Jerusalem, A Cookbook: 1 "14

 My sweet son-in-law David McClellan gave me the "Jerusalem" cookbook as a belated birthday gift.  Bruce and I read it on the flight home. In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore  the vibrant cuisine of their home city—with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year—Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts.  Most are gluten free.  We decided to test every recipe in it.

Good Reads: Murder on the Front Nine 10'13

I just finished reading Murder on the Front Nine by Steve McMillen. This mystery/thriller adventure and a travel story, is Mr.  McMillen's first novel, "It is set in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, which is why I picked it up in the first place. It's main character is a charismatic crime solving Realtor/Architect/Golf Pro, who also just happens to be an ex-Green Beret. It is a tale of assassinations, black ops, corrupt politicians, big oil, betrayal, a drug cartel, and a treasure hunt, with a twist, off the South Carolina coast.

 You can read Steve's book on two levels. Simply as a  murder, mystery, thriller, whodunit yarn, in a southern beach setting, which is probably  how the majority of the readers will percieve it. The other level is with a local's and visitor's delight in recognizing familiar resorts, restaurants, golf courses and other local features. (Which is were I was coming from, when I bought the novel .)

The tale begins on Bald Head Island, North Carolina, a remote, upscale golf resort island along the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. Mickke D allows himself to be drawn into an assassination investigation by three of his old army buddies, who he has not seen in fifteen years. Bodies begin piling up, planes are blown up, buildings are burned down and Mickke D discovers that maybe one of his old army buddies may not be as much of a friend as he once thought. The story meanders down the coast to Little River, SC; and makes a stop during the playing of the World Amateur Golf Tournament in Myrtle Beach. It makes side trips to Charleston, SC, Panama City Beach, Fl, Las Vegas and Washington, DC. There are plots within plots and the reader will has to figure out the bad guys from the good guys; who they like and who they dislike. Sometimes the number of characters, and complex plots got hard to follow, but overall it was an entertaining,fun, light read that I finished in less than half a day

Not so good a read: The Kitchen House 2 '15

Just finished next months book club selection The Kitchen House which is billed as a masterful historical novel by author Kathleen Grissom. Charlotte Bronte would have loved it. I thought it beats pulp romance but not by much. I quickly tired of the central character's unending naivete . It seemed too construed for someone who grew up under her circumstances. And the plot was just all too tragic and melodramatic. The only unpredictable action was when the doped out Big House Mistress ( Miss Martha) overcame her opiate stupors long enough to chase off her evil plantation overseer and his thugs by threatening to shoot them with a gun ( only to feign away as soon as they were gone).... How very Victorian of her.

Good reads: To Kill a Mocking Bird 2 '13

Once a year my  book club selects a classic novel to read.  This year's selection was  "To Kill a Mockingbird" , a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American Literature. 

 To add to the interest, our group  met at the home of one of our members and watched  the 1962 American drama film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel starring Gregory Peck.

 Then we compared and contrasted the both versions of the story over a southern luncheon composed of menu selections mentioned in the book.  E.g.  Brunswick Stew, and Bourbon-laced Lane Cake

State of Wonder, Ann Pachett 1 "13

Ann Patchett, in State of Wonder, revisits the contemporary adventure story genre, with a provocative tale of pharmacological research doctor - Marina Singh - who embarks on an journey through the Amazon after learning that her pharmacology colleague Anders died there. Anders wife doesn't believe it...and her boss and love interest, Mr. Fox, entreats her to go there to find out what is going on.  He is, after all, invested in the outcome of the research that is going on there. Dr. Annick Swenson, Marinas former instructor and mentor, has been there for years, reportedly working on a new drug that will have a massive effect on extending female fertility, with the prospect of making his company very rich.

Early reviews of the publication say to "expect miracles". In many ways, State of Wonder does meet its hype. Its vivid sense of place, for example, is truly magnificent. One can almost feel hear the buzzing and ravenous mosquitoes, feel the oppressive heat, recoil from the floating snake heads, and feel the power of the storms. But in the end I felt a little disappointed in both the plot and the character development. 

One of the premise of the book is that a drug that would  extend female human fertility indefinitely was  highly saleable commodity .   When the 50 + years old members of my Pawleys Plantation book club met today to discuss this book, they thought the idea ridiculous..  And the older their age the more they l scoffed at the idea.  There was universal agreement that they would all rather be a grandparent than bear another child themselves. .

Then there was the credibility of character development … Marina in particular seemed to step out of character. While portrayed as emotional crippled and submissive to authority, she was also highly moral and held herself to a very high ethical standard.  Sometimes she held to that character, and sometimes she slipped from it very badly to suit the plot. 

 There was enough action and exotic setting that  it would probably make a good movie,  but don’t expect a lot from the plot.

Pawlwys Plantation Book Club Meeting March '10

The Pawleys Plantation Book Club met today at the home of our hostess.. As always the first order of the day was having a bit of brunch and catching up on one anothers lives

 And of course getting to know the new members like my neighbor Julie DAmore

 X moderated the discussion of this months selection xxx while and all the rest of us contributed

Being Dead Is No Excuse" 1 '10

Knowing that I am interested in Southern culture, a friend from my book club recommended I read this book .

"Being Dead Is No Excuse" is a funny, true, and chock full of recipes for must-be-served dishes at after funeral receptions.Tomato aspic with homemade mayonnaise tops the list that includes Aunt Hebe's Coconut Cake and Virginia's Butterbeans. Those who doubt the import of a table groaning under countless casseroles will learn that "Nobody eats better than the bereaved Southerner. We celebrate weddings, christenings, birthdays, and just about every milestone in life with food. But every southerner knows that death cooking is our very best."

This book was fun to read in that it did a realistic comparison between the habits of bringing food to funerals in the south. Many of us who are living in the south have actually eaten many of the foods described in the book.  It is really part cookbook and part fun read.

While much of the book is taken up with the recipes, it also goes into the finer points of southern etiquette.   For example, it goes into the fine art of writing a thank you ….”  A note from a Southern girl never has a fill in the blank feel.  There is nothing generic about it. A Southern Girl has to stop herself from hushing more than Old Faithful. If she is writing a Thank you not for a toaster, she doesn’t just say thank you.  She tells you every little ole thing she’s ever toasted in it or likely to toast in it. …”   So many of these anecdotes ring true with my personal experience with Southern bred women that after reading it myself,  I passed it on to another  friend who is from the South, and who enjoys both reading about  the southern culture and cooking.

Feel free to enjoy it for a light read and a few laughs but know that the calorie laden recipes it contains are “like ta die for”.

My Father's Secret War 1 '10

My Father’s Secret War, by Lucinda Franks was our selection of the month by our Book Club.

The book is a memoir of the author, Lucinda Frank’s search to learn of her fathers past.   Like all memoirs she makes not claims that the story she is telling is truth… only that it is how she remembers and perceived the events and conversations.   And what she remembers is growing up in a highly dysfunctional family…. What makes this book so very compelling is the honesty and poetic telling of naked truths in a truly real family drama. Everything is here: searing hatred and long-awaited forgiveness ,love's disappointments, parents failings, alcoholism, psychological torture, adultery, rebellion, revelation and resolution.

Her bi polar mother is one minute the perfect mom… the next, a jealous harpy trying to spitefully smother her husband and children with rage.

She  also remembers adoring her father early in life when she saw him as intelligent, courtly; and she remembers learning to hate him as he distanced himself both physically and emotionally.  She blames his unavailability on his alcoholism, his adultery, his shrewish wife.  Then, when he was old, ill, showing signs of dementia , she stumbles across a Nazi hat amongst his WWII memorabilia.  She begins digging for answers, and ultimately concludes that her father was a secret operative for the military.

How does war, and the especially savage nature of concentration camps and assassinations, affect the life of a young man? How does keeping all of that pain bottled inside for decades alter every relationship he will ever have? How did it destroy the love he had for her mother, who waited for him while he was fighting?

Throughout, Franks does not pull her punches. The memoir is packed with honesty, from the deep-rooted spite and contempt to the ultimate understanding and love, and a return of the hero she had long lost. After hunting for the man who was her father, she sees him "through eyes that have no memory" and exposes a great and difficult story with an ending that is not so much happy as it is bittersweet.

This as a engrossing but emotionally difficult book to read. Like so many, I have a difficult time getting my parent’s generation to open up and tell us of their experiences during that time.  It is difficult to love and respect someone you cannot really know. Ultimately, the story Ms Franks spells out, should instill an even higher respect   for those of “The Greatest Generation”.

Guensey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society 9 '09

 Today my the Pawleys Plantation Book Club Met at the  Traditions  Plantation Clubhouse  for our annual luncheon and to discuss The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Society.  The fictional characters are based upon the very real living conditions of British citizens living on the German occupied British Isle of Guernsey during WWII.   It is a tale of  hope, and the strength of spirit that helped them support one another and survive the dire conditions they found themselves in.  

 As always the group first met to discuss basic business and to greet new members

Since much of the  book's plot revolved around  social dining events the characters devised to give themselves a chance to discuss the contraband books they were reading, our group felt that a luncheon composed of the menus mentioned in the book would be appropriate way to kick of our new year

Various food that were in the book were laid out on a spearate table for us to examine and discuss prior to having lunch

Half the fun was anticipating what the potato peel pie  would taste like.

  The Chef at the Traditions Clubhouse outdid himself with the menu.

Chef hold a Potato Peel Pie

We all had a great time.  I am so fortunate to have found such a creative  book club

Review of Women of Silk 6 '09

Women of Silk (author: Gail Tsukiyama)

Women of Silk was my book clubs novel for June. It is a  moving coming-of-age novel about a young Chinese woman sold into the silk trade by her poor parents.  Born into a traditional patriarchal family, 7 year old Pei enjoys what she can of her pastoral town while being dominated at home by her taciturn father. She is one of several daughters in the family and, according to a fortuneteller in the nearby town, is destined to be "non-marrying." Her father, who is facing crop failure and famine due to drought, decides to sell Pei off to Auntie Yee, a warm, nurturing woman who runs a home for the silk workers.

Many other young women have met similar fates to that of Pei, and have also been sent to Auntie Yee by their families to make money working in the silk mills.  But all is not as bleak as it sounds. The girls enjoy an independence that is rare for women living in turn of the Century China.  They make lots of money…. Usually enough to support both themselves and their families, and have some left over for personal indulgences. They learn to establish lasting, deep bonds with each other.  As adults they can join the Silk Sisterhood (much like a union).  This allows they  look forward to a happy spinster retirement at the age of forty.   

Although initially untouched by the war with Japan, which rages miles away, the community eventually turns its attentions to the world furor, along with the combined difficulties of monsoons, isolation, strike, war and death taking their toll on the girls and Auntie Yee.  The self reliance skills, and ability to network that the girls have learned in the Silk Trade help them to survive through all of these disasters. In short the moral is that sometimes the hardest lessons in life are often the ones that best strengthen and prepare us for life.

In some ways this was a simplistic book.  Stylistically it  reminded me a bit of a Pearl Buck novel.

Good Reads:Mornings on Horseback 1 '09

I have just finished reading Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough.  It’s a remarkable book about the youth of Theodore Roosevelt and the family and friends who shaped his character.  It is about 400 pages long plus another 100 + pages of prologue and Footnotes It gives a fascinating insight into the lifestyle and mores of wealthy Victorians.

It begins in a time before telephones and radios or TV.  People of means would spend their evening reading, and socializing with one another.  They were prolific letter writers, and were constantly dashing off pages to their friends and relatives about almost every positive detail of their lives.  Even children as young as five or six regularly wrote letters.  The tone of these letters is one of constant love and optimism.  People openly wrote of their affection for one another in long flowery passages which would seem infantile and gushy by today’s standards.   Nor is there ever a hint of any strong negative feelings the writer might be having.  They might, for example, express concern that someone was ill, but would never express their prolonged grief or despair over a loved one one’s death, or a relatives decline into alcoholism.  Nor would they ever mention negative happening like the loss of a fortune.  Life it seems was to be appreciated for the goodness and joy it brought.  Any other aspect one was simply supposed to put up and shut up about. 

The amazing thing is how many of these letters have been preserved.   (Most of the text for this book was drawn from letters written by the family to one another).   When one considers that a letter might be handed off to a passing stranger who would volunteer to take it to a town 70 miles away, or that it might take two to three months to be delivered if the recipient was traveling, it is amazing some of the letters ever reached their destination, much less were kept and preserved intact for us to read.   If I have learned anything from this book it is the power of the positive influence that family members can have on future generation if they take the time to communicate with them.

About eighteen years old Theodore Roosevelt (top left) with brother Elliott, sister Corinne and family friend Edith (who would later become his second wife).

Why join a book club? 1 '09

 Last year I joined the Pawley’s Book Group.  About  30 women belong to the organization. We meet once a month in a members home to discuss a book that we have all read.  While I originally joined to help meet my 2008 resolution of becoming more socially established in South Carolina, it is definitely something I will continue to be involved in even once I am socially well established in my community.

For one thing a book club can be an excellent way to enjoy books more and challenge your mind,  They can also encourage you to read more, or to read books that you might not normally choose. In short, most people join a book club, or start their own, in order to have fun, make friends, stimulate the brain cells and meet like minded people! .  The books we read range from “who-done-it”s to biographies.  The group has a strong leaning towards books that open doors to other cultures and mores the enthusing discussions are always lively.  

So Far I’ve read:

·        Carol Smith’s Wild Swans which is a story of three generations of Chinese women whose lives span from the time of warlords, when women’s feet were still bound, through to the present. Their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution is particularly heart rending.

·        Ian Doig’s  The Whistling Season is a wistful tale of a time of  innocence and self reliance on the edge of the prairie. It generated a lively discussion about education as much of the novel revolved around a one room school house.

·        Harlan Coben’s Tell No One is a suspense thriller. With lots of twists and turns in the plot.  Not my favorite genre, but it was well written.

·        Kate Jacob’s The Friday night Knitting Club, is a tale of female friendship.  Think Steel Magnolias set in New York City, while the plot was predictable, the characters held up to scrutiny.

·        Greg Mortenson’s Three cups of Tea is a true story about a man on a mission to fund and build schools for girls in the remote regions of Pakistan. It gave us deep insights into the Muslim religion and a strong empathy for the daily hardship of life in Pakistan.  Of all of the books I have read this year, this one caused the most soul searching.

·        Debra Dean’s The Madonna’s of Leningrad is a historical novel set in the basement of Leningrad’s Art  Museum during Hitler’s siege the city in 1941.  The museum’s staff protects their National art treasure first by risking their lives in staying to ship the art to safety, then by building memory palaces in their minds to keep the art alive.  It was a haunting testimony to the human reverence of art.

·        I’ve just begun to read this months book , Morning’s on Horseback by David McCullough.  It is a biography of the youth of Teddy Roosevelt. 

·        Waiting to be read are Geraldine Brook’s March, Gail Tsukiyama’s Women of Silk, and Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 9 '08

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

This weekend I read Mr J Berendt’s well written book,  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.   I picked it up, because it was mentioned so often while we were in Savannah last week.   I found it odd that a book written thirteen years ago would be so well remembered, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. It was worth the effort as it is one of the best reads I have had all summer.

For those of you who haven’t read  the  book, or seen the movie, let me say that the story is set in Savannah and takes place  in many of the locations we visited this past weekend.

It's difficult to categorize this book. On some levels, it reads like a page from a Travel Brochure.  Berendt’s vivid descriptions of the city squares and houses, instantly resurrected each one in my mind.  More importantly, he seemed to capture what I sensed but not put words to about the mindset of Savannah.  For example  here is an except describing how Savannah’s  leaders view the social isolation created by their remote geographic location:

“ Don’t you feel cut off?” I asked. “Cut off from what?”, she replied.  “No on the whole I’d say we rather enjoy our separateness.  Whether it’s good or bad I haven’t any idea.  Manufacturers tell us they like to test-market their products in Savannah – toothpaste and detergents and the like-because Savannah is utterly impervious to outside influence.  Not that people haven’t tried to influence us! Good lord, they try all the time.  People come here from all over the country and fall in love with Savannah.  Then they move here and pretty soon they’re telling us how much more lively and prosperous Savannah could be if only we knew what we had and how to take advantage of it.  I call these people Gucci carpet-baggers’. They can be rather insistent, you know. Even rude. We smile pleasantly and we nod, but we don’t budge an inch. Cities all around us are booming urban Centers: Charleston, Atlanta, Jacksonville- but not Savannah.  The Prudential Insurance people wanted to locate their regional headquarters here in the nineteen-fifties.  It would have created thousands of jobs and made Savannah an important center of a nice profitable non-polluting industry.  But we said no- too big.  They gave it to Jacksonville instead.  In the nineteen-seventies Gian Carlo Menotti considered making Savannah the permanent home offer his Spoleto USA Festival.  Again we were not interested.  So Charleston got it.  It’s not that we’re trying to be difficult.  We just happen to like things exactly the way they are!”

On other levels it seemed like I was reading the personal diary the author’s social interactions in Savannah, Georgia.  It is peopled with a wide range of eccentric characters: wealthy and poor, men and women, black, white, old and young. Whether he is describing a high society matron, or a charming con man, the authors description of his characters are captivating and believable.

Mercer House

It is also a crime story which is based upon the saga of a wealthy middle age antiques dealer Jim Williams who in 1981 shot his employee Danny Hansford in the den of the historic Mercer House.  The shooting  obsesses Savannah citizens; they watch as Williams endures four trials and is eventually acquitted, only to die of a heart attack a few months later, Although non-fiction, Berendt's book reads like a novel (he admits he has taken 'certain storytelling liberties').  It often left me wondering where the truth ended and the fiction began.  

Mercer House, Jim Williams Office

The shooting occurred in Jim Williams’ office, surrounded by his private collection including 18th and 19th century furniture, 18th century English and American portraits, drawings from the 17th century and a wide collection of Chinese export porcelain.

The timeless peacefulness of the setting contrasts dramatically with the powerful emotions of the characters.  The book is story telling at its best.

Throughout the house you will see furniture and art from Mr. Williams’ private collection including 18th and 19th century furniture, 18th century English and American portraits, drawings from the 17th century and a wide collection of Chinese export porcelain.

Hawaii: CC 's Painting 3 '08

While Bruce Was out trying to kill little white Balls, I  tried my hand at painting tropical fruit

and flowers on mini canvases

The results were not too bad considering I had never tried to work with Acrylic paints.  It took some time to get used to painting so quickly.  Oil paints can stay wet and their color blend for days.  Acrylics can set up in minutes especially in warm weather. Getting smooth transitions between different parts of the painting is a challenge  .On the other had, the big advantage for using acrylics while traveling is that  one can be certain that the paint is thoroughly dry  when one goes to pack