A little light reading: Lots on transit & transportation, a bit on cities, and a side of grammar

I like this idea so much I’m stealing it shamelessly (highest form of praise, right?) from Human Transit blogger Jarrett Walker. He runs a “weekend reading” post with links to other blog posts he finds interesting or insightful. Since I do most of my blog reading on weekends it works better for me to make this your Monday reading assignment for the week.

Why transit and transportation when this is BiketoWork Barb’s hangout? I read a fair amount on transportation and urban planning because:

• It informs my work representing my campus as we engage in development of Spokane’s University District.
• It interests me as someone who loves our downtown, neighborhoods, open green spaces and nearby farms and wants to see all of them thrive and maintain their distinctive qualities.
• It fascinates me as a student of public policy that we so often fail to recognize the ways that policy has shaped our current landscape and yet people fight the idea of using policy to shape it further. (Think that trying to plan and encourage shifts in people’s transportation choices involves “social engineering"? Well, what formed the habits they have right now? That’s right—social engineering.)
• My mental shift to full-time bike commuter took me out of full-time driver mode. When it’s too icy or seriously windy and I don’t bike, my first instinct is not to reach for the car keys—it’s to head for the bus stop four blocks from my house. When I compare the three modes, bike or bus beat car for me most of the time.
• More recently, as a result of my interest and engagement in active transportation in our community I was appointed to the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, then appointed by the SRTC Board to serve as chair of the committee. My responsibility there is not to be BiketoWork Barb—it’s to bring an understanding shaped by bike and transit commuting as well as years of driving (and years of buying and using stuff brought here by rail and truck freight—ever stop to think of that as part of your personal transportation system?) to think about all modes of transportation.

With that really extended intro, here’s some of what I read (and commented on) recently:

• Engineer Scotty’s Dead Horse Times (don't flog a....) on transit planning and hierarchy of needs: The first post in this related set of three.
• Human Transit responding to Engineer Scotty on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and transit planning.
• Cap’n Transit Rides Again refining Engineer Scotty’s list of factors (“needs”). Comments on all three of these blogs are well-informed and extend the discussion—exactly what you hope for as a blogger.
• The Urbanophile on a recent speech by Federal Transit Authority chief Peter Rogoff. I’m quite glad to say that Spokane Transit is much better run than the systems cited here, which is why I was happy to be part of their recent ad campaign (some of it viewable on the Spokane Transit Facebook page).
• More on that same FTA speech by Human Transit. (Can you tell I totally got sucked into following links to discussions playing out over several blogs? That’s the Web for you.)
• Human Transit wrote about the choices we make about our commute when we choose where to live. Transportation for America launched the site My Commute Sucks where you can register your complaints. Since my commute doesn’t suck I was glad to see they also have a section where you can talk about what you like about your commute.
• A piece in The New Republic on the “livability moment” that calls on us to stress policy outcomes over individual transportation delivery modes.
• Ped Shed on intersection density and what it means for walkability.

Cities and Economic Development

• Urbanophile again on creative destruction and what it will take to be relevant as a city hoping to attract and keep economic vitality. He writes about the Midwest but it applies to us too.
• What’s So Urban About Agriculture? on the Sustainable Cities blog. This one caught my eye because I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by my beloved Barbara Kingsolver (Amazon link to buy or you can just go to Auntie's if you're in Spokane or your public library) and I’m more committed than ever to supporting local agriculture with my food dollars. This post is more about Dar es Salaam than anything in the US but the principles apply.

English Grammar

I majored in English and Linguistics and love word play and thinking about words. My future-English-teacher Second Daughter asked about the use of the conditional tense (“If I weren’t so cute, I would never get anywhere in life”).

• That led me to this page with a nice explanation of the conditional tense.
• There’s also the grammar tips site maintained by @GrammarGirl.
• No list of grammar/usage sites would be complete without WSU’s own Paul Brians’ page on common English usage errors (the most popular page on the site, I’ve heard).

That should keep you busy for a while.

I'm part Dutch, you know: What do YOU wear to bike?

So I'm biking in the heart of downtown Spokane on my way to (yet another) meeting, wearing the outfit you see pictured here. Yes, the whole thing including the black patent leather criss-cross strap stiletto pumps with the 2-1/2" heels.

A truck rolls up in the lane to my right. The window goes down. An older man leans out, looks at me and says, "I don't think I've ever seen a bike rider wearing pearls."

Bike blogging in other spaces: Recent posts on Cycling Spokane

• Getting ready for Bike to Work? Picking a route and other tips April 24, 2010. Answers one of the most common questions I get from new participants in Bike to Work Week: How do I figure out which streets to use? They might also want to see the wormhole post below.
• We got a lot goin' on, Spokane! April 4, 2010. Celebrates the year-round schedule of cycling events in the Spokane region.
• Finding a new wormhole: Climbing hard or climbing easy March 21, 2010. Downtown Spokane sits in a bowl, so if you're biking up out of it you'll be glad to know which hills are a little easier to take.
• I’m all for conversation but maybe you could just shut up for a while March 20, 2010. If you see a cyclist doing something you don't think is right, do you say something? I'm sorry I did in this case, but there are other times....
• Have you ever considered adoption? An idea for bike lane maintenance Jan. 20, 2010. Partially inspired by some not-so-good neighbors, and also by the idea that we don't have to ask government for everything--we can and should be good neighbors and do things that make our community better for everyone.
• What would it look like if we all really shared the streets? Jan. 2, 2010. An analogy inspired by a family outing
• Baby it’s cold outside! Fish Lake Trail Dec. 27, 2009. Complete with pictures of my bike-bloggin’ sweetheart Eric and my frozen self, this post describes our cold 29 miles on the new Fish Lake Trail.
• Complete Streets for Spokane? Dec. 19, 2009. Takes a look at what it would mean for Spokane to get Complete Streets.
• Hint: It’s the first word in the Boy Scout law (no, not brave or clean) Dec. 1, 2009. Talks about the importance of trust on the streets.

Cornbread and Cornbread: New England Spider Cake and Crackling Corn Bread

I first found my New England Spider Cake recipe in some magazine that I can’t credit because I cut out the recipe years ago without noting the source (based on typeface and memory I’m guessing it was the magazine that comes with the Sunday New York Times).

It's now in regular rotation on the Family Favorites list. I've read that it's called Spider Cake because that's the name for the cast iron skillet it's baked in, and also that it's because the cream in the center creates cracks that look like spider legs (you be the judge).

I’ve altered the original a bit based on my experience with  another great recipe that I’ll also share from The Art of Low-Calorie Cooking by Sally Schneider, a beautifully illustrated book of scrumptious recipes that represent no sacrifice whatsoever in flavor.

Key to both recipes is a well-seasoned cast-iron pan or skillet around 8-9-10 inches square, or a round 12-inch skillet. I’m not one of those authoritarian cooks who says you can’t use what you have on hand; you’ll just give up an extra crispiness to the outer surface that’s worth the effort to get a skillet and season it.

New England Spider Cake

2 c. buttermilk (or 2 c. milk w/4 t. white vinegar stirred in and allowed to sour a while. I've also successfully substituted a mixture of milk and yogurt.)

1 c. coarse-ground yellow cornmeal (polenta); regular fine-ground cornmeal is acceptable substitute but texture is more cakelike than I like it

¾ c. flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour; you can use that bland white stuff if you like, and regular whole wheat should work too. Note for the gluten-free: I have successfully made this with 100% cornmeal, using a mix of polenta and fine-ground. It tasted great.)

¾ c. sugar

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

2 eggs, or the equivalent in egg whites

2 T. canola oil (or butter if your arteries can take it)

1 c. heavy cream (yes, real, honest-to-goodness full-fat cream—it’s the reason for the whole exercise)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set the cast-iron skillet in the oven while it heats.

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, Whisk eggs into the buttermilk or soured milk. Stir into dry ingredients.

Pour the oil or butter into the now-hot skillet and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides. Pour in the batter and enjoy the satisfying crackle as it hits the hot pan.

Pour most of the cream into the center. I like to add another dollop centered in each of the four quarters of the pan. The cream creates a puddinglike consistency when it’s baked and will throw off your usual toothpick test for doneness.

Put the skillet into the pan and bake until golden brown on top, around 45 minutes.

KEY ITEM: If your oven browns too fast at 400 degrees, cover the top with foil after it has set up a bit (so the foil won’t stick to the batter). The picture here illustrates just what happens if you get too busy writing a blog post and neglect this step.

This is absolutely fabulous served for breakfast with maple syrup.

Crackling Corn Bread

Recipe by Sally Schneider

1 c. coarse-ground yellow cornmeal

½ t. salt

½ t. baking soda

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg

2 t. canola oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and put 10-inch skillet in to heat with the oven.

Combine cornmeal, salt and baking soda, Whisk together buttermilk and egg, then mix buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal and stir just until combined.

Pour the canola oil into the pan and swirl around to coat bottom and sides. Pour batter into the pan and shake slightly to spread ev enly. Bake until the bread is set and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean—around 10-15 minutes.

I have also successfully doubled this recipe for a thicker cornbread in the same pan size. It takes closer to 40-45 minutes to cook and you’ll definitely have to cover the top with foil to prevent over-browning.