Chile Relleno Diary entry no. 1

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One of the themes of this western winter looks to be chile rellenos*. Already a favorite dish and a restaurant target when I get to New Mexico, the idea of  documenting the deliciousness came up Wednesday night when Angeliska and I went out for a late dinner. So… ¡Vamonos!

fusion relleno

Place: Nasha, Austin TX

Variety: Tex Mex-Indo Fusion

Verdict: delicious. An unbattered chile stuffed, in my case, with spiced lamb, and sauced with tikka masala. Nasha’s going to get another visit when I return to Austin in April. This dish gives me an opportunity to define my terms. I’m going to be pretty expansive re what’s a chile relleno (literally ‘stuffed pepper’). The criteria I’m going to use are 1) the pepper needs to be conical: pasilla, si, bell pepper, no, 2) there needs to be something inside the pepper, and 3) there ought to be a sauce involved, though I’m willing to entertain exceptions.

*I’m thinking that the plural might want to be chiles relleno, but that seems a little pedantic and precious. I might change my mind…

 

 

Got a match?

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I’m reviving the blog with another in a continuing series: linked items that have appeared on my radar screen. First up are Ofelia Esparza, Daniel Hernandez and Dio de los Muertos.

“We all suffer three deaths.” Ofelia Esparza, the East L.A. altarista, or altar maker, was remembering her mother’s words. “The first death is the day that we give our last breath, the day that we die,” said Esparza one recent evening in Boyle Heights as she and her daughters prepared for Day of the Dead. They were making orange paper flowers, the blooms crinkling loudly, taking shape in their hands. “Our second death is the day that we’re buried, never to be seen on the face of the earth again, which sounds very final.

“But the most final, the most dreaded, terrible death of all,” she said, “is to be forgotten.” *

The idea of the third death hit me hard this year. Though I’ve been really fortunate – the pandemic hasn’t taken anyone close to me – the daily knowledge of loss has been at my elbow since March of  2020, when I bolted from the west coast to hunker down in New England. I don’t believe in an afterlife, but it’s clear we live on in the memories of others.

Mr. Hernandez notes the commodification of Dio de los Muertos; inevitable, given the logic of late capitalism. I’m heartened by seeing the way it’s celebrated by folks I respect: focusing on remembrance rather than branded tequila 😉 . I vote in favor of Anglos screwing up Cinco de Mayo (afaik, not an important day in Mexico anyhoo) and keeping the first days of November for our ancestors.

A day after reading the L.A. Times piece, I was driving around listening to the latest Aria Code. I like opera (blame Bugs – seriously), but in the most naive way possible. I rarely have any idea what’s going on and almost never know what the lyrics mean. Aria Code is a great listen for someone in my shoes. I don’t retain everything, but for the duration of the podcast the hidden depths are revealed and I love it. The ep I was listening to was “Potion, Emotion, Devotion: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde“. It’s an exploration and explication of Isolde’s final aria: the Liebestod (literally lovedeath).

But what is actually going on at the end of the opera – Isolde is not talking about death at all. she never says the word ‘death’. It’s this hallucination of Tristan being still alive. … It’s not about death, it’s about life. it’s about the memory of a person whom Isolde is bringing to life in her own mind.  – Alex Ross, New Yorker music critic

So there you have it! Living on in the memory of others – the only reliable afterlife.

Still adventuring

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A brief post to let y’all know that after a fun-filled summer and fall with H, J, and the grandkiddos, I am back out on the road. There are 4 of us: myself, Dinah the old DK/GSP, Lotte the #adventureteckel, and introducing! Maisie the v small #adventureteckel. We’re currently at Arcosanti (pictured above) trying to decide where to head next. More, when I’m motivated to write, but we’ve had puppy bonding and friend meeting in Austin, Christmas with family in Los Angeles, dinner with S & T in Tucson, big mine tour fun in Bisbee with S, the AZ Falconers Desert Classic at Biosphere 2 in Oracle AZ (I took a cottontail with Dan D.’s Harris’ Hawk!) and a best possible afternoon with L & D (back) in Tucson!

The partners in crime:

Yep, I use the same style tie-out.

#adventureteckel Lotte helping me watch the weathering yard.

Blep + side eye. #dailymaisie

A series of linked events

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After returning to Los Angeles from Monterey, while packing up for the trip east, I took a ride to a favorite bookstore: Skylight Books. I wanted to pick up the most recent couple issues of Desert Oracle (magazine form) – done. A book in the window caught my eye – Erik Davis‘ High Weirdness.

A study of the spiritual provocations to be found in the work of Philip K. Dick, Terence McKenna, and Robert Anton Wilson, High Weirdness charts the emergence of a new psychedelic spirituality that arose from the American counterculture of the 1970s. These three authors changed the way millions of readers thought, dreamed, and experienced reality—but how did their writings reflect, as well as shape, the seismic cultural shifts taking place in America?*

Hell yes; an instant add to the notional shopping cart.

 

Fast forward to a few days ago. I’m well into the book and enjoying the heck out of it when this pops up in my Instagram feed:

 

Where am I at this point? Gowanus, about a 30 minute stroll from Green-Wood Cemetery, visiting K, S and son L. Of course I went, bringing Hign Weirdness with me for signing. The talk was excellent: some time situating the early 70’s moment and then an exploration of Philip K. Dick’s religious experiences. Afterwards, while getting the book signed, I told Dr. Davis about buying the book in L.A. while looking for Desert Oracle (“Oh, at Skylight?” *grin*) and then seeing the Insta post about his talk. We agreed that Desert Oracle is great as are coincidences and then I set off back to the Scriptorium (with a stop to admire a huge Monk Parrot nest at the cemetery gate).

The next day I packed up and returned to Maine. I refreshed my podcast feed in preparation and once in the car (after a bit of Downtown Soulville to sing me out of the city) I went to cue up some, yes, Desert Oracle Radio. What’s this?? An ep titled High Weirdness??? Hell yeah!

Third major bit of linkage achieved! Given the source of the coincidences, it’s tempting to ascribe some higher meaning to this run, but I have to put it down to living in an incredibly interconnected community. I’m 1 or 2 degrees of separation (depending on whether or not you want to link me directly to Josh Glenn) from both Ken Layne and Erik Davis; that I’d run across both IRL and online as Dr. Davis is doing a book tour is not especially surprising – but it’s wicked cool regardless!