Soap Opera Sunday from Brillig and Walking Kateastrophe - find the other participants on their blogs today, and join the fun!
For part one of this tale, go here.
Part 2:
It was about a week ago, and it was one of the weirdest things yet. And that’s saying something in a country where each day was made up of “weird.”
“Why was my phone changed?” I stood in front of the “reception,” which was misnomer if ever there was one. The two regulars behind the desk still flew from me like pigeons whenever I approached. They were clearly still frightened of being stuck with an American guest for three months.
The shorter, stouter one looked up from behind her magazine. “Shto?” “What?”
“Why do I have a new phone?” I said this calmly. Quietly. I wasn’t trying to draw attention.
She did the Soviet shrug. “Neeznayoo.” She ran the word together – Idon’tknow. “You don’t have a new phone. Why would you have a new phone? There is no new phone.”
Okay, so that was an answer. Of sorts.
“Well, when I left for school this morning, I had a gray phone in my room. And it worked perfectly well. Now, as I return from school, I have a bright red phone and there are odd clicking noises and I can hear bits of other conversations occasionally.” I placed my hand on the counter and leaned in. The smooth wood felt cool and comfortable and I leaned more fully against the counter. I was tired, my feet were aching from the walk home from school, and I wanted to get out of my teaching outfit and into my jeans.
“All our phones are red. It must be your old phone.” She ducked back behind the magazine and leaned against the back counter, putting more distance between us.
“Um… right.” I looked at the bank of gray phones sitting next to her on the back counter. She jumped a bit.
“No, our phones are grey. It is the room phones that are red.”
Umhmm… I gave up and went back to my room.
And then there was the student, who wouldn’t identify himself and had a much deeper voice than the usual, reedy teenaged voice that I would hear when a student called to ask for help or to issue an invitation. And, of course, this particular, unidentified student was only interested in my selling audio tapes I had brought and then setting up a black market sales thing in partnership with him. Which I was clearly going to do. Because my exchange meant nothing to me, right?
So, yeah, I kinda knew I was being watched by someone.
***
But if Tanya wasn’t ready for this information, I certainly wasn’t going to push it. We walked along the boulevard under the glorious sun, lifting our faces like sunflowers.
***
It was very different weather the day this all came to a head.
Tanya and Rimma and I were the accompanying teachers for the field trip for the November 7th vacation. Another anomaly in the Soviet school system – students usually took several-day “field trips” with their teachers during “holidays.” When the children actually did get holidays was still unclear to me. This was our second field trip and I had fought hard to be able to go. The upshot was that the buses we took and the youth hotel we stayed in were safe enough for Soviet children, but not for the American “guest”. This had left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.
But here I was, up in the mountains of the Caucasus, in a fairly lovely, if simple, youth hotel in the middle of a blizzard. It was around 9:30 at night, and Tanya and I were comfortably lounging in pajamas and keeping snug against the raging weather outside. We were talking about Pink Floyd, one of Tanya’s obsessions. I’d brought The Wall and we were listening to it on my portable cassette player, which I’d donate to the school at the end of my run there.
Tanya was. obsessive. with. Pink. Floyd. And I’d been listening to all her thoughts on Pink Floyd for about an hour. And we were having a real, girlfriend-bonding time. And this must have sparked something in Tanya’s conscience because all of a sudden she grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me off the bed where we were sprawled. Given that I was 5’3” and probably 125 or 130 and she was 5’1” and maybe 100, made this an interesting endeavor, but she did, in fact, pull me off the bed and out through the balcony door with such force that I was astounded.
We stood there, on the concrete balcony, in bare feet. Snow swirled around us and there were drifts already appearing at the corners of our 6’ by 6’ space.
“Tanya, what the?”
“Shhh… let me talk quickly. This is the only safe place.” She grabbed me close and whispered in my ear, her breath warming against the winds raging around us. She held me by the elbows, intimacy in her every gesture.
“It’s true,” she whispered. “It’s true, what you talked about at that café.”
Now, we’d had so many café conversations at this point that all I could think about was my chattering teeth. I shook my head.
“The KGB – I’ve been questioned!”
Oh my God.
I stood back from Tanya and searched her face. Her eyes had grown pale and glassy. I wondered if she’d start crying.
This all came out in a rush in that same warm breath against my ears and face. Almost like a lover’s embrace: “At my last Komsomol meeting they grilled me. They wanted to know where you’d been, what you’d done, whom you’d seen. They wanted me to go back to the beginning. They wanted… everything.”
She leaned away from me and the frigid air came swirling between us.
“We can go back in now,” she said, and she took my hand as she opened the door back into the room.
We dried off with towels made warm from the rack in the bathroom and said nothing for a bit. The Wall had run out on the cassette player and the room was silent.
I was unsurprised, but it was clear that Tanya had gone through some sort of transformation, both through her experience and through her confession.
“All in all, it was just a brick in the wall.”*
*From Pink Floyd’s “The Wall pt. 1”
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Godspeed Luciano - 15 Pavarotti-inspired items
Friday Fifteen
1. I really enjoy opera. I don't particularly enjoy going to opera, but I love listening to it, especially when cooking certain dishes and hiking.
2. There was one of the most simple, but wonderful, posts yesterday by Betsy of Blog Ness Monster. The gift she spoke about is a very personal gift. The voice of a Luciano Pavarotti is a gift to the world.
3. For a lovely clip of the beauty of Pavarotti's voice, visit NYC/Caribbean Ragazza's blog and see the wonderful clip.
4. In 12th grade, my NYC school, along with 3 or 4 other NYC schools was chosen by the Metropolitan Opera to do a modified production of La Boheme, using materials and a scenario and score developed by the Met.
5. We also got to see a dress rehearsal of La Boheme, starring Pavarotti as Rudolfo, and the leads were generous enough to meet with their teen counterparts. I was able to meet with David Reppa, the Set Designer, as I was the set designer for our production.
6. The production (the Metropolitan's, not ours) was legendary and you can still buy a DVD of the production. This is a clip of Pavarotti and Placido Domingo and doing O Mimi tu Piu No from La Boheme, as Rudolfo proclaims his love for, and sorrow about, Mimi. It's from a Met Gala in 1991, complete with Japanese subtitles. Pavarotti's voice was even more lovely in 1977, from what I can recall. And no, Domingo was not with Pavarotti in the 1977 production, sadly.
7. I was not excited about opera when I was in high school, despite these incredibly rich experiences. I did enjoy the dress rehearsal we saw, and I liked listening to it on the radio, occasionally, if it was playing on Sunday morning and I was sprawled with a bagel and the Sunday New York Times.
8. I really became hooked on opera when I saw my favorite movie of all time: A Room with a View. This clip gives you both a feeling for the film and for the way it used opera.
9. The music in that movie was magnificent and my favorite piece is O Mio Babbino Caro, sung beautifully here by Kiri Te Kanawa, as she does in the film .
10. I found this piece and some others on this Kiri Te Kanawa CD, and I've played it at least once a week ever since (and that was a good 20 years ago).
11. A pure, top opera voice is a thing of indescribable beauty and the world was lucky to have had Luciano Pavarotti as long as we did.
12. As often follows with a great talent, though, his life was tumultuous, and I'm not certain those who loved him would entirely share the opinion of the world, especially his long-suffering first wife.
13. I believe, though, that sometimes it's the gusto with which you live that allows you to be a truly great artist. There is ample evidence that great creativity and great madness are linked. I believe that the idea of Bacchus may well have grown from the behavior of ancient entertainers.
14. Pancreatic cancer is probably one of the bleakest deaths and I feel very sad that it decimated this proud, over-the-top artiste. I would have preferred that Pavarotti keel over from a heart attack, at the ripe old age of 89, after having consumed a sumptuous and many-coursed meal, with sycophants and his beloved second wife by his side.
15. You Tube is filled with clips of Pavarotti (sometimes accompanied by Domingo and Carreras, the other two of the famed Three Tenors) singing Nessun Dorma, Death Watch, due to both this being one of his signature pieces and for the fact of its irony this week, but I choose instead to leave you with this clip of U2 and Pavarotti paired for Miss Sarajevo. While Pavarotti's contribution here is very brief, his voice soars to the heavens, and he was in his element - the video starts with his kissing Diana on the red carpet (he was close to her and was devastated when she died), and shows him in the middle of the glitz and glamor that he loved so much. It also is a tribute to his work with both the Red Cross and refugees. And the mood just seems right.
1. I really enjoy opera. I don't particularly enjoy going to opera, but I love listening to it, especially when cooking certain dishes and hiking.
2. There was one of the most simple, but wonderful, posts yesterday by Betsy of Blog Ness Monster. The gift she spoke about is a very personal gift. The voice of a Luciano Pavarotti is a gift to the world.
3. For a lovely clip of the beauty of Pavarotti's voice, visit NYC/Caribbean Ragazza's blog and see the wonderful clip.
4. In 12th grade, my NYC school, along with 3 or 4 other NYC schools was chosen by the Metropolitan Opera to do a modified production of La Boheme, using materials and a scenario and score developed by the Met.
5. We also got to see a dress rehearsal of La Boheme, starring Pavarotti as Rudolfo, and the leads were generous enough to meet with their teen counterparts. I was able to meet with David Reppa, the Set Designer, as I was the set designer for our production.
6. The production (the Metropolitan's, not ours) was legendary and you can still buy a DVD of the production. This is a clip of Pavarotti and Placido Domingo and doing O Mimi tu Piu No from La Boheme, as Rudolfo proclaims his love for, and sorrow about, Mimi. It's from a Met Gala in 1991, complete with Japanese subtitles. Pavarotti's voice was even more lovely in 1977, from what I can recall. And no, Domingo was not with Pavarotti in the 1977 production, sadly.
7. I was not excited about opera when I was in high school, despite these incredibly rich experiences. I did enjoy the dress rehearsal we saw, and I liked listening to it on the radio, occasionally, if it was playing on Sunday morning and I was sprawled with a bagel and the Sunday New York Times.
8. I really became hooked on opera when I saw my favorite movie of all time: A Room with a View. This clip gives you both a feeling for the film and for the way it used opera.
9. The music in that movie was magnificent and my favorite piece is O Mio Babbino Caro, sung beautifully here by Kiri Te Kanawa, as she does in the film .
10. I found this piece and some others on this Kiri Te Kanawa CD, and I've played it at least once a week ever since (and that was a good 20 years ago).
11. A pure, top opera voice is a thing of indescribable beauty and the world was lucky to have had Luciano Pavarotti as long as we did.
12. As often follows with a great talent, though, his life was tumultuous, and I'm not certain those who loved him would entirely share the opinion of the world, especially his long-suffering first wife.
13. I believe, though, that sometimes it's the gusto with which you live that allows you to be a truly great artist. There is ample evidence that great creativity and great madness are linked. I believe that the idea of Bacchus may well have grown from the behavior of ancient entertainers.
14. Pancreatic cancer is probably one of the bleakest deaths and I feel very sad that it decimated this proud, over-the-top artiste. I would have preferred that Pavarotti keel over from a heart attack, at the ripe old age of 89, after having consumed a sumptuous and many-coursed meal, with sycophants and his beloved second wife by his side.
15. You Tube is filled with clips of Pavarotti (sometimes accompanied by Domingo and Carreras, the other two of the famed Three Tenors) singing Nessun Dorma, Death Watch, due to both this being one of his signature pieces and for the fact of its irony this week, but I choose instead to leave you with this clip of U2 and Pavarotti paired for Miss Sarajevo. While Pavarotti's contribution here is very brief, his voice soars to the heavens, and he was in his element - the video starts with his kissing Diana on the red carpet (he was close to her and was devastated when she died), and shows him in the middle of the glitz and glamor that he loved so much. It also is a tribute to his work with both the Red Cross and refugees. And the mood just seems right.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
10 Things I Love that Begin with the Letter "D"
Before I start my "lite-write" for today (and lord knows I needed a "lite-write" after yesterday), I thought I'd share that DS got through his first day with flying colors, and it was only a slightly nervous boy that left for school this morning. And his mom is less nervous, too. And his first day was so unusual because his school is just so darned neat, that I'm going to make that a separate entry, but I just don't feel like writing about it today, so there!
Now, on to the "lite-write":
I first saw this challenge on Anno's place, who apparently saw it on Marianne's blog (not sure how I missed Marianne's posting) http://annos-place.blogspot.com/ but in any case, here's my list:
1. My Dear Husband - D. How could any list not start without him? How could any day not start without him? He's my handsome, sexy rock, my bff, occasionally my frustration, my jokester, and I've never (or at least, rarely) spent a day regretting marrying him 17 years ago. May we have many, many more.
2. The Dixie Chicks - not only do they ROCK as musicians, but any women who can stick it to Bush and stay true to themselves and THEN win a whole mess of grammy awards has my vote any day.
3. Mr. Darcy - my ideal "man". (Especially as played by Colin Firth). Another true-to-himself kind of guy. I could do without the social snobbery, but his sense of moral responsibility and his genuine love of Elizabeth sways me each time I read Pride and Prejudice.
4. Drifting - I really love drifting down a river in an inner tube. I even like those "lazy river" things, if they're not crowded. And I love to drift as a tourist - especially in a foreign land. I like to explore in a leisurely manner, so drifting seems like just the perfect descripter.
5. Daiquiri - A frosty banana or strawberry daiquiri can instantly transport me to Caribbean vacations of my childhood. Not that I was drinking them then, mind you, but they taste to me like St. Maarten or St. Croix or Martinique in a glass. One of the first things my dad would do is to order a daiquiri on the first night before dinner. And since he was from Boston, it was daaa-kiri. He also enjoyed Planter's Punch, and so do I, but that doesn't start with a "d".
6. Dragons - my favorite mythological creatures. An especial favorite right now is Sapphira from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Trilogy. I'm also very partial to
from Kazul from Dealing with Dragons. I even have some affection for Smaug, whose "breath is death."
7. Dessert!!! Oh my goodness, dessert, dessert, dessert! And while I've always loved dessert, my tastes have changed over the years. As a child there was nothing better than a brownie sundae. These days, I'd rather have something like Apricot Chestnut Tarte Tatin from Amanda's wonderful Figs Olives Wine blog.
8. And speaking of dessert... DARK CHOCOLATE. Nothing finer. Fruit be damned.
9. David Lipshitz. Okay, so he's a character. My character from my still-unpublished YA novel A Changeling Goes to the Prom. But if I could have had my dream boyfriend in high school, David Lipshitz would probably be it (minus the unfortunate name and the werewolf thing).
10. Donuts. Yes, they're horrendously bad for you. But a dark chocolate-covered (see above), pastry cream-filled Boston Creme donut from the Crescent Bakery, warm out of the oven, is a close to pinnacle (you can insert another adjective of choice here, but there are kids who read this blog, so use your imagination) experience. Just trust me on this one.
Now, on to the "lite-write":
I first saw this challenge on Anno's place, who apparently saw it on Marianne's blog (not sure how I missed Marianne's posting) http://annos-place.blogspot.com/ but in any case, here's my list:
1. My Dear Husband - D. How could any list not start without him? How could any day not start without him? He's my handsome, sexy rock, my bff, occasionally my frustration, my jokester, and I've never (or at least, rarely) spent a day regretting marrying him 17 years ago. May we have many, many more.
2. The Dixie Chicks - not only do they ROCK as musicians, but any women who can stick it to Bush and stay true to themselves and THEN win a whole mess of grammy awards has my vote any day.
3. Mr. Darcy - my ideal "man". (Especially as played by Colin Firth). Another true-to-himself kind of guy. I could do without the social snobbery, but his sense of moral responsibility and his genuine love of Elizabeth sways me each time I read Pride and Prejudice.
4. Drifting - I really love drifting down a river in an inner tube. I even like those "lazy river" things, if they're not crowded. And I love to drift as a tourist - especially in a foreign land. I like to explore in a leisurely manner, so drifting seems like just the perfect descripter.
5. Daiquiri - A frosty banana or strawberry daiquiri can instantly transport me to Caribbean vacations of my childhood. Not that I was drinking them then, mind you, but they taste to me like St. Maarten or St. Croix or Martinique in a glass. One of the first things my dad would do is to order a daiquiri on the first night before dinner. And since he was from Boston, it was daaa-kiri. He also enjoyed Planter's Punch, and so do I, but that doesn't start with a "d".
6. Dragons - my favorite mythological creatures. An especial favorite right now is Sapphira from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Trilogy. I'm also very partial to
from Kazul from Dealing with Dragons. I even have some affection for Smaug, whose "breath is death."
7. Dessert!!! Oh my goodness, dessert, dessert, dessert! And while I've always loved dessert, my tastes have changed over the years. As a child there was nothing better than a brownie sundae. These days, I'd rather have something like Apricot Chestnut Tarte Tatin from Amanda's wonderful Figs Olives Wine blog.
8. And speaking of dessert... DARK CHOCOLATE. Nothing finer. Fruit be damned.
9. David Lipshitz. Okay, so he's a character. My character from my still-unpublished YA novel A Changeling Goes to the Prom. But if I could have had my dream boyfriend in high school, David Lipshitz would probably be it (minus the unfortunate name and the werewolf thing).
10. Donuts. Yes, they're horrendously bad for you. But a dark chocolate-covered (see above), pastry cream-filled Boston Creme donut from the Crescent Bakery, warm out of the oven, is a close to pinnacle (you can insert another adjective of choice here, but there are kids who read this blog, so use your imagination) experience. Just trust me on this one.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
DS starts high school!
D-Day.
DS couldn't get to sleep last night and had to play the music from Shrek, so he could.
I couldn't stay asleep and am up playing with the blog between 3 and 4 a.m. And the darned thing is, I know he'll do just fine and I'm up at 3 a.m. anyway.
And I couldn't manage the technical ability to post my clip below AND write a comment, so enjoy the clip below by Barenaked Ladies.
We've all been there.
DS couldn't get to sleep last night and had to play the music from Shrek, so he could.
I couldn't stay asleep and am up playing with the blog between 3 and 4 a.m. And the darned thing is, I know he'll do just fine and I'm up at 3 a.m. anyway.
And I couldn't manage the technical ability to post my clip below AND write a comment, so enjoy the clip below by Barenaked Ladies.
We've all been there.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Recipe Monday for September!
Here are some recipes we've been enjoying recently:
Apple-Cherry-Ginger Cake with Caramel Frosting
For the apple cake recipe go to the Apple-Rhubarb Cake recipe here (Just scroll down a bit - it's the second recipe in that entry). Substitute 2 cups of chopped apples for the 2 cups of chopped rhubarb, and substitute dried cherries for the dark raisins.
Here's the frosting recipe (adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion:
6 TBS butter
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 oz. milk (this can be estimated)
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is totally dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Adjust consistency with a little more milk, if necessary.
Eliane's Chunky Zucchini (or Summer Squash) Gratin
Adapted from The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
4 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 lb. zucchini, summer squash or patty pan squash, trimmed and cut into chunks
3 TBS light cream
good salt
freshly ground pepper
1 oz. grated French Gruyere cheese
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Ad the garlic and zucchini and brown for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes more.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to a gratin dish or baking dish. Drizzle the cream all over. Season to taste with the salt and peepper. Sprinkle with the cheese. Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and golden - 2 -3 minutes.
4 servings. Serve with good, crusty bread and a lively salad for a lovely summer meal.
Summer Squash Pudding - This is an old family favorite - we can't have Thanksgiving without it. It's from Elegant but Easy Cookbook by Marian Burros and Lois Levine
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Boil (or microwave or steam), drain and mash
4 large summer squash
3. Add
2 beaten eggs
2 TBS sour cream
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS butter
salt and pepper to taste
4. Place in casserole. Spread top with buttered bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Makes 4 - 6 servings.
Roasted French Bean Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan adapted from Angela Tedesco of Turtle Farm from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition
1 quart haricots verts or thin green beans, washed and dried
2 TBS olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste (and more salt if you want it)
1 TBS wine vinegar
1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
1/8 cup freshly shredded parmesan (preferably parmigiano reggiano)
1. Heat oven to 425.
2. Toss beans with 1/2 TBS olive oil. Spread them in one layer on a baking sheet; and roast on the top shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
3. In the meantime, mash the minced garlic with the 1/4 tsp salt. Add the vinegar. Whisk in the 1 1/2 TBS olive oil.
4. Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan. Make sure they don't burn or they'll be bitter.
5. Remove the beans from the oven when roasted; put them on a serving platter, sprinkle them with the pine nuts and the parmesan. Drizzle dressing over everything and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Apple-Cherry-Ginger Cake with Caramel Frosting
For the apple cake recipe go to the Apple-Rhubarb Cake recipe here (Just scroll down a bit - it's the second recipe in that entry). Substitute 2 cups of chopped apples for the 2 cups of chopped rhubarb, and substitute dried cherries for the dark raisins.
Here's the frosting recipe (adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion:
6 TBS butter
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 oz. milk (this can be estimated)
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is totally dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Adjust consistency with a little more milk, if necessary.
Eliane's Chunky Zucchini (or Summer Squash) Gratin
Adapted from The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
4 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 lb. zucchini, summer squash or patty pan squash, trimmed and cut into chunks
3 TBS light cream
good salt
freshly ground pepper
1 oz. grated French Gruyere cheese
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Ad the garlic and zucchini and brown for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes more.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to a gratin dish or baking dish. Drizzle the cream all over. Season to taste with the salt and peepper. Sprinkle with the cheese. Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and golden - 2 -3 minutes.
4 servings. Serve with good, crusty bread and a lively salad for a lovely summer meal.
Summer Squash Pudding - This is an old family favorite - we can't have Thanksgiving without it. It's from Elegant but Easy Cookbook by Marian Burros and Lois Levine
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Boil (or microwave or steam), drain and mash
4 large summer squash
3. Add
2 beaten eggs
2 TBS sour cream
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS butter
salt and pepper to taste
4. Place in casserole. Spread top with buttered bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Makes 4 - 6 servings.
Roasted French Bean Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan adapted from Angela Tedesco of Turtle Farm from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition
1 quart haricots verts or thin green beans, washed and dried
2 TBS olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste (and more salt if you want it)
1 TBS wine vinegar
1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
1/8 cup freshly shredded parmesan (preferably parmigiano reggiano)
1. Heat oven to 425.
2. Toss beans with 1/2 TBS olive oil. Spread them in one layer on a baking sheet; and roast on the top shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
3. In the meantime, mash the minced garlic with the 1/4 tsp salt. Add the vinegar. Whisk in the 1 1/2 TBS olive oil.
4. Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan. Make sure they don't burn or they'll be bitter.
5. Remove the beans from the oven when roasted; put them on a serving platter, sprinkle them with the pine nuts and the parmesan. Drizzle dressing over everything and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Soap Opera Sunday - The KGB and Me - pt. 1
Soap Opera Sunday from Brillig and Kate - find the other participants on their blogs today, and join the fun!
The KGB and Me - pt. 1
I sat across from Tanya, swirling the coffee dregs in my cup. The sun was astonishingly brilliant, the sky was blue and cloudless, and the boulevard below was covered in flowers and darting shoppers. Everyone was smiling. It was that sort of day.
Tanya and I had stopped for an after-school snack of Turkish coffee and ice cream, the two edible café items. The ice cream was delicious, if vanilla, vanilla, and vanilla, and the folks in Krasnodar were justly proud of their ice cream factory. “Is our ice cream not delicious?” was a question I was asked with some frequency.
“There was one thing I didn’t understand. Don’t understand,” Tanya slouched a bit. Her cheeks became vaguely rose. “Why do you Americans think we spy on you whenever you come here? Why would we care what you do? You’re Americans. You’re our guests; we’re happy to see you. It’s as simple as that.”
I had scoured the Soviet bookstores for a gift for Tanya. We were becoming really good friends and I wanted to share some of my favorite authors with her. Unfortunately, the foreign language literature selection at the Tsentralnaya Biblioteka was slim. Jerome K. Jerome was one of the most popular authors, and at that point, I hadn’t even heard of him. I did, however, find I Wonder as I Wander by Langston Hughes. Hughes had visited the Soviet Union during the height of its industrial glory in the early thirties. He was extremely impressed by it all; he hadn’t been taken to the bread basket of the Ukraine, where between 2.5 and 5 million people were slowly starving due to Stalin’s policies and ineptitude.
He did, however, mention the tracking that took place by the NKVD (the predecessor of the KGB), and he complained of it in the book. Tanya was puzzled by this.
“But Tanya, it’s true! We’re always followed here. Maybe not each tourist, but an important poet like Hughes, or Paul Robeson when he came here, or someone like me on a new exchange.” I put my coffee cup back in its saucer. The cheap china screeched as I did so.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” Tanya leaned back as far as she was able to in her uncomfortable, straight-backed chair. She crossed her arms and looked petulant. It was an odd sight, as she was wearing her usual, blue polyester, “teaching” suit. Given how stiff the fabric was, parts of the suit stood away from her body, as if trying to divorce themselves from what she was saying. “Why would anyone follow you? You’re a teacher. What do they think, you’d be carrying state secrets?”
“I have no idea what they think, but I know I’ve been checked on.” I traced the lace placemats with my forefinger. I tried to make my voice light. I’d already managed to offend Tanya in other settings; there was information that was simply kept from the general populace, and some things I’d said in the past had challenged her sensibilities.
Tanya leaned forward and gripped the edges of the front of her chair. “How do you know?” She almost hissed this. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or frightened.
I looked at the street below. A well-dressed woman was having an altercation with one of the “babushkas” (grandmas, pensioners) whose job it was to sweep the streets with tiny brooms. Possibly the babushka had swept up some dust toward the official’s bags or clothing, as certainly, only a high level official, or the wife of one, would be dressed as she was. Another contradiction in this “classless” society.
“Well, there was the day that a woman called across the lobby, loudly, and asked if I would bring letters to the U.S. in my luggage. And you know that’s illegal.” I looked at Tanya. She was still pressed forward in her seat.
“But that doesn’t prove anything. Maybe she was incredibly stupid.”
“Maybe, but the desk folks didn’t look shocked. Or anything. It was like it was expected. And we’d been warned during our orientation that this sort of thing would happen.”
“It still doesn’t prove anything.” Tanya’s arms and legs crossed. “So what did you do when she did that?”
“I called back, equally loudly, that I couldn’t possibly do that because it was illegal and I certainly wouldn’t break any laws in the wonderful country that was hosting my exchange.” I smiled.
“Oh, you’re learning, alright.” Tanya laughed. “Yes, we’ll make a good comrade citizen of you, yet. Come on, let’s go. It’s a beautiful day for walking the boulevard.”
We gathered up our things and started for the stairs to the street level. I was looking forward to getting out of the café and off of this conversation. I still hadn’t told Tanya the real reason I knew I was being followed.
The KGB and Me - pt. 1
I sat across from Tanya, swirling the coffee dregs in my cup. The sun was astonishingly brilliant, the sky was blue and cloudless, and the boulevard below was covered in flowers and darting shoppers. Everyone was smiling. It was that sort of day.
Tanya and I had stopped for an after-school snack of Turkish coffee and ice cream, the two edible café items. The ice cream was delicious, if vanilla, vanilla, and vanilla, and the folks in Krasnodar were justly proud of their ice cream factory. “Is our ice cream not delicious?” was a question I was asked with some frequency.
“There was one thing I didn’t understand. Don’t understand,” Tanya slouched a bit. Her cheeks became vaguely rose. “Why do you Americans think we spy on you whenever you come here? Why would we care what you do? You’re Americans. You’re our guests; we’re happy to see you. It’s as simple as that.”
I had scoured the Soviet bookstores for a gift for Tanya. We were becoming really good friends and I wanted to share some of my favorite authors with her. Unfortunately, the foreign language literature selection at the Tsentralnaya Biblioteka was slim. Jerome K. Jerome was one of the most popular authors, and at that point, I hadn’t even heard of him. I did, however, find I Wonder as I Wander by Langston Hughes. Hughes had visited the Soviet Union during the height of its industrial glory in the early thirties. He was extremely impressed by it all; he hadn’t been taken to the bread basket of the Ukraine, where between 2.5 and 5 million people were slowly starving due to Stalin’s policies and ineptitude.
He did, however, mention the tracking that took place by the NKVD (the predecessor of the KGB), and he complained of it in the book. Tanya was puzzled by this.
“But Tanya, it’s true! We’re always followed here. Maybe not each tourist, but an important poet like Hughes, or Paul Robeson when he came here, or someone like me on a new exchange.” I put my coffee cup back in its saucer. The cheap china screeched as I did so.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” Tanya leaned back as far as she was able to in her uncomfortable, straight-backed chair. She crossed her arms and looked petulant. It was an odd sight, as she was wearing her usual, blue polyester, “teaching” suit. Given how stiff the fabric was, parts of the suit stood away from her body, as if trying to divorce themselves from what she was saying. “Why would anyone follow you? You’re a teacher. What do they think, you’d be carrying state secrets?”
“I have no idea what they think, but I know I’ve been checked on.” I traced the lace placemats with my forefinger. I tried to make my voice light. I’d already managed to offend Tanya in other settings; there was information that was simply kept from the general populace, and some things I’d said in the past had challenged her sensibilities.
Tanya leaned forward and gripped the edges of the front of her chair. “How do you know?” She almost hissed this. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or frightened.
I looked at the street below. A well-dressed woman was having an altercation with one of the “babushkas” (grandmas, pensioners) whose job it was to sweep the streets with tiny brooms. Possibly the babushka had swept up some dust toward the official’s bags or clothing, as certainly, only a high level official, or the wife of one, would be dressed as she was. Another contradiction in this “classless” society.
“Well, there was the day that a woman called across the lobby, loudly, and asked if I would bring letters to the U.S. in my luggage. And you know that’s illegal.” I looked at Tanya. She was still pressed forward in her seat.
“But that doesn’t prove anything. Maybe she was incredibly stupid.”
“Maybe, but the desk folks didn’t look shocked. Or anything. It was like it was expected. And we’d been warned during our orientation that this sort of thing would happen.”
“It still doesn’t prove anything.” Tanya’s arms and legs crossed. “So what did you do when she did that?”
“I called back, equally loudly, that I couldn’t possibly do that because it was illegal and I certainly wouldn’t break any laws in the wonderful country that was hosting my exchange.” I smiled.
“Oh, you’re learning, alright.” Tanya laughed. “Yes, we’ll make a good comrade citizen of you, yet. Come on, let’s go. It’s a beautiful day for walking the boulevard.”
We gathered up our things and started for the stairs to the street level. I was looking forward to getting out of the café and off of this conversation. I still hadn’t told Tanya the real reason I knew I was being followed.
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