Trevor’s review of The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World > Likes and Comments
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Oh dear. I really want to read the section on the potato. Have to go and make dinner now, but I am doing it with trepidation. In fact, I am doing everything with increasing trepidation. This credit crunch thing, the declining polar bears, the food stuff (yesterday all the well-treated chickens were sold OUT at our local supermarket so the one I bought was merely organic and had probably been tortured before it died) -- OH god, now I've even lost the end of my sentence.
My son is in the US (I am in Scotland) and even transferring his money into dollars now is dicey because the pound (like many people in the UK) is in a state of collapse. Meanwhile, one of my closest friends, who lives with a chronic, painful health condition has learned that her husband has been made redundant. What did he do? Sold mortgages -- ethically. He even told people which ones NOT to buy. So their specially adapted house, rejigged to suit wheelchairs and people who are inclined to fall over a lot, may have to be sold. Except that nobody here now wants to buy houses and there are no mortgage advisers left to tell them what to do, even if they decide to buck the trend.
You don't need to know any of this, but it was the potatoes that did it. Everything is connected.
Trevor, Carol your newly befriended friend here...I, too, can see why the potato has been singled out for glory here. In my opinion (and not so humbly, I might add) they never made a potato I didn't like. These days I can have only 4 oz twice a week...but I still love them dearly. Can't have FF either, but what the heck, I hate McDonalds anyway. I have to admit, tho, that the fries were pretty good...(sigh). There was a lot in your review to digest (no pun intended). Perhaps I should TBR this book and try to remember to actually read it sometime.
Carol, if you get a chance you might like to see a film he is in called Food Inc. It really is a remarkable film and one certain to make you angry about what has happened to our food. I make a potato casserole (with cream, cheese, bacon and mushroom) that I'm particularly fond of - although, obviously, it can only really be a 'treat'.
Great review of a book which I too enjoyed. The notion that plants might evolve to make themselves more attractive to the dominant species (i.e. us), is fascinating. I also think that the author is a great example of nominative determinism .
A couple ofphrases in your review jumped out at me, so I have to ask.
You describe your daughter's as "increasingly Japanese". How does that work? Are they conntinously istening to "the vapors"?
You describe yourself as a "one time Irishman". I too am an Irishman. But my understanding is that I am stuck with that. Have you found a way of opting out? Is there a form one can fill out? Not that I want to. I quite like being an Irishman. I'm just curious. 😂
Sorry Ben - I'm just seeing this now.
My daughters both decided to study Japanese in high school, and then at University. The eldest one spent a year at Tokyo Uni. While other parents had to suffer through a decade of Back Street Boys and One Direction, I had to put up with various Johnny's bands, but also Miyavi and Gackt, so, swings and roundabouts.
I was born in Belfast, but moved to Australia aged 5. For a very long time I still thought I was Irish, but then I met Irish people and realised that probably wasn't really the case. I also had been, for a time, a Leo, but the stress of it really got me down. What, with having to be the life of the party all of the frigging time - it was all too much extroversion for my poor soul to cope with. I'm currently trying out Virgo. Look, I can't say it is working for me yet, but I guess you just have to give these things time.
I think you’re right on about the Zappa connection, after all the vegetables dream of responding to you….
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Oh dear. I really want to read the section on the potato. Have to go and make dinner now, but I am doing it with trepidation. In fact, I am doing everything with increasing trepidation. This credit crunch thing, the declining polar bears, the food stuff (yesterday all the well-treated chickens were sold OUT at our local supermarket so the one I bought was merely organic and had probably been tortured before it died) -- OH god, now I've even lost the end of my sentence.My son is in the US (I am in Scotland) and even transferring his money into dollars now is dicey because the pound (like many people in the UK) is in a state of collapse. Meanwhile, one of my closest friends, who lives with a chronic, painful health condition has learned that her husband has been made redundant. What did he do? Sold mortgages -- ethically. He even told people which ones NOT to buy. So their specially adapted house, rejigged to suit wheelchairs and people who are inclined to fall over a lot, may have to be sold. Except that nobody here now wants to buy houses and there are no mortgage advisers left to tell them what to do, even if they decide to buck the trend.
You don't need to know any of this, but it was the potatoes that did it. Everything is connected.
Trevor, Carol your newly befriended friend here...I, too, can see why the potato has been singled out for glory here. In my opinion (and not so humbly, I might add) they never made a potato I didn't like. These days I can have only 4 oz twice a week...but I still love them dearly. Can't have FF either, but what the heck, I hate McDonalds anyway. I have to admit, tho, that the fries were pretty good...(sigh). There was a lot in your review to digest (no pun intended). Perhaps I should TBR this book and try to remember to actually read it sometime.
Carol, if you get a chance you might like to see a film he is in called Food Inc. It really is a remarkable film and one certain to make you angry about what has happened to our food. I make a potato casserole (with cream, cheese, bacon and mushroom) that I'm particularly fond of - although, obviously, it can only really be a 'treat'.
Great review of a book which I too enjoyed. The notion that plants might evolve to make themselves more attractive to the dominant species (i.e. us), is fascinating. I also think that the author is a great example of nominative determinism .A couple ofphrases in your review jumped out at me, so I have to ask.
You describe your daughter's as "increasingly Japanese". How does that work? Are they conntinously istening to "the vapors"?
You describe yourself as a "one time Irishman". I too am an Irishman. But my understanding is that I am stuck with that. Have you found a way of opting out? Is there a form one can fill out? Not that I want to. I quite like being an Irishman. I'm just curious. 😂
Sorry Ben - I'm just seeing this now. My daughters both decided to study Japanese in high school, and then at University. The eldest one spent a year at Tokyo Uni. While other parents had to suffer through a decade of Back Street Boys and One Direction, I had to put up with various Johnny's bands, but also Miyavi and Gackt, so, swings and roundabouts.
I was born in Belfast, but moved to Australia aged 5. For a very long time I still thought I was Irish, but then I met Irish people and realised that probably wasn't really the case. I also had been, for a time, a Leo, but the stress of it really got me down. What, with having to be the life of the party all of the frigging time - it was all too much extroversion for my poor soul to cope with. I'm currently trying out Virgo. Look, I can't say it is working for me yet, but I guess you just have to give these things time.
I think you’re right on about the Zappa connection, after all the vegetables dream of responding to you….
I love "masturbatory German philosophers" (the phrase and some of the guys), and I try mightily never to eat McDonald's fries b/c I've quite enough cellulite, thank you very much, but now there's an even better (less self-absorbed) reason! (Though I think my having less cellulite ultimately would be better for the planet.)