Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #29 -- What's in Daniel and Val's kitchen?
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| In keeping with the theme I began two weeks ago, when we looked at Mitchell and Kerri's kitchen and its contents, this week, let's take a look at Daniel and Val's kitchen. For those of you too lazy to follow the links, Daniel is ShapeShifter's drummer and Val, his long-time girlfriend who trained as a chef but quit the restaurant business when it got too much. Look for a new outtake featuring Daniel, Val, and their kitchen over the weekend. And for you meme lovers, another one I'll let the band answer. 1. A sourdough starter 2. a windowsill herb garden (that overflows onto the patio, in ever-expanding pots) 3. A wide variety of teas 4. Phone numbers for three butchers 5. ten kinds of chocolate and/or cocoa, not counting hidden candy bars 6. A variety of wines, ports, and other highbrow alcoholic delicacies that you wouldn't expect a rock star to know a thing about. Mostly, he doesn't. Val, however, does. She's not a rock star, so your expectation here was met perfectly. 7. Locally produced clover honey 8. chick peas, tahini, lemons (for juicing), and garlic 9. Phone numbers and schedules for the local CSA 10. Ping's Soy Sauce. Lots of it. 11. Bodacious Sauce. Not quite as much of it. 12. organic cranberry granola bars (Daniel's favorites. Eric's too, come to think about it) 13. One of those undercounter TVs that's hooked up to the cable in case Daniel starts to go through CNN withdrawal. And because the voting's not closed yet... And if you've missed it somehow, Just a reminder... go vote for me!     Yes, I'm totally going to torture you with this until the voting closes on May 22. So go vote, will ya? If you've already voted, why not register under another e-mail address? You'll get to vote again that way! |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Labels: Blogger's Choice Award, Bodacious Sauce, Daniel, kitchen, meme, Soy Sauce Story, Thursday Thirteen, Val
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Inside Writing: Soy Sauce Scene #2
Yesterday, I showed you one variation on the real soy sauce story. Here's the other one.
Really, is it that much of a surprise to hear how much I love Mitchell?
Mitchell scratched his head as he contemplated the seven varieties of soy sauces. He hadn't paid much attention when Ma had asked him to pick some up on his way over; he'd figured that just remembering it was the brand with the Chinese name would be good enough.
He could hear her reminder: "Good enough rarely is, Mitchell." And his father, chiming in about how to find success, a person had to give 100%, all the time.
Clearly, he'd fucked this one up royally.
He was still standing there when a couple walked by. "Get the Ping's," the woman said. "It's the best of the all-natural brands."
"How can it be best?" the man asked.
"I don't know," the woman said. Mitchell smiled at her exasperated tone. "But it is. Maybe they use special soy for it or something. Make it in small batches. I don't know. Call them and ask."
Mitchell wondered if they would answer that sort of question if someone called and asked it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the woman nudge the man and make a subtle gesture in his direction. With a sigh, he picked up a bottle of Ping's soy sauce and tried to be casual as he walked away.
Just what he needed. To be spotted while making an indecisive ass of himself in front of something like soy sauce. It wouldn't be surprising if, over the next few days, someone's gossip column mentioned that he used Ping's Soy Sauce and there'd be a run of it.
And that he'd spend the next six months autographing the stupid labels.
He looked at the label on the bottle he held. Thankfully, it was black. That'd make it hard to sign. No one ever carried Sharpies in colors other than black.
He was safe, at least from that.
Really, is it that much of a surprise to hear how much I love Mitchell?
Mitchell scratched his head as he contemplated the seven varieties of soy sauces. He hadn't paid much attention when Ma had asked him to pick some up on his way over; he'd figured that just remembering it was the brand with the Chinese name would be good enough.
He could hear her reminder: "Good enough rarely is, Mitchell." And his father, chiming in about how to find success, a person had to give 100%, all the time.
Clearly, he'd fucked this one up royally.
He was still standing there when a couple walked by. "Get the Ping's," the woman said. "It's the best of the all-natural brands."
"How can it be best?" the man asked.
"I don't know," the woman said. Mitchell smiled at her exasperated tone. "But it is. Maybe they use special soy for it or something. Make it in small batches. I don't know. Call them and ask."
Mitchell wondered if they would answer that sort of question if someone called and asked it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the woman nudge the man and make a subtle gesture in his direction. With a sigh, he picked up a bottle of Ping's soy sauce and tried to be casual as he walked away.
Just what he needed. To be spotted while making an indecisive ass of himself in front of something like soy sauce. It wouldn't be surprising if, over the next few days, someone's gossip column mentioned that he used Ping's Soy Sauce and there'd be a run of it.
And that he'd spend the next six months autographing the stupid labels.
He looked at the label on the bottle he held. Thankfully, it was black. That'd make it hard to sign. No one ever carried Sharpies in colors other than black.
He was safe, at least from that.
Labels: fiction, Inside Writing, Mitchell, Soy Sauce Story
Monday, March 19, 2007
Inside writing: Soy Sauce Scene #1
It dawned on me over the weekend -- after I'd posted the Soy Sauce Story, of course -- that I could have written the same story, only fictionalized. From the point of view of one of my characters. (Isn't Mitchell the perfect naif to play the stranger?)
And then my brain really kicked into gear, which was no small feat because I'm still pretty sick and headed to the doctor today. Maybe I only reached this epiphany because I'm sick; I'm not certain. But it goes like this: many of you, when you've nominated me for various writers' blog awards, have said that you really like that I give you an inside look at the writing process. I haven't seen myself doing much of that, so I'll do it here and now.
Today, I'm going to post one alternate to the Soy Sauce Story. A fictionalized scene that shows how I take real life and put it into my fiction. Most of my outtakes are based on some real-life inspiration, you know. You just have to figure out what the real-life inspiration is.
Tomorrow, I'll post another. And we'll culminate this insider look with a Thursday Thirteen that ought to make you laugh pretty hard.
One quick note and then we'll get to the fiction: This is about as rough as my writing gets. I haven't gone over this for typos, for improvements or tweaks, nothing. So bear with me.
Soy Sauce Story -- Val's Point of View
Val sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. They were out of Ping's brand soy sauce again. What was wrong with the place, that they couldn't keep up with demand? Everyone knew Ping's made the best soy sauce.
She turned to the woman behind the counter. "Excuse me?" she started, ready to chew the woman out. She worked there; surely she had some sort of control over the store's inventory.
It wasn't overly surprising that the woman ignored her. Val figured she was probably bristling with hostility and if the roles had been reversed, Val would have been reluctant to talk to someone so ready to explode.
What did surprise was when the woman yelled to someone in the back room. In perfect Mandarin, "Anyone want to come deal with the annoying slut out front?"
Val tried not to gasp or adjust her clothes. Yeah, so she was decked out; she and Daniel were on their way to a sex club and she'd asked if they could run in since the grocery was on the way.
"The annoying slut out front is pissed you're out of Ping's. Again," Val snapped back, not caring that her Mandarin was rusty. Not caring about anything except this had been a wasted trip and that she'd have to spend half the week searching out the Ping's.
The man popped out of the back room, full of apologies in both Chinese and English.
By the time Daniel came in to see what had happened to her, Val had promises that four bottles of Ping's would be held for her on the next shipment day -- Tuesday -- and that in the future, all she needed to do was call when she ran low and bottles would be waiting with her name on them.
Even if her name would be Annoying Chinese Slut.
And then my brain really kicked into gear, which was no small feat because I'm still pretty sick and headed to the doctor today. Maybe I only reached this epiphany because I'm sick; I'm not certain. But it goes like this: many of you, when you've nominated me for various writers' blog awards, have said that you really like that I give you an inside look at the writing process. I haven't seen myself doing much of that, so I'll do it here and now.
Today, I'm going to post one alternate to the Soy Sauce Story. A fictionalized scene that shows how I take real life and put it into my fiction. Most of my outtakes are based on some real-life inspiration, you know. You just have to figure out what the real-life inspiration is.
Tomorrow, I'll post another. And we'll culminate this insider look with a Thursday Thirteen that ought to make you laugh pretty hard.
One quick note and then we'll get to the fiction: This is about as rough as my writing gets. I haven't gone over this for typos, for improvements or tweaks, nothing. So bear with me.
Soy Sauce Story -- Val's Point of View
Val sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. They were out of Ping's brand soy sauce again. What was wrong with the place, that they couldn't keep up with demand? Everyone knew Ping's made the best soy sauce.
She turned to the woman behind the counter. "Excuse me?" she started, ready to chew the woman out. She worked there; surely she had some sort of control over the store's inventory.
It wasn't overly surprising that the woman ignored her. Val figured she was probably bristling with hostility and if the roles had been reversed, Val would have been reluctant to talk to someone so ready to explode.
What did surprise was when the woman yelled to someone in the back room. In perfect Mandarin, "Anyone want to come deal with the annoying slut out front?"
Val tried not to gasp or adjust her clothes. Yeah, so she was decked out; she and Daniel were on their way to a sex club and she'd asked if they could run in since the grocery was on the way.
"The annoying slut out front is pissed you're out of Ping's. Again," Val snapped back, not caring that her Mandarin was rusty. Not caring about anything except this had been a wasted trip and that she'd have to spend half the week searching out the Ping's.
The man popped out of the back room, full of apologies in both Chinese and English.
By the time Daniel came in to see what had happened to her, Val had promises that four bottles of Ping's would be held for her on the next shipment day -- Tuesday -- and that in the future, all she needed to do was call when she ran low and bottles would be waiting with her name on them.
Even if her name would be Annoying Chinese Slut.
Labels: Daniel, fiction, Inside Writing, Soy Sauce Story, Val
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Susan Speaks: The Soy Sauce Story
I got home from another great Penguins game last night to find this message in my inbox: Tell the Soy Sauce Story. The reminder came from The Bluest Butterfly and thank goodness, because I'd completely forgotten I'd left a comment on someone's blog that said, "Remind me to tell the Soy Sauce Story."
Now, to fully appreciate the Soy Sauce Story, you've got to understand that I'm a bit geeky. I think some of it is from birth, but the majority of it has rubbed off from the Tour Manager. Fortunately for him, he's indispensible to me, so I'll gladly take a bit of geekiness on his end. And maybe mine, too.
One of our favorite shows is Alton Brown's Good Eats. (I won't link to the show because last time I did, it fought with my XM radio and took down my entire computer. I'm talking Blue Screen of Death takedown. And even though XM just made me choose between Metallica and Iron Maiden, I won't torture it again with the Good Eats link. You, I'm sure, know how to Google.)
One Saturday night, before our local indie station started running Farscape, we were watching Alton teach us about soy sauce. Alton pointed out that in the case of soy sauce (unlike crystal meth), better living does NOT come from chemistry. Soy sauce should be made up of soy beans and water, nothing else.
This probably wouldn't have stayed with me, but the next day, the Tour Manager and I were in the local grocery. Soy sauce was on our shopping list. The Tour Manager looked at me with that glint in his eye, the one that says he's about to unleash the Inner Geek. And then he set about reading the ingredient list on the bottle of soy sauce that we had a coupon for.
It was perfect: Soy beans and water. Into our shopping cart it went.
Of course, the Inner Geek wasn't done yet. The Tour Manager's Inner Geek is never satisfied that easily, not when there's geekiness to be wreaked. And so, in short order, the Tour Manager was off, reading the ingredient list of each and every brand of soy sauce and reporting his discoveries.
Now, this is merely a story of a geeky tour manager and his writer wife, who is standing there, slightly embarrassed, slightly intrigued, and definitely pleased that the Tour Manager's having so much fun. What makes this story such a good one is the man who was also shopping for soy sauce at the same time.
The man who reached into his cart and began reading the ingredient list on the back of the soy sauce he'd chosen.
The man who put that bottle of soy sauce back. Who looked none-too-casually into our shopping cart. And who picked up the same brand of soy sauce inside our cart. The one made of soy beans and water, and nothing else.
Okay, maybe you're not roaring with laughter the way The Tour Manager and I were as we walked away. Maybe you're only smiling as you're picturing this. Maybe it's a "you should have been there" type of story. I don't know. You tell me.
Now, to fully appreciate the Soy Sauce Story, you've got to understand that I'm a bit geeky. I think some of it is from birth, but the majority of it has rubbed off from the Tour Manager. Fortunately for him, he's indispensible to me, so I'll gladly take a bit of geekiness on his end. And maybe mine, too.
One of our favorite shows is Alton Brown's Good Eats. (I won't link to the show because last time I did, it fought with my XM radio and took down my entire computer. I'm talking Blue Screen of Death takedown. And even though XM just made me choose between Metallica and Iron Maiden, I won't torture it again with the Good Eats link. You, I'm sure, know how to Google.)
One Saturday night, before our local indie station started running Farscape, we were watching Alton teach us about soy sauce. Alton pointed out that in the case of soy sauce (unlike crystal meth), better living does NOT come from chemistry. Soy sauce should be made up of soy beans and water, nothing else.
This probably wouldn't have stayed with me, but the next day, the Tour Manager and I were in the local grocery. Soy sauce was on our shopping list. The Tour Manager looked at me with that glint in his eye, the one that says he's about to unleash the Inner Geek. And then he set about reading the ingredient list on the bottle of soy sauce that we had a coupon for.
It was perfect: Soy beans and water. Into our shopping cart it went.
Of course, the Inner Geek wasn't done yet. The Tour Manager's Inner Geek is never satisfied that easily, not when there's geekiness to be wreaked. And so, in short order, the Tour Manager was off, reading the ingredient list of each and every brand of soy sauce and reporting his discoveries.
Now, this is merely a story of a geeky tour manager and his writer wife, who is standing there, slightly embarrassed, slightly intrigued, and definitely pleased that the Tour Manager's having so much fun. What makes this story such a good one is the man who was also shopping for soy sauce at the same time.
The man who reached into his cart and began reading the ingredient list on the back of the soy sauce he'd chosen.
The man who put that bottle of soy sauce back. Who looked none-too-casually into our shopping cart. And who picked up the same brand of soy sauce inside our cart. The one made of soy beans and water, and nothing else.
Okay, maybe you're not roaring with laughter the way The Tour Manager and I were as we walked away. Maybe you're only smiling as you're picturing this. Maybe it's a "you should have been there" type of story. I don't know. You tell me.
Labels: geekiness, Soy Sauce Story, The Inner Geek
