Planting Cabbages

the two eyes of the fish and other interesting wisdom

if you're a writer have you ever made a w.a.g. (wild a.. guess) or rather has one of your characters ever said or done the most absurd outlandish thing - and you write it down, as you are compelled to do, and it turns out to be a stunning link in the story you would otherwise have missed? 

one character had been mumbling about how the "two eyes of the fish can see inside." i believed he was referring to the great tradition and mythical greek elements of catching swordfish off the coast of messina in sicily. but in researching the italian name for swordfish, pesce spada, came across this amazing photograph (on about.com) which, well, shocked me with it's "two eyes." 

 

then there was the bread stamps, the medieval viole maker, john pringle, who lives right down the street, not to mention where the map was found.

honey thieves mapping the mediterranean

i don't know if you do, keep a notebook by your side while writing - but i have found it helpful to keep stray thoughts written down, and mapped out.  the gipsy kings help too.

at the moment i am following the thread of the map in the story. in the process i have made cuts that don't seem to support the action or - heavens! - might not move the plot forward at all.

so, i was thinking. why is it that resolving conflicts in your work often parallels up with the real life opportunity to put those wise words to work?

the honey thief was the book discussed at book club this week. i was totally amazed at the variety of  empathy and patience for the daughter, eva, who had lost her father to suicide at the age of six and who was, some of us thought, suffering also from a bout of magical thinking (perhaps the precursor of ocd?) and that was the direct cause of her kleptomania and utter removal for the world. but was it also just possible that eva was simply "being a teenager?" i think the fact that there was confusion over this is quite to be expected in our society.

murkiness over motivation.

after all, we can horribly misjudge messages from someone who is about to commit a violent act. (we have seen this all too often in the past few years) one woman mentioned she knew a friend of a friend whose spouse was diagnosed with autism (albeit a mild form) but the partner spouse of 25 years had missed it. and while a little different in theory - who can forget the powerful film a beautiful mind?  which also is a book, and more importantly a story where a wife believes along with her husband that he can control his mind. 

i think these are threads worth following.  

and as we are between seasons here be a recipe for:

honeyed apple sauce

1 cup honey

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted

5 apples, cored and sliced 1” thick

½ cup red wine vinegar

pinch salt

prep apples. heat honey, vinegar, spices, and salt in a sauté pan. heat for a few minutes to for a sauce. cook apple rings in the sauce.

supreme over roasted turnips!

nice day for a chapter summary

it may seem a little late in the game - the great novel writing game - (not the GREAT NOVEL writing game but the GREAT GAME of novel writing) but i have come to the conclusion - after an agent requested the full manuscript and then turned it down nicely by saying she loved the story - but it was too long. i came to decide that a chapter summary is such an easy way to keep my lovely-but-prone-to-ADD-antics-mind on track. you know beginnings and endings - of paragraphs and pages, topics, etc.

i don't think i ramble THAT MUCH, but there was that one time when i sufferred a horrible distraction, plagued by other thoughtful topics for three months and didn't post the recipe for the sauce and the stuffing of the palombe when you all clearly had started deboning your palombes.

life is a journey. and it seems each day is one. but i digress.

the above photo above is a perfect case in point.  so let me tell you the story of the nice quiet lady - who is not a quiet lady.

AT ALL.

browsing thru photos to post, i came across her - and it sparked off a fond memory of pistoia, italy. 

since gypsy women were in my story - and this was an early phase of research, they were making necci (chestnut crepes) in market, and i became quite taken with the idea that pistoia was to be featured in my story. then, SHE  turned up. which made it a foregone FACT that i had to snap a photo of her to study later. well, she became the study right then and there. she was not the least bit interested in me taking her photo. she would in fact, stand up and scream and wave her hands when i tried. i decided to give up and walk around the corner and go to lunch. always an option in my opinion.

well, after passing these pans.

and then lunch ----which was a lamprodotto sandwich

 

and then, alright, there were a few chestnuts to be had.

i came back (full circle actually) to the market square where i had left her.

and there she was, just as plain as day - and so i was standing actually over to the right, out of view of the camera so if she did see me she wouldn't see my friend who took the photo so that i would be free of a curse. (i think i still am free - of the curse, but check back with me soon.)

so, does this prove that distraction is a benefit? or perhaps that persistance pays off?

i don't know, but i will let you decide.

and yes, she is in my story - but the chestnut crepes had to go.

here is the recipe though..

necci - chestnut-flour crepes

 

 1½ cups italian chestnut flour

 1 cup cold water

 pinch of salt

 1 t. olive oil

 all-fruit preserves or ricotta cheese

 

sift the flour to remove all lumps. place the flour in a bowl and make a small well in the center. start adding water little by little, mixing with a wooden spoon. when the water is all used up, add salt and mix again. be sure that there are no lumps in the batter. cover and let the batter sit for ¼ hour on bottom shelf of refrigerator. place a seasoned cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat. when it is hot, brush it with 1 tsp. of oil. pour ½ cup of batter in the center of the griddle and let it cook for 30 to 40 seconds, until bubbles appear on the surface. flip and cook for 1 more minute until the pancake is golden brown. place the prepared necci on a platter, cover with fruit preserves or cheese, and roll it up. repeat this procedure for as many necci as you need, using 1 tsp. of oil for every 3 pancakes.