Thanksgiving Tips

There have been innumerable statements published about the importance of the family dinner.  As we approach the one American holiday centered solely around a meal and one of the only true feast days left in our culture, here are a few ideas for making your Thanksgiving holiday delicious and memorable. As far as I'm concerned, the first three are year-round rules, the rest are tips.

1. Instead of pepper, use grains of paradise on any dish containing potatoes. It really highlights the earthy flavor. Buy grains of paradise from any spice shop, and grind in a clean (preferably spice dedicated) coffee grinder, or an empty reusable pepper grinder.

2. Marshmallows are not for dinner. Save them for dessert.  For sweet potatoes/yams, try roasting with butter, vanilla extract, and cardamom alongside acorn squash rings.  You'll still get some sweetness, without resorting to puffed sugar.

3. Brussels sprouts should not be steamed or boiled. EVER. The punishment for this sin is your children's lifelong aversion to this versatile veggie. Roast, sauté, or braise.  These methods will brown and bring out the non-bitter flavors you didn't know Brussels had. My favorite is braising: you get the high heat of sautéing plus extra tenderness and flavor by way of the braising liquid, which also become a light sauce.

4. Pre-plan how to use your leftovers as a part of your overall meal planning.  You won't have to think about it later, and you ensure no food goes to waste.

5. Experiment with new ingredients: put chestnuts in your stuffing, substitute parsnips for carrots for an earthier flavor, get a whole goose instead of a turkey breast.  Try out new side dishes like lentils or make mincemeat pie instead of pecan.  Traditions have to get made some time, so make your holiday unique. And if you've never contributed by making something then this year step up, buy some salad mix and make a vinaigrette from scratch.

6. Set goals with your family and friends: "This year let's make stuffing from scratch." or "Let's have every dish showcase a New World ingredient." or "No traditional T-Day dishes allowed."

7. Make your motto for Thanksgiving "The More the Merrier."  T-Day was just a present-less Christmas for me growing up, until my family started spending the holiday with friends of my aunt.  It's the perfect holiday to open your family circle and celebrate with friends, old and new.

8. If you want traditional ingredients without quite so many pies, roast pecans (or candy them), pumpkin, and sweet potatoes; and bake your apples. Sweet potatoes and apples sauté together nicely.

9. Consider serving your meal in courses, clearing the salad(s) before loading the table with the turkey, dressing, etc. in order to free up some space while passing dishes.

10. Screw popular health warnings. It's called stuffing for a reason. Just make sure everything gets completely cooked.

I already celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this year. But I'm available in November if anybody in a 200 mile radius of Atlanta has an extra place at their table. Or, if you're willing to come to me, I'd cook for you. Provided you like Brussels sprouts and lentils. 

I Am More Than My Emoticon: Or Why I Hate Happiness

The other day, I wrote on Facebook:

"So incredibly tired of happiness being touted as the natural state in life, as fundamental to your spirituality, as being indiscernible from joy. What I find to be true, in almost every case, is that Happiness seems to come from focusing only on positive things, effectively denying, or at least ignoring, the bad in life. Unquestioning positivity whitewashes, refuses to acknowledge, and does NOT prepare you for terrible, difficult, grey, doubt-ridden situations. This form of happiness also denies empathy, feeling the pain of others, simply because THAT'S NOT HAPPY. Well, I am not a happy person. I worry that my friends will make good decisions. I wrestle with doubt. I sorrow with those experiencing loss. And, from time to time, I suffer. I acknowledge suffering as a fundamental human condition. Which requires hope and love to keep from becoming despair. I learn to cope; I learn joy. And while you tell me to smile more, I hope your Happiness can stand up to the pain of living. But if not, I'll be waiting with a shoulder you can cry on."

Since posting and reading the responses, I feel a need to unpack my position a bit more. Because of my belief in the perniciousness of Modern America's Portrayal of What Happiness Should Be™, I find I react very strongly to the suggestion that MAPWHSB™ is one of the most desirable states that you can strive for. Which is not to say I hate happiness. But the plastic, consumer-friendly version has got to go. And I think I make a decent, concise case for that in my FB post.

What I didn't go into then was the underlying problem, which is more about emoticons and ebooks than about a particular emotion or state of being. The problem is both one of attention span and language.

CHALLENGE: Find a single internet post by someone under forty (yes, I am including myself in this) that describes the poster's emotional state as something other than: Happy (MAPWHSB™), Sad, Angry, or Bored. (We're going to say that confusion is the 'sometimes Y' of emotions, as it is often an intellectual state.)

You may find what at first appear to be variations, but are really just a clever use of synonyms. For example: "Feeling blessed!!!!!!!!" is a religious way of saying "MAPWHSB™!!!!!!!!" Which is not to say that acknowledging blessings is any worse than being happy, but this statement is just a repackaging of the same idea. Upset is a synonym for Sad and/or Angry. And with very few exceptions, that is the sum total of society's ability to describe emotional states in depth.

In a society driven by our neuroses, where virtually everyone has been in therapy at least once, how have we lost our ability to name, and thus understand, our emotions? ill tell u. We live in a world of instant gratification. But that isn't the problem. Instant gratification is wanting to read Bram Stoker's Dracula and downloading it to your Hitchhiker's Guide without having to leave the couch. The problem is the rate at which we want to be gratified. Instant per Instant gratification if you will. Each moment must be something new and pleasing, and it isn't the fault of text messaging or the internet or television. It's our fault, the Matrix just makes it easier. Just like fast food makes it easier to get fat.

But impulse control simply blazes the trail to where the root of the problem lies: reducing everything to a sound bite. Because sound bites boil down:

"In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
It wearies me, you say it wearies you,
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

What stuff 'tis made from, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me
That I have much ado to know myself."
to:

:(

I don't think internet communication is destroying the English language; I think our lack of patience is. Because how can we know when we feel melancholic, serene, piteous, chagrinned, smug, impertinent, disgraced, bewildered, entranced, irked, sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, enraptured, or even contented, if our working vocabulary only allows for four emotions? And if we aren't comfortable enough with the definitions to use such words in our spoken conversation, why would we choose a state of being more complex than MAPWHSB™on which to pin all our desire?

I have a melancholic temperament and I strive to be serene and content. I simply don't have the emotional energy for MAPWHSB™.

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.