Saturday, January 17, 2004
January 17, 2004
I’ve begun reading “Menfraya in the Morning”, about trials of a deformed runaway rich girl. Hard to identify with, but well written. While this is happening, I’m cooking a whole chicken. I bought it at Sedano’s and the neck and giblets were missing. Anyway, I decide I want chicken with sweet and sour sauce over brown rice. Sometimes you find something, I didn’t have cider vinegar and pineapple slices, so I substituted red wine vinegar and chopped apple. I usually make a new recipe twice before recommending, but this one gets a worthy mention. (Later I didn’t like it as much.)
Back to “Menfreya”. Quite typical of the writing back then, with a few modern twists. Like letting the reader know what certain articles of clothing are, such as a snood. The story covers the same ground as parts of the Great Train Robbery, so I’ll read on. (It's hard to spot but it follows the same formula.) Few more effective barriers to progress are better designed than tradition, and those who believe in tradition. To me the typical contemporary foolishness of tradition is reflected by tux and limo rental. This is tradition? I’ll get married in the best suit and best car I own, but not in rentals.
I decided to spend the day at home. I’ve discovered that I get basic television, with old Rambo movies and Star Wars spinoffs. Nothing has changed since I last watched television some 35 years ago. Still basketball, though not quite as boring as curling or golf, cooking shows that I am certain somebody watches, and locally produced fare. Nothing new in more than half a lifetime! I see the commercials are still moronic. The paradox to me is cable or satellite TV – you pay for the service and still have to put up with commercials. Figure that one out, actually it’s obvious such a dumb idea can only be sold to even dumber people, who are in the majority.
Television is so bad, I found myself reading while keeping an eye on the programming. The result was I finished Menfreya and spent a rare entire day at home without going out even once. The book, I think, kept my attention over such a weak plot because it turns out the author is one of those people who go into a trance of placing themselves into the situation. The theme of the book is really the old English concern of marrying into money, or failing that at least an inheritance. In the end everyone has either died, been taken off the suspects list, or realizes somebody loves them afterall. I would laugh if I did not know people who take such things so seriously. I don’t even really know any married people except the ones I work with.
On a sideline, the book kept reminding me of how, just a few generations ago, the English way was by many considered the right way. Back then it hardly occurred to anyone that the English may have caused all those wars they finally won. To this day, I am still very suspicious when an English person asks for an opinion. Since they don’t give a damn about your opinion, look for the reason they want to go on record as having been concerned about your viewpoint. (I learned this at the phone company.)
[Author's note 2024: Hello from twenty years later. This link was random and I cannot even recall what Menfreya was about, I even spelled it wrong. Around the time I was recovering and read almost anything with a catchy title. This post is now spiced up a little with formatting from the 2020s, now that I have some experience (and definite opinions) about how the printed word should appear on-line. Here's hoping we have all done well since this day, so long ago it seems like a different world to me.]
