GotCha, Fog - Chicken Tonight?

We have heavy fog in the area for couple weeks now.  I have said to myself. It is a shame if I cannot catch up with fog before it is completely out of sight for the season. I am aware that I like fog enough that I am going to get it. It is the secret of desire.

It was cold 30F (Celsius 1 subzero) degree no less, but my fingers were frozen when I was just out for about half hour.  I put both my hands inside my coat pockets and held my tripod under my arm. I walked in the park feeling with a bit of pride. Hey, cold weather is not stopping me. I am here for the fog.

I walked around and felt like in the dream. Today’s fog is not as dense as I like it to be, but beautiful enough for me. I saw a little commotion ahead of me.  As I walked closer, I noticed a group of runners who just finished their morning run. Thought I am early and tough, when I am just ready to begin, they are leaving their finish line. There is always someone ahead of you, be humble. I got the note.

When the heart is light and mind is clear, everything looks pleasing to the eyes. On a regular day, I might not consider this shot, but in the fog, these trees create a medium tone between sky and ground and they suddenly become appealing to me. I also like curved fine water lines on the ground.  They sit on a narrow road without shoulder but with perpetual traffic.  It was fairly early, so I managed to pull over and snap it quickly. I could get a better angle, but cars were coming and I got nervous.  

I drove past a railroad. When looking down side-ways, I simply could not resist. Let all the cars pass, I barely found myself a parking spot and walked back to the track. In spite of the frowning and astonished look of the drivers, I fired my shots, one after the other.

Just another image to show you how foggy it was. Sun was putting on a veil and looking at the earth through a filter. A whole field of thistles are the 'occupy residents' on this path. I had my 15-85mm in hand, and got down low on the ground and captured this image.  Nothing dramatic, but I certainly like it better than the other thistle shots I have taken so far.

I have tried to shoot thistles in different time of the year and various angle of view. I literally shot them when they were green, bloomed with purple flowers and dead brown like corps. But I have not had much success. I came to realize that I have been only using my Marco lens because I have my heart set on close-up shots, nothing else. I was not willing to try other things...I am so glad that I made the switch, and not hitting the wall.

Everything is good for something and I have to explore that magic portion.

It was cold and the moisture from fog made it worse. My heart had pumped harder a few times when I tried to dodge the ongoing road traffic and my nerve got tighter when I stood on railroad track.  I was a bit tired, hungry and thought I need a good meal tonight.  And, I know what I want to make.....Anyhow,

I am part of the creative team of a local Inspired Living magazine. I am the photographer and writer for couple designated columns. Cosmopolitan life is our theme for next issue and we aim to explore living out of bounds, i.e. something beyond local and regional.  Recipe Exchange is not my section, but our editor asked me to share a Taiwanese recipe.  I want the ingredients easily accessible here in Eugene, and I thought about this scallion and ginger chicken dish. My Caucasian husband has often said, "This is so good." whenever I made this dish.  I thought it maybe worth sharing.

I grew up cooking without recipes, a little bit of this and a dash of that. So I actually bought a chicken and made it from scratch. In that case  I can write down the steps and details more thoroughly. It was a bit of task, but if you can have one extra way to make a chicken dish on the table, I will be just so thrilled.  

Scallion and Ginger Chicken

This is a tasty and popular Taiwanese dish that restaurant serves and housewives make it at home. Simple ingredients and easy steps.  Texture is important to Asian cuisine and the choice of chicken meat is the key to success. Wild chicken is the best choice, but we cannot get wild chicken from the stores in Eugene, so I usually use Free Range chicken or simply use leg quarters.  Thigh meat works, too.

Ingredients:

·      One whole chicken or Leg Quarters (4 pcs)

·      Scallions (green onions) 3 sticks

·      Ginger Root with skins scraped off, 1pc about 2” x 3”

·      Kosher Salt : 1-1/2 teaspoon

·      Vegetable Oil: 1 tablespoon

·      Rice Wine: 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1.     Clean and wash chicken or leg quarter thoroughly with hot water, pat dry.  Move unwanted fat.

2.     Mix salt and rice wine, rub them on chicken skin, let it sit for at least one hour.

3.     Cook chicken in rice cooker with one cup of water or put it on a plate in a steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken) till the chicken is fully cooked, but not overcooked. 

4.     Take chicken out of the cooker, let it cool and put it in the refrigerator for an

hour before cutting them into small pieces (it is easier to cut when chicken meat is cool and harder). 

5.     Pour chicken juices in a small bowl and use baster to remove as much grease as you can and sit it aside.

6.     While waiting for chicken to cool, cut scallions in 3” long sticks and thin slice

them lengthwise.  Slice ginger to 3” thin pieces and thin slice them the same way how scallion is sliced.

7.     Heat vegetable oil in a small sauce pan and sauté scallions and ginger together in high heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken juices left in the bowl (need only about 1/2 cup) and let it boil. Remove scallion and ginger juices from heat.

8.     Cut cooled chicken into small pieces, place them on a large plate and pour

scallion and ginger mix over the chicken. Serve.

·      This dish is meant to serve with rice. Make a stir fry vegetable as side dish.

·      It tastes even better when the meat is cold. Use leftover to make Oriental chicken salad with drizzles of sesame oil and rice vinegar plus your favorite greens.

Farm Animals and Birds

Growing up as a city girl, I barely had any experience in a farm or ranch. I have always been interested in flowers and vegetation, but not animals. I wonder why.

When I was six, our neighbor took me to their country house for the weekend.  There was widespread of tea growing on the hillside. Women from the house are all out working in the field harvesting tea leaves. I was sent by the grandma of the house to deliver the lunch to our neighbor, a young woman of 20 something.

As I walked up the hill, I heard a meeh- meeh- behind me.  I looked back and saw a goat, it was my first time to see a goat.  I was a bit scared and tried to walk faster. The faster I walked, the tighter the goat followed me.  I started to run, and so did the goat.  I did not know what to do except screaming and crying all the way till I saw the adults.  The moment when I buried myself in the crowd, the goat left. I was told the goat followed me because I wore a red dress.

Don’t know since when petting zoos become popular.  My girls had petted farm animals in the zoo many times when they were little. Why could they immediately come close to the animals without any fear and I was so scared by a goat? I think it is the unknown and solitude create the fear.  How lucky our kids and grandkids are these days when the environment is catered to make them feel safe and comfortable?

Many years ago when I was in New Zealand on business, I visited a sheep shearing facility. It is amazing to see how much wool can be sheared out of a sheep. By the time when the shearing is done, they look like newborn babies.   Here at home I saw them grazing at the field along the freeway, they look like cotton balls from distance, soft and fluffy. When I finally got my 400 mm telephoto lens, I stopped by a farm and took some pictures.  People said sheep are dumb, are they really? They certainly looked alert and protective to their minors when I had a long lens pointing at them.

We are usually so busy in living or enjoying what we do. I wonder how many people actually spend time to monitor wild birds and domesticated animals around us. Birds come to our feeders and go.  Large herd of turkey family is around most of the time and some neighbor may have lodged some chickens in their backyard for fresh eggs.  I spotted them every once a while.  But they are just being there, I did not know what these creatures are also spying on us the Big Beings.  They kept their eyes on us for fear that we might attack them or one of the chickens may eventually become dinner on the table.

Smart or dumb, these animals and birds also have feelings and they are alert to their surroundings like we do. I have often wondered what are they thinking when they are looking at us? Is rooster afraid that he has come to his life end, I saw fear in his eye. The goose looked cautious while he was slowly moving his steps. I bet he is trying to decide when he should open his wings and soar to the sky. Mr. Turkey has been strolling around with his full costume displayed. "Look at me" is the message that I read from his eyes.  Male is dominating in animal kingdom and they usually look more stunning than females. Male turkey may have an outstanding crown and colors, but I think they are one of the ugliest creatures.

Animals and birds are so protected in this country vs China where many creatures are living in poor condition or being used for commercial purpose.  Just to give a few examples that I witnessed. Cormorants in China are fisherman's aid. China fishermen put a clip on their throat in order that they would not swallow the fishes upon capture.  The cormorants I saw here are freely catching fishes as their food.  They can swim on the river or porch on tree limbs, nobody bothers them.

A peacock was injured in my neighborhood years ago. People called 911 to send the bird to the animal hospital for treatment. On the other hand, when I was touring southwest China a few years ago, I saw two beautiful peacocks were tied on the wood poles. A farmer was carrying them on his shoulder and show them around to the tourists to collect money. Even though they were created equal to start, but where they landed do determine their lives.  I am only talking about animals here. You can imagine how diversified our human's lives are in different parts of the world. Some day I like to address this subject....