Of The Terrible Doubt of Appearances

Of the terrible doubt of appearances,
Of the uncertainty after all, that we may be deluded,
That may-be reliance and hope are but speculations after all,
That may-be identity beyond the grave is a beautiful fable
only,
May-be the things I perceive, the animals, plants, men, hills,
shining and flowing waters,
The skies of day and night, colors, densities, forms, may-be
these are (as doubtless they are) only apparitions, and
the real something has yet to be known,
(How often they dart out of themselves as if to confound me
and mock me!
How often I think neither I know, nor any man knows,
aught of them,)
May-be seeming to me what they are (as doubtless they
indeed but seem) as from my present point of view, and
might prove (as of course they would) nought of what
they appear, or nought anyhow, from entirely changed
points of view;
To me these and the like of these are curiously answer'd by
my lovers, my dear friends,
When he whom I love travels with me or sits a long while
holding me by the hand,
When the subtle air, the impalpable, the sense that words and
reason hold not, surround us and pervade us,
Then I am charged with untold and untellable wisdom, I am
silent, I require nothing further,
I cannot answer the question of appearances or that of
identity beyond the grave,
But I walk or sit indifferent, I am satisfied,
He ahold of my hand has completely satisfied me.

by Walt Whitman

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Stew

Makes 6 main-dish servings

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4-inch pieces (6 cups)
1 medium red onion, cut in 1/2-inch wedges
4 teaspoons curry powder
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
dash cayenne pepper
5 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 15- to 16-oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1/3 cup dried apricots, cut in half
1 deli-roasted chicken, cut up
Fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In shallow roasting pan, toss squash and onion with curry powder and 1 tablespoon oil. Roast, uncovered, 20 minutes or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2. Mince two of the garlic cloves. In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat remaining teaspoon of olive oil and cook 2 of the garlic cloves over low heat for 2 minutes. Combine remaining garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, paprika, peppers, roasted vegetables, broth, beans, and apricots. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Transfer three quarters of the soup to food processor or blender. Process or blend until smooth (do not process the cinnamon stick, rosemary, or bay leaf). Return to Dutch oven and simmer 20 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, separate chicken into pieces and cut the brests in half. Reheat chicken in the oven.
4. To serve, adjust seasoning if necessary. Then, top stew with chicken and parsley.

** Curry powder is a blend of spices that varies widely in composition. It has been used by Indians since ancient times.
*“Curry” is derived from the South Indian word "karhee" or "kadhi". “Curry refers to a sauce of any kind. "Curry powder" in the Western world has a fairly standardized taste, but there are many different curry flavor profiles in India.

Recipe by Cristina Paul

Blah-Blah-Blahg: Food For Nought

A Common but Terrible Predicament

Anyone who uses a public bathroom with any frequency must know the horrible shiver that that crawled into my guts when I recently entered a bathroom stall and saw pee on the toilet seat. It was too late though. The pee wasn't all over the place,nor was it a strange color or consistency - but it wasn't my pee. Moreover, there was a huge line behind me, I was aching with a belly full of tea and I had already walked in and latched the door. I couldn't turn back now. Once you latch - it's like a promise ring - ridiculous, but still a commitment has been made to follow through.

What to do? Do I clean that foreign pee or do I quickly squat and allow the next Jane who walks in to believe that I am a filthy creature? I felt my entire being was in flux. Why did I have to drink so much tea? Should I walk out now and risk a mini-walk of shame or having to use the loo (without readmittance) into the film at the Griffith Park Observatory's Planetarium? I know myself; I wouldn't be able to hold it through an entire film, no matter how brief. So I squatted and hoped the crowd would clear so that when I reemerged no one would be there to finger-point at my total misconduct.

Fortunately, the line seemed to have disappeared (probably while I was fretting over my options in the stall). So, I was able to sneak out, avoiding the stares of suspicious women in line. I guess life isn't so bad after all. After all, I have had many other encountes of the turd kind that have made me feel lucky to be alive today.

"Faith" is a fine invention...

"Faith" is a fine invention
When Gentleman can see—
But Microscopes are prudent
In an Emergency.

by Emily Dickinson

Root Veggie Roast

Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces grated pecorino romano, manchego, or other salty hard cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, chives, and sage
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound golden beets (about 1), thinly sliced
1 pound sweet potatoes (about 1 light and 1 dark – what most people call a yam), thinly sliced
1/4 pound large parsnips thinly sliced
1 cup leek, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Assorted fresh herbs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl toss together cheese and chopped herbs; set aside. Using a non-stick spray or olive oil spray, coat a 2 qt. rectangular baking dish. Mix half of the cheese and all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Try to evenly coat the veggies with oil and cheese. Arrange the veggies in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
2. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove foil. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
3. Remove from oven. Sprinkle additional fresh herbs. Let stand 10 minutes.

**The beet is in the amaranth family. The most recognized variety is the red root vegetable known as the garden beet. However, other varieties include the leaf vegetables chard and spinach beet, as well as the root vegetables sugar beet, which is important in the production of granulated sugar.
*The color of red beetroot is caused by betalain pigments. Most other red plants, such as red cabbage, contain anthocyanin pigments. The composition of different betalain pigments can vary, giving breeds of beetroot a different degrees of redness. Thus, beets range in color from yellow to a familiar deep red. Betacyanin in beetroot may cause red urine in some people who are unable to break it down. This is called beeturia.

Recipe by Cristina Paul

Blah-Blah-Blahg: Food For Nought

I recently rubbed elbows (knees?, foreheads?...) with the most bizarre assembly of humans, and perhaps aliens, EVER! I attended a recent Stumbling Towards Ecstasy event. Now, the name of these free-movement fests should have tipped me off on the unfettered fanaticism of spirit involved in this type of social gathering. But... they're within walking distance of my house. So I thought, what the hey? I'll try it. These hippie-cum-new ager-cum-lost soul-cum-21st century guru amalgams of music, movement, singing, and everything else that would appall the middle-American are held in Masonic Temple. Who is in charge of renting THAT space? It's either a brilliant money-maker for the Masons, or something for which they will be punished by allowing outsiders to deliriously change the psychic energy of the space each Saturday and Sunday.

I should've known what I was getting into when I was greeted by a woman dressed in all white. In my opinion, the only mentally sound humans who wear all white are milkmen and dogcatchers (and do they even exist anymore?). Anyhow, this woman glowed with happiness as she buzzed in front of her computer creating the playlist of the afternoon via iTunes. Every now and then she'd pull a microphone out of thin air and say something that sounded like a poorly translated adage on a fortune cookie. Otherwise she just sighed into the microphone, knowing that her sighs would TOTALLY create a spiritual playground for the crazies in attendance.

I guess, though, that I too am a crazy because I was there. When I saw young people, older people, a man in a wheelchair, a woman in a turban, and more people wearing all white literally climbing up walls and softly touching each others' fingertips and swaying in sync I was kind of weirded out. But everyone seemed happy. I guess I felt what an unbeliever might feel walking into a congregation that does the whole touched by the spirit, talking in tongues type of thing.

I won't say I was converted, but I will say that I started dancing. I don't want to toot my own horn... but TOOOOOOT! (That wasn't me, that was just a residual ecstatic yowl that hadn't been released at Stumbling Towards Ecstasy). I'm a good dancer. Some of the music was really good music. So I figured, I paid my $15 bucks - I'm gonna get my money's worth. So I ended up dancing up a storm with myself, dodging the approaches of random strangers to join in their stumbling toward pregnancy and other exchanges of bodily fluids and uncouth caresses. At one point though, I caved and danced with the most incredible, gay black man whose skin shone like a gleaming seed pod against his... all white pants. Afterwards, he made his way around the large room that kind of resembled a high school gym. But he came back every once in a while and beamed, "You're AMAZING! YOU are amazing!". And you know what? I felt amazing. Even after my feet had blistered and my neck hurt from so much vehement jumping and stretching, I sang out on my walk home. My roommate accompanied me and we skipped. I felt as if I had little wings on my feet for the rest of the day. So if you want to scope some REAL WEIRDOS and you are not opposed to acting like one yourself I highly recommend checking out stumbling towards this scene. The worse that could happen is you get an idea for a documentary or short story while listening to one of the characters play their harmonium and touch themselves with the secret pleasure of a cheshire cat.

In Passing

From a half block off I see you coming,
walking briskly along, carrying parcels,
furtively glancing up into the faces
of people approaching, looking for someone
you know, holding your smile in your mouth
like a pebble, keeping it moist and ready,
being careful not to swallow.

I know that hope so open on your face,
know how your heart would lift to see just one
among us who remembered. If only someone
would call out your name, would smile,
so happy to see you again. You shift
your heavy parcels, hunch up your shoulders,
and press ahead into the moment.

From a few feet away, you recognize me,
or think you do. I see you preparing your face,
getting your greeting ready. Do I know you?
Both of us wonder. Swiftly we meet and pass,
averting our eyes, close enough to touch,
but not touching. I could not let you know
that I've forgotten, and yet you know.

by Ted Kooser from Weather Central