Ryan Adams, “Easy Tiger”

My favorite track on this CD is “Halloweenhead” so let’s do something with squash. Shall we try butternut squash ravioli? It’s ambitious, but so is this album.

I am amazed that anyone likes that song! I burnt a special copy of said album without that track because it was so annoying.

I'm also not sure that Arcade Fire puts me in the mood for Greek food...

*******

Funny you should post this... I often bang on about the fact that the two biggest indicators of anyone's cultural background [other than language/accent/dialect] is what they eat and what they listen to... and that cuisine is even more subjective than music.

For example, most people can sit through an opera even if they hate (and I mean HATE) opera. Most people couldn't eat a live insect, though, if they weren't used to said cuisine. People tend to be really fussy about food in ways that they aren't fussy about anything else.

Fashions and pop culture (and pop music) change quickly. Look at old photos of yourself - you'll invariably say "Jesus! What was I wearing?" At the time, though, it was cool.

Food isn't like that; you won't normally just start eating sushi all on your own (without a little peer pressure from a new friend/spouse/so).

People's palates do mature, but it often seems really slow to me. I knew grown people (in their 30s!) in America who had never tried Chinese food or curry. I was amazed...

Do you mechazens notice that your diet has evolved over time or are you still sticking to a few tired old dishes? I have the feeling that people here eat rather well (because of all the recipe posts)...

My musical tastes and food tastes have both changed a great deal over time: both are now more omnivorous than they used to be, although I’m less & less tolerant of junkfood than I ever was, but don’t mind junk music so much. Then again, I’m fickler with music than with food.

I seldom combine the two these days, which is too bad now I think about it; there was a time I often played some Steve Reich while I cooked: usually Drumming or Music for 18 Musicians. Back then my culinary repertoire was limited to a handful of pasta dishes & not much else, so Steve R. & spaghetti alla carbonara are inseperably linked for me.

Smell and memory are closely linked. The aroma of carbonara and Steve R are locked in a neural dance for you...

I'm a complete dork. If I'm cooking mushroom curry (a favourite), I listen to Indian music. If I'm cooking Mexican, I listen to Southwestern stuff like Los Lobos...

You get the picture, I think.

There are some strong flavours that I came to like in my early 20s - coffee (I got through my BA without coffee - how, I've no idea), olives, Marmite (oh yes!). Still haven't come to terms with mushrooms though.

As for cuisines, I usually just make things up (drawing on Indian food, quite often, as my mum cooked a lot of that when I was growing up) - but am trying to lose weight so East Asian is good. All a bit new to me so am experimenting.

I just remembered another (indirect) personal music-food connection: a search for ‘Avery Island’ at amazon (I was looking for this CD) led me to buy this cookbook. So I wouldn’t have tried cooking Eula Mae’s jambalaya if I hadn’t been listening to Neutral Milk Hotel.

There are some strong flavours that I came to like in my early 20s - coffee (I got through my BA without coffee - how, I've no idea)

Here's where you guys all get to call me a sissy. I hate coffee! I don't like the smell, the taste... it's just not something I've been able get on with.

olives

Green or black? I like the black ones.

Marmite (oh yes!)

(oh no!) I think you have to be introduced to Marmite as a toddler. You are the very first adult I've ever spoken to who came to enjoy it later in life.

Still haven't come to terms with mushrooms though.

I don't get it; mushrooms are really bland! Is it the texture?

As for cuisines, I usually just make things up (drawing on Indian food, quite often, as my mum cooked a lot of that when I was growing up) - but am trying to lose weight so East Asian is good. All a bit new to me so am experimenting.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
Large bunch of fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
Small green chilies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
1 LARGE 28oz can of diced tomatoes with juice (or two regular cans)
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Fresh garlic, chopped
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 Teaspoons Turmeric
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala

*Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
*Add the chopped onion and one tablespoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
*Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
*Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
*Add chopped chillis (according to taste)
Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
*Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
*Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan).
*Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
*Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
*Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.
*Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
*Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Eula Mae’s Jambalaya?

I'm all ears.

chuckdarwin—I don’t have the (delicious) recipe handy: I’ll come back with it later today (or tomorrow).

Sounds good!

I tend to be very thematic. Though music has probably inspired me to cook a certain dish, I can't think of a music-food connection at the moment.

Movies and books are easy. When I saw The Queen, a friend and I had dinner at a British-themed pub beforehand. Memoirs of a Geisha - sushi. When I read the "Ya-Ya" books I ate a lot of BLTs on French bread and Coca-Cola. I tend to do this with a lot of books I read, right down to the clothes. Thankfully, I don't do the accent. The last four or five books didn't inspire me to eat certain foods, which is a good thing. Coke and a BLT isn't the healthiest of meals.

The day Pavarotti died we played him on an old cassette we had during a late night. Unfortunately there wasn't pasta available for a midnight snack. We had Taco Bell instead.

Sleeping with a window open and blasting Hüsker Dü's "Warehouse: Songs and Stories."

Honestly I wish I could get by without eating at all. I's love it if I never had to eat again. I don't know why, I eat a relatively healthy and varied diet, but I find myself wishing I could just stop eating altogether. I feel completely unmotivated to eat, as if I eat only out of habit. There's no joy in eating for me anymore.

I might as well switch to more healthy, environmentally conscious food, since the thought of eating fills me with such apathy. Stuff's starting to taste like cardboard.

I'm almost 41 and I've never had curry. And mushrooms aren't that bland - they taste like dirt, but I don't mind them cooked into something.

I remember not liking onions or avocados as a kid, but I love both of them now.

As promised above: Eula Mae’s Chicken and Ham Jambalaya (serves 6-8).

Ingredients
1 fryer chicken (about 3 pounds) boned, skinned, and cut into 1-inch cubes, or, 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless breasts & thighs, likewise cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup seeded and chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 cups chicken broth
One 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, liquid reserved
1/2 cup chopped green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 pounds medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 cups raw long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained

1. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the ham to the pot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ham to the chicken in the bowl.

3. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic to the pot and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Return the chicken and ham to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the chicken broth and reserved tomato juice, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. Mash the cooked garlic against the side of the pot and blend into the mixture. Add the tomatoes, green onions, parsley, shrimp, and Tabasco anad adjust the seasonings to taste. Add the rice, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and fluffy and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

That sounds like the real thing...