Cafeteria Food at a Nuclear Physics Lab

Most of you who have read this blog for awhile or who have checked out my profile know that my "day job" is working in the Director's Office at Jefferson Lab, a nuclear physics research lab, here in Newport News, Virginia. There is always something fascinating going on at the Lab whether it is the forefront research being conducted by our users, or technology being utilized for medical imaging, or the Upgrade of our accelerator that will help us address what the New York Times called "one of the 10 questions to ponder for the millennium". At a facility with a population of nearly 1000 from 35 states and 27 countries even the hallway conversation is interesting.

Like tech giants Google and Microsoft, we are lucky at JLab to have an onsite cafeteria. While we have to pay for our meals, our Quark Cafe is staffed by a CIA-trained chef Chris Thornhill, and run by the Compass Group, a multinational food service company that runs cafeterias at countless universities, companies and numerous restaurants as well. How can you meet the diverse dietary needs and international tastes of Jefferson Lab's staff, users, and visitors? Chef Chris serves up everything from Southern favorites as sausage gravy and biscuits to handmade sushi rolls to order to meet the needs of his clientele. The Quark Cafe's most used piece of equipment? The espresso machine which is a favorite with our scientists no matter where they are from. The Quark Cafe offers a salad and deli bar every day, two soup choices, and entrees that include cafeteria standards such as meat loaf or chicken divan as well as more exotic falafel and stuffed eggplant.

Every Thursday, besides our regular menu choices, staff and users are invited to the Chef's Table, a special entree made to order by Chef Chris at a special cooking station set up where he can be observed working his culinary magic. Chef's Table entrees always attract a crowd- Chris has featured mussels and clams in wine sauce, salad with beef tenderloin and blue cheese (pictured left, courtesy of JLab photographer Greg Adams), a seafood plate that included crab cake, salmon fillet and shrimp in a light cream sauce, and my personal favorite , made-to-order sushi rolls. Chef's Table gives us the chance to get a restaurant quality meal at about half the price, watch a chef in action and enjoy Chris' easy banter without even leaving the site.

Our cafeteria is more than just a quick place to grab a bite, the staff there is like family to those 15 minutes or 15 hours away from home. We know their names (Gaye, Chris, Dan, Sandra and Dianne) and they know ours. They know who is watching their carbs, who likes liver, and what "the usual" is for their regular customers. It is that atmosphere that is as important to those who dine at the Quark Cafe as the food itself.

The Quark Cafe is so much a part of life at Jefferson Lab, it is hard to imagine what it would be like not to have such a great place to get a good breakfast or lunch right on site. What do you do for lunch? Brown bag it? Go out? Eat at your desk? Or do you have your own cafeteria that you frequent. I invited you to lunch at JLab, now it's your turn to take us along for your lunch break!

Check out My article on the Quark Cafe and get Chef Chris' recipe for Asian Beef Stir Fry at
http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-taste_jlab_0625jun25,0,619746.story.

A Tale of Three Fathers

I know that Sunday was Father's Day but I was busy helping my children ensure that their dad had a great Father's Day (and just enjoying the day), but I wanted to share my tribute to three fathers who passed from my life, each in their own way making me the person I am today.

The first is the father of my birth. He died in an industrial accident when I was just a toddler, leaving my Mom a widow with three children under three. I have only very vague memories of him that are more feelings than pictures in my mind, and I have seen him only in black and white photos. But I see him around me in many ways. I inherited his red hair (I used to think I was adopted since I was a fair-skinned redhead, and my brothers all had brown hair and brown eyes and turned mahogany brown in the summer sun!), I see his coloring in my son Gavin who has both his red hair and light brown eyes. He played in his high school band (where he met my mother) and his love of music is part of my daily life, and that of my children who all love music. He loved the outdoors and I guess my enjoyment of camping and being out in nature must come from him,especially since my Mom's idea of roughing it is a hotel with only an outdoor pool! But I am sad that I mainly must rely on other's memories and stories of him.

The second father in my life was my step dad, and for all intents and purposes he was my only dad since he is the one who raised me. Can you say enough about a man who marries a woman and her three young children? I don't think so. I know lots about my stepfather. I know he lied about his age and left school to join the military so he could help support his family.I know that he never wanted his children to have to work in a factory the way he did and he showered every day before he came home from work because he didn't want the smell of the factory on him. I know that he prized education because he knew that would open the way to an easier and better life without the struggles he had had. He took correspondence courses to get his GED and even took some courses late in his life when a lot of people wouldn't have bothered. When my dad came to visit long after I had grown up and started working at Jefferson Lab, he teared up when he saw I had my own office with a secretary. My dad was a rabid Washington Redskins fan, and liked to play horseshoes. He loved Gomer Pyle and Flip Wilson. He came to countless scout meetings, music programs, Little League Games. Even after my half-brother was born, no one could have ever told which children had his DNA and which didn't.

As we kids grew up and moved out, he and my Mom went regularly to the Moose Lodge to dance - we teased him, calling him the Silver Fox because he had a head full of wavy silver-gray hair. I hardly ever remember my dad getting mad, but he could give the "I'm so disappointed..." lecture that would make you feel like you would have to extend your reach to scratch a caterpillar's belly. And his laugh - my dad was a great believer in full out, tears-in-your-eyes belly laughing. I have written before about how his unconditional acceptance (and consumption) of whatever I cooked for him has helped me become a person who is not afraid to play with food. My dad died after his second bout with cancer, a truly loved and beloved man. If I am half the parent to my children as he was to me, I will be a success.

The third father in my life was actually my father in law. He was a formidable man who frightened a lot of people but he accepted me into his family without reservations when my husband and I left college and eloped. I have written about my father in law before on this blog describing the best chicken salad I will never make again. He was known simply as "the Colonel" except to his wife who called him Jack. He had served in WWII, Korea and acted as an advisor in Vietnam. He looked a lot like George C. Scott in Patton, and was one of those men with a crusty exterior and a marshmallow center, particularly when it came to the grandchildren. I have the best memories of him "blowing the bugle" or whistling Gary Owen and bouncing the kids for a horsey ride that would make them squeal, "Again! Again!" I learned from him, that family must come first, don't sweat the small stuff, believe in yourself and don't let others shake your confidence, short -term sacrifice is worth long-term gain.

So while you may read this and think how sad that I had to lose three fathers in my life, think again. So many children grow up and never have even one great father figure in their lives,while me,I was lucky enough in my life to have three men I could call Father.

A happy belated Father's Day to those dads out there, and for the rest of you, take the time to tell your dad how much he means to you.

What's the Buzz??

In the world of Myspace and Facebook, I guess it was only a matter of time before there was a community just for foodies. You may have noticed that I am now a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher. In case you haven't checked it out, Foodbuzz provides a place for both bloggers, and people who love food to check in and check out the latest recipes, blog posts, and reviews. Like Myspace, on Foodbuzz you can make friends, vote for your favorites, and subscribe to feeds. It is a great place to interact with other food-lovers.

One of my favorite features is restaurant reviews. You can review restaurants in your own city or check out restaurants in a city you are travelling to rated by foodies who have eaten there.

So come on over to Foodbuzz and check out the buzz!

Asian Markets- Great for the Palate, Easy on the Wallet

Unlike other ethnic markets that may be specific to the foods of just one nation or culture, visiting an Asian market opens up numerous avenues for culinary adventure. Whether you want to re-create your favorite Chinese takeout dish, try your hand at making sushi, create the complex sweet-sour-spicy taste of Thai dishes, enjoy Korean kimchee or the heat of traditional Vietnamese food — an Asian market offers everything you need.

If you are lucky to live in either a metropolitan area or, like me, an area with a large military population who have served in Asian countries and want to re-create dishes they had oversees. Our area also has a significant immigrant population from countries like Korea and Vietnam. We all benefit, since our diverse population supports several ethnic markets on the Virginia Peninsula.

While there are several Asian stores in my city, the one I frequent most is the a small market run by a couple from Cambodia and like a lot of Asian markets, it offers a wide variety of goods in a small space, so you can wander down the aisles and pick up a wok, or a three-layer bamboo steamer (I have one that is nearly 20 years old that I still use to make my steamed dumplings), buy fresh butterfish, smoked tofu, star anise or one of about 50 kinds of noodles. I am always amazed by the different types of dried goods — mushrooms, lily buds, fish, shrimp and seaweed, to name a few. Our Asia Grocery offers numerous produce items that you may not be able to find, particularly the long, skinny eggplants, baby bok choy, snow peas and daikon radishes as well as plantains and mangos. The variety of fresh greens at a good Asian market is beyond what is normally available in your upscale supermarket.

Whether or not you are a big fan of Asian cuisine (and I am), there are all kinds of ingredients that can be incorporated into your daily meals. Soy sauce with a little honey makes a great glaze for chicken or salmon filet. Seasoned rice vinegar with peanut oil can make an Oriental vinaigrette that, served over some shredded Napa cabbage and carrots, makes a light and healthy coleslaw. Thai sweet chili sauce is a great change of pace to have with your steamed shrimp instead of cocktail sauce.

What are some staples that should be in your Asian pantry? Of course it depends on what Asian cuisine you want to try, but here is a list of some essentials:

Rice. Jasmine rice is great with almost any Asian meal, but if you want to make your own sushi, you will need sushi rice which is stickier so your California roll will hold together.

Ginger. This is not the powdered spice you put in gingerbread, but the fresh gnarled rhizome sometimes known as ginger root. In Asian cooking it can be used fresh or candied. Ginger has purported medicinal benefits including fighting motion sickness and intestinal disorders.

Soy Sauce. Soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans mixed with some type of roasted grain (wheat, barley, or rice are common),that is injected with a special yeast mold, and liberally flavored with salt. After being left to age for several months, the mixture is strained and bottled. It darkens sauces and adds saltiness to dishes.

Oyster Sauce. This a thick brown sauce that is oyster flavored, and if you have ever had beef and scallions at your favorite takeout place, you can recreate it with some thinly sliced beef (flank steak is best) and scallions stir-fried. Add some oyster sauce and you have a delicious dish as fast as takeout.

Noodles. There are so many different types of noodles used in Asian cooking. I usually have ramen noodles and bean thread (or cellophane) noodles, both great for incorporating into soups or stir-fries. Another great dish is a marriage of cooked cellophane noodles tossed with some of the peanut sauce above, top with chopped peanuts and scallions for a quick and nutritious meal. Or try your hand at Pad Thai,a delicious noodle dish.

Chili and Garlic Paste. This is one of my favorite Asian ingredients, adding multidimensional heat to any dish.

Thai Fish Sauce. A very fragrant sauce that is a staple for Thai food. Luckily, as an ingredient it tastes a lot better than it sounds!

What if you are really not a fan of Asian food? Asian markets are also great (and cheap) sources of ingredients you probably use in your kitchen every day. Staples like soy sauce, peanut oil, shallots and sesame seeds are available almost 30 percent cheaper than at the supermarket. I bought a bunch of watercress for $2.49 at the supermarket, only to find two days later that I could have bought a bunch for $.99 at the Asia Grocery.When I was looking for star anise to use for tea-smoked chicken, a search of three supermarkets didn't yield it at any price, but the Asia Grocery will sell me a pound for 5.99! Black and red peppercorns can be bought for your grinders in bulk for about half of what the grocery store charges. At a time when we are all watching our food budget, this is reason enough to check out your local Asian market and start playing with Asian ingredients.

Indonesian Peanut Sauce

Mix about half a cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of chili-garlic paste, and juice of half a lime, and 1 cup of warm water. The sauce is similar to Indonesian sate and fabulous on bean thread noodles topped with chopped peanuts and scallions.

Read my story about our local Asia Grocery and its owners Bunna Sor and Theany Sok in the Daily Press at:

http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-taste_ethnicmarket_0604jun04,0,4637267.story