THERE IS A DEATH IN THE SMELL OF SPRING

a few weeks back i started the invisible man & today it came to a close with good timing. yesterday, i was able to see jeff wall's show, the photographer that inspired me to read it, & ashley, who showed me the photo, mailed a couple soup recipes i had time to try out.

read the book if you haven't. especially if you live in manhattan. it's real intense. gets you thinking about history, humanity, aspirations & some other stuff. last night, a friend pointed out that the text beginning, "i've recalled it often, here in my hole," on pages 34 & 35, is a metaphor for the entire story. ralph ellison is brilliant.

here's a soup recipe:

1/4 olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped up or crushed
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
8 cups veggie stock
2 tblsp tomato paste mixed w/ 1/2 cup h20
2 16oz cans chickpeas
8 cups shredded chard
1 tsp salt

i 1/2'd it to start. 1 - heat oil, add onion for 3 min, then red pepper & garlic for 5 minutes. 2 - add the stock, tomato paste & chickpeas. bring to boil. reduce & simmer for 10 minutes. 3 - add chard for 10 minutes. 4 - remove 2 cups, puree and return to soup.

onto the wind-up bird chronicle by haruki murakami. thanks again sarah. i hear that the translation is missing tons but that it is a great read regardless.