Modern Kicks

i have waited years for this moment

I'm not kidding.  And, as of October, my wait will be over.  Of course, it will be absolutely mobbed at first, making a trip there an ordeal one would rather avoid, and they're almost certainly not going to get a license to sell beer and wine (although I've always wondered why they didn't simply open an adjacent liquor store when combining groceries and alcohol wasn't allowed.)  And I'm surprised that it turned out to be Warwick rather than Providence, or at least closer to Providence.  I guess Warwick hustled a little more to make the deal, though I know some of the people over in Summit had been trying to entice TJ's to North Main Street, which would have been a great location.  I guess it'll be left to Miriam, the bars, and auto places, unfortunately.  Still: totally stoked.

let it always be there

Guess where I went yesterday?

I'd never been to the Topsfield Fair before, and I have to say, it was awesome.  They had everything!

There were cows,

cute little piglets,

and sheep who did nothing to counteract their image of docility, not to mention turkeys, rabbits, and all sorts of other animals.  But that was only the beginning.  There were also loads of flowers and fruits and veggies, with all the prize winners on display.

Agriculture excellence was everywhere, and it was rewarded.

As were all the lively arts.  Hey, it may not be ABMB, but you gotta start somewhere.

Imagine our delight when we arrived at the grand stand just in time to see the day's headliner, .38 Special, playing the first of their two shows of the day.  Rockin'!

There were some big, heavy pumpkins,

and an even heavier pumpkin,

and, to the delight and edification of all, the world's heaviest pumpkin--a new record!

Congratulations to Joe Jutras of Scituate, RI, on his entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for his 1,689 pound pumpkin!

There was also lots of food, of course.  I'm not sure when Italian sausage, pepper, and onion sandwichs became synonymous with fair food, but there were plenty of them for sale.  I devoured mine before the SO could snap a picture, and it was tasty.  Apples, cider, and other fruits and veggies were available, or you could just go for the fried dough.  Unfortunately we only realized that some local restaurants were set up to do turkey dinners and the like after we had eaten--next time we'll go to one of those, then get apple crisp from one of the stands set up by a local church.  And since we didn't get through nearly the whole fair, you can bet that there will be a next time.

Caught Up in You - .38 Special

(Please note: all images are (c) with all rights reserved.)

and why not?

"I even discovered the key word of American culture, namely 'Why not,' starting with the traditional invitation such as 'Why don't you have dinner with me tomorrow?' and ending with a declaration of love such as 'Why don't you sleep with me tonight?'  Europeans do things due to emotional or rational reasons that speak for such an action whereas Americans do things when nothing seems to speak against such an action.  That explains the admirable activity and hospitality but also the lack of purpose and taste to be found in America, as well as the horrible cuisine in this country.  Pineapple and mayonnaise--why not?  There are, of course, reasons against this combination but there will probably be no longer any Europeans capable of explaining these reasons until the average American will be able to understand them."

--Erwin Panofsky, in a letter to Walter Friedländer, quoted in Karen Michels, "'Pineapple and Mayonnaise--Why Not?':  European Art Historians Meet the New World."

shut it

As Eric Asimov admits near the opening of this article, the wine press, like so much else, is predictably seasonal, and now is the time to praise white wines.  In this case, it's German Riesling, to my dismay.  He coyly observes while writing a feature article on the subject that it is "enjoyed passionately by a relatively small number of consumers who seemingly can't decide whether to rejoice in the mainstream neglect, which keeps prices reasonable, or despair in having to forge their own path in an oaky, vanilla, fruit cocktail white wine kind of world."  What on earth is he talking about?  In the past 5-10 years, I've seen prices on solid wines by top producers rise considerably, going from a base of about $12-20 for a kabinett (toward the lower end) or spätlese (near and slightly past the upper) for a bottle worth holding, to maybe $18-25.  Of course the true top rank were always out of my range--it'll be a rare day when I find myself with an Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Trockenbeerenauslese in my hand--but still, the trend has been anything but positive.

So: shut up, Eric Asimov.  That indecision you are so charmed by?  Your imagination.  I want my fellow Americans to think that the Australians have made box wine respectable.  I want them to think, "Riunite on ice, that's nice."  I want people to think that Liebfraumilch is the apotheosis of German wine and for Terry Thiese (what a photograph, what a page) to barely eke out a living, to need to work a second job in order to continue his imports.  If you must talk about the wines, tell people about Rieslings from California, or Washington state--pleasant, fruity, inoffensive stuff that no one gets excited about.  Keep them away from the Finger Lakes and the Rheingau, dammit.  The last thing I want is for it to catch on, become more popular and prices to rise higher, then fall out of fashion as an (already large) glut of inferior stuff floods the market.  The end stage would be when someone ordering a Mosel kabinett gets treated with the sort of contempt currently reserved for Merlot drinkers.  Which reminds me: has pinot noir suffered any post-Sideways backlash, or is its stock still rising?  And should I open that 1996 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese soon, or let it wait a bit more?

I'm from Essex, in case you couldn't tell

Well, no, I'm not.  And anyway I'm not thinking of that Essex.  What I mean to say is that I'm sorry for the inactivity around here--it was an eventful weekend, followed by a trip today to the North Shore.  Which, as all such journeys must, included a pilgrimage to the home of the fried clam.  In a month--less on weekends--Woodman's and its competitors will be filled with hordes of tourists (um, like me); today it was a local crowd, much more pleasant.  I also finally sampled their clam cakes, made easy by the fact that they sell them individually (hard experience has taught me to avoid much larger numbers.)  Does it hurt a Rhode Islander to admit that Massachusetts, of all places, could be home to the finest clam cake he's ever had?  It does, it does.  But I can't help but wanting to drive back for more.

Oh, by the way, saw some art up there, too.  More on that soon.

sweetness

A reach to the back of the fridge earlier today brought out a bottle Vermont Maple Seltzer that had been waiting there.  Having not had it before, the first sip was a surprise: sweet, if thin, the expected maple flavor and yet, different.  It was better than anything else named seltzer I had ever drunk, but not, as I was expecting, simply a fancier soft drink.  Looking at the label, I realized why: the stuff is 100% carbonated maple sap, with no water (or anything else) added!  I had assumed it was a soda made from water, some sweetner, and maple-derived flavoring of some kind, but no.  That is keeping it real.

It reminded me of something that was very apparent after reading The Wines and Beers of Old New England: how the sugar-poor reality of early northeastern agriculture affected the cuisine, especially drinks.  Potable water, as in every pre-modern settlement, was an iffy prospect, with alcohol providing the necessary preservative and protection.  But when vinifera grapevines couldn't survive, the grains needed for beer were scarce, and cane sugar too expensive for most, what to do?  Turn to apples, of course, and sap, and whatever you could make from the twigs and bark of birch trees.  Sugar!  Had to have it.

wonder-working power

Leaving yesterday's post behind, I return to the topics I planned to write on then instead.  Which is to say, the Great Cheeses of New England.  Behold the power!  I'm somewhat embarrassed to note that Rhode Island has no representative on the cheese map, a fact due to the state's leading dairy farm having devoted itself to exploring the world of whipped cream pastries instead.  Vermont rules, as might be expected, though I am excited to read about the fine blue cheese available down near Buzzard's Bay, and the quality cheeses of central Massachusetts.  These will need to be savored.

. . . Oh, and Cate McQuaid liked the Hockney portraits at the MFA.  Photos here.  I have to say that I've never really warmed up to Hockney as an artist and was looking forward to this exhibit as a chance to test my reaction.  Then I found out the MFA was charging for tickets, so we'll see.  Laying down $22 in order to be convinced in the first place seems a little steep (plus convenience and/or handling fees, for online orders at the least.)

I really don't want this site to be all MFA, all the time, but: the Hockney show is what, the fourth contemporary art exhibition in the past couple of years there focused on a British artist?  Since I've been writing here, at least, which is less than 2 years.  Granted, in this case it's not a YBA like Hirst or Noble and Webster (or to a lesser degree, Wyn Evans); and there have been some other things as well.  Hockney is the only one of these, to be sure, to get the full Gund Gallery treatment - the others have been smaller shows in the awful white cube area of the Museum.  And this most recent exhibition may not even be the responsibility of the contemporary art program, I have no idea.  But the . . . Episcopalian character of the Museum, for all of its controversies (or in hand with them?) continues to be safe under the Rogers directorship.

settling in

I know, I know: you heard the words "major snowstorm" and immediately thought, "time for a pork roast", right?  Me too!  So we've got one 7 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed (but not too closely), with criss-cross slices into the meat and a generous slathering of garlic, herb, and olive oil paste all over.  It's been wrapped up that way since yesterday afternoon, waiting to go into the oven around 1.  I'd put it in a little sooner - I like an early Sunday dinner - but the oatmeal brown sugar-honey bread won't be out of the oven until then.  God bless King Arthur Flour and all, but I think that recipe could be adjusted somewhat.  I didn't try, as it's the first time I've made it (though I've eaten it before), but there's a pretty high level of yeast, sugar, and shortening in it.  A tasty loaf no doubt, and the oatmeal and whole wheat flour might need that extra yeast for the rise, but the bible calls it a sandwich bread when it better serves as a sweet morning toast.  Anyway, the pork is to be served with red potatoes (probably just boiled) and garlic spinach, maybe some broccoli if I feel like it, and perhaps a nice German Riesling or a little dry cider.

Not many people out, from what I can see, though we haven't gotten all that much snow yet, maybe 4 to 6 inches.  More steady than heavy, though they say more's on the way.  That's okay, though.  We're well-supplied.

UPDATE: I have to say, this most recent storm of the century is kinda lame.  They promised us at least a foot of snow and were predicting we'd be about the hardest hit, but I barely got the roast in the oven before the snow started to taper off.  Sure it's windy, and I'd hate to be among those elsewhere who lost power, but from here it looks like, if not a complete bust, no more than a moderate storm plus some extra wind.  Heck, the main roads are practically clear - I just saw a pizza delivery guy drive by.  How am I supposed to enjoy getting shut in if getting in the car is an option?

missed chances

The SO met our mayor last Friday during the snowstorm when she walked to the store up the street for a few needed supplies.  According to her he was telling everyone there that the plow trucks needed to do a better job clearing the streets.  We both discounted it - needing to do better being something political figures always say - but after driving around yesterday and today, I'd have to say, he's right.  The roads have been awful, some entirely covered in snow packed down into ice well into yesterday evening and not much better today.  And while we did get more than expected, it wasn't exactly a blizzard.  As a result, I didn't get out much this weekend.  I'm especially disappointed, as I had hoped to finally make it to Northampton to see The French Portrait: Revolution to Restoration, which I was all hot about last summer and early fall after seeing the David show at the Clark.  It closes today.  I should have made some time for it, but we had an awful October and then a busy November, and there it is.  Oh well, there's always the catalog.

I've written a few times on how one reason I run this site is to force me to do things I'd otherwise neglect - if I say here that I'm going to see and write about x, it in theory increases the chance I'll actually see x.  Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't look back for empirical verification of this thesis.  It would probably be too depressing, though.  I did use my time at home today to cook a magnificient carbonnade, though, so it's not a total loss (I didn't use the linked recipe, but not so far off, either.)  After all, beer is food.

jealous yet?

Sure, Miami's got the (now concluded) art fairs, the warmth, the beaches, the sun - does it have 3 or so inches of icy, slushy snow? And more on the way?  Huh?  I thought not.  For those who haven't seen it yet, Franklin's been doing great stuff covering the fairs, with plenty of pictures.  First AB/MB itself, but Pulse and NADA as well.  Good stuff, and for what it's worth, I agree with oldpro's remarks on Wayne Thiebaud in the comments to the AB/MB post.  UPDATE: A wrap-up post from Franklin with lots of good stuff from Aqua and some of the others, and some amusing lines as well.

Miami's getting tons of press, of course, and will get more over the next few weeks as the postmorta role in.  For those who need more now, Artnet has a report from Miami up already.  Haven't read it yet, but it has lots of pictures.

On other topics:

- Britain's Campaign for Real Ale says that, as dire as the situation is for real cider in the UK, the "situation with perry is even worse, as it is rarely available away from the farm gate."  As you can imagine, it's even worse over here.  You'd think that, pears being among the most delicious things on earth, the appeal of a light, effervescent, mildly alcoholic drink made from them would be obvious, but it seems not.  I'm happy to have located this weekend a second producer, of a still version, in the region, but it's still pretty hard to find.  (By the way, did I notice the mention of Babycham in the Wikipedia article on perry?  Yes.  Did it almost make me erase this paragraph?  Yes.  But if the people at CAMRA can bear it, so can I)

- Bostonist was kind enough to link to MK in a post last week on the state of the Globe's arts coverage, done in part in response to another article at WBUR's art blog on the topic.  Probably more on this later, but for the record, in the comments to WBUR's item (which attracted notice and remarks from a number of New England arts writers), these words from the Globe's arts editor on recent retirements and future plans:

Let me make clear: We are conducting a search for an art critic and will replace Christine Temin. We will replace Richard Dyer. We will replace Ed Siegel. We will replace Steve Morse. They will all be full-time appointments. They will join a staff producing arts sections that have grown larger in recent years, in clear contrast to the trend at many daily newspapers.

I look forward to seeing it happen.

- Finally, Half Brother Clovis writes via email: "You just know that somewhere, right now, some poor kid is on acid and someone else is making him look at a catalog of Fred Tomaselli paintings."  It's funny because it's true.

. . . Oh, and one other thing: you know what's cool about NoScript?  Aside from the Javascript blocking, I mean.  It's that when you click on the little "S" icon it puts in the lower corner of your browser, it shows the names all of the different scripts being run, or blocked, as the case may be.  So you can see what sort of stuff the blogs you visit are running to gather information about visitors.  And block them, of course, but it's fun to see who doesn't seem to care about getting even basic hit information and who is obsessing over links clicked, etc.  Then again, learning all this probably interests me more because I fall more toward the second of those two categories.  Enjoy your visit!