Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The words do not have to be perfect.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Celebrate the fucking wins.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Because Animals and Food are Never Bad Things (RUS edition)

Because Animals and Food are Never Bad Things (RUS edition)

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So John’s gone galt because of some sniping from the comments…but I am made of sterner stuff.

I sincerely believe that readers of this blog can multitask:  maximizing outrage, frothing at the mouth, and fainting in coils (yup, that’s Professor Tortoise to you…;) whilst simultaneously kvelling over the kind of cute that would make a Hello Kitty addict gag….and gluttonizing-by-proxy.  So here’s my contribution to the genre:

So there’s my RUS — a rodent of unknown species, caught on the fly (amble) whilst hiking in California’s uninhabited quadrant a week or so ago.  ID anyone?  (Why yes.  I am no naturalist.  Why do you ask?)

And as for all those (one person?) complaining of an excessive focus on the pleasures with which we seduce our taste buds?  Then I won’t tell you about last night’s seared salmon (from the best fishmonger in the Boston area, IMHO — New Deal Seafood) in lemon-mustard sauce, nor the black bean/grilled corn salad and the sautéed kale; nor will I mention that one of the best decisions in my life was to marry a former pro chef (at good to excellent restaurants).

My wife and I tend to spend one good dinner planning the next night’s gastronomy, so perhaps this could be a “how I’m going to eat well this week” open thread.

Cheers all.

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  3. 3.

    MikeJ

    Pity you can’t get real salmon in Boston.

    That’s right. I’m waiting for the bullets to fly in the east coast/west coast salmon wars.

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    Since it’s food, does anyone know how sustainably harvested black cod is? Trying to decide whether or not to feel guilty about last night’s dinner.

  13. 13.

    Tom Levenson

    @MikeJ: Hey, I’m the perfect mediator here: born/raised in Berkeley, lived almost all my adult life (for reasons that still mostly escape me) in Boston and environs.

    Pacific salmon is good in season — excellent if you get really fresh King, and less interesting if you’re talking species like Coho. It is significantly less fatty than (farmed) Atlantic salmon, which leads to less of that creamy rich flavor and texture. When you want a fish to melt in your mouth, go with a good supplier of Salmo. When you want that slightly “gamier” more salmony flavor — spend up in the summer and get a whack of King.

    So there. I love fatty fish, so I eat more of the Atlantic version than not even when I have the choice — but I’ve never eaten better fish than on that long-ago summer trip up the northwest coast when my family would buy a slab of caught-that-day Oncorhynchus, stick it in the permanent marinade tub in the cooler, and cook it up over the fire at some state park a couple of hours later.

  15. 15.

    The Dangerman

    I’ve always thought marrying a professional acupuncturist/massage therapist would be optimal, but professional chef may be my new #1.

    Edit: I see mountain environment, I read California and chef/gastronomy; ever been to Charles Street Cafe in Mariposa, CA? Worth the trip.

  16. 16.

    Tim F.

    Remind me why we started caring about kvetching from readers. The old John Cole would answer that nonsense with a tomato on the masthead and a new front pager who specializes in food.

    Speaking of: zucchini and squash sauteed with basil and hot peppers, all from the garden, with ground beef on the side and a bottle of Dogfish Head 60 min. It was delicious.

  17. 17.

    Tim F.

    BTW, the critter is a submontane snub-nosed wolverine. You can tell because it looks just like a marmot. You guys were lucky to escape with your life.

  18. 18.

    elmo

    You must have been near my old neighborhood, up in the Sierra. That’s a marmot. 8 years of living and hiking up there and I never saw one — here you are, a day-hiking flatlander, and you not only see one but you get a picture. Sigh.

  21. 21.

    Wes

    Umm. Wildlife? We get them in our backyard in Bend, Oregon. Found and trapped and released one that was munching away happily in the garden. Also have seen HERDS of these on a hillside next to the truck entrance at our local Costco. Marmot, Rock Chuck, Woodchuck — same critter.

  22. 22.

    SFAW

    Squirrel, post-RGH-experiment.

    Woodchuck, a/k/a groundhog.

    Tunch, in his “I gotta get outta WVA” disguise.

    RNSUS (Rodent of Not-So-Unusual Size, of course).

    Platypus, after the bill-change operation.

    Teddy Salad.

  23. 23.

    Tom Levenson

    Dude. I’m not saying where I was (not the Sierras, but close). It’s an area of surpassing gorgeousness that somehow has not attracted the kind of crush you see in parts of John Muir’s country.

    But if I’m a flatlander, I’m one with some terrain-memory. From 1964 through my childhood, I spent every summer — two solid months — up at my secure undisclosed location at 5,400 feet, hiking up from there. I get only a week or ten days every summer there (and share the use of our cabin with three sibs/families). But I’ve been walking California’s mountains for close to fifty years. Plus, my troop’s boy scout camp was up Highway 50 near Lake Alpine. Some sweet Sierra up and down from that neighborhood.

    But I will admit, it was pretty good to see that RUS marmot on our first walk up the valley, fresh off the plane and the 5 hour car ride.

  24. 24.

    RossInDetroit

    Check out the look in its beady eye. It hates your freedoms. And it hates your way of life.

  26. 26.

    SFAW

    BTW, the critter is a submontane snub-nosed wolverine. You guys were lucky to escape with your life.

    If they had brought radishes with them, there would have been nothing to fear.

  27. 27.

    Mnemosyne

    @Gin & Tonic:

    You need to check the Seafood Watch website from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can also download it for your iPhone or Android device or just get the good old-fashioned paper wallet card from them.

  29. 29.

    Tom Levenson

    @Gin & Tonic: According to this source, you’re good.

    Which is a good thing, because sable (black cod) is one of my absolute favorite fish. Not often found in the markets in Boston, but I always grab it when it shows.

    Edit: Per Mnemosyne above, the Monterey Bay Aquarium also gives you a thumbs up.

  30. 30.

    Origuy

    You’re up in the northeastern part of California, right? Definitely a yellow-bellied marmot. The woodchuck or groundhog isn’t found in the west.

    Since this is BJ, a recipe is called for.

    Marmot Boodog

    With the opening of a marmot-hunting season, Marmot Boodog becomes a very popular and fun outdoor activity for Mongolians, especially men. Marmot hunting and boodog cooking is a prerogative of men. A freshly killed marmot is separated from intestines and cleaned. Then, a prepared marmot is filled with preheated hot stones and tightly sealed. The marmot meat is cooked by the heat of stones from inside. Additional heating is provided by open fire or gas burner. The same amount of precaution as described above must be used for handling the marmot cooking process. When done, the marmot meat is very tender and tastes like wild duck according to some foreigners.

    Ingredients (5 servings):
    1 medium marmot
    Salt

    Cooking gear:
    From small to medium sized smooth stones
    Firewood

    Cooking time:
    Approximately 1.5 hours

    Clean the marmot, separate the intestines and slightly remove hair from the skin. Rub the inside with salt, fill up with hot stones and seal tightly. Additionally, roast the marmot on slow open fire or with a gas burner. Usually, Mongolians do not use seasonings in order to keep the specific taste of marmot meat. When the cooking is done, the stones are pulled out, rolled in hands, the meat is cut into pieces and served hot.

  31. 31.

    Sarah Proud and Tall

    I made a quiche by whipping my own flaky shortcrust, popping in some sauteed bacon, onion and silverbeet, then a mixture of four eggs, two egg yolks, a cup and a half of cream and some wholegrain mustard, and finally laid thick strips of d’Affinois cheese over the top, before baking for about half an hour in a medium oven.

    Then I ate the lot.

  33. 33.

    Tom Levenson

    @SFAW: Eye of the beholder and all that. I’ve got a mind’s eye view of platypi in bush hats deplaning in Stockholm…

  34. 34.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mnemosyne: Good link, thanks. It’ll have to be toner on paper, as I do not have an iPhone or Android device.

    Oh, and checking the site made me feel good about dinner, too.

  35. 35.

    shoutingattherain

    Awww look at the cute little rockchuck posing in the forest. Marmots are adorable until a whole family of them move into the woods next to your garden then they become destructive VARMINTS who in one night will eat EVERYTHING you’ve worked hard to grow. When they get comfortable in an area they breed like crazy and to get rid of them you have to either trap them or shoot them. If you do nothing they will overrun your property and destroy just about everything. They are cute tho. Got sharp teeth like a beaver.

  36. 36.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Origuy: I have eaten eastern woodchuck, although not marmot. Not awful, but I’m not sure I’d describe it as anything like wild duck.

  37. 37.

    Violet

    @Tim F.:

    Remind me why we started caring about kvetching from readers. The old John Cole would answer that nonsense with a tomato on the masthead and a new front pager who specializes in food.

    This. Yes. Perhaps he’d even change the blog color to red in honor of tomatoes.

    Speaking of wildlife, when I went to bed last night, right before I turned out the light I looked up and saw a roach on the ceiling right above my head. Gross! Needless to say, my sleepy state vanished rather quickly and I was awake and trying to calm down for at least another half an hour after I’d dispensed with the roach. Roaches are a fact of life where I live and I still can’t deal with them. Totally gross me out.

  44. 44.

    Elizabelle

    A day without a marmot is like a day without ….

    Burns beat me to telling you about our capybara, sighted in San Luis Obispo (near CA’s central coast).

    Maybe it moved here to escape the anacondas.

    And cobblers.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara

    Cousin of the guinea pig, but less endangered by kindergarteners.

  45. 45.

    TaMara (BHF)

    I chased 5 young raccoons away from the neighborhood stray cat consortium last night. Those buggers looked me right in the eye and basically said, “you don’t scare us” and then waddled off. Cats all seemed fine.

    I haven’t felt like cooking lately – nothing, but nothing sounds good to cook. Which really sucks because as some of you may know I host a cooking blog. But I love reading about what you guys are feasting on and I’ll be sad if Cole takes the fuckers complainers to heart.

  46. 46.

    daverave

    @Tom Levenson:

    I know those Sierra pretty well, been backpacking there the last 6 weekends in a row. I’m not familiar with any Lake Alpine up Highway 50… sure you’re not thinking of the one up on Hwy 4???

  49. 49.

    General Stuck

    Speaking of local wildlife, after reading this thread, went into kitchen found these new guests having checked into my Critter Hotel, aka apartment. Such is life in the desert with no air conditioning and all the windows open most the time.

  50. 50.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @burnspbesq This quote kinda scared me….what kind of research were they doing and how big do we think these experimental capybaras will get???

    No other capybara sightings have been reported in California, Hughan said. The rodents have been spotted in other states over the years. In Florida, sightings are common; some experts believe a wild capybara population exists after a few rodents escaped from a research facility in 2001.

  52. 52.

    Robert Green

    tom, have you had the chance to try PB Bistro in Wellfleet yet? it’s like having real amazing fresh fabulous not-fried food on the cape. it takes getting used to conceptually but once you do you realize that it’s a restaurant that would qualify as one of the ten best in boston, or really anywhere. can’t recommend it highly enough. it’s ALMOST worth driving from boston for.

  53. 53.

    licensed to kill time

    I refuse to believe John has gone Galt over a few pissy commenters. He usually lets that crap roll off his back like water off a marmot.

    Give ’em hell, John Cole! Don’t let the bastids get ya down!

  54. 54.

    kindness

    So Tom, you never told us. How did that marmot taste? What?!? You didn’t kill it with your bare hands and eat it raw? No Red State kudos for you.

  55. 55.

    Svensker

    @TaMara (BHF):

    But I love reading about what you guys are feasting on and I’ll be sad if Cole takes the fuckers complainers to heart.

    No chance of that. He was just being justifiably pissy.

    Raccoons around here (urban Toronto) are a) plentiful; and b) totally unafraid of humans. Not to mention hugely fat and leave dog-sized poops. Nasty creatures. But the little ones are really cute.

    Cook, woman!

  56. 56.

    Svensker

    @General Stuck:

    Did you ever read the story by Gerry Durrell about the death match he witnessed between a gecko and a praying mantis in his room in Corfu when he was a kid? It lasted about 20 minutes and the gecko was bleeding and shredded but victorious. The mantis was still fighting as it was at last being consumed.

  57. 57.

    trollhattan

    Marmots R Us (to repeat a gazillion prior IDs). I canna find a linkie any longer, but several years back somebody posted pics of a really pissed marmot that had ridden back to Seattle in their Honda engine compartment. You know how hard it is to find a marmot catcher in Seattle?

    Also, too, at Whitney Portal trailhead they had such a problem with marmots eating folks’ engine wiring and coolant hoses somebody made a nice income renting marmot fences to surround their cars whilst hiking.

    They loves themselves some salt, so don’t let mister marmot at your pack straps or sweaty shoes when camping in the backcountry.

    Thus endeth the ramble. Next, my favorite furry mountain critter, the pica. (What, not “the larch”?)

  58. 58.

    shortstop

    Love yellow-bellied marmots and that crazy chirping sound they make. Love capybaras, too. When we were slogging through the Pantanal a few years back, we saw mama caps with as many as 12 younguns. So comical to see that flotilla of little heads popping out of the water.

  59. 59.

    Winston Smith

    I’m pretty sure that the animal in the picture is an antelope.

    Let me check Wikipedia.

    Yup.

  63. 63.

    General Stuck

    @opie jeanne:

    Your landlord needs to buy you some screens.

    Screens are for sissies. Besides, as it is, I don’t have to go outside for the wildlife photography.

    Although, admittedly, the foot and a half long lizard that was curled up in my skillet last summer was a bit much.

  64. 64.

    licensed to kill time

    @Samara Morgan:

    We are all aware that you are a legend in your own mind. I don’t think Cole gives a flying fart what you think about anything, sorry.

  67. 67.

    chopper

    that there is a straight-up critter. and good eatin’ too!

    as for food, i’d totes cook up a marmot, but the wife wouldn’t go for it. lousy east coasters. tomorrow it’s long-braised lamb shank with couscous and the night after the leftovers are gone it’s poached chicken in this crazy-ass chinese stock i bought from some ladies in a tunnel under the manhattan bridge.

  71. 71.

    Yutsano

    @chopper:

    poached chicken in this crazy-ass chinese stock i bought from some ladies in a tunnel under the manhattan bridge

    If you turn into a newt, I’m not making you better.

    @chopper: It’s certitude. It’s absolute faith that she is never wrong EVAR and you’re a poopyhead for even suggesting otherwise.

  72. 72.

    Samara Morgan

    @Yutsano: well im right about this.
    John Cole and George Bush are isomorphic on Peaceful Democracy Theory and the Bush Doctrine.

    Of course I believe in Democracy. In my democracy, I think we should act in OUR national interest, and one of the things that is in our national interest is not ushering in a regime that is just as bad or worse than the old one.

    im also right that the Deobandi are Sufis and the Taliban are deobandis.
    aren’t i yut?

  73. 73.

    Yutsano

    @Samara Morgan:

    im also right that the Deobandi are Sufis and the Taliban are deobandis

    LOL. You can’t even get the dispute right. Go away. You’re embarrassing yourself.

  74. 74.

    Samara Morgan

    Yut SAID, in the halcyon days of A-stan before the sovs ruint it all…..

    the major Islam was Sufi….

    duh. the major islam is still Sufi. and the Taliban are deobandi sufis.

  75. 75.

    birthmarker

    @TaMara (BHF): As soon as the temp drops below 90 in August, I have to have chili. I’ve already fulfilled this year’s craving at Wendy’s.

    I think we get tired of the summer menu and start to crave the heartier menu.

    Try it! You could always top a potato or make taco salad. Sort of a transitional meal.

  77. 77.

    sherparick

    In Germany, it the pine martens (Marders) loved to chew on car wiring and get into warm engine compartments during the winter. Fortunately, I owned a big, mean cat who had signed a non-agression pact with the critters. He would not bother them if they stayed away from his turf. My wife and I spotted them running down or street at night couple of time. Fun wildlife. I never knew Marmots looked so much like Woodchucks.

  82. 82.

    General Stuck

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    actually, the green thing, female Mantis, was eating another green thing, and she dropped him when interrupted the feast, likely the smaller male, after mating with him. When times are dark, I always think I could have been born a Praying Mantis, where times are darker still.

  84. 84.

    HeartlandLiberal

    To see the woodchuck (ground hog) cousin of your critter, I only have to step out onto my deck or be in the back yard. One has decided as long as I do not approach closer than about 20 feet to emerge periodically from the culvert that passes under the back end of my back yard. It will then graze happily on the grass that grows in that drainage area.

    I strongly suspect this same varmint of being the one that grazed through two rows of a long leaf lettuce in my garden. I did not begrudge it, the lettuce was too mature and not very tasty at this point in the summer. I assume it was not the deer, since the water scarecrows seem to be keeping them out of the tomatoes at the moment.

    We live in the last suburban style neighborhood on the north edge of town. Our house is smack on the golf course, in fact it backs onto the course on a good arc that wraps the back yard to the south and the southeast. On the other side of the course and north of our neighborhood, the ridge and creek are covered in thick woods marching away to the north.

    So we have plenty of critters: deer, coyotes, racoons (LOTs of racoons), possums, woodchucks, and skunks that will stroll right up to the back door to feast on seed husks and stray seeds dropped by the birds from the upper deck, and even an occasional fox has been observed. We even have a pair of pileated woodpeckers which I have been able to snap photos of when they visited the bird feeders.

    Urban wildlife? We’ve got it.

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