Fried Potatoes
December 2011The original recipe from Mary Randolph:
Peel large potatoes, slice them about a quarter of an inch thick, or cut them in shavings round and round, as you would peal a lemon; dry them well in a clean cloth, and fry them in lard or dripping. Take care that your fat and frying-pan are quite clean; put it on a quick fire, watch it, and as soon as the lard boils and is still, put in the slices of potatoes, and keep moving them till they are crisp; take them up and lay them to drain on a sieve; send them up with very little salt sprinkled on them.
I love when they do the historical recipes. First of all you know that if they’re posting them they’ve stood the test of time, plus Jefferson probably ate it.
In a move of unprecedented hubris, I hereby reblog myself. This aggregious act is not wholly without purpose, however:
I intend to tackle, in post form, many of these magnificent men in the days to come. Prepare yourselves for the might of the Worthies!
Also: feel
freeencouraged to imagine them as an amazing squad of crime-fighting hero-buddies. I know I will.The Nine Worthies
The Nine Worthies are nine figures from history/scripture/mythology who were set up in the Middle Ages as archetypal heroes who personified the ideas of chivalry and virtue. All nine were deemed “Princes,” each being leaders in some form or another. In French, they are Les Neuf Preux, meaning “Nine Valiants,” which gives a more particular idea of the sort of virtue and all-around goodness they were meant to embody. The idea of setting up the Nine Worthies was that the study of each of them would form a good education for aspiring princes regarding their chivalry and radness.
The Worthies were first described in 1312 CE by Jacques de Longuyon in his Voeux du Paon. The idea was that good ol’ fashioned Christian virtue predated the coming of Christ, and was present in Pagan and Jewish societies as well. I bet you’re just dying to know who the Worthies were, huh? I don’t blame you. Let’s get to it. They were divided into a triad of triads, as follows.
Pagans:
Hector, the champion of Troy, who fell honourably to the mighty Achilles.
Alexander the Great, who conquered much of the Mediterranean and Persia, spreading the wisdom of the Greeks, as the medieval scholars saw it.
Julius Caesar, who was the progenitor of Rome’s Empire, that would become the bed of Christendom.
Old Testament Jews:
Joshua, who became the leader of the Israelites after Moses, and led the conquest of the holy land, Canaan.
David, the anointed king of the Hebrew people, who slew Goliath and whose line was forever chosen by God (Yahweh) to lead his people.
Judas Maccabeus, who led the revolt against the Seleucid empire, and restored the Jewish faith to the Temple at Jerusalem.
Christians:
King Arthur, who in Christian myth was the idyllic king in pursuit of honour, justice, and the holy grail.
Charlemagne, the King of the Franks who turned his kingdom into an empire that would encompass most of western Europe and be the protector of Catholic Rome for centuries.
Godfrey of Bouillon, a medieval Frankish knight who was a leader of the First Crusade, and became the first ruler of the (short-lived) Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem.
(This is a submission by jesuismarah, so I will post it, although it’s from the 16th century)
16th-century erotic poem discovered in book
Long enough am I now; but if your shape should swell under its grateful burden, then shall I become to you a narrow girdle.
Nearly 450 years ago, when England was tearing itself apart over religion, a Catholic woman named Lady Elizabeth Dacre wrote an elegant but at times erotic Latin love poem to Sir Anthony Cooke, a Protestant and tutor to King Edward VI, the successor of Henry VIII.
That poem was rediscovered recently in the West Virginia University library, inside a 1561 copy of Chaucer.
Memory Lesson
- Mother and Daughter in pastoral landscape
- Sophia Hamilton, American, 19th century
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Jane Austen’s Birthday Horoscope for December 16, 2011: Sagittarius
Your wit is on fire, Sagittarius, as you head into the holiday season! No Yule log needed. Your sense is overshadowed by your sensibility. Your prejudice is buried in your radiant pride. Today you can persuade anyone of anything, and you will try! But be careful not to outshine those who are important in your life: especially your family who will support you in anything. Return the favor (but maybe wait until your birthday is over!) and lend a little brilliance to someone else.
Happy birthday, Jane Austen!
