Reading

I haven’t been good with this for quite a while. I used to be a voracious reader but taking care of Jim and the dog and related duties takes its toll. That said, in one 1/2 way cross-country plane trip I devoured “Spain” by Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow. It makes me want to make Spanish foods and tells me what I’ve been missing all these years.

Olive oil, peppers, smoked paprika, I have to visit to be properly inspired. This book and the two shows I saw on PBS make me want to go to Spain and taste the flavors of the food there. Of course there is much to be savored: the people and culture and history.

I love people, food, history, art in many forms, literature and learning about everything I can, including different cultures. In less than a week, people in Scotland were stopping me to ask directions, which I gave in addition to letting them know about free adventures…

My eyes have deteriorated a bit with age, but I’m still at the lowest possible point for drugstore glasses. That said, I’m good with my prescription glasses and tend to wear them most of the time. I only need glasses for reading. And reading is the topic.

I read cookbooks like great literature. Page to page until the end. If there’s a dinner party I used to set up in bed with 7-8 cookbooks and a notebook and create a menu.

Now I cook on the fly and consult cookbooks I’ve devoured as a reference. With age and experience comes a sort of comfort in ones choices. Confession: In a pinch, when I get nervous about a group affair, I do work backwards from initial service and time everything, on paper.

We do love entertaining, but in small groups or an individual and usually for a “family” meal that might include roast chicken, stuffing, gravy, potatoes and a couple of vegetables. Perhaps store-bought vanilla ice cream with a fresh fruit coulis and berries. Complex people, simple tastes. My food rule is to buy the best, cook it simply and try not to mess it up.

What is different these days is that we read more online than in books. Much is happening in that space with Kindle II and now Google wants to digitize all books. That’s an endeavor Jim worked on years before we met. Google might be able to do it although it already comes with lawsuits by copyright holders.

I’m upset that I read nearly 100% of content of newspapers (I have many so have a broad view) but never have the satisfaction of opening the morning paper. Since many folks get their morning coffee elsewhere, why get a paper delivered? I read this morning online that Hearst’s Seattle paper, the Post-Intelligencer, may be the first major newspaper to cease printing and only deliver an online newspaper.

My home page is customized for a number of daily newspapers and market feeds. How many more trees do we need to cut down to line bird cages? That carbon footprint is hundreds of times of ours. At least you know I’m reading. Online. Cheers! Dee