The New York Times did a story on the 50 restaurants in the US that they considered as "best". I wasn't surprised to see that Texas got only 3; I don't think that too many places actually have chefs or even try to be novel. But Dallas did have one on the list—Simply South, one that serves southern Indian vegetarian fare. Being afraid that it would become too busy to get into after the NYT publicity, I went the next day, a Monday. The menu isn't made with non-Indian's in mind because it has no spiciness ratings. Hence, one of the two items I ordered was too hot for me to bear, but the other two were fantastic. They were so fresh and interesting and I plan to go again just to have them. They were idly, on the right, a rice cake with chutneys, and a nutty paneer, on the left. In case you're in Dallas, here's the website: https://simplysouth.us/.

A midden is a refuse heap or dunghill. I look at the alarming, sad, and just plain awful images of Ukraine and the Middle East and try to think of what it would be like to lose my home in a bombing, assuming I lived through it. I just can't really imagine it, and I guess I'm grateful I can't. But my heart is often heavy when I think of those poor souls. How much torture and angst those people (and the animals) suffer and for what? It is about power, money and control—the everlasting sources of war and fighting.

Juste Vengeance is the title in French of my movie, Revenge In Kind. The film is subtitled in French (in addition to Spanish and Japanese), but there've been no ads or publicity in Francophone countries to get folks to view it. So it is always a pleasant surprise when I log into my accounts to see the stats on Amazon, Apple, and GooglePlay and I see that someone has viewed it with French subtitles. Well, that happened today! I sure hope they liked it and tell someone else to watch it.

While there are regional variations, chile usually refers to the fruit and chilli refers to the prepared dish. Notwithstanding that distinction, I have discovered a great website (and I have nothing to do with it, so this is entirely objective) at https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/. Today I am making their recipe for fermented sriracha using jalapeños and serranos from my garden. After fermenting a couple of weeks, it should be ready to taste. Looking forward to that! 

I'm trying to build more anticipation in my life. Being 75, I've no idea how much longer I'll be spry, so I try to fill my calendar with a few things I want to see or do soon, just so that I can look forward to the treat. Planning for special food or dining out with a friend is one of my favorites. It's hard to beat satisfying hunger with some tasty food with good company.

Fermenting lid allows gas buildup to escape without my having to keep track of the process and burp the jar as necessary.

I don't participate in art shows much anymore because they were a huge effort and the profit was insufficient, but I will admit that many of them were fun. And it is pleasant to recall the better ones when I look at photos of the patrons and see my art on the walls. One such memory is a shot of a showing of my photography held in Fort Worth in 2021. 

I love pithy quotations that distill a thought about life, how we should do or perceive things, or inject humor into our perspectives. Here is one I plucked from a book I started (but never actually read more than half of) entitled Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop. She wrote the quote when characterizing herself, but I think it can be applied to anyone when phrased the following way:

There was a thunderstorm with some very gusty winds that blew down a dead branch of a large tree. It was blocking my alley, so I tried to move it. When I turned part of it over, I saw this wonderland of mushrooms. It was a lovely garden unto itself.

Something nice happened. A golf buddy of mine read my book Filming an Indie: A Diary of Making Revenge in Kind. Then she watched the movie, first by herself, and then again with her husband. She sent me this photo of the movie onscreen as a little present to me. It makes me feel so good when someone watches RIK, especially after reading the book and thus knowing what it took to make it.

Non-stick chemicals on your cookware usually have PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), which are known to pose health risks. Consumer Reports magazine tests determined that even if cookware claims to have no chemicals, it often does. (Look for the article online and prepare to be scared!) And there are many PFAS, some of which may not be even listed on the cookware products. So, I decided to try to rid my kitchen of PFAS-non-stick cookware this week. But, what should I replace it with? Well, I am returning to my old, heavy cast-iron skillet, and also am investing in some new enameled pots.

Below are my old Caphalon wares and the front-runner (for now) for replacement, by Lodge.

An artwork that I have loved for most of my life is the 14th century masterpiece tapestry of a Unicorn in a corral. It is so intricate and colorful. And the Unicorn himself is sad, powerful, and elegant. 

I have been blessed to have viewed this tapestry in the MOMA annex called the Cloisters in New York City—once in the early 1980s and then again in 2024. Both times I was lucky to be almost alone and was completely undisturbed during my meditation and appreciation. I feel that I not only absorbed it, I imprinted it in my memory to recall whenever I liked. I could not possibly count the number of times in my life that I have contemplated the Unicorn's  expression and his plight.

This week the New York Times surprised me with a challenge to spend 10 minutes viewing the tapestry online. So I was fortunate to have time to magnify and scroll, which is something impossible with the real artwork. Thanks to NYT, I present the screenshot below.

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