Midcity Mule and Tangerine Ribs for Humanity

You know, I was at Death Café tonight, where taboo is the topic, and I am still swimming in the sea of good thoughts offered to me by my brilliant colleagues. A medical student likened bearing witness to his cadaver as gazing on the ship of Theseus—a philosophical totem that challenges notions of permanence—if a ship is replaced plank by plank, piece by piece, everything exchanged but yet the ship retains its same shape and size and essence, is it the same? In the same way, as we humans are replaced year after year, cell by cell, molecule by molecule, what is it that retains our essence, that makes us the same? And when we die, where does that essence go? Is a dead person the same as the one moments prior who lived? Guh.

Or this gem of a find, an article co-authored by Einstein in 1955 and published in The Lancet medical journal, titled “Nuclear War: An Appeal to Scientists and the Public.”

“There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal, as human beings, to human beings: Remember your humanity and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open to a new paradise; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death.”

This one goes out to those with their fingers poised on the bomb launch button: Remember your humanity. Food and drink helps—you are what you eat, how’s that Theseus? I would gladly replace each cell of mine, each stale plank, with the blocks of Midcity, NOLA.

Midcity Mule

Shout out to my neighborhood for this one

2 ounces bourbon

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 cup light ginger beer

1 fresh mint sprig 1 lime slice

In a copper mug or highball glass, combine bourbon and lime juice. Fill cup with ice. Add ginger beer; stir gently to combine. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice.

Tangerine Sticky Ribs

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1 rack baby back pork ribs, about 3 pounds

4 to 6 star-anise pods

Peels from 2 tangerines, coarsely chopped, plus more, chopped, for garnish

1 cup orange-blossom honey

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 knob fresh ginger (2 inches), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns (so spicy!)

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (available at Asian markets)

Rinse ribs under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place ribs in a baking dish, sprinkle with star anise, and set aside. In a blender, combine remaining ingredients and process until mixture is fairly smooth. Pour over ribs, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove ribs from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place covered dish in oven and cook 2 1/2 hours. Remove ribs from oven. Remove foil and set aside. Baste ribs with sauce and return to oven, uncovered. Cook another 30 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and tent with reserved foil. Allow to rest 15 minutes. Transfer rack to a cutting board and cut between bones. Serve with a sprinkle of tangerine peel.