Author Archives: alyson

It’s the holidaze! Time for a sale.

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and has had at least one pie breakfast. There is so much excitement here at Drywell HQ, partly because this is my favorite time of year, and partly because we have so many new arts a’brewing. Kind of literally.

To kick it off, enjoy 20% off your Drywell Art purchase in my shop from now — Small Business Saturday, until the end of Cyber Monday, December 2nd. ( I’m going to call Sunday “End of the Leftovers Sunday”, because I feel like it gets left out in the day-naming mayhem this time of year.)

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter here to get all the info on my upcoming shows and new art!

Ooo la la

escargot at market

Yep. 2013 is truly my Year of Travel. Heading to France for 2 weeks, this time with my mother. The last time I was in Paris, it was about 10 degrees out, so this time around, we are looking forward to picnicking and driving ice cold rose. Oh, and cider, as we will also be in Normandy. As usual, I’ll post photo updates on Instagram, so follow along if you’d like!

And let me know if you have any tips for Normandy or Paris places!

Au revoir!

Original Sidecar For Sale

Framed original watercolor. $175

As you may recall, last month I participated in Project Make, an online documentation of the creative process. The project is over, but that means there is original art for sale!

Offering original art is not something I have done a lot of online, choosing instead to sell at local shows. So now’s your chance, if you’re outside of the Bay Area and in need of an original watercolor painting. Check it out at the Project Make Shop.

meat into food, part III

The ongoing magic trick (sorry … illusion) of turning meat art into actual meat continues! Ever since January 2011, Drywell Art has been donating 10% of the sales of every Meat My City neighborhood meat maps to a local food bank. It only makes sense that if I’m peddling food for a living, I should be giving food to those in need as well.  As I was making my quarterly food bank donations this month, I realized there hasn’t been a recent update on the cold hard cash facts!

Above are the very grand totals of food bank donations by city since January 2011. I’m astounded. The San Francisco donation alone equates to over $5000 worth of food that the San Francisco Food Bank distributed. All from meat on paper. Go Team Carnivore!

(You can also check out the initial announcement , 2011 quarter one results , and 2011 Q2 + Q3 results, and 2011 Q4 plus 2012 Q1-3 results)

 

With no further ado, here are the totals for 2012 Q4, 2013 Q1 and Q2. Drumroll…..

6. Brooklyn – $25.00 to the St. John’s Bread and Life food pantry in Brooklyn

5. Portland. $32.50 to The Oregon Food Bank

4.  Seattle. $55.00 to  the Northwest Harvest food bank in Washington.

 

3. Los Angeles. $65 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. That’s 260 meals of food that can be distributed to needy families in LA!

2. San Francisco. Narrowly missing the top spot is my home city.  $150 to the San Francisco Food Bank. The SF Food Bank distributes $6 of food for every $1 donated. That means the SF Food Bank will be able to distribute $900 worth of food to needy residents of SF! Amazeballs.

1. Chicago. Man, the Midwest is representing, big time. The newest city to get a poster leads the pack with $167.50 to the Chicago Food Bank.

If you’re from one of these cities and think that another food bank needs the donations next time, just drop me a line and let me know. Thanks everyone!!

summertime cocktail prints, ready to rock

 

The weather has taken a turn for the sunny, and dare I say, warm? I was actually able to sit outside at Public House with my father on his short visit to SF yesterday, and *may* have even said it was hot at one point. And the sun went down behind the buildings and it was all over.

But, it is supposed to be quite lovely this weekend, which means it will be a great time to hang outside and stop in Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason. There are over 200 vendors, including your’s truly. Drywell Art will be front and center, quite literally. We’ll be set up next to my pal Kai, at Nosh This, who will be slinging Bacon Crack (TM) after a long hiatus.

Jam-maker extraordinaire, Lemon Bird and culinary soap-master Etta+Billie will be sharing a booth nearby, and my pal Sharon Z. will be there too with her eponymous jewelry line. Some other faves are SF tees for kids by my friend, the newly engaged Jamai of Animal Instincts, and the always amazing art of Ryan Berekley. (I just saw a show of his while I was in POrtland … really hoping he’s made some prints of those pieces!)

 

And Drywell Art will have some new goods on display, including a slew of framed original watercolors and at least two new cocktail diagram prints, the Sidecar and Sazerac.

Stop in, eat some chocolate and say hello.

Making Stuff for Project Make

Booyah! Final Sidecar cocktail diagram

Fully back in the swing of things here at Drywell HQ. Not only is Renegade Craft Fair coming up next weekend at Fort Mason, but I’ve also been busy creating new pieces for Project Make.

pencil sketch of sidecar

Project Make is a pretty fun project headed up by fellow artist Meghan Urback. Basically, for the next month, a group of local artists will be documenting their process for creating art. The process photos are posted on Instagram with the tag #projectmake as well as on each artist’s page on the Project Make website. Here’s mine. After the pieces are finished, the originals will be available for purchase on the site.

Where the magic happens. With the watercolor.

Photoshop mock up from fellow watercolorist Emily Proud

Woodcuts from Sirima Sataman

It has been pretty interesting so far to see everyone’s processes, especially those working in different media, such as wood block printing. My process can be at times …. a bit unorthodox.

Inspiration comes in many (delicious) forms.

 

…but tasty. I’ll post when the final paintings are available for purchase.

One Benjamin

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Mangosteens: Queen of Fruit. Ubud, Bali.

Just in time for Independence Day, I’m finally back in the USA after over 35,000 miles flying around the world. Actually, more accurately, I’m back just in time for the World Domination Summit 2013 in Portland, Oregon.

Last year, the conference was awesome, and I wrote about it. Here. Last year, the organizers of this conference of non-conformists also made the insane gesture of giving away the profits of the conference to the attendees. Insane, I tell you. So I’ve had this $100 bill sitting around since then, and before I set off for my round the world trip of awesomeness, I decided to invest in myself. By buying fancy ass travel paintbrushes. With which I painted these things.

The trip was always intended to be a semi-working trip. When your business and leisure interests (i.e. food and drink) line up so well, that’s a no brainer. I already had a travel watercolor set, and these brushes allowed me to actually have nice brushes to you know, paint with.

While I didn’t paint as much on the trip as I intended, I am positively brimming with ideas and inspiration from eating my way through Asia and Europe.

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So when the amazing ramen diagrams and kebab illustrations make their debut, you have Chris Guillebeau and the generosity of the World Domination Summit to thank.

Friday Wednesday o’clock : Bali Edition

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If you followed any of my social internets as of late, it should be no surprise that Bali was not my favorite stop on this world tour. The reasons are many and have no place sullying this lovely cocktail post. Whatever its faults, Bali did, however, provide easy access to mangosteens AND drove us to kill a bottle of Knob Creek we picked up at duty free on the way in. Add in a little palm sugar, and you have a super easy and delicious Balinese old-fashioned that anyone can make – just follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Spend ample time in Muslim countries, with high booze tax and shitty beer, such that you are chomping at the bit for something tasty.

Step 2: Search through each of the duty free shops at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, hoping to find a better bourbon than Jack Daniels* or Jim Beam. Successfully locate a bottle of Knob Creek. Rejoice.

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Step 3: Arrive in Ubud, realize you’ve made a huge mistake in your choice of destinations, and urgently seek out mangosteens, because at least you KNOW you love them.

Step 4: Enter the Ubud market, politely demur offers to purchase batiks, junky bracelets, and penis-shaped wooden bottle openers, and make your way to the old lady selling mangosteens.

Step 5: Ask how much, wait until she pulls out 40,000 Indonesian rupiah (about $4 USD/kilo). Playfully scoff, because you know this is the tourist price, and locals pay closer to 20,000-25,000/kilo. Offer 25,000. Accept her counter-offer of 30,000. Also accept the 2 tiny bananas and 3 rambutans she stuffs into your bag with the mangosteens, likely as a peace offering for charging you so much…. relatively speaking.

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Step 6: Walk along the streets of Ubud, searching for sugar while politely declining the constant offers for a taxi ride from the men lining the street. Keep your eyes on the ground, because the sidewalks are often broken, and lead straight down into a deep cement gutter.

Step 7: Locate a tiny stall selling spices, AND PALM SUGAR!! Spot a teeny tiny puck of palm sugar, smaller than an actual hockey puck. Have your husband handle this negotiation. She says it is 30,000 ($3 USD). Insanity. Husband counter-offers with 10,000 which is still far too much, but you NEED that sugar, and she accepts.

Step 8: Realize you need ice.

Step 9: Realize the closest ice would require a 15-minute walk down the street, the same street with the taxi touts and crumbling sidewalk, and that you are already drenched with sweat.

Step 10: Remember that you have your bourbon chilling in the hotel room fridge, and decide that cocktails are good even without ice.

Step 11: Make up the recipe. ***

Step 12: Sip joyfully and plan your return to Malaysia.

*yes, I know Jack Daniel’s is technically Tennessee whiskey, not bourbon. Duty free shops, however, do not recognize this distinction.

**lest you believe we are penny-pinchers, bargaining is expected here, as in most parts of SE Asia.

*** Balinese Mangosteen Old Fashioned.
Serves 2

+ 4 oz bourbon

+ teaspoon sized chunk of palm sugar (can sub in regular sugar but it will in no way be as delicious)

+ 2 spoonfuls of water

+ 1 mangosteen

Dissolve palm sugar chunk in water in glass. Stir until it mostly dissolves.

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Plop mangosteen segments into second glass. Smush around with a spoon.

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Divide mangosteen pulp and palm sugar water evenly into two glasses.

Add 2 oz bourbon to each glass. Top up with a bit of water to dilute slightly (or add ice instead if you’ve got it.)

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Enjoy!

Vietnam impressions

Our early escape from “paradise” (aka Bali) to Malaysia gave us some needed time to gather our thoughts, upload photos, and eat cheap Indian food before heading out to the next stage of our trip, Europe.

I can hardly believe our time in Asia is up, but I’d be lying if I didn’t also admit I’m totally ready to move on. The pushiness of folks in KL and Singapore, the unrelenting heat, and one too many Air Asia flights has led me to proclaim “I’m done” more than a few times in the last few days. (I also brazenly cut in front of someone at 7-11 today. And was proud of it. SE Asia can do funny things to you.) But obviously it wasn’t all bad. I mean, come on.

An Bang beach. Hoi An, Vietnam

Biding our time in the business class lounge* at the Singapore Changi Airport, waiting to board our flight to Copenhagen (and then onto Istanbul after a Beer and Brats Layover in Munich), has proven to be a great time to reflect on the good and bad of the last few months. First up in the memory chamber? Vietnam.

Days spent in Vietnam: 21

Cities visited: We did the South to North “H” tour — Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and Halong Bay.

Most days in one city: 7, in Hoi An.

Favorite place: Hoi An. Touristy? Absolutely. But stay a bit outside of the UNESCO world heritage area, bike to the locals’ Tiger market and the two lovely beaches. Eat great food. Take an amazing cooking class (see below).

Least favorite place: Hue. Totally uncharming and shadeless, with agressive (though beard-­loving) trishaw drivers. Great soup though.

Favorite new food discovery: Tie, cao lao noodles and sinh to, both in Hoi An.

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The chewy cao lao alkaline noodles, doused in a thin curry broth and topped with herbs, pork, and crackling, are most often compared to udon…by dumb­dumbs. Yes, the noodles are thick like udon, but the texture? All ramen. More specifically, the thick yellow tsukemen ramen noodles.

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The sinh to was the first taste I had on the fabulous Taste of Hoi An Street Food tour, and was absolutely something I would have never tried on my own. Not because there was anything exceptionally weird in this refreshing drink/sundae: chunks of papaya, mango, pineapple, dragonfruit, coconut jelly, avocado, cherries, topped with condensed milk, crunchy toasted coconut shavings, and shaved ice. It’s just that the last ingredient that would have turned me off from trying it on my own. Water and ice are minefields in many South East Asian countries, and Vietnam is no exception. Our guide, an affable Australian who retired to Hoi An years ago, assured us that the Vietnamese wouldn’t eat anything that would make them sick, and that this ice was safe for us as well. And it was. And holy crap, was that sinh to delicious.

Other food highlights: the super clear consomme­like pho broth from a stall in Ben Than market in Saigon. The other bahn mi lady’s egg sandwiches in Hoi An (NOT Anthony Bourdain’s favorite Phuong — which was still excellent), on the side of the road on the way to Tiger Market. The bun bo hue at in Hue. The coffee across the street from the Danang train station. Dry pho noodles from street vendor in Hanoi. Bun cha Hanoi across the street from our hotel on Ma May in Hanoi. Passionfruit lassi in Hanoi. Egg coffee in Hanoi.

Worst food: The foul­-smelling bahn mi across the street from the Danang train station. The “famous” bahn xeo from a place in Saigon.

Beer situation: Lager, but cheap. We tried them all.

Advantage over other countries: Relative to the other countries we visited, Vietnam’s markets were pretty amazing. Super fresh food and a discerning, food-obsessed nation made for beautiful and lively markets.
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Most surprising: Another tie. First, how much Hanoi had changed in only four years. When we visited in 2009, it felt very much like a locals town, with little tourist­focused business. Four years later, we were astounded to hear the booming bass and see hoardes of gap­year backpackers pouring out of the numerous youth hostels in the Old Quarter. I nearly lost it when I saw bahn mi doner kabob vendors lining the street. All this increase in tourism meant that we were much more “on display” as tourists this time around, and continually hassled.

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Second most surprising experience: I got tired of Vietnamese food! I ADORE Vietnamese food. Ive generally declared it as my favorite cuisine for years, and after 18 days, I was done. There is a repetition in Vietnamese flavors that can sadly get a little boring. Our last meal in Vietnam was at an Indian restaurant.

Least surprising: the traffic.

Highlight: Catching a squid in Bai Long Bay. It involved a lot of beer and waiting, followed by excited screaming and a very agitated squid being hurled into the boat, right towards a nice English girl’s face. I was the only lucky one that night.

Lowlight: Though it is a funny story now, in the moment, the train ride from Danang to Hue was a low­light. Cramped and filthy. Seats that leaned back into our laps. Bare feet on the armrests. And a 90 ­year old man in pajamas next to us, periodically peeing into a bottle held by his caretakers, and seemingly wheezing his last breaths. yeah. At least it was only $18 for both of us and the old man survived.

Best money spent: Another tie, between the­­ Halong Bay tour and Taste of Hoi An street food tour. As the tour was pretty pricey, only one of us went on it, but I was able to sample many dishes that I would not have had the knowledge or courage to sample without the tour. And then of course, Steve reaped the benefits as well.

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Floating village, Bai Long Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay tours can be had for all price ranges, and was frankly super confusing and stresful to pick out a good one. Lots of stories about rats running around on deck and inedible food, along with lame guides. We opten for a more expensive one with Handspan, and it was simply amazing. We actually went to Bai Long bay, where there were no other tour boats. We kayaked around the bay, fished for squid, enjoyed happy hour, and a tour of the floating village.

Best value: Besides nearly everything that we put into our mouths, the best value was the Green Bamboo cooking class in Hoi An. 8 hour cooking class, with a small group of 8 people. Everyone picked their own dish from a list of 50+. We shopped for ingredients at market, and cooked every single dish. IT was incredibly thorough and I now know how to clean a squid, including removing the ink sac, spine and skin. Ample water and beer. And an INSANE amount of food. All for $35. (For a more eloquent write-up, check out our travel pals Jordan and Skyler’s review here) Really fabulous time. Runner up: Crazy delicious sloppy bahn mi in Hoi An. Like nothing I ever have in the US, drenched in homemade chili sauces.

Miss the most.: The deliciousness, cheapness (30 to 50 cents!) and ubiquity of Vietnamese coffee. That and the coconut man who saved me from passing out in Saigon.

*All on points, baby. Mileage credit cards and obsessive travel planning pay off. Big time. I just took a SHOWER at the airport. And then drank a glass of champagne.

Friday o’clock : Japan edition

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My alcohol tolerance has taken an absolute nosedive since I came to Asia. The prevalence of bland rice lagers coupled with the fact that we’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time in Muslim countries (which have crazy-high taxes on alcohol) has meant we haven’t really been doing much drinking. Cue the violins.

After our lager-tour of Vietnam, we had a bit of a reprieve in the booze department when we arrived in Japan. Was it expensive there? Yes. Was I sick with a cold most of the time? Yes. Did we still manage to make some cocktails? Yes, indeed.

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We arrived in Tokyo in late March, just as the cherry blossoms (sakura) hit full bloom. The whole country goes a bit sakura crazy. There are special sakura wagashi (little sweets meant to be eaten in traditional matcha tea ceremonies),cherry blossom onigiri, sakura mochi, sakura rice crackers, special sakura sparkling sake, and even sakura doughnuts at Krispy Kreme (no, I did not sample them. They were super pink and I don’t like doughnuts. Sue me).

We also kept seeing these bags of pink cherry blossoms in department store basements and markets. After the fifth time I picked up and put down a package, Steve finally forced me to spend the $3 and buy a package in the Kyoto Nishiki Market.

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A little googling told me that I’d need to soak these salt-preseved blossoms before using them any way I wanted. And I wanted a cocktail.

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SAKURAMESHU

This cocktail is unashamedly pink, girly, and sweet. Way sweeter that I normally go for, but I’m a dry cocktail-lover, and hell, it was springtime in Japan. Had I had any access to bitters, I would have added them, and have suggested as such here. The cherry blossoms provide a surprising amount of cherry flavor and aroma to the drink, even using only a few of them.

+ three or four preserved cherry blossoms
+ water for soaking
+ umeshu (the cuter the bottle, the better. See below)
+ club soda
+ cherry bitters

Soak your cherry blossoms in ample water for maybe 5 minutes or so. They are crazy salty.

Pour two parts umeshu into a glass. Add a few dashes of bitters if you’ve got them.

Plop in your cherry blossoms, and top with chilled club soda to taste.

Ideally, eat with some sakura mochi.

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Not in Japan in the springtime? The internet to the rescue. Get your preserved cherry blossoms here or on Amazon.

What else to do with the cherry blossoms? Like I said, they are crazy salty. I had a thought to maybe grind them with a mortar and pestle and make a pretty interesting salt rim for a margarita (maybe with a dash of sour cherry juice?) They can als be used in cooking and baking — see these posts for more ideas. The cherry blossoms can also be rinsed and then soaked in hot water for a cherry blossom tea.

They are also just fun to look at. Right, Steve?

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