VegetaSoul Searching

My adventures to discovering and enjoying my soul through reading, music, and good food.

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I’m about to read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle…

…and the plot summary on Wikipedia is this:

The novel is about a low-key unemployed man, Toru Okada, whose cat runs away. A chain of events follow that prove that his seemingly mundane boring life is much more complicated than it appears.

Awesome. Thanks for not giving it away.

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this makes me happy

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Clickee Me Spent the better part of Sunday watching movie after movie with my sister who is visiting from the East coast for the weekend. Crazy Heart is magnetic, and Jeff Bridges is as charming and charismatic of a leading actor as this movie could hope for. Also, did you know that Colin Farrell can sing? Because he can, and well. 
Clickee Me Finally, I’ve seen a movie in Chicago. Beautifully shot. Fascinating take on celebrity culture. Love Michelle Williams, still not positive about my feelings about Marilyn. 
Clickee Me On Harriet Beecher Stowe in Paris:She had become increasingly interested in art. So the Louvre occupied the greater part of her time. She knew nothing of the “rules of painting,” as she said, but confident in what she knew of the art of literature, she compared the painters who most strongly appealed to her to one of another of her favorite writers. Rembrandt struck her as very like Hawthorne, for example. ‘He chooses simple and everyday objects, and so arranges light and shadow as to give them a somber richness and a mysterious gloom. The House of Seven Gables is a succession of Rembrandt pictures done in words instead of oils. Now this pleases us because our life really is a haunted one. The simplest thing in it is a mystery, the invisible world always lies round us like a shadow…’ There were no paintings in the museum to which she returned as often as those by Rembrandt. Rubens—“the great, joyous, full-souled, all powerful Rubens!”—whom she loved no less, was like Shakespeare, she decided. Yet Rubens bothered her. He was full of “triumphant, abounding life, disgusting and pleasing, making me laugh and making me angry, defying me to dislike him.” ‘Like Shakespeare, he forces you to accept and forgive a thousand excesses, and uses his own faults as musicians use discords only to enhance the perfection of harmony. There certainly is some use even in defects. A faultless style sends you to sleep. Defects rouse and excite sensibility to seek and appreciate excellences.’ David McCullough, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, 215-216
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when does it ever end well? i mean if it ends, then it’s not ending well, it’s ending! and if it keeps going then it’s not about ending. so i suppose, the ending is usually of an unwell kind, no?

Clickee Me The Secret Garden written by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, one of my favorite Broadway cast recordings of a touching story about second chances. Rebecca Luker’s voice is phenomenal and beyond comprehension, John Cameron Mitchell is so so different from Hedwig but forever charming as Dicken, Alison Fraser is super sassy, and “Lily’s Eyes” (with the exception [or maybe because] of Mandy Patinkin’s hilariously premature ‘SHE!’) is one of the most melodic, luscious, and beautiful duets. Definitely worth a listen for Broadway fans looking to expand their repertoire.
Clickee Me As I have ardently told some people, Grant Achatz is one of my heroes. I don’t have very many heroes; in fact, when I had this realization, I actually took time to sit down and think about who these people were in my life! I think that this is partially due to my own slow trek to learning about who I am; the more sure I become of what my passions and morals are as a human being, the more I am able to actually find others who have more developed versions of those characteristics of whom I can admire and aspire to be. In regards to Acahtz specifically, he is a world renown chef who had been in the news recently for overcoming tongue cancer. A chef with tongue cancer? To say it is ironic is in and of itself a cliche. What makes him so inspirational to me is that he never stopped fighting. He’s famous now, I’m sure he’s making tons of money (well, who knows?), and he receives loads of recognition for his amazing food, but of course, his path was never easy. He took a risk and many sacrifices to follow his dream to be the best chef in the world. He worked difficult jobs, dedicated every hour of his day, yet still was perceptive and mature enough to know when he needed to move forward or turn down an opportunity that did not fit in his vision for himself. He thought about himself, he listened to himself, and he responded to his environment accordingly. His story is phenomenal, and this book/narrative is one of the most engaging and easily readable biographies I have read in a long time. I never once fell asleep on the train reading this book and often wished my commute was longer so I could read more of this book! His words make me want to fight and push myself to identify what my passions are and how I can forge a path to reach them. I hope anyone who is struggling with their own life has the good fortune to pick up and read this book. Coupled with Steve Jobs’ Stanford graduation speech that is circulating the web in memoriam of his life, it is the proof and text of how to reach one’s dreams.  Now, if only a meal at his restaurants Alinea and Next which are in Chicago (!) weren’t so amazingly expensive. My ultimate birthday present would be to have a meal at either of these places. The decision is very much open ended as of now…
Clickee Me Damen Blue Line El stop, 6:30 AM
Clickee Me This past weekend I volunteered with Slow Food Chicago at the preSERVE garden. I along with ten or so other people were put to work to harvest sweet potatoes! Look at how many there are! And this was only a quarter! I took some home and made sweet potato chips with them. Unfortunately I sliced my thumb a bit on the mandoline and kept burning a portion of them in the oven. Argh! Ooh well, the ones that worked out were so delicious :)
Clickee Me HOMEMADE POPCORN. Absolutely the best. Tried a new cooking method and it worked magnificently after some apprehension. Heat pot and then add two tbsp of vegetable oil. Put in three kernels, and when one has popped, remove from heat. Immediately place 2/3 cup of kernels into pot and shake until kernels cover the bottom of pan evenly. Put back on heat at medium-high. Wait. My pot has a clear cover so it was super fun to watch them pop. It’ll take some time before they start popping, so have faith! Don’t shake the pot. Remove from heat when 2-3 seconds pass between pops (or the pot overfloweth as above). Serve immediately. Toss with sugar, cinnamon, and salt (about half to full tbsp each) when hot and to taste. Or eat it without any seasoning because hey, sometimes I like eating things that taste sort of like cardboard :)
Clickee Me Indian food week 1. Vegetarian baigan ka bharta aka mashed eggplant. One of my favorite vegetables! This was so good…but way too spicy such that I had to wear glasses for a day because my eyes would burn powerfully when j put my contacts in. Now, they just burn for 5 seconds and I don’t have to cry for five minutes.