New Things Month Week 2!

Here's week 2 of New Things Month 2014!

April 9: Read the last page of a previously unread work of fiction

Kate:

In the Fall, by Jeffrey Lent

Just reading the last page of a novel is extremely confusing. Why is the whiskey stashed with money in the car? Are Glow and Lovey animals? Is this supposed to be the emotional climax of the previous 510 pages? It was a nicely written scene but so devoid of context and therefore meaning: “And then knew he could not leave here, and this had nothing to do with trust and all to do with her.” Right.

Then I read the back cover, which explained that the novel was set after the Civil War which created even more mental whiplash as I’d been picturing a 1950s scene with a car and a ranch style house. Anyway, despite the confusion, I still enjoyed the scene, and I feel like I could go back and read the book without having the ending revealed, as it’s clear to me that understanding the context behind this heavy, thick last page would be the reward.

Jimmy:

Teaching English to high school students, I know the peril that can come with a spoiler, when half of The Great Gatsby is left to be read. Myself, at the time of this New Thing, I was embroiled in the middle of Cloud Atlas, and was kicking myself for having glanced at the Wikipedia page on it. So a part of me was quite nervous about the impending purposeful spoiling of a novel

On the other hand, I wasn’t so worried, because it would seem very odd to me if the last page of a novel really contained much of the climax or even resolution of a novel, and so I didn’t expect to find anything too earth-shattering there.

For my novel, I chose Boudica, a historical novel about a pre-Roman queen in England who was known for her prodigious battle skills. The book I had picked up in Ireland several years before. It had interested me because of its Celtic cultural links, and I’d been vaguely hoping to read it at some point.

When I flipped to the last page, I found a vicious battle scene. It seemed to glorify the brutality and violence, which I suppose may well have been historically accurate. To me, though, it was fairly off-putting. As a thematic ending to the book, if that is the direction in which we are heading, I confess that now I am less interested in reading it than I was before.

 

April 10: Make a dorky postcard and send it

Kate:

Sent to my brother! The dinosaur was a combination of things I found online when I searched for “dorky postcard.” Results included lots of animals with scarves, and a really ador(k)able T-rex with hipster glasses. I took the best of the best and shipped it off to someone I knew would appreciate the sentiment, without asking too many questions. 

 AND, I just received this lovely (and dorky) postcard from Jimmy! 

April 11: Cook with Capers

Jimmy:

This New Thing was actually on our list last year, but somehow, neither of us accomplished it then! So this year, Kate and I decided to go for another attempt.

In anticipation of the big day, I purchased a portion of the brined flowerbuds at the grocery store a few days in advance. Swimming in their balsamic brine, I felt a bit nervous. I had been warned by Taren that Capers were quite unpleasant, and I hoped I wouldn’t regret cooking with them!

The day of the event, I searched through troves of recipes. Here are a few vegetarian ones I found that appealed to me, and my accompanying notes:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/sauteed-red-bell-peppers-_n_1057008.html - looks good, but might be more of a side-dish

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/the-piazza-family-sicilia_n_1151666.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/white-bean-panzanella-sal_n_1057612.html - would enable us to use more of that parsley and some basil

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/asparagus-with-shallot-ca_n_1060889.html - looks pretty simple, although it might be nice to wait with this one until it's really asparagus season - right now all the asparagus I'm seeing is coming from Mexico

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/penne-with-fresh-ricotta_n_1057688.html

In the end, the capery dish chosen was the last one on the list: Penne with Fresh Ricotta, Capers, Lemon, and Chilli. Wanting to do the thing proper, I started out by making a batch of ricotta from a gallon of whole milk. I hadn’t made ricotta from whole milk before (previously I’d used whey, which gives a lower yield), but it was simple and quick, and the ricotta then became the base for the rest of the meal.

Working with those capers was quite bizarre. I read that they’re generally drained and rinsed, and so I emptied them into a sieve. Here be those capers:

I tried one. How pungent! But also, not bad! It amazed me how much flavor could be packed into those little flower buds.

In the end, the dish turned out so good.

Here it is.

Definitely the most elaborate pasta dish I’ve ever made, but definitely worth it too. Capers are my friends after all.

April 12: Record an original song

Last year, Kate and I worked hard to bring you “Gordi Triumphant.” This year, we decided to branch out into the realm of smooth jazz.

It had been a lot time since jazz band in 8th grade for me, and so the results on my end, at least as far as the whistle and mandolin were concerned, were questionable. Kate’s guitar really pulled things together, and the lyrics I think ended up working pretty well.

We give you now, “The New Thing Blues.” Enjoy!

April 13: Use feet for things we normally use hands for

An obstreperous young lover once said this to his lady: “Let lips do what hands do.” Kate and I thought that might be going a bit too far, so we decided that on this day it shall be proclaimed:
LET FEET DO WHAT HANDS DO.

The results?

Kate’s Assessment:

NOT WORKING VERY WELL

However improbable, I was successful in taking a sip from this foot-held waterbottle. And also completed a rigorous set of lower body weight lifting this morning. I also picked some clothes up off the floor and put them in a drawer, all with my feet!

New Things Month 2014: Week 1

In April of 2008, Kate and I embarked on our first month of New Things. In the six intervening years, tides have rolled us hither, yon, and cast us hundreds of miles apart. And so now, we've kept up New Things Month as a way to keep close to each other. Though I be in Minnesota and Kate in Massachusetts, it is fun, comforting, and gives me a smile to know that a half a continent away, my friend is being goofy, and trying new things, with me.

We agreed this year to be more systematic about our documentation, and so we've been, as much as possible, keeping photo evidence of each day. We'll be posting entries once a week here. Do enjoy, and do consider trying a few New Things of your own.

Sincerely, Jimmy

APRIL 1 - Scientific Betelgeuse predictions!!!

Jimmy:

Betelgeuse, a relatively near red-giant star, has long fascinated the minds of earth. When will it supernova? Kate and I decided, for the first New Thing of the 2014 edition, to conduct a scientific inquiry into the matter and determine when Betelgeuse was, in fact, likely to bid us farewell.

On the night of April 1st, I went outside to investigate. I stood in the darkest portion of my apartment complex I could find and located Betelgeuse, perched just above a neighboring building.

“When will you supernova?” I asked.

The night was cool, but a wonderful reprieve from the long winter, and being outside felt wonderful, freeing, and calming. I waited for an answer. Then I understood that Betelgeuse will simply supernova whenever it wants to, and that is okay.

Thank you, Betelgeuse, for being here. : )

Kate:

The important idea in the second image is that Betelgeuse’s supernova will be inadvertently man-made, an unforeseen twist of fate in the drama of THE UNIVERSE. Also that stars look surprisingly similar to oranges.

APRIL 2 - Learn a new constellation

Jimmy:

Unfortunately on April 2nd of this year in Minnesota, it was cloudy! Luckily, a nifty star-chart app on my phone assisted me in seeing some stars anyway. I searched around for an interesting-looking constellation and came across THE HARE:

The Hare, I learned from Wikipedia, is quite an old constellation. It was named by Ptolemy in the 2nd Century, and endures today as one of the constellations recognized by the astronomical community. Good old Lepus will, hopefully, endure both in the skies and my heart.

APRIL 3 - Do some learning about new fruit:

Kate:

Durians are known as KING OF THE FRUITS so I wanted to finally eat one, or so I thought...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says:

... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia.[29]

After doing this learning about, I was convinced not to go ahead with my bold plan. Instead, I broadened my search with the help of this excellent resource, and repaired to my local grocer and later, Whole Foods to purchase an innocent mango, and also a guava.

http://list25.com/25-weird-and-exotic-fruits-from-asia-youve-probably-never-heard-of/

Jimmy:

While Kate occupied herself with durians, I scouted the grocery store for an exotic fruit and came across these carambolas, also known as star fruits. I learned that star fruits, native to Southeast Asia, are enjoyed now in many places around the world and are cultivated in Asia, Mexico, Texas, and Florida.

The first star fruits were introduced to the United States decades ago. The variety that was introduced here was actually quite unpleasant tasting, so the fruits were used almost exclusively for ornamentation. Selective breeding, however, produced the variety of star fruit now consumed as food in the United States.

I had heard of star fruits before but had never seriously considered buying or eating one. That all changed on this 3rd Day of April, 2014

APRIL 4 - Cooking something with said new fruit:

Kate:

The Guava I bought wasn’t quite ripe yet, so I started looking for MANGO recipes and found the following: Mango Curry with Summer Vegetables

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Spicy-summer-curry-319196

I substituted seitan for tofu and omitted coriander. The mango didn’t penetrate the curry as much as I’d hoped, but the bites with mango chunks were extra delicious.  

Jimmy:

My bit of culinary adventure was less ambitious than Kate’s. After investigating a few star fruit recipes, I did notice a trend: star fruit seems to frequently be paired with seafood! So on a trip to visit my parents for dinner that evening, I brought these fruits along!

“Let’s eat salmon,” I said, knowing my parents usually keep salmon in the freezer for a quick, healthy dinner. I sliced up my two star fruits and placed them atop the salmon fillets, toasting them just for the last ten minutes or so of cooking.

The star fruits have a mild flavor similar to a lemon, and their pulp has the texture of the inside of a grape. I think my star fruits were not quite ripe, but even so, the star fruits and salmon were delicious together, and I may well give this another go.

APRIL 5: Speak in Rhyme

Even though rhyming is fun

It’s something that isn’t often done,

And unfortunately on this day,

I’m slightly embarrassed to have to say,

That much rhyming did not occur

Despite its significant allure.

Perhaps next year we’ll better fare

And not receive a hostile glare.

APRIL 6: Visit an unfamiliar neighborhood

Jimmy:

Luckily, last August I moved from the west side of the Twin Cities to the east, landing myself in the midst of a sea of unknown neighborhoods. I suggested to Taren that we might investigate a neighborhood close to where he lives, and he whisked me away to the lovely Highland Park.

Highland Park is a neighborhood of about 20,000 people situated just north of Fort Snelling on the Mississippi River. It has commercial and residential areas and, as I learned in some spot-research, was once home to a Ford assembly plant.

Here are some pictures I took around Highland Park:

The Highland Park cinema

Some very cute houses

Community life around Highland Park

Kate:

Kittel and I went to brunch in Kendall Square, and then to the MIT Museum.

This is a neighborhood that I have been to before, but we walked through a new part of the MIT campus, and sit outside for quite a while waiting for a brunch table, a good opportunity to take in Kendall Square.

Here’s a map of our journey!

APRIL 7: Let a coin plan your meals

Kate:

For breakfast, I let a coin choose between the following: Banana, Granola, Yogurt, Toast OR Guava, Cottage Cheese, Bagel. The coin chose the former. For lunch, I let it determine whether I should have pita bread or rice with my leftover mango curry (it chose pita bread). And for dinner, things got a little more extreme. I addressed every item in my refrigerator (except the special gluten-free food) and asked the coin whether or not I should include it in my meal. This process resulted in the following selections: Peanut butter, humus, salsa, pesto, cream cheese, tofu, lemon juice, milk, pasta, pasta sauce, spinach, thyme, kale, bread, carrots.

This was too much food to eat in one meal so I bent the rules a little bit and made myself pasta for lunch the next day with the pasta, pasta sauce, lemon juice, thyme, and kale. Then I set about making a sandwich with the rest of the ingredients. I fried the tofu and put condiment like things (salsa, hummus, pesto, cream cheese) on the bread. I ate the carrots with peanut butter and drank some milk to wash it all down. My dinner was a little weird (ok it was really weird) but undeniably more thrilling than most, thanks to the squirrely coin.

Jimmy

Once again not as ambitious as Kate, I began my morning with a coin flip for breakfast: would I have hash browns, or would I have oats?

The coin determined that I was to gorge myself on oats.

“Oats” is a dish I prepare most mornings for breakfast in which I mix a number of various breakfast-dry-goodies together. It usually includes roughly…

⅓ cup granola

½ handful dried apples

2-3 spoonfuls raisins

2-3 spoonfuls flax seeds

Whatever space is left in the (large) bowl, fill with rolled oats

Pour in some milk

Heat 2 minutes in microwave

Add about ⅓ cup plain yogurt

EAT.

Given the changeable nature of “Oats,” I asked the coin which type of granola I would eat (I had two types that morning). It determined that I would have blueberry flax seed granola. So I did.

Lunch I packed based not on the coin, but rather on what was in my fridge. :( Sorry, coin!

But for dinner, I did let the coin choose. Before leaving work for the day, I found two appealing recipes: Scrambled Grains with Mushrooms, an old recipe of my mom’s, or this Asparagus Souffle!

I took the coin from my pocket. I flipped it into the air. Cylindrical metal met desk, met carpet, bounced, flipped, and lay still. And that coin proclaimed: “MAKE ASPARAGUS SOUFFLE!”

I was secretly pleased.

And then I made asparagus souffle.

It looked like this:

It was vividly green, radioactively green, even. And for it, quite delicious!