Joie de Vivre
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" ~Mary OliverArchive for Book Club
199. Happy Bastille Day! (aka Kim is missing Paris!)
Claude Monet, Rue Montorgueil
I hope you all had a wonderful Bastille Day! I spent mine in the company of the Literary Divas (aka The Royal We) drinking wine, eating wonderful food & partaking in fabulous conversation. I’m really missing Paris today because of everyone’s blog posts and Twitter updates, but if I can’t be in Paris, an evening with my lovely girlfriends is a pretty even exchange.
This month’s book selection was The Delinquent Virgin by Laura Kalpakian. It’s a book of short stories and it is the first time I have read anything written by her. My favorite stories were “Lavee, Lagair, Lamore, Lamaird,” “The Delinquent Virgin,” and “Change at Empoli.” I love her writing style and I can’t wait to read more of her works. (I think I’ll start with American Cookery. I’ve heard good things!)
Here’s a short synopsis of the book from Publishers Weekly:
Subtitled “Wayward Pieces,” this generally beguiling collection of nine varied short stories veers from lightweight entertainment to some solid explorations of the human condition. Kalpakian is most impressive in two stories in which she features characters who scorn mediocrity and determine to live on a higher plane. The supercilious, bitter professor in “Change at Empoli,” who has fled America and her bourgeois family to direct a program for exchange students in Italy, realizes belatedly, and to her regret, that her life has been organized around high-flown principles that are in reality heartless, cold and empty. Carefully orchestrated and developed, this is the collection’s best work. The cleverly titled “Lavee, Lagair, Lamore, Lamaird” is imbued with humor, but the message is similar: another heroine determined to rise above bourgeois values discovers to her humiliation that the French words drilled by her tutor, the aptly named “Miss Savage,” are almost as deadly as the WWI battlefields where she has volunteered as an interpreter. Kalpakian proves herself a social critic with a satirical eye, and Miss Savage (“Miss Brodie” writ large and antic) is a triumph of characterization. In “Right Hand Man,” Kalpakian gets male vernacular just right, as her down-and-out narrator discovers that he has more honor than a leading citizen of the community. On the other hand, the title story, a contemporary Christmas fable, seems best suited to a ladies’ magazine, as does “Little Women,” an implausible tale in which four members of a typing pool, all of whom disdain reading, easily recognize characters from literary classics. Two literary parodies, “How Max Perkins Learned to Edit” and “Moby-Jack,” are clever but slight. Most of the stories are located in familiar Kalpakian territory, either the fictional California community of St. Elmo (Graced Land) or Isadora Island in Puget Sound (Steps and Exes), and she conveys atmospheric details with assurance.
We also started our new poetry pick this month. The person in charge of bringing dessert is also in charge of bringing a poem for the next month’s discussion. Sarah chose two poems for us this month: To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell and Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond by E.E. Cummings. I can’t wait to read them in more depth and discuss them next month!
Bonne nuit! Bisous!
176. Music, Food, Football & Metamorphosis
Boat Street Café
Cascina Spinasse & Justin Neidermeyer in Spinasse’s fabulous kitchen
Happy President’s Day my sweet friends! What a beautiful day…and no work! :)
A little update since I haven’t had much time to write lately (and yes Mr. Storm, I have received your emails!). Life the last couple weeks has been busy, busy, but fabulous!
- Work has been CRAZY (100 hours in 2 weeks), but I’m getting stuff done!
- I’ve reconnected with several old friends on FB, which has been touching and fun.
- Unfortunately, I watched the Cardinals lose to the Steelers at Keith & Anne’s Super Bowl party, although it was a great game and since both hosts are Steelers fans, it was a happy house.
- I’ve had many WONDERFUL meals… Tanja and I enjoyed half-price wine night and a tasty Gorgonzola, sherry shallot marmalade & roasted garlic sandwich at Table 219; Bruce and I savored wine and an amazing dish of risotto at Spur; Keith & Anne hosted a fabulous dinner party for Joan’s birthday, where we hung out in their beautiful newly renovated kitchen, feasting on lobster, Marguerite’s seared tuna and an incredible assortment of wine; B and I shared some sautéed dates with sea salt and a spectacular dish of pork shoulder and pasta with mushrooms at Boat Street Café; Odie made his famous hanger steak for his President’s Day dinner party, finished off with my apple crisp and his homemade ginger-molasses ice cream; and tonight Mom & I savored every morsel of Justin Neidermeyer’s pasta at Spinasse. My tummy is VERY happy, but also in DESPERATE need of some Pilates! :)
- I’ve seen several movies, some on DVD and some in the theater… Dustin and I saw Wendy and Lucy(co-written & directed by Kelly Reichardt) at the Varsity and Vals Im Bashir/Waltz With Bashir(written & directed by Ari Folman) at the Metro (I thought ‘Waltz’ was particularly surprising and affecting); Todd, Jess, Thomas and I saw Last Chance Harvey at Lincoln Square, which was just okay although Hoffman & Thompson were wonderful as always; G3 and I finally watched disc 3 of The Wire: Season 4, still awesome!; and I’ve also seen WALL-E (thumbs up), The Duchess (thumbs sideways), Gonzo: The Life & Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (thumbs up, and he’s crazy!), and Encounters at the End of the World (thumbs up), all on DVD.
- I caught a late show of Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder at ToST Lounge in Fremont with Tanja & Miso (who I’m now referring to as ‘Joe’). Shrieve was the original drummer for Santana and his band is amazingly talented! They play every Monday at 10pm. You should all check them out!
- I met the lovely ‘literary divas’ at Kate’s for February’s book club. We feasted on Kate’s tasty stuffed mushrooms and lasagna, drank wine, and discussed (among many things) this month’s book pick — Richard Russo’s “The Whore’s Child and Other Stories.”
- Bruce and I attended L’Orfeo at the Moore Theatre which was fabulous! (From the program: “Directly from Milan with Italian soloists, chorus and 30-piece period instrument orchestra, this production has garnered ecstatic reviews throughout Europe. Composed in 1607, L’Orfeo was both Monteverdi’s first music drama and Europe’s first great operatic masterpiece. It retells the story of the musician Orpheus and his quest to bring his beloved Eurydice back from the depths of the Underworld through the enchanting power of his music.”)
- I attended my third (of six) ”Food for Thought: the Ethics, Culture & Politics of Eating” class at SAL’s Wednesday University. This class is incredibly interesting and pretty much scares you away from all industrial agriculture.
- Mitch and I attended a performance at Zach’s (his son’s) school. It was absolutely precious! Imagine a bunch of chaotic 6 and 7-year olds dressed as frogs, butterflies, ants and bees singing about metamorphosis. I thought the sweetest part was when one of the little boy’s antennas broke and he became so upset one of the teachers had to fix it before the show could proceed.
- Bruce and I attended “Strung Out on Chamber Music” with guest guitarist Michael Nicolla at the Q Café in Queen Anne/Madrona. This was part of the Simple Measures 2008-09 season and the program contained a variety of music, from Boccherini to Jimi Hendrix. I love SM’s format for this series. It’s interactive and intimate. Their tagline — “Any closer and you’d be licking varnish.”
- Mom and I attended “Spotlight Night” at The 5th Avenue Theatre hosted by David Armstrong, their Producing Artistic Director. The program went behind the scenes of their two upcoming productions, Jerry Herman’s musical comedy Hello, Dolly! and Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Sunday in the Park With George. The highlight of the show was the phenomenal Jenifer Lewis, who is going to be starring as Dolly. Musicals are not always my thing (although I love Les Mis & Sweeney Todd), but after seeing her, I REALLY want to see this one!
- And finally, I enjoyed several chilly (although dry) laps around Greenlake…8 to be exact (4 with Dana, 2 with Odie, 1 with Jess and 1 with JK)…EVERY lap filled with wonderful conversation!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my friends! Thank you all for sharing time with me and for such wonderful moments!
On this week’s calendar: dinner with Tanja & Amy, ‘Cooking Night’ at Mary & Grant’s, and an Academy Awards Party at Odie’s.
Off to sleep….sweet dreams!
136. Two Week Wrap-up
Hi everyone! What a beautiful weekend! (Thank goodness after all the crummy weather we’ve had!) The top was down on the bug; I enjoyed some time at the park reading; G3 and I watched the Russia v. Greece soccer game; Tina and I caught up for several hours over coffee at Honey Bear Bakery; and I fixed dinner for Dad, Mom, Grandma & Grandpa for Father’s Day. Then, the icing on the sunny cake…watching the lovely sun set over Lake Washington tonight.
For dinner, I tried a new recipe from ‘The Herbal Kitchen’ cookbook (a favorite): Braised Pork Shoulder with pears & thyme, served with polenta and sautéed baby bok choy. It was a smashing success. Here’s the recipe…
Braised Pork Shoulder with pears and thyme
from ‘The Herbal Kitchen’ cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld
Serves 10
5 pounds boneless pork shoulder blade, cut into 10 rectangular pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups white wine
2 cups chicken broth
4 pears, such as Bosc or Bartlett, ripe but not soft, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch dice
1 small bunch (1 ounce) thyme sprigs
4 bay laurel leaves, fresh or dry
½ vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped thyme
½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsely
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Sprinkle all sides of the pork generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large heavey pot (at least 8 quart), such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Use tongs to carefully lower in as much of the pork as will fit in a single layer and cook until the meat turns a deep caramel brown on the underside, about 3 minutes. Turn the pieces and brown the other side, then lift them out and put them on a platter. Brown the remaining meat in the same way.
- Turn the heat under the pot to medium-low. Pour most of the fat from the pan, leaving just a thin layer. Add the onions and garlic and stir them around for several minutes until they wilt down. Pour in the wine and broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to disolve the browned layer. Stir in the pears, and then put the pieces of pork back in the pot. Tie the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and vanilla bean together with kitchen twine to make a large bouquet garni and tuck it in between the pieces of meat. Cover the pot tightly, turn the heat to very low, and cook at a very gentle simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
- Lift the pork from the pan to a large warm platter and cover it loosely with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Discard the bouquet garni. Add the chopped thyme to the braising sauce that remains in the pot, increase the heat, and boil the sauce until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Taste a spoonful and, if you think it needs it, add more salt or pepper. Return the pork to the pot and toss it gently in the sauce. Keep it warm until you are ready to serve.
Last week was a busy one. Virgo Night was Monday, Book Club was Tuesday (Heather and I stayed up talking until 2am!), I curled up on the couch after working late on Wednesday and watched a touching documentary, Promises (directed by BZ Goldberg), and then had dinner with Bruce on Thursday. The week before was the week for movies…
On Tuesday, G3 and I fixed a mango & chicken curry salad and watched Arranged (directed by Diane Crespo and Stefan Schaefer). The film was shot in New York in 17 days and it is a wonderful independent film. It focuses on two young female teachers — Rochel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is Muslim — who work together in a multi-ethnic school in Brooklyn. They form a friendship and together they experience what it means to adhere to religious and cultural convictions while pursuing their own happiness.
On Wednesday, Mitch and I had dinner at the new Palomino in Bellevue and went to see Sex In The City afterwards. (For the record, I didn’t drag him, he wanted to see it. Thanks M!) The movie is a little long, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and I thought Jennifer Hudson was a fabulous addition. I can’t believe it’s already been four years since the series finale. I miss how us girls used to get together each week to watch the show.
On Thursday night, I finally watched Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles (A Very Long Engagement) starring Audrey Tautou. I’ve had this on my list forever and I loved it! The film has a dreamlike, whimsical aura, but also still effectively captures the atrocities of war. Marion Cotillard and Jodie Foster also appear in the film. Their performances were both wonderful and Foster’s French dialogue is impressive!
All in all it’s been busy. I am still loving my new job and I’m finally finding a little balance between work and play again. Now if I could just get busy writing in my blog a little more often…
113. Book Club
There are six of us who get together the second Tuesday of each month for a night of friendship, lively conversations, good food and wine — also known as “Book Club.” Kate was with the group when it began, Dana and I joined in February 2000 (I can’t believe it’s been 8 years!), and Melissa, Heather & Sarah all joined as others left. We’ve seen each other through infatuations, love and heartbreak, festive celebrations and sad goodbyes — marriages and divorces, births and miscarriages, promotions and career changes, new homes, etc. These friends are like family and are cherished and dear to me. Thank you my literary divas for all of your love and support over the years!:)
This month marks the 5th of our 6 “food writing” picks. April’s selection was The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. If you eat, you should read this!!! Pollan tracks four meals from their source to our table and his writing is both compelling and entertaining. He covers a ton information without being preachy, but the facts are disturbing to say the least. His first meal is fast food, where he follows a burger back to vast industrial blocs of Iowan corn, and here are a couple things I highlighted JUST in this first section:
- Americans have never had a single, strong, stable culinary tradition to guide us.
- How and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world.
- The chemical fertilizer industry (along with that of pesticides, which are based on poison gases developed for the war) is the product of the government’s effort to convert its war machine to peacetime purposes.
- One-fifth of America’s petroleum consumption goes to producing and transporting our food.
- Researchers have found that people (and animals) presented with large portions will eat up to 30 percent more than they would otherwise.
- Industrial (read: genetically-altered, processed) corn is in EVERYTHING we eat. Read the ingredients on the label of any processed food and, provided you know the chemical it travels under, corn is what you will find.
- These days the price of a bushel of corn is about a dollar beneath the true cost of growing it.
- Very simply, we subsidize high-fructose corn syrup in this country, but not carrots. While the surgeon general is raising alarms over the epidemic of obesity, the president is signing farm bills designed to keep the river of cheap corn flowing, guaranteeing that the cheapest calories in the supermarket will continue to be the unhealthiest.
- Corn-fed meat is demonstrably less healthy for us, since it contains more saturated fat and less omega-3 fatty acids than the meat of animals fed grass.
- These days 19 percent of American meals are eaten in the car.
The source of our food is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. It’s not always easy to do, but I think we all benefit when we buy local (even over organic), unprocessed foods whenever possible. More to follow, but I’m off to book club now…
