What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Perceived isolation.
Where would you like to live?
Earth, especially New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris,
Istanbul, Florence.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Feeling intense waves of pleasure course from the soles of my feet up through my body -- often triggered by enjoying people I love, beauty, food, sex, water, and being helpful to and needed by others.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Perceived isolation.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
None at the moment.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
MLK, Gautama buddha, Mandela, Cousteau...oh, this is too hard. I could go on all day.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Wangaari Mathai.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
None at the moment.
Your favorite painter?
Of the famous painters: Chagall, O'Keefe, Klee
Your favorite musician?
So many.....
The quality you most admire in a man?
Verve, passion, moral strength, confidence, compassion.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
The same.
Your favorite virtue?
Joyfulness and compassion.
Your favorite occupation?
Entrepreneur, writer, musician, dancer, actor, lover, aunt, friend,
human.
Who would you have liked to be?
Who I am, will be, and was.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
A friend replies, number 8
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
the moment I realize a betrayal is present, the reaction is most
physical and the painful shudder travels down into my hands...
Where would you like to live?
in italy. In a romantic, idyllic mid size town, with a fountain and a
plaza and neighbors with like minds, citizens respectful of beauty and a well balanced life—to be able to walk or bicycle where I need to go.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
the ground beneath me as warm, a well cushioned lounge chair resting in the shade of a tree, a view beyond of rolling hills and agriculture. And the idea that everything is in its place and my daughter is safe...
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
perfectionism revealed in a clean floor.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
my daughter for her integrity, and my aunts, all who are surviving
losses and ill health in absolute grace.
Your favorite painter?
chagall, for being so romantic in his interpretations of life, cy
twombly for the beauty in his work.
The quality you most admire in a man?
respect
The quality you most admire in a woman?
grace
Your favorite virtue?
absolutely kindness
Your favorite occupation?
like pastime? dancing with a partner and forgetting everything...and
taking a walk with someone
Who would you have liked to be?
a partner of a respectful and kind man...
the moment I realize a betrayal is present, the reaction is most
physical and the painful shudder travels down into my hands...
Where would you like to live?
in italy. In a romantic, idyllic mid size town, with a fountain and a
plaza and neighbors with like minds, citizens respectful of beauty and a well balanced life—to be able to walk or bicycle where I need to go.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
the ground beneath me as warm, a well cushioned lounge chair resting in the shade of a tree, a view beyond of rolling hills and agriculture. And the idea that everything is in its place and my daughter is safe...
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
perfectionism revealed in a clean floor.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
my daughter for her integrity, and my aunts, all who are surviving
losses and ill health in absolute grace.
Your favorite painter?
chagall, for being so romantic in his interpretations of life, cy
twombly for the beauty in his work.
The quality you most admire in a man?
respect
The quality you most admire in a woman?
grace
Your favorite virtue?
absolutely kindness
Your favorite occupation?
like pastime? dancing with a partner and forgetting everything...and
taking a walk with someone
Who would you have liked to be?
a partner of a respectful and kind man...
A friend replies, number 7
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
To go through life never knowing someone loves you.
Where would you like to live?
First choice: I'd love to live beside a small lake in the mountains of Italy. Second choice: Camden Maine.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Earthly happiness, gosh...really great coffee on a breezy porch...with no place to be all day.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
I am most indulgent when it comes to my daughter, Kate. But I don't care. She's my only one, and I adore her. She appreciates me, so it's easy.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Authors or characters? As for authors, I would have to say John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Tennessee Williams. Characters: Billy Buck (The Red Pony), Ishmael Chambers (Snow Falling on Cedars), Peter Pan, Ivan Ivanovich.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
I love Mark Twain. He was a smart ass long before smart ass was cool. Martin Luther King was awesome. Oh, I can't forget Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
My mom, my daughter, and myself.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Anna Karenina, Moll Flanders, Fantine, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the Bronte sisters.
Your favorite painter?
Georgia O'Keefe.
Your favorite musician?
It's a toss up. Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Parker, Jellyroll Morton, among many others. Favorite songwriter of ALL time: Johnny Mercer
The quality you most admire in a man?
Integrity/compassion
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Strength/compassion
Your favorite virtue?
Oh, I don't know. All of them. Probably tranquility is my favorite.
Your favorite occupation?
I love being an editor, but I'd rather work on twelve books a year, instead of 200.
Who would you have liked to be?
Exactly myself, but in the 16th to 18th century.
To go through life never knowing someone loves you.
Where would you like to live?
First choice: I'd love to live beside a small lake in the mountains of Italy. Second choice: Camden Maine.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Earthly happiness, gosh...really great coffee on a breezy porch...with no place to be all day.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
I am most indulgent when it comes to my daughter, Kate. But I don't care. She's my only one, and I adore her. She appreciates me, so it's easy.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Authors or characters? As for authors, I would have to say John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Tennessee Williams. Characters: Billy Buck (The Red Pony), Ishmael Chambers (Snow Falling on Cedars), Peter Pan, Ivan Ivanovich.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
I love Mark Twain. He was a smart ass long before smart ass was cool. Martin Luther King was awesome. Oh, I can't forget Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
My mom, my daughter, and myself.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Anna Karenina, Moll Flanders, Fantine, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the Bronte sisters.
Your favorite painter?
Georgia O'Keefe.
Your favorite musician?
It's a toss up. Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Parker, Jellyroll Morton, among many others. Favorite songwriter of ALL time: Johnny Mercer
The quality you most admire in a man?
Integrity/compassion
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Strength/compassion
Your favorite virtue?
Oh, I don't know. All of them. Probably tranquility is my favorite.
Your favorite occupation?
I love being an editor, but I'd rather work on twelve books a year, instead of 200.
Who would you have liked to be?
Exactly myself, but in the 16th to 18th century.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
A friend replies, number 6
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Chewing gum using an open mouth.
Where would you like to live?
Katroo.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Lighted Roman candles.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Boredom.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
The prince in Michael Arlen's Midnight Adventure.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Secretariat.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
I don't have any right now.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Miss Tiggy Winkle.
Your favorite painter?
Courbet, to start.
Your favorite musician?
Martha Argerich and others.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Oooh, lots and lots of qualities.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
The willingness to share her perfume occasionally.
Your favorite virtue?
To be quiet.
Your favorite occupation?
Playing hide and seek.
Who would you have liked to be?
An equestrienne.
Chewing gum using an open mouth.
Where would you like to live?
Katroo.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Lighted Roman candles.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Boredom.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
The prince in Michael Arlen's Midnight Adventure.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Secretariat.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
I don't have any right now.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Miss Tiggy Winkle.
Your favorite painter?
Courbet, to start.
Your favorite musician?
Martha Argerich and others.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Oooh, lots and lots of qualities.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
The willingness to share her perfume occasionally.
Your favorite virtue?
To be quiet.
Your favorite occupation?
Playing hide and seek.
Who would you have liked to be?
An equestrienne.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
A friend replies, number 5
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Losing contact with humanity--all friends, family, loved ones, society, i.e., being totally and completely alone.
Where would you like to live?
In Los Angeles in a spacious, well-lit condo with a Japanese bathtub, energy efficient appliances, and considerate neighbors and a little garden/nature area.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Balancing personal life with a good career and extracurricular activities.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
It's not so much the fault that I consider as the creature that commits it. I indulge people and animals rather than faults themselves. (Note: unless they are so egregious. We're not talking genocide and pollution but rather forgetting to wash a dish.)
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Wei Jingsheng, Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Sanger.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Aung San Suu Kyi, Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights activists, and grass roots environmentalists.
Your favorite painter?
My grandfather, the late Edwin Dahlberg.
Your favorite musician?
Too many to mention and always changing.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Modesty and good hygiene and sense of responsibility.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Modesty and sense of responsibility.
Your favorite virtue?
Honesty and diplomacy.
Your favorite occupation?
Historian, novelist, film director, political activist. (Note: that does not mean I would want to take up all those occupations. )
Who would you have liked to be?
Myself.
Losing contact with humanity--all friends, family, loved ones, society, i.e., being totally and completely alone.
Where would you like to live?
In Los Angeles in a spacious, well-lit condo with a Japanese bathtub, energy efficient appliances, and considerate neighbors and a little garden/nature area.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Balancing personal life with a good career and extracurricular activities.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
It's not so much the fault that I consider as the creature that commits it. I indulge people and animals rather than faults themselves. (Note: unless they are so egregious. We're not talking genocide and pollution but rather forgetting to wash a dish.)
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Wei Jingsheng, Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Sanger.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Aung San Suu Kyi, Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights activists, and grass roots environmentalists.
Your favorite painter?
My grandfather, the late Edwin Dahlberg.
Your favorite musician?
Too many to mention and always changing.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Modesty and good hygiene and sense of responsibility.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Modesty and sense of responsibility.
Your favorite virtue?
Honesty and diplomacy.
Your favorite occupation?
Historian, novelist, film director, political activist. (Note: that does not mean I would want to take up all those occupations. )
Who would you have liked to be?
Myself.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
A friend replies, number 4
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Watching Quentin Tarantino's movies
Where would you like to live?
On a kibbutz, preferably one that's located close to SFO
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A glass of Bordeaux, french fries and chateaubriand cooked to
perfection. Spouse's optional.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Buying expensive eyeglasses.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Marlow (Heart of Darkness); Candide (Candide).
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Perikles (ancient Athens); Bayard Rustin.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Rosa Luxemburg.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice).
Your favorite painter?
Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Your favorite musician?
Elvis Costello.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Sociability, self-reflection.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Strong-mindedness that's not masculine.
Your favorite virtue?
Self-reflection, humor.
Your favorite occupation?
Biker on the Discovery Team.
Who would you have liked to be?
Eighteenth-century aristocrat.
Watching Quentin Tarantino's movies
Where would you like to live?
On a kibbutz, preferably one that's located close to SFO
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A glass of Bordeaux, french fries and chateaubriand cooked to
perfection. Spouse's optional.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Buying expensive eyeglasses.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Marlow (Heart of Darkness); Candide (Candide).
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Perikles (ancient Athens); Bayard Rustin.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Rosa Luxemburg.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice).
Your favorite painter?
Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Your favorite musician?
Elvis Costello.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Sociability, self-reflection.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Strong-mindedness that's not masculine.
Your favorite virtue?
Self-reflection, humor.
Your favorite occupation?
Biker on the Discovery Team.
Who would you have liked to be?
Eighteenth-century aristocrat.
Intervention
I am imposing an embargo on all references to spouses in future replies to the questionnaire.
A friend replies, number 3
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Watching helplessly as someone I love suffers.
Where would you like to live?
A large city, preferably one that has been large for several hundred
years, marked by history, readily explored on foot, comparatively mild in climate, with grand architecture, innumerable cafes, restaurants, bars, bookshops, and libraries, and adjacent to a significant body of water.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To reach the end of my life and know I’ve done everything I was capable of doing.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Self-indulgence, particularly in artists.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Charlie Marlow, John Self, Bucky Wunderlick.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
T. E. Lawrence, Bruce Chatwin, Sean Flynn, Sabbatai Zevi.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
My wife.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
The narrator of Denis Johnson’s The Stars at Noon, Leni (The Trial).
Your favorite painter?
Kandinsky, Howard Hodgkin, Vermeer, Mark Rothko.
Your favorite musician?
Leonard Cohen, Richard Thompson, Glenn Gould, Bill Frisell.
The quality you most admire in a man?
The ability to confront and impede the evil, cruelty, and ugliness of
the world without becoming evil, cruel, and ugly.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
All of the above, plus she’s beautiful and likes me.
Your favorite virtue?
Courage and decency, taken together; separately they’re of limited use.
Your favorite occupation?
Writer.
Who would you have liked to be?
A more courageous writer.
Watching helplessly as someone I love suffers.
Where would you like to live?
A large city, preferably one that has been large for several hundred
years, marked by history, readily explored on foot, comparatively mild in climate, with grand architecture, innumerable cafes, restaurants, bars, bookshops, and libraries, and adjacent to a significant body of water.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To reach the end of my life and know I’ve done everything I was capable of doing.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Self-indulgence, particularly in artists.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Charlie Marlow, John Self, Bucky Wunderlick.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
T. E. Lawrence, Bruce Chatwin, Sean Flynn, Sabbatai Zevi.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
My wife.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
The narrator of Denis Johnson’s The Stars at Noon, Leni (The Trial).
Your favorite painter?
Kandinsky, Howard Hodgkin, Vermeer, Mark Rothko.
Your favorite musician?
Leonard Cohen, Richard Thompson, Glenn Gould, Bill Frisell.
The quality you most admire in a man?
The ability to confront and impede the evil, cruelty, and ugliness of
the world without becoming evil, cruel, and ugly.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
All of the above, plus she’s beautiful and likes me.
Your favorite virtue?
Courage and decency, taken together; separately they’re of limited use.
Your favorite occupation?
Writer.
Who would you have liked to be?
A more courageous writer.
A friend replies, number 2
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
SEEING YOUR ROOMMATE EMERGE FROM YOUR CLOTHES CLOSET - THEN REALIZING HE HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR SEVERAL HOURS
Where would you like to live?
SEATTLE
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
HEARING MY DAUGHTER LAUGH
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
SAN ANDREAS
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
WILLIE WONKA
Who are your favorite characters in history?
F.D.R., THOMAS JEFFERSON, M.L. KING
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
WIFE
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
NANCY DREW
Your favorite painter?
ROTHKO
Your favorite musician?
FURRY LEWIS
The quality you most admire in a man?
CLEANLINESS
The quality you most admire in a woman?
WISDOM
Your favorite virtue?
BREVITY
Your favorite occupation?
NOVELIST
Who would you have liked to have been?
ME
SEEING YOUR ROOMMATE EMERGE FROM YOUR CLOTHES CLOSET - THEN REALIZING HE HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR SEVERAL HOURS
Where would you like to live?
SEATTLE
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
HEARING MY DAUGHTER LAUGH
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
SAN ANDREAS
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
WILLIE WONKA
Who are your favorite characters in history?
F.D.R., THOMAS JEFFERSON, M.L. KING
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
WIFE
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
NANCY DREW
Your favorite painter?
ROTHKO
Your favorite musician?
FURRY LEWIS
The quality you most admire in a man?
CLEANLINESS
The quality you most admire in a woman?
WISDOM
Your favorite virtue?
BREVITY
Your favorite occupation?
NOVELIST
Who would you have liked to have been?
ME
I reply
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Living in a land without music.
Where would you like to live?
I would like to live among friends and books in a small house with a large garden in San Francisco.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Dancing to "Fear of Music."
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Loving too much. Overdoing the life of the mind.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
The Chinese brother who swallowed the sea. Toru Watanabe. Vautrin. Orlando.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Zhuangzi. Picasso. Coleridge. Balzac. Tolstoy. Thoreau. Gandhi.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Marcella, Julia, Madhur.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Certainly not Alice or any of Austen's or Dickens's females.
Your favorite painter?
Hans Bol.
Your favorite musician?
Joni Mitchell. Also Dawn Upshaw, Sviatoslav Richter, Thelonious Monk, Nathan Milstein, Randy Newman, Stan Getz, Johnny Hodges, Georges Brassens.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Originality. Also kindness.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Kindness. Also social ease, tact and utter lack of vulgarity.
Your favorite virtue?
Courage.
Your favorite occupation?
Walking the streets of big cities, humming to myself, catching flattering reflections of myself in passing shop windows.
Who would you have liked to be?
The Kangxi emperor. Thoreau. Marcus Aurelius. Escoffier. But I am very happy being myself.
Living in a land without music.
Where would you like to live?
I would like to live among friends and books in a small house with a large garden in San Francisco.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Dancing to "Fear of Music."
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Loving too much. Overdoing the life of the mind.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
The Chinese brother who swallowed the sea. Toru Watanabe. Vautrin. Orlando.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Zhuangzi. Picasso. Coleridge. Balzac. Tolstoy. Thoreau. Gandhi.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Marcella, Julia, Madhur.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Certainly not Alice or any of Austen's or Dickens's females.
Your favorite painter?
Hans Bol.
Your favorite musician?
Joni Mitchell. Also Dawn Upshaw, Sviatoslav Richter, Thelonious Monk, Nathan Milstein, Randy Newman, Stan Getz, Johnny Hodges, Georges Brassens.
The quality you most admire in a man?
Originality. Also kindness.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Kindness. Also social ease, tact and utter lack of vulgarity.
Your favorite virtue?
Courage.
Your favorite occupation?
Walking the streets of big cities, humming to myself, catching flattering reflections of myself in passing shop windows.
Who would you have liked to be?
The Kangxi emperor. Thoreau. Marcus Aurelius. Escoffier. But I am very happy being myself.
A friend replies, number 1
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
A. Ideally, somewhere with excellent plumbing, decent infrastructure, clean air and water, lack of noise pollution, no pest problems, and good radio reception, that's light and roomy, all within a coastal climate in the environs of an admirable local government and reasonable real-estate prices. [Purslane comment: Denmark?] [Reply: That doesn't sound too bad.]
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A. To want not and to desire less.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
A. Tragic adorability.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Who are your favorite characters in history?
A. It depends on my mood. Over the years, they've included George III, Alexey Romanov, Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, Albert Schweitzer, Thomas Chatterton. . . . I'm so depressed that I can't think of any women I'd put on the list. [Please add Seneca the Younger to my androcentric list.]
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
A. No one. I don't believe in real-life heroes or heroines.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
A. Again, I tend to find heroes and heroines dull, so I can't think of one at the moment.
Your favorite painter?
A. I don't have one.
Your favorite musician?
The quality you most admire in a man?
A. Brawn.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
A. Brawn.
Your favorite virtue?
A. Compassion.
Your favorite occupation?
A. Carpenter. Or French-pastry chef.
Who would you have liked to be?
A. Professionally, a Cold War-era spy. If I had to put myself in the body of another, real or fictional, I wouldn't.
A. [A disclaimer: My answers are not etched in stone but
jotted down on scrap paper.] Corporally, to be mentally
alert but to suffer chronic, abject physical pain.
Spiritually, to be forced to choose between self-preservation
and self-sacrifice for the sake of the common good.Where would you like to live?A. Ideally, somewhere with excellent plumbing, decent infrastructure, clean air and water, lack of noise pollution, no pest problems, and good radio reception, that's light and roomy, all within a coastal climate in the environs of an admirable local government and reasonable real-estate prices. [Purslane comment: Denmark?] [Reply: That doesn't sound too bad.]
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A. To want not and to desire less.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
A. Tragic adorability.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
A. Unlike in real life, in fiction I prefer anti-heroes
and villains. But, rest assured, Holden Caulfield bugs the
hell out of me.Who are your favorite characters in history?
A. It depends on my mood. Over the years, they've included George III, Alexey Romanov, Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, Albert Schweitzer, Thomas Chatterton. . . . I'm so depressed that I can't think of any women I'd put on the list. [Please add Seneca the Younger to my androcentric list.]
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
A. No one. I don't believe in real-life heroes or heroines.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
A. Again, I tend to find heroes and heroines dull, so I can't think of one at the moment.
Your favorite painter?
A. I don't have one.
Your favorite musician?
A. Nowadays, I'm reluctant to pick favorites. My favorite
is whoever I'm listening to a lot at the moment.The quality you most admire in a man?
A. Brawn.
The quality you most admire in a woman?
A. Brawn.
Your favorite virtue?
A. Compassion.
Your favorite occupation?
A. Carpenter. Or French-pastry chef.
Who would you have liked to be?
A. Professionally, a Cold War-era spy. If I had to put myself in the body of another, real or fictional, I wouldn't.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Good things
The perfect Indian resturant menu
Appetizers
SAMosas
Farinaceous
Uttapham with tomato and onion
Mung dal pancakes with garlic, chiles and onion
Chickpea flour pancakes
Uppama with peas, urad dal, chana dal, cabbage and potato
Smaller Dishes
Haak cooked in mustard oil
Radishes cooked with their leaves
Spinach with ginger, fennel seeds, cardamom, onion and garam masala
Tomatoes cooked in mustard oil with panchphoran, dried chiles, black pepper and jaggery
Bitter melon stirfried with panchphoran
Larger Dishes
Cauliflower with coconut, sesame seeds, cashews, chiles and mustard seeds
Khatte baigan
Eggplant with panchphoran, sesame seeds and amchoor
Lotus root sauteed in mustard oil with hing, ground fennel seeds, roasted cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and ginger
Morels with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander seed, fresh tomtoes, fresh peas and garam masala
Green beans with mustard seeds, garlic, ginger, sesame paste and lemon
Green beans with hing, mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, dried chiles, cayenne and coconut
Aloo bhaji
Potatoes in a sauce of fresh coconut, garlic, tomatoes and dried chiles
Soups
SAMbar
RaSAM
Chutneys
Tomato, cucumber and onion
Sweet and sour lime pickle
Tamarind mint chutney
Spicy tomato SAMbal
Hyderabadi tomato chutney with ginger, garlic, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek and dried chiles
Drinks
Ginger-flavored limeade
Tea with cardamom and cinnamon
(with thanks to Madhur Jaffrey)
Appetizers
SAMosas
Farinaceous
Uttapham with tomato and onion
Mung dal pancakes with garlic, chiles and onion
Chickpea flour pancakes
Uppama with peas, urad dal, chana dal, cabbage and potato
Smaller Dishes
Haak cooked in mustard oil
Radishes cooked with their leaves
Spinach with ginger, fennel seeds, cardamom, onion and garam masala
Tomatoes cooked in mustard oil with panchphoran, dried chiles, black pepper and jaggery
Bitter melon stirfried with panchphoran
Larger Dishes
Cauliflower with coconut, sesame seeds, cashews, chiles and mustard seeds
Khatte baigan
Eggplant with panchphoran, sesame seeds and amchoor
Lotus root sauteed in mustard oil with hing, ground fennel seeds, roasted cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and ginger
Morels with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander seed, fresh tomtoes, fresh peas and garam masala
Green beans with mustard seeds, garlic, ginger, sesame paste and lemon
Green beans with hing, mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, dried chiles, cayenne and coconut
Aloo bhaji
Potatoes in a sauce of fresh coconut, garlic, tomatoes and dried chiles
Soups
SAMbar
RaSAM
Chutneys
Tomato, cucumber and onion
Sweet and sour lime pickle
Tamarind mint chutney
Spicy tomato SAMbal
Hyderabadi tomato chutney with ginger, garlic, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek and dried chiles
Drinks
Ginger-flavored limeade
Tea with cardamom and cinnamon
(with thanks to Madhur Jaffrey)
Monday, July 11, 2005
Coming Soon
A series of interviews with leading political, maternal, medical and cultural figures. Exclusively here.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Thoughts on a massacre or two
Terrorists killed fifty or more people in London on Thursday. American troops killed seventeen innocent Iraqi civilians just days before that. I did not shed a tear for the Iraqis, though their lives are as important and meaningful as those of the Londoners whose deaths left me sobbing. Why didn't I cry? Is this a moral failure?
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Bombs explode in London
The news from London, which I read this morning, is ghastly. I started sobbing uncontrollably after reading a BBC report and an article in the New York Times. Then I had to call my mother.
What an awful thing. An awful, awful thing.
What an awful thing. An awful, awful thing.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Poem 14
Entering the village at dusk,
on foot, hungry.
The long, hollow street.
A smell of spice and oil.
A torn curtain, door ajar. Invited in,
we sat on the floor.
Behind veils, the daughters,
rifles unslung, the sons,
spoke to us of drums, drought,
Lincoln.
We painted their walls with red.
We took with us the veils and rifles.
We tore down the moon and the sky.
on foot, hungry.
The long, hollow street.
A smell of spice and oil.
A torn curtain, door ajar. Invited in,
we sat on the floor.
Behind veils, the daughters,
rifles unslung, the sons,
spoke to us of drums, drought,
Lincoln.
We painted their walls with red.
We took with us the veils and rifles.
We tore down the moon and the sky.
Spielberg's Goof
Though he went to great lengths to make Amistad historically accurate (it still wasn't), Spielberg doesn't seem to have the same attitude toward his new project, Vengeance.
According to an article in today's Ha'aretz, Spielberg has chosen to rely on the least reliable of the books on the Mossad assassinations of alleged terrorists responsible for the deaths of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
According to an article in today's Ha'aretz, Spielberg has chosen to rely on the least reliable of the books on the Mossad assassinations of alleged terrorists responsible for the deaths of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Poem 13
A monk has duties to only God
Whom he attends uxoriously.
There is no modern, no monastic Now,
Only seven discussions with Why.
On all fours I beheld God
Holding up her mirror;
On a bone heap I reclined
Drunk as Noah, fewer fleas.
I am in love with power,
With shop windows, stage sets,
A fire that nothing burns.
I am in love in love in love
With what is to come
From within me.
Whom he attends uxoriously.
There is no modern, no monastic Now,
Only seven discussions with Why.
On all fours I beheld God
Holding up her mirror;
On a bone heap I reclined
Drunk as Noah, fewer fleas.
I am in love with power,
With shop windows, stage sets,
A fire that nothing burns.
I am in love in love in love
With what is to come
From within me.
BBC Documentary on Torture in America's Prisons
The entire documenary may be viewed at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8451.htm.
It shows that torture is rampant in the American prison system. And the torturers are rarely punished.
It shows that torture is rampant in the American prison system. And the torturers are rarely punished.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Torture in America
American soldiers tortured prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Now Iraqi troops and police trained by the USA are torturing prisoners. Of course, police departments in big American cities have long been known to torture prisoners. This is an especially big problem in Los Angeles, where the Sheriff's Department and Police Department routinely settle lawsuits in excess of $100,000 because policement beat civilians with impunity, sometimes fracturing skulls or killing their victimes.
War of the Worlds
The moral of Spielberg's movie is "A man must do what he can to protect his family, even if he's divorced and his ex-wife, whom he still loves, is glowingly pregnant with her new hubsband's child." But no. A man need not kill another man so that his daughter can get a good night's sleep. Even if the other man is nutty. No.
The movie is a mess. Three three-legged aliens visit a basement safehouse where Spielberg's protagonist watches as they drink water and look at old photos. This is pure hokum, as is most of the movie, especially Morgan Freeman's sententious voice-over and the movie's stupid ending.
The movie is a mess. Three three-legged aliens visit a basement safehouse where Spielberg's protagonist watches as they drink water and look at old photos. This is pure hokum, as is most of the movie, especially Morgan Freeman's sententious voice-over and the movie's stupid ending.
Poem 12
The sunlight descended along the fence,
Reminding me of what it had been to live here
And by extension there, where light was never
Less than grand, embellishing, extreme.
And where it went into waves my memory was flat,
Untroubled, no imperfect acts to wonder through.
What it was to be with you, arguing,
Alive. Under that eternal summer sun.
Recapture me.
Reminding me of what it had been to live here
And by extension there, where light was never
Less than grand, embellishing, extreme.
And where it went into waves my memory was flat,
Untroubled, no imperfect acts to wonder through.
What it was to be with you, arguing,
Alive. Under that eternal summer sun.
Recapture me.
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