Yummy Bowl

Here in Austin, we have a strong Food Truck/Trailer thing going on and one of the newest locations is the Longhorn Food Court near the UT campus. And that is where you will find...

Yummy Bowl
610 West MLK
(512) 436-4319

I had the Shanghai Pan Fried Chicken Dumplings and Sesame Chicken. Now, that is a lot of food for one person, and technically the Dumplings are an Appetizer and should probably be shared.

First, something about the service. It isn't real fast, and when you are standing outside in 100 degree weather that can be a small problem. The food is worth the wait, so it really isn't a problem, but don't expect it to be as fast as McDonalds.

Chinese Dumplings are generally steamed, and then in the case of Pan Fried Dumplings, they are thrown into the pan for a bit of frying. Steaming dough can give it a somewhat soggy texture, and that was the one problem with these Dumplings from the Yummy Bowl. Now, it probably didn't help that I carried them back to work before eating them, but there you have it. It was not a fatal flaw and was really the only negative thing about the dumplings. They were very tasty. They include a dipping sauce with the dumplings, and watch out, it is hot. I cut the sauce with a bit of Soy Sauce, and it was excellent. I have also seen this type of dumpling called a Pot Sticker.

Now, on to the Sesame Chicken. I am a big fan of Sesame Chicken, as readers of these pages will already know, and Yummy Bowl is not going to make my favorites list. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The chicken was served on top of a layer of broccoli, which was unfortunate, as all the sauce drained off of the chicken. I don't really like broccoli and definitely not with Sesame Chicken, and this broccoli did not look at all appetizing. Even considering what drained down into the broccoli, there was not enough sauce, but the sauce was tasty enough, not spectacular, but good.

The chicken itself was chewy, and towards the bottom of the pile of chicken there was a block of chicken pieces stuck together. They were tough to separate and the areas between the pieces were not cooked very well. It was served with white rice, which was good, but nothing to write a blog about.

Looking back at this review, I see that I have said a lot of negative things, and that is unfortunate, because the meal wasn't bad. Maybe I am being too hard on them because I see a lot of potential in what they make. It was good. It could have been better with a few changes that have nothing to do with flavor.

I am definitely going to give them another chance, but maybe after things cool down...in October or so.

The Tablet Dilemma

I would like to consider myself an expert on tablets, but most would find that laughable. I own a tablet, in fact you may not believe this, but I am writing on one now.

Okay, it was a long shot. Few people will remember that old commercial.

I want to be an expert on tablets, but most of what I learn comes from Gizmodo. I don’t have the money to indulge my passion (any of them), and I don’t have a job that lets me get free models to review. I do work in IT, but in an environment where we spend more time keeping aging systems running than on integrating cutting edge systems.

But, I do think about tablets a lot…and reading about them wherever can. Gizmodo often comes across as an Applefanboy reunion. Like so many others, they want the iPad to be everything that Steve Jobs says it is, the revolutionary device that changes everything. Yes, they have drunk the Kool-Aid and come to kneel in the Fruit Church.

So, naturally you get a huge argument when you stand forth and declare the truth…

It’s nothing but an iPhone with a really big screen.

Now, I am not disputing that it is more than an iPhone, but it is more than an iPhone in one dimension only…size.

Nor, am I disputing that size matters. There are many functions on a smart phone that fall somewhere between annoying and impossible, and most of those functions will rise up the scale when your screen is 4 times larger. Difficult things become a joy and impossible things become doable.

The true lesson of the iPad is simple.

Most people don’t need all that computing power.

Of course, actually the iPad only accelerated our acceptance of this lesson. Netbooks had already shown us that most of the time we don’t need all the power of a modern PC. The iPad has destroyed the Netbooks market on one factor…simplicity. Simplicity will always trump complexity, especially when it bears the holy symbol of the Fruit Church.

But, to get back to the dilemma, is it enough?

Is it enough that a Tablet does the same things as your phone, and very little more? It obviously wasn’t enough for tablets to put the power of a PC into a more portable form factor. In case you haven’t noticed, UMPCs (Windows Tablets) never sold very well. The iPad has sold more units in its short life than all models of Windows Tablets combined, and that goes back quite a few years.

Now it should be remembered the iPad, as well as Android tablets have some advantages over Windows Tablets, like boot up time and battery life. Those give these new tablets an advantage that the old Windows Tablets cannot overcome with added versatility and power.

I think that a tablet should be more than a really big phone. App Developers are working hard at making the iPad and Android tablets more than big phones, but is that enough?

I don’t think so. I think that the OEMs need to consider the middle ground, the spot between the ultimate portability of the smart phone and the ultimate computing power of the PC. The modern portable PC is the first step down, providing most of the computing power in a mostly portable form factor. I say mostly portable because some of the desktop replacement models can give you a hernia, but the ultra portables, like the MacBook Air or the Dell Latitude E4200, make portability a priority and sacrifice power.

The tablet seems to fit right in between, but so far they are all glorified smartphones or handicapped PCs. Maybe someone can find the true middle ground.

A Picky Gourmand

So, do any of you know what it means? Yes, it does have a relationship to the word gourmet, and a point to Gryffindor.

Gourmand does mean someone who likes to eat, just like gourmet, but it is what and how much that separates the gourmand from the gourmet. The gourmet wants perfectly prepared dishes, sometime with delicate and subtle flavors. Small portions are not a problem, because you are supposed to savor the flavors.

There is nothing delicate or subtle about what the gourmand wants.

The gourmet wants the perfect filet mignon. The gourmand wants a big greasy delicious burger. The gourmet wants a delicate boulognese over hand made pasta. The gourmand wants a big pizza.

It isn't that the gourmand is willing to put up with less taste in order to fill his belly, oh no. The gourmand may have a bit of the glutton in him, and at times gourmand has been translated to glutton, but it isn't just about over indulging. Let me say that again. Gourmand isn't JUST about over indulging. It may certainly include it, but that is not all it is.

The gourmand likes to eat. The gourmet likes fine food. The gourmand likes simple food, and lots of it. The gourmand does not like bad food though. The gourmand does not find his favorite meal at McDonalds. The gourmand might however start a quest to find the best burger in his home town.

Yes, that was a shameless plug for The Great Austin Burger Hunt, as seen on these pages.

I spent some time in France, a very long time ago. I enjoyed the food there, and then came back to the land of McDonalds and Taco Bell. I brought back with me a love of good bread and good cheese. I watch lots of cooking shows where they prepare meals I probably wouldn't eat. Why? Because I am a picky eater. The list of things I don't like has grown a little shorter over the years, but it is still long.

Onions
Mushrooms
Most Fish
Any Seafood that isn't fish
Cauliflower
Zuchini

That is only the start of the list. It took me years to find something on a Chinese menu that I liked (Sesame Chicken), because it seemed like everything had broccoli, or tofu, or something else I didn't like.

I am a gourmand. I cannot afford fancy restaurants and high priced wines. Well, to be honest, I don't even like wine. I love pizza, but not just anything will do. Oh, I'll eat it, but it isn't what I would choose all other things being equal. I like a good crusty French bread, and I hate Wonder bread...well, except occasionally for toast. I love good cheese, and I won't touch Kraft singles. I love a good pizza, or a burger, or a big plate of Sesame Chicken. A mirepoix (celery, onions and carrots) seems like a waste of carrots (cooked celery is on the list too).

I can be opinionated about food, and I like to cook, but my way. I spend time redacting recipes to see how things taste with onion powder, instead of real onions (it's a texture thing). I will pay a little more for good cheese, or a good bread, but you cannot give me plastic cheese...anything that has to have the word "Food" after the word "Cheese" and I do not want to see the word "Processed" before it. Pasturized Processed Cheese Food is an offense against nature, and if Dante was writing today, there would be a special place in Hell for those who created it.

I think it is time for me to find a good strong cheese, a crusty loaf of bread, and maybe some real salami, preferably dry...but I will still wash it down with a Coke Zero.

Disagreeing With History

I’ve learned enough to be comfortable with disagreeing with professionals.

Does that sound presumptuous to you? It did to me the first time the thought occurred to me.

The first time I found a mistake in a history book was while reading The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny, as translated by Richard W. Kaeuper and Elspeth Kennedy. I would have to reread the book to find the passage, and this essay isn’t about exactly why I thought they missed a beat in their translation, but I read a passage and it didn’t seem right to me.

The book includes both the original text in the medieval French as well as the modern English translation. When I came across this passage in the translation I immediately looked to the original text. Now, I do speak and read modern French, and several times in the past I have muddled my way through brief passages of medieval French. If you know where the modern accent circumflex (^) comes from and you know of the somewhat archaic French literary tense then it can be done with considerable difficulty. I still find the occasional word that has no obvious modem equivalent, but I can often get a sense of the meaning.

I’m not an expert, and I know it, but I’ve spent more than twenty years of my life studying knights and chivalry, which is a little redundant from a certain point of view. More than just studying the history I have tried to crawl inside the head of the medieval knight to that I could act like one.

And that is where my problem arose.

Geoffroi de Charny was the epitome of the knight of the 14th Century. He could be called the best French Knight of his era. He was the bearer of the French war banner, the Oriflamme at the Battle of Poitiers and died there with it in his hand. The Book of Chivalry was not his only book on Knighthood.

Anyone who has attempted translation knows that it is not enough to just translate the words, one must also translate the meaning. I have often been handed short translations from English to French and asked if they were accurate. Often my response is something like, “Well, these words do mean the same thing as those words, but no Frenchman would say it that way.”

When I read Geoffroi’s words, I could see that words might have been translated correctly, but the meaning expressed in English did not seem to match what the author said in medieval French. I think that my studies and attempts to understand the mind of the medieval knight gave me a different, and I think more accurate, understanding of what Geoffroi de Charny was trying to say.

That in a specific and almost certainly overly long example, but there are others.

I have read enough books by modern history professors to learn that they disagree on fundamental points. Even such seemingly simple questions as the beginning and end of the Middle Ages can lead to a wide variety of answers.

In addition to historians there are also historiographers. Historiographers study the history of history. How has the study of and writing about history changed over time. I’ve only read one book of historiography…that I remember, but it furthered my attitude that you cannot take what you read in a history book as the absolute truth.

Revisionist history is not a new phenomenon.

But, in addition to conscious, if not actively malicious, attempts to rewrite history, it must also be remembered that history is a profession and that rising to the top of that profession may require more than repeating well-known facts. Getting a PhD is supposed to require adding to the sum of human knowledge, but in the field of history it is often difficult to uncover new facts, so most doctoral candidates seem to be providing new insights into well-known facts.

This often means taking a controversial position and then drawing out facts to support it, and there can be a lot riding on how well the historian supports his position. First, there is the PhD itself. Later, the professional standing to get a better position at a better university. Finally, there is the ultimate goal of tenure.

My point in all this is that modern historians may have an axe to grind. What the facts really say or mean may be less important than grabbing an academic spotlight and making your peers stop and consider your viewpoint. I sometimes feel that modern works of history are more about showing how clever the author is than about getting to the truth.

Now, am I saying that historians are uninterested in the historical facts or that historians will twist those facts into any pretzel shape just to prove a point? No, but I am saying that the sources chosen and the passages quoted may be used to advance a position, rather than letting the facts themselves tell the story.

All history is interpretation.

The professor in my first history class told me that. I have never forgotten it. It is a good thing to remember when you pick up a history book. You are not reading history; you are reading someone’s interpretation of history.

And it is actually okay to disagree.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Wingzup
1000 E 41st St
Austin, TX 78751

I ended up at Wingzup up to watch the Formula 1 race from Montreal. The place is new, and seemingly relatively unknown. It looks nice inside and out, so no qualms there. It is a sports bar/eatery, so it is a bit loud. Great if you want to watch sports, not so great if you want quiet conversation.

But of course, the big question for today is....how is it if you want a great burger? Now, remember that it is a wing place, so burgers are not their focus, but they do a pretty good job.

I ordered the plainest burger, the Wingzup Burger. The burger arrived relatively quickly, but there were about 30 of us there to watch the race, so it is not too surprising that service was a touch slow. The burger came out open faced, with a slab of meat, 1/2 pound before it hit the grill, two pieces of bacon and a dollop of blue cheese dressing on one side, and lettuce, tomato, red onions and pickles on the other side. I jettisoned the tomato, onions and pickles and closed it up.

Now, two things that could be called sauce. First, that blue cheese. It was barely a dollop, and definitely not enough to make a real difference in the taste of the burger. It was a little disappointing. The second is a feature of Wingzup. Each of their burgers comes with one of their wing sauces. I ordered the Spicy Garlic...and this is important...ON THE SIDE. Remember that, it might be important to you. I had a little warning about the sauces. It was quite hot. It was good though and I used a small amount on my burger, definitely a plus, though I might try the milder garlic sauce the next time.

The burger was quite tasty, with a nice Ciabatta Roll as a plus, and marginally overcooked meat as a minus. The price wasn't bad, but it did not include fries. With a big soda, which they refilled for me, I got out the door for under $10 (just over with tip). I will not be putting Wingzup on my list of favorite burger places, but I will not avoid it, knowing now that a good burger awaits me there.

Oh, and the race was fantastic on the 20 big screen TVs.

Queen of Shadows - a review

Queen of Shadows
Dianne Sylvan
Ace 2010

"The guy next to her in the checkout line looked kind of like a vampire."

I cannot decide if that is a great first line for a novel, or one of the worst. I am leaning toward the later, but if you think it is a bad opening line, don't let it stop you from reading Queen of Shadows, by Dianne Sylvan.

Now, it might seem strange that for my second book review I would once again be reviewing a book by a friend, but it has worked out that way. The author is actually more a friend of my wife, but she is a good friend, so I'll just count it that way.

Queen of Shadows also offers another first for me. It is the first book I have reviewed, and in fact ever read, that is set in Austin, Texas, where I live. It is a little odd to read a book set where you live. When reading, I always wonder if the author has really caught the flavor of the locations in their novel. Well, I can definitely say that the author has caught the flavor of Austin.

So, the novel starts with Miranda Grey in a grocery store checkout line. She's a bit freaked out by the guy in the checkout line, because she cannot feel him. Now, it takes us a few pages more to figure out that Miranda is an empath. She can feel emotions of those around her. Miranda survives by playing music. She performs on Sixth Street in Austin, where she feeds off the emotions of the audience and feeds them back through her performance. Yes, that does sound a lot like any musical performer and performance, but with Miranda, it is a bit more literal than for most.

Unfortunately, Miranda is a bit of a wreck most of the rest of the time. She feels constantly assailed by the emotions of others and cannot escape, except through solitude, music or alcohol.

At this early point in the novel, I had problems. I didn't like Miranda. I didn't feel a great sympathy for her. She seemed pathetic, and I never have liked characters like that. But, I am not the sort to give up on a book, so I kept reading and hoped that things would get better.

Unfortunately, the major next scene in the book is...I want to say the worst in the book, but I do not mean the worst written. The scene is incredibly intense, but it is graphic in a way that truly repelled me. During this scene, I finally felt sorry for Miranda, but the violence is so graphic that I felt it actually lessened the impact. Rather than holding me on the edge of my seat, worrying about Miranda, it had me wincing and wanting to skip forward a few pages. The scene is necessary to the development of Miranda, so I cannot call it gratuitous, but the description of the violence crosses the line for me.

Obviously, Miranda is the victim of this early violence, but the scene does end in an appropriately gruesome manner, when Miranda finally snaps and turns her ability into a weapon. Rather than allowing the emotions of others to pour in and overwhelm her, she users her connection to the thoughts and emotions of her attackers to send her emotions back at them, her fear, her pain, multiplied many times. Suddenly, the attackers are begging for it to stop, as they feel everything that she feels, thrown back with all the anger inside her. In the end, she learns to kill with a thought, and each of her attackers dies suddenly.

Now, at this point in the review, I have to reveal one thing. Everything above happens in Chapter 1. The scene described above ends on page 23. So, one thing the author did very well was get us to this first important moment in the story...in a hurry. I just wanted to make sure that anyone reading this review understands that the author has not wasted unnecessary prose in presenting her protagonist.

So, back to the story....well, at least that bit I am going to reveal to you. Miranda is saved by David Solomon, the guy in the checkout line....yes, the one who looks like a vampire. He takes Miranda to his house in the Texas Hill Country, outside Austin.

Now, much earlier, in the novel, not really in this review, I have reached the point where I want to stop revealing spoilers. Obviously, I need to set the general storyline up for you, but much of the fun of reading the first novel of a fantasy series is in finding out the details of the world the author has created. Unfortunately, I cannot really set up the story without revealing some of those details. I will try to keep them to a minimum, but I hope I don't ruin it for you.

The world created by the author is the Shadow World, which is the world of...yes, you guessed it...vampires. David Solomon is the Prime vampire for the Southern States. The house in the Hill Country is his headquarters and he has taken Miranda there to heal. The Prime is chosen by something called a Signet, an amulet that glows red when the Prime puts it on. Not long after Miranda wakes up after the attack, we learn that the Prime usually has a Queen, but David does not have one. Now, close your copy of the book and look at the title of the book. Next, look at the cover art of Miranda and notice what hangs around her neck. Now, you should be able to guess at one of the small problems with the novel. It's a bit predictable.

Now, predictability isn't the worst thing in the world, if the story pulls you in and holds onto your attention. Queen of Shadows does a pretty good job of that.

The story splits at this point. Miranda heals, and David begins to show her how to control her power. In the Shadow World, there is a bit of a civil war. Here is where I will try to gloss over details and leave you to discover the story as you read. Miranda isn't really involved in the war, but David is, and so it has some effect on Miranda. In time, she heals completely, and learns enough to return to the normal world, back to her apartment in Austin.

Miranda goes back to performing and living in Austin during daylight hours...well, somewhat, she is a musician after all. Miranda starts to develop some independence, and loses almost all of the pathetic she was carrying early in the story. This is a good thing.

And this is where the plot details end.

I've already said that I found the book a bit predictable. There weren't many surprises, but there was plenty of good storytelling. Miranda develops and we learn more about David and the world he lives in. The plotline of the war is well designed, and in it there are actually a few minor surprises, but you will have to find them on your own.

One warning, for those who are easily offended. There are two rather graphic parts to the novel. One is the graphically violent scene already mentioned, and the second is a moderately graphic sex scene later in the novel. As with the violent scene, the events depicted in the scene are important to the overall plot. Both scenes are more graphic than they need to be, but imagine that as a big, somewhat sarcastic NEED. The scenes are important, and the graphic-ness (yes, I am making up words...it was almost graphicality) of the scenes is in keeping with such scenes in other urban fantasies I have read. So, be warned that you may not want your children reading it. Hopefully, that is enough said.

It is in the final climactic scenes that Miranda finally comes into her own and becomes the character who should be able to carry the rest of the series (one not yet in print and another being written). Unfortunately, it is during the last battle scenes that I feel that the author let her readers down. I cannot say too much without major spoilers, but I can say that Miranda does not get to show off as much of her newly found badassery as I would have liked to see.

But, it is enough to bring Queen of Shadows to a satisfying end. It could have been better, but only in small ways. I will be looking forward to the additional adventures of Miranda and David.

The Doldrums

That is where I seem to be lately, the doldrums, becalmed, stuck, bored.

Now, this is not exactly new territory for me, I’ve even written about the problem before.

But, there is a difference.

I have spent years in a haze of boredom, unable to find anything to hold my interest. Lately, I have found a renewed interest in the SCA, and it has driven away the doldrums major, but the doldrums minor have returned.

Or at least that is what I am hoping.

Of course, the doldrums jumped right up and I didn’t write anything for nearly two days.

That is the way of my doldrums.

Just as a footnote, this ended up sitting for another 33 hours, mostly because I forgot my tablet at home. This is the sort of thing that happens when my doldrums hit.