December 20, 2010

• 
  illustration by Pieter ‘t Hoen (aka Piet-Paris)

  “However, few users seemed capable of producing the the precise line-up of cards and codes demanded by the computers, which responded to the slightest infraction with sudden and intemperate error messages – making one long for a return of the surliest of humans, from whom there always remains at least a theoretical possibility of understanding and forgiveness.”

  from A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton

  But I would add that while a computer will surely change its “mind” if you do manage to come up with the right information, humans give no such guarantee.

  I went to visit my father and got into a terrible fight with my sister about the impending holiday. We snapped and snarled at each other for three hours; I at what I perceive as her New Age abdication of responsibility and she at my tendency to “rigid Christian morality.” I was livid.

  Too bad she’s right. Despite a lifetime of self-examination, I still drift towards stoicism, silently accepting my circumstance without regard to justice or entitlement. Neither rain nor sleet nor ulcer nor panic attack will convince me I’m not obligated to carry some burden. I mock people who use the word “deserve.” And I’m so consumed by fear of my own weakness, emotional martyrdom is the only thing that keeps me from being utterly despicable. (Proving you can be both dedicated to impossible codes of conduct and self-aware.)

  She, on the other hand, is much more inclined to ideas of journey and discovery. There are no Right or Wrong choices – rather one can “only do what they can do” and others have an obligation to empathize. In her mind, unhappiness is not a human condition but a problem to solve. Where I see eccentricity and a fact to work around, she sees disorder and the possibility of change. 

  We aren’t zealots, understand, and most of the time we get along very nicely – but our pet beliefs are not without teeth.

  And now I am home again, with only four days to Christmas Eve. Philosophy holds little sway over crinkly paper and gingerbread. 
  g. 

   

  Traditional German Red Cabbage

  In a 4 quart pot, melt enough butter to sautee:
  3 medium apples, peeled and sliced
  1/2 onion, chopped
  
  Add:
  1 head shredded red cabbage
  1 c red wine
  4-6 whole cloves (how much do you like cloves?)
  2 bay leaves
  1/4 c brown sugar
  1/4 c vinegar

  Have ready:
  flour or cornstarch

  • Simmer for one hour
  • To thicken, sprinkle with flour (or mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch with some water) and stir rapidly to blend. don’t start with too much, though, and add more as needed. Nothing worse than goopy cabbage.
  • Don’t eat the bay leaves – or the cloves for that matter.

   

   

   

  • 6:58 am
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