Earthly strife

If you are a fan of The Wednesday Chef blog, there's no question, you will enjoy My Berlin Kitchen: Adventures in Love and Life by Luisa Weiss now out in paperback. The book is a memoir with recipes and Weiss traces her journey through her memories of food in vivid detail. The style of writing, like Weiss herself is a bit of a mishmash. Her parents are Italian and American but she was born and partially raised in Germany. She is very precise when it comes to recipe writing yet there are splashes of sensuality and emotion in her prose as well glass teapot set.

Weiss is a good writer and a master of detail. Her experiences and recollections of her time in Germany, the US, France and Italy are often snapshots of times and places and really have the ability to transport you. The book follows a romantic storyline, with some funny bits interspersed with plenty of angst, and it's generally pleasurable to read, although she's clearly not a happy-go-lucky live-for-the-day type.

Memoirs require a certain level of introspection and self involvement and as a result the subject can come across as self-absorbed at times, especially when written by someone who is fairly young. Ultimately I didn't find Weiss as endearing as I would have hoped. Frankly I had the same issues with the Julie/Julia Project. I also found some gaps and unanswered questions perplexing--why did she live with her father in the US instead of her mother? Why did she accept the job in San Francisco when nothing about living in San Francisco appealed to her? Once she moved to Berlin did her career end in favor of writing her memoir and nothing more? That said, I enjoyed the book, particularly the German comfort food recipes (Gooseberry cream cake, Alsatian flatbread with bacon and creme fraiche baby bed, spiced plum butter and spiced cookies) and I do recommend it.

Viking is giving away one copy of this book to a Cooking with Amy reader, US resident only. Leave a comment telling me about your favorite recipe from The Wednesday Chef blog or the German recipe you'd most like to learn to cook. I'll choose a winner at random on September 5th. You must include your email address in the appropriate field so I can contact you. It will only be visible to me amway.

聰明係與糊塗相對而言。鄭板橋曰：“難得糊塗”，“聰明難，由聰明轉入糊塗為尤難”，此絕對聰明語，有中國人之精微處世哲學在焉。俗語曰：“聰明反為聰明誤”，亦同此意。陳眉公曰：“惟有知足人，鼾鼾睡到曉，惟有偷閒人，憨憨直到老”，也絕頂聰明語也。故在中國，聰明與糊塗複合為一，而聰明之用處，除裝糊塗外，別無足取。

中國人為世界最聰明之一民族，似不必多方引證。能發明麻將牌戲及九龍圈者，大概可稱為聰明的民族。中國留學生每在歐美大學考試，名列前茅，是一證明。或謂此係由於天擇，實非確論，蓋留學者未必皆出類拔萃之輩，出洋多由家庭關係而已。以中國農工與西方同級者相比，亦不見弱於西方民族。此尚系題外問題。

惟中國人之聰明有西方絕不可及而最足稱異者，即以聰明抹殺聰明之聰明。聰明糊塗合一之論也。僅見之吾國，而未見之西方。此種崇拜糊塗主義，即道家思想，發源於老莊。老莊固古今天下第一等聰明人，道德經五千言亦世界第一等聰明哲學。然聰明至此，已近老滑巨姦之哲學，不為天下先，則水遠打不倒，蓋老滑巨姦之哲學無疑。該中國人之聰明達到極頂處，轉而見出聰明之害，乃退而守愚藏拙以全其身。又因聰明絕頂，看破一切，知“為”與“不為”無別，與其為而無效，何如不為以養吾生。只因此一著，中國文明乃由動轉入靜，主退，主守，主安分，主知足，而成為重持久不重進取，重和讓不重戰爭之文明。

此種道理，自亦有其佳處。世上進化，誠不易言。熙熙攘攘，果何為者。何若“退一步想”知足常樂以求一心只安。此種觀念貫入常人腦中時，即和讓成為社會之美德。若“有福莫享盡，有勢莫使盡”，以極精微之道也。

惟吾恐中國人雖聰明，善裝糊塗，而終反為此種聰明所誤。中國之積弱，即係聰明太過所致。世上究系糊塗者佔便宜，抑系聰明者佔便宜，抑係由聰明轉入糊塗者佔便宜，實未易言。熱河之敗，敗於糊塗也。惟以聰明的糊塗觀法，熱河之失，何足輕重？此拾得和尚所謂“且過幾年，你再看他”之觀法。錦州之退，聰明所誤也。使糊塗的白種人處於同樣境地，雖明知兵力不敵，亦必背城借一，寧為玉碎，不為瓦全，與日人一戰。夫玉碎瓦全，糊塗語也。以張學良之聰明，乃不位置。然則聰明是耶，糊塗是耶，中國人聰明耶，白種人聰明耶，吾誠不敢言。

無所知者，中國人既發明以聰明裝糊塗之聰明的用處，乃亦常受此種絕頂聰明之虧。凡事過善於計算個人利害而自保，卻難得一糊塗人肯勇敢任事，而國事乃不可為。吾讀朱文公《政訓》，見一節雲：

今世士大夫，惟以苟且逐旋挨事過去為事。捱的過時且過。上下相咻以勿生事，不要理會事。且恁鶻突，才理會得分明，便做官不得。有人少負能聲，及少經挫抑，則自悔其太惺惺了了，一切刻方為圓，隨俗苟且，自道是年高見識長進…… 風俗如此，可畏可畏！

可見宋人已有此種毛病，不但“今世士大夫”然也。夫“刻方為圓”，不傷人感情，不辨是非，與世浮沉，而成一老滑巨姦，為個人計，固莫善於此，而為社會國家計，聰明乎？胡塗乎？則未易言。在中國多一見識長進人時，便是世上少一做事人時；多一聰明同胞時，便是國事走入一步黑甜鄉時，舉國皆鼾鼾睡到曉，憨憨直到老。舉國皆人三十六計走為上計之聖賢，而獨無一失計之糊塗漢子。舉國皆不吃眼前虧之好漢，而獨無一肯吃虧之弱者，是國家之幸乎？是國家之幸乎？

然則中國人雖絕頂聰明，歸根結蒂，仍是聰明反為聰明誤。嗚呼，吾焉得一位糊塗大漢而崇拜之。

私とニックはまた「何が愛です」になるとき、私は急に意識してhow to register a business、愛と好きは別れることができる。

顕著な例が私の愛の私のお母さんが、世界観、特に価値観で差が大きいので、今回相？集まって、並んで暴露した多くの見逃せないの違いが、彼女は私のお母さんは、私は彼女を愛して、しかし私は本当に彼女を好きと言えない価値観と行動スタイル。

友人や恋人が違う、始に好きなのは間違いない。好きだからお互いの価値観から感情があって、最後には非常に親密で、から学会我慢と受け入れ、この段階では一部のMaid Agencyものは完全に好きになった、愛。愛を包容。

子供とはまた違ったとき、子供の成長のとき、好きと愛、基本は同時に存在している、この時は親として感じて気持ちいい。なれないかなど顺調と親のblackberry phone covers望む時、両親は自分に注意してください、あなたは彼を愛することを好き。きっと君よりも愛を超えて好きで、親が配当。