Friday, June 30, 2006

The Virtue of Gastronomics

We begin the substantive portion of our Wonderblogging journey with a reflection on food, and how seriously one should approach the subject. Surprised?

It should come as no surprise that the inhabitants of this world place a premium on speed. We, and the Author often finds himself included in this category, seem willing to pay more for faster computor processors, modems, internet services, cars, and public transport services. Much to the dismay of some, a significant proportion of this world's inhabitants even pay for services that fasttrack the introduction of potential mates. But it is on the issue of speedophilia intruding on the culinary sphere where one should rightly begin a long tract of lamentations.

The Author has for a long time been a loyal follower of the great British chef, Rick Stein. From watching an episode of his famous "Food Heroes" series, one would know that what sets this chef apart from others is his emphasis not just on top quality ingredients, but also to a large extent on his penchant for traditional European cooking.

Anyone who has tried traditional European cooking would know that it is by and large a time consuming and labour intensive process, but many who have tried the results of such cooking methods also know that the extra effort and time put in produces meals that do more than provide one's daily dietary needs.

To give one an anecdotal example, the Author was in Melbourne and the need arose to prepare a 5 course chinese/Indonesian dinner. It soon became apparent that the task required a bit more manpower than what the two scrawny tentacles of the Author could provide. The result was that the receipients of said dinner had to save the Author from making a total goose of himself (pun was indeed intentional) and helped in the washing, chopping and stirring.

The odd thing was that the collective effort in the preparation at the same time generated a great sense of camaradarie amongst all involved. Conversations on the most esoteric subjects (that is if one were to count "John Paul II's theology of the body as esoteric) were started amongst total strangers that carried onto the consumption stage of the dinner and well into dessert. It was only the clock's strike of 12am that put an end to the dialogue, by which time nearly all involved were about ready to turn in after what was an incredibly satisfying meal.

What can be gleaned from these two trains of thought is that the old fashioned home cooked meal is fast becoming an endangered species, being replaced by a variety of fast food outlets, and especially the frozen microwave dinner which can cooked and consumed in a space of 30 minutes. It is highly debatable whether such meals bring any more satisfaction than the comfort of knowing that one's stomach is not going to digest itself for the next couple of hours. On top of all this, the whole process of preparation and consumption can be undertaken, and indeed it is often undertaken, alone. No esoteric conversations, or indeed any conversation or intervention by outside parties required. Indeed fast food and microwave dinners have eliminated many inconveniences, including need to get into contact with another human being...

Good food takes time and help, but the rewards can go far beyond a superior meal. Indeed, wars are stopped and in biblical times, familial bonds are created around the communal dinner table. For the Christian, it is instructive to note that the turning point in Salvation History, Jesus Christ's Passion, death and resurrection, first became manifest in the context of a ritualised meal, the Passover.

Mother Theresa once said that if you want to change the world, one should change oneself. There is no easier way to start the whole process of conversion than changing our eating habits. Put some love into your food, get a friend or family member to help, and who know where it can lead to?

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

My name is...

Dale Carnegie once said that the best way to facilitate conversation is to get the person to talk about himself. The author intends to reverse that principle to kickstart the enterprise of wonderblogging.

The Author is a slight specimen bearing the haircut that either resembles a suspiciously well-orchestrated lawn mowing accident or a calcium deficient sea urchin. He resides on a little stone shack, which is situated on top of a hill, which in turn is situated in a leafy suburb of Brisbane, the capital city of a quaint little state called Queensland. The soon-to-be-Republic of Australia is the ark that houses this quaint little state, which is said to be very popular for its beaches, coral reefs, lawyers, property investment returns and a local brew bearing the label of "XXXX".

Back to the stone shack, in which you would find the Author engaging in activities which normally require the metabolism of a beetle larva. Like a beetle larva, the author is often found scurrying from room to room in the search for sustenance. Unlike most beetle larvae, however, the Author could also be found in the kitchen engaging in intricate rituals in an attempt to conjure up such sustenance from the most basic matter. The fact that 9 times out of 10, the result of this alchemy resembles some form of pasta, is another characteristic that sets the Author apart from your average invertebrate.

This almost obsessive focus on food is often believed to be the result of the Author's genetic makeup, which is said to be unique and found nowhere else on earth. That is unless you go to the tiny and remote island of Singapura, where at least 4 million individuals bear a striking resemblance to the Author, at least inasfar as his penchant for culinary delights is concerned.

But eating all day makes for a boring existence, and thus the Author every once in a while allows for a little extra burst of energy and travels Westwards, to a shining edifice whose business is to exude wisdom at all hours of the day and night (some more enlightened souls refer to the process as "publish or perish") . The average observer would describe it as a talk-shop, the Author refers to it as the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland. Whether the reader would prefer to say "talk-shop" and preserve what little oxygen is left in this world is totally up to him or her.

As was mentioned in a previous wonderpost, the Author's Catholicity is often infused in his work. Given that the Author is at the beginnings of a Doctoral project on the relationship between theology and politics in 20th century Roman Catholic peacemaking, the Author finds it difficult NOT to bring his Catholicity and wear it on his sleeve.

When the sun shines and the urge to complete a Doctoral project subsides, the Author can sometimes be found interacting with normal human beings, whether in the capacity of a dispenser of perennial wisdom (the industry term is "tutor"), or in the capacity of...well... let us say that one may be hard pressed to find any other situation where normal human beings would desire to interact with the Author.

When he is not working or eating, the Author is sleeping.

When he is not doing any of the three, he is often found either in a place of worship or externalising whatever comes out of that steaming cauldron which is his imagination. The resultant topics can concern non-culinary issues, like music (in the hip-hop, opera, rock or Celtic varieties), computor games, shopping and various forms of gadgetry. Whether other people are around to be at the receiving end of the externalisation process is a highly variable element in the equation, the chances of this happening being directly proportional to the probability of the presence of food that is not pasta.

And so we have come full circle, a brief expose on the inner workings of the Author has been outlined, and the reader may be left wondering whether it is safe to continue riding the wonderblog. Believe the Author when he says it is safe, and that the pesto is ready...

Friday, June 23, 2006

In the Beginning was the Word, then it went Digital...

Very Good,

The Author would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the inauguration of the "m.j.p. tan" wonderblog. Here you would find published a wide variety of heresies, some of them true, on a wide variety of heresies, some of them worthy of publication.

The use of the word "heresies" would indicate the general flavour of things to come. Being Roman Catholic, there is a high probability thtat the author of this blog would for the wider world represent the biggest heresy of all, the infusion of unabashed Christianity into sociopolitical commentary. In the wonderblog you would often find such infusion taking place, whether in the opinions expressed on the pertinent issues of our times, or in the navel-gazing reflections on the irrelevant issues of academia.

Infused also in the wonderblog are reflections on more secular things worthy of publication. The life of the author for instance, in his humble opinion, is of a highly publishable standard, as are issues concerning the foraging for and preparation of good food and the arts in all its splendid forms.

Whether you find sympathy with any of the above, or are sitting there trying to decipher what the author is talking about, he welcomes you and promises you either way a pleasant and hopefully illuminating journey...