The Philosophy of Blogging

“Let me put this bluntly, in language even a busy blogger can understand: Criticism — and its humble cousin, reviewing — is not a democratic activity. It is, or should be, an elite enterprise, ideally undertaken by individuals who bring something to the party beyond their hasty, instinctive opinions of a book (or any other cultural object). It is work that requires disciplined taste, historical and theoretical knowledge and a fairly deep sense of the author’s (or filmmaker’s or painter’s) entire body of work, among other qualities.
Opinion — thumbs up, thumbs down — is the least important aspect of reviewing. Very often, in the best reviews, opinion is conveyed without a judgmental word being spoken, because the review’s highest business is to initiate intelligent dialogue about the work in question, beginning a discussion that, in some cases, will persist down the years, even down the centuries.”

I got this from the weblog of Marc Goossens, responsable for Dance at the Cultural Centre of Berchem (Antwerp).
http://www.daprice.be
Marc Goossens just received a price for best cultural weblog, one of 18 categories at the annual Satin Pajama Awards for European blogs. It’s organised by A Fistful of Euros. These ar some pretty farcical, quite obscure names but what Marc wrote about criticism, reviewing and opinion is correct.
I almost put down brilliant in stead of correct. Sometimes I’ve got the urge to overdo things. But I fight against it and from time to time I win.
Anyway.
I really believe in the principle or the philosophy I discovered in blogging: it’s an instrument to get in touch with an opinion, a world or a part of it, or to be confronted with ideas you did not know before. It could just kickstart you to create a piece of genius and to win a nobel prize. Or it can just amuse you. And that’s what I like most about blogs or blogging.

Cloth Fair, London_2007

Waste of Paper

(New Series)

Superfluous glossy magazines with more than 200 pages. You've got no time to read them, they are expensive & pretentious and yet you buy them.

Gathering Dust, 2007

• Wallpaper. JUNE/JULY 2007. INTERNATIONAL DESIGN INTERIORS LIFESTYLE. Standing proud. Bigger, brighter, bolder. Our 100th issue. 7.90 €
• Monocle. issue 01. volume 01 MARCH 2007 A BRIEFING ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS, BUSINESS, CULTURE & DESIGN. 11 €
• GQ Style. THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO MEN'S FASHION. SPRING/SUMMER 2007 ISSUE 4. FASHION, GROOMING, ART, DESIGN, OPINION. 12 €

One day you'll catch me burning them in style.

When you check on the web (do'nt do it too often, it's bad when you want to nourish yourself as an original thinker) you'll find almost everything.
http://www.popcultmag.com/passingfancies/bottomfive/glossymags/slickmags1.html
Damned! But hey, you can feel a part of the community.

Tube 'SECRETS', London_2007

TOMATOES in the Summertime

The new kitchen will be ready real soon. Can't wait. So, maybe this will be the very basic & simple start of a new life in a new kitchen environment.

But first things first. Why tomatoes? Take a look.

http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/93782/
You should know by now: it's because they are so sexy.
(soup)
Gazpacho
Ingredients
1kg large tomatoes, halved; 500gr country-style bread, crust removed, cut into pieces of 2,5cm (about 4 cups); 1 red pepper, seeded, diced; 1 cup chopped peeled cucumber; 1/2 cup diced red onion; 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1 cup water
Instructions
Split, seed and chop tomatoes, reserving juices and discarding seeds. Place chopped tomatoes and tomato juices to large glass bowl. Add next 9 ingredients. Let stand at room temperature 1/2 hour. Working in batches, puree gazpacho with 1 cup water in blender until smooth. Pour gazpacho into coarse strainer (opt) set over large bowl. Press on solids to extract as much soup as possible. Season with salt and pepper.
Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve cold.

(Side dish)
A Bite of Tomatoe & Watermellon & Homemade Juice
Ingredients
8 small tomatoes; ¼ watermellon, diced; 1 tablespoon of lime juice; 1 teaspoon of lime zest; 60 ml olive oil; 1 tablespoon of tomato vinegar; a pinch of salt; 200 ml tomatoe pulp; 200 ml mineral water; ½ clove of garlic; green and purple Shiso or black sesame seeds.
Instructions
Homemade tomatoe juice:
Mix the pulp of tomatoes with water, boil and add a crushed clove of garlic. Filter, spice and chill. Serve when cold in small glasses. You can add some tomatoe vinegar.
Skewer with tomatoe and watermellon:
Seed the tomatoes with a teaspoon. Marinate the watermellon (5 minutes) in limejuice, zest and tomatoe vinegar. Put a piece of tomato on a cubicle of watermellon and put a green and a purple leave of Shiso (or the sesame seeds) on top. Fill the skewers this way, make sure it looks good. Add salt.

(Main dish)
Grilled Tuna & Penne with Tomatoes & Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced very thin; 2 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary; 2 cans plum tomatoes; salt; freshly ground black pepper; 250gr penne or other short tubular pasta; 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar.
4 tuna steaks; olive oil, salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Put oil and garlic in large skillet over medium heat. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add tomatoes, salt and grind lots of pepper, add rosemary. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, then turn off heat. Cook pasta in lots of salted water. When done, al dente, drain and immediately put into skillet with sauce. Turn heat on low and toss pasta in sauce 1 minute. Turn off heat; make a well in middle of pasta, pour in vinegar, toss pasta well. Serve asap.
In the meantime: mix olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Brush it on the tuna steaks. Grill for 4 minutes per side.

Plain Tomato Soup, London_2006