The Continuing Saga of the Yak

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

On the 18th of January, I placed an order for a shipment of yak meat with DelYaks, an online supplier. For my 'Travellers and Companions' Bhutanese menu, I ordered two yak filet mignon, two yak rib eye filets, and a pound of lean ground yak to make Momo dumplings. A couple of days later, the site owner, a friendly and attentive yak entrepreneur named Bob, informed me that he was temporarily out of the filets that I ordered and that shipment of them would arrive after the first of next month. So instead, I agreed to allow Bob to choose from among his existing inventory and send me a shipment from what he had in stock. The package shipped on Wednesday the 24th, with a scheduled delivery date of Saturday the 27th. Today.

At about ten minutes to four this afternoon, when the shipment hadn't arrived, I began to get nervous and called FedEx customer service, where I spent most of an hour trying to explain to a nice young man named Jose, why it was important that the delivery happen today. FedEx doesn't deliver on Mondays, which means that my yak would be sitting in their warehouse until Tuesday, at which time it will have been on the road for 7 days. After several calls to the warehouse and a dispatch to the driver, I was told that the package was nowhere to be found, either on-site, or on the truck. So there would be no delivery today.

At that point, I decided to call Bob at DelYaks, who amazingly answered his phone at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. I explained the situation to him and asked whether the meat would still be safe after so many days in transit. He seemed reasonably sure that it probably would be, but advised me that if it was no longer frozen or cold to the touch, it would not be safe to use. He also checked his records and discovered that the FedEx terminal listed in his tracking report listed Napa as the departure destination, while my tracking report listed Benicia as the departure destination, which might explain why the package could not be located.

So I called FedEx customer service again, and was reassured that the package would definitely arrive today, anytime up until 8 pm. So at 7:45, I was still waiting for a knock on my door. But by that time I had pretty much lost all faith in my yak delivery and had begun to formulate 'Plan B', both for this evening's dinner, and my blog recipes.

When 8 pm came and went, I finally resigned myself to the fact that there would be no yak on my table or my blog today, or tomorrow, or Monday. The soonest FedEx will deliver is Tuesday, seven days afer the package left Montrose, Colorado. Who knew that FedEx would be delivering not a package OF yak, but a package BY yak! I will be genuinely surprised, thunderstruck even, if the meat is still fit for human consumption. But only Tuesday will tell...

So...for tonight's dinner, I made a pot of lamb curry, steamed some rice, and opened up a fresh jar of mango chutney instead...a delicious end to a very frustrating day. And life goes on...

P.S. I cannot with any conscience, leave out this detail. At around 10:30 pm, I was combing my e-mail for records of my yak delivery and discovered much to my chagrin that I had neglected to remove my old address from my PayPal account, and it was somehow selected as the delivery address. My old address is only a few blocks away, so I sent my son Will over there to investigate whether a yak delivery had been attempted. He returned with the disturbing news that a 'strung-out meth-head' lives in my old apartment, my former next-door neighbor knew nothing of an attempted FedEx delivery, and the downstairs neighbors, amid their cloud of marijuana smoke, hadn't seen or heard anything either.

Fast-forward to Sunday morning, when a call to FedEx revealed that no delivery of the package at either address had been attempted, and a call to DelYaks to request an address update would rectify the situation. So...that's where things stand until Tuesday...And the lamb curry was delicious BTW...

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

10:46 AM PST Permalink |

Another Culinary Aside

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Early last week, I was given a last-minute assignment to create a traditional smorgasbord. So, while I waited one more day for my yak shipment, I made a little detour to Scandinavia. The menu included Smoked Salmon, Danish Bleu Cheese, Cucumber Salad with Dill, Herring in Sour Cream, Pan-Smoked Trout with Mustard Sauce, Swedish Meatballs. Janssons Frestelse (Potatoes and Onions Baked in Cream), and the Blackberry Apple tart from my blog a few days ago. I'm doing double duty with that recipe and photo, since it's appropriate for both menus.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

To subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:42 PM PST Permalink |

Pickled Red Cabbage with Cauliflower Florettes

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Coming up with a fresh salad course for a Bhutanese menu posed quite a challenge, as there were no recipes to be found. So I researched the agricultural produce of Bhutan and decided to come up with one of my own, based upon the vegetables that are commonly available. It turns out that wintery vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower are quite common, and reasoning that most every culture produces some kind of pickled dish, I decided upon a salt-cured red cabbage slaw in a spicy rice vinegar dressing, studded with crunchy cauliflower florettes. A tasty and unusual prelude to a meaty main course.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:31 PM PST Permalink |

Lost Horizon

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Having watched 'Travellers and Magicians', I was curious to see 'Lost Horizon', since I'd learned from several sources that the Kingdom of Bhutan was the model for Shangri-La. So I ordered the DVD from NetFlix and watched it last night. The film stars Ronald Coleman as Robert Conway, the British explorer and diplomat, dubbed the 'Man of the East'.

The story begins with a revolution in the Chinese city of Baskul, where Conway has been sent to rescue 90 westerners. His rescue plane is hijacked by an Asian pilot, and the passengers are taken to the lofty Himilayan city of Shangri-La, a mystical place without crime, war, illness or old age. Conway and his party soon come to realize that their arrival in Shangri-La was no accident or coincidence. It's a wonderful old story, well intentioned, if a little naïve. Classic Frank Capra.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:33 AM PST Permalink |

Yakkety Yak

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

I'm still waiting for my shipment of yak meat from DelYaks., however, the site owner, an attentive yak entrepreneur named Bob, has informed me that he is temporarily out of the filets that I ordered and that shipment of them would arrive after the first of next month. So instead, I agreed to allow Bob to choose from among his existing inventory and send me a shipment from what he has in stock. It's scheduled to arrive via FedEx ground on Saturday. Can't hardly wait.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:24 AM PST Permalink |

A Gift From the Ether

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

On the 8th of January, I received an e-mail from David Hykes , a musical performer and composer extraordinaire whose music is featured in this month's film 'Travellers and Magicians'. It goes without saying that I was both stunned and honored that David took time out of his busy schedule to contact me. David lives in France, in Pommereau, on a pastoral estate about 90 minutes outside Paris, and throughout the course of a day for him and a night for me, we got acquainted.

Since then, 'Travellers and Magicians' arrived from NetFlix and I have had the exquisite pleasure of watching the film. And now I am faced with the challenge of finding the words in my inadequate vocabulary to describe its depth and beauty, which was ethereally enhanced by the music of David Hykes.

In a follow-up e-mail, I had the opportunity to ask David a few questions about his compositions, especially about the composition, performance, and the instruments used in the creation of the music.

Regarding the instruments, David replied, "The selections are trio compositions of mine. In addition to composing and singing, I play a special keyboard I designed which translates chords into rhythms. The second musician, Peter Biffin, is playing fretless dobro, sometimes with an "E-bow," a little hand-held device held over the strings, so that the string is excited continuously, as with a violin bow, rather than plucked. The percussionist on "Special Times Three" is Bruno Caillat; there is a tabla player on Times to the True.

When asked about the vocal elements of his music, David replied, "I've developed a global sacred music which I call Harmonic Chant; it's a comprehensive musical system that includes some elements of what is sometimes called "throat singing," where I sing several notes at the same time, the main notes but also harmonic overtones."

'Travellers and Magicians' is a work of duality, in which Dondup, a Bhutanese civil servant in pursuit of his dream to emigrate to the U.S., is met with a Buddhist monk traveling along the same road. To fill the endless hours of waiting to hitch their next ride, the monk tells the tale of Tashi, a reluctant student of magic who falls in love with Deki, the beautiful young wife of a reclusive shaman.

The film toggles back and forth between the road and the monk's tale, and the music of David Hykes provides the mystical backdrop for the dark forest fantasy. And I can say without hesitation that his music is the soul and the pulse of those scenes.

Thank you David, for your generosity in taking the time to contact this very grateful blogger on the other side of the planet, and for enriching my experience of 'Travellers and Magicians' in such a personal way.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:08 PM PST Permalink |

Still Waiting...

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

I placed an order for five pounds of yak meat from DelYaks.com, and being so near the weekend, shipment had to wait until the business week. So my 'Travelers and Magicians' Bhutanese menu has been put on hold until it arrives. Once it does however, I will be making a batch of Momo dumplings filled with ground yak. And then an entrée of grilled yak steaks with a spicy potato and cheese side dish. Ah, patience...

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:16 AM PST Permalink |

Jasha Maroo

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Due to various influences, including my publication layout schedule, a package of gorgeous blackberries that needed to be used before they went soft, and waiting for a shipment of yak meat, the preparation sequence of the dishes on my Bhutanese menu is all out of whack. So far, I've made the dessert, Spiced Apple Tarts with Blackberries and Cream, and tonight, I made Jasha Maroo, a spicy chicken stew, which I served with a wild rice medley. Still to come are a pickled red cabbage and cauliflower salad, a potato cheese and chili pepper dish called Kewa Datshi, which I will serve with grilled yak steaks.

Tonight's Jasha Maroo was very much as I expected, spicy and simple. The spice was added in the form of fresh green jalapenos. Not exactly the brilliant red 'capsicum onum' variety commonly used in Bhutanese food, but close enough for my sensitive palate. The rest of the ingredients include chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, onion, leek, tomato, sesame oil, xiaoshing wine, and chicken broth. A simply delicious hot pot, which, when served with the wild rice medley, makes a hearty and warming winter meal.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

10:29 PM PST Permalink |

The Waiting Game

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Yesterday, I placed an order for five pounds of yak meat from DelYaks.com. Their shipping policy states that they typically ship early in the business week to avoid weekend delays, which may pose the risk of the meat thawing in transit. I want to fill my Momo appetizers with ground yak, so I have to wait until it arrives to make the first course. After that, I will be preparing two main course dishes: Grilled Yak Steaks, and a spicy chicken stew called Jasha Maroo. So I'm playing the waiting game until my yak shipment arrives.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

03:29 PM PST Permalink |

Okay...So I Did It

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

After combing the local markets within a 50 mile radius to no avail, in an idle moment this evening, I finally went online and placed an order for yak meat at DelYaks.com. For my 'Travelers and Companions' Bhutanese menu, I ordered two yak filet mignon, two yak rib eye filets, and a pound of lean ground yak to make Momo dumplings. DelYaks.com has a $50 minimum per order, so a total of five pounds of yak meat set me back $73.80, an average of $14.76 per pound. But $20 of that was for shipping.

Extravagant? Most certainly. But what the heck, I'm feeling adventurous, and from what I've learned in my reasearch, yak is among the most tender of meats with a remarkably low fat and cholesterol content. Can’t wait to give it a try.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

10:17 PM PST Permalink |

Eating Backwards

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

My Bhutanese menu has been derailed by so many other tasks over the past few days that I've lost momentum. When I ordered groceries last week, I included blackberries and apples on my shopping list in anticipation of the dessert I wanted to serve with my 'Travelers and Magicians' dinner and a movie. But even though I haven't begun experimenting with the appetizers and main course, in the interest of using these lovely fresh fruits in a timely manner before they go bad, I decided to make dessert first. Spiced Apple Tarts with Sweet Cream and Fresh Blackberries.

Both apples and blackberries are indigenous to Bhutan, so although not technically a classic Bhutanese dessert, these little tarts seemed in keeping with the local produce. The ingredient list is simple: flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon, apples, cream, vanilla, and blackberries. Fresh and elegant.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

10:44 PM PST Permalink |

My Asian Shopping Excursion

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

My Asian shopping excursion did not go exactly as planned. After a lengthy meeting with clients in Union City, and a late and luxurious lunch at Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley, it hardly seemed wise to double back to Oakland in rush hour traffic to shop at Tin's Market, so I opted for the Asian Market in Vallejo instead. Unfortunately, I was not able to fulfill my whole wish list, but I did manage to get all the basics. It's mostly the Japanese items that went missing, which means a trip to Japantown. Yippee!

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

05:25 PM PST Permalink |

A Pilgrimage to My Favorite Asian Market

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Tomorrow I'm making a trip to the East Bay for a visit to Tin's Market in Oakland's Chinatown. My shopping list includes rice vinegar, sesame oil, wasabi powder, dried chiles, curry powder, peppercorns, rice paper wrappers, nori, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, coconut milk, lychee fruits, candied ginger, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sake, xiaoshing, tamarind extract, wonton wrappers, rice, rice flour, sembei, nuoc mam, shrimp chips, miso, noodles, sweet chili sauce, tonkatsu sauce, gari shoga, beni shoga, tofu, edamame, frozen seafood, fresh vegetables, disposable chopsticks, dishes and cookware, and possibly a dungeness crab, a live fish or a roasted duck. And once I get home with my trove of Asian ingredients, I'm going to get in the kitchen and make something tasty with the fresh items as a tasty reward for such an ambitious shopping excursion.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

To subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:54 PM PST Permalink |

Sweet Success

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

My chocolate extravaganza was pure indulgence that included a sampler of Chocolate Mousse, Flourless Chocolate Torte, and Chocolate Chili Pepper Kisses. Best of all was the Poached Salmon with White Chocolate Sauce, a velvety accompaniment that put all my skepticism to rest.

I paired the dishes with chardonnay, sparkling wine, cabernet sauvignon, and ruby port. The chardonnay was perfect with the salmon, the sparkling wine was delightful with the chocolate mousse, the port was the perfect mate for the chocolate torte, and the cabernet sauvignon provided the perfect balance for the smoky chili pepper in the chocolate kisses. And after a long day in the kitchen, and way too much wine and chocolate, visions of sugar plums definitely danced in my dreams...

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

05:39 PM PST Permalink |

Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate

This Month's Film: Travellers and Magicians
Cuisine: Bhutanese

Today was spent preparing three chocolate confections for a food writing assignment: Chocolate Chili Pepper Kisses, Classic Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Seduction Torte. The ingredient list included unsweetened cocoa powder, milk chocolate chips, bittersweet baking chocolate, and unsweetened white chocolate. That may be the most non-candy chocolate I've ever had in my kitchen. And chilling in my refrigerator at the moment are four parfait glasses of chocolate mousse, and a bowl of chocolate ganache spiced with chili powder that will become bite-sized chocolate kisses dusted with cocoa powder. The day got away from me before I got around to the Chocolate Seduction Torte and the Mayan Hot Chocolate. But then, tomorrow IS another day...

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:56 AM PST Permalink |