Salem and Boston: American cultural saturation, witches and baseball

Posted on by nyamazela

“We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!”

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Salem, Massachusetts

Bewitched in SalemIn summary, Arthur Miller’s play is a classic parable of mass hysteria drawing a frightening parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 and the McCarthyism Cold War fears of 1950s America.

Set in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, the townspeople are stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and hatred, culminating in the wrongful sentencing to death of 20 people for the crime of witchcraft. Continue reading Salem and Boston: American cultural saturation, witches and baseball

Foodie

Posted on by nyamazela

“We might treat a rabbit as a pet or become emotionally attached to a goose, but we had come from cities and supermarkets, where flesh was hygienically distanced from any resemblance to living creatures. A shrink-wrapped pork chop has a sanitised, abstract appearance that has nothing whatsoever to do with the warm, mucky bulk of a pig. Out here in the country there is no avoiding the direct link between death and dinner…” 

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

I am a ‘wannabe’ foodie, but unsurprisingly making little effort to get the esteemed status. There, I’ve said it. Living in a city where you can go out for three meals a day for the rest of your life and never exhaust the options, some will consider my opening admission simply disgraceful. I’m sorry 😦

Continue reading Foodie

The kindness of a good Hubby

Posted on by nyamazela

“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.”

The Bible, Proverbs 30:18-19

Kindness

Sometimes it’s the small kindnesses that touch me deeper that the gallant gesture.

The slow dance in the kitchen to calm me down; the hand reached out to me on an ordinary summer walk along the river; putting out the rubbish; putting away a pile of things that have built up in the entrance hall; a kiss on the forehead; a text during the day; a hot cup of tea and a rusk brought to me in bed; a late night belly laugh or a sleepy morning cuddle.

Continue reading The kindness of a good Hubby

Chilli Black Bean and Chorizo Soup with rice

Posted on by nyamazela

“It isn’t the great big pleasures that count the most; it’s making a great deal out of the little ones – I’ve discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now.”

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

Yummy chilli black bean and chorizo soup with rice

Try this little pleasure:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
+- 85g Spanish chorizo, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder/flakes (If you like hot food, chop up some fresh chilli) Continue reading Chilli Black Bean and Chorizo Soup with rice