06.01.08
Posted in Books, Local Food, Musings at 8:54 pm by trueepicure
I’m currently reading The World Without Us
. It’s a really fascinating discussion about what would happen if humans disappeared from the planet. I never really think about how much we have engineered the world for our purposes, but this book does an excellent job of describing how much we have invested in making our world habitable, and how our making the world habitable has pushed us into making the world inhabitable.
I found out today that Gary Paul Nabhan has another book out that I need to read. Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods
sounds like an extension of his book Coming Home to Eat
, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
In between all of the books, we’ve been having some wonderful meals. My last two trips to the farmer’s market and our visit to Eastern Market last week, have morphed into several delicious meals, including an impromptu lunch of whole wheat pasta, goat cheese, and local asparagus and tomatoes. A lovely oil and vinegar dressing with a red onion (probably from Georgia) tied the whole thing together for a truly satisfying and fairly healthy meal. We finished the last of the eggs from Smith Meadows Farm this morning, so I have to make a trip to the market next week for sure.
6/2/08 ETA to add correct link to Smith Meadows Farm
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04.28.08
Posted in Books, Musings at 4:14 pm by trueepicure
It’s been a busy couple of months, and there are lots of projects happening at Chez True Epicure.
- I’m taking a sewing class - my ultimate goal is to be able to sew myself the perfect pair of pants. In the meantime, I’m learning how to read a pattern and sew straight lines.
- I’ve started a secret project for a good friend. I can’t show it on my blog until it’s mailed out, but you might be able to get a peek on Ravelry if you’re a member.
- I’m spinning up some lovely BFL that I purchased from Woolarina at the Homespun Yarn Party. Whee!
- The book count is currently 25 - halfway to my year’s goal, and it’s only April! For those of you who are interested in what I’ve been reading, I’ve included the list of March and April’s books, or you can take a look at my GoodReads page for more detail (author information, my rating, etc.)
April
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime
Codex
Silver On The Tree (Dark is Rising book 5)
The Grey King (Dark is Rising book 4)
The Christmas Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (Elm Creek Quilts Novels)
Notes From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles
March
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Greenwitch (Dark Is Rising book 3)
The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising book 2)
Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising book 1 )
The Quilter’s Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (Elm Creek Quilts Novels)
Circle of Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (Elm Creek Quilts Novels)
The Runaway Quilt : An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
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02.27.08
Posted in Books, Musings, Vent at 10:49 pm by trueepicure
I went to the library today to pick up a couple of books for the weekend. I’m about to finish the book I’m currently reading, Notes From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles
by Adrienne Zurub, so I need some new stock. As I walk into the library, I am greeted by signs everywhere , indicating that cellphone usage is strictly verboten and that phones should be turned off or set to vibrate.
I walk in, pick out a couple of books, and head to the check out counter. As I’m waiting patiently to check out, a cell phone goes off very loudly. I didn’t have a problem with the fact that the phone rang, stuff happens and people forget to turn their phones off. I’ve forgotten before myself. I can but I DO have a problem with the fact that the woman ANSWERED the phone and proceeded to talk on the phone for several minutes, all the while telling the person on the other end that she was in the library, and she had to get off the phone. SO WHY DID YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE IN THE FIRST PLACE??! Duh. Turn the ringer off or take the phone outside, but don’t answer the phone in an area that is specifically off-limits. Sheesh!
One of the things I love about a library is the quiet that allows time to stand still for a while, while you are picking out your next ticket to another world. We did fine without phones in libraries before… ugh. Nothing is sacred.
On a happier note, I’ve gotten a good bit of reading done in the last couple of months:
- The Sugar Camp Quilt
- Atonement: A Novel
- The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- The Birth House
- Ptolemy’s Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy - Book 3)
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01.06.08
Posted in Books, Musings at 10:32 pm by trueepicure
I finished Ptolemy’s Gate 
on Friday night. A great read all around! Mystery and science fiction combined in an alternate reality London where magicians rule the world. I was pleased with the consistency of the series, although I felt frustrated at the end of this one because I wanted the ending to incorporate some ends being tied up in a different way. You can’t have everything, however, so I’ll just have to be pleased with having enjoyed three books in a row. 
Up next… well, I don’t know yet. I’ll know by the time I go to work tomorrow.
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01.01.08
Posted in Books, Musings at 10:07 pm by trueepicure
So, my blogging habits haven’t been up to snuff for any of the challenges lately, but I will definitely be trying to post more frequently this year. I think, however, that 50 books is a manageable task. I love to read, and I would almost rather be reading than doing anything else.
I started Ptolemy’s Gate (third book in the Bartimaeus trilogy) on Sunday, but I haven’t gotten very far, so I’m going to consider this Book 1. Once I’m done, I’ll give you the details, but the fun is already afoot!
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05.10.07
Posted in Books, Musings at 9:06 pm by trueepicure
Twinkie, Deconstructed
: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats (Steve Ettlinger)
I’d seen this book on a couple of different blogs, and I thought it would be a really interesting read. Turns out it is interesting and enlightening. Ettlinger presents the Twinkie as a vehicle for understanding what happens to our food before we eat it. It’s an interesting and somewhat frightening book that I really encourage you to read. It’s not at all gross like Fast Food Nation
sometimes was, so you don’t need to worry about that. Did you know that some of the oils we eat (soy, for example) is extracted from the plant using hexane, a product of natural gas and a common component of gasoline? It kind of puts another spin on the idea that we are addicted to fossil fuels.
If you’re needing a Harry Potter fix, check out the His Dark Materials Trilogy 
: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass (Philip Pullman). I will tell you, do not read The Subtle Knife without having The Amber Spyglass close at hand. The ending of the Subtle Knife is more like the edge of a cliff, not the edge of a knife.
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