Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
In the news….
I’ve been avoiding writing about Morgentaler “controversy” mainly because it’s a completely manufactured outrage coming from the singular quarters of the Catholic Church. I note it here today only because the Montreal Gazette has posted an excellent editorial on the matter.
And in other news I also think it’s a good thing that the government has announced that it’s no longer insuring mortgages with 0 money down and 40-year ammortization periods. To do otherwise just encourages the predatory lending practices that created the foreclosure crisis in the US, not to mention destroys people’s lives and credit. Not to mention the fact that 40-year ammortization periods simply hand money to banks (to build equity in that situation relies on a market continually being pushed upwards as your payments alone won’t do it).
Creepy.
It’s Thursday! Which means the weekly motherlode of syndicated advice columns to drink my morning coffee to. Today’s crop yielded the usual smattering of neurotic kinksters, traumatized 9-11 survivors and dating disaster stories – but the letter below – well, I dunno that I’ve ever seen anything that creeped me out in an advice column as much. You can read the answer at slate.com if you’re interested in how someone would respond to a stranger writing in to confess what is really a twisted obsession with another person’s life (switched at birth “she” lived “my” life). Traveled across the country? Snooped/interviewed the other person under false circumstances? I dunno. Something about this letter just tweaked me. I’m glad I’m not either of these people. You can just imagine the made-for-tv drama coming on the heels of whatever disastrous end this tale could have.
Dear Prudie,
I learned a few years ago, after both of my parents had passed on, why I had a different blood type than everyone else in my family. I was not adopted—it would have been easier to learn the truth if I had been. I was born in a really crummy hospital that shut down long ago. Someone at that hospital switched me with another newborn; there were only two baby girls born that day, and they mixed us up. It took a lot of research and a cross-country journey, but I tracked down the woman who got “my” family. Since “her” family is very close and means everything to her, I didn’t tell her what I knew. I was writing a college paper at the time; the assignment was to find someone who was born on your birthday and interview them, so I interviewed her. She and her children look exactly like the family who raised me, and when I saw her family pictures, I knew beyond a doubt; I look exactly like my birth mother. All four parents went to their graves never knowing they’d raised someone else’s child. It turns out that I have several birth siblings. I’d really like to contact them, but I have a couple of friends who tell me, “Let it go” and “Don’t mess up someone else’s life.” But my parents never gave me up! What would be a graceful way to approach this family, who has never known of my existence? I would like to help my “switchee” meet her birth family, too. She may need to know certain things about her genetic history. And I’d like to know my birth family’s medical history for the sake of my children, if nothing else.
Another day, another apocalypse
Yesterday Salon magazine ran a piece by Mike Davis about the end of the Holocene and how this abrupt departure from the climate stability we’ve known for the past 10-11,000 years means that global agriculture is doomed and the planet is going to start starving to death in the next hundred years or so. My friend Joel sends articles daily that underline this – articles about dwindling resources, how cassava may be the food to get us through the coming period of food scarcity, and his perspectives on how the only thing that can save us from mass die-off is technology, technology and more technology. On the other hand are the corporations using ecological fear-mongering to sell more and more consumer products (environmentally friendly bottled water by nestle anyone?) with governments using tax incentives to back them up (trade in your old car for a new hybrid and get cash back immediately!) in a short-sighted attempt to prop up the failing economies of the “first world”.
Not only do I find all of this overwhelming and crazy-making – but for the first time in my life I’ve started to actively avoid articles and discussion about potential apocalypse. I know – me – rabid activist and ecological dogmatist disengaging from the debate about where we go from here? After decades of having the ecological crisis ignored shouldn’t we be happy that at least the alarm is finally being sounded so we can make changes? Hm. Personally, I would rather just get on with my life in a productive and positive way without being harped at constantly about things I can’t change anyways.
Follow me here.
First of all, although the Mike Davis article clearly puts the ending of the holocene at the feet of humanity (climate change after all is entirely our fault according to many), after years of environmental readings and discussions I am not really convinced about this. The climate is definitely changing as can be seen in the altered migratory patterns of animals and the increasingly erratic weather patterns (I caution here about using weather as an indicator of climate as it is not) – and I do believe that human activites probably have some impact – but I do not believe that we are the sole cause. Remember that what marks the Holocene is an “unusual” 10,000 year period of climate stability that allowed for the development of agriculture – 10,000 years ain’t much in the history of this planet (4.6 billion years people) and it’s impossible to gauge how long the holocene “should” have lasted if no humans were in existence. Remember, lots of things (including asteroids and meteorites, volcanoes, unchecked fires, large earthquakes, etc) can trigger mass extinctions and climactic shifts – and though I suppose predictive models exist – I’m not any more convinced at those coming from the fear-mongers than I am by those who refuse to acknowledge climate change entirely. I really don’t bother with articles like the Davis piece much anymore because I can’t detect their use value between fearmongering and guilt induction – inappropriate motivators particularly in the absence of positive actions with which to move forward.
And so we have advertising bordering on the ridiculous. Witness this latest nonsense from Nestle with their new “eco-bottle” containing a smaller label and 30% less plastic. Never mind that they are still marketing a product in North America that is entirely unnecessary (remember water fountains? Notice how those are all but gone from public space and office buildings now? That’s a result of people turning away from municipal water and towards bottled water. And it’s a crying shame.) There are tax incentives available for ditching your car, no matter the age or fuel-economy, and purchasing a new hybrid machine. And earlier this year we witnessed the craziness that was people taking all their lightbulbs out of their homes to replace them with more eco-friendly versions (rather than replacing them as they wore out). This list of ecological consumer madness could go on and on – my point being that none of this really helps the environment. The companies still pollute like crazy, their products are not designed to last for any length of time necessitating continued purchasing into the future, and the amount of energy used to make a new product far outweighs any energy savings you as a consumer may rack up. And don’t even get me started on the corporate scam that is carbon-credit purchasing. You really expect me to believe that giving $50 or $100 to a private corporation to plant trees is going to help save the ecosphere? Much better that money go into a non-profit green rooves initative, or electing a progressive municipal government that believes in re-wilding parks (native plants in BC making for amazing heat sinks in innner cities which is a much better strategy than contributing towards planting in tree farm number 47).
To recap – fearmongering and guilt make us sitting ducks for advertising that preys on consumer fear, thus encouraging corporations to continue polluting and producing. Rather than devising political, non-profit strategies for reducing greenhouse gas production (like better public transit, green roofs, and real investment in parks over increased development) we are bullied into believing that our purchase of a hybrid vehicle is all we can do. If you care about the toll that driving takes? Fuck a new car – get on the bus or walk or cycle. Don’t like the amount of plastic in one bottled water over another? Take your own damned bottle. Really. It’s stupid to think we can buy our way out of this mess and it’s in a corporation’s interest to keep promoting that idea.
At the end of the day I’m not sure how much it matters that I walk to work or use a reusable coffee cup though of course if a whole city did that we would notice real improvements in air quality and a huge reduction in daily waste. But that’s not why I do it (or why I carry my own chopsticks, keep a stash of metal cutlery and dishes in my desk, or compost my organic matter in the backyard). Nor am I motivated by the fact the world might (or might not) be ending, or the fact someone’s grandchildren will inherit this mess. I do these things because they make sense to me as a person who wants to live a healthy and community-centered life. Because to walk or take the bus to work reduces my stress (driving and parking downtown being some kindof nightmare I can’t imagine taking on every day). Because I hate eating with plastic cutlery out of styrofoam when I get carry-out at lunchtime. Because compost makes for great fertilizer for my summer lettuces and radishes. I minimize waste in my home because not having to take the garbage out is one less task for me. I use biodegradable dish soap to clean my bathtub because I don’t have to rinse it as much before I know it’s safe to bathe in. In fact there are many instances where living a simpler and ecologically cleaner life is easier and more enjoyable than their consumer alternatives (not to mention cheaper).
Is the world ending? I’m not sure there’s much I can do about that. But I can be a good worker, lover, friend, stepmother, writer, artist, and community-builder. Feelings of guilt, shame, and fear, however, are counter-productive and hamper the me who wants to be positive and productive. It’s that angsting about what can’t be changed (or worse, buying into useless strategies benefitting corporations) is a waste of time. On the other hand, living cleanly, and enjoyably is a means to its own end. Which is why I’m not reading apocalypse articles these days, and I’m not going to beat myself up anymore about the end being nigh. If it is then it is. And until we govern against profit and for people there’s probably not much any of us can individually do anyways.
Orgasmic food.
I know. I know. Orgasmic food? But I am telling you people, click on that photo and you will see one of the greatest meals of my life. A simple blend of seafood tossed with pasta and some veggies sauteed in oil, basil and salt. Of course it helped that the fish was fresh and local (pricey but worth it for a special meal). And the veggies too were of good quality, bought at Donald’s on Nanaimo (we had gone that way to shop for Daytons and purchase the seafood at the Wheelhouse). Starting with good ingredients at least gives you a fighting chance at having an enjoyable food experience.
It’s been awhile since I posted a recipe here, mostly because I’ve traveled too often to cook properly in the last year or so – but since I am home for the summer and have a lovely partner to plan and make meals with I have become re-inspired in the kitchen and so will share here the meal above (from Saturday) and it’s follow-up with leftovers on Sunday night. They are only casually linked, so you don’t have to make one to make the other. The risotto can be made with pretty much any veggies so long as they are still good to eat.
The Saturday night erotic dinner encounter
Ingredients:
8 Bay Scallops
8 Prawns
1/2 pound of cod (or another white, firm fish)
1 cup dry farfalle pasta cooked
Shallots (2)
Garlic (3 minced cloves)
Olive Oil
White wine for cooking
fresh basil (3 or 4 leaves)
fresh chives (a handful)
grated romano cheese (to top the dish)
Putting this together is really very simple. Make sure the fish is all cut to around the same size because it will be cooked together. Sautee the minced garlic and shallots in lots of olive oil, a little salt and throw in a little dried herb (oregano, basil, whatever you like). When the garlic and shallots are nicely cooked, splash a little white wine in the pan and let it evaporate before adding more oil, and the cut up fish/scallops/prawns. Splash the cooking fish with more wine, the juice of a whole lemon and a little salt before putting the lid on the sautee pan for a couple of minutes. There will be about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan at this point – all wine and oil. Don’t leave this too long or the fish will fall apart – it only takes about 5 minutes to cook the whole thing. When the cooking is done, squeeze another whole lemon on the top and add the cooked farfalle to the skillet (I use a heavy cast-iron frying pan for most things). Stir it up until everything is mixed well.
Using a slotted spon, dish onto two plates, top with sliced fresh basil, chives and about a half an ounce of grated romano per meal. You will note that this is mostly seafood and only a little pasta which is the way it should be. A very generous meal for two people, it could easily be for three with the addition of a little more pasta.
On the side we satueed a red pepper, 8 shitake mushrooms and 12 asparagus spears. This was a very simple procedure, the only thing I would note is making sure to sautee the veggies in order of how long they take to cook (the order I have listed them in above) or you will end up with hard peppers and mushy asparagus. Personally I like veggies on the firm side, so not too much cooking is required and can be done alongside the seafood. Again, for two people this is generous – but even though you will have a full plate of food, you won’t want to stop eating – it is as close to an erotic encounter as I have ever had sharing a meal with someone. (Apparently my oohing and aahing during dinner was a bit of a turn-on in combination with the decadence that was the food).
At the end of the meal I had some fish/wine stock left in the bottom of the pan which I didn’t want to waste so I put it in the fridge overnight (about a cup’s worth). There was also some leftover shitake, asparagus and grated romano. As Sunday is my regular grocery day, I took quick account in the morning of what was in there to aid my provisioning for the week and found a few sad veggies in the crisper in need of eating. From that combination and a few impromptu additions, I made a simple risotto-type dish over spinach which was a close second to the previous night’s feast:
Sunday night eating alone because Brian’s leaving for New York Risotto
Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio rice (uncooked)
4 (or more) cups of stock or water. In my case I used 1 cup of the fish stock from the night before and water.
olive oil
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves, diced
fresh basil leaves (4)
balsamic vinegar
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small orange pepper, chopped
6 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 block extra firm tofu diced into small cubes
1 small tomato, diced
12 asparagus spears, chopped
spinach
romano cheese, shredded
Now I’m not sure if what I make can properly be called risotto because I’ve never learned how and I’m sure my dish would make a proper chef cringe. But whatever. It’s really yummy and I often make variants of it with whatever veggies I have at hand. If you have never made risotto you should probably know that it requires constant attention once you start cooking, so do all your prep at the outset and you won’t stress yourself out with stuff sticking to the bottom of the pan later.
Put some olive oil in a pot on medium-low heat and once warmed add the shallots and garlic. Stir that around until it’s nice and cooked, splashing a bit of balsamic vinegar in when things are looking a little dry. More oil, fresh basil, peppers and arborio rice go in now. Stir the dry rice around for a minute or two with the peppers to get it nice and toasty before adding the shitakes and then the first cup of stock (or water). Let that stock come to a boil and keep stirring while the thirsty rice sucks it up. Once your pot is getting low on liquid, add another cup of stock and keep stirring – and then repeat that with another cup, each time allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding more. At about the 3/4s cooked point (rice will still be a little crunchy) throw in the tofu and the tomato and stir some more. Add more water around now and keep stirring, making sure that the risotto isn’t sticking to the bottom (which it shouldn’t be if you have kept the heat medium-low throughout). Right at the end, add the asparagus and stir it in the hot rice and veggies until it is slightly softened.
Because I had left over spinach from an earlier dinner this week (spinach, grapefruit, red onion and avocado salad – thanks Brian!) I served my risotto over top of a cup of that and topped it with the grated romano cheese. This recipe easily feeds three or even four depending what else you serve it with – though I always think of risotto as a complete meal needing little else. In one pot you’ve got the starch, the protein and the veggies…. some fresh cut peppers on the side is always a nice touch though too.
But for the love of fabulous food I promise you will never be sorry if you make these meals with your loved one or friends. From start to finish Saturday’s dinner took 20 minutes to make, with Sunday’s weighing in at a hefty 40 minutes because it takes awhile to cook. Now I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow (and the next day) plus I get to start fresh with all new ingredients bought on the Drive this afternoon.
Beautiful new boots.
What is it about boots? I don’t covet any other footwear and never have. But shiny, black, tall, leather, brown, scuffed, parade, steel-capped, knee-high, sexy, utilitarian, macho, cutesy – boots in all their manifestations I lust after.
And yesterday I made two of the best boot purchases of my life. Daytons. The ones I could never afford but have wanted ever since I first saw them fifteen years ago in the showroom on Hastings Street. Oh yes.
My first pair of boots in my mid-teens was a cheap pair of Canadian military-issue parade boots. The kind that every nascent punk rocker wore because you could pick them up for 5 or 10 dollars a pair at the army surplus outfits. Easy to find in small sizes because they are used in the cadets by wanna-be military kids. Not particularly comfortable, you could shine them up all glossy – unlike the cheap drill boots that were easier to walk long distances in but always looked worn. For years I wore either drill or parade boots because they were accessible, cheap, and gave me the tough stompy-boot edge I was looking for in my brasher incarnation. What I really wanted was Doc Martens, but in the late 1980s there was no place to buy them in Victoria and besides that they were really expensive – $100 to $140 depending on how many “holes” they had (denoting the height of the boot).
They were, back then, the pinnacle of punk rock. Like the leather jacket and the multiply-pierced ear (or nose if you were daring) Docs were a symbol of toughness and quality. The Vibram sole in particular was the thing, you didn’t walk in those boots, you almost bounced. Or strutted might be a better way to describe the light-footed and cocky walk of the properly-decked out punk rocker. And they came in colours. Oxblood, green, blue, even pink – straight outta England to only a select few stores in the colonies. And they lasted forever.
At nineteen I acquired my first pair of these beauties – 14-hole oxbloods bought second hand from a friend for $40. The sole not quite so bouncy by the time I got them (they were probably five years old by then), I didn’t care. For they were a joy to lace up along my calves and comfortable to walk in. I realized later I was lucky to get a pair of these originals, for around the time I turned twenty Doc Marten construction had gone really downhill (likely due to outsourcing of the production), and both pairs of subsequent docs I owned (some shoes and 10-holes) were a disappointment in terms of quality and wear.
My next memorable boot purchase came in 1995 when I permanently moved to the big city. Flush with a student loan cheque I was determined to find myself a pair of tall, black and sexy in leather-form. And of course those had to be Fluevogs, because it was Vancouver after all. Disappoint they did not, as a back-to-school sale yielded a 22-hole pair of eyelet-laced black boots with a block heel and pointed toe. Paired with a short plaid skirt and a fitted black bustier, I went out to many a fetish party and club in my first months here – my cute but rowdy demeanor matching the outfit until I finally got tired of the act. The boots remained though and for the next three years I wore them every other day until a friend borrowed them and I let them go to her collection (she loved them and I was glad they went to a good home).
Since the late nineties I have not had much in the way of notable footwear. The last few years has seen the fashion resurgence of the tall, black, zippered boots which I have owned three pairs of (2 vinyl and 1 leather) all of which looked sexy as hell but none lasting more than two winter seasons. Serviceable for an outfit but not for daily wear. And last year I did purchase the best hiking boots of my life to which I wrote an ode here. Though as wondrous as they are, they have a single purpose and aren’t anything I could wear with any regularity.
During this fallow period of exciting footwear I have several times perused the Daytons store on Hastings Street and the website – knowing that while I was purchasing crap footwear the best boots ever were being cranked out of the factory only a few blocks from my home. But at three or four hundred dollars a pop, I couldn’t justify it. Yes, it is footwear that will last the rest of your life and is handmade in East Vancouver from the highest quality materials (hence the price) but really, the idea of shelling out that much at one time was too much for me to seriously contemplate.
Last week when Brian and I came back from Victoria we noticed green flyers announcing a sale at Daytons tacked up around the neighbourhood. Huh? Really? No way. Daytons rarely go on sale and even if they do have “boots for as low as $62” I’m sure I’d never find a pair in my size. I’m sure going up there will just be an exercise in futility and I’ll end up with a $400 set of footwear that I can’t justifiably afford right now. But I guess we should check it out. Yeah. Let’s just go see.
And yesterday, we did. While some of their regular boots were marked down to $100, the best deal by far was the $62 factory-seconds. That is, boots with a small flaw making them unfit for regular retail. For example – the black boots above (which retail for $320) are a size 5 but were built slightly smaller than the regular Daytons size 5. And the brown boots (which I bought for $99 but normally retail for $400) are missing some sort of inner-liner along the heel. The seconds generally come from the training of new employees who may turn out a few less-than-perfect pairs before getting the hang of boot-making as craft. Apparently these seconds really pile up in the factory warehouse and so as part of their birthday sale this year the company decided to sell them off at crazy-low prices. For $180 (including tax) I bought two pairs of boots that would normally have cost about $750. And although they are seconds, they still carry the lifetime guarantee which means that I can have them repaired, stretched or resoled at the Dayton’s factory in my neighbourhood when need be.
I could go on and on about my pleasure at this purchase. About how the boots are stiff and need to be broken in but I can tell already they will be my favourite footwear ever. And the price! Can you believe the price? But I won’t, because I’m sure you all know and you can see the photo above. By far the best quality I have ever owned, I am ridiculously excited for the inclement weather of fall so I can justify their wear. Oh yes. Beautiful new boots.
(And yes. The sale is on until next weekend.)
Red Cedar 
