[Gnu-arch-users] news, software, pictures, and busking

[Thomas Lord]

News, new software (warning, pre-alpha), photos of me
and my cat, and urgent busking --- all are now
available at http://www.seyza.com

The top section about "Awiki" explains, in small part, what
I think the larger significance of all this revision control
stuff really is.

-t


p.s.: it's been a long time since i've posted a recipe so here
is one.  i'm focusing mostly on technique here -- the actual
recipe is trivial.


* Miso Soup for Two

  10 inches or so of Kombu (dried kelp)
  1.5 tablespoons of red miso
  3 cups of water
  1 stalk of the green part of a green onion


  Put the seaweed in a pot with the water on
  high heat.  When the water first begins to
  give off a little bit of visible vapor but 
  before it starts to have even air bubbles forming
  turn it down to low heat.  Very low heat -- no
  chance at all of boiling.

  Use that time, while the stock is steeping on low
  heat, to make the rest of the meal.  Among other
  things, slice the onion greens into very thin slices.

  In two small soup bowls, divide the miso.

  Within minutes of serving, crank the stock back
  up to high heat.  DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
  LET IT ACTUALLY BOIL.   When it is close to boiling,
  remove the kombu from the pot and put just enough in 
  the bowls to cover the miso.  Turn the stock back down
  to low heat.

  Using chopsticks, disolve the miso in the stock. 

  Just before serving, top of the soup bowls with more
  stock and toss in the onion greens.

  Personal suggestion: makes a good component of breakfast.

As seems to be the case with a lot of Japanese dishes, 
all of the magic is in choosing high quality ingredients
and applying the basically simple technique with great
care.  Use cheap miso or lousy Kombu -- Boil the seaweed --
under-steep the stock --- any of these mistakes will give
you a flat, lifeless soup.   Do it right and the results
are sublime.   (Don't be intimidated -- it's not hard, you
just have to pay a little attention).

Hackers could learn a lot from Japanese cuisine.