shameless blog post stealing

Do you ever steal blog posts from other people? I think it’s a fantastic idea, if you give the original author credit. The list below recommends books to read to understand the culture. It comes via Justin Taylor via James Kushiner from Ken Myers. I’ve read some Lewis, Berry, and Barzun—but not from the list below. Have you read any of these works? I’m intrigued by the books that focus on a particular cultural product, like language and music.

Five “Thinner” Books:

1. C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (1943)
2. Wendell Berry, Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (2000)
3. Colin Gunton, Enlightenment and Alienation: An Essay Towards a Trinitarian Theology (1985)
4. George Parkin Grant, English-Speaking Justice (1985)
5. Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (1948)

Five “Thicker” Books:

1. John McWhorter, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (2003)
2. Jacques Barzun, The Use and Abuse of Art (1974)
3. David Thomson, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood (2004)
4. Julian Johnson, Who Needs Classical Music?: Cultural Choice and Musical Value (2002)
5. Langdon Winner, Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought (1977)

fall-ing

September is determined to put an end to summer. There was a nip-in-the-air when the local kids went back to school, and I cheerfully donned a jacket and scarf for the morning commute. Fall has always been my favorite season, and if it comes early that is fine by me. With it comes the realization that we are still here in Arlington. We’ve survived an entire season (both real and metaphorical) and we really live here now. There will be only two Saturday football games – not six or seven. Wes won’t have law school classes to attend or exams to take. I won’t change jobs, as I’ve done every year to mimic the academic calendar. There will still be fellowship groups and potlucks and dinner parties. Yet all the faces will change.

This reflection on late summer from a former college newspaper colleague (I really recommend his blog!) helped me bid summer farewell. But I’m still looking for a perfect tomato.

edible blackberries—the kind that don’t ring

Last weekend we wandered outside the Beltway and camped in Shenandoah National Park, less than two hours from our high-rise. After a seven-year sojourn in the Midwest, the joy in being so close to the mountains and the ocean is never lost on me.

Lil’ Blue (the Civic) merged onto Skyline Drive and my BlackBerry promptly lost service. I could not have been more delighted. Like all wannabe-campers, we purchased firewood, pitched our tent 15 feet from our vehicle, and applied bug spray. We had two coolers of junk food and only one immediate concern: kindling for the campfire. The Eagle Scout tromped into the woods wielding his beloved hatchet (and boot knife, and Swiss Army knife) and I picked up a few twigs.

Then I spotted them. The real blackberries. The ones you can eat. I picked just a few (I swear!) and heard a rustling down the hill. A buck was enjoying some berries, too. In another wannabe-camper moment, I delighted in the fact that so shortly after leaving the office I was already communing with nature. The hot dogs and beers weren’t bad, either.

Update: The “Stuff White People Like” blog’s most recent post makes fun of how we camp.

i'm hungry ... what's on TV?

Michael Pollan wrote an insightful article for The New York Times Magazine recently, exploring trends in food television and analyzing why we would rather watch someone cook than actually cook ourselves. As a former Food Network fan, I can sympathize with Pollan’s skepticism of its programs that highlight consumption and provide entertainment rather than actually showing people cooking. I’ve ditched cable and I now enjoy public TV (WETA’s “Create” channel) where “America’s Test Kitchen” and “Lidia’s Italy” actually teach recipes.

He says, “Today the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia [Child] arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of ‘Top Chef’ or ‘Chopped’ or ‘The Next Food Network Star.’ What this suggests is that a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for.”

Even if you’re completely uninterested in food TV, Pollan’s article is worth a read. He recalls growing up with Julia Child on the television, and explores how her commitment to excellent food actually ran alongside the feminist movement rather than contradicting it. By contrast, the Food Network’s evening lineup of grilling-fests and diner tours shows a concerted attempt to attract male viewers. (To be fair, they still host a number of cooking shows during the day.)

Also, this reflection by David Frum echoes some crunchy con themes, as he sees the conservative values in manifestoes like Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma.