How To Cook A Wolf

Because of my rather silly love of cookbooks from the 1930s-1950s, I just had to check this book out from the library. How to Cook a Wolf is M. F. K. Fisher's work on eating, cooking, and surviving with gusto during the food rationing of WWII.

Some of her recipes were just downright unappetizing and bizarre, such as this one for head cheese copied verbatim from pages 102-103:

Aunt Gwen's Cold Shape (!)

1 calf head, quartered

salt, pepper, bay, herbs as desired

1/2 cup lemon juice

or

1 cup dry white wine

Remove most of fat, and the brains (save for another dish), ears, eyes, and snout (a kindly butcher will do this for the finicky). Soak for 1/2 hour in cold water, wash off, cover with cold water, and simmer until the meat starts to fall from the bones. Drain in large colander over another kettle, saving all the cooking liquor. Dice the meat ("in pretty pieces," Aunt Gwen directed), add the stock amply to cover, and mix gently with seasoning to taste. Simmer for 3/4 hour, add the lemon juice or wine, and pour into a mold. Cover with a cloth, weight well, and chill. Serve in slices. (Aunt Gwen used bread-pans for the molds, clean bricks for the weights ... and there were always cucumber-chips on the platter.)

Yes, you read correctly: head cheese. Soaking a calves head to get all the meat and fat off the bones and turning it into some kind of morbid delicacy.

My mother told me stories about her grandpa, who came from Austria-Hungary in 1921, and absolutely loved the homemade head cheese that my grandma made for him. There was even mention of my grandma shaving the head to get all the hairs off the skin so there would be none in the vat of gelatinous goo that was to become the aforementioned ... "treat." If it was served with cold cucumber slices, I may never know.
I think this is actually an ad for pork sausage. But regardless, I feel that the same strange .. mood, perhaps (?) is there.
Unfortunately, I do not know what year this fabulous illustration of two multi-course meals comes from. But on the left hand side, at the very top, that strange cylindrical tallow-colored cake is really head cheese. A polite term for it in society would be brawn, or possibly, braun. Supposedly there is no end to the mold-shapes you can form your loaves or cakes of head cheese into.

Dracula Quotes

Unfortunately, I can't really think of anything witty or cute to write about finishing Dracula. Therefore, I will just post some quotes that stuck with me throughout the novel.

" 'I seek not gaiety nor mirth, not the bright voluptuousness of much sunshine and sparkling waters which please the young and gay. I am no longer young. And my heart, through weary years of mourning over the dead, is not attuned to mirth. Moreover, the walls of my castle are broken; the shadows are many, and the wind breathes cold through the broken battlements and casements. I love the shade and the shadow, and would be alone with my thoughts when I may.' " [Note on Dracula speaking in Johnathan Harker's Journal, p. 24]

"The fair girl, with laugh of ribald coquetry, turned to answer him:-

" 'You yourself never loved; you never love!' On this the other women joined, and such a mirthless, hard, soulless laughter rang through the room that it almost made me faint to hear; it seemed like the pleasure of fiends." [Johnathan Harker's Journal, p. 39]

'We thought her dying whilst she slept

And sleeping when she died.' [Dr. Seward's Diary, p. 162]

And my personal favorite:

"The tomb in the daytime, and when wreathed with fresh flowers, had looked grim and gruesome enough; but now some days afterwards, when the flowers hung lank and dead, their whites turning to rust and their greens to browns; when the spider and the beetle had resumed their accustomed dominance; when time-discoloured stone, and dust-encrusted mortar, and rusty, dank iron, and tarnished brass and clouded silver-plating gave back the feeble glimmer of a candle, the effect was more miserable and sordid than could have been imagined. It conveyed irresistibly the idea that life - animal life - was not the only thing which could pass away." [Dr. Seward's Diary, p. 196-7]

I also noticed that the death toll was exceedingly high when pertaining to the main characters;

Johnathan Harker's benefactor: old age

Lucy Westenra: vampyrism

Lucy Westenra's mother: old age

Quincey Morris: fighting a vampyre

Arthur Holmwood/Lord Godalming's father: old age

Not to mention Mina being an orphan and all the other minor character's deaths. Still surprised Dracula was defeated so easily in the end by such incompetent nincompoops as those mere mortals.

And, as a side note, Dracula was first published on 26 May 1897. Suck on that bloody froth, ya filthy Undead!

Here There Be Vampyres

At the moment, I am currently reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. I read it once before back in high school (it seems like forever ago) but it seems as I get older, I increasingly appreciate this particular novel. Of course I plan on rereading it over and over again. Each time that I do, I suspect that I will find something new that makes me enjoy it all the more.

As far as reading goes, I'm about halfway through: Lucy Westenra has been laid to rest in the family crypt along with her mother, leaving Arthur Holmwood devastated at both the loss of his fiancee and his father only a few days before; Mina and Johnathan Harker have eloped but Johnathan is still suffering from the aftereffects of his "brain fever" from visiting Transylvania; Dracula is working on his collection of nubile virgins; Van Helsing mysteriously hints that Lucy's death is only the beginning; Dr. Seward is continually stumped by Renfield's outbursts, attempted escapes, and insect collection.

From the beginning to the middle of the novel, I was delighted to run across some items that made me giggle. Namely, the whole "New Woman" phenomena. Apparently, us ladies have been mucking up the works for a long time, trying to act independent and pursuing our own interests. I mean this in a tongue-in-cheek manner, of course. I'll just merely be mentioning a couple of attitudes and social mores of the late 1890s which sound downright amusing these days.

This picture perfectly illustrates a fear of respectable persons concerning their delicate womenfolk: wearing breeches, smoking, and riding bicycles. All normal behaviors attributed to men of that period but when it involves a woman .. scandalous! What an outrage! Ladies must not show their legs and not lounge about in public unattended by an escort. And certainly they must never, ever, under any circumstances ride a bicycle. Heavens above! What wretches! Researching further into the bicycle riding thing, in those times, riding may .. compromise .. a young woman's chastity. I know, I'm rolling my eyes too.
Another topic brought up in Dracula, is this new-fangled electronic gadget called the typewriter. No one seems to use it much, especially not the ladies. By learning to type, a woman might get ideas. And we don't want that. Apparently, by using a typewriter, ladies might branch out and have their own independent opinions outside of agreeing with their husbands.

Like I said, I would only bring up a couple items that struck me as so antiquated and misogynistic, it's amusing. I can't be mad over this because it's utterly ridiculous.

And keep an eye out, another entry specifically dealing with vampyres may be in the works. I promise you this: it will deal with the themes I enjoy .. which does not include vampire romance. Interpret that as you wish. My interests lie in existential undead creatures that stalk the earth.

Soft-Boiled Egg

This was only a part of my breakfast this morning. I got too hungry and ate the other accompanying toast and fruit pieces.
Photographed to scale. Isn't my egg cup so dainty and cute? And isn't the counter top spotlessly clean? I slaved away last night cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen since I baked salmon for dinner. I would've taken pictures of that too .. only it was picked clean almost immediately.

My Humblest Apologies

I couldn't resist the opportunity to show you yesterday's lunch (thank you, microwave oven). The cherry tomato in the center was just too cute, I had to share.

Memorable Mantlepieces

Carole Lombard elegantly posing. The bareness of her mantelpiece is balanced out by the painted brick hearth and tastefully decorated side tables. The woman herself is also the most fetching mantelpiece ornamentation in existence.
Vivien Leigh's majestic fireplace is probably one of the most elaborate. The stone carving, the candelabra, and the hearth gate is all rather becoming. I'm naming this particular style: Gothic-hacienda-chic (pronounced 'sheek').
And of course, Miss Alice Liddell's enchanted mantelpiece. No other rivals it because who else do you know of that has such charming creatures ready to quiz you with riddles and throw in some witty banter?

Make Use Of Your Mantelpiece

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been a while. But I've been busy and this is a legitimate excuse because I have a part time job! Yay!

Anyways, I've always had this thing for opulent home decor and I enjoy perusing pictures of various interiors. Yet I draw the line at watching HGTV. This particular picture is of Elsa Schiaparelli's sitting room (she is reading serenely in what I can only assume is a chaise lounge). What draws my eye the most is the mantelpiece and the mirror above it (you may click on the image to enlarge). It seems if one actually has a fireplace in one's home (it's a rarity these days, which is quite the tragedy), the mantelpiece is so dinky there is no room whatsoever for items such as: pictures in decorative frames, statues/idols, tiny clocks, bud vases, books, candle sticks or candelabra, houseplants, or perhaps a collection of antique something or others to display. If you have a mantelpiece, please put it to good use. It's a shame to waste something that is so obviously ignored in the modern household of today.