What to Read Next - 25 April 2013

Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany

It's been a long time since I had read this book, and the last time I didn't actually make it all the way through it.
I almost didn't make it through this time, but I really don't like giving up, so I pressed on, and I'm pretty sure that I'm glad I did.

Delany is never a quick, breezy kind of read, and Dhalgren is about as dense as anything of his that I've read (I'll leave the Tales of Neveryon aside - that's been reviewed separately below.). When I hit the part at the end with multiple streams of narrative on the page, I wondered how long I could keep at it, but it did settle down to a readable amount.

Anyway, I really hadn't realized just how much this book had influenced my writing in A Rune With A View (2012, Grand Teuton Press). Much of the mysterious aspect of  how Jerry doesn't really know what's going on around him - while his companions seem to have a bit more of a clue - is at least atmospherically related to the way Kid drifts around Bellona in Dhalgren.

Still, unlike Delany, at least I let everyone in on what had been going on by the time the book ended; and the climactic scene in my book owes much more to Charles Williams than to Delany. In fact, it was that scene, and its very conscious debt to Williams, that was the whole point of writing the rest of the book.

But, back to Dhalgren:
I'm not sure I can recommend the book to other readers (there are simply too many bizarre and quite disturbing scenes and actions in there), but if you've read others of his books, but not this one, then you really ought to add it to your reading list.

Can anyone explain to me

why the Federal government is involved in the M1 Rail project?

Here's a 3.3 mile loop of streetcar rail along Woodward that doesn't even cross a city's boundaries, let alone any State borders.

Why does the federal government have anything to do with a 3 mile bit of rail that goes from one part of town to another and back?

Carnage du Jour - 17 April 2013

It was inevitable, really. The main question is why it took so long for this to happen.

Ah.

Let me back up and bring you in closer to the beginning.
I am, as most regular readers here would know, a fan of the meatloaf.
In fact, I consider myself a veritable meatloaf maestro, what with all the varieties and styles that I've made over the years.
Still, every now and again, a new meatloaf comes into being that is simply what always should have been.
A few examples:

• the bacon-cheddar meatloaf
• the mashed-potato-frosted two-layer meatloaf
• the spinach and mashed potato jelly-roll style meatloaf

The list is nearly endless, and yet, a new meatloaf - a true Detroit classic in the making - was ushered into this world on the 17th: the Coney Island Meatloaf.

How it came to me was fairly simple. I was casting about for meatloaf ingredients when I noticed a can of chili in the pantry. "Oh," thought I, "I should get some hot dogs when I go to the market so we can have some coneys." In that moment I could imagine a cartoon light bulb standing over my head as I realised: "I can put chili and hot dogs inside my meatloaf!"

The loaf itself was a fairly standard model; I simply split the raw mixture into two parts, hollowing out the bottom half and loading in a couple dogs and chili, then covering the whole with the rest of the meat. Pinching it together to avoid leakage, I tossed it into the oven for its 350F ride.

Tasty? You bet. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe.

Highly recommended.

Carnage du Jour - 05 April 2013

At Last!
The weather had decided that it was time for me to break out the Weber grill. I hesitated not one bit, because this also meant I could try my new chimney-type charcoal lighter!

I grabbed some nice multi-grain buns and got the other ingredients out of the refrigerator.
For the burgers I mixed 2 pounds of ground chuck, a few tablespoons of extra hot horseradish, and a teaspoon or so of sesame oil.
Before making up the patties, and while the fire got started, I let the mixture sit in the bowl so all those flavours could meld together.

mm mm good. No, that's not just for soup anymore.

As to the chimney-type charcoal starter: well, now that I know how it works, it's going to be great.
I was waiting for the flames to die down before dumping out the flaming charcoal - just as I would have waited for the flames to die down a bit before putting the meat on the grill.
It turns out that the flames are pretty much the indicator that it's time to dump it and let the fire settle in the grill.
A lesson learned.

R.I.P. Jonathan Winters

Wow.
One of the funniest men of all time has shuffled off this mortal coil.

Jonathan Winters, premiere improv artist and all-around comedian, has passed on at age 87.
He and his humor will be greatly missed.

R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher

She was a principled leader at the right time in Britain.

Perhaps some will realise what they've abandoned, now that she's gone.

Carnage du Jour - 20 March 2013

Jerk!
Oh, please don't leave, I was talking about the spice mixture, not you! You know that lovely Jamaican stuff with some heat in it, right?

Anyway, we had a beautiful piece of salmon just begging for the Caribbean treatment, so who was I to deny it?
I took a few tablespoons of jerk seasoning, made a paste with a tablespoon or so of canola oil, and rubbed it all over the salmon, letting it sit a bit to get the flavour really packed in there.
A quick sear on that spiced side first, then a flip to skin-side down and the pan hit the preheated oven.

Ah, but what to have with it? Why, coconut rice, of course.
I had a bottle of coconut extract in the pantry, and a jar of a great rice mixture, so that was what we did. The Royal Blend rice mixture (white, brown, red, and wild rices) is a quick-cooking product, so into the 2C of water I added a heaping 1/4 t of coconut extract and about a T of butter along with 1C of rice. Once it hit the boil, it simmered - loosely covered - until done. That's about 5 minutes at a guess.
I did add an extra 1/4 t of coconut extract and a scant 1/4 t of vanilla to the rice as it finished - there just wasn't quite enough of the coconut scent for my liking.
I added a pile of blanched peas and some diced cocktail onions to the rice as it finished as well. After all, one can't simply have protein and starch, right?

At any rate, the rice was delicious (it wanted a bit of acid, so a squeeze of lime juice is highly recommended), and the salmon was excellent as well.

It was like eating in Kingston, mon! (OK, I don't really know if it was like Kingston, Jamaica. The only Kingston I recall visiting is in Ontario. It's a very nice place, but I doubt that coconut rice and jerk salmon are high on the list of the local cuisine.)

Enjoy! (we did)