CurrentMom

The F Word

Truth Thursday

It’s not what you think, although I am a renowned potty mouth.

And it’s not even what I’ve written about before in many ways – feminism. Although it is in some ways.

It’s about self esteem. It’s about being self conscious. It’s about life, and love, and what I wore.

It’s about being … fat.

I had been thinking about writing this even before the latest skirmish in the fat wars.  Not the "obesity” wars, which are all about keeping our children healthy, Michelle Obama, the war on food insecurity and food deserts, economic privilege and social gaps – all guised in the mantra that we are trying to be more healthy as a nation.

No, the fat wars. In which one complete and total bully, who is 61-years-old and still hasn’t figured out that words hurt, or that being the tallest, the skinniest, the most beautiful is not what our children should be striving for in this world, has decided that his clothing should not be modeled by anyone over a size Medium.

This is what Abercrombie CEO Mark Jeffries has said about his stores:  “We go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong.”

In other words, no one fat. No one who needs a Large or, god forbid, and Extra Large size. You will not find them at Abercrombie. He has been quoted as saying that he doesn't want fat chicks shopping in his store. Really.

Paola's Tiramisu -- Brava!

Meal Monday

My friend Paola is an amazing cook. She is from Naples and manages to whip up Neapolitan specialities the way I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That is, she is dazzling in the kitchen. Last night, after a delicious meal that she served to 16 people (!), she offered this homemade tiramisu. She rattled this recipe off of the top of her head (with her daughter chiming in). There are raw eggs in here, so either live dangerously, or use a substitute, but make this!

Paola's Tiramisu

1 lb marscapone, softened (room temperature)

5 egg yolks

1 egg white

scant cup of sugar

36 lady fingers

1 1/2 cups espresso (regular or decaf)

Sweetened cocoa powder

 

1. Cream egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer

2. Add cheese and mix by hand until combined

3. Beat egg white until stiff and glossy

4. Fold in egg white to mixture

5. Dip lady fingers in the espresso 

6. Alternate layers of espresso'd lady fingers and mascarpone mix in pan until finished, mixture should be on top

7. Sprinkle with sweetened cocoa powder.

 

Just Another Sunday in May

Truth Thursday

I just can’t bear to try to find another way to talk about Mother’s Day. It’s a non-holiday, one that I really dislike.  I am not interested in cards, in breakfast in bed (which no one in my family would think to do anyway) or even in a day at the spa on my own.

We have a kids baseball game and a field hockey game to attend. That’s good enough for me. I love attending my kids' events. I love being with my family, and relish the opportunities, especially now that I’m working full time. And when I need time and space away, I find it, and not on one particular Sunday a year.  

I don’t need my kids trying to find ways to show their love, when in fact, it wouldn’t really occur to them except in this manufactured way. I prefer to look at the bigger, long-term picture, and hope that our family life, for all its flaws, will sustain them into adulthood and they will be able to look back and say, you know, those parents of ours were ok.

Coffee Talk

Truth Thursday

Last week on National Public Radio, as is often the case, there was a week-long series on a very serious topic – coffee. 

Java.
Joe.
Mud.
Mocha.
Cuppa.
Brew.
Regular. 

Probing journalism on where it comes from, who drinks it, as well as songs, shows and other art created as a paean to the world’s favorite drink.

In honor of this retrospective, I will reveal my secret.  My family and friends who visit my house already know it, but I will announce it here for the world to discover. 

I don’t drink coffee. 

Never have, never will. Don’t like it. Don’t like the flavor, don’t like the temperature, don’t like the caffeine. I like the aroma, but that’s about it. Don’t like mocha in my desserts. Don’t like coffee ice cream (although Ben & Jerry’s is passable.) The only thing I drink at Starbucks or, preferably, local coffee shops like the great Mayorga in Maryland, is iced chai lattes. Thank goodness for non-coffee drinks, with which I can still behave like a grown-up and throw away $5 on a drink just for the heck of it. 

Forced Creativity -- Roast Vegetables, Grilled Tofu and a Poached Egg Over Greens

Meal Monday

Sometimes it seems as if it's always almost dinnertime. As in, OMG, it's almost dinnertime already and I haven't thought about it/shopped/defrosted/prepared ANYTHING. Oops. 

But necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and I usually find my most creative meals come about when I have to put something together using whatever I happen to have in the house.