Catholicism+Wine

Old news, but good news...

As far as summer movie seasons go, this one is off to a great start! We've seen "Prince Caspian" and "Indiana Jones," and neither disappointed.

I especially encourage readers to see "Prince Caspian." Yeah, yeah, it's not exactly the same as the book; but as far as mainstream entertainment goes, I don't think we could ask for more. Whatever happened to the family movie? Ever since the "Shrek" drek, they've been littered with coy- or not so coy- adult references, stupid passing pop cultural references, burps, farts, puke, you name it. I've posted on this before though, and it's one of my bugaboos.

If a studio were to create something like "Wind in the Willows" today, I'd hate to see what they'd do to the characters. Toad would drive a loud jeep, with naked-girl mudflaps ("wink, wink, nudge, nudge, get it?? naked girls!! har har").  Ratty would be gay- because, well, NO ONE is that well-groomed and polite without being gay. Ugh, I have to stop now, before the deconstruction is complete...

But with "Caspian," we went the whole length of the movie with nary a "booo-yah!" or uproarious digestive noise. See it, when you can- we vote with our dollars, and the better this film does, the more like it they will hopefully make.

Autumn among the vines

Ahhh! Now it is October. My favorite time of the year!  We had another evening of rain last night. I loved leaving the house this morning and smelling the earth and spicy smells of the plants. The fog is still swirling around the Mayacamas Mountains, and the trees and grapevines are beginning to change. Here are some pictures I "picked fresh" for you this morning. It's autumn!!

 

 

With the change in season comes change in eating and drinking habits as well. Less iced drinks; more spiced cider. Less chilled white wine; more full-bodied reds. Over the summer I found myself making more Asian and Mexican food at home. Now, as the weather cools, I've got a hankerin' for stews and roasted meats. Which brings me to my next subject: my favorite Fall cookbook!

I first discovered Taste of the Season through my craft club, which sometimes offers cookbooks. I purchased the book based on the reviews and some of the recipe ideas. Little did I know how many great fall and winter recipes this book contains! "Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Wild Mushrooms," "Medallions of Pork with Apple, Prune and Apricot Sauce," "Winter Squash and Red Swiss Chard Risotto." Not to mention dessert: "Pumpkin Chocolate Bread Pudding," "Apple, Pear and Dried Cherry Almond Crisp." Are you hungry yet?

Yes, the recipes do take some work- this isn't a "30-minute" cookbook. But wow, is the time invested in preparation worth it! Make it your special occasion fall and winter cookbook- pull something out of it for Sunday dinner, or for your Anniversary.  Then pop open some wine, start up the fireplace, and enjoy the crisp fall evening!

Historical Fiction

I've always been a big fan of historical fiction, mainly because I love seeing other eras (especially the 18th-early 20th centuries) "come alive."  Of course authors succeed to different degrees at making their creations live, move and have their being. Of all the historical fiction that I have read, Eifelheim (which is actually historical sci fi) really immerses the reader in a particular historical era. Congratulations to Michael Flynn for creating a world and characters that are believable, sympathetic, and complex. I loved the passage near the end of the book when one of the 21st century characters realizes, with tears, that she would not have had the presence of mind or, dare I say, openness of mind that the 14th century priest in a provincial town did.

Yes, people in 14th century Germany could be just as strange, brave, scheming, cruel and loving as we are, or as anyone else in any other era could be! I don't know why it's hard for some authors to give historical characters their due, insofar as motivations and morality go.  I really think that it's part of our modern mania- we can't bear to consider that people in other eras could be like us, or even better than us, and yet live in non-modern ways. We're like spoiled children in that way- we are nervous when studying history or creating historical characters, because we might find something more intriguing or better than we are. And we have to conclude every investigation with a foot stamp and a screaming tantrum. "But we're the best of all!!"

One example of an author, fiction-wise, who falls into this trap: Caleb Carr. And I love his plots and really loved his portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt in The Alienist.  He meticulously recreates the setting and atmosphere of old New York; would that he had let his characters be at home in the vivid scenes he described for us. But no, any character (outside of Teddy), who had any scrap of redemptive qualities, had to be a post-modern set in Victorian times.  There's the woman character- who is, of course a feminist. And the good doctor- who is, of course, a very-forward thinking man.   Portions of both The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness were taken up with even the characters themselves commenting on how backwards their era was. Well, then, I say ditto to this era! We are backwards if we can't permit people to-- well, to use wine terminology--- reflect their terroir.

I've also just finished reading Julian Barnes' Arthur and George.  Arthur- as in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and George, as in George Edalji, a Parsi-Scottish lawyer who is falsely accused of a crime.  I would highly recommend it- not only because it is really well-written, and recounts an interesting intersection of lives, but because all of the references and documents that Barnes excerpts are from the original court case and archives.  He has integrated all of these historical documents into the plot really successfully.  And while the post-modern might be tempted to portray Sir Arthur's eagerness for spiritualism with the now-prevalent aside,"We're so smart and smug now, we know this is all Victorian rubbish," Barnes lets us be there with Arthur and George and see spiritualism through their eyes.  That's all. And that's all the reader needs.

Any historical fiction pet peeves? Favorite fiction eras?

Sorry, sister, but I've tried...

(www.amazon.com)

My sister lent me American Gods by Neil Gaiman. She really liked it, and likes his work in general. So I took it up and made it through quite a lot of the book, and I just don't think I'm going to finish it. And I even successfully skimmed over the sometimes graphic sexual passages that I came across as I was trying to figure out what exactly was going on with the story.  You know, those moments of, "I think I know where this is going... yes... ok, time to skip onwards to the proverbial cigarette!"

And now I have a pretty good idea of what is going on in the book- old gods vs. new gods of consumerism, capitalism, entertainment- but I'm just not enjoying the story or the style of the book. Any Gaiman fans out there? Has anyone else ever read the book and have a strong opinion about it? For now I think I'll get back to Eifelheim and Maisie Dobbs. 

Helena

Statue of St. Helena, from Holy Cross Cemetary in St. Helena

Finished reading Helena by Evelyn Waugh. What a good book! He took challenging subjects and a challenging era- how do you enflesh someone like Constantine?- and made a wonderful tale. Glad to see that his presentation of Constantine is not hagiography- he is no Eusebius. Constantine had his problems, to be sure. And Helena's faith through trials, especially the kind of trials that would beset an empress in the 4th century, is inspiring. Also love Waugh's presentation of the various faddish gnostics that appeared on the scene. With crap like "The Secret" out there, sometimes modernity comes closer to the late Roman Empire than one might think. Even if you're not the historical fiction type, or the Roman historical fiction type (and I really don't like the stuff either), you should read it. Waugh captures that era's tumult- political and religious, with Christians, heretics and pagans- very well.

Cookbooks

Alice Thomas Ellis is one of my idols. Catholicism and cookery, united in one wonderful author. In her spirit, I hope to continually progress in faith and in the kitchen. Though when things aren't going well in the kitchen, sometimes it causes problems for faith (wrath, etc.), so if push comes to shove I'll just work on faith and keep cooking in a holding pattern.

--Anyway---

I bought some pears that looked good, but aren't so hot. Serves me right, since they are no longer in season. In that vein, I found this great cookbook at a fair trade store in Sonoma:

Simply In Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

It is simply great! I think that Catholic families in particular could benefit from it, because the recipes are simple, usually made with wholesome but inexpensive ingredients, include many meatless ones for Lent, and are tasty.  The whole cookbook is arranged according to season, and there is a great chart at the beginning that shows when individual vegetables and fruits are at their best.  The idea of eating locally- via farmer's markets, co-ops- is also a big part of the book. The nice thing about the book as a whole, though, is that the authors are realistic- they admit that eating locally is not always possible. There are also plenty of great meat recipes (so it's not a holier-than-thou gnostic vegan cookbook), and a section with recipes for all seasons.

Graham Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet) wrote the intro. The book itself was commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee, and their sponsorship of the book lends a general Christian tone to the authors' reflections, with biblical quotations about bounty and God's blessings throughout the book.

While I am undecided about the importance of eating organically, this cookbook has convinced me that eating in season is the way to go. Dishes don't need added salt or sugar when the ingredients are at their peak. When I made tomato sauce last September with fresh tomatoes, it was out of this world; when I try to recreate it now... good, but not great, lacking that zesty sweetness of late summer.

Back to the pears- so I flipped back to the Autumn section of the cookbook, where there is a great pear gingerbread upside-down cake. Made the cake last night, and the pears were trasformed into wonderful carmelized gooiness. As with other recipes in the book, the pear cake one was simple and good- whole wheat flour combined with regular flour, all elements coming together in about 3-4 steps, no special bakeware required.

One final note: the cookbook itself is inexpensive, and it is spiral-bound for convenience. I know I'll keep using it for years to come.    

Jane Austen Up for Auction

Yahoo has this interesting story here.

The debate about the painting is interesting; apparently, Christie's is confident enough of its subject that they will auction it.  She was 14 at the time.

I think it suits her more than this other portrait does (the latter was obviously done later in life). I always thought the one below made her look old-maidish and too prim.

And if I'm going to do a Jane Austen entry, then the very least I can do is post one of her saucy quotes!

"I meant to be uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him, without any reason. It is such a spur to one's genius, such an opening for wit, to have a dislike of that kind." -Pride and Prejudice

Libri Legendi: The Empress of Farewells

I had finished this book quite a while ago, and earnestly wanted to discuss it with Mr. Pellegrino (spouse), who had also planned on reading it. Yet Mr. P's libri legendi list grows longer, and he still has not read The Empress of Farewells.  And he still needs to finish The Historian, another book that I feel, if only for its enormity of length, should be discussed, if only for 5 minutes. Argh... will this anti-Oprah book club of two ever get off the ground?

So I'll inflict my impressions of this book upon you all, in the meantime.  Being on an extended royal biography kick, I saw this book in Daedalus and proceeded to check it out from the library. The story began, as most of these biographies do, by detailing the early life and ancestry of Charlotte, daughter of King Leopold I of Belgium. Of course, what is a royal biography without Hapsburgs, especially Hapsburgs by marriage? In her case Charlotte married Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, younger brother of Franz Joseph. 

Maximilian, not having a throne of his own, accepted the Mexican crown from Napoleon III (who couldn't be happier to be rid of it) and he and Charlotte traveled to the New World to assume their reign as the Emperor and  Empress of Mexico. The typical royal biography then takes a completely bizarre turn as what is left of French and Austrian rule in Mexico falls apart. In the aftermath the reader begins to question everything about Maximilian and Charlotte, who they are, what sort of marriage they had. I read the bulk of it on a plane trip, and found myself completely engrossed in Charlotte's situation. If the lady next to me had attempted a conversation, all I could have responded to her was "Can't talk... must... save.. Charlotte..."

The book has been criticized for its lack of historical depth. Its focus is not primarily historical, but it rather relates historical events as they impact the lives of Maximilian and Charlotte. Don't read it if you are looking for a straight history of Hapsburg Mexico. It is also not a deeply academic book, but would probably work best as an introduction to the swift rise and fall.. or just fall... of Hapsburg rule in Mexico. It definitely leaves the reader wanting more, since so many of the facts behind the royal couple seem to be shrouded in mystery. I am also probably as unschooled in Mexican history as is possible. While the book did not have a history of Mexico as its primary aim, it did give me a bit of a time-frame that I can fill in later with other works. It also showed what a political mess Mexico has been for at least the past 150 years.

All in all, a very interesting biography.

The Empress of Farewells: The Story of Charlotte, Empress of Mexico

Prince Michael of Greece (Author)

Vincent Aurora (Translator)