Friday, July 07, 2006

Yesterday for lunch I went to Stoneleigh P's. SP has a fantastic juke box and it's free between 11am and 3pm, so since no one was playing anything when I arrived, I made free to play the entire new Neko Case cd. I took my seat and ordered my iced tea and the Xotillo soup (Dick - you gotta take Kelly here - she'll love it) and cracked open my book. This was a glorious little getaway from a hectic day at the office. The book I'm reading is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

I dove into this book a few weeks ago, but it was not the kind of reading I usually devour. This is a pensive and deliberate tale that has worked its way into my heart. Some books pull you in and you are swept along on waves and I like that kind of reading, but the sometimes the more subtle work creeps up and packs a wallop.

So, sitting there in a little realm of contentment with all my immediate needs met and listening to music I know and love, nothing could have surprised me more than to come upon a passage that made me utterly mist over, tears threatening to breach the banks of my eyes.

And that is why I read.

Sometimes being surprised is a delight. I highly recommend this book.

13 comments:

Will said...

Wow - I am super jealous. Good lunch, free jukebox, Neko Case and a good book. I need that kind of break from the office.

Liz said...

I loved The Namesake. Really good book.

Thomas J Wolfenden said...

I'll have to pick it up. I haven't been that passionate about a book in a long time.

Dick said...

"Xotillo soup"
I'm not even sure I wanna ask, but okay.
Sounds like a place Kelly could love.
The first time she ever had chicken fried steak was just a few months ago. Think of the culinary experiments that will be happening in our kitchen over the next few years...
I need to find a spot like that around Grapevine for lunch.

Jay Noel said...

A book written by someone named Jhumpa has got to be good.

The Mistress said...

Read it and enjoyed it. Care to share the passage with us that made you mist over?

A restaurant with a good jukebox is hard to come by in these parts.

Kelly said...

I've never heard of it either, but I'm always willing to try something and someplace new.

Tickersoid said...

Xotillo soup?

I don't even know what kind of creature an xotillo is, let alone that you can make soup out of them.

As for the book, I know I'm missing alot by being a 'slow reader'. Books are such hard work for me.

phlegmfatale said...

will - there are several places with amazing AMAZING juke boxes in Dallas. Lee Harvey's ( http://leeharveys.com )has the most white-hot smokin'cool juke box in town. It has Luscious Jackson and Nina Simone and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and lots of disparate but fun stuff, some ambient, some hardcore, all ultra groovy and in a very laid-back setting that was (alas!) two blocks from my old loft. Oh, and you can bring your Dog.
Then there's the great one at New Amsterdam Coffee House. Aw, I feel another post coming on.

liz - I am dearly enjoying it. Can't wait for the film, actually.

ranger tom - it's a good one, worth the patience

dick - xotillo soup is a northern Mexican soup, a lot like tortilla soup. It's delicious and comes with fresh pico de gallo, avocado slices, fresh spinach on the side. The soup is a broth with chunks of smoky chicken and carrots and celery and zucchini. OOOH, getting hungry again - husband better kick the grill into turbo. Good stuff.

phoenix - yes, has to be, and IS good!

mj - it's just not right not to have a good jukebox in a joint, ya know? Yeah, I'll post the passage that I liked so dearly.

og/kelly - It's a delicious soup - you'll love it.

tickersoid - yeah, a Mexican dish. Yummy. You'd like it.I'm guessing Xotillo (pronounced like zo-tee-oh)is a place in Mexico.
Maybe you should listen to books on tape while you drive or something? Everyone learns in different ways, and it's a pity to miss out on one of life's great riches.

Anonymous said...

thanks

I hope it's not crap.

this doesn't really need to be posted

or maybe it does

Just teach her to have an open mind and get her hooked on reading. Nature will then take over.

Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 7:57 AM

Subject: just for fun

I was accused of being a voodoo woman last Tuesday nite. Thought I was a voodoo woman come to get her until she heard me speak. It was nearly dark so she could have only seen my silhouette coming toward her, and I was in black. She is a hoot and I love her, but she is hard to understand sometimes-she has that heavy New Orleans accent. No, I don't fully understand the difference between hoodoo and voodoo. "H" means religious, and "V" means casting spells, I think. Ivy is coming along showing signs of the same witchy bent.

The Mistress said...

Let's sit Tickers on our lap and read him a bedtime story.

Kim Carney said...

I was waiting for the passage ;( guess I will have to go get the book

phlegmfatale said...

9 - thank you, drive through.

mj - Yes, let's!

kim carney - I'll post the passage, maybe Monday. It's good, but it'll take a little time to describe the setting.