Irrationality

Posted on September 14, 2016 by יונתן אדס

Predictably, I liked Dan Ariely’s previous book Predictably Irrational (2008), so when I saw The Upside of Irrationality (2010) I decided to buy it.

 download

In Predictably Irrational Dan explained the reasons for us being irrational beings and what they stem from. The book was well written, easy to read, and accompanied by numerous experiments performed together with his research colleagues.

In The Upside of Irrationality Dan continues his explanation of our irrationality and why it is good that we are wired this way. This book is also well written, once again with numerous experiments designed to examine how and why – truthfully, maybe a few experiments too many – I got a slight “overdose” feeling even though I read the previous book over 6 months ago.

Some questions that are answered include:
– Why large bonuses can make CEOs less productive?
– How can confusing directions actually help us?
– Why is revenge so important to us?

Well worth reading and I look forward to his future books.

Posted in Books, General | Tagged , | Leave a comment

40 years of magic

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

Ursula K. Le Guin‘s first book in the EarthSea trilogy, Wizrad of EarthSea, was published over 40 years ago. I received the 3 books as presents for childhood birthdays, and not only do I remember them fondly, they even have a place on my bookshelf today, alongside the 7 Narnia books by C. S. Lewis and The Hobbit by Tolkien.

Apparently the Hebrew translation rights were purchased way back in the 80’s of the previous century (I could not resist :-)) – but a Hebrew translation has only recently appeared. I was delighted to receive copies and very much hoped that my son would enjoy them in Hebrew as much as I enjoyed them in English at his age.
Unfortunately this was not meant to be, two dozen pages or so of the book took their toll, and my second born threw in the towel and did not show any interest in pursuing this venture (hint).
This morning I sat down to read the book, given that a long time has gone by since I read the original, I did not remember the plot at all, and could thus enjoy what was for all intents and purposes a brand new book. I enjoyed it very much. It reminded me of the Christopher Paolini trilogy – Aragon, Brisinger & Eldest – that I had recently read, although Christopher had not even been born when Ursula wrote her books.
The plot was fascinating and magical, and one could, if they were so inclined, delve into its hidden depths to study and analyze it according to Yung, Buddhism or others, though it is not a must.

The book is targeted at children and teenagers (as explicitly stated on its cover), and the font size and jacket layout were also done accordingly, however despite being for youngsters, the language in which it is written is most certainly not suitable for children, and I doubt that it is even relevant for anyone under 15-16, if at all. The language is not archaic, it is simply way to poetic and flowery, and totally not up-to-date.

…
That he would not endure. He did not say much, but he resolved that he would prove himself to her. He told her to come again to the meadow tomorrow, if she liked, and so took leave of her, and came back to the house while his master was still out.
…
 

I took my English copy down off the shelf, its pages had started to turn yellow (actually they are already brown ;-)), and read a little, the language is rather poetic when compared to the Hobbit, Narnia or The Wind in the Willows etc.) so the translation certainly does the source justice, and is of high quality indeed, however nowadays you should write that the translation quality is great, at least if you want those whom were attracted by the book’s jacket to continue reading the book to its conclusion end.

IMHO, so much potential, but a great disappointment (that is assuming the purpose is to sell as many books as possible).

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Put it acider

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

Have I already mentioned that I do not like beer?
I think I mentioned it here.
So I continue my search for good ciders.
This time I ran into one with a great label

img_8668

4% Semi dry El Rom winery

It waited patiently in my fridge for the right moment.
So after a good dinner – Iron griddle seared Entrecôte & baked sliced potatoes with herbs – I decided it was time to check it out.

I opened it and took a whiff – gentle and pleasant aroma, slightly bubbly
I poured gently – quite a lot of bubbles
Pale but beautiful colour
A little sip – a little disappointment
Another attempt – no improvement

This is not the one – the search continues…

 

Posted in Misc. | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Non-de-cider

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

My apologies if I am going to disappoint anyone, but I do not like beer.
The smell is wonderful, but as far as I am concerned the flavour is lacking.
I know there are many beers besides Maccabi & Goldstar.
I have tasted beers of all kinds all over England and Germany, as well as boutique beers in Belgium, and I will be willing to taste others in the future.
However if I have not yet found my beer, it most likely does not exist.

So what do I drink with the guys?
A glass of white wine is not always in place, and unless you are in a restaurant it is usually a little pompous.

In Great Britain, it is not a problem, every pub has a selection of ciders, and I don’t mean the juice Americans call cider, but real fermented stuff. There are dry ciders, sweet ciders, semi-dry ciders, and they can contain anything between 3.7% and 8.4% alcohol, they come in bottles and on tap.
In Germany they even have different names for the cider depending on its age, type and fermentation stage, Apfelwein, Most…
France and parts of Spain also have a long history of the drink (Cidre, Sidra).

And in Israel, what do we have?
Galilee Cider (the apple juice producer) tried their luck a few years ago with an “alcoholic cider”.
It is not easy to put a new drink on the market, but if you try, at least make sure it is good – it wasn’t.

As far as I know there is no regular import of cider, but lately, following the proliferation of boutique wineries and the dabbling in beer, a few new Israeli ciders have appeared on the shelves.

Galilee Boutique Winery which was up till now involved in getting their “pomegranate wine” on the market, recently launched 2 new fermented beverages, something from pomegranates and Green Cider.

The cider contains 5.9% alcohol, and although it is not specified on the label, I would classify it as semi-sweet. I bumped in to it by chance in the  Eden Teva Market chain – at 13 NIS reasonably priced.

…and most important – it tastes good!!!

 

 

 

img_4226.jpg

Posted in Misc. | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What do you call it?

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

What would you prefer to taste and eat?
Eggy bread, French toast, or fried bread?

Even though they are 3 different names for the same dish, to me the first sounds repulsive, the second appetizing, and the third rather plain.
If you think the name affects your desire to eat, then imagine the effect of the shape, so this morning I did something that I have not done for a long time in order to turn this (simple and tasty) dish into something that is more visually attractive.

 

IMG_9658 - s IMG_9659 - s IMG_9660 - s IMG_9661 - s IMG_9662 - s IMG_9666 - s IMG_9667 - s IMG_9668 - s IMG_9669 - s IMG_9675 - s

Scramble an egg with a little milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt
Put slices of bread in the mixture, turn them over and remove excess mixture
Fry both sides in butter

Excellent with cinnamon & sugar, jams, chocolate spread, maple syrup etc. (use your imagination)

Posted in Recipies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Won’t we throw the vegans a bone?

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

Won’t we throw the vegans a bone? Well… maybe not, it may return to us like a boomerang. Shall we provide a recipe that those abstaining from meat, fish, milk, eggs & honey can enjoy too?
I did not plan it that way, but it came out as such, and it is also gluten free, sugar free, with no traces of nuts and totally devoid of caffeine too, and it has no alcohol either – so just a moment, what is left?
A cherry tomato salad – small cherry tomatoes sliced length-ways, thinly chopped chives, a crushed clove of garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt – mixed well and left in the fridge for at least 30 min so the falvours blend together.

???????????????????????????????

Best served alongside a juicy bone, but also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Posted in Green, Recipies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

If you don’t have yeast…

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס
IMG_3538S (1280x960)

With sunflower seeds and garden oregano

What do you do if you want to bake bread and don’t have yeast?
You use beer.
There is nothing to worry about as all the alcohol evaporates during the process, but the flavour remains, so it is recommended you use a light beer that is not too bitter.
Since there is no yeast there is also no need for double leavening so the preparation is quite fast.

Ingredients
A 330 ml bottle of beer
2.5 cups of self-rising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Preparation
Mix, cover and leave to leaven for 30 min*
Pour into loaf cake tins
Garnish with sunflower seeds or similar
Place in a 175ºC degree oven for 30-35 min until golden

IMG_3536S (1280x960)Eating
Transfer to net so it cools a little (you don’t want a burn in your mouth)
Slice (also easier when cooler)
Goes well with butter, pesto, tapanade, salsa… nothing too sweet

* Add dried tomatoes, herbs (sage, hyssop & similar), olives (pitted), cranberries, raisins or sultanas to the dough

IMG_3539S (1280x778)

With cranberries – perfect with butter

 

Posted in Recipies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Focaccia will ease the pain

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

I want Focaccia. Dad, do you remember the time you made Focaccia?
It is tasty, when will we make Focaccia?
It is yummy, I want Focaccia…
It took me a while but I eventually got the hint. The boy was injured so it is hard to refuse, and besides it really is tasty.

Ingredients
400 g white flour (3.5 measuring cups)
1 tsp salt (5 g)
1.5 sachets of yeast (10-11 g)
1 cup lukewarm water (250 ml)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp… olive oil (total 75 ml)
1-2 tsp course sea salt

Mix the flour, slat & yeast in a bowl and create a well in the middle.
Add the water and 1/4 cup of olive oil to the well.
Knead well with 2 hands, the kid’s hand without the stitches & one of your own, until you achieve a soft dough.

Transfer to a surface sprinkled with flour and knead for 10 min until soft and springy.
Place in circular lightly oiled pan (25-28 cm diameter) and flatten.
Cover and wait for an hour or until volume has doubled.

Heat an oven to 200ºC
Poke holes in the dough with your finger, sprinkle the salt and brush with 1 tbsp. of oil (or drizzle it from above)

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 min until slightly golden.
Place on net to cool before serving.

Don’t forget 2 small bowels of balsamic vinegar & olive oil for dipping.

Did not alleviate the pain from stitches in hand but did succeed in bringing a smile to the kid’s face 🙂

Posted in Recipies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hi all

Posted on September 13, 2016 by יונתן אדס

Way back in 2010 a friend convinced me that I should start a blog, if you know me you are aware of the fact that I have what to say, so now I also have where to say it.
If you like  what I write – fine, and if you don’t – it is fine by me too 🙂
As of 2016 my blog is self-hosted and supports multiple languages (starting off with adding English, Spanish & Russian to the original Hebrew), so if you fancy translating any post into any of the above languages (or any other language too) just let me know.
Thanks
J.A.

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Recipe with a Punch

Posted on September 2, 2016 by יונתן אדס
ME1

Purim 1993 – Preparing punch away from home (no large saucepan)

Once upon a time, at the work annual Purim party, and at other parties throughout the winter, it was clear to all that I was responsible for the punch.
It was a great responsibility, not to be taken lightly, because a good glass of punch with which to start off the evening, could change the course of the entire evening.
I presume there are those who remember the punch fondly, and maybe some who don’t (they probably drank too much of it :-)).
Since Hanukkah is knocking at the door, and even though it still seems like summer this year, I decided to air and publish my punch recipe.

The recipe
Prepare a large saucepan for the following:
2 750 ml bottles of sweet red wine (cheap wine will do the trick too)
Fill the 2 empty wine bottles with water and empty them into the saucepan too
1 cup sugar (200 gr)
6 oranges sliced, then each slice cut in 4
A lemon or 2 cut the same way
2 Apples – diced
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp ground ginger
10 cloves
Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 min.

Use a ladle to pour liquid and some fruit into disposable paper cups and serve to whoever walks in the door (don’t ask – just serve)

* Can be prepared in advance and stored in glass jars
* Surprisingly it also tastes good when cold

The chances of anyone guessing correctly how much alcohol the punch contains (very little actually) are rather slim, so you can freely boast that “your” punch contains high quality vodka with a touch of brandy, or anything else that comes to mind – the truth will remain our little secret 😉

Cheers!

ME

Purim 1993 – Beauty and the Beast

 

Posted in Recipies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment