to paper for her poem “Above Bear Lake,” written on a visit back to her native Logan and published in a posthumous collection of her works titled “Nature: Poems Old and New.”
Swenson’s poem is presented on one of several interpretive signs at the overlook along with other geographical and historical information.
An annual report put out by the Bear Lake Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau indicates more and more people are stopping at the scenic overlook to have the experience Swenson described and locals know well. According to the report, 27,203 people either signed the guestbook or stopped into the visitor center there from June through August of 2019, compared to 20,994 in the previous year.
The numbers don’t include all of the travelers who pull into the scenic overlook — which, of course, would be many times more than those specifically seeking information or wanting to log their visits.
The rest area at the overlook was built and is maintained by the Utah Department of Transportation, the interpretive information was installed by the U.S. Forest Service, and the visitor center — open daily and weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the tourist season — is staffed by the visitors bureau with help from various grants.
Bureau Director Tami Leonhard said the center has traditionally been open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but because of increased activity late in the season, the center was kept open until mid-September in 2018 and through the entire month of September this year.
“What we see is a lot of international people coming at this time of year,” Leonhard said. “I saw a big boom last year in international travel, where people would fly into Salt Lake, rent an RV and then come through Logan Canyon to Bear Lake on the way to Yellowstone. We even have some tour buses that are still coming in October and ask if the overlook is open.”
Logan District Ranger Jennefer Parker is seeing a similar uptick in both in-season and post-season traffic at the U.S. Forest Service office in Logan and at popular Logan Canyon sites, though she has no figures on visitations.
“Anecdotally, what I’m hearing from my folks is that use is way up this year. For instance, the trail into White Pine Lake is getting way more people than what we’ve seen in the past,” Parker said. “The other thing I have noticed, which is not completely new but seems to be strengthening, is that when the summer season is over, we see a lot more folks that stop in here, retirees especially, that are traveling between Yellowstone and the national parks down south, or vice versa. It’s almost becoming a season (in itself).”
Echoing Leonhardt, Parker said most of the late visitors are specifically looking to hit the national parks when they’re not full of people, when schools are back in session and summer vacation is over.
For locals on day-trips to Bear Lake, a stop at the overlook sometimes includes a hike on the nearby Limber Pine Trail. The 1.3-mile loop is accessed just west of the overlook at milepost 492 and includes education stations along the way. The highlight of the hike is a 560-year-old limber pine tree with a 25-foot diameter
Charlie McCollum is the managing editor of The Herald Journal. He can be reached at cmccollum@hjnews.com or 435-792-7220.
October 11, 2019. Who in Cache Valley hasn’t stopped at least once at the Bear Lake scenic overlook on U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon? Whether you need a bathroom break or not, the high perch offered for gazing down upon the turquoise waters of Bear Lake is pretty hard to pass up.
The enticing vista even inspired one of America’s most celebrated poets, May Swenson, to put pen to paper for her poem “Above Bear Lake,” written on a visit back to her native Logan and published in a posthumous collection of her works titled “Nature: Poems Old and New.”
Swenson’s poem is presented on one of several interpretive signs at the overlook along with other geographical and historical information.
An annual report put out by the Bear Lake Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau indicates more and more people are stopping at the scenic overlook to have the experience Swenson described and locals know well. According to the report, 27,203 people either signed the guestbook or stopped into the visitor center there from June through August of 2019, compared to 20,994 in the previous year.
The numbers don’t include all of the travelers who pull into the scenic overlook — which, of course, would be many times more than those specifically seeking information or wanting to log their visits.
The rest area at the overlook was built and is maintained by the Utah Department of Transportation, the interpretive information was installed by the U.S. Forest Service, and the visitor center — open daily and weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the tourist season — is staffed by the visitors bureau with help from various grants.
Bureau Director Tami Leonhard said the center has traditionally been open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but because of increased activity late in the season, the center was kept open until mid-September in 2018 and through the entire month of September this year.
“What we see is a lot of international people coming at this time of year,” Leonhard said. “I saw a big boom last year in international travel, where people would fly into Salt Lake, rent an RV and then come through Logan Canyon to Bear Lake on the way to Yellowstone. We even have some tour buses that are still coming in October and ask if the overlook is open.”
Logan District Ranger Jennefer Parker is seeing a similar uptick in both in-season and post-season traffic at the U.S. Forest Service office in Logan and at popular Logan Canyon sites, though she has no figures on visitations.
“Anecdotally, what I’m hearing from my folks is that use is way up this year. For instance, the trail into White Pine Lake is getting way more people than what we’ve seen in the past,” Parker said. “The other thing I have noticed, which is not completely new but seems to be strengthening, is that when the summer season is over, we see a lot more folks that stop in here, retirees especially, that are traveling between Yellowstone and the national parks down south, or vice versa. It’s almost becoming a season (in itself).”
Echoing Leonhardt, Parker said most of the late visitors are specifically looking to hit the national parks when they’re not full of people, when schools are back in session and summer vacation is over.
For locals on day-trips to Bear Lake, a stop at the overlook sometimes includes a hike on the nearby Limber Pine Trail. The 1.3-mile loop is accessed just west of the overlook at milepost 492 and includes education stations along the way. The highlight of the hike is a 560-year-old limber pine tree with a 25-foot diameter
Garden City Council Meeting
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN
CITY, Utah. October 10, 2019. The Garden
City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Mike Leonhardt. The first item was to thank Kris Hodges of
Laketown for her 34 years of service as an EMS.
She was most important in getting the EMS program going in the County
and has spent tremendous amounts of time and effort to keep everything in that
area moving smoothly. The city gave her
a plaque and thanked her for her hard work and successful efforts in the EMS
program,
The
owner of Earth Butter/N & A, and Integrity cleaning business requested a
license to conduct her two home-based businesses. Amy Dompiergood makes hand-made home and body
care products along with her professional cleaning business located at 340 W
320 N #2. The motion was made and passed
to give her a business license.
David
Stringham asked that a business license be given for the Colt Construction
Company. This general contracting company is located at 180 W 200 N Suite
A. The motion was made and passed to
allow Colt Construction Company a business license.
Glen
and Genetta Biddulph asked that they be given a short-term rental license for
their property located at 850 N Canbry Drive located close to Harbor
Village. The property management company
would be Vacasa. The motion was made and
passed to allow the Biddulph’s their request.
A
request was made by Peter Matousek to terminate the encumbrance for lots
41-21-032-0012 and 41-21-032-0013. He
owns these two properties and has buyers for both lots. The motion was made and passed to terminate
this encumbrance.
There
was discussion about Ordinance #19-20 which deals with architectural
standards. The Council Members each
seemed to have their own ideas about what architectural standards were, if they
were needed, if new ideas should be followed and so forth. Currently, if a lot is split, there is a
requirement that five years is required before the lots could be split
again. It was decided that this item
should be turned back to the Planning and Zoning Committee. It should also be placed on the agenda for
next month.
There
was a discussion and a request that a re-zone be made for the property at
38-04-000-0038 along Kimball Lane. The
request to re-zone the property from Recreational Estates to Commercial (C2)
was made by Alan Arthur and Norm Mecham.
Currently, Mecham owns the property.
However, if the re-zone is granted, Arthur will buy half of this
property to build two buildings for storage of boats, trailers, etc. The main building would be built for storage
while the second building would be a two-story office building along with some
apartments on the second story for housing of the employees working there. After a short discussion, the motion was made
and passed to change the zone for the entire ten acres.
COUNCIL
MEMBER REPORTS
Council
Member Jordan Perry noted that the pool will be closed for a half day on the
coming Tuesday. There was a propane
accident that needs to be taken care of.
The pool will also be closed for two weeks. The pool will be drained so that lanes for
swimming can be painted on the floor of the pool so that swimmers can stay in
certain lanes while swimming.
Council
Member Ken Hansen said that the library is doing well. The food pantry s getting some use. The library is a family place and doing
well. New tech equipment will soon be
installed. There will be a new grand opening
for the library on November 16. There
will be activities and food. The Library
Board hope people will come and see all of the new equipment and learn about
all of the capabilities that are now available. There can be educational
classes, telecommunication capabilities etc.
Also, the new computers have been installed and are up and running.
The
Library Board has been working well and doing a good job. They have set up special activities such as
arts and crafts, children’s’ story time, etc.
There has been an increase in the number of people taking advantage of
the library.
The
water project along Swan Creek will begin soon.
Some people north of Swan Creek will have their water turned off at
certain times over a period of a few days.
Both water tanks stay full because of the ability of the pumps to
automatically turn on when water is needed.
Council
Member Howard Pope said that there are problems with the trails. Garden City is trying to enforce trails
outside of the City. Some of the trails
are on private property and so it is important that there are no problems
dealing with the trails.
There
is a need for more gravel and rocks on many of the trails. The trails above and below Bridgerland are
dusty. The roads there have a clay
surface which makes the roads like a grease pit when it rains or snows. Many using the trails go at 60 MPH instead of
slowing down. They spin the gravel off
of the roads. There needs to be more
maintenance along the trails and there needs to be more public education. Hodges Lane trail is difficult and needs to
be made safer.
Council
Member Pat Argyle noted that there are bids out for the bathrooms that will be
built on Heritage Park. Hopefully, the
bathrooms will be completed by Memorial Day.
She doesn’t want to put out bids for the tables in the park. She asked that City buy tables that will
last, and not just get bids for cheaper ones.
The cheaper ones don’t last and aren’t nearly as comfortable as the more
expensive ones. She would like to get
ten tables for the park. They will cost
about $800 each.
Argyle
is busy making arrangements for Raspberry Days for next year. She has most of the people lined up for next
year. She still needs help with the Miss
Berry Princess event.
Ken
Hansen noted that he had been in an area where he could bicycle down the side
of a river. He noted that there was a
device where you an put in a card to pay to keep on the trail. This is done to have the money that is needed
to maintain the trail system. He said
they had “red bicycle maintenance stand” along the trail that had all kinds of
tools on cables that bikers can use if they have any difficulty with their bike
as they are riding along. These tools
and items have been put in place by boys working on their Eagle Scout
project. He thought that they were good
ideas that could probably be put in place along our bike path.
Kathy
Hislop and the Mayor have made a request for a portion of the TRT money. They listed money for some baseball fields,
sound equipment for the stage located in Heritage Park, rest rooms for the
park, etc. .
It
was noted that the stage is not finished.
When finished, the city will be able to have summer concerts in Heritage
Park this coming year.
Get Ready For Winter
As cold weather approaches, it is important to take a few preventative measures to protect your home through the chilly months. Winterizing is generally a task that can be done relatively inexpensively, but will make a big difference in how comfortable your home is, and could end up saving you money on energy bills, too. In fact, many very effective home weatherproofing jobs are something that homeowners can complete without professional help.
Some small weatherproofing jobs require little to no “handiness”, but can make a real difference once cold weather hits. By doing these things before the snow flies, you’ll be saving yourself some hassle (and possibly some money, too!):
Some small weatherproofing jobs require little to no “handiness”, but can make a real difference once cold weather hits. By doing these things before the snow flies, you’ll be saving yourself some hassle (and possibly some money, too!):
- Clean gutters and downspouts in mid-fall and double-check them before winter.
- Replace the filter in your furnace.
- Close any vents in your home that may have been opened for the warm weather.
- Disconnect hoses from outside faucets and turn off the water.
- Buy a snow shovel and other winter supplies before the messy weather hits.
- Keep extra water and canned food in storage just in case.
- Test your heating system, so that you know it will work properly when you need it.
- Give your deck a fresh coat of sealer to protect it from the winter elements.
- Check the attic, walls, and basement for adequate insulation.
- Feel around electrical outlets and switch-plates for cold air, add insulation where necessary.
- Look around doors and windows for gaps and potential places where warm air can escape.
- Caulk or apply weatherstripping around problem draft areas.
- Have a contractor look for damaged roof shingles and loose gutters.
- Have a heating/cooling expert look at your furnace if you are unsure of its efficiency.
- Have chimneys and woodstoves cleaned early in the season.
- Test the flue for each fireplace for a tight seal when closed.
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