I went look for beautiful cat pictures and the Art Institute of Chicago had several prints of Japanese woman playing with cats. Cats were brought in to help control rats and mice at some point during the 1700's. As a result the silk industry, under the control of women, grew tremendously. So, art! Courtesan and [...]
I have a cycle I go through when cooking. I find a new fun item (such as specialty flours made from heirloom wheat), or a new technique (like sourdough). I learn how to do some simple thing like make a lovely loaf of bread or irresistible pancakes. I do this for a while and then [...]
Project Gutenberg is a wondrous place to visit if you are the kind of person who needs words to flow across eyes, sometimes without much regard for the actual topic, so to speak. You know, the people who read the milk carton and cereal box at the breakfast table and learn to spell homogenized and [...]
Like many people I’m shivering inside my house these days and doing things that seem suitable for this — much colder than necessary — weather. (And I’m not an AI. I hear that AI is fond of dashes but sometimes they are the right punctuation!) For instance, I’m cooking special things. Years ago, when my [...]
I had a new thought in my ongoing bread experiments. It actually suggests that I’ve been a bit stupid. But here’s the thing. Recipes for soudough bread nearly universally suggest that you cook the bread at a high temperature for the effect on the crust, and rise, and all kinds of bready things. But! I [...]
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