"Below Stairs" by Margaret Powell St. Martin's Press 212 pages $22.99
Powell was born in 1907 in Hove, England, the second oldest of five children. At 16, she had to support herself as her parents couldn't. Work was slim on the ground for her father and her mother worked as a charlady.
She went into domestic work, starting as a kitchen maid, long considered to be the lowest person in the household staffing. In short, she got the scut work - supervised by the cook. Cook helped herself to the port; Powell scrubbed the front stairs, polished all of the copper pans and all of the washing up (except glasses and knives - the upstairs maid did that) for family meals and dinner parties. In those days, 10 guests ate their way through massive seven course (or more) dinners.
The maids, upstairs and down, the butlers and especially the gentlemen's valets had no lives of their own as they worked all of the time, so they lived vicariously through their masters. Many were the stories the valets told about "Lord so-and-so did (fill in event) today" as if they had been in the room while the event took place.
The social set-up at that time was quite rigid. A duchess must rise when a countess comes into the room and can't sit down again unless the countess says she can... that kind of thing. And that kind of thinking backwashed into the servant's world where the butler barely trumped the cook; upstairs maids were higher on the ladder than scullery maids and so on. Everyone had to be ranked. Depressing, sin't it?
Powell eventually became The Cook herself. She published these memoirs in 1968 at age 61. It was an instant bestseller and is said to have inspired the PBS series "Upstairs, Downstairs" and the rather insipid "Downton Abbey." She died at age 77 in 1984.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A Different Kind of Macaroni Salad
Richie will occasionally buy a smll tub of macaroni salad at the supermarket. He likes it. I regard it as: macaroni elbows mixed into a glop of mayonnaise and garnished with a teaspoon of sweet pickle relish.
Yesterday afternoon, he said, "I'm going to make some macaroni salad" and I shrugged, never having looked up from my book. But at dinner, he lovingly brought it out and -- it looked.... different. I couldn't see any mayonnaise at all! Just a sort of shimmer to the macaroni.
"What did you use for the dressing?" "Red wine and olive oil," was the reply. It was actually good.! I didn't feel my arteries hardening in protest.
INSALATA DI PASTA
8 oz. elbow macaroni
3 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Aha! It sneaked in there!)
2 minced green onions
1 chopped red, yellow or green pepper
Parmesan cheese and minced parsley for garnish
Cook and drain the pasta.
Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl big enough to also hold the macaroni and toss it in. Mix well, refrigerate and serve at your leisure
This is a recipe from the late Betty Evans. It's kind of a fairy tale life that she led -- after WW2, Gordon used his Army scholarship stipend to marry her and whisk her off to Paris so that he could become an artist. They lived a Bohemian life - ramshackle studio, raucous friends - all "just like in the movies." They were married for a very long time and they loved to travel. Betty wrote the cookbooks; Gordon did the illustrations. Rome (from whence this recipe came,) London, Paris, Venice... I don't think people live like that any more and it's too bad.
Yesterday afternoon, he said, "I'm going to make some macaroni salad" and I shrugged, never having looked up from my book. But at dinner, he lovingly brought it out and -- it looked.... different. I couldn't see any mayonnaise at all! Just a sort of shimmer to the macaroni.
"What did you use for the dressing?" "Red wine and olive oil," was the reply. It was actually good.! I didn't feel my arteries hardening in protest.
INSALATA DI PASTA
8 oz. elbow macaroni
3 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Aha! It sneaked in there!)
2 minced green onions
1 chopped red, yellow or green pepper
Parmesan cheese and minced parsley for garnish
Cook and drain the pasta.
Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl big enough to also hold the macaroni and toss it in. Mix well, refrigerate and serve at your leisure
This is a recipe from the late Betty Evans. It's kind of a fairy tale life that she led -- after WW2, Gordon used his Army scholarship stipend to marry her and whisk her off to Paris so that he could become an artist. They lived a Bohemian life - ramshackle studio, raucous friends - all "just like in the movies." They were married for a very long time and they loved to travel. Betty wrote the cookbooks; Gordon did the illustrations. Rome (from whence this recipe came,) London, Paris, Venice... I don't think people live like that any more and it's too bad.
Monday, March 5, 2012
A Profitable Day
I would define a profitable day in this way -- glorious weather, an interesting destination and a scenic route to take to get there. Yesterday was such a day ...
Friends had invited us to the Zack Gallery to see "Lost and Profound Art" but we didn't want to go to the reception (despite the probability of free wine and cheese) because with 14 artists showing it would have been a melee. We wanted to be polite and able to tell those friends specifics about it, not generalities.
Getting there involves driving along the seacoast - tons of people on bikes, walking (with or without dogs) and even some foolhardy swimmers. The sea was fairly flat and teeming with sail boats. Then we turned inland and drove through Palos Verdes, an area of well-landscaped yards and spotless, big houses. I had thought there might be horseback riders on the bridal path that is located between the two lanes of the wide boulevard. No such luck, but glorious views from time to time of the entire Los Angeles basin. It's like being up in a small plane...
The gallery is located in a posh shopping mall. Lots of families sitting at the open air tables eating sandwiches or ice cream cones from one of the small restaurants. Children ran boisterously; adults gossiped languidly.
The collection at the gallery didn't take very long; many of these artists work in small figures. One of the exhibits was: a vast collection of empty or nearly-empty liquor bottles, all huddled beneath a new-looking bathmat! The artist wrote that he was describing his insecurities and fears.
On the way back to the car, I noticed that Talbott's (women's clothing) was having a sale so quick as a weasel I darted in and bought a pair of $80 pants reduced to $34! How cool is that?
We motored stately back down The Hill under blue skies and warm breezes. The eucalyptus trees seemed to be nodding, "Goodbye - do come back and see us again."
Back down on the flatlands we occupy, we sauntered in to Baskin-Robbins and had sundaes. That treat finished our profitable day and the sundae will probably finish any chance I'll be able to get into my new pants.
Friends had invited us to the Zack Gallery to see "Lost and Profound Art" but we didn't want to go to the reception (despite the probability of free wine and cheese) because with 14 artists showing it would have been a melee. We wanted to be polite and able to tell those friends specifics about it, not generalities.
Getting there involves driving along the seacoast - tons of people on bikes, walking (with or without dogs) and even some foolhardy swimmers. The sea was fairly flat and teeming with sail boats. Then we turned inland and drove through Palos Verdes, an area of well-landscaped yards and spotless, big houses. I had thought there might be horseback riders on the bridal path that is located between the two lanes of the wide boulevard. No such luck, but glorious views from time to time of the entire Los Angeles basin. It's like being up in a small plane...
The gallery is located in a posh shopping mall. Lots of families sitting at the open air tables eating sandwiches or ice cream cones from one of the small restaurants. Children ran boisterously; adults gossiped languidly.
The collection at the gallery didn't take very long; many of these artists work in small figures. One of the exhibits was: a vast collection of empty or nearly-empty liquor bottles, all huddled beneath a new-looking bathmat! The artist wrote that he was describing his insecurities and fears.
On the way back to the car, I noticed that Talbott's (women's clothing) was having a sale so quick as a weasel I darted in and bought a pair of $80 pants reduced to $34! How cool is that?
We motored stately back down The Hill under blue skies and warm breezes. The eucalyptus trees seemed to be nodding, "Goodbye - do come back and see us again."
Back down on the flatlands we occupy, we sauntered in to Baskin-Robbins and had sundaes. That treat finished our profitable day and the sundae will probably finish any chance I'll be able to get into my new pants.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Show Is Over
I read in this morning's Daily Breeze that LA Food Show, Manhattan Beach Mall, has closed. Parent company California Pizza Kitchens said they had evaluated all of their restaurants and LA Food Show lost.
This is too bad because the chefs there were willing to explore, using innovative foods and tastes together.
For that area, we're now down to Tin Roof Bistro, across the parking lot, from the old LA Food Show's location. Not that there's anything wrong with Tin Roof Bistro. I had a glass of prosecco and a banh mi Portobello mushroom sandwich that was delicious several days ago.
This is too bad because the chefs there were willing to explore, using innovative foods and tastes together.
For that area, we're now down to Tin Roof Bistro, across the parking lot, from the old LA Food Show's location. Not that there's anything wrong with Tin Roof Bistro. I had a glass of prosecco and a banh mi Portobello mushroom sandwich that was delicious several days ago.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Overkill Alert!
And that would be "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." I'm referring to the article on the front page of today's LA Times (latimes.com/royalflush). The article diagrams a new trend among the super rich among us -- multiple bathrooms.
Profiled was Sandra Beltre, wife of former Dodger player Adrian Beltre. The couple has 16 bathrooms in their Bradbury home. All of the bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, plus: a bathroom off of the children's play room, the kitchen, the game room, the gym, the batting cage and the guest house has two more. There are his and hers bathrooms in the pool cabana area and one in the gardens of the 4-acre property. Beltre was traded; this 16,600 sq. ft. house is now for sale for $19.5 million.
"Pickfair," (the former home of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and wife Mary Pickford) has 25,000 sq. ft. and 30 bathrooms for 17 bedrooms. If this sounds interesting to you, the price tag is $60 million.
"A house in Bel Air" (no owner specified, but I'd bet is the former Spelling mansion) was built in 1985 with 15 bathrooms. Today there are 41 bathrooms inserted here and there in the house.
Real estate agents made various comments:
Boyd Smith: the idea is never to inconvenience yourself or a guest.
Konstantine Valissarkos said he had a buyer that would only inspect homes with 15 bathrooms or more. He entertained a lot.
Bret Parsons once had this delilghtful experience. He was showing a wealthy husband and wife through properties and the husband insisted on sitting on each toilet in every bathroom to see how it felt. Presumably he remained clothed while testing.
Felix Penn quipped that with that many bathrooms, you need a fulltime plumber!
Still ... isn't it worth it to spend a little to keep nosy guests out of your bathroom cabinet?
Profiled was Sandra Beltre, wife of former Dodger player Adrian Beltre. The couple has 16 bathrooms in their Bradbury home. All of the bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, plus: a bathroom off of the children's play room, the kitchen, the game room, the gym, the batting cage and the guest house has two more. There are his and hers bathrooms in the pool cabana area and one in the gardens of the 4-acre property. Beltre was traded; this 16,600 sq. ft. house is now for sale for $19.5 million.
"Pickfair," (the former home of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and wife Mary Pickford) has 25,000 sq. ft. and 30 bathrooms for 17 bedrooms. If this sounds interesting to you, the price tag is $60 million.
"A house in Bel Air" (no owner specified, but I'd bet is the former Spelling mansion) was built in 1985 with 15 bathrooms. Today there are 41 bathrooms inserted here and there in the house.
Real estate agents made various comments:
Boyd Smith: the idea is never to inconvenience yourself or a guest.
Konstantine Valissarkos said he had a buyer that would only inspect homes with 15 bathrooms or more. He entertained a lot.
Bret Parsons once had this delilghtful experience. He was showing a wealthy husband and wife through properties and the husband insisted on sitting on each toilet in every bathroom to see how it felt. Presumably he remained clothed while testing.
Felix Penn quipped that with that many bathrooms, you need a fulltime plumber!
Still ... isn't it worth it to spend a little to keep nosy guests out of your bathroom cabinet?
Friday, March 2, 2012
Green Artists
It used to be called "assemblage art" and it consisted of found objects (a piece of driftwood, some china cup shards and preserved butterflies, say) being turned into an art object.
Today it's called "found art" and can incorporate such as cast-off industrial equipment, digital/electronic refuse. Essentially, the artists who work in this style are recyclers.
The show "Lost But Profound" will open Saturday, March 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Zask Gallery, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 151, Rolling Hills Estates, 90274 You can RSVP by calling 310-429-0973 or e-maiing pszask@gmail.com
Gallery owner Peggy Zask had this to say about the medium: "I'm interested in it as an art form because it is growing so rapidly as an art movement; artists are embracing the rich world of material cast-offs with an unprecdented vigor." The show contains the works of 14 different artists! Yeah, I'd call that a growth industy myself. Take a gander at pszaskgallery.com
Today it's called "found art" and can incorporate such as cast-off industrial equipment, digital/electronic refuse. Essentially, the artists who work in this style are recyclers.
The show "Lost But Profound" will open Saturday, March 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Zask Gallery, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 151, Rolling Hills Estates, 90274 You can RSVP by calling 310-429-0973 or e-maiing pszask@gmail.com
Gallery owner Peggy Zask had this to say about the medium: "I'm interested in it as an art form because it is growing so rapidly as an art movement; artists are embracing the rich world of material cast-offs with an unprecdented vigor." The show contains the works of 14 different artists! Yeah, I'd call that a growth industy myself. Take a gander at pszaskgallery.com
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A New Idea
This would never have occurred to me -- twice-baked sweet potatoes! There's a reason Murf Ink subscribes to Bon Appetit, Saveur and Food and Wine! Ideas! I'm only one person; I can't think of everything (she whined.)
Bake the sweet potato as you would ordinarily. When it's forkable, take it out of the oven and handling it carefully with an oven mitt, cut it in half. Scoop out one half, leaving a 1/2 in. "wall" of skin and meat. Clean out the other half completely and discard the skin. Mix the meat with butter or maple syrup or maybe crushed candied pecans, pile it back into the remaining half shell and eat.
Bon Appetit suggests a brittle to sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato.
BACON-SESAME BRITTLE
4 slices bacon, cut in 1/2 in. wide pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 T sesame seeds
Cook the bacon but save 1T bacon grease. Leave it back in the skillet, put the drained bacon with it and the sugar and sesame seeds. Cook and stir until the sugar carmelizes, then pour it into a rimmed baking sheet with either baking parchment or a SilPat undeerneath it. Spread it out and let it cool and then break the brittle into shards and sprinkle it over the top of the sweet potatoes.
Bake the sweet potato as you would ordinarily. When it's forkable, take it out of the oven and handling it carefully with an oven mitt, cut it in half. Scoop out one half, leaving a 1/2 in. "wall" of skin and meat. Clean out the other half completely and discard the skin. Mix the meat with butter or maple syrup or maybe crushed candied pecans, pile it back into the remaining half shell and eat.
Bon Appetit suggests a brittle to sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato.
BACON-SESAME BRITTLE
4 slices bacon, cut in 1/2 in. wide pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 T sesame seeds
Cook the bacon but save 1T bacon grease. Leave it back in the skillet, put the drained bacon with it and the sugar and sesame seeds. Cook and stir until the sugar carmelizes, then pour it into a rimmed baking sheet with either baking parchment or a SilPat undeerneath it. Spread it out and let it cool and then break the brittle into shards and sprinkle it over the top of the sweet potatoes.
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