"She was a Nazi." That's what Edythe said about the wife of one of her two brothers. Until that moment, I never knew my mom had brothers. I must have been 8 or 9, and she pulled out a creased, black-and-white snapshot with a sawtooth edge of the abhorrent spouse leaning, Bonnie without Clyde, on some bloated '30s sedan. Never met the Nazi or her mate, never saw him or heard his first name or last. He was a musician, she said, who "went on to Hollywood" to lead an orchestra. That was repeated a few times, over many years. Was … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2018
Artichokes, Hearts
[contextly_auto_sidebar] A while back I read that some folks were plucking artichokes from farm borders off the roads in California, apparently to sell. One doesn't immediately think that these green aardvarks are sustenance, although, indirectly, they may certainly serve. Are they delicate or rugged? All my life I've eaten them, but have no idea. False duality, anyway. Delicacy and ruggedness are not opposites at all. The artichoke embodies mystery, and that's because it's not an obvious temptation. The cooking-eating part of … [Read more...]