Quiche Croissant by Anthony Esquivel

Bladerism, is a modernized hobo lifestyle.  Bladers, with very little income, can visit each other in any city in the world, locate a friend, of a friend, of a friend that is associated with blading.  If a blader has floor space (fingers crossed for a couch), there is always space to host a friend that you may have met that day.  Although the amazing thing, is that for meeting a blader for only a few minutes, I always find a home, a stronger bond than any friendship I have with outsiders - the people that don't blade.   Blader's know the same blading icons, we have seen the same blading videos, and although we may have grown up in a different location, we have shed blood, have fought security guards (sometimes even cops), and share the same triumph of overcoming our fears to jump a gap or grind something we did not think was possible.  It's a comradere we share no matter the distance.  It is a really unique lifestyle to meet someone and feel as if we had met a long lost friend, someone we had known for years.

Although we are all bladers, we still vary in our lifestyle according to our environment.  Learning never ends and I learned a new recipe in Chicago.  Anthony made breakfast affordable by taking a cheap classic grocery item and made it healthy by adding veggies and eggs.


Quiche Croissants
Feeds 4

Ingredients
1 can of packaged croissants.
1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1/4 cup spinach
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onions
4 eggs, beaten, lightly

Method
1.  Heat oven to 350°F.
2.  In a hot Saute pan, line with oil, and scramble eggs till soft.
3.  Lay half of the Croissant sheet from the packet onto a cookie sheet pan or anything oven friendly that has been sprayed with food release.
4.  Layer with soft scrambled soft eggs.  Layer spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions.
5.  Use the remaining Croissant half sheet to be the top layer of the quiche.
6.  Place in oven and cook according to package directions.
7.  Cut quiche in four and serve to you blader homies.

Bladerism

Road to BFree Pilot from Road to BFree on Vimeo.

Bladerism, a term I heard for the first time from one of our favorite bladers/blading cup announcer Kennan Scott, as it describes what Daniel Kinney and Bfree's pilot (shown above) is about.

Bladeordie.com author Brian Krans is one of the few blader's I keep in contact with that is from Northern California.  There are plenty more that I tried to connect with but, phone numbers may have changed, and others I just have lost touch with.  Looking for couch space, I asked Krans if he or someone we mutually had known would be able to provide space for me +1 (Taylor). 

Krans would love to have given me some space, but, it would have cost him an arm and a leg, and I would not want to be responsible for my dear friend, unable to blade on the account of me staying one night in the city.  He forwarded me to Kennan Scott, who I remember from blade flicks, and knew of him through mutual friends but never had a solid soul session/conversation.  The last time I remember talking to Kennan was at 2012 Blader Cup where I met eye contact after announcing that my heat was about to begin.  I felt terrible to ask for couch space from someone I hardly knew.  Krans continued to push the idea beyond my skepticism and in a few minutes I was forwarded Kennans number.  Throwing caution into the wind, knowing I have never heard anything bad about the guy, I texted him for help.  He opened his doors without question, let me stay in the guest room, and asked me to bring the Xsjado video to watch my banger.  In return, to show how thankful I was, I brought the Oakland family together and prepared a home cooked meal. We BBQd outside, through the rain, under some shelter as the rain slowly trickled in.    

Chicken Kabobs

Supports 12

Chicken breast, large dice.                                                          4 lbs

Onion, White, Large Dice                                                           3/4 ea.
Tomatoes, Cherry                                                                  1 small basket
Zucchinni, 1/2" Slices                                                                  2 ea.
Bellpepper, Red, ribbed, Large dice.                                             1 ea.
McCormick Grill Mates Maple Smokewood Seasoning             To Taste    
Kabob sticks                 

Rice Pilaf

Olive Oil                                   To taste
Onion, White, small dice        1/4 cup
Long Grain White Rice            1 cup
Chicken Stock                          2 cups
Bay Leaves                                2 ea.
Black Peppercorns                     4 ea.
Salt & Pepper                           To Taste 

Potato wedges
Red Potatoes, quartered 2 pounds

Method
For the Chicken Kabobs
1.  Soak Sticks in water for at least 2 hours.  Correctly Season chicken with salt and pepper and Montreal seasoning.
2.  Take one slice of Chicken and poke through till 2/3 of the end of the stick.  Take a Cherry Tomato and place a 1/8" from already poked chicken.  Zucchinni slice following cherry tomato, and bell pepper alternating veggies and chicken to display beautiful colors. 
3.  Grill on hottest part of the grill placing sticks at a 45°angle, turning every 5 minutes or until nicely browned.  The BBQ we used had a lid so I kept the heat at a medium high and would close the BBQ to create an oven effect slowly cooking the chicken till heated through.
For the Rice Pilaf. 
4.  In a cast iron pan, heat and line the pan with olive oil.  Right before smoking point add onions and saute till sweated.  Add Rice and toast by coating with oil.
5.  Add bay leaves, black peppercorns to release the aroma of the spices and then add Chicken Stock.  Place a lid and cook till rice has absorbed all of the liquid. 

For the Potato Wedges
6.  Heat oven to 425° and toss potato wedges in olive oil, salt, and mccormicks seasoning.  Place in oven for 25 minutes or until outside has a crispy brown exterior.  Reduce heat to 325° and cook for 15 more minutes or until center has cooked thoroughly.  Look for a crispy exterior with a soft, steamy, creamy interior.
7.  Serve to your Nor-Cal homies and say Super thank you to the JSF crew.  JUICED SUCKA FOOS!

@swanseansalazar instagramming #foodporn #bladingwithchefknives

 

Although its one thing to know something, and another to understand it.  On my trip to Nor Cal I was aware of what Bladerism was, but, after receiving the hospitality from friends I hardly spoke to and felt the family bond of being a blader, I was overwhelmed, feeling blessed and grateful knowing that this was a secret society. That when times are rough, you can always count on bladers to catch you while falling or at least point and laugh at you when you scrape your knee.

Huevos Rancheros and Russian Vodka Chasers

After Epic Burger we were picked up by Lonnie's friend Wesley, a pretty girl with a boy's name that loved to make U-turns where it was illegal.  Our next mission was to link up with Dan Moroney and catch some couch space with his roommate Anthony Esquivel.  I am not sure how we were connected to them, but, I knew they were blader's, I trusted bladerism, and I was relieved to know, I had a place to sleep.  The boys went out to party and I called it quits on all of the madness I went through.  I did not have the energy to deal with another calamity if it presented itself.  The next morning, I did what I do best to show my gratitude and made breakfast for the household.

Cilantro Cooking Base

Huevos Rancheros
Feeds 5

For the salsa
2 1/2 large tomatoes, small dice
1/2 onions white, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano, minced
1/4 cup of cilantro cooking base
Salt and Pepper. To taste

1 pack of corn tortillas
10 eggs.
1 can of pinto beans
1 pack of queso fresco cheese
1 avocado

Method
For the tortilla chips
1. Fill saute pan with a 1/4 inch of oil. (Saute pans come in different sizes, the smaller the better. I'm sorry that I can not give you a cup size of oil. The amount varies according to the size of the pan) Heat oil on Medium - High heat till oil is almost smoking. With tongs gently lay 1 tortilla away from you making sure that it does not splash on you and cook until crispy.  Edges should break away with a slight press of your tongs.  Remove from oil and place on a dry towel to absorb excess oil.  Make 10 tortilla chips.

For the eggs
2. If there is excess oil, reserve by removing from pan, and use for eggs.  In a hot saute pan line with oil till its smoking hot. Crack two eggs in the center, ensuring that there are no egg shells.  Using a heat resistant spatula make holes into the egg whites to let the raw egg whites fill in the cracks and cook. When edges begin to brown flip gently to make an egg overeasy (or crack the yolk and you can have a fried egg- whatever you prefer). Place finished eggs on a separate plate to the side.

3. In a separate saute pan heat pinto beans with a Tablespoon of water to avoid burning.
4. Heat another saute pan, line with oil till smoking. Drop salsa into frying pan and quickly toss to avoid burning, just until salsa is wilted.

Assembly
5. On the plate place a tablespoon of hot beans on the bottom. Put two tortilla chips on top of the beans. One egg per tortilla chip.  Add hot salsa over the eggs. Garnish with queso fresco and diced avocado and serve to your honored hosts.

After breakfast we bladed around Logan Square and then jumped on the "L" to The Pull Shop.

The session was wherever we wanted it to be.  We bladed a parking garage with a downledge that I had the hardest time blading.  On to the next spot.  Rory got a clip on marble ledges, my favorite ledge material.  The wind was coming in tough, and answered the question to why this city was nicknamed The Brick City.  Still too tired from the day prior, ended up taking photos with Chicago tourist things, appreciating my life as a blader.    

I'm pretty sure this photo shows one of the buildings that was in the Transformers movie.  The whole thing is really cheesy but, I have always been a fan of Optimus prime and the autobots.

After the blade session it was time to relax.  I was honored to go with Anthony to his Russian girlfriend's place to go swimming at an indoor pool.  The pool had angled windows on the ceiling, was heated to beach temperatures of 80°.  The residents had access to wave boards, underwater weights, and pool noodles.  I laid weightless, arms extended, relaxed, on vacation.  I took a break from being a chef, a blader, and anything else that involves "the hustle".  One noodle for my feet, one around my waist, a wave board on my back, and another noodle to hold my neck up.  I laid motionless.  It would not have been a suprise if someone called to make sure I was still alive.  Anthony and his girl had a race, did boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, and did some other pool games.  I laid for the entire hour not caring where I was at.

We arrived back at the apartment and was ready for dinner.  Rye bread, steamed Salmon potatoes with thyme, and develed eggs with caviar.  Each bite we toasted and chanted, "Nastarovia", cheers in Russian, and chased with a bite of a pickle.  I appreciated every moment of it, grateful to learn more about other cultures without even having to leave the States.  Everything was delicious, and there really was a Vodka shot after every bite.  I left the place stuffed, 8 shots deep.  We were only a bus ride away from the couch I eagerly looked forward to. 

Opening Night

Virgin American airlines had a sale that helped me get to O'Hare from LAX for only $200.  I remet the brick city in 44° weather and missed the snow that drizzled in a few hours before my arrival.  Aidan swooped me from the airport with a welcoming smoke as we headed into the city.  Friday night, I battled the bone chilling cold by layering with a couple of shirts + a long sleeve + a heavy jacket + a beanie, and brought out gloves/mittens I have not used since the last time I was in Chicago.  We walked to the bars a block away and had the special of the night.  A shot with a beer... thrice.

I had the honor to meet new bladers as, we shared photo albums on our phones of spots that needed to be grinded. I even met another blading chef, Chef Joe Abdul, as we talked about culinary arts.  Another blader, Rory Melehan, whom was one of those bladers I had heard about through mutual friends, saw him in the friends section of the Xsjado movie, and was now honored to have a soul session with him as we sipped on our brews.  We shared our growing pains of being a blader in their late 20s - early 30s.

Aidan and Rory are the locals of the area giving me a proper introduction to the bladers from Chi-city.  At the bar we ran into Medium wheel legend, Neil Semar.  I couldn't recognize him without rollerblades.  It has been over 10 years since I have seen him in an ad.  I tried to keep it cool and our conversation was brief.  I never thought that I would cross paths with him in my entire life.  I later found out he was a chef in the local area and was featured in a blog for being a sponsored skateboarder.  Weird to think of people that were in the industry and turn away from the entire sport as if they had nothing to do with it.  It reminds me of the game hide-n-go-seek where a kid sat in the middle of the room with hands over his eyes, with the belief that if he can't see us no one can see him.

Saturday came with better weather.  A strong wind chill with the sun creeping its way though the clouds radiating warmth.  I was ready to go blading and felt like I was up too early for the average blader.  I met a blader in disguise, Jared, who was playing soccer with Aidan.  Looking to blade I followed Jared, thinking we were going to go to a bladepark.  We met up Joe Esquivel and to my suprise, Lonnie Gallegos was on his way to meet Joe - just the man I wanted to see.  I knew I was in the right place, right time. 

We bladed a myriad amount of spots.  People came and people left.  Gabe Talamantes got a clip at one of the spots handling a truetop porn on a bench.  Lonnie and I, being tourists, took photos of architecture, landmarks, and anything else we found interesting to grind along the way.

row boat statue and a cool tri building.

We came to a final spot, the BP bridge at Millennium park.  A snake skin like bridge, made of metal sheets, with a picturesque backdrops of the skyrises which would of had any skater/photographer drooling at the majestic beauty of this all.  My legs felt like noodles after all of the spots we were grinding prior.

We were tipped that security was going to call the cops.  The other boys in the crowd met with security guard A and security guard B at the gate.  I came in late and began to jump the gate thinking that we were getting kicked out.  I missed the message to go back in the other direction. As I jumped the fence, security guard B grabbed me by the center of my chest squeezing my shirt, twisting it like a screw driver, locking away any chances for me to get away.  Scared for my life with my back hanging off of the bridge watching cars passing behind me, I screamed at them for their stupidity of threatening my life.  I tried to reason with them.  I asked miserably trying to remain polite, "Please, let me go!"  I could not believe that they were detaining me for blading.  These guys were taking their jobs a lot more serious than the security guards do in California.  This was my own fault for forgetting that I was a visitor.

The boys left safely through a rear exit.  I was the diversion, the sacrifice, for the group's safety.  I would have done the same thing.  I sat in the shit-hole I created awaiting the consequences of possibly going to jail for trespassing and hoping that I would not have to be locked up for the remainder of the three days I had there.

Realizing I was still on vacation, I figured if I could not beat them, might as well join them.  I tried to start small talk with security guard A.  He was not looking to be my friend.  He kept his answers short "I don't need to tell you any of that information".  I began to realize how awesome my life was, being able to travel and enjoy the beauty of an amazing city Chicago to just blade and do whatever I had wanted.  While he was here working some rent-a-cop job, detaining an adult rollerblader that jumped over a fence instead of those people that had made terrorist attacks in Boston (my condolences to anyone that lost a loved one in that attack).

The police officer was late.  The security tried to use his flashlight to signal the cop that passed by. I offered to walk to the bottom to make the entire process easier.  Security guard B gave A a look as if we should listen to the detainee.  Security guard A hissed a B and replied, "Come on, don't listen to him."   

The cop came.  White hair, a veteran in the game with two bright eyed cadets.  Hands behind my back, I felt the handcuffs squeeze my wrists and heard the ratchet click and lock, like the buckle of a rollerblade.  I was gently patted.  He found a cellphone, CTA pass, and a bag full of candle wax.  A man with a suit and tie followed the officer up, his name tag had a logo so I knew he was going to be the one to ultimately determine my fate.  They took my name and did a background check to make sure I had no warrants.  Took the handcuffs off and told me I was completely banned from the park.  I agreed, trying to imagine the next time I would be able to blade the city.  I didn't really care.  I just wanted to be free! 

Top Left: security guard A signaling the cop that passed by twice. 

Lonnie was only a block away waiting to help me out at the first phone call. We treated ourselves to Epic burger.  Everything was grassfed and I ate mine with a fried egg on top.  The burger really was juicy and overall epic.  The food tasted a whole lot more better than I imagined it to be.  I think besides the secret sauce, was the sauce of freedom and how I just cheated the system to not be in an Chicago jail cell.    

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