Open City has started to happen and I’m excited about it and glad to be involved in it. I’m working on the job co-op, hoping to influence the business world to hire freaks who really want to work but are more left of center in their commitments.
Why do we all have to lie so much when we apply for a job? Why do we have to promise to never miss a day and stay with the job forever when both sides know it’s so much bullshit? Part of the job of our committee is to try to get work that is meaningful, a job at which we can be ourselves: long hair, freaky clothes and whatever else we are. We hope to eventually extend beyond the menial, baby-sitting, window washing job set up that other freak communities have established.
If there are any interested individuals who are willing to hire sincere and qualified people who probably have long hair and hold radical views on conventional values, stay tuned in and contact us at Open City soon as we get a central phone number and office space.
Back to my first love: cooking.
I’ve been doing a lot of it lately, and have finally decided on certain basic ingredients that I could not do without: sweet whipped butter, fresh parsely, cooking sherry, garlic, and orange peel.
Of course each of these can be found in many combinations which then involves more ingredients, but let me stop here. I can take almost any kind and cut of meat or vegetable and with these spices and herbs, plus a shake and a dash of whatever else is at hand, and come up with some succulent tasting grits.
I’ve come to conclude that the real essence of cooking is learning what and how to combine things. After knowing what different herbs and spices work out and in what combinations, you’ve got it made.
I suggest any cook book with a herb and spice chart, or just the chart alone. Study what goes with what kinds of meat or vegetable, experiment a little, thus building up a spice rack, and then you’re in business.
I’d like to thank Maggie Rhodes who came by Alvin’s one Sunday and brought me her grandmother’s cookbook ledger. Seems her grandmother cut recipes out of the daily newspapers and collected them in a beautifully bound ledger, along with some of her favorite recipes. I’m still slowly paging through it and will pass on interesting notes from it.
Finally, a recipe for yogurt, many times requested:
Bring 1 qt. Milk (whole, skim, canned or dry) just to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and stir in 1 tablespoon commercial yogurt. Cover the container and let stand in a warm place overnight, then chill before using.
Drained overnight or for several days in a cheesecloth-lined colander, your homemade yogurt may be turned out on a plate, sprinkled with salt and drenched with olive oil and used for a spread with crackers or toast. This may be varied with a sprinkling of chopped mint leaves or chopped ripe olives.