TTL #19: "Octopus: The Other White Meat"

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"He should've stayed in the garden"
Greensboro, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

TTL Saturdays on Why? What Have You Heard?

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.7.0 - Once More With Feeling

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"Quiet Please, Artist at Work"
Greensboro, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Yeah I know. But I had to. This is Sushi Republic in Greensboro, where my son and I had dinner after his recital in October. It's also the first time I picked up a triple digit dinner tab when there wasn't a lovely lady sitting across from me. But we'd been planning to get to this place ever since he transferred and never could seem to catch them when they were open. Note to self: Do not go to Sushi Republic with Bryan when both of you are starving again. It's just waaaay too easy to spend waaaay too much money there. (But damn it was good!)

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.6.0 - Carbs: It's What's for Lunch

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"Emergency Rations"
Raleigh, NC - January 2010 (Click to embiggen)

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Sometimes there aren't any leftover bagels to forage in the conference room. When that happens, I turn to my emergency stash. So maybe it's not the healthiest lunch I could have, but it keeps my big guts from eating my little guts in the course of the workday. A programmer's gotta do what a programmer's gotta do, right?

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.5.0 - When I'm In A Curry...

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"Mmm-mmm-mmm... Tasty."
Greensboro, NC - May 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Just so you know that I don't go out for sushi every time I go out to eat, I offer the chicken biryani of India Palace on Tate Street in Greensboro (yes, across the street from Tate Street Coffee and right next door to Jimmy John's. And down the block from Sushi Republic.) And every time I hear a tale of how a fellow blogger was read the riot act for bringing a camera into a store or restaurant, I think of this place. It wasn't on the night I took this shot, but another evening a couple of months earlier. The owner saw me on the sidewalk outside taing photos of the street life and came out to ask if I'd take a shot of his storefront. I'm not sure why this was important to him, but I saw no harm in obliging. I sort of odubt he reads my blog, so he's probably wondering where those pictures wound up.

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.4.0 - Horsepower

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"Road Hog Fuel"
Raleigh, NC - January 2010 (Click to embiggen)

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Not so terribly long ago you couldn't have gotten me to eat one of these with a gun to my head. But they've improved a lot over the last 6 or 7 years and actually taste like food now rather than scratch-n-sniff samples of food. It's surprising just now good a job one of these can do in curbing a grumbling stomach. At least it surprised me. I always stock up on these if I'm going to be driving long distance. They can be managed with one hand, and you can eat them without having to stop. This is important when you have somewhere to be. Because on the rare occasion that I have a chance to go somewhere, I don't like to spend my time in the car -- I want to spend it at my destination. Fortunately(?) I'm most often driving by myself, so pit stops are limited to those I cannot avoid. And thanks to the new, improved edible energy bar, I can avoid a few more than I could before.

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.3.0 - Sometimes It's Not The Food

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"It's where you eat it"
Greensboro, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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It's a fact of life; people gotta eat. Even when they don't feel much like it. Even when the thing they most want to do is crawl into bed and cry for a month. Like in this cafeteria at Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro. No doubt a lot of people come here for sustenance, but never taste what they bought. There's something about hospitals that sucks the flavor out of everything. I sat at a table in this very cafe across the table form a dear friend for whom it was all she could do to remain functional. I was sure she'd either drop from exhaustion or have a major meltdown just any second. And who could blame her? She'd been sitting a living shiva with her father for several weeks, making an 80 mile round trip twice a day and still trying to make an effort to keep up at work. It was hard to watch, knowing the inevitable outcome and only having cold comfort to offer.

And it didn't improve my appetite to know that cold comfort was probably better than none.

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.2.0 - Best Chips Evah!

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"Game On!"
Raleigh, NC - January 2010(Click to embiggen)

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I'm not big on potatio chips usually. TO me they always seemed like a lot of rubbing for a little bit of warmth. But these? These I like. Kettle Brand they call themselves, and this is their Sea Salt & Vinegar model. Long, long time ago I introduced you to their Salt and Black Pepper chips, which were the first ones I tried. And both of them are good enough to make a fan out of a guy who doesn't really love potato chips. Yeah, I stopped and picked these up so I could photograph 'em, but I had to. They don't last long enough for me to have a bag around to shoot. Besides... the Canes are playin' tonight. And who watches hockey without a nosh?

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Thematic Photographic 85: "I'm Hungry" v.1.0 - Decisions, Decisions

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"Just give me one of everything"
Raleigh, NC - March 2009(Click to embiggen)

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This week Thematic Photographic addresses the issue of hunger. Or food anyway. And for me, that immediately brings to mind firm, meaty bluefin tuna perched atop a ball of sweet rice with some shaved ginger and a dash of wasabi and soy sauce. There's a simplicity in nigiri sushi that's as gratifying as the rich flavors.

Here's a bit of trivia for you that I learned a little while back. The term "sushi" is commonly used by westerners to describe raw fish. But in fact, "sushi" is the name given to the type and preparation of the rice not the fish. Sushi rice is different from the usual long grain rice and is probably closer to the basmati rice of South Asia than anything else. The grains have a pearlescent look to them, and they only take about 10 minutes or so to steam. If I can find the link again, I found a fantastic video on how to prepare your own. Very enlightening, and in fact the source of this tidbit of information.

Bon apetit Thematickers!

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Thematic Photographic 74: "Red" v.7.0 - Red Chilies... and Curtains

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"Before the Rush"
Raleigh, NC - May 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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I seem to have a gift for finding empty restaurants. Sometimes at least. I think it's a timing issue more than anything. Eat early, avoid the rush. Then smile at the people waiting for a table as you walk out. And think... if you'd gotten here when I did... Of course in this particular case, it wasn't especially early really. This time it was more about location and timing on a larger scale. Location in that this is India Palace, directly across Tate Street from UNC Greensboro and timing in that the spring semester had just ended meaning that all the locusts hungry college students with a yen for biryani had gone home for the summer. And so I settled in with a dear friend for some curry and conversation followed by a night photography expedition. A good evening all around.

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Thursday Challenge #47: "Food"

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"Sushi Republic"
Greensboro, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)
Next Week's Challenge: "Youth"

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Thursday Challenge #42: "Bottles"

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"Waiting for Wasabi"
Raleigh, NC - March 2009 (Click to embiggen)
Next Week's Challenge: "Art"

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Thursday Challenge #41: "Fresh"

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"Mmm..."
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Next Week's Challenge: "Bottles"

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Photo Hunt #37: "Utensils"

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"Wasabi and Soy"
Raleigh, NC - March 2009 (Click to embiggen)
Next Week's Challenge: "Entertainment"

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Wordless Wednesday #94 (Tuesday Edition): The Calm Before

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"Dinner Rush"
Raleigh, NC - March 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Shutterday #10 - Theme 99: "I Ate This"

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"Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake"
Durham, NC - January 2009 (Click to embiggen)
Next week's theme: "Up in Lights"

 Find Out More

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Best Chips Ever

Best potato chips ever! Click to embiggen.
Chapel Hill, NC - July 2008
Found these in the "organic junk food" section of the Kroger near my friend Kristen's new apartment. We were on our way to a BYOF gathering, and something about these sounded really tasty. Tasty enough for me to plunk down whatever (probably) absurd price Kroger wanted to fetch for them. I was not disappointed. They're slightly heavier on the oil than I might usually like, but this is a chip of substance. No nantsy little girly see-through sheer chips in this bag. Uh uh. These are chiply chips! There is no dip in the world stiff or heavy enough to break them. Not that they need dip, but if you were so inclined you needn't be concerned of leaving half of your chip in the bowl to founder and sink. But these are not chips for the meek. Only the bold chipster can appreciate that satisfying crunch that comes with victory of bicuspid over kettle-hardened potato. And it takes a secure palate to value such simplicity. A masterstroke in the world of snack foods in my estimation.

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