The Swipe Volume 2 Chapter 38
I have started getting into the habit of waking well before the morning alarm goes off, think ‘oh well, no point in staying put’ and dragging my sorry ass into the shower. When the alarm is set for half five in the morning this can feel like I’m starting my day in the middle of the night.
On Friday I was going through the usual start-up sequence—20 past 5, Storm Darragh thumping at the windows, just about to fall out from under the duvet, when C rolled over, slung her arm around me and pulled me back. It was entirely subconscious. She doesn’t remember doing it. But it gave me the ten minutes I didn’t know were necessary, drifting sweetly in the warm embrace of my very love. When I finally extricated myself, I felt thoroughly rested, utterly content, ready for what would be a challenging morning at the coal face. Those ten minutes of simple contact gave me the strength I needed.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. Palace plots, evil royalty, family feuds and the malign influence of household gods. Jemisin cooks up a rich and spicy stew, reinvigorating some old tropes with her signature tweaks to the old fantasy recipe. It reads almost most like far-future SF, a riff on Dune’s inter-clan battles overseen by a supreme Emperor with all the nasty toys at his disposal. A feisty heroine with secret superpowers is a key ingredient. This is delicious stuff. Dig in.
Can you tell I haven’t had any breakfast yet?
Rob is watching…
Moonflowers Murders, the second in the series of Anthony Horowicz’s meta-murder mysteries sees accidental sleuth Susan Ryeland entangled in another knotty case, with the solution hidden in one of the books she edited. Yes, it’s cosy crime, but the shifts in perspective and setting, the blurring of boundaries between fiction and reality give the show a pleasing edge. Very BBC, of course—which is never a problem.
Rob is listening…
Gloriously bonkers. If you’re new to the shredtastic world of the world’s fastest guitarist (other world’s fastest guitarists are available) then give this a try. Nothing succeeds like excess—and this starts big and goes all the way to eleven.
Rob is eating…
Soaked pasta. We pre-soak beans and rice, so why not pasta, especially for a bake? I tried this with a cauliflower-broccoli-Mac and cheese this week and can confirm exceptional levels of both ooey and gooey. A no-risk way to avoid dry lasagnes.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
All I Want For Christmas Is Midi. Listen carefully and you can almost hear the lyrics.
Let’s start with a nose at the burgeoning cult of really good olive oil, which has started to overtake a nice bottle of wine as the go-to gift for a dinner party. I’d never say no to the gift of EEVO, by the way.
This is quite an American-centric list, and there are plenty of obvious omissions—I’m sure you’ll come up with your own list. Nevertheless, it’s a useful compendium of some core recipes and if nothing else, an entertaining trip through twentieth and twenty-first food culture.
25 Recipes That Changed It All
I can’t really do this story any sort of justice in an intro. It’s sweet and filthy all at once. Just go and enjoy it.
Ben Mezrich seems like a bit (ok, a lot) of a chancer, but there’s no denying his method or commitment. One of those writers who finds a niche and techniques, goes in with both feet and a big grin and manages to come up smelling of roses. And a hint of the stuff roses grow in.
Film geekiness, be advised. The heavily modified 35mm cameras which took some extremely iconic photographs are objects worthy of a little attention. As ever when it comes to the innovation and lateral thinking which put man on the moon in the first place, everyone seemed to be making it up as they went along.
The Camera That Went To The Moon
The Wind Phone is a very Japanese artifact—a connection between two worlds built in a culture where the border between the two seems somehow a little thinner. I would not be surprised if there is a film based on this article within two years on release.
I can strongly recommend The Fence—really great storytelling and journalism, brilliant writing and just the right level of snark and toothiness. I recently enjoyed Ian Trueger’s piece on his time at St. JOHN (caps lock is deliberate) which explores the aesthetic and culinary choices which have made the restaurant and co-chefs Ferguson and Margo Henderson into pillars of the British food hierarchy. Fair warning, there’s a lot of offally rich kitchen action on display.
Last up, I am delighted, with thanks to Scott Hines and The Action Cookbook, to share the true story of what really went down on one particular foggy Christmas Eve.
We Outro with the introvert’s Christmas anthem. No notes, see you on the sofa. JOMO 4 LIFE.
Next week contains a birthday and at least two other social events for yer boi, (yes, I’m aware of the irony after I’ve just posted the above song) so I have no idea what’s going to hit your inbox this time next week. If it’s just a picture of my dinner at Hawksmoor, so be it.
See you next Saturday in some form.
