Footnotes to a Conversation, December 11, 2023
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Berthed Auerbach
Greetings from Polegate, just outside of Eastbourne, which is on the Channel coast. It was a wet and windy weekend in Eastbourne, the perfect opportunity to spend time in an art gallery. The Turner Prize finalists were on display at the Towner Eastbourne. I was particularly moved by Barbara Walker’s works honouring the men and women involved in the Windrush immigration scandal.
Jesse Darling’s commentary on modern society was also interesting. The lace curtain hanging below barbed wire made me think of what an effort we make to keep up appearances and to hide what is ugly or evil.
Salt & Pepper, Paprika, or Crab & Seaweed?
It’s Christmas time and UK marketers have introduced new flavours of crisps (potato chips). They sound a bit odd to me. Would you fancy turkey tikka masala crisps or duck and spiced plum? The world of crisp flavours is diverse and changes enormously from one country to another. Salt & pepper Pringles are favoured by Norwegians, oven-roasted chicken Doritos are only available in Korea, while prawn cocktail only sells well in the UK and Ireland. A lot of research goes into identifying up and coming flavours in countries around the world. Do read this article if you’re curious about the secretive work of flavour scientists. [The Guardian]
Alewives
We tend to associate beer drinking with men, but that certainly wasn’t the case in medieval times when everyone drank beer in place of water (it was usually contaminated). Women brewed beer as part of the family’s daily diet. Families would alternate between making their own and buying it from their neighbours.
“Ale-making was a revolutionary trade for women. ‘We have heard much in the recent past about the weak work-identity of women, … [how] women were/are dabblers; they fail to attain high skill levels [and] they abandon work when it conflicts with marital or familial obligations,’ writes Bennett. But for women of the Middle Ages, making ale was ‘both practical and rational.’ It allowed married women to contribute to household incomes and offered both single women and widows a means to support themselves.” [JSTOR Daily]
Magic on the Streets of London
Join Peter Grant, a newly qualified police constable and magician’s apprentice as he solves crimes and arbitrates between London’s river gods in Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s great fun. [Penguin Random House]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.