December, 4, 2004 archives

this commentary in the los angeles times attributes the decline in book readership to the rise of book prices (at least in part). i’m not sure i believe it is a significant component. the commentary neglects the impact of internet usage (which involves lots of reading and time).

but i do wonder what the trend of per-capita spending on libraries looks like.

oh, and of course the major thing neglected is the impact of amazon and other online retailers. book prices aren’t as high as they seem, especially not for books that have been out long enough to make it into the used market.

they’re doing three nights of a holiday laser show in pershing square, along with performances by various artists. last night was the cast of beatlemania, tonight is sheila e., and tomorrow is “big bad voodoo daddy’s wild and swingin’ holiday party.” and, of course, the skating rink is now open in pershing square. more info here.

i guess i’ll jump on the la insight bandwagon this time.

1. Do you own a winter jacket? no. the closest i’ve got is a fleece jacket that i was cajoled into buying on january 1, 2000, in morro bay. when i go home to minnesota over the holidays, my family generally brings a warm coat to the airport for me.

2. Do you like the winter mountain sports? Skiing, boarding, sledding, snowshoe, etc... i enjoyed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when i did it in the past, but it’s not something i do regularly. (and sledding is fun, of course.)

3. Big Bear, Mammoth or other? no.

4. Favorite hot drink? there’s no hot drink that i have regularly. i do enjoy hot chocolate, but there’s the whole lactose thing to contend with.

i make this at least every weekend, and sometimes during the week, too. this is so easy, the only acceptable excuse for pre-made pancake mixes are specially dietary reasons. this is a low-yield recipe: about four CD-size pancakes. it can probably be doubled (or tripled, etc) for more.

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (only ½ tsp. table salt)
• ¾ soy milk (cow juice is probably fine)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. sugar

1. Put non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium-low heat.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Mix the milk, egg, and sugar in another container.
4. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir. Add milk if batter is not pourable.
5. Pour batter into skillet to desired pancake size.
6. After about two minutes, flip. The top of the pancake should have bubbles breaking on the surface when it is ready to flip. Knowing when to flip takes practice, but you can’t screw it up too badly. You can use your spatula to peek under the edge to check before flipping.
7. Remove after one more minute (or so) on the other side.
8. Apply butter and syrup. (Pure maple syrup. Anything else is blasphemy.)

if your pancakes are turning out a little bit uncooked in the middle, it means the batter was too thick. add more milk next time!

this is based on the pancake recipe in how to cook everything by mark bittman.

the new york times looks at whether the low-carb boom is busting. from the outside, it certainly does look like there are vast numbers of “low carb” products that are just a bad idea for someone who is actually trying to lose weight.