Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Brain fry
Serendipity in the blogosphere:
Trying to find an image for “tacos cerebros,” I found The Steam Monkey, a Spanish/English blog — mostly Spanish — filled with provocative images (why, there’s one right now!) Not safe for work. Not safe for most of my readers, for that matter. But still . . . Steam Monkey’s July 24th post on obscenity is the most powerful and effective thing I’ve read on the thesis that war is the true pornography — and he proves his point primarily through images. NOT for the faint of heart, people. I’ve seen some horrible things in my career, but Steam Monkey’s second war casualty took my breath away.
And you know, it was all a mistake, too, because “brain tacos” would be “tacos sesos,” not “tacos cerebros,” I think. But there you have it. I search for the wrong thing and find a blogger with some wild sensibilities. I wish my Spanish were better!
Anyway, back to brain fry.
Subtitle: Why You’re Not Reading a Thursday Thirteen Right Now.
It’s work, of course, like always. But rather than wallow in self pity, I thought it would be more fun to search the web for actual brain fry recipes. Mostly, these are pasta & red sauce cunningly designed to look like brains. Boring! But here’s one for calves’ brains that’s the real thing:
Soak brains in cold water for 2 hours. Remove thin outer skin. Soak again in cold water for 3 hours.
Place brains in large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Add salt, onion studded with a clove, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep brains in cooking liquid until ready to use in recipe. Then remove brains and drain them.
Okay, so that’s a brain boil, not a brain fry; but the same website has a recipe for Beef Brain Curry (Indonesian: Gulai Otak) and Beef Brain Sauteed in Spiced Sauce – (Semur Otak). Those count.
I’ll bet even The Sneeze’s famous Steve wouldn’t eat this stuff.
Anyway.
I had a Thirteen planned for today. I even wrote the first three items this morning. And then work happened.
But now I have a four-day weekend, and there’s always the Friday Fourteen.
***
Even if I’m not doing a TT, Darla’s courtship post deserves a shout. Go. Read.
D.
Thank´s for the comment… but only you make me sad for not write in english… no problem, that´s life!
Regards.
Wow. I see what you mean about that Steam Monkey post. Nothing I haven’t argued before, but that was succinct and graphic. Very. I’m trying to decide who to pass it on to–my daughter, maybe. She even knows a little Spanish. Or maybe not.
After that, it seems a little pointless to try to entice you to visit my TT. It does have oral sex, though. 😉
Those pictures of the war dead are amazing, enraging, depressing and and overwhelming. How do they even get out? Who takes them? How did they get to this blogger?
I wonder how much difference they would make if they were more widely distributed. Would Americans finally get angry enough to really protest the war and hold politicians accountable? Or are we all too tired and overwhelmed, already, and would the photos just horrify people into further feelings of disenfranchisement and impotence?
I want to see these things, despite the horror, because I want to see the truth. But, sadly, there are more days than not nowadays where I just avoid thinking about it anymore because, after all the marching, letter-writing and voting, I still feel those who care are in the minority, and there’s nothing I can do that isn’t futile…
Steam Monkey, welcome. Yes, I’m sad about it, too, since I think we probably have similar beliefs.
Darla, when have I ever turned down a woman offering oral sex?
DN, we’re in the majority, if you look at the polls, but our congresscritters aren’t listening.
As for horror, nothing tops that wedding photo of the vet with his bride. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, let me know, and I’ll try to find a link. THAT one is haunting.
Hi, delurking to tell you thanks for posting that link to Steam Monkey’s blog. He makes a very important and interesting point about the way America glorifies war and has a long history of repressing sex.
Love your blog, by the way, am a frequent reader but just don’t comment that often.
Hi Mauigirl! Welcome back. I’ve got you blogrolled now.
Don’t know that photo, Doug. Do I want to see it?
It’s best reserved for all those fools who blithely send our kids to war, thinking the sacrifice of others is somehow honorable. Oh, I don’t know. Maybe nothing will shake the beliefs of such people.