12 Years a Slave

Few days ago I read in a friendly blog views on the film which seems to be screened across the world right now. I know of India, Poland and Australia showing the film in February. It has good reviews, 10 Oscar nominations and reputation of showing  extreme cruelty. The post, I mentioned, has many comments. Most of them, if not all, say NO, I DO NOT INTEND TO SEE IT. The reason is cruelty scenes in the film and unwillingness to subject oneself to unnecessary stress, horror and depression. I do agree with all the comments and my sentiments are very similar. It made me think, though. Sometimes we have to know unpleasant things to understand the world. There are times the knowledge can protect us or we may even be able to prevent suffering of others. I know that  is seems far-fetched to think that me having knowledge about slavery can save others from suffering.

Tomorrow is my movie day and I wonder if my friend and I will choose to see 12 Years a Slave. Romain Rolland French winner of Nobel Prize for Literature, idealist and a lover of truth said -  There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it.

I wonder if I am heroic enough to even see the film, not to mention loving all people after seeing that much human cruelty as I read the film contains. 

Mental juicy steak and cold beer

Disclaimer and a warning : To my surprise, this turned out to be one of most favourite of my posts. Strange. I feel that the title is not only stirring interest but may be misleading. Sorry to all of those who got here for culinary interest. This is not about it at all. I hope you read on though and find it fun and to reflection.

It was a long time ago when I saw Adorable Julia a film with Lilli Palmer and Charles Boyer based on Somerset Maugham’s story - Theater. I believe that there has been a remake of the film in more recent years. The story itself is not all that remarkable and the film was not good either but I was very young and impressionable. Lilli Palmer, in my eyes, seemed very sophisticated and I was in owe of her Julia. For some reason the last scene stuck in my mind, even if the message was perhaps difficult to comprehend for a girl not yet 20.  Julia, an actress, after an affair, with a young man age of her son, during a dinner takes a deep breath, smiles affectionately at her husband and takes a big sip of beer, then gets stuck  into a big juicy steak with gusto. Her diet, her regime, she had kept for a long time to impress her young lover and her adoring audience, were not necessary any more to her. She decided to eat her steak when she felt like it and enjoy beer without paying attention to the consequences. It was some type of a New Beginning.

The story does not match my situation but the reason why I recalled the restaurant scene was that recently I have been struggling with my daily tasks often not being completed. My ambitious goals have been more and more difficult to reach. This is how it has been most of my life. Aiming to achieve and consequently a go-go person who did not have time for friends or fun. I have achieved many goals in my life and I felt good about myself for some short moments as the result. My working days were always full of activities but I felt each day that I achieved too little. I want to feel like Julia, relaxed, doing things I enjoy doing, reading books I enjoy reading, going to see a movie when I want to do it or meet with friends even if my long planned website is not built to my satisfaction yet. And all of that without feeling guilty. I still want to contribute through coaching and writing but not to strict, self imposed deadlines. I still want to keep my daily routine but if I skip one day or two I want to feel that it does not matter and be happy and relaxed anyhow. Will I manage? I will give it a go. I want to have my guilt free mental stake and beer. At least from time to time.

This turned out to be one of most favourite of my posts. Strange. I feel that the title is not only stirring interest but also misleading. Sorry to all of those who got here for culinary interest. This is not about it at all. 

Steamer, mistakes and Thursday Dinners

 

I like cooking and since I started to be health conscious I like steaming as a cooking technique. I have had a steamer for some years and it has proven to be a great pot in which to prepare healthy, well balanced meals for one. Tasting good depends on the cook and her/his mood and ability to cook, the steamer will oblige. The trick is to remember to turn the gas off after the water has evaporated or add some more water before the pot burns. This did not always work well in my kitchen.  Consequently, I had to do a lot of pot scrubbing. The pot changed its colour and black is now a dominating tonality of the bottom part of the steamer. Since it is a New Year, a New Beginning, I decided that I will get myself a new steamer, a steamer I will treat better than its predecessor. I have accumulated a high number of points granted as a result of my Master Card purchases and I thought that it will be a good idea to get myself a new steamer through the Altitude Award Program. I found a really nice looking steamer among available to me goods and I ordered it, feeling that I have done a good thing to better  organise my kitchen.

I was waiting patiently for delivery of my new cooking tool and IT CAME yesterday. It is huge! 

I tend to be a bit quick in making decisions, not always doing appropriate research. That was the case this time. I did not check the dimensions of the pot. It says “super sized” on the box in which the cooker arrived. If it was not an internet type of purchase I would have never considered to buy it. But I have it now and have to think where I could store it in my small kitchen and how I could use it so I do not have feeling of failure.

For some time now, I wanted to hold regular dinners with my friends to discuss important, interesting, topical subjects enjoying friendly company and atmosphere. This idea is still in planning stage but the new steamer may precipitate the start of my Thursday dinners on Fridays. The strange name comes from famous Thursday Dinners given by the last Polish king, Stanislaw August. The dinners were instituted to discuss art at large and famous people were invited to share their views on cultural issues. 

I am no royalty and my place is not a palace. It is rather small, so my dinners will be for 6 – 8 friends who are not necessarily famous but as most of my friends – fun, knowledgeable in their areas of interest, interesting people. I expect the dinners to be lively and fun. My new steamer will be very useful in preparation of bigger size meals. This will make me feel better.

Why Thursday dinners on Friday? I think Fridays are better for most people to socialise than a middle of working weeks. King Stanislaw did not have to worry about such things.

Getting to know Australia – Thredbo

I have lived in Australia for many years, but during the years I lived and worked in here I went for holidays and traveled mainly in Europe. It is the time to change it especially that Australia is sooo beautiful. For an European beauty of the country may not be immediately visible. At least it was not for me. I missed European vivid green of late spring and summer and shy, pale green of spring. I was not impressed by the muted colours of gum and eucalyptus trees. I am now.  Now I understand beauty of Australia. These days colours of Australia are familiar and make me feel at home.

I went with two of my friends to Thredbo this week. A lot of Australian landscape I saw during the trip was new to me. We were driving for miles not seeing a sign of life. Maybe except for wombats, possums or kangaroos killed by drivers.  Not that this could be really called a sign of life. Vast areas of gold soil, dry grass with spars gum trees. I must have been in a good mood and easily pleased but I really liked the gold-silver views.

We went to Thredbo, Australian ski resort similar to Zakopane in Poland or Chamonix in France. It is strange to think of snow in Australia especially that we were there in the middle of hot summer.

This was the view from our window. I was told that the Kosciusko mountain  is just behind what we see at the picture. One day I would like to take the chair lift to the top and see the mountain with a Polish name. 

They were very enjoyable few days even if temperature was definitely on a high side for me. We still managed a walk along the local creek. For me it was another opportunity to discover Australian landscapes different to those I know from Sydney and its neighbourhood.

Additional attraction was a visit to Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery. Place between Jindabyne and Thredbo. I loved everything about it. Design of the place, coffee they served, coffee place on a shaded deck with sweeping Snowy Mountains views and sculptures placed casually around the place, veg’s patches and most of all their selection of schnapps.

 I always loved eau de vie de Poire Williams and here I found a strong schnapps named Pear William. I could not believe my luck. After years of searching in Poland and Australia for the drink to no avail I found it in Australian middle of nowhere? Not quite, it is not the same drink but beautiful to my taste nevertheless. 

Australian schnapps

I left the place a happy person with three bottles of schnapps. My friends where a bit surprised at my excessive purchase. Maybe I did go over board... hmm... On reflection I found an excuse of my excessive behaviour. One of the bottles will be a present for my friend who likes after dinner drinks the other will be an ice-cream accompaniment and Pear William will be my after dinner. I think this is quite acceptable. One present, one cooking ingredient and one small bottle of Pear William for degustation. Nothing excessive.

Elegance and tennis

 

The idea of 2014 being a Year of Elegance is not mine but it resonated with me from the first moment I heard of it and I embraced it with enthusiasm. It may become my obsession for some time. I hope friends will let me know if I take it too far.

In January it is time for tennis in Australia. I do not play the game (yet) but I am an enthusiastic tennis fan and I watch many tennis matches. Talking to a friend I expressed my opinion on who I particularly like to watch and who I watch with less pleasure even if they are good tennis players with remarkable successes behind them. On reflection, I realised that for me it comes down to elegance of their play, behaviour and presentation.

My particular favourites are Roger Federer,  Novak Djokovic, Jo Tsonga and Agnieszka Radwanska. 

Agnieszka Radwanska

I do not like Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka or Serena Williams.

In my opinion, my favourites play with more finesse than others, their movements are not only effective but also graceful.  Their tactics are sophisticated and intelligent. They dress with good taste and with simplicity. Most of the time at least. The last year, I got a bit puzzled when I saw shocking pink shoelaces appearing in the Melbourne courts tunnel. I expected Federer to appear but could not imagine that he could the owner of those shoelaces. However, he was to my surprise. I did not take it against him for some reason.

                           

I will watch the Australian open this year again and I will try not to be blinded by my increased focus on elegance of tennis players. I will admire and cheer any good player regardless of their outfits, graceful movements, refinement and sophistication. Even if they grunt, squeak or scream. But Radwanska will be my favourite. Of course. And Federer.

Happy 2014!

I like Christmas in many ways, it is a very special time for me and at the same time there is a lot of nostalgia and some sadness about it. Then, I am relived and happy that it is over, this is how I feel right now. Free to do normal things and look forward to a promise of the 2014.

New year, new resolutions, new plans. New beginning. Many like it and so do I. The trick is to live up to the resolutions given in this period of New Year energy. Even if many of my resolutions and goals seem to be perennial, I will still make them and, maybe naively,  believe that  I will make it all happen this time. 

A friend asked a New Year related question pointing to elegance. I liked it and I am happy to call this year My Year of Elegance. Elegance may mean many things. I think that it should be based on simplicity, restrain and truth. So I want all aspect of my life to be elegant. My behaviour and coaching, my writing and reading, my eating and clothing, my plans and promises... The list is much longer.

Christmas Eve Polish style Wigilia

Christmas Eve Polish style Wigilia

(Polish pronunciation: [viˈɡilja])

Here I go again. It will be about Poland. As Christmas is coming my thoughts go back to Poland more often than normally. It all links to old days which left their stamp on me. I like best my memories related to Wigilia.

For Poles, wherever they are, the most beloved and beautiful of all traditional festivities is that of Christmas Eve. It is then that the Wigilia, or Christmas Eve Dinner is served. It is a solemnly celebrated occasion and arouses deep feelings of kinship among family members.

For days in advance, Poles prepare the traditional foods and everyone anxiously awaits the moment when the first star, known as the Gwiazdka, appears in the eastern sky. For that is when the feast to commemorate the birth of the Christ Child begins.

There is always a thin layer of hay under the white tablecloth in memory of the Godchild in the manger (no idea where I could find hay in Sydney, now that I missed my lawn mowing opportunity). Before sitting down at the table, everyone breaks the traditional wafer (Oplatek) and exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the New Year. This is such a deeply moving moment that often tears of love and joy are evoked from the family members who are breaking this symbolic bread. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. The wafer is known as the bread of love and is often sent by mail to the absent members of the family. This is a beautiful form of symbolic sharing.

The dinner itself differs from other evening meals in that the number of courses is fixed at seven, nine or twelve. According to myth, in no case must there be an odd number of people at the table, otherwise it is said that some of the feasters would not live to see another Christmas. A lit candles placed in the windows symbolise the hope that the Godchild, in the form of a stranger, may come to share the Wigilia and an extra place is set at the table for the unexpected guest. This belief stems from the ancient Polish adage, "A guest at home is God at home."

The Wigilia is a meatless meal, no doubt the result of a long-time Church mandate that a strict fast and abstinence be observed on this day before Christmas. Although the Church laws have been revised and permit meat to be eaten on this day, my Wigilia  meal remains meatless. Items that would normally be included in a traditional Wigilia menu include mushroom soup or borscht, boiled potatoes, pickled herring (sledzie), fried fish, pierogi, beans and sauerkraut, a dried fruit compote, assorted pastries, nuts and candies.

After the meal the members of the family sing Polish Christmas Carols called koledy while the children wait impatiently around the Christmas tree (choinka) for the gifts to be exchanged.

Christmas tree in a Polish home

My last year’s Wigilia was very traditional and prepared jointly with my Australian friends. There are various opinions how many dishes should be served at Wigilia.   I adopted the versions of 12 apostles, 12 months in the year so there were 12 dishes. It was definitely an indecent  way of overeating.

Cold dishes

1.      Herring with onion in oil – Vodka – Żubrówka

2.      White fish in aspic

3.     Vegetable and potatoes  salad

Warm dishes

4.      Borscht

5.      Pierogi (Polish ravioli) with sauerkraut and mushrooms

6.      Sauerkraut with split pea and mushrooms

7.      Poached Salmon

8.      Baked Potatoes

9.      Vegetables with Polish dressing of bread crumbs and butter

Deserts

10.  Piernik – Spice/Ginger cake

11.  Makowiec - Poppy seed cake

12.  Dry fruit and spices compote