Run-ins with Bimbo, and wholefood shops

[changeling]

I was out all day yesterday. First I went to Bridge Rd to practise Bikram Yoga with Issy, but the trams were slow, and then they stopped at Victoria Pde – there'd been an accident up ahead. I had to walk the rest of the way. I felt a bit like Kate at the beginning of The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul, that something was conspiring to make sure I didn't get there. Still, Issy and I talked and I said that I'd meet her afterwards, so I headed over to Macro to do some shopping (toothpaste, rye flour [for bread], amaranth flour [for fiesta], kombu [sea vegetable – also for cooking beans], pinto beans [another bean I've never used before – also for fiesta], some loose leaf raspberry leaf and nettle teas [for about a quarter of what I usually pay for half as much], seed packets for genovese basil and cress) and then hung out in the cafe with a juice (berries, orange, ginger and watermelon – I thought it was a nice combination, sheer genius, but I'm sure I could put it together better than they did) and my Blue notebook and did some writing until Issy rocked up.

We chatted for a bit. She was simultaneously yoga-chilled and exhausted, so mostly I nattered at her. We headed over to Brunswick St (corner of Rose St) where there is a pub (Bimbo) that does $4 pizzas at lunchtime. I had the Organico (or something) which was a thick layer of roasted pumpkin and rosemary and pinenuts, topped with some soy cheese. Very, very nice. I am a big sucker for both pumpkin pizzas and rosemary. The waitress drizzled olive oil on all the pizzas before bringing them over, which I found a bit weird. I tipped mine up and drained as much as I could onto my plate. Brilliant pizza, though, especially for $4. The base was clearly made on premises, which made me think (with all my bread obsession of late) that I could make pizza dough, and then Steph's and my pizzas would be even awesomer – especially with the tomato sauce she made that afternoon. Issy said it was easy to do with a sourdough starter instead of yeast, and that all I needed was to put a cup of flour and a cup of water in an icecream container for a week, then move it to the fridge and feed it each day with a tB of flour and then she kept explaining about proving and things, but I was out of my depth and didn't retain the rest. I shall have to get her to either write it down for me, or I'll have to call her with notebook and pencil ready.

She also showed me her sweetheart's wholefood/organic shop in Smith St, and I picked up (at her urging) some cleavers (which she says goes well with nettle) and some SEKRIT TREAT for after the diet.

I travelled home, stopping to pick up some glass salad dressing bottles (brilliant for fridge storage; we will use these lots) and glass apothecary jars for storing the tea in. I hadn't quite got home when I got a call from Steph to come and pick her up. I started unpacking, and she made herself an awesome pizza (I might have stolen a couple of bites) and then we had to head out again for our appointment with My Wonderful Kinesiologist for a Bowen treatment. It was very nice, but I'm supposed to not do strenuous exercise for the next couple of days, which means no trips to the supermarket on my bike. I may have to take my car. Boo.

I should go. I have Much to Do today, and it's nearly ten. I should at the very least see if I can find some chickpeas to soak ...

Our little dog Charlie's come in to say hello, and he's been sitting on my lap as I write this. It's very nice. He decided to rest his head on the crook of my elbow after awhile, which made reaching the keyboard a little difficult. I think he's actually dozed off a few times.

Comments

[wittgensteinian.livejournal.com]

Yes, pizza dough is pretty easy. Easier than making bread, in fact. And no bread-type substance can't be improved by sourdough-ing it.

You might want to check out Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. It's huge - alas, lacks pretty colour pictures (*is a child*) - and the title is pretty self-explanatory. I've seen it at Borders and also the City Library. I believe Joe Ortiz's The Village Baker is also good (still tracking it down).

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

I'll have to make a list of all the recipe books I want/need so I remember them all! Maybe next time I get a job, even a temp job, I'll buy one, so I build up a better collection.

[wittgensteinian.livejournal.com]

Until then, there are always libraries and photocopiers :)

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

True.

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

Bimbo is a bit odd with their pizzas. I had to send mine back because I don't eat pepper and mine was cooooooovered in it.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

That's very strange! Still, the pizza I had was v. tasty.

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

My re-made, without the pepper, pizza was very tasty too :D They definitely do well with it :)

[buhfly.livejournal.com]

The olive oil thing is a traditional thing over here. I don't like it, either.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

It was just unnecessary! I suppose that I might have kinda liked the flourish if I wasn't consciously thinking about reducing the amount of fat I eat, but ... it just added nothing to the experience.

[buhfly.livejournal.com]

Most of the time, I find they don't use the right quality of olive oil and so I taste nothing but OIL. You know what I mean? It does not improve the pizza.