The Blind Pig

It might not be evident these days, but I used to be quite the book worm when I was younger.  I don't know that I could describe my 'taste' in literature, but it ranges from more serious, science-y type books to entertaining beach reads.  A friend of mine recently gave me a copy of The Blind Pig by Elizabeth Dougherty.  It satisfied the scientist and foodie in me and I couldn't put it down!!

Since I really enjoyed the book, I hope you will too!  Luckily I was able to interview Beth and am going to give away a copy of the book!   Read the interview below and contest details at the bottom of the post.  It was great to get to know Beth a bit more, and I think you'll get a good taste of what the book is about from her answers.

What made you decide to write The Blind Pig?
I had just started working as a science writer in Boston and I was pretty blown away by how quickly genetic engineering and synthetic biology were moving.  I was also overwhelmed by the public health problems that medicine is trying to solve.  At the same time, I lived way out of town in a 200 year-old farmhouse, so there was sort of a culture shock between my work-life and home-life.  Out here, things are quiet and we worry about whether or not the tractor is going to start more than about whether the country will go bankrupt taking care of an unhealthy population.  That's not completely true, but you get the idea.

Anyway, I had a 2-hour (each way) commute on the train, so I just started writing, kind of as therapy.  I used to be an engineer, so I'm a natural problem solver, and my brain just started applying all of these incredible new discoveries and technologies to solving our public health problems.  Once I had the idea for the NArc, the cultural tension between the modern city and the old-fashioned country helped me find the plot.  And once I had some momentum, I kept going because writing this book was really a lot of fun.
How did you come up with the title?
I'm embarrassed to say that I got the title straight out of Wikipedia.  I had this idea to have speakeasies play a role in the book, so one day I just looked them up to start learning more about them.  When I saw that a 'Blind Pig' was another name for a speakeasy, it just clicked. It worked on so many levels but didn't hit you over the head.

At the time, I also was in the middle of an obsession with lard.  I was baking with it -- biscuits, pie crusts -- and rendering it myself.  I was visiting pig farms and small slaughterhouses to learn more about pigs.  The whole story in the book about the tubs of lard the USDA researchers tipped over that Herb tells Angela is actually true.  And in a completely non-scientific taste test I did with friends, the lard-based pie crusts were voted flakiest and tastiest.  Did you know that the pig is considered to be 'nature's refrigerator'?  People used to use pigs as 'larders' -- they'd stuff them with food to fatten them, then eat them over the winter.

But maybe that's just too much information!
What was the most surprising/disturbing thing you discovered when doing research for the book?
I think I'm most disturbed and surprised at how often people have forwarded me news articles about things happening right now that foreshadow some of the futuristic things in the book.  People are growing artificial meats, they are linking engineered organs together to make working bodily systems, they are growing gardens on the sides of skyscrapers, and they are making health-monitoring systems that people carry with them everywhere and that report back to doctors.  People are even developing expert systems to help doctors interpret personal genomes for patients.  It's eerie.  Of course, we have no idea what the future may hold, but if we aren't paying attention, we might not like where we end up.

Have you changed the way you eat since writing the book?
Yes!  During and since writing this, I've spent a lot of time growing food myself.  I enjoy it and it tastes good.  I have also developed an appreciation for just how hard it is.  I cannot imagine being completely self-sustaining.  I also sometimes buy meat from local farmers.  It's a challenge because cooking this food is more work than cooking convenient cuts of meat from the grocery store.

At the same time, I've been thinking a lot about how food affects me -- especially since I'm a runner -- so I've sort of NArc'd myself.  I did an elimination diet and now I actually have a pretty strict diet because certain foods -- especially sugar and wheat -- just get me down.  This is a drag, since I love making pastry, but I allow myself to cheat sometimes.  Luckily the only fine I pay is in feeling bad!  So mostly I eat pretty simple food.  Meat.  Rice.  Quinoa.  Vegetables.  Fruit.  I really should move to a place where almonds, apricots and olives grow because they make up a huge part of my diet.  South of France, here I come!

And since you're a runner...  what's your favorite way to fuel for a long run?
Geez, you had to ask that, didn't you?  Ok.  I'll admit it.  For a long run, I eat engineered food.  Specifically, Clif Bars.  Peanut toffee buzz is my favorite.  I actually think they're pretty yucky, but they are filling enough to keep me going.  I sometimes make oatmeal, but I don't like to do anything that gets me feeling too cozy before a long run.  There's a risk I'll just curl up on the couch with a book instead, especially if it's snowing.  And during any run that's longer than 90 minutes, I eat Clif Blocks and bring water along in my CamelBack.  The blocks are also pretty gross, but they are, in my opinion, thousands of times better than goo.



Wow, so articulate.  I guess I should expect that from an author ;)  Thanks Beth!!

To enter to win a copy of The Blind Pig, all you have to do comment and tell me your favorite book of the summer!  Contest will run until 10am Sunday August 15th.

Do you know what you're eating?

Friday Fluffer - Gaga is Gaga

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Lady Gaga said she tries to abstain from sex because she is afraid to lose her creative energy.

"I have this weird thing that if I sleep with someone they’re going to take my creativity from me through my vagina." {Emphasis mine.}

The singer admits she doesn’t trust anyone and don’t know if she will ever have.

"I’m always alone."



Can't think why.



Bottoms Up, Vaginal Expellers!




Pic from here [link]

20,000 Pubes Under the Tongue

My guess is that it's your experience too, that pubic hair isn't as well anchored to the pudendum as it ought. But what a jolly bonding thing it is to stop and amusingly highlight that you are removing a pube from between your teeth lest more than one collect and create a ball. Hilarious.

Which reminds me that this situation is called having sex, whereas one hair in your eggdrop soup calls for a lawsuit. What a funny olde world we live in. Thank you tort lawyers.

But back to the man in the boat. It's my phrase du jour, this happy nautical metaphor for the clitoris hiding in the decking. Sneaky individual that man in the boat, for sometimes he's under a sou'wester, and other times he's out on the poop deck just gagging for some company. And just why is he a man? Shirley an all girl crew is more appropriate?

Being criticised for lack of ability to find the clit is often man's lot. If Nintendo got their act together, they could do fantastically. Imagine this: A Wii game in which the object is to find and stimulate a digital clitoris until the boat is awash in wet'n'gooey. If Wii controllers accepted input from tongue, lips, fingers and teeth, we'd have ourselves a decent cunt simulator.



Bottoms Up, Gamers!



Pic from this excellent site [link]

Dry As a Nun's Nasty

Lady Lubrication should come naturally unless you're putting shit in places designed for expelling shit. Then you'll definitely need lubrication unless you're in Vegas where such acts are an amuse bouche to the main show which (if the relativity of these things holds) means the sex will have roughly the same quality of production as Cirque du Soleil.

Which those in the know know as the Circus of The Camel Toe.

Political Correctness prevents me from drawing attention to the fact that if you find yourself in the presence of a non-lubricating vag, you're probably in the presence of another dude, dude. Please be informed, LesbianGayTransoceanBifurcatedQueen Lobby, that this is not a drill, it's for real. A drill would probably be less painful, and wholly less embarrassing.

However, if surgically created vaginas or slippery blowjobs or squeaky camel toes are your thing, I see some lube in your future - probably bought in a 7-Eleven along with a 24-pack of Natty Light.

In a hopeless act of optimism, the well-oiled folks at K-Y { K-Y® Brand } sent me some of their new edible lube to test. All I can say is that it tastes fine on ice-cream. If you want to know how to use it for the job for which it was designed, read Snaf's thoughts about, apparently, a non-surgically created penis.

Link to the Snafugirl's sexy adventures with edible lube. [link]


Bottoms Up, Dessicants!


Pic by me.

DISCLAIMER: This posting comments on product sent to me on behalf of K-Y® Brand to facilitate my review.

Raspberry-Fig Goat Cheesecake Bars

Before I get to the cheesecake, I just wanted to say thanks for all your comments on my tri posts!   My xray revealed no stress fracture or bone spur, so that is good news.  I got the go ahead to try a little bit of running again to see how things feel, so *fingers crossed* things will go alright!

Inspired by a frozen yogurt recipe, I had been waiting for the day that I would find both fresh figs and raspberries at the same time.  I liked the idea of this combination and knew it would be perfect on top of cheesecake!   I thought they turned out really well and hopefully we'll get some testers to speak up in the comments ;)

Raspberry-Fig Goat Cheesecake Bars
Recipe by Shannon
Yield:  9x13 pan, # will depend on how big you cut them!

There are a few steps to making this cheesecake, but the puree and crust can be made ahead!

For the Puree:
3.5oz fresh figs, halved (~1/2c)
4.5oz raspberries (~1c)
~2T evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)

For the crust:
1 sleeve low-fat graham crackers (or 4.5oz of your favorite variety)
1/2c rolled oats
2T evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
1/4c white whole wheat flour
3T butter, melted
4T almond milk (more if needed)

For the Cheesecake:
12oz goat cheese  (or 11oz, if that's the size of your package)
2-8oz pkg Nufatchel (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 1/2t vanilla
1 1/4c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
4 eggs  (next time I might try 2 eggs and 1/2c egg whites)

For the fig puree, combine figs and raspberries in the bowl of a food processor (or blender).  Puree, taste, and add sugar 1T at a time.  Depending on how ripe the fruit is, the amount you add will vary.  Set aside.  (This makes ~3/4c)

For the crust, preheat oven to 350.   Combine graham crackers, oats, sugar, flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor (or blender).  Blend until finely ground.  Add milk and pulse until completely moistened, you may need more milk.

Pour the graham cracker mixture into a 9x13 pan sprayed with nonstick spray and press evenly into the bottom.   Bake for 10min, then cool on a rack for at least 20min.

For the cheesecake, reduce oven temp to 325.  Cream together goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice and vanilla. Add in sugar in two additions, beating until mixture is creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Continue to mix until very smooth.

Pour cheesecake mix into prepared crust and spread evenly.  Add the raspberry-fig puree on top of the cheesecake and swirl around using a knife.  There's no rhyme or reason, just get creative!  Bake 50-60min, until the edges look set and the center is a bit jiggly.  Cool completely in the pan.  Then cut into whatever sizes you prefer (I went with ~1" squares).

The original instructions said to refrigerate it for at least 6 hours before serving, but we enjoyed them pretty much right after baking...  I think everyone liked them anyways :)  They also hold up well in the freezer, and are tasty frozen, too!

Whales Gush Too

Before the BP soiled fair Looosiana's shores it was the big mammals who screwed up the environment. When our brave lads from Nantucket went in search of lamp-oil, it fell upon whales to cough it up.

Sperm whales weren't, as you might imagine, chock full of human reproductive material, but the idea's admittedly amusing. Especially as Spermy's valuable cargo (the Victorian-era equivalent of a gigunda oil reservoir) was all in his head. Junk in the cranium for you urban types.

Many a long evening was lit by the light of smoky whale parts. Which might explain the Victorian attitude to sex.

Not only did our mammalian brothers and sisters die horrid painful deaths for their oil, various bits and pieces of them were used to stiffen corsets. In a saying common in whaling towns, every part of the whale was used...except the blowhole.

Corsets mystify only those who like everything natural about their woman. Cinching in a lady's waist to half its normal size gives all normal men a boner worthy of a whale. Why this is so is a matter of ongoing and very slow research, conducted mostly by convincing women to wear everything in their lingerie drawer, and then slowly removing it all with one's teeth.


Bottoms Up, Gushers!


Pic of Victorian Loverlies from here [link]

Here's To You Mrs Robinson

Nothing like a slice of seduction pie to give you an appetite for stockings and hotel-room afternoons. Hotel sex is great because inside those walls the congress is guilt-free, something to do with the air freshener Lupe and Consuelo spray or the dwarf bathroom supplies. If I am mistaken and that smell isn't the whiff of guilt-free bonking, it must be some other factor of which I'm unaware - the fact of someone else laundering the dried-fluid-soaked sheets, perhaps. Yum.

Anne Bancroft seducing Dustin Hoffman wouldn't work in a film thesedays. He'd be (1) totally into the MILF action from the get-go, and (2) would have no concern at remaining a slacker shagger of bored housewives for the rest of his days. The Graduate's problem is that it drills mightily into the boring questions, such as why is Tootsie staring like a goober at the best gams he's likely to see...in bare feet? No, that's the kind of question it should be asking, and doesn't. Damned Hollywood.

Dustin's a dope to worry his cute tousled hair-do over whether to choose his Cougar or the Cougar's daughter, a question that I think Bill Clinton resolved years ago. Choose them both, and a bacon burger to go. Actually it's men who just wanna have fun, Cyndi Lauper.




Bottoms Up, Mes Enfants!


Pic of Dustin and Anne from The Graduate, but this version is from here. [link]