30+ Olives to try

I've taken a "simple" job that includes 700 International and Domestic Cheeses and at least 20-30 types of Olives and Hummus Tabouleh and other Mediterranean fare. This probably tops the Pag's (French) Wine bar job that I took for a holiday season where there are over 300 French wines and included French cheese plates just across the street from Paganini Trattoria.

Olive Information:

• Greek Green Olives are MT. ATHOS OLIVES, DIVINA.
• Black olives that are "dyed"

To be updated:

My Olive List: my Favorites are in bold

1. Kalamata Olives = 2 olives/ 5 calories
2. Kalamata Olives pitted = 2 pieces/ 5 calories
3. Kalamata Olives stuffed with garlic
4. Cerignola Green (Italian) = 2 olives/ 25 calories
5. Cerignola Black (Italian)
6. Nicoise (French) pitted
7. Ciglione with minced garlic
8. Greek Green Olives
9. Greek Cracked Green Olives = 3 olives/20 calories
10. Greek Green Olives pitted
11. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Almonds - Crunchy, sweet, mellow, and yummy.
12. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Citrus - My favorite pick for vodka or gin martinis ( i might even be tempted to make a slightly dirty up a Cosmo with this olive.
13. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Feta Cheese
14. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Blue Cheese
15. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Gorgonzola Cheese
16. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Garlic
17. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Minced Garlic
18. Greek Green Olives stuffed with Jalepeno Pepper = 2 olives/ 15 calories
19. Green Olives with Sicilian Herbs
20. Green Olives with Picante = 3 olives/25 calories
21. Greek Olive Medley
22. Greek Olive and Feta Cheese salad
23. Green Olives (Italian) stuffed with strips of Red Pepper
24. Green Olives (French) stuffed with Anchovies
25. Mammoth Black Olives = 3 Olives/60 calories - Though the younger olives (less black) taste a bit floral to go with a Chardonnay, the more mature olives are much richer and heartier than an Oil Cured olive.
26. Maddelena Olives (brilliant purple) = 3 olives/ 35 calories - A very red wine turning to vinegar type of taste with this meaty and bright olive.
27. Mt. Pelion black Olives: large like a plum (almost the same size as the Mammoth Black Olives) with a floral type of taste.
28. Picholine green (French) = 2 olives/ 35 calories
29. Manzanilla Black Olives = 3 olives/ 45 calories - These olives are nearly the size of prune plums and are a very dark black color.
30. Oil Cured black Olives = 8 olives/70 calories
31. Oil Cured Pitted Olives
32. Calabrese Olives

my Similie for my being on the East Coast

It's like trying to start your own golf course in the middle of the Gobi (desert).
You need water to make a green;- yet it keeps evaporating. --- AMK

Rambo & Untraceable- Please don't support Violence

Over the weekend I caught up on movies with the wretchedly disgusting Untraceable only paralelled by the recent release of Rambo in grotesque violence. Though even after being invited to and attending a talk given by a Burmese monk on Burma at Cornell University (approximately the same time when Japanese reporter Kenji Nagai was killed); - at least Rambo is somewhat progressive in communicating how brutal Burma can be. see an example of real-life footage on Kenji Nagai Though, my Japanese upbringing still tells me that I should not support violence. It is still a hyper politically charged issue to financially support violence in any way. It's not a matter of "turning-away" so much as it is a matter of cutting of financial support that sustains that environment.
Boycotts are normal in the consumer world. In the political & financial world of global commerce the same type of "boycott" action is taking by cutting funding to those terse and ill regions. There is still more that can be done; - none of which is a humane approach to solving the problem. Like rat poison;- people are affected by everything they come in contact with. Weather it kills the enemy or weakens them;- everything is fair in war. Cutting funding to the plight is the best action in entirety. I can also speak from personal experience on that here in the U.S. however- it is an entirely different and seperate matter from attending a talk on Burma. During the talk provided by the Burmese monk, I was thankful that my exposure to Asian languages helped me understand the talk more than what the translator presented to us in English. Somehow all those nuances are lost and people get the "soundbite"version of what is going on without the descript storytelling impacting them at the time of the talk. Then you couple that with some photos after a 2 hr. session and you have one long-arse version of a Cnn report. I'll clean up this article in a bit.

Voting the Humane USA way

Today I went to the Polls. The new voting booths are in.... all electrical with buttons. No more ancient levers are there to pull. And, the volunteers seem to be very happy to show people how the booths work. The volunteer even stepped in the booth and pushed a bunch of buttons and then left. So I had to clear his inputs with my own. Talk about intent!!!

Because I'm a U.S. born citizen of 1st generation and 1/2 Japanese descent, I took more than 1.5 weeks researching my voting selections. And, then I visited my favorite PAC (political action committee) online; Humane USA. They have a list of Endorsements and you can see their questionairre if you visit the home page.

I voted according to their endorsed candidates. Not because they told me to. I was happy that after I researched my voting choices that they Matched up with Humane USA. Many considerations went into my voting for this 2006 election. Earlier in the week I read that Bob Casey (D) has been funding organizations and companies in N. Korea and other countries where there is terrorist activity. I couldn't vote for Casey due to the NY Times article I read about this. Additionally, I know my Obasan or Grandmother (as well as other family members up to 60+) in Japan is/are living in the N. Korean missile testing area.

The following from Humane USA political animal issue #15

PENNSYLVANIA: Ed Rendell (D). Gov. Rendell has been a leader in cracking down on Pennsylvania’s notorious “puppy mills.” He is appointing a state prosecutor charged with regulating the state’s 2,500 kennels, and is proposing legislative changes to strengthen penalties for abuse.

I realize that I am a minority in this state, and that there is still a horrid amount of racism that I and others experience. I can only put my trust in those who show compassion towards animals it seems. And, keep my future hope open to those who will show compassion and help futher fair Human rights treatment here in this State of Pennsylvania.

The following from Humane USA political animal issue #15

PENNSYLVANIA: Rick Santorum (R). Sen. Santorum is one of the Senate’s strongest champions for animals. He has consistently led efforts to increase funding for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and animal fighting law. He is also the author of legislation to crack down on abusive “puppy mills.”