CANNABIS CUISINE – How would you like to be a 'stoner chef?'

A few days ago, I posted a picture of government officials in the Philippines burning a huge pile of marijuana plants amidst media people to show what they do with the confiscated goods.  What we don't know is what happens behind the scenes,  and speculations have soared in the internet.

It's not always rolling a joint,  packing a pipe or toking a bowl that  marijuana is being used for.  In ancient times, people ate their cannabis  saving the seeds for food, and using the resinous flowers for medicinal, recreational and spiritual practices. It has been used in Hindu rituals as a cocktail called bhang, and in the ninth century  there was in an Islamic literature of a story about mixing it with coffee.

In the Western world it was an ingredient for pharmaceutical use until the 1800's.  It only became fashionable in the U.S.  until early nineteenth century, when migrating Mexican workers introduced the practice to the Southwest.

Pot  brownies was popularized only in the 1950's where it was considered 'dope desserts' and eaten by some  stoner circles  in order to enhance summer concerts, 3-D sci fi movies, camping trips, or backyard 'potlucks'.   Then a senior citizen named Brownie Mary  gained  respect in 1992 after her third arrest for distributing her famous chocolate medicinals to AIDS patients in San Francisco.  In 1996, California Proposition 215 effectively legalized medical marijuana and  presently there are 17 states, including New Jersey that have done the same thing.

Smoking ganja gives a faster hit , but not many can tolerate smoke,  instead they ingest the stuff.  The new medical marijuana  'edibles' is a recent phenomenon with many 'stoner chefs' entering the field.  This leads  to a new trend in the food industry  called Cannabis Cuisine.  

Safety measures should be implemented when doing stoner cuisine.  Proper measuring of dosage and the intake should be carefully monitored when making or serving treats.  Just keep in mind that everyone's tolerance is different and individuals respond to ingesting cannabis in different ways. Usually ingesting it does not have an immediate effect since it needs to be digested first. So start with a small serving and do not eat any more pot food until after an hour. 

The biggest difference from eating pot and smoking it is in the intensity and type of high that results.  Eating cannabis brings on a more physical sensation which soothes sore muscles, eases pain, aids relaxation and fights insomnia, while providing feelings of warmth and pleasant tingling.

If you've eaten much, you might feel panicky anxious...agoraphobic.  Bear  in mind that it is humanly impossible to fatally overdose on cannabis.  Even if you have eaten a whole birthday cake frosted with cannabis buttercream.  It is estimated that the amount of THC that is required for an overdose would be four million milligrams or about 4 kilos of pure hashish---(from wikkileaks)

Because of  the cannabis being illegal, it has been a venue for corruption,  consumptions abuse  and economic drain. Thus the states that opted for it's legalization by regulating it however paved the way to realizing it's potential not only as a medical cure but as an added income to the locality.

I am not propagating nor condoning the herb and its usefulness, but rather, I am diseminating  information that before assuming anything (and I mean anything)  learn the facts and not rely on hearsay.  The absence of knowledge more often than not, leads to fear which is  the cause of misunderstandings and misconceptions.

It's about time to know more about these things as the world is always evolving and change is  inevitable.  By being aware, we can eventually make rightful conclusions about it.  And I think it's really HIGH TIME !!!! 

As I'm reading this, I'm thinking.....there are more bar fights due to alcohol, than when you smoke pot.  Because, people that are 'high' are more peace loving...don't you think?...let's hear your comments, guys!

Some friends often ask me why the statue of Liberty is green and  I often tell them "because she's stoned?  Get it?"  And if you want to know if she really looks like this now, come to New York and see for yourself.  :)

the book I got from Barnes and Nobles which prompted me to write about this piece.

 So before I end, I would like to copy a recipe from the book: The official HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cookbook written by Elise McDonough.  In her cookbook, she substitutes 'stones' instead of 'servings'.  But this recipe below is just a simple one.

SIMPLE CANNABUTTER

This is an easy, quick way to infuse cannabis into butter on your stove top.  Be sure to use salted butter since it has a higher smoking point, and don't leave your saucepan unattended!  You can make this cannabutter relatively quickly.

Makes ½ cup

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter*

¼ ounce cannabis buds, finely grounded

to make cannamargarine, simply substitute margarins for butter in this recipe

1. Melt butter on low heat in a saucepan.  Add the ground buds, and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Strain the butter into a glass dish with a tight fitting lid.  Push the back of the spoon against the plant matter, and smash it against the strainer to squeeze out every drop of butter available. When you're done, DISCARD the plant matter.

3. Use your cannabutter immediately, or refrigerate of freeze until it is time to use.  You can easily scale this recipe up for larger batches of cannabutter.  1 pound of butter (4sticks) can absorb 1 ounce of cannabis, but you may want to simmer for up to 60 minutes.

You can drizzle the cannabutter over freshly cooked pasta or popcorn for instant satisfaction.  Reserve large batches in the fridge or freezer for use in recipes.

A Wedding to Remember

Many months ago, we were  invited to join a relative's silver wedding anniversary.  Hubby had been requested as a sponsor to grace the event, and he obliged.  It was  casually formal with the entourage donning on coats and tie/or bow.  So it is with much concern that hubby had to look for his attire—and you know him, the cool GQ guy.  

So last Saturday was THE day and we took our time dressing up since we were just a block or two away from the venue.  It's been awhile since I've heard mass, much less attended a wedding in a catholic church.  And I was amazed at what technology has done.  Where once we required live choirs for songs, the priest this time had an i-pad.  With just a touch, he could command the songs and for awhile  I thought he was having his concert since he was multi tasking, singing while doing his rites at the altar.

Then I also noticed by the side of the pews those candles flickering so evenly and systematically, until I found out that they were electronically lighted. Which meant that you didn't need fire, you just pressed a button after you paid your dollar.   In my time (and that was sooooo many  years ago in Cebu), my cousins and I would pay our 25 centavos (good for one candle) but  we'd start lighting as many candles until the priest would catch us and shoo us away....anyway... and the thought occurred to me to be pressing all the buttons.....

The wedding was held at a side room of the San Sebastian Church in queens, where most special services were officiated.  As we entered the place, we were greeted  with melodious chatter of the Illongos  as everyone was getting ready for the service. (the couple hails from Bacolod).   The bride was radiant and gorgeous in her gown while the groom was equally as handsome in his black suit.  And the entourage was as elegant and as charming.  Jessica and friends really did a great job organizing the special day! It had all the trimmings of a traditional wedding ceremony.

During the service, the priest presented  a surprise message from the couple's children. The bride as well as many guests had tears rolling down their cheeks as the experience of not having loved ones on such a memorable occasion was disheartening.  

However, the message by the priest was uplifting, appropriate and hilarious.  Believe me, don't trust a priest who dons a white kinda batman's costume, because you'll never know what he's hiding inside his gown and cape.  The filipino priest talked about many a filipino's  plight of being away from their families in search of the  american dream.  With each explanation, he had props, starting with a scale and some weights, then a bolo, a chopping board and finally the biggest faux diamond I've ever seen.  All that was inside his robe.  And the priest always had a smile on his face.  That I like.  

The reception was at the Sheraton Hotel in Flushing Queens.  The guests were  greeted by a choreographed welcome of the entourage.  There was seating arangments where the Colmenares clan was assigned to  one table with conversations of tracing their roots.  It was indeed a Filipino affair starting with two roasted pigs (lechons) as part of the buffet, there was  dancing to everyone's content, merry making and of course, a lot of picture taking to send back home to the Philippines.

Then another  video presentation  of the couple's life was compiled by their children.  During the whole  time, Jessica had not a dry eye while Bernard sat amazed and grateful for his blessings. The whole night was just amazing.   And my message to the couple:

To Jessica:  Girl, we have something in common, we are married to Colmenares men and after 25 years we know what they're made of....well, sort of...It has never been a smooth ride, sometimes bumpy, sometimes adventurous and even on occassions we are just cruising, right? Well at least for me it was.  But I can assure you whatever journey we will have with our  'COLMENARES'  man, it's worth the ride,  JUST AS LONG AS WE'RE DRIVING.......heheheheh!!!!

and to Bernard:  'TEH, I will wait for my invitation for that golden wedding anniversary you promised sa church, gani... the one you said nga it will either be “in the beach or in the mountain....but definitely it will be in the Philippines.”

'Prana'tic on Veggies

When an opportunity arises to learn something new about food, I am at the forefront of that workshop.  So last Saturday,  I did join an ayurvedic/vegetarian beginners cooking class in downtown Manhattan.

It was a three hour stint,  which started with a welcome drink of ginger orange ade, followed by a discussion on the origin of ayurveda and it's usefulness while demonstrating some recipes.  Then we ended by partaking  a full meal of soup, grains, vegetable entree and an apple berry  dessert.

Divya, our teacher said that food consumption is all about digestion and that balance to healthy eating is key to vigorous living.   The word 'Prana' in sanskrit is synonymous to life.  Where there is life, there is energy and this is the essence of  staying fit.  Each one of us are differently made and therefore, we are the only ones that know what our bodies need.

Yoga and ayurvedic  complement each other , because the former allows you to listen to your body, and the latter  gives what your body dictates.   Wrong intake of food can add toxins into your system causing sickness and inconveniences.  And these erroneous habits come in many forms like too much gas, bloating, mucus and  sometimes just irritations.  Weight gain and fatigue are also causes of improper diets.

Moreover, the three dosha's (energies that circulates in the body) are composed of  the Vata-Pita-Kapha which is the essence of wellness in the body.  Most of us have at least 2 dominant dosha's ---but am not getting into that since it is kind of complicated.  Best left to self study and experiment individually to be fully aware of your own make.  But I did get to learn a lot from this class with not just eating vegetarian,  but knowing which vegetables are favored as against the others.  (Although not a veggie,  mushroom is related to ignorance and has no food value.  It cannot be food for the enlightened soul  Some mushrooms are hallucinogenic! Seems like a good debatable topic.)

 Just so you know, there are three kinds of food:  the Intelligent food, the dumb food and the dead food.

Intelligent food are those that have full of prana (life) and it responds and interacts with the body.  This means that it is easily digested and is absorbed in the body.   It does not block or damage different channels (arteries, lymp vessels, ducts).  It comes mostly from organic, pesticide free origin, moderately cooked with authentic spices in a positive loving environment.

Dumb food consists just like intelligent food but it is in it's left over state (refrigeration is some sort of dumb food).  Also it may be an improper combination of even good intelligent elements, but cooked in a negative environment and consumed with stress.

And finally, dead food is junk food, canned or microwaved.  Any item that contains preservatives or food that is naturally of contradictory elements such as milk and salt, or milk and sour fruits. Dead foods is completely depleted of prana (life).

Although I enjoyed the class tremendously, I still have my reservations about totally going vegetarian, much less vegan.   Maybe it's the long time conditioning that I have been accustomed to.  There is still so much to learn.  Choosing the right foods is not enough.  They must also be cooked with the right method to obtain the right energy (prana). And that takes a lot of time and practice.

And I have still to unlearn the habit of eating those kinds of species that moves.   Having that sumptuous vegetarian meal is just like eating chinese food,  you're  hungry again after a few hours.  So before heading back home, I passed by the grocery and   prepared myself  one heck of a meal.  Guess what I had?!!!!!!

our blackboard where she writes notes.....

Divya explaining at the same time cooking

after all those veggies, my body got traumatized and feared it was never going to have animal protein.......heheheh!! so i indulged my body with a good piece of steak,  some no brain mushrooms and 3 glasses of wine to wash down all that fat....but i did have good fat-- i had olives....my body was happy!.... but it's about time to practice some of those good pranas!