Cleaning out Bookmarks

April is the cruelest month, so I might be entering a hiatus in the near future. Apologies for infrequent updates, but I'll be back as soon as possible.

For now:

Will the Real Slumdog Please Stand Up? An interesting piece about the actual man who remains the only one to win the grand prize of India's who wants to be a millionaire.

If Bernie Met Dante... As a lover of the Divine Comedy (can't you tell from my blog subtitle?), I was highly amused by this article. After all, Dante's "Who's Who of Hell" consisted of his own contemporaries, so why not update with a few of our own? If you like this idea of modernizing the timeless masterpiece, also check out this interpretation.

The Greak Geek-Off: Suvudu is hosting this contest to celebrate the recent publication of Garth Sundem's The Geek's Guide to World Domination. Test your skills and see if you can win. New trivia will be posted daily, so check Suvudu for the updated link of the day.


Finally, xkcd posted this comic recently. The bibliophile/art lover/literary dork could not help sharing. :)

Tonight, Esta Noche

The bi-lingual revival of West Side Story opened tonight. The Jets will retain many of their famous songs, but the Sharks will now be singing their same songs in their native tongue--Spanish. The NYT offered this interesting review of the show.


"The gangs in “West Side Story” shocked in 1957. Brooks Atkinson in The New York Times called their conduct “neurotic and savage,” with a code “rooted in ignorance and evil.” While writing the original book, Mr. Laurents said, he at times feared they would be too unsympathetic. Now he worried about the opposite problem: that those “savages” seemed too much like benign, lovable misfits... Because “West Side Story” deals with social change, previous revivals have been burdened with a comparison between what was happening onstage and what was happening on the street, and critics have complained that revivals have seemed dated."

Yet this revival is daring, offering a fresh perspective by really allowing language to distance the gangs for the first time, unsettling or perhaps touching closer to home for the audience. I'm fascinated and I can't wait to see it.

EDIT: The Times also now has this front-page review up. Enjoy!

Asparagus Soup

One of my favorite things about Austrian cuisine is the focus on foods that are in season and using this produce for as many seasonal dishes as possible. In the early spring, we are now in asparagus season, and asparagus dishes will be all over Wien. I was craving some good Spargelsuppe, so I googled some recipes to make my own. Unfortunately, as a student lacking some key ingredients (cream), it did not turn out like the Viennese creamy version, but it was very tasty in its own right!

I modified this recipe and added/eliminated ingredients based on what I had available. I also chose not to puree my final product, so it was a very tasty chowder rather than a cream of asparagus soup.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
(opt) 3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cans full of water (about 2 cups)
(opt) 1 potato, peeled and diced
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup half-and-half (or milk)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
(opt) 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
approx. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
dash of ginger

1. Melt butter or margarine in a heavy cooking pot. Add olive oil. Add onions and chopped celery; after a few minutes, add diced mushrooms. Saute until tender. Press or thinly dice the garlic, as you prefer, and add to pot.

2. Stir in flour, mixing well. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not burn, or let it go lumpy.

3. Add water, chicken broth, and chicken soup base; stir until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes and chopped asparagus. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Drop a piece of old bread on the top of the soup to soak up any excess oils. Remove bread before next step.

4. (Ignore this step if you prefer a chowder-like soup rather than cream of asparagus). Puree soup in a food processor or blender in batches. Return to pot.

5. Stir in half and half (or milk for a thinner soup) and soy sauce. Add peppers, cloves, and ginger. Bring soup just to boil. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.



Though this was very tasty, I'm still looking for an authentic Austrian-style recipe. Might try this one next time: White Asparagus Soup.

One Bizarre Advertising Campaign

No words for this one. Just go to the site, and click all the way through. Introducing the Pomegranate Phone

The Pomegranate phone is the ultimate all-in-one device. It puts more things in the palm of your hand than you ever thought possible: phone, email, full internet browsing, camera, video, MP3 player, GPS navigation.

March Madness

In the spirit of March Madness, the fifth annual Tournament of Books is underway. The Morning News and Powell's sponsor this "tournament", with two books that were published in the past year facing off each day. So far, the winners from the first round are 2666, Netherland, and The White Tiger. Check out the standings (on the right) and check back daily to see who's winning. May the best book win!

In basketball news, a Brooklyn indie bookstore is starting a literary summer basketball league. However, only bibliophiles can join. Rather than trying out by shooting hoops, you try out by answering a set of questions, such as "Who wrote Ulysses?" and "What is J. D. Salinger’s most well-known book?". Be ready to analyze literature while dribbling.

Finally, if you know Philadelphia, check out Philly Lush's Philadelphia March Madness. Vote for your favorite places in the city and see if Mayor Nutter or the Philly Phanatic takes home the trophy.

A Writer's Haven in Paris

This writer and bibliophile is thrilled by the offer: writers in Paris can sleep at this historic bookshop for only one small cost--they must read a book a day.

During the 1920s, the famous patroness Sylvia Beach supported many aspiring writers in Paris by setting up cots between the shelves of her bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, and offering these penniless poets a place to sleep. Many great names frequented this shop, including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Thornton Wilder, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce (Beach helped publish Ulysses, widely regarded as one of the greatest works in the world, when no one else would).

The current Shakespeare & Company (since 1962) continues Beach's tradition. Food and a bed are offered to writers, and their only rule or cost is that they must read one book every day. The Guardian recently visited the shop and wrote a great article about the unique bookstore. Down and Out in Paris: Revisiting Shakespeare and Company

Sounds like my kind of place. Definitely worth a visit when I finally make it to Paris.


A writer's cot among the shelves of Shakespeare & Co.

Check out the full list of some of the Most Interesting Bookstores of the World.

Extreme Group Bridge Jumping?

There's a new extreme sport in town, taking bungee jumping to the next level by adding a bridge, a solid river of ice, an oncoming train, and 20 of your closest friends:

English Russia >> Group Rope Jumping

More bridge photos at their source (here), but the site's in Russian.
(Credit for this find to kottke)

It's all Chinese to me!

Language Log has put together this very interesting chart of incomprehensible languages. In English, our idiom references Greek as the stereotypical incomprehensible language, but many other languages might say it sounds like Hebrew, like Chinese, or even like Spanish.

Check it out: The directed graph of stereotypical incomprehensibility

(Thanks, Steve!)