There’s no replacement for the written word, or the feel of it
beneath your fingers. I read a report last week in which an online
book executive claimed that no one will read books, newspapers or
magazines by the year 2020.
There’s no replacement for the written word, or the feel of it beneath your fingers. I read a report last week in which an online book executive claimed that no one will read books, newspapers or magazines by the year 2020. Instead, we will all subscribe to the books we want to read through an online service, viewing them on our computer screens or on hand-held computer “books.” We will read our newspapers through Web sites and our magazines will be lively interactive programs, immersing us in the sights, sounds, and even smells of our favorite topics.
I can’t imagine.
Now, I know some people read The Dispatch through its Web site. My column is there for quick reference if you’ve forgotten to clip out a recipe. Many services offer books by subscription. But replace the newspaper or a paperback book? I don’t think so.
Not everyone wants technology in that area of life. Somehow, curling up with a metal and plastic box and straining my eyes to read a screen beyond the work day doesn’t appeal to my tactile nature. I like the feel of scratchy, dry paper between my fingers. The sound of a page turning. I like to rest a book on my knees curled up in my bed, hardly a weight at all, but full of import all the same. Awesome vacation postcards become my bookmarks until they’re tattered or replaced with a new memory.
When reading a newspaper or magazine, I like to scan the page, see its layout from a distance, then hone in on what I want to read. I like the pictures, the cutlines, the graphs that explain complex subjects. And I don’t have to use a scroll bar or a zoom feature in order to see them.
I can’t smell the recipes I read, which is something promised in the future of online reading. But I can imagine the aromas and tastes and the way the food will look on the table. Reading a cooking magazine builds my imagination and forces me to try new things, because my mouth waters as I pore over ingredient lists and descriptions. I just can’t help myself.
I love it when a friend runs upstairs, locates a good, already-read, perhaps tattered book, and breathlessly gives it to me, insisting that I read it. Somehow, forwarded e-mails lack the same passion.
My books, piles of magazines, saved newspaper sections – they wait for me as long as I want them to. They don’t require recharging or interfacing equipment. They’re not too expensive or fragile. If I lose one, I’m sorry about it but I know someone else will come along and be able to enjoy it without any training. Paper reading doesn’t have to be downloaded or uploaded or e-mailed or formatted to fit my screen.
It just needs to be read, then relished or hated or remembered indifferently. Closed, saved, recycled or put in the trash. In a literal sense, you know.
• RSVP: Jo Morgan wrote to ask for a recipe. Her grandmother used to make a sandwich on hot dog buns, containing meat, eggs and cheese. This was the closest recipe I could find, from Suzanne Barrett in the American Association of University Women’s cookbook. I used to do the same thing with tuna and cheese and I should probably resurrect that dish, too.
Grandma’s Hot Sandwich
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. chopped onion
4 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped ripe olives
12 hot dog buns
Brown beef and onions and drain well. Combine meat mixture with eggs, catsup, cheese and olives. Spread mixture in buns and wrap in foil. Put in 250 degree oven for 1 hour.
• Softball/baseball dinner: I noticed that Little League season opened last weekend. That means lots of families will be at practice or games until 6:30 at night, or longer. Put this dish in the crock pot and it will be ready when you get home. If you don’t even want to be bothered with noodles when you walk in the door, make this change: Slice some red potatoes in half and set them on top of the stew (do not mix in or you will be defeating the point of Bourguignonne – a meat stew served on top of starch). Add half a cup of water to the recipe. The potatoes will be done with the stew.
Beef Stew Bourguignonne
2 lbs. stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 T. cooking oil
10 3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
4 oz. can mushroom pieces (or 1/2 cup fresh, chopped)
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup flour
Cooked egg noodles
Brown meat in oil. Transfer to slow cooker. Mix together soup, Worcestershire, wine, oregano, salt and pepper, onions, carrots and mushrooms. Pour over meat.
Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours.
Combine water and flour. Stir into beef mixture. Turn cooker to high. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Serve over cooked noodles.
• Flexible salad: This salad can be served right after you make it, or it can marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. Don’t use more sesame oil because it has a strong taste.
Flexible salad
1 lb. broccoli, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb. cauliflower, separated into florets
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. Asian sesame oil
1 T. toasted sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. chili oil or pinch red pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
Lettuce leaves
Tomato wedges
Bring 2 pans of water to boil. Cook broccoli and cauliflower separately until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking; drain well. Place in a large serving bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.
Stir together green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, honey, chili oil, and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour dressing over broccoli and cauliflower; toss to coat. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with tomatoes.
Tip of the Week:
Vinegar can remove spots caused by tomatoes. Soak spot with vinegar and wash as usual.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• Things to keep in the kitchen: a ruler, scissors, small hammer, flashlight, candles, matches and tape.
• A leaf of lettuce dropped into the pot absorbs the grease from the top of the soup. Remove the lettuce and throw it away after it’s done its job.
• To make golden fried chicken, always add a little paprika to the flour mixture. This will give the chicken that golden glow.
• End note: Old Amish Proverb … “Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!”
