The End of Food?

One reason Steven and I want to have a super duper kitchen--besides the fact that we are now fortysomethings and have earned it--is that there is so much good material available here. We've both posted before about what a great thing our local farmer's market is, and how it is full of healthful, locally-grown, carefully-grown, and nutritious stuff. Plus, having JingXia in our lives right now, considering her formidable instincts surrounding food, warrants a very good laboratory for food prep. We've been composting for quite a while now, and though we didn't have a huge garden last summer because of the move here, in summers past we have grown quite a lot of stuff in our Atlanta garden.

Anyhow, i read this really great essay in the Times Sunday Magazine called Unhappy Meals about how our food supply, eating habits, and hence health, have all become terribly debased in the past 50 years or so, mostly with the advent of Agribusiness, bad science, aka "nutritionism," and, of course, fast food. I've been reading this book about the slow food movement called The End of Food, and i'm what you'd call "ripe" for hearing the messages the book delivers. Has anyone read that, or The Omnivore's Dilemma, which the author of the aforelinked essay also wrote?

Here's a compelling quote from the essay. It's worth the read, if you are concerned about what you eat:

"No one likes to admit that his or her best efforts at understanding and solving a problem have actually made the problem worse, but that’s exactly what has happened in the case of nutritionism. Scientists operating with the best of intentions, using the best tools at their disposal, have taught us to look at food in a way that has diminished our pleasure in eating it while doing little or nothing to improve our health. Perhaps what we need now is a broader, less reductive view of what food is, one that is at once more ecological and cultural. What would happen, for example, if we were to start thinking about food as less of a thing and more of a relationship?

In nature, that is of course precisely what eating has always been: relationships among species in what we call food chains, or webs, that reach all the way down to the soil. Species co-evolve with the other species they eat, and very often a relationship of interdependence develops: I’ll feed you if you spread around my genes. A gradual process of mutual adaptation transforms something like an apple or a squash into a nutritious and tasty food for a hungry animal. Over time and through trial and error, the plant becomes tastier (and often more conspicuous) in order to gratify the animal’s needs and desires, while the animal gradually acquires whatever digestive tools (enzymes, etc.) are needed to make optimal use of the plant. Similarly, cow’s milk did not start out as a nutritious food for humans; in fact, it made them sick until humans who lived around cows evolved the ability to digest lactose as adults. This development proved much to the advantage of both the milk drinkers and the cows."

Green Eggs & Ham

Look at that yummy chartreusey ceiling! I love that green. It really is close to Green Eggs and Ham green, and the red is not far off from the Cat's Hat. The green will continue down the walls to the rail at about 4', below that, the green will switch to another shade or two or three darker. The fake beams are in place, the star chandeliers are burning. I make my coffee in that red cabinet to the right of the fridge every morning. The cereal is in the cabinet to the left. Everything is still not totally done, but it is getting closer and closer everyday!

Today I hope to finally get to the duroc surface betwixt the upper and lower cabinets. And more tiny pieces of wood will be cut and nailed in place. I've already gone through 1.5 boxes of 1,000 1" finish nails. Yes, that's right boys and girls, 1,500 finish nails, so far... and i'm not even tallying the 2" finish nails, and even a few staple nails. Staggering. Literally.

Red Hot and Cool

Just after snapping this photo just now of our cool fridge surrounded by hot hot hot, I realized our little special fresh Fluffy Butt lounging in the unmade bed (can't. be. bothered. KITCHEN.) represents the same tableau. She is to Stainless as Red 800 thread count cotton is to lacquer. Yes, I'm going crazy. CRAZY

I've dropped (accidentally of course) so many big heavy tools from up on high, I now realize--painfully--how a standard construction process would finish the floor LAST. We have so many dents and gouges in the floor now, i've started laughing each time the hammer falls again, or the air nailer, or god knows what. And since i am so intimately, obssessively acquainted with their locations and sizes, and relative effect to the whole, i'm thinking maybe i'll start naming them all. There's a triangular one i'll call Condi, a long, slight (inconsequential) one we could name George, and a big whopper that I will always spot FIRST every time i walk in the room. We'll call that one Dick.

Crazy. CRAZY i tell you.

Let There Be Light :: Day Thirty-Two

All the gobs of lighting are hooked up now, and everything is aglow. The 2 star chandeliers can't go in until the beams are placed, which can't go in until I paint the wood paneling at the ceiling (which is all finally in place now). We decided to do the 4 ceiling spaces on the diagonal... the hope was that it would be vaguely frenchey chevronesqueish, but in its unpainted state is looking more Ikea: 1976. I'm deep into getting all the tiny, nitpickey finish work done now, starting at the ceiling and working down. The soffit and ceiling are done and just about ready for paint. The hours just melt away as I do a little ADD dance, careening from outlets and wiring to ten thousand cuts for finish work to rerouting plumbing and electrical in the underneath to crying over the little hiccups. Today's hiccup: 12 glass shelves for the 3 tall china cabinets are like 1/16" too wide to fit. Honestly, after 32 days, this is the first challenge we've had that I can say is Ikea's problem and not mine. I'm going to try and find a shop in town tomorrow that can just grind two edges down a bit, but who knows how much that will cost. Or maybe i'll call Jada and see what she can do for me. Bruce told me there would be some inevitable problem with the order from Ikea, and i guess it has arrived.

1885 Ebonized Buffet

We just bought this gorgeous buffet today. I've always wanted an aesthetic movement piece, and now I own one. I have some beautiful aesthetic silver from my Mom (from her grandparents?), that'll look great in these gallery shelves. Does anyone know anything about James Schoolbred? Apparently he was a somewhat famous maker of aesthetic movement pieces in London.

Hopefully we can go pick it up tomorrow: in Lynchburg, VA, about 300 miles from here. Should be an adventure, since snow is in the forecast!

Denny Doherty, Nancy Sinatra, and the Surreal Sixties

Denny Doherty of The Mama's and the Papa's has passed away. As Homer pointed out rather recently, Denny was really "fricken cute." RIP Denny. I love all these surreal sixties videos from Hullabaloo:



Here he is, in the black vest; his solo is the "...stopped into a church, I passed along the way..." part:



I work with a young lady who is a graphic design student at OU, who looks sooo much like Michelle Phillips. Wonder if J can sing?

Here's some surreal Nancy Sinatra I randomly just saw on YouTube also. Everytime i hear this I imagine little Dawns and Tracys dancing around on sculpted green shag carpetting, doing all these crazy Nancy moves. Dig these dancers, would you! It looks like they have nothing on under those multi-colored chemises:



Ok last one, this is just too surreal not to post:

Newclipping of the Day :: It's Still About the Oil

This article does a good job of revealing the REAL reasons we are in Iraq, still:

"The Bush administration and U.S. oil companies (among others) are quite simply (and obscenely) taking advantage of an occupied, war-ravaged and internally divided nation to get control over as much oil as possible, and on the best possible terms. They are holding our troops—and the Iraqi people—hostage in order to get it. But, the removal of the PSAs makes clear that the extensive (although unreported) popular opposition and organizing in Iraq, the U.S., Britain and elsewhere against PSAs has succeeded, at least for now."

Here are 3 events--also noted in this article--happening very soon (tomorrow even) to follow in the news to find out more. I'm sure these will be all over CNN (NOT):

On January 20 and 21, people from around the country will are coming to Tacoma, Washington for the Citizens' Tribunal on the Legality of U.S. Action in Iraq. They are rallying in support of Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse to fight in the war.

On January 23, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a hearing to investigate "oil and reconstruction strategy in Iraq." This offers a critical opportunity to demand a cessation of all U.S. government and corporate influence over Iraqis as to the future of their oil.

Then, on January 27, we can join others from across the country taking to the streets of Washington, D.C. (and elsewhere) to demand the end to both the military and corporate occupations of Iraq

Glam Green!

While Steven and I are doing all this work to our house to bring it from 1925 to 2007, we would love to make the place more green. We'd be willing to spend 10% of all we are putting in, say $5k, on solar panels, a wind generator...anything that harnesses the power of the earth and uses it. But it is all so damned expensive, still. Five thousand will buy us nothing.

Announcement to the manufacturing demi-monde: I want affordable solar and wind collectors, NOT a flatscreen TV for less than $1k. Could you please offer that to me? I'll look out for your email.

Why can't feathering our nest be less sticks and mud, and more photovalics and silicon surfaces? Why does updating our house feel closer to 1925--at least in terms of technology--than to 2007?

I just read this report, and it really makes me wish we could do something. The US is so far behind in this area. Why are we so resistant to letting technology help us in this area? It seems every company offering tech here considers tech to be the latest ipod or gas-guzzling gadget machine, NOT improving the energy hogs that our nests still are. Look people, "the entire city of Reykjavik, Iceland, is powered by geothermal waters." Why can't we get away from coal and the fossil fuels? Why don't we realize what a huge growth area for business this could become?

Does anyone know if that Sharp system is available on the market? I just googled it and came up with nada, except for vague media plants like the article i'm referencing here. The article says the lowest installed cost is $31,500, which is too bad. It's a sad reflection of our culture that giant flatscreens can be had by the bundles of 30 vs. one tiny solar energy collector.

Do any of you have any green characteristics built into your homes?

Loose Canon

Bush is a loose canon. He is dangerous, and increasingly desperate. He has no intention of suddenly embracing engagement or diplomacy. He has no intention of suddenly telling us why we are really in Iraq. He will move beyond Iraq, and he will do it in our name. He will use our money to do it. He will force his way no matter who tries to call bullshit on him, and laugh it off. He says even if only Laura and Barney support him, he will still plow ahead with whatever his secret agenda is. I have never seen democracy become such a joke.

I think i'm going to suggest to Wikipedia that Bush's picture be used to illustrate an entry defining Loose Canon. I am so frightened of what he is capable of doing over the next 2 years. He is so hostile to diplomacy and engagement. He is so keen to move outside of Iraq. And he'll do it all in our names and using our money. And we will be complicit, because we are not stopping him. Thanks Keith Olbermann, for doing what you can to stop him.

Kitchen Reconstruction :: Day Twenty-Three

Well, 23 days in and things are looking pretty good. We have ALOT of finish and detail work to do, but the basic nuts and bolts are there and in place. We need to get someone who knows about gas to come hook up the range and check for leaks. I will hook up the sink and DW myself, I can handle those. I think the DW must get blocking below or something so it doesn't look quite as short as it does in these pics. Time to read the installation manual!




Now here's a pic of the corner of the sink and the stacked river rock we are planning to use as the backsplash, below the upper cabs and above all the countertop. What do y'all think? I think it will be very zen, especially when grazed with halogen lights from under the cabinets. The paper towel holder is there for reference: we are planning on a white carrera marble, similar to this thing, for all the horizontal counter surface.

We also considered doing carrera subway tile, lots of different varieties of mosaic and tiny glass tiles, but we like these stones the best. They certainly won't be the easiest to clean, given the extreme relief, but practicality has never guided our decisions too much. We also have some samples on the way that are more flat tiny river rocks, instead of these which are stacked and thus create lots of dimension and nooks and crannies. I have moved all our power receptacles up to the underside of the upper cabinets, where they will occur in a wood surface that turns into a plate rail running all the way around the space at approximately 48" above the floor. All receptacles and light switches will occur in this detail mould, rather than interupt beadboard paneling or the river rock.

Let us know what you all think of the stacked river rock... will show the other options when the last of the samples come in, and maybe we'll take a survey: that worked out well with the beadboard decision :) Whew. Off to bed.