Thursday, February 18, 2010

Three Beautiful Things 02/17/10: Romantic Poetry, Tom Kha, Raad Na

1. This morning in ENG 106, I read the entirety of William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour. July 13, 1798." with multiple interruptions, I'm afraid, for explanations, explications, and philosophical ruminations upon Platonic idealism. I did this after a similar tour of Dylan Thomas' "Fern Hill". I love both poems. For someone, like me, who loves reading these poems aloud, I thought this must be what it's like to pick up a violin and play from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". I couldn't really tell what my students thought. I was moved by Dylan Thomas bringing the childhood wonders of "Fern Hill" to its sobering conclusion: "Time held me green and dying/Though I sang in my chains like the sea." My mind hummed as I thought how, like Wordsworth, memories of being in the woods or at the ocean have brought me "tranquil restoration". Well, I know Melissa loved Wordsworth. I'll learn more tomorrow about how it worked for Kate. Maybe I'll find out more from others in the days and weeks to come. I want my students to love these poems. But the time might not be quite right.

2. I savored the Raad Na and Tom Kha from Ta Ra Rin (Thai Hop) that the Deke brought home. Both of us are under the weather, but still able to work, and the spicy coconut Tom Kha soup, made from coconut milk, simmered with galangal root, lemongrass, and Kaffir leaves, and flavored with lime juice, was a perfect antidote to what's ailing me.

3. The Raad Na wasn't firey at all. It's firey that works best for me when I'm fighting off infection in my chest. I don't know what exactly is in the brown Thai gravy sauce that covers the Raad Na, but it's pleasing -- in fact, it's kind of sweet (brown sugar? nutmeg maybe?) and gave me a complementary pleasure to the Tom Kha soup.

1 comment:

Christy Woolum said...

I hope the two of you are feeling better.