Bicycles Are For Everyday...Not Just The Weekend

A great interview with David Hembrow on using bikes as an everyday mode of transport.

The video was found at David's blog, A View From The Cycle Path.

Bicycles Are Useful In Many Ways

Sure bikes can move a person (or persons) from one place to another using their own power, and yes they can carry things, but they can also do other stuff...like power a knife grinder. The above photo and short video below are of an African fellow who not only powers a bike-powered knife grinder (of his own design) he actually earns his living doing it.

I spent a brief working sojourn in New Orleans back in the mid-1980's (yes, I know I'm showing my age) and there was a guy who used to pedal around the French Quarter on a trike and stopped at all the restaurants sharpening the cooks knives...I doubt that he still does. These are probably things of the past.

When I was leaving the health club tonight it was already dark (no big surprise) and as I was unlocking my bike a woman walked out and said to herself as she pulled her collar tight, "burr is it cold out." Then she saw me getting on my bike and commented that I was "really hardcore" to ride in this cold. To me, riding home was pure luxury. I was inside facing a hot stove all day so being out in the crisp air felt good...and it also meant that I had to do less laps in the pool. Bicycles can move things and people; they can also power things; they also, as a bi-product, burn calories. Bicycles are man's (and women's...sorry for the gender specific reference) most efficient machine. But then again, if you are a regular reader of this blog you already know this.

The picture and short clip were found at AfriGadget.

This Is More Appropriate Than Ever

This is an advertisement for bicycles in 1950's Britain (I'm guessing)...but where are these advertisements today...especially in the good ole' US of A (where they are so desperately needed)? Bicycling as a mode of transport is more appropriate than ever before but all I ever see are car commercials. It's only 22 seconds long and pretty goofy...but it carries a strong message.

It's Been Snowing...For Days

And days and days. It hasn't been really heavy snowfalls, just constant and light...if it were rain it would be mist. And with the frigid temperatures it has not melted on the streets, not even the main thoroughfares. It's been slow-going, that's for sure. Other than driving my truck today (had to deliver a used television set to a friend...would've been tough doing that on the Mundo in this snow) I've been riding through it...slowly. I've been employing my snow-biking method of putting a lot of my weight on the handlebars...this helps with steering, particularly on an unplowed side street. When I was leaving for work yesterday morning a neighbor was out shoveling his walkway. I said good morning to him as I was putting on my helmet. He stopped and looked over at me and says, "Ya know Joe, I'm really beginning to think that you have a mutant gene or something," and then he smiled. "Well Mike," I replied, "you are not the first person to imply this." Tonight, after returning home from my TV delivery, there was not a parking spot to be had for blocks around...I ended up parkin very near--too near--a bus stop two blocks away (there will probably be a ticket on my windshield). And as I trudged the two blocks home I couldn't help but think to myself how much more simple (not to mention fun) it would have been if I were on a bike.

Imagine If This Is What Rush Hour Looked Like

Video borrowed from David Hembrow's View From A Cycle Path

Winter's Beauty

I was on my way walking to the health club tonight (geeze was it cold) when I looked up and saw this tree; it was dusk and I was under a streetlight. It stopped me in my tracks. Its barrenness almost seemed to glow against the backdrop of the nearly-dark sky, with its branches reaching for the stars. The thought that this tree, now in hibernation mode, will know just when the conditions are correct to bloom again just blows me away. I had my camera with me, snapped a picture (without using the flash) and thought I'd share it. Click it for a larger view.

33% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

For those who are regular readers of this blog you know that I like to bake my own bread...at home and at my workplace. And over the years I've slowly gravitated towards whole wheat and whole grain breads, for both health and flavor. Well, making my teenage son's school lunches on whole grained bread doesn't always fly. I knew it was coming, then finally the other day I got the question, "Dad, why can't we buy our bread at the store?" I knew what he meant...soft and squishy supermarket bread. I told him that I could make bread like that...he looked dubious. The only thing is that it will go stale quicker, I added, because of the lack of dough conditioners and preservatives.

The difference between a rustic style loaf and a soft squishy loaf is simple: fat, eggs, and sugar. I made a basic egg dough, with the inclusion of honey and butter; I also substituted a portion of the water with milk. I still began the dough with a two hour starter and included 33% whole wheat flour to give the dough a little more texture (enough that it, in my eyes, is healthier than an all-white loaf, and not so much that it was a dense whole wheat loaf). I also brushed it with an egg was before it went in the oven, opposed to my usual spray of cool water. The resulting dough was airy and soft with a golden brown and thin soft crust. The bread was delicious...but the bottom line is that my son ate his sandwich.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf

Yield: Two Loaves

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
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2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup melted butter
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1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons milk

Make the starter by combining the whole wheat flour, water, milk, and two teaspoons of yeast in a small bowl; stir to combine, cover it with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for two hours.

Transfer the starter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the eggs, honey, bread flour, the remaining two teaspoons yeast, and the kosher salt. Turn the machine on low and run it for about 30 seconds, just until it starts to form a dough. Turn it on medium, and while the machine is running slowly add the melted butter. Knead the dough for about eight minutes. Transfer the dough to lightly oiled bowl, cover it and leave it at room temperature for about an hour, or until doubled in size. Then gently push the dough down, folding it into itself, and allow it to rise again for about another 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into two pieces. Shape them into loaves and place them into two lightly oiled loaf pans (measuring approximately 9" x 5" each). Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and pre-heat an oven to 400F. Allow the loaves to rise for about 1/2 hour.

Just before the loaves go into the oven brush them with the egg that has been mixed with milk. Bake the bread for about 30-40 minutes, rotating them every ten minutes r so. The bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with your finger. Remove the bread from their pans and place on a wire rack. As tempting as it may be, allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Self Portrait

Action Cartoon

This has nothing to do with being urban or simple, but I find it incredibly interesting and though I'd share it. I can't imagine how long it took to draw and coordinate this...and I thought all kids did today was watch TV and play video games.

Bicycle Waltz

I came across an inspiring Australian blog today called Situp-Cycle (found it via Copenhagen Cycle Chic), which promotes bikes as a viable mode of transport...and even more importantly (or at least as important) bikes as being more fun if you are sitting in an upright position. It's a great site, and one which I encourage you to visit. Anyhow, below is a video from the site, aptly titled The Waltz of Bikes. It's a little over 7 minutes long and soothing (and inspiring) to watch. The video (or at least a shortened version of it) would make a great television advertisement for bikes (click here to read a recent post on that subject).

Blue Dusk

This is a photo of my street about 4pm this evening, just before it became dark. It's interesting how the color blue is associated with cold...and for a reason, it was (I'm guessing) about 9F. Nonetheless, I find the color beautiful. And there's really only a short time where it is this color...just as it begins to get dark, but it's not dark yet...there's probably only about a 20 minute time period for this. A few minutes after the photo was taken it was gone; darkness had fallen.

Brrr...

Brrr...it's cold out there today. When I woke this morning it was a mere 7F...we eventually had a balmy high temperature of 10F (-12c). I had some errands to run and originally thought of doing them by bike...then I thought about it again. Um...I don't think so. This is frostbite weather...I may be a little crazy but I am certainly not stupid. As I've gotten older I find that my hands and feet get cold much quicker than they used to. So after running my errands (in my truck) I spent most of the day home, heating the front of the house with my little wood burning stove (in front of which my two pugs have been lounging most of the day...they lay so close to it that it's a wonder their fur doesn't singe); the rear of the house was kept warm from the kitchen stove...baking bread and pizza. Click here for more pictures and a recipe (from an earlier post).

On Bookstores

There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love, and like that colossal adventure it is an experience of great social import.
--Christopher Morley, On Visiting Bookshops

I Love bookstores...I have as long as I can remember. I'll go to the new fancy ones (you know the type I'm talking about...those with chain coffee shops in them), but my favorites are the independent bookstores, particularly those that sell used books. When I go to a large city it's often part of my itinerary to visit specific bookstores, such as The Strand, in NYC (which I visit every time I'm there), or the many used bookstores on Yonge Street in Toronto...and also Shakespeare and Company (which, unfortunately, I haven't visited in many years).

The above quote was by the American writer, Christopher Morley, in his essay, On Visiting Bookshops (click here the read his bio; click here to read the essay).

As much time that I spend on this stupid computer I do not believe that I will ever tire of my love of books...actual books, not electronic. Just this morning while listening to the radio I heard someone talking about trends for 2010 and one of them is (they predicted) is going to be the explosion of the electronic book (and electronic readers). I don't care how many libraries I can carry around with me in an Ipod, there is nothing like an actual book...my house is filled with them...they are, I believe, actually part of the decor. Anyhow, this evening I cam across the above quote by Mr. Morley...how appropriate, I thought, though it was written in 1920. And I couldn't agree more.

Inside Shakespeare and Company

Lebanese Style Chicken and Brown Rice

This is one of my favorite ways in which to prepare chicken...it's simple to make, it's healthy, and the flavors (and aromas) are incredible. What makes this interesting and a little different from many other chicken-and-rice recipes are two things: one is the use of dried and toasted pasta, which gives the dish not only a unique flavor but also consistency; the other is that the recipe is seasoned with cumin, allspice, and cinnamon.

What makes this recipe a little different from a traditional Lebanese chicken-and-rice recipe is that in this recipe I used brown rice. This, of course, makes it healthier, but is also serves another purpose: In this recipe I used bone-in chicken thighs which normally would have to be par-cooked to insure doneness (white rice takes a mere 18-20 minutes, not long enough to cook thighs entirely); by using brown rice (which takes 35-45 minutes to cook) par-cooking is not necessary.

A simple salad would go great with this recipe, as would almost any Mediterranean-style vegetable preparation. I ate it with green beans sauteed in olive oil with tons of garlic, hot pepper and lemon. I also included a side of homemade yogurt and pickled cabbage. Anyhow, this is how I made it; a recipe follows the text.

Start by browning the chicken in olive oil. Remove the chicken to a plate and add either ground beef or lamb to the pan; brown the meat and set that aside also. Clean the pan of any burned or browned bits, add a little more oil if necessary, then add a diced onion and a handful of dried (not cooked) spaghetti or vermicelli that has been broken into 1-inch pieces. Cook the pasta and onion until it just begins to brown, then add a clove or two minced garlic and cook until golden brown.




Add the ground meat back to the pan along with the spices and a little salt. Stir and cook the spices for about a minute, then add the rice, chicken, and chicken broth.


Bring the liquid to a boil then lower it to a low simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for about 35 minutes (adding more liquid if necessary). Remove from the heat and allow to rest (covered) for about ten minutes before serving.

Lebanese Chicken and Rice

Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 ounces diced onion
12 ounces ground beef or ground lamb
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups long grain rice
3 cups hot chicken stock, lamb stock or water
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Heat the olive oil over high heat in a heavy bottomed pan (preferably cast-iron). Saute the chicken breasts on both sides until they are golden brown. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion and ground beef or ground lamb to the same hot pan. Cook until the onions and meat is beginning to brown, then add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Add the cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper and salt; saute two minutes while stirring.

Stir in the rice making sure that it is fully incorporated with the oil and spices, place the chicken breasts in the rice. Pour in the stock or water and cover with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake in a 375 oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with minced parsley.

Simplicity?

Image found at CartoonChurch.com

This made me laugh out loud.

Happy New Year!

Nouvelle année heureuse, Feliz Año Nuevo, Nuovo anno felice, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, Ano novo feliz, С новым годом, Glückliches neues Jahr, Καλή χρονιά, 新年好, 새해 복 많이 받으세요, 明けましておめでとう, नया साल मुबारक होسنة جديدة سعيدة, Happy New Year. It is truly a small world after all (my apologies if I missed anyone)...lets hope and pray for world peace in the next decade.

Now here's a blast from the past...