I have worms!

That's right. You heard me. I have worms. I just got them yesterday, actually, from a lady in my neighborhood who's had them for over twenty years. She was very nice, and they were very cheap. She's given them to a lot of people--all over Staten Island. Mine are very nice, and live in here:

I've been reading up on vermicomposting for awhile, and decided to try it. Done properly, there's no mess, no smell, and no bugs. And since I'm cooking a lot more now, I'll have lots of scraps--what better way to get rid of them. These little red wigglers can eat up to half of their body weight in a day. It's what they get rid of that we're after---worm casings make some of the richest fertilizer you can get. 

No, they did not come in a can.

I believe I'll call this one Harold. Hello, Harold!

Keeping worms under the sink is becoming more and more popular, apparently. There's all kinds of websites explaining how to do it--this one even has a video. Make Magazine featured vermicomposting in their latest issue, with a how to. There's even an online Worm Digest, "where every article published includes something about earthworms". Seriously. That's their hook. All worms, all the time. 

This should be pretty easy...knock on wood...just keep them dark, fed and moist, and they're happy. And they show their appreciation by pooping a lot. I think the only challenge here will be keeping them away from Lauren, who will probably want to put them in sand to recreate scenes from Dune. I'll be watching. Check back for updates!

Barker Eats the World

As part of my desire to experience new things and broaden my horizons, I'm realizing that I am pretty stagnant in my food repertoire. I like to think of myself as an adventurous eater, but it's really limited to the style of food that I'm eating. And it seems that I'm not very adventurous in that respect: Italian, Japanese (just sushi, really), Mexican, American (what does that even mean?), sometimes Russian or Polish, and German every once in awhile. Oh, and I went to a Spanish restaurant a couple of weeks ago. That's about it. I rarely even pepper in some Chinese--too many bad boxes of Sweet and Sour Pork, I guess. 

That's eight. How sad is that? Different sources show between 189 and 195 recognized countries in the world. And that's just countries---how many different ethnicities and cultures exist within those countries? Thousands, probably. And I'm only eating from eight! Not a good enough ratio, I'm afraid. 

So I'm going to branch out, kids. I'm going to make a list of all the countries in the world, and make it a goal eat food from every one of them. This, I admit, is daunting.  But it's good to have a goal, right?

I'm sure you have questions---I know I do. First and foremost, there's the list, and the issue of countries. Like I said, there's between 189 and 195, depending upon who you believe. So, who do you believe? Should I go with who the USA, and who they recognize? Eh...seems awful political, and awful obvious. (US counts 194, if you're keeping track). Some other random country then? Maybe, say...Lichtenstein, for example. However, a little research shows that Lichtenstein does not diplomatically recognize the Czech Republic and Slovakia, because their royal family claims that Czechoslovakia illegally confiscated 1,600 square kilometers of land from them in 1918. See what I mean? It's all politics. And I'm pretty sure that both the Czech Republic and Slovakia are countries. So that's out as well. Shall I go with the majority? Too much research, frankly, and I'm already getting hungry.

United Nations? Seems okay. There's 192 members of the UN. The ones they don't have that apparently are independent states are Vatican City and Kosovo. Vatican City is all Catholics, and everyone knows they only need bread and wine...so I'm okay with that. And Kosovo is relatively new, so I'm okay with that too. And the United Nations is a fairly standard organization, I think. 

I know, I know...what about Taiwan, you say. And other places that aren't technically countries. Puerto Rico? Bermuda? The United Kingdom?

Give me a break, I say. For now at least. 

Here's the list of the members of the United Nations.

Let's eat.

Welcome, monsieur, sit yourself down...

I generally eat every day. I'm guessing you do too, if you're like most Americans. It's kind of necessary for a healthy life. But it's also a passion for most people, in one way or another. For instance, my sister hates cottage cheese, with a passion. Some people love cheeseburgers with that same passion. Or love/hate pancakes. Or sea bass. Or, I don't know...wheat. Everybody has something.

I tend to love it all, and always have. Pasta, sandwiches, fish, shellfish. Junk food, healthy food; meat and vegetables (I'm equal opportunity that way). I love it high brow and low brow. Simple and fancy. Hot and cold. In or out. Really, anyway I can get it. 

I'm starting this blog to explore that a little more. I'm looking to try new things, both in the kitchen and in restaurants. I'll be cooking---I've got a bunch of things I want to try, and a bunch of things that I already make that I want to improve upon. I go to the grocery store and find a million things that I want to sample...and now I have an excuse. There's also a million restaurants that I want to try. I'm looking to know a little more about what I'm eating as well---where it came from, why we eat it, why we prepare it like we do, who else is eating it, etc. 

Welcome. Hope you're hungry!