Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat is, I discovered, the subject of a blog along the lines of the Julie/Julia project. I had received the book last year and thought it was time I cracked the cover and tried something. I happened to have a bag of black beans in the cupboard so I made South Beach Black Bean Soup. It was very good, particularly after letting it sit for a day and then adding a squeeze of fresh lime, some chopped coriander (cilantro) and a dollop of sour cream. Didn’t have any red onion but might try it with that later. I did find myself yearning for heat, and the tabasco helped. But it seemed… wrong somehow to make black bean soup without chiles. Anyway, it’s a good one for vegetarians and coeliacs.
I spent a little time today browsing The Poem, a spare and readable site, which describes itself as “a taster of contemporary poetry in Britain and Ireland.” I enjoyed Christopher Logue’s “Rat O Rat” – one of the little beggars just strolled along my fence the other day and gave me a haughty look – but the one that follows it “from New Numbers” is an amazing narrative gem.
Interesting comment from Adrienne Rich. I think it’s valid to retain an awareness of this issue when writing poetry. I don’t work in form at all ( occasionally when playing around) but I can imagine it would be tempting to give up the poetry for the form. And as for free verse, (which I use) sometimes it does feel like so many sentences broken down. Ideally it is very rhythmic language but then some novels are very poetic.