Kitchen House

This month we shared The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, a historical fiction about an Irish orphan raised with the slaves in a plantation kitchen house in the old South.

Overall the group loved the book.  It was a real page turner with lots of action, drama, and emotional content.   But what a terrible time and place to be a woman!   Even the wealthiest white women had a serious lack of choices and power in this story.   It reminded everyone how hard change is to actually get into action...that for the dis-empowered, standing up to institutions can be mortally dangerous. 

A suggested companion read for this book is the time-travel story Kindred by Octavia Butler, which is a good reminder of how even with contemporary attitudes and education, a woman brought back to this time would be in a hard place indeed.

Some of us also felt that Kitchen House was a reminder that we are losing the art of letter-writing, and the personal documentation that goes with this.  Without such letters Lady from Savannah (the Juliet Lowe story, recommended by Madeline), could never have been written.

There were some frustrations with the book.  How could Livinia be so naive?  How could she not know more than she did?  It seemed unrealistic.  Marshall's death was surprisingly violent, but at that point the author must have been ready to be well and done with him!  Rankin was so slimy and hateful...more of a caricature of a bad guy, or was he realistic for someone who would take on that job?

We debated if Marshall killed Lavinia's first fiance, who killed Rankin, and how could no one smell the tutor in the outhouse.   Also, would Lavinia have really transitioned from the kitchen house, to schooling, to living in a big house so easily?  It seems like there should have been more struggles in that process.

We really wanted for things to work out for poor Will, and were impressed by how Lucy developed as a character.

The last thing we discussed was how  institutionalization used to be so HUGE in America, with anyone blind, deaf, mentally ill or slow was simply locked away.  Dawn highly recommends The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon to get a feel for this sad era of our history.

As usual, the food was a delightful feast. 

 
Katie brought a delicious green salad with poached eggs, and wonderful fresh cherries.

 



 


Barbara  – cornbread 
 

Dawn – chicken

 
 

 

Newbie Jazmin blew us away with her  Pork Belly with Apples and Parsnips!

  Katie W. –  fresh baked bread
 
Madeline -  Rice salad
 
 

 
Sonja – molasses cake  (thanks for the photo, Sonja!)

 

Next month we are meeting Wednesday August 13 to discuss Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley, a graphic novel with all kinds of great recipes!

Salt: A World History

June's book was Salt: a World History by Mark Kurlansky.  I'm sorry I had to miss the meeting due to tummy trouble, Katie S. was kind enough to take pictures and Heather took notes for our blog post:

"What a nice meeting this one was, even without our fearless leader Ms. Dawn who caught the 24 hour bug from her friend Rachel.  She was the designated last-minute key holder and got stuck in the snarl we call Queen Anne and the corridor.  She came frazzled and apologetic, we kindly dismissed her fears away because we were no fools, we'd been munching on Laura's delicious cheese plate with a cheese I'd never even heard of before, something like Drunken Goat Who Stare at Men or something wasn't it it guys? LOL
The cheese and grape munchers consisted this time of the hard care foodies and we all know who we are: Me Heather M., Katie S. and her co-worker Barb from the print center, and young mom Laura, who loves eating with just all grown-ups once a month. Special ed. teacher Sonja was able to come this time with good news: she transferred to her son's school, where they can commute by walking together every day the 2 blocks each way.

We all trooped in when Rachel arrived with the key and within minutes had plates full of Vietnamese Salt and Pepper wings with a dipping salt you mixed with fresh lime to get the whole experience. To complement that, I had the night before cooked one of my daughter vegetarian mainstays, grains with vegies from T.J.'s.  I cooked it in vegie broth to juice it up a little. We had a delicious salad,( as we know the word came from the Roman word for "salted") pickles, a cured meat tray with 4 offerings and three kinds of yummy crackers. Sonja brought wine and another bottle appeared out of nowhere, I didn't catch who brought it. Desserts were of course, assorted chocolate items with salt!

Six thumbs up for the book "Salt" A World History by Jack Kurlansky who not only is a meticulous researcher/writer he must edit a lot of articles, either that or he single-handedly wrote 26 books. Geesh, does this guy have time for a life?

Only one dedicated reader (Barbara) finished the entire book, of those who hadn't we all said we would. It's chockful of fascinating historical facts, humorous illustrations and well laid out chapters. It's a book one wants to own for reference, just to have on the shelf for solving arguments and such. In fact it was on Laura's shelf, she didn't have to check it out! Our next book will be the Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Expect a feast of southern food in July, signing off,
Heather McNair."

 

Sonya brought a salad, salted sunflower kernel crunch balls, pickles and wine.

 

Barbara brought cured meats, crackers

salted caramel chocolate cookies (not pictured) and wine.

 

Heather brought some sort of grain (barley?) vegetable dish

 

Laura brought some great cheese and crackers - including an awesome "drunken" goat cheese that we were all crazy about, and some very fancy 34 degree savory thins.

Katie brought Vietnamese salt and pepper wings, with Thai chili salt and lime juice to

dip (sparingly!)

 

Next month we are discussing  The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.  Lots of holds on this one, so be sure to pick up your bookgroup copy at the Mountlake Terrace Library while supplies last!

Nowhere but Home

This month we read the delighful (if a bit fluffy) Nowhere but Home by Liza Palmer.  For those of you who didn't get a chance to read it, it is about a woman from a small town in Texas who has been moving from city to city to avoid coming home, but finally runs out of options and must face her past.  A fairly good chef, she takes a job cooking last meals for a nearby prison.

Overall, folks seemed to enjoy the book.  Vernetta could really relate to the experience of the main character, as she grew up in a very small town, and had a mother who had married five times.  Katie also grew up in a small town, and found parts of the book a little unbelievable...particularly that they would all have attended only one church.  She also had trouble believing that the main character could be so isolated much of her life, then connect so well again once arriving home.  But Madeline thought this was just a good example of compartmentalization, if a bit unbelievable.   Laura thought this was a sweet book, with a nice light feel and zipped through it in two days. 

Dawn was particularly fascinated with the idea of last meals, and we had a discussion about who could cook (or eat) one.  Was reminded of the No Seconds photographs of Henry Hargreaves.  (While looking for that link, I found an even more chilling one about a series of Amnesty International photos depicting the last meals of wrongly executed people!)  We were a little surprised there wasn't more exploration of the death penalty as a topic in this book. The main character just seemed to accept it, and was more troubled that she was cooking for a serial killer than that she was cooking for people who were about to die. 

Overall, a nice read with wonderful food descriptions, but alas, no recipes!


We had a very tasty Southern style feast (in large part thanks to Katie's new smoker!), which Madeline had to miss out on, as she was phoning in from the hospital. 

Barbara W. – lemonade and coleslaw


 Katie S. – smoked brisket & BBQ sauce

 

Heather McN – baked potatoes with toppings and chocolate cake with strawberry compote

Laura H. – homemade dill pickles, pickled asparagus, biscuits, and Starburst (which nobody ate)

Vernetta S. – taco soup





Dawn – strawberries and champagne



Next month we will be reading Salt : a World History by Mark Kurlansky. Be sure to bring lots of water!

The $64 Tomato

This month we read The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander.

Those of us with yards, gardens, or parents who had some of these found this book especially hilarious.  Many of us had some memories of our parents putting us to work, and could relate to Williams's poor kids!  This book really made you remember that yards are hard work, it kicks your butt...so why do I do this?  Somehow it remains rewarding, still.

Our favorite parts had to do with the descriptions.  Particularly delightful were the kids reactions to their crazy dad's projects;  the Christopher Walken gardener; and all the great stories Madeline was reminded of her dad doing.   Katie pointed out that the decorated apple have already been done...there was a business in the 80s called Apple Attactions that used to do this right here in Washington!  We also liked that this book had recipes, although it ended up that none of us made them for the meeting.  (Note, I later made his Leek Potato Soup and it was tasty!)  We thought it was funny that her garden became the flower garden, and his became all the work.  And those of us who had canned could totally relate to how that project can become too much.

Our main complains were that he was a little too obsessive and out of touch at times.  Maybe unknowingly a bit elitist.  His problems were all the problems of someone who doesn't have to raise food, but just does it because they want to, and can keep throwing money at all the problems that arise.  But still made for a fun read.

Our potluck was very tasty this month:

 

Barbara W. – apple salad

 

Dawn – Costco chicken

 

Katie S. – Balaboosta - asparagus with Wild West dressing. Home made bread made into BLTs.

 

 

Madeline - gazpacho, garlic cumin garbonzos, bbq sauce, Girl Scout cookies (lemon and peanut butter).

On a few sidenotes, Katie recommends checking out  Fizz (a fermented limeade carried by Safeway).  And Paul (Madeline's sweetie who joined us for dinner) recommends Girls Scout CoffeeMate - Carmel and Coconut!  Makes your coffee taste just like a Samoa!




Next month we will be meeting back at our usual place to discuss Nowhere but Home by Liza Palmer.  Copies are now available at the Mountlake Terrace Library.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This month we discussed The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and feasted on Japanese food for dinner and indulged in French deserts.

The reactions to the book were mixed. A few of us loved it and the Paris environment. Others couldn't stand the character and had trouble finishing it. The biggest split seemed to be between people who had suffered through very rough childhoods and had no sympathy for the spoiled little rich girl who toyed with the idea of suicide, and those who felt her isolation was a genuine part of adolescent development and both believable and sympathetic. Some questioned what sort of parents would let a young teen hang out with a strange man.

What we seemed to like best about the book was its messages about art and experience, and how perception changes everything, and you really don't know what impact you have on others until you are told. We suspect it is probably better in the original French, but the audiobook performance was quite good.

Our dinner was quite tasty.

Katie S. made steak a la rose (grilled Japanese steak with rose cut roasted potatoes), entertained as she was by the dog's enjoyment of the other's bottom in the hallway (yes, a bit gross, but the food was delicious).

Madeline made a very French salad (as instructed by her niece, and some chocolate Madelines!




 





Dawn made buckwheat soba noodles with dipping sauce, plus brought sake.









Katie W. brought marinated cucumbers & goyza.








Rachel created some delicious dark chocolate Florentines.


And Barbara brought dark chocolate macaroons!

For next month (back to the second Wednesday) on April 9th we will be discussing The $64 Tomato by William Alexander...just in time for gardening season!  There are currently copies of the book at the Mountlake Terrace Library waiting for you.

The church will still be doing it's Lent dinner series, so we will be back at Madeline's house once again!

Contact me if you need directions :)