Bread 'n' Books

Women and Race

2011-02-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

I just finished a class titled Women and Race. The premise of this class was to look at literature written by black and white women who discuss their relationships with one another. I generally don't like recommending books I have to read for school because they are often boring to the average reader, but three books from this class really stood out to me: Dessa Rose, Keepers of the House, and Meridian.

I've done some work with Sherley Anne Williams' Dessa Rose before, but this semester I really took the time to peel back some of the many layers of the text. After both an escape from a slave coffle and prison, Dessa wakes up from a post-postpartum fever in a white woman's house. Ruth's husband has presumably left her, and she harbors fugitive slaves in order to keep the plantation running. This book questions whether or not a black woman and white woman could ever truly be friends in the antebellum U.S.

Housekeeping, by Shirley Ann Grau, explores the legacy of the fictional Howland family in rural Alabama. Several generations of Howlands have lived in the same house in a small town highly influenced by patriarch William Howland. When William's relationship with Margaret, his black housekeeper, becomes known, William's granddaughter Abigail must not only come to terms with her own racism, but that of her family and the entire town. This book explores the idea of place, both literally and metaphorically. What is the proper place for a black woman inside a white home? Inside a white town? Who has the power to change the definition of that place? What are the risks people are willing to take to challenge these ideas?

Alice Walker's Meridian explores many of the same questions as Dessa Rose regarding inter-racial relationships and friendships. However, unlike Dessa Rose, Meridian is set during the Civil Rights era south. Meridian struggles to figure her own self out within the Civil Rights Movement, amongst a variety of personalities, ideologies and races, particularly Truman and Lynne. Truman, Meridian's ex-boyfriend, struggles with his own identity as an educated black man in the 1960s south. He speaks French, dresses extravagantly, and according to Meridian, needs to get back to his roots. Lynne, Truman's wife, is a white woman working with Meridian and Truman within the Civil Rights Movement. Lynne is idealistic, aggressive, and many times just doesn't "get it."Meridian asks, what is the proper place for a white woman in the Civil Rights Movement? Where is the proper place for educated southern blacks in the Civil Rights Movement? Can black men and white women have healthy relationships? Can black women and white women be real friends?

Chicken Noodle Soup and Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

2011-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

Head on over to my personal blog, hotpinkevil and check out my chicken noodle soup and rosemary olive oil recipes!

The Lacuna

2010-08-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since I finished Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna and I can't get it out of my head. I knew I would love it, just as I love everything Kingsolver does, but this book is her masterpiece.

The Lacuna "publishes" Harrison Shepherd's (fictional)diary entries and letters from the time he is twelve until his early thirties. He moves to Mexico from Washington DC with his Mexican mother. Because of his unique situation, he spends most of his childhood alone exploring his surroundings. After a brief but eventful return to Washington DC, he returns to Mexico and works as a cook in Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's household. Shepherd's interactions with the members of the household continue to reveal his character as he grows into manhood, but Shepherd's role changes when Lev Trotsky finds refuge from Stalin in the Kahlo/Rivera home. After Trotsky's death, Shepherd returns to the United States and launches a successful book career, writing about ancient Mexico amongst the anti-communist fervor of the 1940s.

What sticks with me most about The Lacuna is Kingsolver's ability to show history repeating. Shepherd's tales of ancient Mexico resemble the mentality and politics of the United States in the 1930s and 40s, and her retelling of 30s and 40s parallels today's anti-Muslim attitudes. Furthermore, Shepherd attempts to give voice to the native Mexicans during the Spanish conquest, just as Kingsolver complicates the historical characters (Frida, Diego, Trotsky) in her own book. Shepherd's banter is incredibly witty and his private writing opens up a side of him that the rest of his fictional world does not know. His observations are extraordinary, and like his friend Frida, he sees the world unlike the rest.

Strawberry Rhubarb Infused Vodka

2010-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more refreshing on these hot days of summer than a delicious cocktail! I love to relax on the patio with a good book and a tasty drink. Here's my recent indulgence: strawberry rhubarb infused vodka.

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water (or more depending on how strong you want the vodka)
1 pint chopped strawberries
1 lb chopped rhubarb
1 liter vodka

In a saucepan, dissolve sugar in water. Add strawberries and rhubarb. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir together strawberry/rhubarb mixture and vodka in a glass container. Seal and refrigerate for 5 days.

Strain mixture and return to vodka bottle. Enjoy on the rocks with a splash of lime!

Homer and Langley

2010-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Now that class is over for the summer I have time to read for fun. The first book I picked up was Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow, a historical fiction based on the life of the Collyer brothers. Homer and Langley Collyer were recluses who lived in Manhattan until both died in their home in 1947. Langley Collyer was a hoarder who took care of his older blind brother. Langley would go out at night and bring junk and newspapers home. They attracted media attention due to several conflicts with banks and utility companies. As a result, Langley booby-trapped the house and died after one of his traps, a stack of newspapers, collapsed on top of him. Homer died days later because he depended on Langley for food and water.

The book is narrated by Homer and gives an interesting, though fictional, context to why the brothers were the way they were.

If you're interested in the Collyer brothers, I recommend reading the Wikipedia page. If you are interested in a good story, I don't recommend Homer and Langley. While I was reading it, I became increasingly frustrated with Doctorow's female characters: they are either whores or unnaturally virginal. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of his characters are flat. I would think that, in writing a historical fiction, Doctorow would have used his artistic liberties to explore the character of the Collyer brothers and complicate their lives.

One thing I thought Doctorow did well was give a context for Langley's eccentricity, but overall I was disappointed in the book.

The Pile

2010-02-09T11:49:00.001-08:00

A new semester has started and my six week break is over. I have a pile of books to read "just for fun" and I didn't read any of them. I needed a break from reading. This semester, I am taking a class titled "Writers in Exile." The syllabus looks great and I'll share recommendations with you as I go.

For now, I want to share what is waiting for me in my pile of "just for fun" books.

The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver
Sundown Towns James W. Loewen
The Known World Edward P. Jones
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
The Red Convertible Louise Erdrich
Beloved
Jazz
The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2010-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

I've been on break from school, and even though I have a pile of books to read "just-for-fun," the last thing I feel like doing is reading. I've been reading full-time for 3.5 months and I need a break!

Besides catching up on my t.v. shows, I've been doing a lot of cooking. Because of the cold winter, I have been baking a lot of breads. I also got a new wok for Christmas, so I've been experimenting with fried rice and pad thai.

I accidentally bought too much pumpkin puree (as if there's such a thing as too much pumpkin puree!) and I've been making a lot of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. YUM!

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs, or egg substitute
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbls cinnamon
1 Tbls nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Oil and flour 3 bread pans
Combine sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, water and eggs.
Stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt
Fold in chocolate chips
Divide equally between bread pans
Bake for 1 hour
Enjoy!

"Kindred" - Octavia Butler

2009-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

Out of the 30+ books I was assigned to read this semester, one stood out above the rest: Octavia Butler’s Kindred.

Dana has a bible with her family tree written inside, spanning back to slaveholding Maryland and beginning with the names Rufus and Alice. As Dana and her husband, Kevin, unpack their belongings in a new home in Los Angeles, Dana is pulled through time and space, back to the plantation where slave master Rufus grows up with Alice, a black girl whose mother is free. Dana must become a slave in order to survive while she watches her ancestry unfold before her, and Kevin must look inside himself to see what kind of a man he can be in this time and society.

As a contemporary northern white reader, I can distance myself from other slave and neo-slave narratives, and I can look at slave masters in these narratives and say, “That would never be me.” Butler’s use of time travel closes the gap between past and present and disallows her readers to distance themselves from the past. Butler, by throwing contemporary three-dimensional characters into the past and complicating the humanity of the slave owner, makes it so you cannot distance yourself from the experiences and various points-of-views of the antebellum South.

This book spoke to me as both a woman and a white person. I could identify with Dana’s disorientation as a woman, her constant awareness of her femaleness and subjectivity. I identified with Kevin’s invisibility and ignorance of his whiteness and his struggle with how to use his privileges. His character forced me to ask myself: what would I do in those situations, who would I be?

This book will stick with me for a long time.

The Chick Pea Matters

2009-12-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

I have a top secret hummus recipe. Don't get too excited, I'm not going to share it. What I will share is the fact that the brand of chick pea that you use matters. Hummus has a chick pea base, so it only makes sense. Hummus tastes the best when you use dried peas, but that's a pain in the butt and I've only done it once. I use canned chick peas and there is a definite difference between the canned brands.

For a smooth hummus, you want to remove the loose shells on the peas. Brands with a lot of loose shells will leave your hummus grainy. Out of the brands I've tried, Trader Joe's chick peas are the worst. I spent a lot of time removing all of the shells and my hummus was still grainy. You could actually pick the ground shells out of the hummus. The best brand to use? Goya. If it's not in the section with the other beans in the grocery store, you'll find it in the Mexican food section. The peas are moist, have fewer loose shells, and leave my hummus smooth and tasty!

Banana Bread

2009-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

I found frozen banana bread in my freezer this morning! It's almost as fun as finding money in your winter coat pocket come autumn. When I make bread, I usually end up making a lot and freezing it and it's just as delicious as fresh baked.

3/4 cup margarine ( I use dairy free Earth Balance)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 mashed ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix together and bake at 350 for approx. 1 hour

For extra fun, mix in 1 cup blueberries or chopped walnuts!

The vegan substitutions (see side bar) work great with this recipe. I've also tried it with whole wheat flour, but I don't recommend it.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

2009-11-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

On this site, I will share recipes I try, restaurants I recommend and books I've read.

I'm currently working on my master's degree in English and have been reading a ridiculous amount of books. Most aren't worth reading outside of class, but I've also come upon some gems that I think are worth reading outside of academia. I also have a pile of books I've been accumulating for summer reading that I will review here.

When I'm not doing school-work, I love to cook. I try new recipes often and if I like them I spend a lot of time tweaking them to my liking. I generally stay away from dairy and meat, but that doesn't mean the food isn't delicious.

I live in the Twin Cities area, and it seems there's new restaurants popping up all the time. I like to try new places and frequent the ol' stand-bys. I'll post reviews of places I try for the first time and places I visit often.

This blog will bring together my academic career and my hobbies. I hope you enjoy!