Degree of Freedom

2006年4月5日星期三

040506

Today is April 5th, 2006. If you write it in American way it is 04/05/06. In Chinese way, 06/04/05. In European way, 05/04/06. Nothing special in recent days. Read Li Ji's blog on her life in Paris and senses the feeling of what it means by "always live in other time and other place". She write in a poetic way and it is a pleasure to read. http://spaces.msn.com/liji66/

2006年4月2日星期日

麻婆豆腐，白斩鸡和豆腐砂锅

今天在网上偶尔看到“吃心望想”的网志http://bambooling.yculblog.com/archive.98968.html，里面讲到她对父亲的回忆是和父亲做的鱼香茄子联系在一起的。写得挺好的，真实的情感，没加太多的佐料，不像她写菜谱的风格。这勾起了我对于父亲的回忆，而这回忆也和他的烹调联系在一起，比如他做的老三样--麻婆豆腐，白斩鸡和豆腐砂锅。小时候生活在大院里，天天看爸爸们做饭，所以认为不会做饭的男人简直不可思议。我们和邻居共用一个厨房，所以必须在每天的Rush hour 以前把一家大小的晚饭和第二天带饭的东西都准备出来。现在别人总夸我做饭很利索，其实这多半是出自无奈的早期训练。父亲是四川人，他的地域身份很模糊。他的身量很高，说话不带口音，这可能和他少小离家求学，再也没有返乡有关。但是他的口味还是四川人的，喜欢麻辣的滋味。八十年代的物质生活还远没有现在丰富，每个家庭主夫的责任之一就是利用有限的资源，做出可口的饭菜。爸爸的老三样就是家里最受欢迎的菜肴。其中我最喜欢的是砂锅。冬天没有新鲜蔬菜，用豆腐、大白菜和一点肥肉、木耳、粉丝和虾米熬出来的砂锅，加上老爸独门的调料汁，真是令人垂涎欲滴。热气腾腾的端上桌，一家人围坐，一顿简单而实惠的晚饭就齐了。为了做调料，他一定要用新鲜的花椒和大蒜，先把花椒加热到香气蒸发出来，然后用臼把花椒细细磨碎，之后再加入大蒜一同研磨。我的责任就是磨花椒和大蒜，看着爸爸的身影在雾气蒸腾的厨房里进出，等待妈妈的自行车铃声从冬夜里传来。厨房的温暖驱走了冬夜的寒冷，在我的小小世界里，对于滋味回忆也成了对父亲的回忆。也许简单的生活也是不错的生活，需要的少，不满意的机会也少。一家人在一起，不像现在这样天各一方，或是阴阳相隔。也许有一天我也会有自己的家庭，我希望我的孩子们也会拥有一些关于我的美好回忆，无论是酸菜鱼还是凉拌海带丝，最好是我那些捕风捉影的发明创造，对于经典菜谱的随意颠覆，和不经意之间烹调出的人间美味。

Corner in the Fair

Scence in the Fair

In the Fair

The Fair 01

Standing beauty

2006年4月1日星期六

Art for sale.

This is the Asia Week for art dealers around the world. Most of them come and check out the market. I noticed this when reading a column in NY Times and spent my Friday afternoon in the The International Asian Art Fair at Park Avenue. "The International Asian Art Fair is one of the key events of Asia Week each spring in New York city bringing together leading dealers from the United States, Europe and the Far East. It offers museums and private collectors a rare opportunity to view and buy from among the finest art treasures produced across the Near and Far East via India, the Himalayas, Tibet and South East Asia". The exhibition shows some treasures from China and other Asian countries. I like two gallaries who decidated to the sculptures from Tang Dynasty and WuDai. One of my favoriates are two riding figures, one man and one women. They dressed in similar customs and looked very peaceful. 这一对唐三彩的人物，好像在连绵的历史中为我打开了一扇想象的门，将他们的前生今世对我娓娓道来。他们微笑的表情和轻松的姿态，仿佛只是长安街头寻常的爱侣。在一千年之后的我看来，他们的美穿越了时间和空间。

2006年3月30日星期四

Impossible love of Ms. Harris.

Ms. Harris is a new HBO production, which I watched by chance in the mid of the night. It gives me bad dream. Here is the story: "Love hurts. Nobody knew that better than Jean Harris, the prep-school headmistress and longtime paramour of celebrated "Scarsdale Diet Doctor" Herman "Hy" Tarnower. In 1980, the couple's tempestuous 14-year romance ended with Tarnower's shocking death at the hands of Harris herself - triggering one of the century's most notorious and bizarre murder trials. " I like Ben Kinsley even though he plays this impossible Dr. tarnower in this movie. Annette Bening is incredible as Ms. Harris, a woman struggling between addiction to drug and addiction to love.

2006年3月29日星期三

A moment at Columbia

Mimic of Lin Yutang's A Moment in Peking.

Not sure how they get it, but I think it is really smart shot.

Sometimes you stay in one place for long, stick to one person for long, or stay in same mindset for long, you gradually lost your interests in the subject. nevertheless, if you watch from another one's perspective, you might just find a new land, a new lover, or a whole new world.

Mom will travel to Tianjing today for my grandfather and uncle's memorial service this weekend. However, nobody will take care of my father this year. It has been 7 long years, I don't think I can recall exactly what he looked and how he liked me and the best times we spent together. One memory clip always comes back to me. It was a rainy day in Aug and he helped me to move to Chang Ping campus to start my college life. We sat on the bus back from Changping and we didn't talk to each other. But I felt I was so close to him and language was not needed between us. And that sense of leaving and departing transforms into eternity now. I ask myself, how should I remember him? Just as I always ask myself, how should I remember my days and nights here at Columbia?

No answer, only question this time. Sorry!