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Charles

Beef Brisket

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In 1969, Georges Perec published La Disparition, a mystery novel of sorts.  The book centers around the disappearance of Anton Vowl, and traces his winding path through the various chapters of his life – though chapter five is omitted.  La Disparition, or “The Disappearance,” is a story and not a story.  The novel tells a tale, but also functions as an exercise.  Which captures the essence of Georges Perec.

Georges Perec belonged to OULIPO, a workshop of famous French authors.  The workshop for potential literature (Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle) was both a place and a style.  One of its co-founders, Raymond Queneau, published Exercises de Style, in which he wrote the same story ninety-nine different ways.  This was hardly unusual.  Perec, Queneau, and the other members delighted in wordplay.  They wrote …

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Butternut Squash Layer Cake

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It’s easy to get side-tracked in this modern world.  Text messages, phone calls, and e-mails demand our constant attention.  Or, as it may be, distract our attention from the tasks at hand.  Answering e-mails, flowing with the speed and strength of an angry river, evokes a triage center, with each incoming e-mail mentally sorted by its degree of urgency.  Phone calls and text messages are no better, and the dangers associated with driving and phoning are well-documented.

Video games and the Internet are different species of the same beast.  Punching controller buttons will always be more entertaining than punching the clock.  And when the project at hand is growing tiresome, the browser icon is always a quick click away.  There is always a headline to read or a score to check.  There is always something out there, in need of your attention.

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow this post got neglected.  I should, of course, distinguish between…

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Hand-Dyed Eggs

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One of the things I most admire about man, is his ability to create art – his penchant for creativity.  Art is, of course, a loose term, as anyone who has visited a modern gallery knows.  One man’s junk will always be another man’s treasure.  A piece of art will always be undervalued to one and overpriced to another.  But that’s not really the point, at least as I see it.

For me, the point is to discover what I consider to be art, to stumble upon a work and to declare it, by my fiat alone, some thing of genius.  In the world of architecture, I throw that label on Santiago Calatrava, whose sweeping shapes and arcs on the Milwaukee Art Museum take the viewer from one work of art into another.

In the world of literature, I favor From Paris to the Moon, a work of non-fiction that captures …

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Quinoa Meal

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Relationships are like cooking.  Just as recipes often require staple ingredients, so too are relationships built on certain foundational elements.  But, beyond the basics, the thrill of cooking resides for me in the unexpected combination of ingredients.  The way a sprinkling of cayenne pepper intensifies chocolate with its smoky spice.

Charles and I share many ingredients between us: a love of writing and cooking (and a sometimes bossy attitude in the kitchen!), a creative eye, an interest in obscure documentaries, the desire to wander new cities by foot, and the legal profession.  And while I cherish our similarities, my life has been enriched by our unique ingredients.  Charles was raised Jewish in New Orleans and with several siblings, whereas I grew up in Washington, D.C. as an only child from an Irish Catholic family.  Together, we’ve incorporated these traditions, yielding a flavor that is complex, new, and wonderful.

Last March, we tried our hand at hamantaschen in honor of Purim.  In December, amidst law school final exams, I enjoyed…

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Brown Rice Pudding

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In my legal world, I’m accustomed to starting things fresh.  Every case requires its own study; every case presents its own facts and presentation of the law.  It’s why the Circuit Courts can direct their District Courts in opposite directions.  It’s why a simple car accident can take its litigants to the Supreme Court, and it’s why the Justices there can split their vote.  Even the same case presents itself differently to different viewers.

Last week, I should have brought this understanding to my cooking world.

After making rice pudding with white rice, I copied the recipe …

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