Best Time to be alive: California 1960-1980

California dreaming. A tumultuous, fractal, sub-infinite series of images. Deep green forests and rugged mountains. Sun-drenched coasts with surfers riding unfeasibly large waves. Burning deserts and fertile valleys. Vast sprawling townscapes scattered with deep blue pools linked suburb to suburb by enormous, mustang-filled freeways. UCLA. Berkeley. All those funny people camped out in VWs around Mt Shasta. La Jolla and the Scripps Institute, Everything the good life could be, democratically arrived at, and mass produced for ordinary people. Which made this State, in the peak years 1960-1980 the cultural and social centre of the world. Our hope, our dream, our shimmering light.

It was defence that caused California to boom as the USA began its long tilt towards the Pacific after 1945. The US Government’s act of undeclared Keynesianism funded Cold War icons such as Lockheed (Burbank) North American (Inglewood) McDonnell Douglas(Santa Monica, Long Beach), Hughes(Culver City) and Northrop (Hawthorne). As the money flowed through these companies and out the other side, it funded not only the great learning institutions, but also one of the most comfortable and agreeable lifestyles that had ever been known. Everyone, potentially, was in, although if you were black or Hispanic, your share of the pot was going to be much, much smaller. Hollywood, to its credit, was self-funding. But its endless output of iconic films and TV shows afforded the USA a soft power capability that was equal to at least ten carrier battle groups. All of this in turn grew the next generation of industry: Information, games and now AI. For this was a culture built not on oil, or gold or military power, but in the last resort on brains. In places, it still is.

You will by now, gentle reader, have intuited your own huge list of favourite films, TV shows, books popular musical singers, foods and brands which are your California. Yet it is poets who see most clearly, capturing the distilled essence of time and place most of all when they set their thoughts to music. Those poets were Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey, whose songs such as Tequila Sunrise, Hotel California, The Last Resort and others managed to capture the crazy contradictory kaleidoscope of hopes, dreams, indulgences and despairs in a land and place at the leading edge of our species’ experience. Perhaps the shimmering light it is now growing dim. . But for us the word “California” carries the hope that somewhere out there still lies the possibility of a prosperous, future.

#california #cold war #JM Keynes # The Eagles #Los Angeles #hollywood

Friday Night Feast of Fun: Strawberries, cream and what to drink

As May rolls into June, England hits peak summer. All those muddy football players yield to natty cricketers and immaculately coiffured green wickets . Gardens fill with flowers. At Wimbledon and a thousand other places, the air is filled with the thwack of racket on balls. Nothing captures the ambience like a well-turned bowl of strawberries and cream, that near quintessential accompaniment to a day out at the tennis or the Derby. Ok there’s one rival, but we’ll be doing that next week

People have been eating strawberries as a summer dessert since at least the sixteenth century. However the big ones we take for granted today didn’t really come about until the middle of the eighteenth, [1] as a result of a wheeze by an enterprising Frenchman called Amédée-François Frézier . Frankly we found all the botany and genetics in the Wiki article a little cognitively challenging: suffice to say he crossed a North American version with one from the southern continent to produce that plump juicy berry which not only tastes good, but is admirable to look at. And our recommendation to go with them? Cream, single or maybe double. Not ice cream, not clotted, not that funny squirty stuff that comes out of tins from some of our cheaper supermarkets. And certainly no sugar. Just good, old fashioned cowsmilk cream. Gottit?

Now for the really important question: what to drink? Our Intelligent researchers came up with the following list, each perfectly tailored to a different aspect of your dish. Bowl. Whatever.

 Sauternes – A classic French dessert wine with honeyed sweetness that complements the creaminess.

Coteaux du Layon – A Loire Valley wine with citrus and honey notes, perfect for the richness of cream.

Pinot Noir Rosé – Light and fruity, with strawberry and peach notes that enhance the fresh berries.

Demi-Sec Champagne – The bubbles and brioche flavors contrast beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries.

Riesling (Spätlese) – A German Riesling with floral and orchard fruit notes that highlight the strawberries.

Prosecco – Slightly sweeter than Champagne, making it a great match for ripe strawberries and cream.And much, much cheaper!

Gewürztraminer – Aromatic and floral, with lychee and ginger notes that pair well with strawberries.

And with the end of that list, may we wish you another happy Friday night feast.

[1] Strawberry – Wikipedia

#strawberries #cream #summer #wine #garden #tennis #cricket #wimbledon

Bit of a round up: Yes Men, Fusion, Bowel Cancer, molecular shuttles and seething in the Sahel

Overwhelmed by a huge flood of suggestions , the only way we could cope was to pull them into this handy easy to access guide to some of the most significant happenings of the week. You don’ have to click on all of them

Will the Yes men Bring Down Donald Trump? As organisations get successful they attract more people who are adept at climbing the ladder rather than doing the job. The USA is somewhere near peak Trump at the moment. The Conversation warns how bad advice could end all in tears

https://theconversation.com/trump-surrounds-himself-with-sycophants-its-a-terrible-way-to-run-a-business-and-a-country-257391?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from

Fusion on Trent The person who sent us this idea has had to endure our enthusiasm for nuclear fusion for more than fifty three years, despite the fact that it hasn’t worked for fifty of them. Now all that may be about to change in Nottinghamshire in the UK as The I newspaper explains https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/limitless-clean-energy-nuclear-fusion-3711971

^{thanks to P Seymour} ^{via Apple News}

Weighing the risks of bowel cancer Inequality leads to poor diets. Poor diets lead to obesity. Obesity leads to bowel cancer. How ironic, therefore, to see a riff on this theme in the Mail, of all places. But there it is so, there you go, as they say(that’s enough cliches-ed)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14756279/Doctors-discover-vital-new-clue-search-cause-mystery-bowel-cancer-explosion-50s.html

Shuttle and open We’ve riffed a bit ourselves here about the blood brain barrier over the years. It’s a pretty tough problem for those who would like to treat various disorders of the central nervous system. Now new hope come sin the form of molecular shuttles as Nature Briefing explains

To reach the brain, drugs must pass through the highly-selective blood-brain barrier. Large molecules, such as antibodies, don’t cross easily, if at all. Now, small chemical tags that can ‘shuttle’ drugs across the barrier are offering a way forward. Several such shuttles, which take advantage of natural transport systems, are in the works. Some have already been trialled in rare diseases, with signs of success. The field is in its infancy, but these shuttles promise to revolutionize treatments for diseases from Alzheimer’s to cancer.Nature | 10 min read

When scientists have a bone to pick It is an invariable law in paleontology , especially of the human kind, that the rancour of the disputes between its protagonists is in inverse proportion to the numbers of remains they have to work with. There is no better example of fear and loathing than the disputes over the bones of Sahelanthropus, the famous Toumai, which was once hailed as the uber-ancestor of us all. Before you hand over the world to an Aristocracy of the Educated, as some advocate, read this.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/27/the-curse-of-toumai-ancient-skull-disputed-femur-feud-humanity-origins?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#cancer #bowel #nuclear fusion #dona;d trump #health #medecine #alzheimers #sahelanthopus

Friday Night Feast of Fun: VE day

The 80th anniversary of VE Day has bought an immense outpouring of celebrations. Millions who were not there will tell you how they long to put on a zoot suit and jive the night away to Vera Lynn, or roam the streets of London getting up to goodness knows what with perfect strangers on bomb sites (wasn’t it a bit cold?-ed)

But-how much would you have enjoyed it? For those who advocate free markets and liberal trade as the best cures for human ills, the Second World War makes very difficult reading indeed. The Government seized control of the nation’s food supplies in 1939,introducing an utterly comprehensive system of rationing, backed by bulk buying and ruthless imposition of standards. By VE Day on 8 May 1945 the nation was thinner, heathier, fitter and better fed that it had ever been before. Or would be ever again. But Civil Servants are not chefs, and the menus available on that famous date may seem very spartan indeed to the modern palate. We thought we’d offer the kinds of things which might have been served up. With the help,naturally, of one of the most likeable books in our collection: The Ration Book Diet [1] And follow it up with what you could drink.

First Course There isn’t one Both shipping and fuel were in short supply, making this stage a superfluous luxury. Now you know why they were so healthy. Wanna try it?

Main Course In their spring section, Brown et al suggest recipes for Kidney with Mustard and Madeira Gravy(p76) Vinegar and mustard baked chicken(p78) or broad beans with minted salsa verde (p80 ) Other things served up might have been Ham and pickle pie monkfish and bacon casserole or salad of some sort. Everything grown locally, or sourced form the nations own fields and fishing grounds. Should we go that way again?

Dessert They would probably have called it “afters” or “pudding”. Apricot compote , rhubarb bread pudding or rhubarb fool might have graced many a VE Day table . For treats as the night drew in: oatmeal scones. And that really is it. There were things about like spam, corned beef and even cheese(heavily on the ration) But you’ll have to read the book iof you want to know more about them.

Happy so far? Let’s pour a drink , or go to the pub

Popular beers of the day included Bass, Guinness and Trumans At home, these would have come in bottles. There were no fridges of course. The Ministry had strained every nerve to ensure the pubs were well stocked with much the same. We also found a cocktail list from a site called Bistrot Pierre. For us, the Gin Fizz stands out as an iconic component of the war-time vocabulary. At least from the films and TV programmes we’ve seen.

And wine? Oh come on. It all came from the continent, which had been under enemy occupation for four years. You had about as much chance of finding a mobile phone as bottle of chardonnay in London in 1945.

Still want to go there?

[1] The Ration Book Diet Mike Brown Carol Harris CJ Jackson The History Press 2010 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ration-Book-Diet-C-Jackson/dp/1803993448

[2]https://www.bistrotpierre.co.uk/propeller/uploads/2020/04/VE-Day-cocktails.pdf

#food #drink #VE day #world war two #diet #health

Deadly Fungus spreads as globe warms

Rising seas. Flooding rivers. Blankets of uncontrollable wildfires. But the latest risk from global warming is a humble fungus, which could now spread across the globe. We’ve mentioned the danger of antibiotic resistant fungi before here(LSS 21 10 24 et al) But we never thought to tie it to climate change.

Well all that’s just changed. Because according to a new study by Dr Norman van Rhijn of Manchester University, reported here by Alex Croft of the Independent, via Yahoo [1] dangerous strains of the Aspergillus family of fungi are starting to spread . If we carry on burning fossil fuels at the rate we do now, the strain A. fumigatus will probably extend its range by 77% by 2100, pushing up into polar regions such as Alaska. And the trend is worrying experts from many fields.[2] For one thing, fungi have an immense potential to damage drops. But they also pose a clear and present danger to human health, especially in those with weaker immune systems, such as the elderly and children. They may also produce substances such as aflatoxins which may cause liver damage and even cancer[3] It’s hard to get an exact figure which parses the number of deaths caused directly by fungi, and those cases where they become an opportunistic secondary infection. But about 3.5 million a year might not be a bad ball park figure. As the fungi become resistant to antibiotics and fungicides, this figure will grow and grow.

This is a bank holiday weekend in our country. People will be doing bank holiday things. A great many cars will be cleaned, tents put up, boats sailed and drinks drunk. But , we can’t help thinking, wouldn’t it be better to put all the fun on hold for a bit, until problems like this have been finally sorted out?

[1]https://uk.news.yahoo.com/killer-fungus-could-spread-parts-170653452.html#:~:text=Norman%20van%20Rhijn%2C%20the%20Wellcome%20Trust%20research%20fellow,a

[2]https://www.who.int/news/item/25-10-2022-who-releases-first-ever-list-of-health-threatening-fungi

[3]https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins

#global warming #climate change # antibiotic resistance #aspergillus #fungi

Friday Night Feast Of Fun: the summer Barbecue

Since about 1985, nothing has evoked the sense of the days getting warmer more than the aroma of a thousand sizzling barbecues drifting down the suburban breeze. People didn’t seem to do them much back in the nineteen seventies: but now the custom of inviting friends and family round to the garden for a delicious open air feast of roasted meat is a national custom. So with the aid of a couple of our regular contributors, whose knowledge of these matters is profound, we thought we’d riff a little on the matter ourselves.

How to cook it? In these isles, Opinion is divided. Some swear by gas, which is fast and efficient. But the real purists swear by charcoal, which seem, at least to anthropology buffs like ourselves, to be sort of more authentic somehow. Either way, you still have to clean up a tad, they tell us. But half the problem of cooking, i.e, the smell hanging around the house, has gone. Because it’s drifted downwind into the neighbours’!

What to serve? Make no bones about it, a true barbecue means meat. The word “barbecue” comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, which they evolved by watching the mass meat roasts of the native peoples of the Caribbean. Meat, lots of it. Which for us carnivores can mean a delicious range pf possibilities, including steaks, chops, burgers, loins and sausages. Fish fans are well catered for too, with brill , salmon, trout and turbot high on the list. There is a debate about whether to put these in foil or not; ultimately this choice will be informed by experience, we suspect. Foil also does wonders for vegetables. Peppers, potatoes, onions, even carrots and parsnips can come up well. Whereas things like peas do tend to fall down the gaps in those funny grid things, as you will soon discover. Bread buns or rolls should be on hand to aid the consumption of items like burgers, it goes without saying.

What to Drink? Our correspondents soon opened the door to anything and everything. Everything that is cold and refreshing of course. Beer, cooled white and rose wines and cocktails big on ice like Pimms or Gin Slings are always good. For the drivers, have plenty of fizzy drinks, fruit juices and iced water on standby. Remember: ice is the key to everything, or so they say.

And what to wear? The days of your best Brooks Brothers blazer, MCC tie and Chino slacks are long gone. For one thing they’re all naff and nineties. Secondly, one spot of greasy lamb will send that prized jacket straight round the dry cleaners, who may never get it all out. Panama hats are still OK, partnered with roomy shorts, tee shirts and those funny hoodie tops that were once favoured by persons of a certain socio-economic class, but have since spread throughout the population in general. We suppose baseball caps are still OK, but try to avoid red ones with letters like “M” , “A” and “G” upon them.

That’s our take; we know it’s a bit exiguous, so to help you more, here’s a link to the ever helpful BBC Food website, which is crammed with admirable tropes. Have a good weekend and happy eating.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=bbc+food+barbecue&form=ANNTH1&refig=8B31CAE98E3F40ADA31592299A6DD45D&pc=HCTS

#barbecue #food #drink #summer #garden party

Feast of Fun: The classic Easter Sunday Roast

Instead if a Friday Feast of Fun, the opportunity to cover an Easter Sunday Lunch was just too mouth-wateringly good to pass up. Frankly, we prefer it to Christmas. It’s less boozy, the food’s lighter with less compulsory extras like puddings and unwanted family members, to name but two, and of course the weather’s better. There’ll be more about why we like Easter in the next blog. In the meantime here are our tips for a very special easter lunch, absolutely in the English style.

Pre dinner drinks: Easter is the time at which it is at last legal and permitted to break out the Pimms, that quintessential English cocktail mixer. Here is our recipe (for one person)from an old blog in 2021, but it works just as well today

Take one measure of Pimm’s No.1 Cup and and add to a highball glass. (Ours have real Pimms logos!) Add 3-4 ice cubes, then 2 slices of lemon, two slices of orange and one chopped strawberry and one slice of cucumber. Top up with lemonade and decorate with a sprig of mint or borage, if you can find the latter.

Entreé We always recommend going light and simple. Salmon or trout, cold with a few olives are good options. For the fish allergic, a nice cold cured meat, perhaps an Iberian Ham or French Saucisson go down well and can sit alongside the Pimms, if you don’t want to sozzle your guests with an early white wine.

Main Course We have been known to serve chicken, and to have served it well. But in these islands Lamb is the traditional centre piece for Easter Sunday. Roast that is, and served up with potatoes and the best spring vegetables. For years we swore by leg. It’s a great joint, and can be made to work more if you have a large number of guests. But once, a little financially embarrassed in Waitrose in Kingston Upon Thames we took the advice of their Meat Man, and tried shoulder, which in theory is the cheaper cut. Frankly, we have never looked back-there are extra levels of flavour and texture which even the best shoulders struggle to match. So to be fair, here are two recipes, both from the BBC which will give you more than a fighting chance of turning out a really memorable experience for your guests

Leg: Mike Robinson https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roastlegoflambwithga_90252

Shoulder: Mary Berry https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_roast_shoulder_lamb_92930

Dessert We could write three blogs here, and that’s only on what’s available from the supermarket. If you’ve treated them well with the first courses, your guests may not want too much. Something to do with strawberries, raspberries and cream might suffice, backed with a range of strong, simple cheeses. Dare we put in a word for some of our rarer British specials like Lancashire, Caerphilly, Wensleydale and Double Gloucester?

Wine At least, on to the serious part of the blog. So-Red, or White? Fortunately we have found a great site called Unravelling Wine, where you can weigh a range of possibilities-Rioja, Chianti, Bordeaux, they seem to have thought of every possible pairing, with all the tasting notes you’ll need. https://unravelingwine.com/lamb-wine-pairing/

Post Prandial Liqueurs The usual. Brandy. Port. Madeira. Strong Coffee. You know the sort of thing. If you have done your work well, your guests should not be too fussy by this stage.

Well, gentle readers we hope that is enough, and more than enough, to ensure that you, your family, your guests and your servants enjoy a real easter blow-out. It was fun writing it, because being on the most savage diet, we are unable to sample any of the delicacies above, even cursorily. But we used to; and that was fun too, while it lasted.

#roast dinner #easter #food #wine

Friday Night Fun:the old cheap Bubblies (Où sont les neiges d’antan?)

Everyone likes to dress up from time to time and enjoy going large with a glass of bubbly. Trouble is, the old Champagne can be a bit pricey, and there’s a lot of euros for very little extra elation. For decades people have been trying to do things on the cheap, with varying results. So tonight we thought we’d take a look at some of the braver efforts which have been made in History, and, as an added bonus, the little nibbles they served with them

1950s Mateus Rosé Invented in Portugal in 1942 it was the iconic bottle and rather elegant label that gripped our ten year old selves(we grew up in an Off Licence) The wine itself was pink and only slightly fizzy, but worked well chilled. It was really rather popular in the 1970s (so were Watneys Party Sevens and the Bay City Rollers) but has since faded a tad, despite attempts to redesign the bottle. Nibbles: twiglets

1960s Babycham Actually a perry aimed squarely at the ladies’ market, it enjoyed a huge vogue back in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was considered rather chic among large sections of society, with huge advertising campaign There was even a special cocktail called a snowball( neiges, right?) which combined the stuff with advocaat. Glad we never had a job as a cleaner on the Central line trains! Like a starlet, its beauty had started to fade by the sassier 1980s and efforts to rebrand and relaunch have never quite got it back to top of the bill

Nibbles those funny cocktail stick things with a cube of pineapple and a cube of cheese.

1970s Asti Spumante this is the real poor man’s champagne, not lager. Cheap and cheerful this Italian sparkler graced many a working class Christmas dinner table in the age of Top of the Pops and the Queens Broadcast Ironically the sudden popularity of its younger sister (see below) has afforded a certain bounce back for this beverage-and why not? we say.

Nibbles Cheese and onion crisps/Doritos

2000s Prosecco We had never heard of this stuff until one evening in 2010. After which it seemed to be anywhere and everywhere at all times, as much a part of national life as football or Coronation Street. A bright, dry and bubbly from Friuli it can accompany anything from exam results, weddings and even those funerals where the deceased will not be too badly missed but nevertheless left enough of a memory to fund a juicy trip or two to Benidorm.

Nibbles: Marmite flavoured peanuts

2020s Crémant—Now we’re definitely in the right vineyard! Brewed up in France (and Luxembourg) using the same traditional method as Champagne, it comes from regions outside of that snooty snifter, such as Alsace, Burgundy, and the Loire. Sorry, we think it’s definitely a cut above Prosecco, deliveings Champagne-like vibe at a fraction of the price.

Nibbles:Blingies with caviar

#wine #sparkling wine #party

Friday Night Feast of Fun: The Joy of Charcuterie

We can’t think of a better suggestion for you tonight, dear friends, than Charcuterie. It’s a French word, but the cuisines of many countries now feed in, as we shall see. Its such a simple way to up a range of flavours for guests. There’s usually always something in the mix that anyone and everyone can eat. Above all, sharing and comparing are such good conversation starters that the busy hostess or host will find that half of their task has already been completed. How’s that for ergonomics?

Without further ado, lets start with the food. We’ve put up Laura Wingrove‘s post for BBC Food [1] Ostensibly designed for Christmas, Laura’s run-through will give you all you need to serve up a mouth-watering board at any time of year. There’s no law against using this for Easter, you know. The hams include piquant Parma, and mouth watering Mortadella, all the usual suspects in fact. We confess that our favourite is the famous Spanish Jamon Serrano. As for spiced meats, French Saucisson moved to the top of our culinary Hit Parade some years ago, and has stayed there ever since. She also waxes lyrical on the best accompaniments like cheeses, olives and so on, as well as handy ways you can serve it all up to transport your guests to a rough stone Provencal kitchen diner, where we understand such meals are served all the time. Well, according to certain lifestyle magazines they are,

And to drink? The Wine O Mark website puts up its 7 best parings. [2] What we like about this is the selection of old Mr Reliables, like Reislings, Merlots and Sauvignon Blanc. Remember the trick is to serve to the lowest common denominator, but to do it well , which is exactly what they achieve. Our researchers suggest a good range of cold beers might not hurt as well- Eurolagers like San Miguel or Kronenbourg might add to the ambience here.

All of this can be picked up at good supermarkets: we might suggest Marks or Waitrose as the few extra pounds spent will more or less underwrite you against disaster.

Good luck and Happy Eating!

[1]https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/charcuterie_board

[2]https://www.wineomark.com/best-wine-for-charcuterie/

#charcuterie #food #wine #beer #cheese #jamon #saucisson

Friday Night Feast of Fun: The Toby Carvery for us

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford (1701u20131751) by Jacques-Antoine Dassier is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

For us, one of the most delicious moments in television ever came in Simon Schama‘s 2000 series The History of Britain. It recreated a moment in the working day of out first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole as he attempted to bend the will of his latest Whig MP to the correct ends for Party and Country.1] And how did he do it? With a tasty dinner of English food at its best.of course! Roast meat. Roast potatoes. Yorkshire puddings. Vegetables like peas, carrots, parsnips- the best products of our deep and fertile soils, then beginning a new Agricultural Revolution. All washed down with the finest claret, glasses uncounted. It was until quite recently our main food, our only food really, topped off with various puddings made from quintessentially English things like apples, plums and creams. It’s still served today , from very expensive restaurants and snooty Fulham pubs all the way down to humble local ale houses. And deep, deep, down, in the very heart of our English souls. it’s still our very favourite best.

But where to get it? Any day of the week, served impeccably and with the best of good cheer? Well, at the risk of ostracism from some members of our social circle, we are going to recommend a Toby Carvery. [2] It’s cheap. It’s unpretentious. Some of your fellow diners may be a tad rough around the edges. You have to go up to the carvery counter to get your dinner But there are advantages. One: there is always a bar in a Toby, to get that authentic Whig-Tory Parliamentarian style experience going. Two You still have a server at your table, who in our experience are always among the most cheerful down to earth type you will encounter Three: going up to get your grub conveys several advantages: you can grab as much as you want, you can choose from the joints (there will always be beef, pork, gammon and a turkey). If you know the chef, you can always wheedle and creep your way to toothsome extra bits. and if you are on a health gig you can always cut out the potatoes and yorkshires, and cleave to lean meats and all the vegetables you need, Four, back at the table the server will still attend with all the wine refills that you, your companion or Sir Robert himself could wish for. Five we find some of the dessert items such as the ice creams and crumbles almost dangerously addictive. And at the end of the day you will pay a price, including tip which would buy you barely a starter and a glass of water in certain establishments which those who claim to have more refined tastes have forced us to attend from time to time.

And to all of those who clutch their pearls at our brazenly proletarian choice-:”you find somewhere better, mate!”

Editorial note: the writer of this piece was some time ago placed on a strict diet, and his penned this largely from memories. Happy memories.

[1]https://watchdocumentaries.com/a-history-of-britain/?video_index=9 see especailly 20-25

[2]https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/menus/carverymenu#/

#roast dinner #sir robert walpole #english cooking