Words We Love : Bravado

Bravado –noun,

 from Spanish bravada (modern bravata ), from Old Italian bravare to challenge, provoke, from bravo wild, brave ]

 a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

Perhaps best known for guarding the Forbidden City, Foo Dogs are actually lions. Jeero being the epitome of bravado jumped at the chance to have his picture taken with this lion at the entrance to the Asian section at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange NJ.

Words We Love : Luddite

Luddite

– noun a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment.

1811, from name taken by an organized band of weavers who destroyed machinery in Midlands and northern England 1811-16 for fear it would deprive them of work. Supposedly from Ned Ludd, a Leicestershire worker who in 1779 had done the same before through insanity (but the story was first told in 1847). Applied to modern rejecters of automation and technology from at least 1961.

This is the old Silk Machinery Exchange building in Paterson NJ. Paterson was one of the first planned industrial cities in the United States, with much of the planning done by Alexander Hamilton. Power for the factories came from the Great Falls of Paterson. This picture was taken in the summer of 2009.

Herbes de Provence #foodporn

Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs typical of the Provence region of Southern France.

The standard mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, and thyme. Lavender flowers are often found in mixtures sold in the United States. Lavender is not found in the original French version, but as Americans associate lavender fields with Provence liberty is taken to create a unique North American blend.

But here's where it gets interesting. Herbes de Provence as we know it really didn't exist until the 1970's. Sure the herbs themselves were used in various ways, sometimes all together, sometimes a few of them in various combinations, but a name wasn't associated with the blend until the 1970's.

For starters try Herbes de Provence under the skin of a chicken before roasting. How about ditching the colonel's eleven herbs and spices for this blend in fried chicken? It even works wonders with plain bread to make an interesting stuffing.

One whiff and most of us are taken away to a far off place. So why not take ordinary weeknight dinners to new places with Herbes de Provence?

Jeero And The Upper West Side Of Manhattan

Drive By : The Tick Tock Diner, Clifton NJ

Made famous by the FoodNetwork Programme Diners, Drive-Thrus, and Dives; the Tick Tock Diner is famous for its Cheese Fries with Gravy that the locals call Disco Fries