I made some bread today, my 2nd try at making bread with Brettanomyces Claussenii yeast. Brett C. is, as you may know, a strain of wild yeast of the kind used in some kinds of brewing, and I brewed a beer using it as my sole yeast back in late October of this year. (It’s been in the bottle a week and I plan on testing out a small bottle this afternoon, to see if the carbonation is where I’d like it to be.) Anyway, I saw that The Mad Fermentationist had made some baguettes with a strain of Brett, …
Category: GENERAL
Call for Papers: Korean Cinema Challenges and the Transformation of ‘Planet Hallyuwood’
UPDATE (28 Dec. 2010): The date was extended, so if you want in, you have a good chunk of time now! ORIGINAL POST: I just got this from Brian Yecies, and figured I’d share in case someone out there has anything appropriate on the boil: Call for Papers 2011 Special Issue for Acta Koreana (http://www.actakoreana.org) Korean Cinema Challenges and the Transformation of ‘Planet Hallyuwood’ Guest Editors: Brian Yecies, Media and Cultural Studies, University of Wollongong and Ae-Gyung Shim, School of English, Media and Performing Arts, University of New South Wales After the government eliminated film censorship in 1996, South Korea …
Link Buffet
I’ve got some stuff to do today, but I figured I’d clear out some of the links in my “To Blog” bookmark folder, so here’s some interesting stuff I’ve run across. Some are old links, but I found them all interesting. Niebelungenlied: after reading this review, I want this book. I have a boxed DVD set of the operas sitting here, waiting for me to watch them. I’m thinking this winter, I will do it, but I’d like to read this translation as well. And while, yes, the Nazis misused Wagner, and Wagner was a gross individual, that doesn’t make the …
German Traditional Christmas Market
UPDATE (11 Dec. 2010): It might be fun for people in the neighborhood, but the market was NOT worth a 90 minute subway ride. My friend Mark and I crossed Seoul to get to it, and found (to our immense dismay) a small stand of four tents with overpriced goulash, mulled wine, Krombacher beer, sausages, and such. The facepainting area looked dreary. I did pick up some pretty lace Xmas ornaments for Miss Jiwaku, but overall it was not worth going to this. ORIGINAL POST: I don’t know if it’s going to be any good, but I’m going with a …
Rye Sourdough Starter, and Brett Bread
So, yet another of things I’m experimenting with was inspired by The Mad Fermentationist, namely, Brettanomyces yeast in bread making. I’ve only found two cases online, one by TMF who used it to make some baguettes and the other by a guy who used Brett to make pizza dough. So a cxouple of days ago, I decided to make a sourdough starter using rye (the most easily fermented type of flour, apparently–all you really need to do is mix it with water and leave it warm, the lactobacillus and the wild yeasts do their thing quite happily, they say) but …
Scorning Science, and the Fear of Doubt
I meant to post this a couple of months ago, but better late than never. The anti-science movement in America: yeah, it’s a problem. Indeed, it is a very frustrating problem, and this is, I think, one of the reasons that the Regenesis television series I just finished watching was so engaging for me: time and again, the characters run into the social/cultural problem of people either being scientifically illiterate, or anti-science, or science-phobic. The utter frustration of a number of characters on the show–but especially David Sangström–was one of those things that made the show so relatable to so …
Kraut, Step 1
For those following my fermentative adventures at home, I just did some sauerkraut this afternoon, inspired by the efforts of The Mad Fermentationist (see here). I have to tidy up the inside of the jar, but I got a good amount of brine out of the cabbages, and I am pleased with how it’s coming along! The above picture is a pretty early shot, after the cabbage was in the pot for only a few hours. I had to leave in a hurry, so there’s a bit of mess, but most of the cabbage that’s not in the brine is …
Something to Munch On
I have an insane day ahead of me: last minute desperate students will be seeking advising throughout my afternoon break, since tomorrow’s the deadline for second applications for their Grad Presentation Proposal; I will be lucky if I fit lunch in fitting lunch in no matter what, but it will be a trial; midterm exam in my Public Speaking class tonight, in a room I’ll bet will not be properly heated for the event (because normally there’s no class there, and it’s in an older building) And I’m going to the office a half hour early, because… yep, someone “needs …
To the Guy Who Presented Before Me at the Conference Yesterday
The thing about your presentation is that, well, it depressed me. It depressed me mainly because nobody seemed to realize it was a salesman’s pitch, peppered with little bits of personal experience. No, I don’t believe you actually made that gorgeous powerpoint. No, I don’t believe you’re a serious academic. No, I didn’t hear one revolutionary idea about teaching in your talk. I heard lots of interesting things, and indeed, the technology you’re trying to sell probably has some use. But it was obvious from the outset that you were out to sell something. As soon as you posed your …
Mosquito Change?
By the way, the fact that there are still mosquitos flying around is what it is, but I’m wondering: has anyone noticed how different the mosquitoes of October are looking? They’re paler, and they have more prominent striping on their abdomens. I’m wondering if this is just a feature of Korean mosquitoes I never noticed before, or whether they’re young mosquitoes (though they’re kinda big, really), or perhaps this is some other species that’s spread North. And, of course, should the latter be the case, I’m curious about the different pathogenic profile of this new type of mosquito. Not to …