Dancing with Myself

More Fun with Persimmons

I didn't grow up eating persimmons.  The only kind we had access to in lower East Texas were wild persimmons, and they're the bitter kind.  It was only a few years ago that someone convinced me to try Fuyuus.  I'm glad I did.  In a post a couple of years ago, I featured a salad made from Fuyuu persimmons and it has been one of my most popular of all posts.  Last week I came across another recipe for persismmon salad, and it is my pleasure to share it with you.  Now remember, Fuyuus are the round-bottomed, hard like apples variety of the fruit.

Fuyu persimmon salad with cumin-lime vinaigrette

This recipe for a gorgeous and spicy autumn salad made with the small, crisp Fuyu persimmons, fresh walnuts and sparkling pomegranate seeds first appeared Nov. 20, 2002.

Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

2 pounds Fuyu persimmons
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 serrano chile, seeded and minced
Salt
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1/4 pomegranate)
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Cut off the tough green calyxes and slice each persimmon in 10 to 12 wedges.

2. In a small lidded jar, combine the lime juice, cumin, about half of the chile, a dash of salt and the walnut oil. Tightly cover and shake hard to mix well. Taste the dressing on a small piece of persimmon. There should be just enough chile to add a suggestion of heat. If you'd like it hotter, add more and shake again.

3. Combine the persimmons and the dressing in a work bowl and toss to coat well. Turn the salad out into a decorative bowl and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, walnuts and cilantro. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if necessary.

This recipe and photo are borrowed from the Los Angeles Times.  The accompanying article suggests the recipe has been around for a few years. 

Asshole of the Week

The award this week goes to Andrew "Bareback" Sullivan for his unrelenting war against Hillary (and Bill) Clinton.  This week he averaged three hits a day on Hillary.  What an absolute, fucking asshole.  Let's see, Andrew:  you've been right on exactly how many issues?  Oh, that's right.  None.  Go suck up to Bush and his neocons a little more Andrew. 

Given a choice between any Republican in this country and Hillary Clinton, I'm with Hillary.

Castro Halloween 2007

Everyone seems relieved that Halloween came and went in the Castro District of San Francisco without major issues.  Well, almost everyone.  I'm still appalled by the heavy-handed militaristic response of the City to the challenge of a popular holiday.  Bevin Dufty, the supposedly-Gay representative from the Castro to the Board of Supervisors, lead the City's efforts to close down the Castro.  Bars and restaurants were warned that if they didn't close, they would find themselves being closely examined by the City's many departments, including the SF Fire Dept., which would enforce the maximum number of people allowed in a place.  No compensation was offered to bars and restaurants for any loss of revenue. 

By 7:30, there were almost as many cops on the streets as there were revelers.  In fact, it often looked like there were more cops.

I am told that many Italians have fond memories of fascism in that country if, for no other reason, the trains ran on time.  This year in the Castro, the trains did not run on time.  They were closed down to insure that there would be no spontaneous celebration.  While there was no violence this year, unless you want to count the violence against our collective psyche by the heavy-handed militaristic police response to the only holiday in the world that is not church or government sponsored. 

No violence in the Castro, but that did not keep violence from Halloween.  One young girl was murdered in Alameda, a small town next to Oakland that prides itself on being mostly White and middle-class.  Another young man was shot and killed near Pinole, a town in the East Bay.

The neat thing about fascism is its ability to control people. Under fascism, there are no spontaneous demonstrations of joy or anger. Fascism is about control.  Sometimes people have to choose whether they want safety and order, or messy liberty. 

Liberty is messy.  I would advise Dufty and the Mayor that their response to the challenge of Halloween in the Castro is troubling on so many levels.  When we elect leaders, we expect them to lead.  Turning the city into a police state and closing down a neighborhood may work, but at what cost to our liberties?