A brief note on Sid [verbatim from emails, except for the Yale quote]
Sid loved his life and his work but
was modest about his work. He would say things like:
"Its 97 degrees outside. I am
glad I never had to work -- I mean work -- for a living since I was
an adolescent."
or
"Jackie is an accomplished
painter, and I continue to reign as an accomplished b—shitter. (Note which part
of that word I have censored; it measures my dementia.)"
I was in contact with over 150
anthropologists when working on ebola (for Sierra Leone; from here). One of my
friends found out that I had known SId for nearly 50 years, and he had known me
for even longer. She said:
"Ah. Well then, you are
connected to Anthropological Royalty" -- which I mentioned to SId. He
said:
"I imagine my mother, hearing
this story, and getting this profoundly disbelieving look on her face. And then
she’d say “Royalty! You?” and laugh uncontrollablly."
On the other hand, despite loving
interacting with Yale undergraduates, he did leave Yale to move to Johns
Hopkins. I heard this story three times. At Yale he had a department chairman,
who whenever he called on Sid for a comment would do so by saying:
"Let's see what our
golden-tongued orator has to say, now."
And enough was probably enough.
We would trade book references as our
work got closer together. I put him on to Hamid Dirar's great book on fermented
foods of the Sudan. He upped the anti with HT Huang's volume on Chinese
fermented foods in the continuing series that grew out of Needham's Science and
Civilation in China.
Many of the obituaries for SId
highlight his book "Sweetness and Power" so I would like to call
attention to how much was pre-figured in his very first book, which came from
his PhD work, "Worker in the Cane". Or just in the title alone.
Much of the later analysis starts there --- and a lot else.
I re-read a newer paperback edition
recently. Sid said:
"Taso was eloquent in speaking
about his own life, while still barely in middle age (48/49), and in her own
way so was Elí, who predeceased him by some years.
"I thought back then, and still
think, that my “analysis” my place in the book beyond transcribing and translating
was mere adornment. Even if, as you suggest, I made some correct predictions,
the text of his words, however poorly I translated it, will live on. Puerto
Rican friends tell me they can read the English and hear the
Spanish, in it.
"At least one astute
psychological critic has pointed out an error in my thinking, however, having
to do weigh Taso’s religious conversion. But it does not (and my very existence
cannot) alter the starkness of his words.
"He talks, for example, about
holding a lantern for the paleros, all night in the fields, in
water up to his knees, when he was a child -- as U.S. imperialist
policy freed the sugar barons, Puerto Rican and North American, to level the
land and deforest virgin hardwood stretches, so that cane could be
planted…."
He reflected on getting older:
"From my Olympian perch --
reserved I guess for people who can honestly exclaim “Oh, to be 90 again!” —
it’s difficult to conserve a seriously realistic outlook on this and
other contemporary tragedies. The world seems to be receding from me with
increasing speed.
"It’s not because I am losing my
feeling for what is happening, so much as my objective loss of physical
strength, something no amount of determination can compensate for. I’m still
writing and listening to the late Beethoven quartets — and voting,
later today. And thinking. At least I think I’m still
thinking!"
and:
"I’m quite pessimistic now about
the future. I do not, however, take it too seriously — I mean my
opinions, not world conditions. In all likelihood, i am having too
much fun to welcome dying, and so I am pessimistic. A good dinner or even a
modest shot of double malt cheers me up immeasurably…"
So it is impossible to be sad about
Sid, he had a good life to the end, and yet still possible to feel -- as I'm
sure many of you do -- bereft.
Cohen Kasha from Yolo County
California
Overview:
I reduced kasha making to one large
deep frying pan and one pot.
In the final stage a thick soup mix
of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, garlic, onions lots of mushrooms and
possibly some hot peppers (in the pot) are added to eggcoated frying toasting
kasha grains -- also with some garlic (in the pan) , creating a satisfying
fizzle and bubbling as the pan is nearly filled. Seasoning includes paprika, black
pepper, oregano, garlic [all essential]; hot peppers, a little
soy sauce, possibly a little thyme if around, some cayenne
pepper if needed or desired (for example if no hot fresh peppers were
used).
Adding the spicy-hot stuff is
optional and more of our California style, It's good with or without.
----------
I. In general I PREPARE THE SOUP POT
first.
(0)
Boil some water.
(1)
In the pot start one large family can
of condensed Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, or two smaller
cans whichever is cheaper. Because of changes in the Campbell recipe, this no
longer comes out cleanly with a plop. Use some of the hot water and a spatula
to get it off the sides. Use about a can of water per can of condensed soup.
Take to a simmer and keep on low simmer.
(2)
Chop up roughly one head of
garlic cloves, two large onions, a hot pepper of any kind if desired, and a lot
of mushrooms. If I had to guess, 1 1/2 lbs but its more by volume. The
mushrooms should be relatively large thick slices.
Reserve 1/4 onion chopped up for the
kasha groats.
Use high oleic safflower oil and a
little decent olive oil in the pan. Starting with garlic and onions and then
adding mushrooms, lightly fry up everything at medium high heat so it cooks
fairly quickly.
(3) Add the frying pan vegetables to
the soup pot. Rinse out with a little of your hot water so the pan will be
reasonably clean.
(4) Season the soup; a little
oregano, black pepper, garlic powder if desired, some of the paprika and
possibly a little of the cayenne pepper. Its probably easier to add a half
teaspoon of soy sauce to the soup pot for most people. (Personally I add about
a teaspoon of soy sauce to the frying kasha groats but this takes some practice
to handle correctly).
Leave on low simmer to meld, low as
you can go. Your Pot is ready. Stir occasionally. Turn off if the next steps
are taking too long, it'll stay hot by itself.
------------
II. PREPARE the kasha groats in THE
frying PAN.
(0)
Selecting kasha is trickier than it
seems. You are always safe paying the outrageous money for Wolff's WHOLE GRAIN
TOASTED kasha groats. Unfortunately due to shrinkage you have to buy two boxes
now. You need at least a lb, so use one and a half boxes (more than a lb) and
save the half box for next time.
If you buy from a coop or other bulk
bin, avoid any kasha that has lots of hulls, which look purple, or black, and
it would be nice if it was toasted to mostly a light red-brown, rather than
mostly looking raw (the approximate color of dehulled sunflower seeds).
(1)
Beat 2 very large or three
medium-large eggs and add to 1 1/4 lbs kasha groats in a bowl. Stir
well till entirely coated. Cover. Let sit for 20 minutes at room
temperature stirring occasionally.
You can prepare the
kasha-groats-in-beaten-egg first, of course, before the mushroom soup Pot, but
then it takes so long to prepare the Pot that you have to keep the kasha in the
fridge. Where it will turn into a brick when you forget to take it out and stir
occasionally. Then you have to chip it out to get it into the frying pan.
If it's taking much more than 20
minutes to absorb the eggs, go ahead and put it the fridge for a bit, but
remember to stir.
(2) Chop up MORE GARLIC,
possibly a red or green hot pepper and start frying with the 1/4 chopped onion
you reserved in the same kind of oil as before, in the large relatively deep
frying pan. Turn heat down to medium.
(3) Add the now semi-dry or dry
egg-coated kasha groats and toast/fry until well coated in oil and smelling
deliciously toasty.
(4) Turn heat down to low. You can
also season the toasted groats at this stage. Start with a little paprika when
you first make it.
You now have the hot pan with toasted
groats ready to receive its Pot of mushroom soup.
[At least rinse out the bowl that
your egg-kasha groat mix was in]
III. ADD THE POT TO THE PAN and
simmer to finish
(0) With BABY safely placed quite far
away ---
(1) Add the mushroom soup Pot
to the toasted kasha groat Pan.
This should be done faster than you
may like at first.
You can add 1/3 to 1/2 of the Pot if
you are nervous but at least that much; you need to cover the entire pan
quickly to suppress the natural tendency to violently spatter. Instead it will
roar and bubble, a little violently but be contained.
Eventually, like a flambé chef at a
guests table, you will do this in one motion, quickly adding the Pot to the
Pan.
Pausing, perhaps, to make sure your
volume of soup does not actually exceed the capacity of the Pan. If iit looks
like it might, STOP before it does. You can add the rest of the soup as the
mixture cooks down and absorbs.
If you dislike the drama, let the Pan
cool for a bit before adding the Pot. My impression is that it doesnt QUITE
taste as good but no doubt this is an illusion.
Stir with your wooden spoon. For some
reason I think a wooden tool is mandatory.
(2) When there is some room, which
there should be right away, normally, use a little of your HOT WATER (remember
that?) to rinse out the Pot and add to the Pan.
(3) Simmer uncovered, stirring
occasionally -- maybe 5-7 minutes, then covered, low heat, probably 1/2 hour/
If all liquid absorbed, turn off and leave covered another 10-15 minutes.
(4) Wash the Pot and its lid, while
the mix is simmering. Wash the bowl if you didn't do this already.
Voila. You now have a clean kitchen,
and a covered dish on the stove waiting for you.
