Metatron's Profile
Are city pigeons safe to eat?
I notice that the papers are fairly old ( 1980 and 1988 ). Probably a major source of lead was from leaded gasoline. As leaded gas has been phased out for some time, it may be that there will be less lead in the birds.
Newer studies may show different results.
Are city pigeons safe to eat?
I am not sure that industrially produced chickens or turkeys are that safe to eat either. They are force fed mystery food as well as copious amounts of pharmaceuticals and hormones to keep them healthy and fatten quickly. Some of the conditions they are raised under are pretty gross.
If one did a proper analysis, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that pigeons are actually healthier to eat. Or maybe not..
Is Any Cookware Safe/Lead, etc.-Free?
Titanium is probably the WORST metal to use for cookware. It has the lowest thermal conductivity of any suitable/available metal. The only metals less conductive are Hastelloy or Inconel which were specially engineered for use in the hot section of jet engines. Titanium is regularly used as a thermal insulator.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-metals-d_858.html
Why anyone would design titanium cookware is beyond me. Obviously a marketing ploy.
DTW - Colman's mustard?
If you can't find it in a nearby store, Amazon has it.
http://www.amazon.com/Colmans-Dry-Mustard-Powder-16/dp/B001MSZK04
Flying to London on BA ? about meals
Food on BA is generally not bad however I now tend to pick up a couple of sandwiches, fruit and water before boarding. That way I can be reasonably certain of getting reasonable food in flight.
Airline food is getting pretty hit or miss these days.
Zabaglione - Marsala substitute?
I use white wine and a shot of Grand Marnier. Very good !
Fresh Herbs
For basil, the best place is The Bite in Inglewood. They sell 4 inch square planters of Basil. Best I have found.
Bogota/Cartagena
In Bogota, you might want to consider the Hotel Morrison. It is on the north edge of the zona rosa which is full of restaurants and boutique shops as well as two shopping centers, Andino and Atlantis. It does not have the character of the Medina but has good access to ZR as well as a walking park on Cl 88 if you want to stretch your legs away from the traffic.
For restaurants, as mentioned before, you must try Andres Carne de Res. It is a unique experience in all the world. The food is good but not exceptional but the atmosphere is something else. I haven't been to the one in Bogota but the Chia one was great.
In Cartagena, I always stay in the old city at the Hotel Santa Clara. There is also a Charleston there which is very similar. A lot of character. The Santa Clara is built in an old monestary. The Charleston is built in some other heritage building.
I find the beach area in Bocagrande to be a bit tacky with a lot of touts trying to sell you watches, sunglasses, cuban cigars or introduce you to "hot chicas". You still get the touts in the old city, but they are generally trying to sell you emeralds. The old city is what makes Cartagena unique. There are all sorts of nice restaurants in great settings all throughout the old city. The only restaurant I can remember by name is the Quebracho which is an Argentinian steak place - definately not vegetarian or fish, but great, none the less. It is in the old city.
If you are into nightlife, try Mister Babillas. Order a pint of good rum, some mix and ice and sit back and enjoy the show or join in. Colombians have fun and really enjoy dancing.
If I would classify Colombian food, I would call it comfort food. Not spicy or fancy just wholesome and good. The local fish is probably bagre ( catfish ) or trucha ( trout ). Cazuela de mariscos ( fish stew ) is popular. In Bogota, Ajiaco ( potato and chicken stew/soup ) is great. Paisa food from Medellin with frijoles ( beans ) is great. Chicken, beef and pork are popular. Fruit juices ( jugos ) are popular and good. There are probably 20 popular fruits which are made into what we would call smoothies. All are good and somewhat unique to Colombia. All menus will have a jugos section.Try them.
Colombians are very friendly. Have fun !
Bogota/Cartagena
The Charleston and Casa Medina are both nice hotels. It really depends on where and what you will be doing in Bogota. I have always regarded the Charleston to be more South Bogata than North. The Medina is closer to Zona Rosa ( 6-7 blocks ), Usaquem, Park 93, etc. In places like Bogota, where traffic is very busy, I always find it is more important to stay at a hotel with good access to where I want to go than good amenities.
The area around the Medina and north, is pretty safe so you can walk to zona rosa if you want to. I am not so sure of the area around the Charleston. If you stay at the Chareston, you are looking at a 30-40 minute cab ride to zona rosa.
If you are going to spend most of your time in the Charleston area, then stay there.
Need eating suggestions for 3 week trip to Colombia
In Cartagena, try Quebracho in the old city at Calle Baloco N° 2-69. It is an Argentine beef place - great baby beef. A bit upscale for Colombia - maybe $20 for dinner not including drinks. There is a big stuffed bull at the door. In the old city, there are lots of good restaurants. Not much of note in Bocagrande.
In Medellin, there is Majaviejo on Las Palmas, just across the road from the Intercontinental Hotel. Great Paisa food - kind of upscale but my favorite restaurant in Medellin.
Santa Marta is not very fancy. Can't remember any memorable restaurants but I suggest checking out the waterfront in El Rodadero. This is a very popular Colombian holiday destination - lots of eateries.
The drive to Villa de Leyva is pretty scary. Make sure you take a camera and get some photos of the yellow "Head on Collision" warning signs. They are for real - several people are killed on that stretch of road every week. There are lots of restaurants around the town square. And make sure who ever is driving takes their time and drives carefully. You don't want to become a statistic.
It's really interesting to drive from Bogota to Tunja and on to Leyva. Tunja is higher and colder than Bogota while Leyva is 1200 meters lower and is quite warm. You can go from winter to summer in a 130 km drive.
I don't think you can go wrong with the food in Colombia. I can't really really remember a bad meal, even in cheap restaurants. In Bogota, there is a chain called "Sopas de Mama y Postres mi Abuela". Great Ajiaco! If you need a burger fix, there is "El Corral" with great burgers but expensive. You can get a good steak for the price of a Corral burger.
For coffee, try Juan Valdez or Oma. Many locations.
Have fun !
Calgary Safeways
I live in Erlton so the Misson Safeway is the closest grocery store. Unfortunately it is pretty bad. You have to check the expiry dates on everything you buy otherwise you will get groceries long past their best before date. This is a VERY high volume store with no reason to have old stock. I suspect that Safeway uses it as a dumping ground for soon to expire product.
I have bought roast chicken here and it is ALWAYS dry - like eating cardboard. One day I came in early - 3 PM. The warmer was full of roast chickens for the 5 PM crowd - just a bit early. l can see whay they are always dry.
I now buy chicken from Coop midtown. They write the time they are put on the warmer so you can always get the freshest. World of difference.
In general, Safeway is garbage. Meats are low quality. Don't even think about buying fish.
tapas and paella
You might try La Paella at 800 6th st sw in downtown Calgary. Haven't been there for a while but it used to be a favorite.
ISO good/interesting restaurant in Calgary
Aidas on 4 th st sw at 21 st or so is good. They serve Lebanese food and the prices are reasonable. Basically it is like something like Greek.They have great tabouli (parsley) salad.
Mercado a block or so south has good Italian - a bit pricy and busy.
Dry Aged Meat...Alberta
There is a butcher shop on about 4th st and 19th ave sw which has it. It's in a little strip mall.
Coop downtown also has it but I haven't tried it.
Good kitchenware stores in Calgary
Williams Sonoma in Chinook has pricey upscale stuff.
The Complete Cook in Willowpark is nice. They have a wide selection of fairly unique gadgets. I got a $50 can opener which removes the entire lid, rim and all, from the can. Neet!
Home Oufitter's, Linens & Things, Pier 1 Imports and Home Sense are worth looking at just to see what they have. You can generally find all four in one area and cover them in a few hours.
And don't forget The Bay. It has a fairly good selection.
