Category: Books

Carolina Moments: Eat, Read, Listen, & Watch

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EATING: LUNCH IN CARRBORO

Last week, our Abroad at Home outing was to Pizzeria Mercato, a Carrboro pizza place favored by my sister and brother-in-law.  Some local folks may well remember Magnolia Grill, an all-time great restaurant in Durham.  We would dine there every time we visited family in North Carolina.  

Ben and Karen Barker won numerous awards for his cooking and her baking and put Durham on the culinary map.  The restaurant closed more than ten years ago, but their son Gabe carries on the restaurant tradition with Pizzeria Mercato.  

Open since 2016, It’s a casual venue with a menu that surpasses expectations.  Between the four of us, we sampled several pizzas including a margherita with delicate fennel sausage and a puttanesca with gorgonzola cheese.  We also enjoyed delectable arancini (rice balls), sauteed green beans, Neapolitan meatballs, and minestrone soup.  For later, the Chief Penguin and I took home a package of salted chocolate chip cookies. Most business is walk-ins, but they do take some reservations.  Highly recommended! 

It was also Open Studio weekend.  After lunch, we wandered a bit and then headed to the studios at the Clay Centre on Lloyd Street.  I was particularly taken with the pottery and ceramics by two artists—Betsy Vaden and Patricia Saling.  

READING: SERIOUS BUSINESS

The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland

(nextbigideaclub.com)

Subtitled, A Memoir at the End of Sight, Andrew Leland’s The Country of the Blind is a very personal account of living with deteriorating sight.  It’s also a history of the organizations that provide support for the blind, such as the American Federation for the Blind; how blindness has been treated by society over the years, and what adaptive technologies exist to assist in reading.  Librarians may recall the early Kurzweil reader; today there are compact screen readers.  

I confess to lots of skimming as I was most interested in Leland’s personal insights and adjustments.  How did he and his wife navigate his changing view of the world?  What was it like for him and his young son Oscar?  And how and when did he begin to use a cane and other aids?  

His thoughts on how he felt in the regular world and what he experienced in a residential school for newly blind individuals were informative and emotional.  It took him some years to complete this work, and it is obviously a labor of love.  It’s detailed, thorough, and endlessly fascinating.  (~JWFarrington)

LISTENING: CHAMBER MUSIC

Combinations in Raleigh

The Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival is celebrating 25 years this year.  This music festival originated at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville.  Most of its concerts are there, but in more recent years, it has brought its Signature Series to Raleigh at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church.

Last Sunday’s concert was a treat featuring six stellar musicians including festival founder Ara Gregorian on viola.  The program consisted of Overture on Hebrew Themes by Prokofiev, with piano, violins, viola, cello, and clarinet, followed by a Mozart clarinet quintet, and ending with a piano quintet by Shostakovich.  We appreciated the intimacy of the church sanctuary setting.  The next concert in the series is in February.  

WATCHING: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

The Diplomat (Netflix) 2 seasons

Kate & Hal (theatlantic.com)

Diplomat Kate Wyler is unexpectedly summoned and promoted to ambassador to the U.K. after an incident involving an explosion at sea.  She is both flummoxed and concerned about how she will fit in this new role, especially since her husband Hal is himself a former ambassador, very present and itching to be involved.  

Season 1 has been available for a while, and the Chief Penguin and I watched it previously.  Now we are re-watching it to be fully up to date before watching the just released second season.  Given the international political situation in the U.S. vis-à-vis Ukraine and Israel, The Diplomat is fascinating and possibly better the second time around.  

Watching heads of state and their chiefs negotiate high stakes deals is compelling, but this series is also as much about the Wylers’ marriage and their ever-evolving relationship.  She has said she wants a divorce, but they are still very connected.  

The stars of this series are the unmatchable Keri Russell of The Americans as Kate, and the oh so perfectly sexy, cagey, and charming Rufus Sewell as Hal.  Highly recommended for mature audiences!

Note: Header photo of red leaves ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Comments: Novel, Play & Dinner

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In this post, I share my thoughts on Elizabeth Strout’s latest Maine novel, report on seeing a powerful and timely play, and share a tidbit about dinner at a very local eatery.

MAINE LIVES

Author Strout (spectator.co.uk)

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Sharing individual’s stories and lives through the seasons, Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel, Tell Me Everything, returns to Crosby, Maine, and a cast of familiar characters.  Olive Kittredge is now 90 and still crochety and direct, while novelist Lucy Barton is her friend and recipient of Olive’s tales.   Lucy lives with her ex-husband, William, but meets Bob Burgess regularly for long walks and talks.  

Attorney Bob still does some legal work and is married to his second wife, Margaret, pastor at the local church.  When Matt Beach’s mother, a former teacher and the butt of her students’ cutting humor, is murdered, Matt is the primary suspect. Bob Burgess takes the case and slowly unravels that family’s history and relationships.

While Olive, Lucy, and Bob are the central figures, their spouses, families, and friends are integral to the various stories being shared.  It’s a peek into smalltown life and a depiction of regret, grief, and love that almost everyone experiences to some degree.  

“Oh” seems to be Strout’s favorite word as it’s regularly voiced, “Oh, Bob, “oh, Lucy,” anytime someone is subdued, hurting, or unsure.  Despite its overuse, I still found things to like about this novel.  It isn’t my favorite Strout book but engaging enough to keep me reading.  (~JWFarrington)

THOUGHT-PROVOKING DRAMA

What the Constitution Means to Me (Playmakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill)

Julie Gibson as Heidi (playmakersrep.org)

Heidi Schreck’s play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is a powerful piece of drama.  One might think, given its very relevant content, that it was just created.  In fact, it was first presented on Broadway in 2019 and was nominated for two Tony Awards.  It had runs across the country and was named Best Play of the Year by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

Two characters dominate the first two-thirds of the play set in 1998, Heidi recreating her 15-year-old self and the Legionnaire who is MC of a contest about the U.S. Constitution.  What starts out as some factual questions on the specific sections of the document quickly devolves into Heidi’s reflections on the rights that are or are not granted to women, Blacks, and others.  She shifts into the present and digresses on the lives of her mother and her grandmother and their experiences of abusive men.  She then shares some of her own life choices.  

Later, both characters transition to the present, and there is a live debate between actress Julie Gibson and high school senior Amari Bullett.  The audience is encouraged to react to what’s being said, and one person is chosen to be the deciding judge. 

We found the opening 15 minutes setting up the contest to be drawn out and verging on tedious.  However, once Heidi got immersed in her family and how individuals’ rights are limited, we were fully engaged.  Playmakers is based at UNC, and performances run through November 3rd.  Well worth seeing!!

DINING OUT

Istanbul Restaurant & Cafe, Cary

Chicken shish kebab

Istanbul is literally right outside our door, and we had been meaning to try it.  We went for an early dinner and were very pleased.  I ordered the chicken shish kebab which came with bulghur and a mixed salad.  The Chief Penguin had the adana kebab (chopped lamb and beef with spices) which also was accompanied by bulghur and salad.  The portions were generous and tasty.  

We were tempted by the fried calamari but will try that appetizer on another visit.  While Istanbul does not have a liquor license, they were happy to provide glasses for wine.  Open for lunch and dinner and takeout seven days of the week.  Recommended! 

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Moments: Reading, Wandering & Eating

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It seemed appropriate with the upcoming election to be reading this week about Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

On our latest Raleigh Ramble, we stopped by the Raleigh Capitol and admired some historic architecture. Add in a good meal and the result is a most satisfying combination of food for mind and body.

RECENT READING

Ketanji Brown Jackson (wikipedia.com)

MEMORABLE BIOGRAPHY: Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson

In Lovely One, the newest Supreme Court Justice and the first Black woman justice provides an intimate account of her upbringing and her career.  It is both poignant and heartwarming.  Ketanji Brown Jackson’s parents bore the scars of pre-civil rights days. But they were smart and determined individuals who became schoolteachers.  They instilled strong values in their daughter, gave her an important appreciation of her African heritage, and spurred her to do her best and excel.  

Jackson shares her experiences of frequently being the only Black person in her classroom or workplace.  While popular in high school, and both a class leader and a star on the debate team, she was always conscious of her difference.  Although she had studied in largely white environments, her first year at Harvard without any family nearby was hard and isolating.  Nonetheless, she excelled, later returning to Harvard for her law degree and serving as an editor on the Harvard Law Review.

Meeting Patrick Jackson, husband to be, was transformative for her.  Together they faced the challenges of an interracial marriage between two individuals from very different social classes and navigated the complexities of demanding, high-powered careers.  Jackson is candid about the stresses of motherhood while working in a big law firm with a husband putting in his own long hours in surgery. 

I found this memoir more personal than others I’ve read about public figures.  I particularly enjoyed learning about Jackson’s various mentors from her high school debate coach to the judges she worked for, to her stint as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer.  She is generous in her accounts even while occasionally noting someone’s shortsightedness.  

Overall, this is a very good read and gives one a fuller appreciation of what is required to be an effective judge.  Recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

RALEIGH RAMBLE #3

AROUND THE CAPITOL

This week our short ramble, Abroad at Home, included historic architecture, a fun shop, and food.  We started outside the North Carolina Capitol building and noted its soaring World War II memorial.  

Across from the Capitol is the history museum (on the list for a future visit) flanked by various banners including this relevant one about voting.  

Walking on, I was impressed by two churches in different architectural styles.  First Baptist Church, organized in 1812, opened in 1859 in a Gothic Revival style building designed by English architect, William Percival. This cream stuccoed building is scored to give it the appearance of stone.  Its lovely spire is 160 feet tall. 

First Baptist Church
First Presbyterian Church

Just down the block, also on Salisbury St,. is the red brick First Presbyterian Church. Established in 1816, this church building, although renovated several times, dates to 1900.  It has a very present bell tower and is in the Romanesque Revival style.

Interior of Lucettegrace

In our stroll, we also encountered Deco, a slightly funky colorful shop with everything from greeting cards to occasional dishes and the like, and Lucettegrace, a welcoming patisserie with punches of yellow.  I bought several cards in Deco, and the Chief Penguin succumbed to some treats for breakfast at the bakery.   

TAPAS FOR LUNCH

On our way to our lunch destination, we took a slight detour and purchased toffee at Videri Chocolate Factory.  

Lunch at an outside table at Barcelona Wine Bar in the Dillon was all we had hoped it would be.  A warm welcome and efficient waitstaff— even to the point of arranging umbrellas to ward off the noontime sun!  Plus, a fun menu of choices.  We are not particularly fond of brunch, so were pleased to find tapas that didn’t include eggs.  

The patatas bravas, a must order for the Chief Penguin, was a generous plateful.  We loved the piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, the spiced beef empanadas, and the ham and manchego croquetas.  We also sampled the salt cod bunuelos (round fritters on a chive aioli).   Add in a glass of red or white Spanish wine and you have a very tasty meal!

We miss our favorite tapas restaurant in Manhattan (closed after Covid) and are delighted to have this gem close by!

TRICK OR TREAT!

Ready for Halloween in the park!

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Moments: Abroad at Home

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STAYING LOCAL

It’s October and this is usually the month when the Chief Penguin and I spend some weeks abroad:  in Italy, France, Chile, New Zealand, or even Madagascar in 2009.  This year, as newcomers to the area, we are instead exploring our new neighborhood and venturing into Raleigh, the Oak City, and North Carolina’s capital. Our goal is to try a new restaurant for lunch every week this month and likely into November.

RALEIGH RAMBLE

This week we had lunch reservations at Whiskey Kitchen, an industrial looking dining room, in the Fayetteville Street District.  

To make things stress free, we took Lyft in and arrived early to explore the few blocks around the restaurant.  

Some years ago, my niece introduced us to Videri Chocolate Factory.  We located it again and were able to check out the coffee roasters in this same building, the Raleigh Depot.  The chocolate shop wasn’t yet open, but we wandered around outside the building enticed by the fragrant smell of chocolate.   

The depot was built in 1912 to receive railway freight through large steel doors.  It also had a doorway for horse-drawn carriages. In 2003-2004, the building was restored. 

We heard a passing train and realized we were very close to Raleigh’s Union Station.  We picked our way around a bit of construction before we found a walkway to the station entrance. The station was almost empty, but modern, clean, and attractive.  

We consulted with the man at the ticket window and learned that the fare to ride the train from Cary to Raleigh is only $5 one way!  You can also ride the Piedmont line to Greensboro and Charlotte. 

Nash Square

We strolled into Nash Square, a compact green space with shade trees and perennials and crisscrossing walkways.   In the center is a bronze sculpture, North Carolina Firefighters Memorial, honoring those killed in the line of duty.  Plaques along a low brick wall around the statue list their names.  The work was dedicated in 2006.

Close-up of firefighters memorial

The square is named for Abner Nash, who served during the Revolutionary War from 1780-1781 as the state’s second governor and subsequently as a member of the Second Continental Congress.

Lunch at Whiskey Kitchen met all our requirements.  

Friendly service and delicious food in an attractive setting.  We both ordered the day’s special blackened mahi sandwich and had a side of cole slaw or a green salad.  We also sampled one of the wines on offer.

On Martin and Davie Streets, we discovered several other restaurants we want to try.  Across from Videri Chocolate is The Pit, a barbeque joint, and farther on in The Dillon are both La Terrazza and Barcelona.  La Terrazza is on the 9th floor and has an indoor seating area and an expansive terrace overlooking Raleigh’s skyline.  

Raleigh skyline from The Dillon 9th floor

This restaurant is only open in the evenings, but worth a return visit.  Down at street level, Barcelona Wine Bar serves tapas at night and is open for brunch on the weekends.  It beckons us to make a date soon!

READING:  ESCAPING ON THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

James by Percival Everett

Author Everett (spectator.co.uk)

Percival Everett has written several notable novels, so I was surprised that I had not encountered his writing until now.  James is a re-telling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, but from Jim’s perspective.  It is funny, perceptive, and a searing depiction of how one person’s appearance (be he be born Black or wearing “white face” over black skin) determines how that person is treated.

Knowing he is to be sold and moved to New Orleans, away from his wife and daughter, Jim runs away.  Huck, who was taken in by the Widow Watson and whose father is mean and nasty, also escapes.  Huck finds Jim and the two of them travel on the Mississippi River together, mostly by night, hiding by day, and catching catfish to eat.  Jim has multiple reasons to need to escape; boy Huck is mainly fleeing his violent father.  

They have adventures together and then get separated.  Jim makes a friend, Norman, who appears white and pretends to own Jim.  One of the funniest moments in the book is when Jim is recruited by a troupe of white men who perform in Black Face.  Their faces need blackening, while Jim needs some whitening around the eyes.  

Overall, it is a captivating and stunning portrayal of Jim, self-dubbed James, who endures physical and emotional brutality, while cherishing books.  The gift of a pencil enables him to begin to write his own life story.  Highly recommended and one of the best books I’ve read this year, it is a finalist for the Booker Prize. If I were a high school teacher, I’d assign in my English classes.

Readers may also be interested that Everett is the author of Erasure, the novel on which the Academy Award nominated film American Fiction is based.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is a sign in the Raleigh train station.