Scrolling through Twitter a couple of weeks ago, I saw a photo which stopped me in my tracks. On the Twitter account of "Otto English" (AKA playwright and journalist Andrew Scott), was a picture of two sections of the Berlin Wall. Adorned with street art, which I loved, it immediately got my attention. But that wasn't the best thing about it. The best thing was that the decorated sections of this 20th Century historical icon were on display, for free in Lewisham Shopping Centre, just up the road from me!
I really enjoyed reading Aaron Vallance's philosophical, touching and beautiful blog
post about Unwined, a collaborative enterprise in Tooting, which shows
what can be done when people come together. It's showcase of exceptional
diversity of cuisines.
The exhibit has been brought to Lewisham Shopping Centre by the newly opened Museum of Migration, also in the shopping centre. It will be available to see until this Autumn. The art work is by STIK and Thierry Noir.
STIK is a British artist based in London. His is the section of wall to the right, with the stick person (geddit?). He runs graffiti workshops and has worked with Amnesty International, British Waterways and Reclaim The Streets. Once homeless, he gave away posters of his art with The Big Issue magazine (the sellers are homeless people who get to keep some of their takings to help them out of homelessness) in 2013. Now his art is highly collectable, and has achieved £150,000 at auction.
Theirry Noir is a French artist now based in Berlin who claims he was the first to paint the Berlin Wall. Back in the days of the divided city, before it came down, graffiti was strictly forbidden and on the east side, people were forbidden from getting close to it. He moved to Berlin to follow the journey of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, looking for inspiration. Noir famously painted a whole kilometre of the wall. If you are wondering why his artwork (on the left side of the photo) seems familiar, it is because it was featured in the cover art of U2's 1991 Achtung Baby album.
If you are able to visit shopping centre before the Autumn, come and see the Berlin Wall in Lewisham. Bring your children, or grandchildren, godchildren or even your friend's children. Tell them that Berlin, only a short flight from London, was a divided city 1961 to 1989. It was defended by guns, anti vehicle trenches and beds of nails. 100,000 tried to escape over it, with 5,000 who managed to climb over. As the Museum of Migration website states: "The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years, a physical and metaphorical barrier between Eastern and Western Europe, a division between cultures and political systems, the embodiment of the enforced separation of a people. It is a monument to living history and is still relevant to our lives today."
I was moved by the sight of these two concrete blocks. They felt more than the steel, concrete and spray paint before me. They felt invested with the emotions of a city, which was once divided but is now reunited. The Wall has been down for longer than it was functional. But its symbolism remains for those who remember it from countless news reports and the days of the Cold War.
I hope you enjoy this month's collection of stuff I've enjoyed this month.
Recipes:
Skinny
Haddock, Bacon and Mushroom Chowder recipe by Camilla, who has given me the top
tip that you can replace the haddock with supermarket fish pie mix: https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/skinny-haddock-bacon-mushroom-chowder
Jane
Grigson wrote the hugely influential cookbook "English Food". Here is
her Shepherd's Pie recipe from that excellent book:
Slow cooker chilli con carne - if like me, your slow cooker
bowl is metal, you can brown the mince in the bowl. But if not, you will need
to use a pan first. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a537056/slow-cooker-chilli-con-carne/
A Twitter thread of Salad inspiration from Elan Gale [in a
format for non-Twitter users]: http://archive.is/0D8Nx
Spicy sesame dressed noodles with chicken:
A quirky alternative for Shrove Tuesday [AKA Pancake day or
Mardi Gras], Cinnamon roll pancakes! https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cinnamon-roll-pancakes
Malaysian slow-cooked beef curry with lemongrass, star anise
and kecap manis: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/malaysian-slow-cooked-beef-curry/
Chestnut-Stuffed Chicken, in a tarragon and cream sauce: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a30516915/chestnut-stuffed-chicken/
Food writing and articles:
Advice for home bakers and cooks - do I really need to
pre-heat the oven. [Answer... it depends!] https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/28/do-i-really-need-to-preheat-the-oven-kitchen-aide
Michelin starred Chef Sat Bains shares the secret of his
ragu sauce, what we [wrongly] in the UK call "Bolognese": let it
stick to the pan and don't retain moisture in the minced meat. https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/news/sat-bains-chef-ragu_9656
The most romantic restaurants in London for Valentines' Day.
I can vouch for the excellence of Vanilla Black and Clos Maggiore. https://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants/london/13-most-romantic-restaurants-in-london/
A smaller steak "for the ladies"? You wot? By all
means have a large steak portion and a smaller steak portion. But make it
gender neutral. It is 2020, for crying out loud. Food isn't gendered. Food is
food! Let food be food! https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/07/restaurant-criticised-offering-smaller-ladies-steaks-menu-12199328/
There is a lot of misinformation out there about the
Coronavirus and why it is spreading. I have seen some racist memes target
Chinese eating habits online. However, the real causes of the coronavirus are
more mundane. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/27/dont-blame-bat-soup-for-the-wuhan-virus
"Despite the fact that coronavirus is not a “Chinese
disease” and the widespread debunking of claims that the current strain
(2019-nCoV) originated from the consumption of bat soup, the racialisation of
the disease and the otherisation of Chinese culture has dominated global
headlines". This is a timely examination of the thinly veiled racism in
the press as a result of the Coronavirus. https://bylinetimes.com/2020/02/03/the-racialisation-of-coronavirus/
End the Coronavirus misinformation: it is not particularly
spread via the air. It is primarily spread by contact and via moisture droplets.
This means that face masks are not effective. On the other hand, careful hand
washing, is. You need less than a minute to wash your hands effectively. This
technique will protect you from colds, flu, Coronavirus, food poisoning and
vomiting bugs. Please note: racism will not protect you from the Coronavirus.
My other writings:
Students, library research experts and academics share their LLM dissertation tips for success: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.com/2020/02/llm-dissertation-tips.html
TV:
The Trial of Christine Keeler [Drama]
Deadwater Fell [Drama]
Classic Albums: Songs From The Big Chair [Documentary]
Classic Albums: Catch A Fire [Documentary]
Music:
Texas Sun EP – Leon Bridges & Khruangbin
So Tonight That I Might See – Mazzy Star
Reputation – Dusty Springfield
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Please note:
as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by
me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or
other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.