November 30, 2009
links for 2009-11-30
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Dismounting, I offer my friend a cup of wine,
I ask what place he is headed to.
He says he has not achieved his aims,
Is retiring to the southern hills.
Now go, and ask me nothing more,
White clouds will drift on for all time.Wang Wei, The Farewell (ca. 750 CE)
November 28, 2009
November 27, 2009
links for 2009-11-27
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"titles of on-line books that have recently been added to our index..." (yet another thing to pay attention to, and to be amazed by)
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a nice profile of another of my musical heroes, here rendered even more fascinating: "Like I wish everybody went out and bought a Don Stover record, I really do. In fact I think anyone reading this right now, at this moment should stop what they're doing and go over to i-Tunes and download you a Don Stover record, I recommend you start with Things in Life..." ( http://www.amazon.com/Things-Life-Demand-Don-Stover/dp/B0000002CL )
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how can I possibly still be salivating as I read this, after today's epic Turkish-inspired Thanksgiving spread... see http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackmerh/sets/72157622885420762/
November 24, 2009
November 22, 2009
links for 2009-11-22
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as usual: the writing, the photographs... jeez, you can practically SMELL the deliciousness!
November 21, 2009
November 07, 2009
links for 2009-11-07
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from the Guardian, pictures not so evocative as the all-too-brief text
November 05, 2009
Today's automata
Via the Automata/Automaton Blog:
The White Series (biosphere) from casey curran on Vimeo.
November 04, 2009
Today's breakfast
One can think of eggs in many ways (including, in the case of my brother John, not at all), but this is one of my favorite breakfasts. No two iterations are the same, what with the variability in eggs, the heat of the pan, the attention paid to the magic moment for over-easying, the state of the toast... Nothing special, but mine own:
...and sambal oelek and a touch of pepper, on pumpernickel:
Thinking about food blogging
A recent correspondence thread has got me considering how I might blog about food (one of the realms of interest that I've developed ummmmm fully...), and so I'm sort of looking out for food-related material. A story in today's Guardian on making sausages [by Tim Hayward] is worth a look if this sort of thing rings any personal bells [emphasis added, and don't miss the Comments]:
The truly ideal way to cook a sausage is to poach it slowly sunk to its hips in a bath of olive oil but, failing that, massage each individually with oil first then slide them into an oiled pan and keep them rolling, on a low heat, for as long and as continuously as possible.Vegetarian friends may gag at the very thought, but for those of us without qualms there's something ineffable in the guilty pleasure of a well-turned sausage. Dunno that I care to put all that work into stuffing casings myself, but I wish I could lay my hands on the Julia Child "stuff it yourself" episode.Trust me, even 25 minutes of gently rolling them back and forth, jostling their plumply greased little bodies against each other is not too long. As the skins change to a light tan, then begin to caramelise as the Maillard reaction takes place, you'll find yourself shifting into the perfect meditative state to honour your sausage.