Author: Black Mamba

Hilary Mantel dies at 70

The eternal question: can non-subscribers to the U.K. Spectator read a few articles for free per month? (I’m pretty sure you peasants don’t have access to the comments, but still.) This one is very good. It reproduces an essay Mantel wrote on Saudi Arabia in 1987. I couldn’t find the piece anywhere else online.

Good historical fiction is very hard to pull off. You have to immerse yourself in a very alien place. (“Hey, what if I did a Sam Spade character but he’s in, like, ancient Rome!?! Did they have police in ancient Rome? I could totally look that up!” doesn’t work.)

Her Wolf Hall trilogy was terrific.

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inPassings

Continental Breakfast (Open Thread)

I can tell it’s getting cold because my small grey cat, who has a heck of a sense of entitlement for someone who was found as a kitten outside the vets in a shoebox with her three siblings, all looking little alike except for their giant ears, has suddenly taken to waking me up at all hours, sinking her claws into my flesh and purring like a lawnmower while drooling everywhere. She does this. Her thought process is: “I’m going to need somewhere warm to crash for a few months. Have I told you lately that I love you? I wasn’t really ignoring you before. Look, a mouse! Alive or dead, finding out is the fun part!”

So I guess it’s autumn. Via SDA Matt, the always watchable Chef John:

And also via Matt, this meticulous recipe from Adam Ragusea, whom (yes “whom”, I have standards) I’ll definitely have to check out.

I know you people have recipes. Warm, cozy, high-fat recipes. Have at it.

 

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inContinental Breakfast

Continental Breakfast (Open Thread)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCiwnRTdrRk

I’m making chili, both con carne and fake-non-carne. (But never soy-based, I consider it poison.) My Hindu friend is a vegetarian, although she does not impose that on her kids, let alone her husband.

Marco Pierre White has a sort of Hannibal Lector quality. Or he gives off the vibe of having been to a parallel universe and seen things you people wouldn’t believe. They say he once reduced Ramsay to tears. The comments after his YouTube videos are usually worth reading. Apparently, though, he’s the nicest guy in real life. Unlike many celebrities he allegedly treats his fans like human beings. (And Knorr is great, so don’t be all la-di-da.)

Anyway chili con carne is always something people have opinions about. So have at it. (I do like Marco’s chocolate tip.)

Any tips or links or rants or observations or musings etc. welcome in the comments.

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inContinental Breakfast

Is long Covid all in the mind?

The study looked at 3,193 people – mostly women – who reported Covid symptoms continuing four weeks after first falling ill. They found that those reporting long Covid were more likely to have already experienced a range of symptoms including ‘depression, anxiety, worry about Covid, loneliness and stress’ before they tested positive. The risk increased between 1.3 and 1.5 fold. Scientists say this shows an association between prior mental health conditions and symptoms of Covid that last for more than four weeks. They were keen to stress that this only means mental health may be a risk factor, not that it is one.

…British researchers writing this June in the journal Nature found an increase in the odds of developing long Covid in people who already had anxiety and depression. That study of 6,907 Covid sufferers also found age, being female, white or obese were factors in longer-lasting virus symptoms. Women had a 50 per cent higher chance of developing these symptoms than men. It also found less-educated people were significantly less likely to have symptoms for more than three months. (Emphasis mine – Ed)

I’ve given up trying to figure out whether the U.K. Spectator lets you read a few articles if you’re not subscribed or none or what. Anyway this article reinforces certain… suspicions.

(I’m pretty sure Lyme Disease is really real BTW. However, there is a type…)

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inChina eats weird animals disease, Covid/Coronavirus

Continental Breakfast (Understudy Edition)

Inspired by commenter The yellow peril, who mentioned that of friend of his had Aurecana hens, which lay green or blue eggs.

Ameraucana Chicken Eggs Color vs Easter Eggers: Blue Pink Green

As I suspected, Ostrich eggs are over-rich and generally a bit off-putting. (I can be squeamish. I once bought 6 duck eggs and couldn’t bring myself to cook them. So good luck getting me to eat insects Herr Schwab.) Quayle eggs seem nice, but you can keep your snail eggs to yourself, I don’t care how mushroomy and mossy they are. Eek.

Contributions, eggy or otherwise, are welcomed.

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inContinental Breakfast

Continental Breakfast (Understudy Edition)

Alan Partridge provides constructive criticism to his Ukrainian girlfriend Sonia.

My favorite literary character of all time – I refuse to believe he’s not real – privately considers the English Breakfast to be that people’s only serious contribution to civilization. As an Irish medical officer in the Napoleonic era Royal Navy Stephen Maturin keeps this opinion to himself.

 

Like the terms “liberal” and “right wing/left wing”, “feminism” means nothing very specific now. There are historical elements to the movement – and I’m not sure we’re on the same movement any more – which I certainly support. Property rights, for example. But women were sold a bill of goods in the 20th century, and a lot of them were dumb enough to fall for it. It turns out that much work isn’t glamorous, no-strings-attached promiscuity is actually more of a guy thing (but it’s so liberating! Take that, patriarchy!), most women want children and finding yourself without a family late in life is actually quite horrifying (although there’s nothing wrong with lots of cats). Which, if you think about it, should have been easy to spot from the get go.

In news, everything seems to be going horribly, horribly wrong. You’re welcome.

It’s all yours.

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by Black Mamba••0•Posted inContinental Breakfast, feminism