I had my favorite thing for lunch today. Here it is: cut a pita bread in half across its diameter, then separate the sides so you have four half-moons. Cover each one with slices of pepper jack. Put ‘em under the broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 5 minutes. If they burn a little, so much the better. For an extra special treat put some thin slices of ripe tomatoes straight from your garden under the cheese. Ahhhhhh.
Well, I’ve been eating this for years, and it only occurred to me recently that this is TOASTED CHEESE. Toasted cheese is deeply meaningful to me because it’s what my two best friends, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, eat all the time. They don’t have pepper jack (or pita bread, or a broiler, for that matter) but close enough. My husband and I were thrilled, thrilled, when they showed the toasted cheese thingy in the movie.
I’m so in love with those books. It’s sort of embarrassing. I have even experimented with cooking suet puddings (delicious, but not for the faint-of-heart). The reason this is sort of embarrassing is because I am most definitely not Patrick O’Brian’s ideal reader. Oh, I am so far from it. I probably don’t get three-quarters of every book. Mind you, I’m not sure it really matters all that much. I have no idea (for example) what really happens when the ship “broaches to,” but I do know it’s very, very bad. I don’t know what a “backstay” is, but I know it’s good luck to scratch one. “Futtock-shrouds?” No clue, but it sure sounds cool. And let me just say that the remaining quarter that I do get, well, it’s sublime. Can you imagine a series of twenty books that never get stale or repetitive? I’m hard-pressed to think of very many trilogies where all three are equally good. Let alone twenty!
Query: is there an author you adore but clearly are not the ideal reader for?
7 Comments
Judy Blume!
Julie,
I am yourideal reader, but I don’t always understand. Know why? Because I’ve never heard of half the authors you mention! And that makes me feel dumb.
So, I think to myself, should I ignore the question or be honest? I’ll be honest! I like Junie B. Jones by Barbara Parker. Ever read her? ;) I like Ann Rinaldi (‘Wolf By The Ears’), Louisa May Alcott’s, ‘Little, Women’, (years before the movie version came out), and L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’, especially the quips by Susan. I also remember with fondness, the book by Irene Hunt, ‘Up A Road Slowly’, and ‘They Loved To Laugh’, by Kathryn Worth.
Needless to say, I’m in the juvenile section, while you are in the adult section. ;) I like books with believable characters, humor, and happy endings. Maybe I’m a light weight reader? Maybe. :)
Judy Blume, oh ha ha ha! I love it!
Mrsd, thank you for the terrific compliment! But oh, please do not feel dumb. I hope you weren’t serious when you said that. One of the coolest things about this world of blogs is meeting people who have different interests and expose you to things you might not have heard about otherwise. It’s an opportunity for expanding your horizons, not feeling dumb. (On the other hand, I lurk on a few knitters’ blogs where I just gape at their projects and feel too dorky and wannabee-ish to leave any comments.)
Also, there are plenty of grownups who love children’s lit, myself included. Check out GuusjeM‘s blog, for example. One of her links is to the Betsy-Tacy website!
And now let me end this comment with another plug for my favorite author. Mrsd, if you like believable characters, humor, and happy endings, you just might like Patrick O’Brian, too. Actually, the endings aren’t always happy but the characters are so believable they will take your breath away. And the best thing about ‘em is, if you like the first one, well, there are nineteen more!
I love children’s books. Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy (there’s a website???), Madeline L’Engle’s Wrinkle books. . .
Sorry it took me so long to come check you out, thanks for your comments! (More about the cake later.)
Uh, I don’t feel totally dumb, more like totally in the dark. :) I’ll check out Patrick O’Brian. Who needs breath?
I popped in to visit the tanacious Jewish girl and your site looks kosher to me, I’ll be back! ;)
I quite agree regarding the gifted kids – they too, are getting the short end of the stick. Our G/T kids get 2 hours of service a week (I teach the class), the special ed kids get 40. Which group is more likely to produce the next Bill Gates?