Pasta Night at Tri County Vocational High School

Having had so much fun taking the Chocolate Truffle class as a substitute for Audrey I signed up for the pasta class. We managed between all of us signing up to be about half of the students enrolled.  When the day came I was eager to make ravioli since its one of my favorite Italian dishes.

When we arrived at the Tri County Vocational High School kitchen called Gerry's Place I immediately recognized the instructor as one of my favorite Chef's at Sur La Table. Betsy Proom and her uber helpful side kick Lynn greeted me with smiles and a hug. I knew we would have fun with them as our instructors.

 

After a quick introduction and an apology to the other students for our enthusiasm of seeing each other again the class began. Betsy started off describing, demoing and instructing us how to make pasta dough using flour and eggs. She explained the importance of using a scale to measure the flour since it wasn't volume but weight that was important. The perfect portions for 4 people are 4 large egg's for every 12 oz flour and 1 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp of kosher salt

What you want to do it create a bowl using the flour to contain the eggs. Then slowly combine the egg and flour until completely combined. Then this new pasta dough must rest. Wrap it in plastic wrap and wait roughly 30 - 60 minutes before using. She also explained at this point that the dough could be frozen and used again later.

Once fully rested you want to press firmly on it with the palm of your hand to flatten it out. Then you can begin feeding it into a pasta machine on the widest setting. After the first pass fold it into threes and feed it back through the rollers at their widest setting again. Repeat a third time. Then lower the setting by one and feed the dough through. With each pass you lower the setting until the pasta is translucent. Solid but you can start to see your fingers through it.

With sheets now created you can use this to make ravioli or run it through the pasta machine to create spaghetti, fettuccini, or other flat pastas'. If you want to make ravioli you would lay the sheet out flat and put a quarter size dollop of filling ever 1.5" along one side of the pasta sheet. Then using water draw boxes around those dollops then fold over the sheet. As you do this remove as much of the air as possible before sealing the ravioli's then use a cutter to cut them out individually. Then dust with flour until ready to cook.

We made a Wild Mushroom Ravioli. To make the filling finely chop up 1lb of wild mushrooms. Mince 1/4 cup of onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Then in a large skillet heat 2tbs of olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once melted add the chopped mushrooms and onions with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Herb de Provence and cook for about 6 minutes until soft and caramelized.

Remove from heat and put mushroom mixture into a large bowl. While hot add 1 oz goat cheese, 2/3 cup of ricotta and 1/4 cup parmesan and mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce is just as easy. Using 4tbs of butter, 2 tbsp of flour, 1/3 cup white wine, 1/3 cup of chicken stock and 2 tbsp. of cream. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil over medium/high heat. Once slightly brown add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Making a rue. Then add wine, stock and cream and whisk until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

We also made two more dishes; Three Cheese Cappelletti with a Parsley-Walnut Pesto and a a Spinach Fettuccine with Creamy Artichokes and Chicken Sausage.
 

Escape the Room Boston

Located on the third floor of a none descript building in Boston's financial district is a fun interactive game designed to challenge the players analytical and problem solving skills and their ability to work as a team.  "Escape the Room" as its called offers players two options; the office and the dig. Each challenge or mystery puzzle is intended to keep its occupants locked inside unless they can crack clues. We choose the original "office" challenge.

What looks like any other office with a few desks, chairs, and file cabinets is filled with hints clues and mind games. This isn't going to be an answer key but I'll give you a few hints not to leave you completely in the dark.  Everything in the room serves a purpose. Check them top to bottom and side to side for hints and clues. You can use your smart phone and might even need them to solve some of the hints but there is no need to research anything online everything you need to solve the puzzle and escape is in the room. 

It took us 56 minutes and 46 seconds to crack the code and escape our office prison. It's a maximum of 10 people in a room at a time and you have 60 minuets to some the room. We finished with pi on the clock. I would highly recommend it as we all had a very fun time. 

Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum

Located just off the Congress Street Bridge in historic Boston, is a floating museum unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. The little known fact is that the current museum floating in the Fort Point Channel is roughly only a few hundred yards from where the Tea Party took place on December 16,1773. 

Authentic tea ships, live actors, high-tech interactive exhibits, multi-sensory documentary called “Let it Begin Here,”  and an original tea crate from the Boston Tea Party are just part of the experience. 

After entering a town hall style room we are each given the identity of a early American revolutionist and a feather to use as a symbol to others fighting the English that we are part of the cause. Next we participated conversation with Samuel Adams who explained that they offered Governor Hutchinson an opportunity to send the three tea ships back to England with their cargo but he refused and said they must be offloaded before returning back to England.

He also used his words to enrage the crowd calling on one such colonist asking James Brewer how he managed to pay for the new windows he needed on his house.  With the Townshend Acts in place he revealed that it was at the cost of feeding his family. 

After a spirited debate about what to do we headed down the gang plate towards the Eleanor, one of three ships that were in Boston Harbor that fateful night, where we boarded and systematically destroyed every tea crate. During the destruction one revolutionist was  knocked unconscious. That identity belonged to Grace's mother.  Try thought that he was dead and brought him to a barn to be buried the next day only to find him in the pub the following morning.

The Eleanor was a small and very cramped ship where crew shared the hold with its cargo. Before disembarking the historic vessel we each took the opportunity to throw a crate of tea into the harbor. 

Once off the ship we entered the museum its self where observed a discussion between two colonist woman. One a Tory and one a rebel arguing their perspectives. It was a riveting example of the opposing perspectives in the colonies. 

Next we entered the portrait gallery where one of only two surviving crates from the Boston Tea Party is on display.  The Robinson Half Chest as it is known washed up in the salt marshes where it was saved by a young man who hid it away to protect against any loyalist reprisals before it got passed along many generations before being given to the museum for display. Next like the portrait hall of Hogwarts the portraits of John Handcock and King George III came to life as the corresponded about the affairs of the colonies. 

Next we enjoyed the multi sensory "Let It Begin Here" presentation recalling the ride of Paul Revere, the Battle of Lexington and Concord and thus the start of the revolution. Once done we exited into the Tea house where visitors could sample the various blends of tea that were destroyed. While I didn't sample any of the tea I did enjoy a cinnamon scone fresh from the oven.  
 

Providence/Boston Food Truck Showdown

With 20,000 people descending on Providence Rhode Island's, India Point Park for the first ever Providence/Boston Food Truck Showdown the lines stretched clear across the grassy park for many of the 20 trucks in attendance. It was advertised that there would be 10 trucks from each Boston and Providence to compete.

According to the shows promoter Food Truck Festivals of America they had 15,000 pre-sale tickets and another 5,000 at the gate sales. The event was sold out roughly 1 hour after opening. We arrived a little early with our pre-bought tickets. The line was already pretty long. At 12:00 sharp they opened the gates to general admission. Attendees had the option to purchase VIP tickets allowing them early entry to the event for shorter/no lines.

After passing through the gates we made our way to the far end of the park and decided the first truck we would visit was Happy Taco from Gloucester, MA. I picked their fried Baja Fish Taco while Dan went the Grilled Chicken and Chris with the Braised Beef. My taco was light and delicious. the red onions and light lemony sauce was just the right balance.

Next we decided to try something different at the Uyghur Kitchen. They specialize in Turkish food. We each picked the Lamb Kebab Wrap. It included a spring mix, tomato's, pickles, feta cheese with their special yogurt sauce all wrapped in pita bread. The lamb kebabs were marinated in a mixture of onion, garlic and pomegranate juice, which added a kick of tartness to the lamb. While the sandwich on a whole was very tasty the quality of the ingredients was disappointing. In particular the lamb was very grizzly and nearly inedible with the exception of a few pieces. It was also very strange with the pickles. They added a bizarre flavor I didn't care for.

After finishing the Kebab wrap we went to the Samuel Adams beer garden to collect the beer that we got along with our entrance. Chris I enjoyed Angry Orchards while Dan go a Summer Ale. We all commented that the can's tasted a bit off and wondered if they had been sitting in the sun to long.

After a relaxing brew while listening to some music we decided or rather I decided it was time to hit the trucks once more. Unfortunately the lines had grown to ridiculous lengths and I opted for a desert waffle from Zinnekens of Cambridge. I picked the Sin which was a soft and chewy waffle made with caramelized Belgian pearl sugar covered in Nutella and banana slices. It was just the right way to finish of a fantastic festival and a full stomach.

Stuffed we went for a walk up to Thayer Street to check out all the little stores along the way It was a perfect day and a great time enjoying the sights, smells and tastes of Providence & Boston too.

Bunker Hill Monument : All 294 Steps and 221'

After a fun and exciting trip into the harbor on one of the Super Duck Tours we headed up the hill to a historically significant location known as Breeds Hill.  The battle is popularly known as the Battle of Bunker Hill while the majority of the fighting actually occurred on Breeds Hill.

While technically a defeat the American's inflicted such significant casualties against the British that it provided a necessary confidence boost to the colonialists. It is said that over 1000 British died while only a little over 100 American's died. This showed the inexperienced American's that their patriotic dedication could overcome superior British military might

The confusion in the name is a result of orders to build fortifications on Bunker Hill but the men built instead on the smaller Breeds Hill because it was closer to Boston. To honor the dedication of the Patriots a monument was built in 1794. It stood only 18 feet and made of a gilded wooden pillar.  In 1823 a group of prominent citizens decided to build a more permanent and significantly larger monument and formed the Bunker Hill Monument Association. They selected 40yo architect Solomon Willard. Construction began in 1827 and would take 16 years to complete.

The monument was not only a symbol of National Pride but also a feat of great engineering.  The first commercial Railway in America was built to transport the granite to build the monument from the quarries in Quincy. They also built a special hoist apparatus to life the 5-ton blocks into place.

19 Years after the Association formed and 16 years of construction the monument was dedicated by Statesman and orator Daniel Webster  on June 17, 1843 in the presence of the then President John Tyler and the last living veteran of the battle. The monument caps out at a height of 221'5". At its base the walls are 6' thick and at the top only 2' thick. At the top of the Obelisk is a 18' tall chamber with viewing windows. It has 294 steps with are each 8" tall. Admission is free but you must get tickets at the Adjacent Bunker Hill Museum before climbing the 196' to reach the viewing chamber. It was a fun experience and provided amazing views of the Boston skyline and the surrounding areas.

I'll admit that after racing to the top my legs were a giggly. As such I would recommend that you may want to pace your ascent to the top. It also didn't help that it was 89-degrees out.  It is a must do for anyone visiting the Charlestown area.

Boston Bruins vs Anaheim Ducks

With 17,565 fans cheering on the players the Boston Bruins and the Anaheim Ducks battled it out. It was an exciting game as I watched from one of the Premium Suites high above the ice. I enjoyed cold beer, some of the best spare ribs ive had, and a platter of jumbo shrimp. While it was a full on luxury buffet in Ste 618 on the ice it was a much cooler reception for the Ducks.

It was the first night back for Bruins favorite David Krejci who returned after 15 games out with a knee injury. With no goals in the 1st quarter the 2nd boosted the crowd excitement and the score board with  the Ducks scoring first followed shortly by the Bruins. At the end of the 2nd and a tied 1:1 score it was up to the 3rd quarter to declare a winner. The Bruins came out strong and score after only 27 seconds on a power play.

Down 2-1 the Anaheim ducks pulled their goalie during the last minutes of regulation play and went on the offensive against the Bruins. With 38.5 seconds remaining the Anaheim Ducks scored tmaking it a tie and taking the game unexpectedly into overtime. With the crowds chanting loudly for the Bruins the Ducks scored the winning goal at 3:09. Defeated the crowds poured out onto the rainy streets of Boston.

While the home team and my favorite didn't win it was a great night out.

Ice Skating

Living in the Boston area there is one iconic place to ice skate in the winter. The Boston Common Frog Pond sits in the oldest public park in the US and was my intended destination for the day but sadly it had already closed for the season. The recent stretch of warm weather has made maintaining the ice impossible and has resulted in most outdoor rinks have closed.

As an alternative we decided to try some indoor ice skating at the Daly Rink in Newton. Like the Frog pond it was an outdoor rink until 2010 when it was enclosed to provide an extended season and a more comfortable skating environment. My friend Grace knew they ran a Public Skating on Sunday’s so we checked the hours and learned that the Public Skate was from 2-4:45. 

We arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and people which set the expectation that the ice too would be packed. It cost a modest $5 for admission and another $5 for skate rentals. We took a seat on the benches after getting our rental skates and laced up. It didn’t take long before we were rink side ready to skate. 

It was perfect timing as the Zamboni was out resurfacing the ice. After several passes the ice looked great and the all clear was given for everyone to get on the ice. As expected the rink was packed with people of all ages. 

As we made our way carefully around the ice we each got more confident and were doing fairly well except for a few falls caused by young kids cutting us off. It was fall down or run over a child. As the time went on we played a game of tag with each of us getting more at ease on the ice and increasing our speed to less than a crawl. After about an hour we took a break on one of the team benches and watched as everyone skated by. It was also time again for the Zamboni to come out again.

As we got back on the ice we were all feeling pretty good and our game of tag was in full force. We skated and played another round of tag for another hour before deciding it was time to call it a day and turn in our skates. 

Phantom Gourmet Wine and Food Festival

This past weekend we continued our sampling of local foods and libations by attending the Phantom Gourmet Wine and Food Festival! The food and wine festival was held in the beautiful main atrium of the Boston Center for the Arts. and provided locals with a sampling of 12 of Phantom's favorite foods, along with 36 varieties of wine.

The Phantom Gourmet is a food-related television and radio show based here in New England. Originally, the Phantom Gourmet was an anonymous critic who visited local restaurants, provided reviews, and conducted interviews with chefs and restaurants owners. Today, The Phantom Gourmet, Inc. is run by the Andelman brothers, Dave and Dan. Though the original concept of the anonymouse critic is no longer part of the show's format, the company logo and overall idiology remain intact: "Food and Fun. That's all we serve." The festival, complete with a "Wine Snob Detector," was very relaxed, and provided a casual, social environment in which to eat, drink, and be merry.

Our group began with samplings of classic red wines such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon from Ghost Pines vineyard. Ghost Pines is a California-based vineyard named for the ghost pine tree, which is native to Califronia, and grows in nutrient deficient soils, the same as the grapes used to make their Cabernet. Ghost Pines relies on the blending of grapes from different appellations to craft each of their wines' unique characters. One of the vineyard's signature blends, their Cabernet Sauvignon, is created by the mixing of Cabernet grapes from their Napa county vineyard, and Merlot grapes from Sonoma. Robust, dense, and hinting of oak, Ghost Pines was a favorite amongst our dry wine fans. Though the blending process makes each of these wines unique and impossible to duplicate, our group found the samplings to be a bit too dense for our liking.

Between libations, we sampled local foods from shrimp Mozambique to savory cheesecakes. A favorite among our group was Harrows Chicken Pies. Harrows was originally opened in Reading, MA in 1930 by Charlie and Winnifred Harrows, and has remained a New England staple for more than 70 years. Though the Harrows no longer own the business, it was purchased by an employee, Walter Arsenault, in the 1950's and has been owned and operated by members of the Arsenault family ever since. Harrow's pies are made with all white meat chicken, potatoes, carrots, and the same buttery crust that made the restaurant's pies in 1930. With New England just beginning to emerge from this year's exceptional snowfall, our group agreed that Harrow's pies would make for outstanding comfort food in New England winters.

Towards the end of the festival, we stumbled upon another California vineyard called Bread & Butter.  Bread & Butter is noted for their cool climate grapes and cold fermentation processes, which, combined with their malolactic fermentation process, creates wine that is smooth, rich, and void of sharp acidities. Their flagship wine, a Chardonnay, is a perfect balance between the "bread" and the "butter" for which the vineyard is named. The bread, is B&B's process of storing their wine in barrels made with a range of oak woods from France, the United States, and Eastern Europe, which imparts flavors of vanilla, toast, and nuttiness to the wine. Meanwhile, the butter is B&B's malolactic fermentation process, which takes the malic acid, (the tart notes found in green apples and other citrus) and converts it into lactic acid, (the softer, richer notes found in butter and cream.) This Chardonnay is a personal favorite of our friend Grace, who notes that the stability and buttery notes of this wine make it a wonderful cooking wine, suited best to shellfish and risottos.

Winding down our sampling, our group had a calling of the sweet tooth, and decided to partake in one of Boston's sweetest treats, Chilly Cow's frozen custard. Chilly Cow's has been a New England manufacturer of ice cream pies, cakes, and frozen custards since 2006. Made from high-quality cream, sugar, and eggs, the frozen custard at Chilly Cow's isn't just any old ice cream. The creamy texture of frozen custard courtesy of the egg yolks, sets it apart from traditional ice cream in both texture and flavor profile. Chilly Cow's had vanilla, salted caramel, and black raspberry available for the festival attendees, and our group made sure to sample each variety. Twice.

Overall, the Phantom Gourmet Wine and Food Festival was a very casual event, and an easy way to spend an afternoon. If you are looking to try various types of wine in a snob-free environment, this festival would certainly hit the mark. Though the large crowd was a positive marker for the festival's turnout and provided mass exposure for local businesses, our group feels that this event will not be a repeat offender in our list of weekend excursions, due to the excessive crowding of these events.

Boston Beer and Cheese Festival

This Saturday we decided to take part in some local libations at the Boston Beer and Cheese Festival. Sponsored by Drink Craft Beer, this excursion has been a recent addition to the Boston festival circuit. The festival centers around the support of local craft breweries and creameries. In total, there were 20 beer and cider brewers ranging in location from right here in Massachusetts to Portland, Maine, as well as 8 creameries based throughout New England. After making our way through the cold streets of Boston, we were definitely ready for a few samplings to warm ourselves up!

Our tasting began with Bantam Cider, a hyper-local brewery that started only three years ago in Somerville, MA. We sampled their original cider, Wunderkind, which is made from a variety of apples grown in Massachusetts, champagne yeast, and local flower blossom honey. The Wunderkind was followed by their newer blend, Rojo, which is a tart cider flavoured with sour cherries and black peppercorns.

Following Bantam was a sampling of aged soft cheeses from the Vermont Creamery. The cheeses are all sustainably produced from goat's milk, and we sampled such varieties as the coupole, bouche, and cremont.

 We proceeded to make our way around the perimeter of the festival, where there was a plethora of local brews and cheeses for us to indulge in. Halfway into our exploration, we happened upon Mayflower Brewing Company. Mayflower is a microbrewery, founded in historic Plymouth, MA by the tenth great grandson of John Alden. Alden was a beer barrel cooper aboard the original Mayflower, thus the namesake for the brewing company. We sampled their red Spring Hop Ale, Porter, and Golden Ale, all of which are made using water from the brooks surrounding Plymouth, where the original pilgrims landed.

Following Mayflower Brewing Company, we made our way to Cellars at Jasper Hill, a Vermont creamery specializing in cow's milk based cheeses. Jasper Hill utilizes Ayrshire cows for their cheeses, resulting in high-solids cheese with an exceptionally creamy texture. The cheeses we sampled were mostly made from raw cow's milk, meaning that the milk was not pasteurized before being turned into cheese. Though there is much debate over the effects of bacteria on cheese flavor, and how pasteurizing can remove that bacteria, our group was quite enamored with the variety of cheeses we sampled, which included bleu, brie, and alpine cheeses.

The end of our festival samplings took us to the Wormtown Brewery. This brewery, based in Worcester, MA, is listed as the only brewery that uses Massachusetts-grown ingredients in every one of their beers. This company is known for their Hop Back and Double Dry Hop brewing proccesses, which give their beers extra hoppy flavor. Wormtown was voted the 2014 Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Beer Championships, and won this year's Boston Beer & Cheese Festival award for the King of Hops. Even with these accolades, the bitter taste of this hoppy beer was not a favorite amongst our group.

The final cheese tasting we enjoyed was with Crystal Brook Farm, a creamery based in Sterling, MA, specializing in cheese made from goat's milk. The soft cheeses they provided were both decadent and unique in their flavors. Crystal Brook sampled their Australian Ginger, Chive, and Lemon-Lavender cheeses. The favorite amongst our group, and seemingly the majority of the festival attendees, was the Australian Ginger Cheese. This particular cheese was brimming with the typical flavors you find in cheesecake, making it a sweet ending to our samplings.

In the end, the festival was an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night, and provided some much-needed exposure for local businesses. Sampling the many craft brews, ciders, and cheeses allowed us to try products that we would not normally know of, and sample brews that we wouldn't typically be inclined to purchase. I would recommend this festival to anyone wishing to experience a taste of New England in a fun, casual setting.

Cheers!

Task 30 - No Name Restaurant

In a city which made a name for itself as the birthplace of the American Revolution is an institution with no name. Located in the revitalized seaport district of Boston is the oldest restaurant in Boston known only as the No Name Restaurant. 

Opened in 1917 as a diner catering to the local fishermen working on the pier it now caters to tourists more than locals. It has become a must see for visitors to our city and its rustic well-worn interior and lobster eating instructional placemats add to an experience they won’t forget. 

Its dining room spans the width of the building and has limited premium water view seats overlooking Boston harbor. While the view is spectacular the food is really the winner here. While reviewing the menu we snacked on some homemade garlic bread. Having been before I know their famous Fish Chowda is worth every bite and decided it was a must have.

When their famous fish chowda arrived at the table I knew I made a good choice. The broth was creamy but not heavy. The fish was abundant and tender. It was as I had remembered it, Perfect!

For my entrée I picked the broiled scallops. The seafood is prepared minimally, with most items offered broiled, baked or fried. My scallops were garnished with just a lemon and came with a side of French fries. They were perfectly cooked and very flavorful. I’ll admit that I maybe got more food then I should have and struggled to down it all. 

As a whole the meal was excellent but if I had to pick a favorite it would have been the chowda and if I needed to pick something that could be improved it would be the French fries. 

You pay as you leave at the front desk and the gentleman on duty was polite and interested in our experience. It is the kind of place you go back to knowing you’ll never have a bad experience 

Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA)

This past weekend during our mid-winter heat wave (the temps were above freezing) I decided to emerge from hibernation just long enough to enjoy all the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA) had to offer.

Designed by award winning architects Diller Scofidio and Renfro the 65,000 sqft building housing the ICA is a masterpiece of its own. The building was designed to echo the appearance of the nearby gantry cranes. It is 4 floors designed for galleries, education, theatre and dining/shopping. Its appearance has attracted both awards and criticism but either way it has definitely made a splash in the revitalized seaport district.

There were four exhibitions on display at the ICA Boston during my last visit.

When the Stars Begin to Fall: Featured 35 artists who share an interest in the American South, this exhibition explores the relationship between contemporary art, black life, and “outsider” art. Some of the pieces really caught my eye like Je Minter’s work titled “Housewife”. Made from vintage Kirby vacuum cleaner heads and a mannequin it spoke volumes of about the gender fight amongst southerners.

I also enjoyed the geometric work titled “The Eyes of the Universe” by Henry Ray Clark that made you feel watched no matter where in the room you might be. I think it is symbolic of the lack of privacy people have today even in places they call their own.

While there we got to listen to and interact with guest speaker and assistant professor of African and Afro-American & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University Jasmin E Johnson. Her interactive gallery talk discussed many topics from black life, slavery, and the black rights movement and how the south has shaped black history. It was an informative and educational conversation.

The next exhibit was not only a visual delight but a full immersion of sight and sound. Titled Sonic Arboretum we were immersed into an environment where the sounds of Andrew Bird added another layer to the beauty of the colorful horn speaker’s collection by artist Ian Schneller. The music makes you want to close your eyes and imagine the world where the symphony might exist but to do so would rob you of the visual delight of the hardware producing it.

The hardware is a unique thing of its own. Ian Schneller’s creations are sold and branded under the Specimen Products name and the horns are made from recycled newspaper print, dryer lint, baking soda and shellac before being mounted to the also handmade tube amplifiers. The quality of the sound and the visual appeal make them both a sight and sound to be remembered.

Before taking in the next exhibition we took a few minutes to enjoy the beauty that is the view of Boston Harbor from the panoramic windows of the Founders Gallery. This breathtaking room measures 80feet long and 33ft wide and has floor to ceiling windows.

The next more unusual exhibition was that of Adriana Varejão one of Brazil’s leading artists. This exhibition is her first solo museum show in the United States and embodies a macabre artistry. It is her interpretation of cultural cannibalism. Some of her works like “Corner Jerked-Beef Ruin” mix the simplicity of a while tiled wall and the gruesomeness of a marbled meat interior.  

Other works like her “Wall with incisions a la Fontana” reflects to me an anger and frustration with the purity that a clean white tiled wall represents. The incisions are not clean and crisp but jagged and made as if by a passion gone awry.

Another piece that at first I thought was a tattoo map turned out to be the skin fileted and laid flat called “Exploratory Laparotomy II” for me it was too much of a visceral image to be appreciated. All I could think of was an autopsy.

The last gallery on current exhibition was ICA Collections: In Context which featured works that explore social and political issues while transforming the genre of landscape by the expansion of the medium to include drawing, photography, sculpture, and video.

With the impressive architecture of the facility, the educated and thought provoking gallery talk by Asst Prof Jasmin E Johnson and impressive collection of contemporary art the ICA lived up to expectation in causing the mind to broaden its vision and see past the normalcy of our lives. The sounds and sights of the Sonic Arboretum took you to a place of peace and tranquility while Adriana Varejão’s work elicited the anger feel anger and violence everyone sometimes feels. The vistas of the Founders Gallery eased the mind and allowed you to quietly contemplate the questions in your mind. All in all you left feeling more enlightened then when you arrived.