2006-07-07 - Books and Food:

GIMMIE FETA

Did some groceries today, and picked up a lot of the goodies that I miss: Spanish olives, tri-colour pasta, French red wine vinager, American salad dressing, Italian tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil, cherries, some spices, and tins of Campbell's soup, among others. The only thing I really, really wanted but cannot find is feta cheese. I can buy cream cheese, Swiss cheese, Havarti, brie, camanbert, several varieties of cheddar and motzarella, but no Feta. I was so stoked about making a greek salad, when I realized that i lacked one of the most essential ingredients. When I get back into Canada this August, I'll be sure to put feta at the top of my list of things to eat, along with thick steaks, Atlantic lobster, sweet corn on the cob, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I got a raspberry tea frapuchino from Starbucks today, but its' just not the same.

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THE BOOKS

So there is a new bookstore in town, that opened on the first of the month. It has, among other things, a section of Lonley Planet books, and a Classics section. So I got Orwell's 1984, which I never read in school for some reason; Huxley's A Brave New World; Lonely Planet: China; two copies of Korean Cooking Made Easy (one is a gift), and raided them of Tolstoy (a recent recommendation). A hundred bucks later, I got a bunch of gift certificates for shopping during opening week. Which gives me some more insentive to go back, as if I didn't have enough reason already to capitolize on the bookstore with the biggest English section in town. After all, they have the Murukami books that I've yet to buy to complete my collection. God, I'm a nerd. My English profs would be proud.

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EVERY LITTLE THING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT

Things are really falling into place here, and I feel really good these days. I got my tickets for August, and secured some details of who I'll be seeing and when while in Canada.

Workwise, exams are in session, which gives me ample time to complete the plans for the end of term English camp. I'm certain to complete everything on Monday, which gives me the rest of the week to make a dent in War and Peace. My fat, nearly cube-shaped volume is crammed with tightly-printed words, but I've never balked at a fat summer read before! And since this month's Walrus has a wonderful article by David Gilmour on the subject of Tolstoy, I couldn't resist picking up W&P, along with a volume of Tolstoy's short stories. I think I was an English professor in a past life.

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I had some more stuff to say, but I forget what it was. Sorry!