Then and Now

Dear Friends and Family,

Alan, from the JCC spin class, sent wonderful photos of his trip with many others to South America. I was happy to receive this gift of vicarious travel. Happy too to see Randi and her husband among the tourists. I can't envision any travel in my future except by car and perhaps LIRR, but that's OK.

The recipe feature of the NYT Magazine often has a "then and now" recipe. Recently (20 Jan.), the "then" was the 1966 recipe for rib roast of beef by Ann Seranne adapted by Craig Clayborne for his column. I have had the recipe in my file since then. This is my kind of recipe, and though, as a vegetarian who does not entertain these days, I seldom make roast beef, it would be what I would turn to if I had company coming: only 4 ingredients (a rib roast of beef, flour, salt and pepper) and very simple prep—and great results, always yielding a perfect, rare-medium rare roast from top to bottom. The "now" recipe has 10 ingredients, a three-part prep and a much heftier dose of salt and pepper. What is the point? If you want to see the easy recipe search "Ann Seranne roast beef" in google, and you'll get lots of hits.

I have the feeling that the recipes in the Times are getting more complicated because they are no longer catering for working families. They aim for people who want to fuss in the kitchen, who don't mind having to go out to buy special ingredients, assembling them, and preparing them for hours. I had that phase too. Along with speedy cooking, I also liked to fuss for parties. My favorite book of recipes for both purposes was Feasts for All Seasons by Roy Andries de Groot (also 1966, interestingly enough). He provided complex recipes for parties and company followed by simpler recipes for everyday family meals. I have not opened the book in years.

Sylvia came yesterday, and for our meal I made a canned salmon frittata: Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a large oblong pan with 1 T of oil. In a bowl, mix together until well blended contents of a one-lb. can of salmon with skin, bone, liquid and all; chopped onion, as much as you like; one large egg; bread crumbs or matzoh meal to firm up the mix, perhaps 1/4 cup; no salt; pepper if you wish. Herbs, such as parley, are nice too, but I didn't have any. Yesterday, I added frozen baby limabeans, so we'd have a vegetable built in. Heat the pan with oil in the preheated oven until it shimmers (a few minutes: don't let it smoke). Remove pan from oven and pour in the salmon mix, spreading it from end to end. It will be very thin. The object is to producec mostly crust, an attempt to reach an approximation of salmon patties. Bake for about a 1/s hour. If it does not look brown on top, put it in the broiler for a minute or two. It takes longer to write the directions than to do it! It's very good in sandwiches the next day. I am now using our old paint splattered step stool for any kitchen chores that require standing for a while, and I hope to find a nicer stool soon. It's wonderful to think of a way to do what I cannot otherwise do—in this case stand in one spot.

It's always great to see Sylvia; we go back so far and we've always been very close, since she came to stay with us for a while after college, about 40 years ago! She is more like a daughter than a first cousin once removed. Now she is awaiting her 9th grandchild! The great thing is that our grandchildren Rachael and Michelle love her also; who doesn't? But it's wonderful to hear that they meet her and Marty on occasion.

I sent Jeffery the Sentinels essay at last for the website hamletworks.org, and now I plan to return to the little changes the general editor wants in the Measure for Measure edition. I am always amazed at how much I learn when I work on Shakespeare—and I guess that is what I like best. While Merwin was watching the football game last night, I was shaping some new ideas I had developed for the web site. This gets a little technical, but what I was noticing in scholars' arguments about the nature of Q1 Hamlet (and this is really nothing new) is that they avoid anything in the text that could not be explained by their theories. Since I have been working on the sentinels, I was especially alert to the neglect of Marcellus (one of them) in the argument that Q1 was Shakespeare's first draft or that it was a shortened version of Q2, a longer text. Neither of these arguments accounts for the fact that Marcellus's part in each of the three texts is remarkably similar, more so than any other role. Fascinating. Another interesting fact is the virtue of collaboration. I hadn't even planned to get into the Q1 issues until my fellow editor Nick wrote that he thought I should after I sent him a first draft. I even found a paragraph that would work well in the Gertrude essay. That's the great thing about the site: we editors who have access can add, subtract, change, correct. I found several typos on the site as I was working and corrected them.

Because of this and that, everything scholarly goes very slowly for me. I look for books I know I have; but standing at the bookcase where I know they are makes the neuropathy flare up; I have to return to the recliner to raise my legs. I ask Merwin to look for the books. He finds them. Nothing is straightforward. But at least I have the help I need to do the work. And I have to be patient with myself.

I hope to go to the City this weekend, and our dear Dave spent many hours yesterday (including trips to stores) installing grab bars in our apartment's bathtub/shower so I will be able to take a shower. Good Dave!

Back to work!

Love to all,
Bernice