What Is Reality?

For this Wordy Wednesday (on a Thursday), I had planned on writing about Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. Unfortunately, despite pushing the blog back, I didn't finish in time. But that's ok, because instead of talking about the plot, I would like to talk more about the general feel of Fforde's book.

 

   (Photo courtesy of Goodreads.com.)

In the book, LiteraTec agent, Thursday Next, tracks down the human manifestation of pure evil. In other words, she's a policewoman for the force of literature in a world where literature is super loved and dangerous. Cool stuff.

But what's really interesting is the idea Fforde plays with -- walking into literature or pulling characters out. Normally, I would classify that information as a spoiler, but if you look at the cover, well, it's not subtle.

As readers, how many of us have dreamed of literally stepping into a book to interact with our favorite characters? I would dare say all of us. But why? There are plenty of books that I have no desire to get any closer to than I already am while I read them. The characters, though they may be interesting, are people I have no desire to meet. Even a lot of really cool fantasy worlds don't call up an urge in me to go live in them. I've got a good life going for me, and I'm content to escape into these other places merely in my own mind.

But then there are those books that I would kill to get into. Characters I want to meet more than any living, breathing person. Places I would trade my current lifestyle for if I could just go see them for a day.  But why? 

I would argue that this desire stems from the illogical place in my brain that insists the characters and places are actually real. After all, I've shared personal experiences with these people and spent a good long time living in some of the universes. What's to say that they aren't real, in a certain sense? Perhaps this desire is just so my logical brain that knows literature only exists on the page and my illogical brain that knows literature is also a living, breathing thing can finally agree. As if stepping into a book could cure the disparity that rages in my subconscious.

What do you think? Are characters and places we read about real because we experience them, or for something to be real, must we be able to touch it? Then what does that mean for our emotions?

Deep questions that I've been turning around a lot in my mind lately.

Level 1 Cooking: Tofu

Since becoming (mostly) vegetarian, a few of my friends have asked about my recent relationship with tofu. Funnily enough, they all asked the same two questions:

1. Is it good?
2. How do you cook it?

Well, I'm a big fan of tofu, and even managed to make Logan, a self-proclaimed carnivore, a fan. So, yes, it's good.

As for cooking it? That's a whole lot easier than a lot of people seem to think. I just fry mine, and I'm sure there are lots of other ways to go about cooking tofu, but so far Logan and I have been really satisfied with our simple fried version.

First of all, you need to buy some tofu. We get the Kroger kind in extra firm. You can find it in the organic/health food section, usually next to the produce section. There's a spot full of fake meat and vegan cheese. The package looks like this:

If you want a meat-like consistency, make sure you're getting extra firm. Tofu comes in all kinds of textures for all kinds of recipes.

Once you've gotten your tofu and you're ready to start cooking, you need to open your package carefully. Tofu is packed in water to keep it fresh, and that water can get everywhere if you aren't expecting it. Poke a hole in the film with a knife, and drain the water out. Then, you lift out the very unappetizing looking block.

I know. But I promise it's not as nasty as it looks. And feels. You're going to get well acquainted with that feeling as you press some of the water out of your wiggly-jiggly block. Just get a folded paper towel and gently press on the block to get some of the excess moisture out.

Heat up some oil in a pan -- we like olive oil -- and cut your block into chunks. It'll still look gross, but I promise it gets better.

Fry your tofu on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

And that's all you have to do! Tofu doesn't have much of a taste on its own though, so you'll probably want to season it or mix it in with something. Logan and I have fallen in love with this recipe for tofu lo mein. It's good just as the recipe says, but we prefer ours with added bean sprouts.

Enjoy!

Level 1 Cooking: Quesadillas

If you're like me, it's overwhelming to sort through recipes in an attempt to find something easy. Then, you finally find something that says it's easy, it isn't.

Well, here's a delicious, and truly simple, recipe: Farmer's Market Quesadillas. I won't re-post the recipe here, because I don't want to step on any toes, but I will show you some pictures of the process.

Once the veggies are done, they should look something like this:

(Except you'll have a lot more there. I made a small batch.)

Then, to fill the quesadillas, you'll want to keep the veggies and cheese in the middle, because the tortillas will shrink!

And finally, the finished "golden-brown" product looks like this:

Don't be afraid to really give your pan a good coat of spray, because that's what gives the tortillas their color and crunch.

Enjoy! And try them reheated, they make really good leftovers.

Escalator Socks

Finally, Logan's socks are done!

He loves them, and thinks the pattern is "cool" without being too busy for him to wear them.

I made the pair using one skein of Cascade Yarns' Heritage sock yarn in color 5634 (lot 005) on US size 2 dpns. I'm not sure if that's enough to make the pattern as written, since I altered how high up the leg they went. Logan isn't a fan of very high socks, so I stopped them after two repeats of the pattern, rather than at the measurement the designer specified.

I would highly recommend the pattern, as it's easy to follow. These are my very first socks, and the only thing I had trouble with was grafting the toe shut. Well, that, and I changed the way the toe was worked, because the decrease wasn't symmetrical as written. I'm sure it would have been fine, but mine worked out pretty well.

If you want to make your own, the pattern is available for free here.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

All I can think to say about Neil Gaiman's newest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is that it touched me deeply. As I read it, I felt that I was looking at a piece of Gaiman's soul, that he was sharing something fundamental with me. When I finished reading it (which only took a few hours -- I devoured it) I closed the cover, then just sat quietly for a long time, thinking.

(Photo from Goodreads.com)

But besides the insubstantial connection with the author that refuses to be pinned down, there are many concrete things that make the novel wonderful. As always, Neil Gaiman's style and word choices delight me. His prose is simply a pleasure to read. It's beautiful, and art all on its own.

The subtlety of the story helps urge this beauty along. The novel, though it is yet another account of good versus evil, feels so fresh and crisp. The story is short, but it turns in such a way that it feels much longer than its word count would suggest. It's epic in feel, and all of that concentrated feeling is engaging in a way that I haven't been engaged in a while.

Patrick Rothfuss, my favorite author, said that this story made him cry, not because of the events, but because the story was told so masterfully. (I paraphrased there, he was much more eloquent.) I did too. At first, I didn't really understand what he meant by that, but somewhere in the middle, I realized that what I was holding was pure, distilled beauty. It squeezed my heart and made it ache.

Plus, it's full to bursting of complex, wonderful, strong female characters. I'm so tired of cliche females in stories. These women felt so real. They made me feel proud, rather than exasperated. I won't go into the beauty of them, because their roles are kind of spoilers, and I don't want to give any spoilers, but I'm sure you'll notice when you pick up the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it is, quite simply, a masterpiece.

And that's coming from someone who didn't think you could get much better than American Gods.

I am better for reading this book.

Level 1 Cooking: Sautéed Spinach

I recently moved into my first apartment, and with that glorious independence comes cooking for myself. I've never really had to do this before, since my parents always cooked at the house, then I ate off a meal plan at the dorms, so I'm pretty much a novice at the whole thing.

A lot of you are probably in the same boat, so this Munchy Monday, I'd like to share my technique for sautéed spinach. You'll need a medium frying pan, some olive oil, onion, garlic, and fresh spinach.

The first time I saw "sautéed," I didn't know what it meant. Basically, it means "fry this quickly in some oil, butter, or fat." It's not nearly as hard as it sounds.

Step 1: Heat some olive oil in a pan at medium heat. You just need enough to coat the bottom.

Step 2: Once the oil is hot, toss in some chopped onion and minced garlic. I like to use frozen, pre-chopped onions so I don't cry, and minced garlic from the jar because it's easier. Fry those for just a few minutes, until they start to smell pretty good. This blends the flavors.

Step 3: Toss in your spinach one handful at a time. If the leaves are pretty big, I like to rip them in half so they aren't so difficult to eat. Stir each handful up so it gets coated in some of the oil/garlic/onion mixture.

Step 4: Continue throwing spinach in until you have as much as you want. It shrinks a lot as it cooks, so don't be surprised if you feel like you've discovered a black hole in your kitchen.

Step 5: Continue stirring  until the spinach is hot and tender, but not mushy. It'll look small and kind of shriveled.

Step 6: Eat!

Logan and I have found, in true college kid fashion, that this spinach goes particularly well with fish sticks and mac 'n' cheese.

Enjoy!