The Moglie and I got season tickets for the WNO this year and on Saturday night went for the very first opening night of the season, La Traviata. Now, if you read the review in the Washington Post you may be less inclined to get tickets; however, the performance was far better than what the Post allowed.
In my less than humble opinion the soprano, tenor, and baritone were all marvelous. Not only could they all sing and sing well (poo to you Post), they could actually act! I've seen other WNO operas in which the acting and the singing have not been good (*cough cough* La Boheme except Vittorio *cough cough*)so I say kudos to these people. I am not, despite my own acclamations, a learned judge of opera or vocal talent...but having grown up with a classically trained opera signing mother who listened to this very opera so often when we were kids that I'll bet my siblings and I can recite it...I do ok with the judging. And generally I am not kind.
I've also heard some accusations (not just from the Post) that the WNO is playing things "safe" by doing traditional settings for La Traviata. So? I mean seriously, so? Is it really now necessary to take every bit of classical something and modernize it? Does that honestly help us better relate to the story? Is a director therefore uncreative if he chooses to do something traditionally? Personally for me no. Rather I often find the modernizations,"creativity", and "innovations" distracting. But that is just my personal taste. La Traviata is an archetypal story that works in any era and any setting so if you're setting it for the critics then I guess make them aliens and set the opera on Mars. Heck, they made a movie out of in the 30's with Greta Garbo so aliens might work just fine. However, maybe being traditional is the new creative. The WNO isn't the only theatre going back to tradition this season and I for one am looking forward to it.
In any case, the WNO has set up a fantastic season this year and I think they opened it brilliantly on Saturday. For me this production of La Traviata is not only possibly the best opera I have ever seen, but also meant the most to me. Go see it. You will enjoy it.
p.s. Despite the movement to get people to go to the theatre and not be afraid of it by encouraging audience members to remember that at one time it was pop culture and dress how they like and wear jeans etc..Don't. I will hunt you down if I find out you've gone to the opera in jeans.
15 September 2008
10 September 2008
Cast Iron Skillets: a hint from Heloise
I love my cast iron skillets. I got mine from my Mammaw, and she used to used to do all sorts of culinary feats-- frying eggs, baking the best biscuits, ginger cakes, and cornbread, too! I try to let the pan inspire me, but only recently have I managed to bake a pan of cornbread that even halfway resembles hers. And biscuits? Fuhgeddaboudtit! It just doesn't work for me. Anyhow, for anyone out there who has even a mild curiosity about using cast iron, I highly recommend it. See below today's Hints from Heloise. She's always got great tips and tricks, and recipes that people use for years. This is what she had to say, and I must agree...I couldn't have said it better myself!
If yours is an old skillet, wash (no metal brushes or scrubbers, and just a drop of soap) and dry. Rub the inside, outside and lid (if it has one) with a very light coat of shortening, lard or light cooking oil. Aerosol spray should probably not be used due to the additives, which can cause the pan to become sticky.
If the skillet is new and has a protective coating on it, use a steel-wool scouring pad, soap and the hottest water possible to scrub it off, but only the first time.
Place the clean, oiled skillet in the oven upside down on an aluminum-covered baking sheet to catch oil drips. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. Carefully use a dry cloth or paper towel to keep the surface evenly coated with oil. After baking, let the skillet cool in the oven.
When cleaning a cast-iron skillet, be sure it is cool before doing so, and use a nonmetallic scrubber. Many people use salt as a scrubber or use mild dish soap (only before seasoning, not after every use, most professionals agree), rinse well and dry. Do not soak, let water sit in it or put iron cookware in the dishwasher.
If food is sticking, it is not seasoned correctly. If the food turns black, it's time to re-season.
Store skillets stacked with a paper towel or paper plate between each one to absorb moisture, and leave the lid off. Keep your skillets clean and seasoned, and they will last for generations to come!
PS: Cornbread baked in a cast-iron skillet is simply the best!
If yours is an old skillet, wash (no metal brushes or scrubbers, and just a drop of soap) and dry. Rub the inside, outside and lid (if it has one) with a very light coat of shortening, lard or light cooking oil. Aerosol spray should probably not be used due to the additives, which can cause the pan to become sticky.
If the skillet is new and has a protective coating on it, use a steel-wool scouring pad, soap and the hottest water possible to scrub it off, but only the first time.
Place the clean, oiled skillet in the oven upside down on an aluminum-covered baking sheet to catch oil drips. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. Carefully use a dry cloth or paper towel to keep the surface evenly coated with oil. After baking, let the skillet cool in the oven.
When cleaning a cast-iron skillet, be sure it is cool before doing so, and use a nonmetallic scrubber. Many people use salt as a scrubber or use mild dish soap (only before seasoning, not after every use, most professionals agree), rinse well and dry. Do not soak, let water sit in it or put iron cookware in the dishwasher.
If food is sticking, it is not seasoned correctly. If the food turns black, it's time to re-season.
Store skillets stacked with a paper towel or paper plate between each one to absorb moisture, and leave the lid off. Keep your skillets clean and seasoned, and they will last for generations to come!
PS: Cornbread baked in a cast-iron skillet is simply the best!
20 August 2008
Greetings from Kosovo (pt 5)
I've been dreadfully remiss I know. I'm swamped with work that leaves little time for the pleasures of blogging.
One of my colleagues here read my coffee grounds for me the other day. I've been reading Tarot cards and palms and the like for years but I've never had anyone read my coffee grounds. I've been told that she's extremely accurate and I can only hope so because I have to say I liked her predictions! I'm going to have a rather heated conversation with someone that will be unpleasant but will eventually lead to success (I hope for me). She also saw me talking with a man and said that by the end of the year I would not be alone..which lead to a lot of requests for wedding invitations from my other colleagues. I can only hope that she saw the same man whom I've been eyeing and that "not alone" meant not alone with him.
If you ever find yourself in Kosovo I can only say that you won't starve. The food here is excellent. For one thing, everything is fresh and comes from the various farms around Kosovo and sometimes Albania or Macedonia. I am a dyed in the wool carnivore, I would eat bloody steaks everyday if I could afford it...and here I can! Last night I had an amazing thick and juicy flank steak served with carmelized onions in a balsamic reduction for the ridiculously low price of 6 Euros. Both the meat and the seasoning they use for donners here are amazing (the beef, lamb, and chicken varieties), fish is incredible, and fruits and veg fresh and tasty. They have several excellent green markets in addition to supermarkets and market prices are incredibly low.
One thing I've found that I did not like was their yogurt. I've become accustomed to having yogurt with most of my meals in Serbia so when it was offered here I decided to try theirs. I have to say...I am not a fan of the natural yogurt. I enjoy the fruit flavored, sugared up, slightly tangy yogurt. The fresh home made stuff I had the other day was thin like milk and tasted like the liquid part of cottage cheese. I managed to drink a respectable amount of what felt like a very large glass...but I will not be having seconds!
They do have excellent ice cream here though. Yay for ice cream.
One of my colleagues here read my coffee grounds for me the other day. I've been reading Tarot cards and palms and the like for years but I've never had anyone read my coffee grounds. I've been told that she's extremely accurate and I can only hope so because I have to say I liked her predictions! I'm going to have a rather heated conversation with someone that will be unpleasant but will eventually lead to success (I hope for me). She also saw me talking with a man and said that by the end of the year I would not be alone..which lead to a lot of requests for wedding invitations from my other colleagues. I can only hope that she saw the same man whom I've been eyeing and that "not alone" meant not alone with him.
If you ever find yourself in Kosovo I can only say that you won't starve. The food here is excellent. For one thing, everything is fresh and comes from the various farms around Kosovo and sometimes Albania or Macedonia. I am a dyed in the wool carnivore, I would eat bloody steaks everyday if I could afford it...and here I can! Last night I had an amazing thick and juicy flank steak served with carmelized onions in a balsamic reduction for the ridiculously low price of 6 Euros. Both the meat and the seasoning they use for donners here are amazing (the beef, lamb, and chicken varieties), fish is incredible, and fruits and veg fresh and tasty. They have several excellent green markets in addition to supermarkets and market prices are incredibly low.
One thing I've found that I did not like was their yogurt. I've become accustomed to having yogurt with most of my meals in Serbia so when it was offered here I decided to try theirs. I have to say...I am not a fan of the natural yogurt. I enjoy the fruit flavored, sugared up, slightly tangy yogurt. The fresh home made stuff I had the other day was thin like milk and tasted like the liquid part of cottage cheese. I managed to drink a respectable amount of what felt like a very large glass...but I will not be having seconds!
They do have excellent ice cream here though. Yay for ice cream.
16 August 2008
Greetings from Kosovo (pt 4)
I have been to Mass in a number of countries (nine in fact) and until now the strangest mass was in Tübingen, Germany. I’d spent a few weeks in Tübingen studying and had the opportunity to attend Mass several times, however I will always remember the first one. Everything was going well right up till after the second reading when we stood for the Gospel…and a women got up to read the Gospel and went on to give the Homily. A women. I had to sit down I was so shocked and utterly horrified. In fact, eight years later I am still shocked and horrified. I think thought that the Mass I attended tonight comes close to equaling my Germany experience.
Yesterday, the celebration of the Assumption of Mary was a holy day of obligation. Mass was only in Albanian yesterday which was fine. Lauren remembered that I needed a Missal for this trip so I was able to following along with at least the readings etc. I was told that on Saturday at 7 pm was the regular weekly English Mass so I was happy to attend that (although still armed with the Missal as I am wary of so-called “English” Masses while abroad). I got to the church and that’s when all the weird crap started happening:
Weird thing number one: Dude in an Irish KFOR uniform walked up to the Alter and started setting up for Mass.
Weird thing number two: Dude formerly in a KFOR uniform walked back onto the Alter now wearing priestly vestments.
Weird thing number three: There was only one reading, the one from the Old Testament. There are supposed to be two. I don’t know what happened to the second one.
Weird thing number four: There was no Homily. THERE WAS NO HOMILY!!! Mass went from the Gospel reading right into the prayers of Intercession. What the Hell happened to the Homily?!
Mass was like 23 minutes long and as I exited the church feeling bewildered and cheated there was a huge KFOR jeep with a couple more Irish KFOR soldiers waiting for the priest. I mean, I hope he was actually a priest and not some older Irish gentleman they got to play dress up.
THERE WAS NO HOMILY!!!!
Seriously, I thought if anyone would know better it would be the Irish for Pete’s sake. And to top it all off this church has the absolute most uncomfortable plank o’ wood kneelers I have yet to experience. I am now a connoisseur of plank o’ wood kneelers. If I ever plan on spending a significant amount of time in Prishtina, or, you know, a weekend, I’ll remember to attend the Albanian language Mass.
Oh, by the way, Mother Theresa who is Albanian (despite what the Macedonians tried to convince everyone of during the beginning of her Beatification) is indeed Kosovar Albanian. Her parents were from Prizren.
Yesterday, the celebration of the Assumption of Mary was a holy day of obligation. Mass was only in Albanian yesterday which was fine. Lauren remembered that I needed a Missal for this trip so I was able to following along with at least the readings etc. I was told that on Saturday at 7 pm was the regular weekly English Mass so I was happy to attend that (although still armed with the Missal as I am wary of so-called “English” Masses while abroad). I got to the church and that’s when all the weird crap started happening:
Weird thing number one: Dude in an Irish KFOR uniform walked up to the Alter and started setting up for Mass.
Weird thing number two: Dude formerly in a KFOR uniform walked back onto the Alter now wearing priestly vestments.
Weird thing number three: There was only one reading, the one from the Old Testament. There are supposed to be two. I don’t know what happened to the second one.
Weird thing number four: There was no Homily. THERE WAS NO HOMILY!!! Mass went from the Gospel reading right into the prayers of Intercession. What the Hell happened to the Homily?!
Mass was like 23 minutes long and as I exited the church feeling bewildered and cheated there was a huge KFOR jeep with a couple more Irish KFOR soldiers waiting for the priest. I mean, I hope he was actually a priest and not some older Irish gentleman they got to play dress up.
THERE WAS NO HOMILY!!!!
Seriously, I thought if anyone would know better it would be the Irish for Pete’s sake. And to top it all off this church has the absolute most uncomfortable plank o’ wood kneelers I have yet to experience. I am now a connoisseur of plank o’ wood kneelers. If I ever plan on spending a significant amount of time in Prishtina, or, you know, a weekend, I’ll remember to attend the Albanian language Mass.
Oh, by the way, Mother Theresa who is Albanian (despite what the Macedonians tried to convince everyone of during the beginning of her Beatification) is indeed Kosovar Albanian. Her parents were from Prizren.
14 August 2008
Greetings from Kosovo (pt 3)
I love generators. It is true that I do. I could compose and ode truth be told. No no, I'll stop that.
It's true about the generators though. Power cuts in Pristina and I believe throughout Kosovo are pretty common. My office has a huge generator and we're all already shuddering at the thought of trying to move it when we move offices next year. My hotel also, thank goodness, has one. It is freaking hot in Pristina. It was about 93 today (35 C) and will be even hotter (37 C) tomorrow. If there were no AC I don't think I could survive. There's also a lot of water shortages here. I'm lucky being in the city center where, as I understand it, there's almost always water. But the parts of Pristina that are not the center have water cuts around 6PM and towns outside don't have water more often than they have it.
Speaking of my hotel..if you're ever in Pristina I very much recommend where I'm staying. This trip I am staying in the Hotel Real (pronounced Ray-al not Reel as in the opposite of a fake or poser). Staff is super nice, there's cable, modern bathroom, fairly comfortable bed, and a generator. And they make really good coffee at breakfast.
My last trip to Pristina I stayed in the Baci which was much larger than the Real and fancier, but apparently their power has been totally cut because they were stealing it from the power company and got found out. Also there was a bomb there a while ago (while two of my consultants were staying there) so we haven't used it much since.
Pristina's not the prettiest city in the world. The massive amount of people, droughts over the last 5 + years, and construction make it dry and dusty. And it doesn't do the city any favors that Kosovo was already the poorest of the former Yugoslav republics before both the conflict and the recent declaration. I'm liking it though. Good food and drink and Turkish coffee all for low prices. They may operate on the Euro here but unlike everywhere else still have reasonable prices and didn't just exchange the Euro symbol for the currency symbol they left behind.
It's true about the generators though. Power cuts in Pristina and I believe throughout Kosovo are pretty common. My office has a huge generator and we're all already shuddering at the thought of trying to move it when we move offices next year. My hotel also, thank goodness, has one. It is freaking hot in Pristina. It was about 93 today (35 C) and will be even hotter (37 C) tomorrow. If there were no AC I don't think I could survive. There's also a lot of water shortages here. I'm lucky being in the city center where, as I understand it, there's almost always water. But the parts of Pristina that are not the center have water cuts around 6PM and towns outside don't have water more often than they have it.
Speaking of my hotel..if you're ever in Pristina I very much recommend where I'm staying. This trip I am staying in the Hotel Real (pronounced Ray-al not Reel as in the opposite of a fake or poser). Staff is super nice, there's cable, modern bathroom, fairly comfortable bed, and a generator. And they make really good coffee at breakfast.
My last trip to Pristina I stayed in the Baci which was much larger than the Real and fancier, but apparently their power has been totally cut because they were stealing it from the power company and got found out. Also there was a bomb there a while ago (while two of my consultants were staying there) so we haven't used it much since.
Pristina's not the prettiest city in the world. The massive amount of people, droughts over the last 5 + years, and construction make it dry and dusty. And it doesn't do the city any favors that Kosovo was already the poorest of the former Yugoslav republics before both the conflict and the recent declaration. I'm liking it though. Good food and drink and Turkish coffee all for low prices. They may operate on the Euro here but unlike everywhere else still have reasonable prices and didn't just exchange the Euro symbol for the currency symbol they left behind.
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