Art from the Gallbladder

I've been attending Paul Doughty's Abstract Drawing course at the Bermuda Society of Arts.  I like it.  A lot.  The comfort levels of the members of the group vary - I suspect largely due to our respective experiences with graphical experimentation in a group setting.

Whether you are an individual who has always identified yourself as an artist, or one who felt that itch to create later in life, the identified benefits of taking an adult education course range from gaining new skills, engaging with others, and reducing stress levels to even expanding one's brain.

There are any number of courses that promise to deliver technical knowledge and this is no exception.  A lot of us have forgotten or never mastered the creative utility of simple media like charcoal, newsprint and pencil.

But abstract drawing breeds consideration of expression through non-representational marks upon a two dimensional plane.   Personally, I find it much more challenging than the 'pears on a plate' style

Trio of Pears, 2001

that gave me some early encouragement.  Apparently, this road of discovery is all good - keep on learning and evolving if you are going to consider yourself an artist.  Create art from your heart.

Now, my friends know that I am not always a patient or sympathetic person - some would use a word sort of like byatch.  Pinning a heart on my sleeve is not my style.  In truth, I went along to this course with the secondary objective of unblocking my painting muse.  That's the ticket, I thought - you must genuinely express what you feel.  Regrettably, optimism and warmth were not the feelings I conjured.

First, I thought about the challenges of facilitating courses for adults.  Small children will happily experiment with paint, markers, crayons and playdough with no real objectives other than the activity itself and soliciting some encouraging noises from their teachers and parents.  They haven't learned that borrowing ideas is bad or that you should colour within the lines.  Many will soon learn that decorating interior walls and furniture probably isn't a good idea.  And eventually they will become socialized and most will be cognizant of the opinions and relative talents of their peers.

Which is the challenge in teaching adults.  Much of my corollary experience is in implementing new procedures and systems in businesses.  Aside from teaching mature dogs new tricks, you must be vigilant that people don't revert to their old comfortable ways, and also try to overcome some very real fears of displacement or redundancy.

Then, I thought about the challenges of redeploying the large mature slice of the un/under-employed workforce in Bermuda.  That proved to be a bit painful since it elicits empathy.  Martha Myron has described the situation succinctly in her recent columns so I won't.  But I am sceptical about the relevance of Minister Fahy's retread of training plans to the middle-aged, middle-class, stressed people who thought their degrees and certifications and investments were enough to pay the mortgage, insurance and taxes and educate their children, with a little something left for their older years.  Frankly, we are scared sh*tless whether over-worked, unemployed or running marginal businesses on intermittent trickles of cash-flow.

28 years of living in a country where the only river is 'De Nial' has taught me to divert my attention when worry threatens to send me to my prescribing physician seeking relief.  Hah!  Turn to overseas news and you really have an avalanche of macro woes.  The undeclared war in Ukraine could be Poland in 1939 or Serbia and Belgium in 1914.  What about the latest savage killings and kidnappings across Africa - in the twisted connection of fundamentalist teachings that are sweeping around the world?  Or the Syrian government bombing and gassing their own people! 

If war just makes you angry too, then you can turn to environmental concerns ranging from the global list to the 'greaseballs' on Grape Bay.  And what about the Malaysians who are systematically killing off the alpha predators - sharks - to make shark fin soup.  Did this cultural mentality or that of their neighbours allow them to shoot down a plane full of civilians accidentally on purpose and then obfuscate and point to the depths of the Roaring Forties?

Ricochet back to the Western world and you may wonder whether discontinuing the use of pesticides on your roses or buying an electric car can really make a dent against the vast clouds of pollution belching from the Asian tiger economies that supply us with cheap solutions to indulge our conspicuous consumption.  And then read the statistic in the Bermuda Sun where the World Bank says Bermuda leads the world on this one.  Do you feel sad, impotent, discouraged?  Not so long ago, we were proud of our expensive and self-indulgent standard of living.

Why It Matters - in Bermuda you can soon be wheeled over bricks engraved with your name through an air-conditioned glass atrium into a new 'state of the art' acute care hospital facility if your body succumbs before your bank account.  I don't think there are similar construction plans for MAWI.  If you go nuts, you probably won't notice the tatty linoleum or lack of privacy.

Spectre, 2014

Since I can offer no practical solutions or plans to change the path of what, on a bad day, looks like a man-made tsunami of horrors, I'm applying the balm of artistic expression.

Even if no one thinks it is art.  And it comes from my gallbladder or spleen rather than the heart.

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The Simple Things

This week's post is a celebration of the simple things...family, our nature reserves, and all things we take for granted but are dear to our hearts and too quickly replaced with the stuff of everyday life...

 Here's the video...wait for the audio, it's perfect and I love Grace Potter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Pf_LhY2TM&feature=youtu.be

Cheers, Janet

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A Superior Fishcake

He said it must be Friday, the day he could not sell anything except servings of a fish known in Castile as pollock or in Andalusia as salt cod. 

-- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605-1616

Fishcakes are a seasonal treat in Bermuda, and ubiquitous on Good Friday.  Oh sure, the Food Festival highlighted them this year, and a few restaurants offer a fishcake on their menus.  But they are a nutritional and satisfying treat to make yourself in the cooler months - well, unless you are on one of the trendy diets.   

I have a long history with fishcakes.  They were a Saturday lunch staple in our family home - a byproduct of the 'Fish on Friday' supper.  This 'familiarity breeds contempt' experience once led me to shun them but I gradually returned to the fold and now consider myself a bit of a fishcake purist.

My rules:

1. They must contain salt cod - this means Canadian cod.  There are a lot of salted fish imitators out there - haddock from New England, the Malaysian 'Made for Bermuda' brand, and god knows what in the Chinese stuff.  I get my package emblazoned with the Maple Leaf at Lindo's.
2. Red-skinned potatoes in approximately equal proportion to the codfish.  Avoid baking potatoes as you need a sticky texture that only red potatoes will yield. If you must substitute a drier potato, you will need to add an egg yolk for binding.
3. Diced onion must be present. 
4. A crispy golden crust on both sides.  See instructions below.
5. Simple seasoning like thyme and parsley - no curry, turmeric, hot peppers or other spices used to mimic a Caribbean dish.

In Bermuda, fishcakes are traditionally presented on sweet 'hot cross' rolls and doused liberally with tartar sauce or mayonnaise.  Annually, I sniff that this is a device designed to mask the presence of inferior fishcakes.  And if you are watching your carbs, you can probably do without the bun or condiments. 

Here are a few tips to produce a superior fishcake like my own ;-)


Prep:

• Soak the salt fish in fresh water for at least 12 - 24 hours, changing the water at least twice and depending on how much saltiness you prefer.  (For all you Food Network fans:  A milk soak tends to soften the fish too much for fishcakes.)  Use enough of our pure Bermuda water to float the dry fish.
• Boil peeled potatoes until just fork tender and drain them well.  Then simmer your fish until it is no longer translucent and drain also.  Mash or mix together by hand just until you have identifiable lumps - don't whip to a puree in your processor.
• Sweat your diced onion.  Fresh Bermuda onions are a Spring treat and can be included raw, but common yellow onions are my norm.  Red onion might be too peppery or assertive but use it if you really like onion.  Vegetable oil and/or butter in the pan - you may want to pump up the flavour by sauteing in bacon fat if you are throwing all dietary caution out the window. 
• Add the diced onion to the fish and potato mixture.  Add seasonings of your choice like chopped fresh parsley, thyme, black pepper and (if you are an eastern Canadian who receives care packages) dried savoury.  Mix together, pat down and chill covered for at least a couple of hours and up to 2 days.

Cooking:

• Preheat a cast iron or Teflon skillet to medium.  Or use a griddle if you have one.
• Hand form patties with the chilled mixture.  Measure with a cookie/ice cream scoop or spoon for consistency.  I like mine on the small side and not too thick in order to pump up the ratio of crispy crust and moist interior.
• Dunk your cakes in seasoned flour to which you have added a little cornstarch.
• Add a mixture of butter and vegetable oil to the pan - enough to cover it well but not so much that you are now deep frying.  If you have a jar of duck fat that you've been wondering how to use - now is the time.  Add a spoonful to the pan.
• Saute the fishcakes in batches - patiently - until a golden crust forms.  Turnover the cakes and repeat. If your heat is too high, you will get nasty burnt flour on your crust.  You may need to add more oil/butter/fat for the second side or subsequent batches.  Overcrowding your pan will cause inconsistent cooking.
• Serve with a wedge of lemon. Sample and gloat.

Here's a link to the motherland of fishcakes courtesy of Newfoundland Rock Recipes.

For a deep dive into the star of the dish, I highly recommend that you download or order a copy of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.  This historical tale is  eloquently written and beautifully illustrated. It's where I lifted the Don Quixote quote above.

More locally, here's an elegant presentation of fishcakes from Island Thyme, a cookbook published by The Bermuda Junior Service League in 2005.  Fit for the Governor...

Credit: Island Thyme: Tastes and Traditions of Bermuda.  The Bermuda Junior Service League, 2005

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Knot Me! Kite Loops & Snarls

If you've seen neon coloured twine at Masters or Gorham's recently, you may be considering incorporating it in your Good Friday kite design this year.

But have you considered the last - and probably most aerodynamically important - step in getting a kite to actually fly properly?  Yep - the LOOP.

A loop is just a knot, right?  I have to confess that tying knots in public strikes me with more than mild anxiety.  You see, beyond a basic overhand or square knot and variations like tying shoelaces or a gift bow, I just produce snarls or, worse, lashings that come undone under light pressure.

Oh, I can fake it.  I've hopped off the boat and casually looped a dock line around a cleat.  You will, however, see hubby discreetly check it thereafter.  Same with fenders - I've learnt that they are expensive to replace when they mysteriously float away.  My mother tied my school uniform knot and secured it with a tiny safety pin for years.  As a teen, I spent too many hours trying to tie silk scarf variations with limited success.  I could never hope to sensually adjust a necktie for an attractive man.

If you think about it, knowing how to tie proper knots is a useful skill even if you are not a sailor, surgeon, or climber.  It tends to come in handy at those times when technology is not front and centre.   Like securing a tarpaulin after a tropical storm, or tying up that envy-worthy stuffed boneless leg of Easter lamb.  Which brings me back to kite loops.

My next post, Kites & Bubbles, will talk about the showy part of kite building.  Selecting a design, picking paper and glue and carefully assembling it all into a masterpiece to be proudly displayed at the Good Friday kite party.

But on that day, you will not want to be fumbling with the knotty loop thing which, like adequate lengths of kite tail, you will have forgotten about after hours of cutting and gluing tissue paper and then protecting it from little fingers and cat claws.

Each Spring, I pull out my copy of BERMUDA KITES How to Make - and Fly Them by Frank Watlington.   It has wonderful diagrams and detailed instructions like this...

Credit:  Bermuda Kites How to Make - and Fly Them by Frank Watlington

"If your loop isn't right, your kite won't fly".

"Tie all knots very tightly".

Mounting loop... Pulling loop...  Tail loop.  Great - how does one make a knot with a loop that stays tied?

Well, it turns out there is an app for that - several, in fact.

After trawling the web and going down the rabbit holes of paracord bracelets and survivalist tools, here are some useful links for anyone who is also knot-challenged.

Animated Knots by Grog.  This site is comprehensive.  Knots for every occasion as well as iOS and Android apps. The  supercilious voice over is clear and hilarious.  This app includes the butcher's knot among other 'household' knots like Windsor and shoelaces.

Knot Guide from Winkpass.  I bought this one thinking that the Animated Knots app was more than I needed or cared to spend.  Not bad - but second choice.

3D Knots.  Pretty good as well - though the presentation makes me suspect it's more about selling apps than knot knowledge.

Of course, none of these apps refers to a kite loop, never mind mounting, pulling or tail loops.   Look up fixed loops - a simple bowline should do for a kite loop knot.  But don't forget to measure the length of the strings on the loops.  Apparently these determine the angle of flight - whether the kite sits "too flat" or on the wind.

If you really want to dive into knots, the ultimate authority is The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley.  Apparently this was published in 1944 by Doubleday (New York) and (according to Grog) "is a stunning compilation of knots and their uses.  Nothing comparable has been published since and it remains the authoritative source."  Well, except for the websites and apps that are basically  re-skinning Ashley.

If you can tie a secure knot, you'd better learn to untie one.  Most of these sources tell you which might be easier to get apart.  Good to know if you need to pack up in hurry.  Or if, like me, you are not only knot-challenged but your fingers and eyesight are not as deft as they once were.

So happy knotting and looping.  And just in case - in the words of Steven Tyler - Fake it 'til you make it!

The Joy of Fishing

On Sunday, we went fishing.  Or perhaps we went boating while bringing rods and bait. The weather on North Shore made up a bit more than anticipated, and actually catching fish of a size suitable to bring to shore proved to be beyond our admittedly novice skills.  But we had a great day nonetheless, and a few fish benefited from gobbling our bait.

Porgy Dreams

Don't confuse us with game fishermen - we have much more in common with the folks we saw casting hand lines off the rocks.  Our rods are the junior specials and the bait came frozen from the fuel dock.  

Wise women usually know that when their men disappear to go recreational fishing, it's often an excuse to spend some time with their mates and otherwise avoid their honey-do lists.  A catch is sought as evidence of their pure intent, but it is really about the camaraderie.  I've also had it suggested to me that the presence of women on boats ensures little or no catch.  A silly suspicion!  

Here's what I think my land-bound sisters (and many June to September boaters) are missing...

1. Fresh sea air.  Yes, bait and fish smell, well, fishy.  But not nearly as bad as nail polish or traffic fumes.  If it's not high summer, the smell is quite pleasant.  And you can sit upwind of it.  Draw in lungfuls of salt air.  It's much fresher than the yoga studio's.
2. Noise abatement.  Cellphones work inshore - but you can always use the excuse of poor reception to take a break from the wired world.  While boat motors are noisy, they are behind you and off when you are actually engaged in fishing.  Listening to the lap of waves and occasional bird call is super relaxing.  And the party boats aren't out in winter.
3. A different perspective.  I've always thought that Bermuda is much more interesting when viewed from the water.   Plus, a lot of moorings are empty before May - you can putter around the shoreline before coming home and learn quite a bit.
4. Friendliness of strangers.  Everyone waves and smiles around the water, with very few exceptions.   Those people are either uninitiated visitors or miserable.  Wave anyway.
5. Observation.  Bermudians are pokey.  While you are looking at them, they are most certainly checking you out.  While they wave.
6. Staycation.  Honestly, we often forget to enjoy for free what our overseas visitors pay dearly to experience for a few days.  The stress reduction benefits of a sunny day by the water are huge - and you don't have to get all sandy, or brave a bathing suit, or perspire.
7. Catch and release.   Unless you really enjoy cleaning and cooking fish, I recommend gifting the catch or sharing with someone who will appreciate it.  Or throw it back and let the circle of life work.
8. Self accomplishment.  You know that saying about 'teach a man to fish'.  Well, it feels pretty darn good to land or boat a fish and even more exciting to see it just under the water when it is magnified.  The source of all 'fish tales'.

So if you get a chance to get out on the water before May 24th or after Labour Day, take along a fishing line and hook and try your hand at jigging.  I have a friend who swears by chicken for snapper bait.

Lobster Tales

Spiny Lobster season will be over on March 31st; though the cooler water will have put off many of these divers by about mid-November.  This painting is called "Lobster Tales".  I've printed it on a long sleeve t-shirt that is perfect for boating or fishing and available on my website www.bermyurchins.com or at Hand Made Bermuda's shop in the Clocktower Mall at Dockyard.