last weekend and today

[ursula]

This morning I wandered around U. Village, the trendy outdoor shopping mall down the hill from me. I bought a pair of shoes that I've been yearning after for a while, since they're the summery version of the little red shoes I'm very fond of. It's still strange to me that I'm grown-up enough to want more than summer sandals and winter boots-- and grown-up enough to pay for them! Such luxury! But the real purpose of the expedition was to pick up a plate I made for glasseye from one of those places where you paint your own dishes. I painted his device, a green shield with an ermine chief and a white sun. The shield came out a lovely glossy green, but I'm most proud of the stylized leaves round the border.

I was at Paint the Town a week ago, for a birthday party for my officemate, S. I don't think I've talked about S much here, but I've definitely enjoyed sharing an office with her and I'm very sad that she's leaving. She'll be moving to Michigan in just over a week! S is sweet and kind and friendly and has any number of talents, including the harp and yoga and drawing. I wish I had gotten to know her when she first came to this city, two years ago, instead of waiting until we did share an office. It's so sad to realize friendships too slowly.

S's birthday was just the start of a busy weekend. Saturday morning I walked to the farmer's market, and bought whole-wheat bread, spinach, chard, fresh garlic, and feta cheese. I spent a quiet afternoon, but in the evening J&L arrived, bearing riches from China! They gave us a gorgeous little teapot shaped like an eggplant with a miniature eggplant for a lid. glasseye and I and J&L stayed up late into the night, sharing -- variously -- beer, Scotch, and ginger-lemon tea, and talking about China, Philadelphia, and old times together. The next day we all went to Folklife, along with J's mother, aunt, and grandmother. We all wandered around together, so I didn't get to dance. :( But we did hear all sorts of music, in particular Spoonshine, bluegrass with string bass! And I spent a long time looking longingly at silk coats, made by a local artist from Indian sari materials. Wonderful thick material with a twirly skirt -- but the best pattern, with little swirling rosebuds, was on a coat one size too small, and I wanted to be absolutely in love before I bought one. (The booth was called Silk Dragons. I got a card, but she doesn't have a website.) I celebrated Memorial-eve by making elaborate pizzas, two with leeks, mushrooms, and white wine, and two with spinach, olives, and the feta I bought earlier in the weekend. Yum.

That brings me back to tonight's culinary adventure, which was Persian rice with barberries. Barberries are incredibly sour, like the dried-fruit version of Sour Patch Kids. I love sour food, but two cups were a little much! And I forgot part of the tah dig step, so no crunchy buttery bottom layer to my rice. But it was one of the most beautiful dishes I've seen in a long time, all white and red and yellow (the recipe asked for a teaspoon of ground saffron), and small amounts with yoghurt and garlic were wonderful.

[Same game.]

Comments

[yagowe.livejournal.com]

Are you going to post pictures of the plate? I'd love to see it.

[ursula]

I want to (though it's not as perfect as the ones you and canzonet made!) I don't own a camera myself, but I'll try to link if someone else takes a picture, or pester glasseye into doing so once I get back from Banff, which is where I'm going tomorrow.

[sablebadger.livejournal.com]

i'd be down with pictures too. We've been talking about painting heraldic feast gear as well, since her badge passed.

badger

[ursula]

Yeah, I'd like to do my own device at some point, and I think glasseye and hanksan kinda owe Countess Elisabeth a plate ;) Have you seen period dishes with badges? Most of the ones I've noticed have been late-period German full-achievement stuff, but I haven't really looked.

[sablebadger.livejournal.com]

Not as such.

But I have never looked for it either. We should look through our sources, and find some examples. Then have a big heraldic plate making party at a pottery paint place. That would be way cool.

Did you free hand the one you did? Would it be possible to use templates or something?

badger

[ursula]

Yeah, that would be super cool.

I did do this one freehand (suns are easy!). The place in U. Village charges for the piece of pottery and for the time you spend actually painting, but you can spend as much time laying out the design with pencil as you like, and if you have a big project you can buy paint & take it home with you. I think tracing or stencilling would be pretty simple.

[sablebadger.livejournal.com]

Does the pencil show up after you fire it?

And I'd be down with a group purchase of paints (in heraldic colors) and just doing at someones house or something. Since I'd want to take my time at it.

badger

[ursula]

The pencil is supposed to burn away. Seems to have worked for me.

We could also go on a Thursday, when it's a flat fee for as long as you want.

There's some stuff on Rafaella's website about oven-temperature enamel:

http://users.easystreet.com/rafaella/paintedglass.html

[sablebadger.livejournal.com]

From the V&A assuming they allow remote linking.

17th century.


1520


Date 1498-1515


Vase - Date 1480-1510 Would make a nice mug design though.


Date ca. 1520


Date 1560-1580

[ursula]

Oooh, that lion has a cool texture.

[yagowe.livejournal.com]

Nifty! That 3rd one is going in my ermine file.

[ursula]

I hear Countess Elisabeth might be into the looking for examples thing (or at least let us look at her Books On Stuff To Eat Off Of) . . .

[tejolote.livejournal.com]

The whole weekend sounds scrumptious. Makes me happy to hear it.

[ursula]

I'm glad! (One of the points of the game is to write more about food ;) )

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Writing about food is a good thing. :) I've gleaned many tasty recipes and tips from friends LJs. If you hadn't already done me in this game, I'd guessed that this was me! :)

[ursula]

You do seem to have an affinity of style with the person I'm thinking of. Maybe when I'm done being mysterious I should formally-by-lj-standards introduce you!

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

are you starting over with the f-list or still working through it the first time?

[ursula]

I'm working through the list of people who asked me once (seems like it could be a mean game if someone didn't want to play!), with maybe a couple repeats if someone didn't guess the first one.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

No smiley faces, which gives me pause ;), but is it me? It's lengthier than your usual post, and seems to contain vocabulary and sentences I use. (e.g., spelling 'yoghurt' with the British spelling...)

Plus, I believe I remember that the previous entry in the game that franzeska and I both thought was me turned out to be aryanhwy. You have interesting friends anyway, and the similarity in our style would make me even more happy to be introduced-via-lj.

[ursula]

It is you-- there is a frowny face for not dancing, after all!

aryanhwy and I have never met, but we've been geeking out about medieval names for years now. She's doing a Ph.D. at the University of Amsterdam, concentrating on medieval logic.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

It is you-- there is a frowny face for not dancing, after all!

Ah yes. Somehow I'd forgotten about that by the time I wrote the comment. Very appropriate, indeed. :)

[ursula]

As flammifera observes below, this is her, but she thought that yours was her originally. So there's a bit of an overlap. flammifera and I know each other from undergrad-- she did her degree in Greek and Medieval Studies, spent time in Wales & Spain, and learned a million kinds of dance.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Definitely sounds like my kind of person. :) Nice to meet you, flammifera!

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

Yes -- hearing that you're doing a Ph.D in an area of medieval studies makes me think you're definitely my kind of person! Nice to meet you too. :)

I will browse your journal and possibly write more extensive geeky comments at some point when I'm not at another law firm for a couple days, which means I should actually make efforts to work hard...

[llamaontheloose.livejournal.com]

Are the barberries fresh, or dried? And are they tart sour, bitter sour, or sour sour? So fascinated by this plant of which I had previously never heard!

[ursula]

Dried, and somewhere between tart sour and bitter sour. They look like little tiny dried cranberries-- the picture on the cover of my cookbook is more or less what I made last night.

Also, whoa, I'm in Banff!

[ursula]

I don't mean bitter sour. I mean plain old REALLY SOUR sour.

[hooveraardvark.livejournal.com]

hi ursula, i added you! i'm hankshiny's girlfriend. i met you a few times at swat.

[ursula]

Hi! I've added you back.