An This, An That

2013/04/14

1. Black Crane via Mohawk General Store; 3. The 1976 first edition cover of Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook; 4. Margiela + Jil Sander via Totokaelo

Kiri Malu is my favourite fish curry. You can find the version I know in Charmaine Solomon's classic tome, The Complete Asian Cookbook. I love that book; the recipes are tied so firmly to place and people through story. The cuisines described have since evolved--this is a representation straight out of the 1970s. More recent editions exist, but this is the one I grew up with and the one I later ordered, surface mail, all the way from Australia, to give to Co for his birthday. In my opinion, it was worth waiting the three months for delivery, as this cover better represents the period of the collection contained inside. Though of course, many of the recipes are timeless and that's why so many subsequent editions of this book have been published. It is available for partial preview online, but if you love food, you must own this book.

The colour of the turmeric-rubbed fish bleeds into coconut milk and curry leaves to create a creamy, almost-neon yellow-green. It tastes as smooth and vibrant.

That's how I want my spring to be: smooth, vibrant. Like the saturated colours of the simple outfits above. I think the taste of Kiri Malu and the colours of these fabrics will be my springtime manifesto.

Young people today: I myself am an old soul, a lower-p pragmatist, and a prude who, for many reasons, has never seriously entertained the possibility of a "creative career"--though I am idealistic in my own way.
Women and power: In the kitchen with Thatcher and Sam Cam.
People of colour and access to social capital: Fixed-gear racism with no breaks. Ironies so deep they point directly to the truth.

2013/03/25

A Good Light

Longer days, at least a metre of snow on the ground, plus a hard drive crash at work means working from home where I can enjoy the beautiful light! I have a windowless office (sigh) so my two days of unexpected "freedom" (still chained to my email, still mostly working) were so appreciated. I had the flexibility to go grocery shopping on my lunch break in the middle of a blizzard, for example. I was smart and packed the collards I bought on top of everything else. Collards snow umbrella. There is a bridge across the ravine on the way to the shops, and while I was waiting for the bus it was snowing so hard I couldn't even see the other end of it. I went to work on Friday to pick up some papers and discovered my computer tower had been returned. Well, it had to end sometime, I suppose. There was a pain au chocolat from my favourite bakery waiting for me on the kitchen table when I got home, though, so at least the day ended on a sweet note.

2013/03/24

Vege-Sculpture!

2013/03/17

It looked, last week, as if the snow was melting. We spent a tough two hours chipping away at the solid, 10-cm thick layer of ice our sub-par shovel had created on the sidewalk in front of our house. Hard work, but it was worth it to have a clear sidewalk. We were helping the melt along. Unfortunately, as the week went on, the wheel turned and we found ourselves in the freeze stage of the melt-freeze cycle. And then it snowed.

The drifts reach waist height at least, and the back yard is blanketed in about a half metre of fresh powder. The recent snowfalls have been beautiful--not so good for sledding, as we found out, but it would be great for cross country skiing.

I know it is beautiful, but this is the most wintry climate I have ever lived in, and the length of the season has rendered it mundane. Now I only crave change: a warm wind, a different pair of shoes--anything but snow boots.

The sun is here now, though. And it does feel different than it did in the depths of January. The snowy mornings feel lighter and brighter, even after heavy snowfall.

I find myself wondering what the back yard will look like with a few raised beds, some Lavendula here, some Calendula there, a variety of Brassicas and several types of Alliums. I am trying to be precise about what I want. I am trying to learn the proper names for things. I know I'm a long way off.

I will always be a proponent of gardens for food and for beauty. It's a political issue for me. I'm a creature of the growing environment.

Purchased a few seeds in a moment of optimism.

2013/02/19

["Mood Indigo"]

I'd like to think that the title of this La Garçonne editorial is supposed to be encouraging. Like: "Look, I know you're feeling blue, but cheer up, the spring is coming, the wheel is turning, the weather will soon start to change. Things will lighten up a bit. Add a little purple..." Or are they talking about Indigo Children? Hope so/ hope not.

As a thrifty, shameless magpie I will most likely try to emulate rather than purchase these looks come spring: A light yet boxy blazer. A pastel graphic sweater and trouser-fit jeans. Long dresses and skirts with earthy, woven scarves. New inspiration for a closet that can get to feel the same, the same, the same.

--If spring ever arrives. Have you heard? Austerity is coming to Alberta. Make sure you have a variety of things you can do as a day job, visualize your dreams, and learn how to work for yourself. Less buying, more making, more doing, and more making do. We're not immune to ill winds even here. Especially here.

(Still no memory card. My life is so unromantic lately I doubt you'd like to see it anyway.)

2013/02/04

Jacques' Cabbage

One of the most darling third-hand recipes I have ever had the pleasure of reading:

First, the introduction.

Then, the highlights.

But none of this would mean anything without the spirit of Jacques, shining through.

[Jacques at age 16]

(That roguish half-smile! And at age 77, he's still got it.)

2013/01/28

In search of a new silhouette

Hope Stay jeans
[Totokaelo]

For awhile, I was thinking about trying to live a life without denim. So many pairs made so far away, by people working under unfavourable circumstances and to the detriment of local environments. (Well, that's the mass-marketed garment industry in general...)

But more than that, I was inspired by a long-time friend of mine, who in high school told me he didn't wear jeans. Why not? I just don't. He wore other casual, cotton pants, usually in black, and it gave his wardrobe a strong, formal grounding even though he dressed his top half much like everyone else. His commitment to his own aesthetic plucked something deep inside of me.

I've gone through phases where I don't own a pair of jeans, or where I own a ripped pair that I only wear around the house or to the grocery store under a long coat; however, I usually own one pair. Before "skinny" jeans were available, I wore the slimmest boot-cut denim I could find and wore it cuffed to maximize the straight-leg appearance. I wore dark denim only, preferably grey-blue or black-blue, though a few hand-me downs in medium washes (and one in fuchsia) made their way into my closet. Most of my jeans have been extremely cheap (for me--not for the women making them) and from trendy shopping mall retailers that I will never name, where I've dug out the least embellished pair from a stack of bling-y teenybopper horrors. I found my favourite jeans in Toronto. They were not distressed, faded, stone-washed, acid-washed, "antiqued" or otherwise violated; they were black, medium rise, stretchy, and had very narrow "cigarette" ankles. (Zara, in case you're wondering.)


Won Hundred Brigitte [Totokaelo]

I like really black--inky black--jeans with a medium or high waist that keeps them from sagging down my non-existant hips and backside. I can dress them elegantly or sloppily depending on whether I'm standing in heels at a fancy party (never), sitting on the floor at punk venue (sometimes), or dashing from my office to the washroom at work (always). They are the ultimate chameleon garb to me--because, okay, they're not really jeans. They are flattering black pants. My version of the black pants my old friend probably still wears.

R13 New Crossover
[Totokaelo]

Since my precious black jeans became a discarded pair of crotchless chaps, I've been looking for my next perfect pair--though "looking" is a strong word, because I haven't been looking very hard and I certainly haven't been thinking about buying. I'm sure that I don't need a new pair of jeans, and I'm not quite sure that I want one either.

To meet some of my personal financial goals, I'm not allowing myself to buy any clothing, makeup, or jewelry until April. When I eventually make a purchase of any kind, I want to be sure of it. I want to have researched it and lusted after it for months before. So, back to jeans: I'm looking ahead. Springtime! I will allow myself one new pair of pants.

Up until a few days ago, I thought my purchase would be another pair of trousers--slim fit, to contrast with my pleated-front regulars. But now, I'm not so sure.

Rag and Bone Dash
[la garconne]

You see, there are some new silhouettes languidly stretching their long legs in front of my eyes, hands in pockets, t-shirts only half tucked in. They are more like my beloved pleated-front black cotton trousers. They are not the abhorred boyfriend jeans that look boxy and terrible on people like me, and though they will not give me the pin-legged look I think they will still look good with just about anything on top.

R13 Slouch
[la garconne]

They are loose, but tight in all the right places, with an effortless (lax) posture: slouch! (And now for the background research, to make sure there's no slouchy ethics going into my slouchy jeans...)