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  • Pesach followup

    There’s a lovely post by the Velveteen Rabbi about a weekend retreat: Pesach at Elat Chayyim. It’s a longish post but well worth reading.

  • Guestblogging on “Making a Seder”

    I’m making a debut appearance as a guestblogger over on the wonderful Bakerina’s blog with this entry:

    I’m not, nor have been, Jewish, but I find the Pesach holiday very meaningful. Pesach is the commemoration of the Exodus story and the creation of the Jewish people, but it can also be a universal story of enslavement and freedom. It has had particular resonance for me as a gay man.

    For many years, when I was living in Philadelphia, I was privileged to be a part of the seders made by my friend Barbara and her housemates. After moving to Boston, I eventually decided I needed to create my own tradition if I was going to be able to depend upon having a seder. So last year I made a seder all on my own for the first time. This year I did it again, with a bit more aplomb.

    Last night’s menu:

    • Seder standards included two kinds of haroset, one Ashkenazic, one Sephardic, and horseradish cream in addition to prepared horseradish.
    • Gefilte fish
    • Matzoh ball soup
    • Lamb, mushroom, and spinach mina
    • Vegetarian tzimmes
    • Broccoli
    • Macaroons, chocolate, and fruit slices

    I don’t follow recipes so much as use them as guideposts. I also don’t measure much, so what follows is really just notes on food.

    Haroset:

    The Ashkenazic haroset is the familiar (to most Americans who are familiar with it at all) chopped apples, chopped walnuts, honey, cinnamon, and sweet red wine mixture.

    The Sephardic haroset I made this year included almonds, dates, dried tart Montmorency cherries, dried apricots, candied ginger, cinnamon, and a dash of sweet red wine all put into the food processor and made into a paste. I served it rolled into little balls.

    Gefilte Fish:

    No, I didn’t have a carp swimming in my bathtub for a week. I didn’t even buy the standard jars of gefilte fish. I happened across a store that carried little gefilte fish appetizers: small balls about the size of an olive. Perfect for dilettantes!

    (I suggest they’re best smothered in horseradish.)

    Matzoh Balls:

    I just use the Manischewitz mix, but I substitute schmaltz for the vegetable oil called for on the box. I love pulling skin and fat off the chicken pieces, putting them in a little skillet over medium heat, and then watching the savory, clear golden fluid collect. Yum!

    I used packaged chicken stock for other preparation, but I wanted to make stock for the soup. Going to the nearest crunchy-granola kind of store, a Whole Oats, I decided it would be smarter to buy a whole fryer than to pick from the limited selection of parts. Not having the world’s sharpest knives, I asked the helpful guy behind the counter to cut it up. After he walked off I thought perhaps I should tell his associate to make sure he didn’t trim anything off and throw it away. When the guy came back he made a comment about having worked at Boston market.

    When I got home his comment made more sense. Never was I so glad I was just putting it all into a stockpot! One of the wings was still attached to about a third of a breast; there were no real thigh pieces; there was one bit of boneless, skinless breast meat. Well, live and learn!

    Mina:

    A mina is a Sephardic layered casserole made with matzoh for Passover. (Think of lasagne or spanakopita.)

    I sauted an onion, a bunch of garlic, and some minced parsely in a dollop of olive oil, then added two pounds of ground lamb. When the lamb still had a few pink spots, I put it all in a big mixing bowl. Then I added a touch more olive oil to the frying pan and dumped in a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen “exotic mushroom mix.” I’d never seen this marvel before. They released a lot of liquid, but it eventually cooked off, leaving tender mushrooms and a bit of wonderful-looking gravy. This, too, went into the mixing bowl, with a bag of frozen spinach that had been thawed and squeezed vigorously. After the lamb/mushroom/spinach mixture had cooled, I mixed in five beaten eggs.

    The matzoh gets soaked in chicken broth for a few minutes (I used packaged broth), then layered with the filling in a greased and oiled pan. I brushed olive oil onto the top layer of matzoh, and popped it into a 375 oven to heat through.

    Tzimmes:

    My tzimmes was a big sweet potato, a medium white yam, four large carrots, and a couple of handsful of dried apricots, cut into about 3/4 inch dice. Then I added some minced candied ginger, a dash or two of cinnamon, a bit of cayenne pepper, the juice of one orange, a bit of wine, and a bit of water, and into the 375 oven. (It actually went in before I started assembling the mina.)

    Dessert:

    The macaroons came from cans (coconut, almond, and “chocolate-flavored”) but were delicious; the chocolate was brought as a gift (similarly delicious but not as surprisingly); and the fruit slices weren’t actually fruit–they were those little jellied candies.

    The Haggadah:

    Not part of the menu, but the texts and instructions read before and after the meal. I adapted a version I found last week at the Velveteen Rabbi. It’s great, especially the Ballad of the Four Sons, sung to the tune of Clementine–perfect for a bunch of goyim.

  • Self-publishing on its way to respectability?

    The state of self-publishing is reviewed in today’s The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > The Book Business: How to Be Your Own Publisher.

    Indeed, someday you may be able to walk into your grocery store and convert your Christmas photos into an instant coffee-table book written in your own deathless prose, Xlibris’s Feldcamp predicts. Almost anybody will be able to say, ”I published my book last week.”

    It’s a pretty fair summary: No, they’re not traditional vanity presses; they vary widely in practice and reputation; only in very rare cases will your book get in a bookstore; magazines and newspapers won’t review your book; the books are likely to be badly edited; a few people have self-published and been discovered.

    One of the things I learned that I didn’t know: established authors like Piers Anthony have self-published in order to break into new genres or to bring back out of print books.

    And of course professionally, I would have emphasized that, like lawyers, those who edit their own writing have fools for clients.

  • Quakerism and Unitarian Universalism

    Liberal Quakerism and Unitarian Universalism are certainly comfortable fellow-travelers. Today I had an opportunity to compare them in a structured way. The Unitarian Universalist Association (where I work) has a newcomers bulletin board, where visitors can post questions and have them answered by staff. Today this came into my email (edited, of course, for privacy):

    > Kenneth,
    >
    > Would you be willing to reply to this question?  The response will be
    > posted on the Newcomer’s Bulletin Board at
    > http://www.uua.org/newcomers/newcomerbb.html, which I maintain.  If you
    > don’t want to respond, that’s fine.  Just write back to me with either
    > your response or a note with any suggestions you may have.  Thanks!
    >
    > ‑Erika

    > Subject: Newcomer BB Post: how do UUs differ from liberal Quakers?
    >
    > name: Bess
    >
    > citystate: NSW (Australia)
    >
    > questionself: How do UU differ from liberal Quakers?
    >

    And here’s my reply (which I don’t make any assumptions will be used as a public answer–it seems a bit Quaker-centric, an answer to “how do liberal Quakers differ from UUs):

    You’re in luck! There happens to be a liberal Quaker on staff, albeit an American. Quakers in Australia, of course, may answer differently, as will the majority of Friends in the world who are not “liberal” Quakers but rather evangelical or orthodox.

    I’ll base my answer on the Principles and Sources used by the Unitarian Universalist Association, with a UU statement followed by an RSF (Religious Society of Friends) commentary.

    UU “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote“
    RSF Quaker meetings exist as part of the Religious Society, rather than the Society being a product of a voluntary association. There is no creed nor is there a unified statement that meetings have negotiated and agreed to affirm and promote.

    UU “The inherent worth and dignity of every person“
    RSF Liberal Quakers say “there is that of God in every person.”

    UU “Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations“
    RSF Quakers would agree.

    UU “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations“
    RSF Again, Quakers would tend to agree, but the spectrum of acceptable belief in Quakerism includes many more Christians and theists and far fewer atheists.

    UU “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning“
    RSF Integrity is a core Quaker value, which affirms the need for individual searching, but this is understood in tension with a tradition of capital‑T Truth as discerned by the community of Friends.

    UU “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large“
    RSF Quakers value the right of conscience (for example, in advocating for the right to conscientious objection to military service or to paying taxes for military purposes) but do not advocate the use of a democratic voting process within the meeting. One of the distinctive Quaker practices is decision-making based upon the sense of the meeting, which is an attempt to discern God’s will for the meeting. While sense of the meeting should include everyone, it does not depend upon unanimity. It is certainly not determined by voting.

    UU “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all“
    RSF Quakers heartily concur.

    UU “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part“
    RSF Liberal Quakers have over the last decade or two begun to emphasize environmental concerns as a corporate and individual witness.

    UU “The living tradition which we share draws from many sources“
    RSF The Quaker tradition has been influenced by several outside movements, notably the Wesleyan revival, modernism, humanism, the antiwar and social justice movements, and the New Age, but does not intentionally and corporately draw from “many sources.”

    UU “Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life“
    RSF Quaker theology and practice is built upon faith in direct, unmediated experience of the divine.

    UU “Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love“
    RSF Liberal Friends are quite similar both in drawing inspiration from prophetic individuals and in tending to worship our ancestors.

    UU “Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life“
    RSF Many, if not most, liberal Quakers draw inspiration from the world’s religions, but this is a recent addition to the historic focus on a Quaker understanding of Christianity.

    UU “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves“
    RSF Quakers would agree.

    UU “Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit“
    RSF There are and have been many Quaker scientists who have not seen any conflict between spirituality and “reason and the results of science.” Even when not Christians, liberal Friends are much less likely than UUs to be atheists.

    UU “Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature“
    RSF While paganism has influenced some individuals and plays a part in their spiritual life and practice, it is not called upon as a source for corporate Quaker life.

    There is also a significant difference in the understanding and practice of ministry, which isn’t revealed in the Principles and Sources:

    UU The majority of UU churches and fellowships employ a minister or ministers who lead the worship service and deliver a sermon. Even lay-led congregations follow an order of service that includes rituals like a chalice lighting, readings, congregational singing, and a prepared message or sermon. UU ministers, as described elsewhere on this website, undergo academic preparation resulting in an M.Div. degree, professional training, an internship, and a denominational process leading to ministerial fellowship. UU ministers are ordained by a congregation.

    RSF Liberal Quakers worship on the basis of shared waiting for divine guidance. Anyone present may feel a leading to share a short message, a prayer, or a song. There is no human leadership of the worship service. Even in meetings that recognize the ministry of individual Friends, there is no ordination and no requirement (among liberal Friends) for academic qualification.

  • The Year of Our War

    Steph Swainston

    An engaging rogue kept me going through the disorienting writing style. There are not one but two surreal worlds (and yes, I really mean surreal–I just looked it up). The end is also too abrupt for my taste; the major external drama is resolved, but not the internal or interpersonal ones.

    Here it is at Powell’s Books.

  • How (and when) then shall we die?

    There’s a great panel over at Barclay Press — Conversation Cafe: How (and when) then shall we die?. What these Friends say strengthens my commitment to conversations across the Quaker landscape and my conviction that we are all really Friends. The Evangelical/Fundamentalist interpretation of sexual ethics held by Evangelical Friends often makes me want to lump them in with Southern Baptists and their ilk. But then I’m reminded by something like this, or by their peace witness, or by their understanding of ministry, that our common religious heritage does actually exert some common influence.

  • Miracolo! (morbid editorial humor)

    From today’s Yahoo:

    Yahoonews

  • Insights on the meaning of death

    Jeff Sharlet at The Revealer has a wonderful short essay on the death of the Pope.

    Anyone who has ever watched a person slowly die, close-up, knows that it’s a story easily told — “then, he died” — and even more easily misunderstood. Those who make a moral out of another’s death serve the needs of the living; they’d do well to recognize that their storytelling is metaphorical cannibalism.

  • Starting a Reading Group

    An online list I subscribe to had a request for advice/stories about starting a reading group. Here’s the quick answer I gave:

    I’ve participated in three startups. I’ll just describe each one briefly. The only universal is that none of them have used a discussion leader.

    First group (and closest to my heart): Four friends, two of whom were newly dating, got together in a home over a meal and then discussed Kim. The group has been meeting for a meal in each other’s homes an average of ten times a year since 1988. The group made it through the early de facto but never formal departure of one of the founders, the partnership and later breakup of the couple, a period when it felt more like an eating group than a reading group, and the eventual departure of all but one of the founders. Two of the founders shepherded the group through its adolescence. Members pick books in rotation. Early rules were no poetry, no short stories. It’s always been a pretty low-key group. The best size seems to be around eight (since they need to fit around a dinner table), and members reflect a dispersed friendship network: New members come in at the invitation of a member after the member checks out the idea with the rest of the group. The kind of member in shortest supply: straight men. Next shortest supply: people who want to do “serious” reading for self-improvement. Since 2001 the group has been doing a fundraising readathon on MLK weekend, when they go away to a borrowed vacation home. You can find the list of books up through 2001, when I moved away, here: reading club.

    Second group: New city, new employer, sent out a company-wide email. Got about five responses. We met three or four times and petered out. Our reasons for wanting a group differed too much; we lived too far away from each other to sustain meeting in one another’s homes but had no good alternative. There were no relationships that were close enough to sustain the group long enough for it to cohere.

    Third try: Not-so-new city and employer. Sent out emails to work, Quaker meeting, and contra-dance community, as well as posting an invitation at an internet site. (Can’t remember the name of it. Reader’s roundtable? dunno.) Started with a large pool of casually interested people. It stymied me for quite a while because I didn’t want to be picking and choosing, but it was definitely more people than I wanted to be in a group with. Eventually they were winnowed out by questions of location, frequency, etc. There were probably fifteen people still around to be invited to participate in setting the first meeting. Five bowed out right away, and a couple more kind of kept their feet in but never showed up. We spent time the first night talking about what kind of books we’re interested in reading; verdict: mostly but not entirely fiction, one person doesn’t want to read “classics” (we’ll see how that pans out). We’re about to discuss our fourth book. We meet at a central location after work (6:30) and bring snack foods and beverages. We’re very spread out geographically, and the big hurdle I see facing us is what happens if we need to meet somewhere else. Current composition is a close Quaker friend and another Quaker I don’t know so well, two coworkers from my immediate office, another coworker from another department, a total stranger who responded to the internet listing, and my boyfriend. Two men, six women, age range mid-twenties to almost sixty. There are some close relationships, but not everyone knows one another. I’m organizing the meeting setups using evite.

    Some things I’d suggest from what I’ve learned:

    –Be clear as clear as you can with ourself about what you want if you’re going to be putting out the energy to get it started.
    –Have something to sustain the group at first: a structure, putting yourself out to be the organizer, or a couple of strong friendships in the group.
    –Get some diversity of perspective in the group.
    –Decisions about food and location are just as important as decisions about what kind of books and whether to have leaders.

    Good luck!

  • Politics matters to me when I vacation

    And since politics matters to me, I didn’t have any intention of vacationing in Colorado anyway. But this story at DenverPost.com — LOCAL NEWS shows that some people need a wakeup call.

    A town trustee’s refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance before board meetings has led to Tuesday’s recall election and hard feelings among some of the community’s 7,000 residents. . . .

    “People want a vacation, they don’t care about politics,” agreed Judy Speece, owner of Mountain Vista Acre B & B. “They just want to get away from it all.”

    Well, count me out!

    And just for the record: Christians shouldn’t be pledging allegiance to a flag, either, or to a country. A Christian’s allegiance to a nation shoud always be subservient to an allegiance to God.

    So there.