Facebook reminded me of the anniversary of one of the major milestones in my walking career:
It was quite a day and one that is unlikely to be repeated in this lifetime.
These days my goal is to average 20,000 steps a day and that’s something I generally achieve. Of course, much easier here than in a place like Manila. Also, doing the Hash and the “sausage walks” gets the weekly step count up.
This is the “high season” in the Philippines. Lots of tourists in town, Barretto seems to be especially popular with the Swedes for some reason. Kinda funny sometimes to see the bargirls with their boyfriends, or at least the guys who have been sponsoring them (i.e. sending financial support in their absence). Hey, I’m all about more power to them–a fool and his money are soon parted and all that. Also quite a few “two week millionaires” blowing into town and throwing big bucks around in the bars. They are very popular and then they are gone. Ha, at least it keeps the drink pressure off of me!
I can see why this is the time of year people visit. The weather has been fantastic! Not so humid, no rain, moderate temperatures, and usually a nice breeze to keep things comfortable. I guess I better enjoy it while I can because the hot months will be here soon enough.
What else? Well, my blog buddy Kevin Kim has been cooking up a storm. I’m going to see if I can up my game next time I prepare short ribs using some of his techniques. Haven’t been at all satisfied with the results I’ve been getting since the move. About the only thing I’ve cooked that is as good as it ever was is my crockpot pulled pork. Cooked up a nice big batch yesterday in fact:
Eight hours slow cooking, pulled, and ready to go…
…along with some corn-on-the-cob…
…broccoli with butter and cheese…
…and of course corn bread muffins!
Put it on a plate and eat it up! Actually, I put some leftovers in a tortilla for lunch and that was a tasty treat as well.
Hey, and speaking of Kevin “Don’t forget the hyphen” Kim, I’ve been studying up to improve my writing skills. Not that you’d know by reading my rants and ramblings here. In an effort to make the written world a better place, let me share these tips with you:
Its all their. Your welcome.
I tease of course. Sometimes it is all just a matter of perspective:
See what I mean?
Anyway, thanks for reading. Having nothing of substance to say is really quite a blessing. I’ve not been cursed with an interesting life!
I hear some people
been talkin’ me down,
Bring up my name,
pass it ’round.
They don’t mention
happy times
They do their thing,
I’ll do mine.
Ooh baby,
that’s hard to change
I can’t tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.
Walk on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gALPWW9QByQ
Great-looking pulled pork, man. A slow cooker is the best solution for tough meats. (Next best thing might be a pressure cooker—very popular in Brazil, apparently, if my brother David is to be believed.)
I recently did a writeup about the “eye round” cut of beef, which one food writer described as “unredeemable.” That’s bullshit. Run that thang through a slow cooker, and you’re golden. Ain’t no reason to complain about tough meat as long as you’ve got a slow cooker. (Why am I sounding Cajun all of a sudden?)
You have an oven, ja? If so, then for ribs and such, the solution is low and slow cooking, just as if you were using an outdoor smoker.
Glad you’re keeping up your 20K steps/day average. I’m way below that, and I need to bump things up, starting this week. It’s cold and rainy here, though, which is very de-motivating. Anyway, good luck maintaining those numbers.
Have you heard about the increasingly popular Instant Pot? It’s a slow cooker and much more. My brother Sean, who’s a talented cook, swears by it. I’m curious to get my hands on one as well. It’s a large-capacity appliance, I think, which might make it good for brisket and such.
In the “What She Sees” part of that meme, that’s the popular dude from H3H3 on YouTube, isn’t it?
Thanks, Kev. Good information. Yeah, I’m just going to have to adjust my methods to deal with the inherent toughness of local meats, most of which are from Australia. I’m told the difference between the USDA cuts I’m accustomed to is that Aussie beef is grass fed rather than grain fed.
First I’ve seen of the H3H3 dude, pretty damn funny though. Not sure if it is him, but I did lift the meme from a private H3 Facebook group, so I wouldn’t be surprised.