Lentil Cassoulet

Lentil Cassoulet adapted from Bon Appetit recipe.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, minced

2-3 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3-5 large garlic cloves, minced

12 oz. sausage, sliced

3-4 oz. diced pancetta (or one package, more will make the recipe too salty)

2 cups French lentils (or one cup French lentils, one cup green/orange/brown)

2-3 cups chicken stock

1-2 bay leaves

sage (fresh or dried)

thyme (fresh or dried)

salt

pepper

2-4 cups bread crumbs (differs depending on the diameter of your dish)

½ stick melted butter

1 tbsp parsley (fresh is better here)

1 tbsp chives (fresh is better here)

[original recipe recommends serving with Dijon mustard and cronichons.]

Preheat oven to 375.

In skillet, if using 2 dishes, or in oven safe dish that holds 3 quarts cook pancetta until pieces are shriveled and dark colored (slightly over-cook them, they will get soggy otherwise). Transfer to plate.  Cook sausage until cooked thru.  Transfer to plate.  Heat oil in same dish.  Add onion, parsnip, celery, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until vegetables are soft and onions are translucent.  Add garlic cloves and sage and thyme if fresh. Cook for one minute.  Turn off heat.  Add lentils and stir to coat with residual oil/fat. Add chicken stock to cover mixture (and sage and thyme, if not added earlier).  Turn up to boil.  Add sausage and pancetta. Stir.  Once boiling, move cassoulet to oven. Cover and bake for 45 min. or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Combine half the breadcrumbs with the melted butter; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle wet and dry breadcrumbs over cassoulet and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Sprinkle on chopped parsley and chives. Let rest 5-10 min. Serve.

Alt. serving style: before adding breadcrumbs, separate portions into individual ramikins and add breadcrumbs to each, plus any extra that remains in baking dish. Servings in ramikins should be checked more often to avoid burning.

Also, fairly certain this would adapt to vegetarian pretty easily.

Point of Clarification

In theatre history, in order to pinpoint where theatre begins we must first define it. In the so-called 'worship wars' many people are seeking to redefine church. Here are a few observations about what is theatre and what shouldn't be theatre.

Theatre is: scripted. So is church; so is the news. No real contention here. God created order out of chaos.

Theatre is: entertainment. 90% of theatre is funded by and created for the wealthy, aging, white population. People who can afford it and have free time. Despite its claim to loftier goals. The church should do better than that.

Theatre is: done before a largely passive and anonymous audience. Church should call for active participation and actively participate with its members.

Theatre is: performance. If you have met an actor you understand that on some level they all have a need for attention. The church should not have narcissistic disorder.

Theatre is: emotional manipulation. Every detail is planned in order to get the audience to feel the way the director intends. Color effects emotion. Music creates mood. The Holy Spirit does not need moving lights to help it along.

Theatre is: expensive. And requires professionals. With a professional business model. The money-lenders need to stay out of the temple.

Theatre is: spectacle. It is difficult to come humbly before God at a rock concert.

Theatre is: play. Like political cartoons, theatre makes light of serious matters to make a point. The church should make serious what has been taken lightly.

Theatre is: Art. I like art, but Church is worship.

Theatre is: work. This is my job, and I don't want my job taking over the more sacred part of my week. This is one professional's opinion meant to promote reflection. Entertainment does not promote worship. 

New Horizons: a Meditation

I used to complain to my parents that I hate travel. Which is kind of true. Usually we plan away an entire break, so I end up feeling like I need a vacation after my vacation. But there is something compelling about driving down new highways, seeing new horizons. Traveling with a sense of purpose but also having enough time to enjoy the scenery along the way. After a few months of not going anywhere, I hear the siren song of the road. As Toad of Toad Hall put it, "There's real life for you...The open road, the dusty highway, the heath, the common, the hedgerows, the rolling downs! Camps, villages, towns, cities! Here today, up and off tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!" Throwing out routine for new experiences and the unexpected. That is why I love to travel.

Spring takes me that way as well. The earth stirring and starting something new. Waking up to new possibilities. Like Mole, I feel the "spirit of divine discontent and longing." And I'm not alone. Wedding season starts in spring. Spring break appears to exist almost wholly for youth to travel. The school year is ending and graduates are leaving to start new lives elsewhere.

Graduation is another new horizon. A new journey beginning. New job, new place to live. Growing up I hated change, but now I see new beginnings as a chance to clean house and start over with something brighter and better. Without new experiences, how can we continue to learn? And if we do not learn, how can we hope to understand and faithfully interact with the world around us? If we have the opportunity to go to Timbuktu, should we not take it?

There is a lot of wisdom to be found in lectures of stability and responsibility.  But allowing fear of debt, insecurity, and failure to rob you of where you truly want to go is more foolish than wise. Who are you helping by letting life pass you by?

Where shall we go? "To wherever the wind may take us."

Travelogue: Milwaukee

This year's United States Institute of Technical Theatre conference was in Milwaukee.  I made the trip, marking my first time in Wisconsin, home of beer, cheese, and beer cheese soup.  My travel companions and I left Tuscaloosa at 5 am on Tuesday and drove to the Birmingham for a 7:30 flight.  We laid over in Baltimore (which somewhat oddly had NCIS merchandise), then landed in Chicago Midway.  I had previously only flown into O'Hare.  Midway is superior in my book, if only for the topographical sculpture of Lake Michigan hanging from the ceiling.

We then boarded the CTA bound for Quincy.  Between the Baltimore/Chicago flight and the CTA, my friend Ashley and I were both a pretty shade of green from motion sickness.  The pilot couldn't help it, but I recommend dramamine for any CTA travel.  From the Quincy stop we walked to Union Station, which is awesome and Art Deco, and I wish we had had more time to look around and take pictures.

The train from Chicago to Milwaukee is named the Hiawatha and was the most pleasant time I have had traveling ever.  We sat in the quiet car—travel's greatest invention—and the ride was so smooth I was able to read the entire time, something I have never been able to do in any vehicle.  Doubly remarkable after having motion sickness the same day.

It had been 32° in Chicago, so I knew I was in for cold, but I still felt that 13° in the middle of March was excessive.  Due to the cold, my exploration of Milwaukee was limited, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw.  The Art Deco buildings, especially the Hilton were enchanting, and the general mishmash of styles throughout downtown felt whimsical.  My advice to anyone going in the cold months: try to find a map that includes the skywalks.

I had a chance to eat German sausage at the HB Old German Beer Hall, which was fantastic.  So was the shepherd's pie at Mo's Irish Pub and the braised short ribs at Cafe Hollander.  If I had stayed longer I would have compared the fish fry at multiple restaurants, as it is a specialty in the largely Catholic town, especially during Lent.

But the best dining experience had nothing to do with the food.  The Safe House is a CIA style speakeasy that has been featured on TV and in newspapers as a must do.  You have to know how to find it (or look up the address).  There is a secret password and a slew of discoveries to make once you're inside. Every wall has something interesting.  There are specialty drinks, creatively named menu items, and deliciously fun desserts, such as an ice-cream  bomb lit with a trick candle. One of the few dining experiences where food quality was largely unimportant to the overall experience.

The trip back included the same Amtrak train, CTA, and Midway experiences (except with popcorn!) but we laid over in St. Louis where we picked up several colleagues that had flown directly from Milwaukee, never to know the joy of riding the Hiawatha.

I must plan to go back to Milwaukee when I can really enjoy the city (i.e. when it's warm). But for now it is still one of my top ten cities in the US. 

Why Anti-fadists Irk Me: Or, Leave Twilight Alone

Before you jump down my throat about the subtitle, this post is about fads and their adherents and detractors.  We'll get to the subtitle later.

Fads are notable for the number of adherents (fans) and the enthusiasm of said adherents (fanaticism).  Fads are also notable for being temporary.  Something that anti-fadists would do well to remember.

When some mania sweeps across our culture, two things happen: a bunch of people jump on the fad bandwagon and a bunch of people jump on the fad-hating bandwagon. The second bandwagon is generally filled with people who believe their taste is superior to those who buy into the fad.

REASON #1 why anti-fadists irk me: Let's face it, most of us (in certain age brackets) would have never heard of Rebecca Black if it hadn't been for the people complaining about her.  As the saying goes, all press is good press. If the detractors would ignore what they didn't like, there is at the very least a certain portion of the internet that would never hear about a given fad. This is the practical reason. It goes hand-in-hand with the concept that you have to buy books in order to burn them.

REASON #1.5: Fads are short-lived and you are wasting a lot of energy complaining about very unimportant things.

REASON #2: There are plenty of things I'm not into. Whole lists of things. Popular things, cult-following things, little known things that I've heard about but don't have the inclination to follow... I hesitate to mention them although this post describes such an aversion and the reasons for it. (Incidentally, I have started watching Castle, but my original argument still stands.)

All that to say, I have discriminating tastes. When it comes to cartoons, I'm positively picky. But if you were to ask me what draws me to a particular cartoon but not another (aside from childhood nostalgia) I couldn't really say.  That is, there are definitely some things I like more than others; it isn't simply fickleness. However, I have a hard time entering into any kind of discourse with my cartoon-maven friends, because they immediately get defensive that I prefer Cartoon:TOS to Cartoon:TNG (this is a metaphor, I am unaware of Trek cartoons).  And with the conversation effectively shut down, I never get to explore why certain things appeal to me when others don't with those who are immersed in the culture and more familiar with the language.  This tactic applies to both fadists and anti-fadists; both are guilty. Just like IRL (see also: religion, politics), open discourse is how we learn about the other side in order to find common ground. Common ground allows us to learn about 'the enemy' and lead them gradually towards Doctor Who and away from Jersey Shore.

REASON #2.5: If you know why [Bad fad] appeals to [sheeple], you have the ammunition to redirect their energy towards [less obnoxious fandom].  Basically, send the Twilight fans over to the Buffyverse (assuming we're not dealing with the older fans who migrated the opposite direction) and get them hooked on Whedon. Get the Castle fans to watch Firefly, or Waitress, or Dr. Horrible.... This isn't about which fandoms are better but about expanding horizons and breaking out of a monomania.

REASON #3: Meanness isn't helping your image. 'They' may have questionable taste in media/fashion/activities, but you are a bully for declaring that the only cool way is your way. Good taste is not cultivated by bullying, so the only thing you are accomplishing is making others feel bad in an attempt to make yourself feel superior.

There are people we respect, people who deserve respect, people we look up to, and people we don't. Treating people respectfully does not mean you agree with them.  It means you are being a decent human being.  Regardless of whether someone is Team Edward or Team Goodtaste.

Cape Cod on $0 a Day

Okay, so the title may be a little misleading, because unless you have very good friends or are a vagrant, this isn't really feasible.  Unless you have your room and board provided for you by the theatre employing you for the summer.

However, since I fall into the latter category, I have had the opportunity to discover lots of things you can do on Cape Cod for free or almost free.

1. Lots and lots of beaches. Ocean, bays, and Nantucket Sound. Really no elaboration needed.

2. Find a friend with a clamming license.  They have to be a local, but if they have a family license you can go out with them.  Using rakes or just your toes you can feel around in the sand in waist deep water for clams.  Later, you can have a clam bake.

3. Hang out at the Marina near the fishing boats and watch seals.  You could pay for a seal tour (or have a friend with a boat) for a closer look.  Also, there are sharks, but you aren't guaranteed a sighting.

4. Cape Cod National Seashore.  Technically, pedestrians and bicycles are $3, which I think qualifies as almost free.  From the beaches there, you can see whales spouting.  The humpbacks and minkes come pretty darn close to shore. Or, once again, you can pay a pretty reasonable fee for a 3 hour boat tour.

5. While on the subject of aquatic animals: bioluminescent jellyfish.  Technically, they are comb jellies, not jellyfish.  And if you can handle the cuteness, one specific species is called the sea walnut, because of its size.  If you head out to Oyster Pond late at night, you can wade out a ways and suddenly the water will be filled with what at first appears to be underwater lightning bugs.  And don't worry, they don't sting.

6. Window shopping.  Every little town has a little Main Street shopping district with boutiques, antiques, and thrift stores.

7. Festivals, fairs, and parades.  The fourth of July parade in Chatham has locally made floats, antique cars and adorable kids in walking groups.  There are arts and crafts shows and sales throughout the summer.

8. If you like art, the number of art galleries is astronomical.  There are at least half a dozen in a row in Provincetown.

9. For very reasonable prices, you can eat a large assortment of fried, baked, or raw seafood, most of it locally caught.  Fried clam strips are among my new favorite things.

10. The only winery on Cape Cod, Truro Vineyards, gives free tours.  Tastings are $10.

11. Concerts.  Local groups play in churches and parks throughout the summer for free.

12. There are a number of museums around the Cape, not to mention very very old cemeteries, but the one that stands out to me is the Pilgrim monument in Provincetown.  Its $10 to go to the top,  and it marks the signing of the Mayflower Compact.

I'm sure there's other things, but these are the ones I have experienced during my stay here.  There are plenty of other things as well, for those more financially endowed.  

Confessions of a (former) Picky Eater: Part II

Continued from part I.

After college, I had a long-hours-low-pay internship for two years.  I didn't have a lot of more or energy to go out and do things when not at work.  I didn't have homework in the evenings. So instead I started expanding my cooking skills. It was either right after college or soon into my internship that my interest in cooking really took off.  I was home visiting my parents and decided to make soup. Not from a recipe. I have been able to follow recipes since high school.  No, I thought I could use the principles I picked up from Food Network and Edible Magazines to make something new.  (Edible Magazine publishes locally in cities around the US.  I found a copy of Edible Memphis that led me to the website that has links to online versions of most of the magazines. I read alphabetically by city and am around 'I' currently.)  So I threw together some ingredients and made the Everything-I-Know-About-Cooking-I-Learned-By-Watching-Food-Network-Soup.  To my surprise, it was delicious.

Taking charge of the ingredients I was putting into my food gave me a sense of empowerment.  I could expose myself to small doses of new things using cooking techniques that I knew worked for similar foods I already ate.  In addition, all of the reading and TV watching was paying off by educating me about the best uses and preparations for different foods.  I already knew I didn't care for canned and boiled vegetables.  But the flavor differences between boiled and sautéed vegetables was a revelation.  A new idea was forming—food isn't icky as long as it's prepared correctly.  Here 'correct' means whatever tastes good.  And I now had enough knowledge of food to know how to make something taste good.  For the first time in my life, I was excited by the possibilities and challenges of finding/cooking/eating food.

My parents couldn't have been more shocked.  They used to joke that I would need to marry a chef.  Now, they expect me to handle at least a few meals every time I go home.

Somewhere along the line, I realized I have reached a complete reversal in attitude.  I will try (almost) anything once. And that is very liberating.