布力布路布樂Bree Blue Blur

轉眼夏至已來到，夏天很適合吃綠豆湯，加點薏仁增加風味跟飽足感，很是好吃。

用電鍋煮的好處，在於不需要顧爐，也可隨興變化，尤其薏仁不易煮爛，更適合用電鍋慢慢燉，完成的綠豆薏仁湯如上圖照片。

電鍋煮食燉品另一特色就是即使電鍋按鈕跳起，也不必立即開蓋，可利用約15-30分鐘悶煮過程，讓燉品慢慢吸收湯汁及加速煮熟，隨興即指可以反覆多次操作煮跟悶的步驟，既可減少能源使用，還可藉由慢慢吸收湯汁過程，增加燉品風味。

製作說明：

1. 一杯薏仁洗淨先泡水，至少4-8小時備用。

韓式炸雞店必附的白蘿蔔泡菜(成品如上圖照片)製作簡單，夏季放在冰箱，要吃時撈出一些當開胃小菜非常方便。

相同食譜用在小黃瓜、高麗菜絲也非常好吃，故一併說明。

製作方式：

1. 瓶子大小，照片用的是1KG原本裝柚子醬洗淨乾燥後的玻璃罐。約可裝白蘿蔔5/6條，看蘿蔔大小，小黃瓜5條。

2. 白蘿蔔削皮後切小方塊，或小黃瓜切條狀(小黃瓜去心去籽)，放入玻璃瓶內備用，放到玻璃瓶9分滿左右。

材料：生麥片一杯、蔬菜四種(蒲瓜一小個、紅椒一顆、胡蘿蔔半根、高麗菜數葉)、雞汁高湯一杯、水四杯及鹽些許。

烹煮步驟：

1. 生麥片一杯(雜糧店購入的生麥片，非熱水沖的那種麥片)，洗好備用。

2. 耐煮蔬菜幾種，個人習慣三種蔬菜，這次使用的是蒲瓜、紅椒、胡蘿蔔、高麗菜，皆切丁一併放入內鍋。

3. 雞汁高湯依濃淡喜好比例加入， 個人習慣大概是一杯程度。

Netflix上映了2007年由西恩·潘編導，改編自真人真事報導文學『阿拉斯加之死』(Into the Wild)的同名電影。

電影講述的是一位死在阿拉斯加國家公園廢棄巴士內的青年克里斯多夫·麥肯迪尼斯的故事，場景講究美麗，剪接、配樂也非常好，故事節奏分明，幾位配角恰如其分。

1996年這本書出版時就非常轟動，中文版也非常暢銷。

It was the 1970’s. There was a dumpling shop that my father used to go often for late supper. He would take us kids with him sometimes, when we didn’t need to go to school the next day. The shop was located in a big square that used to be a Japanese shrine. I remember we had to pass through a dark lane carefully for a short while. Then a wide open square was pulling us in, where more than 30 tables were seated under yellow street lamps, full of crowded talking voices. The hot summer night smelled of boiled dumplings, damp yet delightful.

Other than dumplings, my father would order some side dishes like cucumber salad, boiled peanuts, dried tofu slices and crispy deep fried pork chops. The shop would also provide a bowl of free dumpling flour soup for each table. We kids all loved this dumpling shop because it was a time we could stay out late with my father. Another reason was dumplings were not our regular food at home. Kids always love something not regular.

The owner would come to say hello, and my father would tell the owner that their dumplings were the best he had ever tasted. Both of them would then laugh happily. One time, the owner introduced us to the cook who was in charge of making dumplings. That cook said something to us with a proud smile on his face, but I could not catch a word. After he left, I asked my father about this. He said that cook was a mainlander from China like the owner and other staff. I had more questions in my mind. Just when I was about to ask, my father said, “He’s good at making dumplings.  Only that matters. And now eat your dumplings.” Then he put one dumpling into his mouth, chewing in satisfaction.

Time passed to the late 1990’s. My father had moved to southern Taiwan a few years before due to his personal financial loses. One day he came to Taipei for some errands and stayed with me for couple of days. He asked if that dumpling shop was still there. I said it seemed that that square belonged to the Taipei city government, so the shop had been moved to a much smaller place not far from the old. He frowned and said he would like to go there to eat the dumplings he missed the most in the south.

We were seated at a small table outside the kitchen. “The shop is run by owner’s children now, I guess,” I said to my father when I found him looking around searching. He said nothing and ate his dumplings, head low.

I once had a dream that may remain with me for the rest of my life. My father and I were sitting side by side on a bench in an airport. I did not know which airport it was, but without a doubt it was one. My father was a passenger and I was seeing him off. While we were waiting, he turned to me and said, “Do you have anything to eat? I’m a little bit hungry.” I looked into my bag, and took out a pineapple cake, “Papa, do you know that most of the pineapple cakes were made of white gourds when I was little? I read this in an article not long ago,” I said. My father replied, “Oh, Is that right?” He said it Peacefully. Then, it seemed that he heard something. He said to me, “This is me.”

     Next thing I heard was my cell phone ringing. I woke up from the dream and realized that it was possibly not a pleasant call this late at night. It was my younger brother calling me on the phone, telling me that our father passed away about an hour before in his bedroom. I hurried out with my coat on and jumped in a taxi on the dark street. During my ride to his apartment, I couldn’t help thinking about that dream over and over again. Although a dream may not be a big deal, that one means a lot to me. I still recall warmly the moment I woke up from that dream.

離上次捐血已超過十年，因為身體調養，加上吃藥的關係，轉眼十年過去了。

今年初停藥後，加上身體也養的肥肥的，睡飽吃飽的那天，剛好走過捐血車，心想著，今天真是個適當的日子，就這麼走了進去。

接待的第一位護士，先是強調一定要帶身分證後，然後第一個詢問是『你的體重是多少？』，『我沒有量體重的習慣。』，『那我們現在量。』，『可是，我不想知道體重，我確定我一定符合....』非常親切的護士，笑笑的說：『來，我們現在站上去，數字我來看，XX Kg，可以。 』反應不及的我想著：『啊，為何要大聲唸出來呀，我不想知道....』

被請坐上一張椅子後，她拿來一個平板電腦說：『我們現在已經無紙化，請看一下您的舊資料，有必要的地方請更新，這字體可以嗎？要幫您準備老花眼鏡嗎？』

我....真的有老花的，家裡雖有眼鏡，但就是不想被說老，很鎮定地說出：『沒關係，我看得見。』然後像不要被找出破綻的犯人一般，一邊努力填完表格，一邊想著這護士是偵探嗎？

早晨6:30先在捷運士林站中正路出口，左側搭乘往『陽明山總站』的巴士紅5（起站為劍潭站），車班很多，約20分鐘就到達終點站，陽明山總站。

下車後，直接在同一地點轉搭108公車，在『二子坪』站下車，平日每30分鐘一班，假日則20分鐘一班車，搭乘的人很多，要有可能站上山的心理準備，車程約15分鐘。

今天的路線是二子坪停車場 － 二子坪 － 向天池 － 清天宮。

二子坪是有名的無階梯路線，全長1.8公里是輪椅可進入步道，大約30-40分鐘路程，可到達休憩區，有涼亭跟廁所。

穿過休憩區，往向天池走，沿路標示清楚，且幾乎為林蔭步道，走起來算舒服，如下面照片。

看了『健行筆記』介紹此百吉林蔭步道，為全程無階梯的簡易步道，只需50分鐘即可走完，決定嘗試從台北搭公車到桃園大溪走此步道，來個公車一日慢遊。

由捷運永寧站4號出口，轉搭乘710純電公車，經高速公路，到大溪老街，車程約50分鐘，此班公車為定時公車，約30分鐘一班，使用悠遊卡上下車皆需刷卡，以里程計價，永寧到大溪為58元(?)。

新的公車，內部很漂亮。

到達大溪站的下車地點，即為搭往慈湖等公車站牌，可直接轉車，到洞口的公車，車班很多，就不特別舉出。

710公車大溪站下車處站牌，也是等往慈湖方向公車的等候處，上下車皆需刷卡，大溪到洞口應為15元(?)，車程約20分鐘。

喜歡吃傳統市場的嫩豆腐，往往買回來擔心快壞，一兩天就快快吃完。

最近自行實驗出一個好方法，分享給大家。

如照片中這種尺寸的密扣保鮮盒，剛好非常合適使用。

將市場買回來的豆腐，用過濾水先沖乾淨，再將豆腐放入密叩盒中，倒入淹過豆腐的過濾水，放入冰箱冷藏庫，置放一週都沒問題。

要吃或煮的時候，切下合適大小即可，剩下的豆腐，繼續放在冰箱。