My Favorite Search Engine
I've written about writing in this space before. I've written about V's awesome writing. I've at least commented on my sister's natural talent. I've written about how I know I have a book in my head, but I don't know what that book is. Most recently, I directed you to Mendon's cartoon writing.
Well, if I have a book in my head, my mother is like Google Books. She's an entire library. Now, she thinks her info is largely useless (somewhere in the mass that is our family of blogs there was a conversation about it), but if it's really useless then I apparently tend to find myself in need of useless information on a fairly regular basis. I have called from every single foreign country I've lived in to ask her to fill me in.
'Cause here's the thing: it isn't useless. And I for one do not know where else to get the information. My most recent foray into useless knowledge was clumping yeast. Yes, you heard me. See, when you make a dough that rises, you have to proof the yeast to make sure it's not too old, etc. Usually, when I proof yeast, I add some lukewarm water, sugar, STIR - and leave alone for 5 minutes. Except this time, I stirred and got ... paste? No! No! Throw it out - it must be bad!! I did that twice before I called my mother when it happened for a third time [I didn't admit that to her at the time]. What finally convinced me to call her was that I saw in the sink that the remains of the former attempts, soaking in water, looked like normal risen yeast ... hmm. Telephone to Maman, and voila, I had overreacted, the yeast was fine. I used the third batch (doh!), and went on to have wonderful yummy bao. [I'm the dough expert of the bao industry - now even more so thanks to Maman!]
So, here's my vote. Maman, you should write a book, or a Web site, or create a search engine of your mind - or something. Admit it, you're smart. You know stuff we don't. What was the term? domestic goddess? hmm - there might just be something to that! By saying that your knowledge - at least your knowledge related to home economics - is useless, you are demeaning this largely unpaid labor that is done predominantly by the women of the world. And I know you don't believe that!!!
Comments
I for one must protest. If maman does this she will be the next Martha Stewart and there is no way I want my mother so demeaned as to have to gon a reality television show! How gross. Prison is one thing, Reality T.V. is absolutely dispicable!
Posted by: Mendon | April 16, 2005 02:03 AM
Mommy has a beautiful mind with gems of inestimable value.( Of course she reminds me all the time of it). And that she is three years younger and always will be. Still, "the truth will out.." is an old phrase about knowledge and actions. Hers will out always and you are merely tapping into the real jewels of a lifetime of experience. It is also very good for Mommy when you do ask for her wisdom about even the least significant of things. Where I come from it is called living.
papa good
Posted by: papa | April 16, 2005 03:01 AM
Bao down, bao down to the domestic goddess of bao! I must have had some when I was there yes?
Hmmm....papa unremembering
Posted by: papa | April 16, 2005 03:02 AM
Umm, actually, umm, we didn't get around to it :D
It's okay, there is better flour back at home, so we'll make it for y'all when next we return.
Maybe it'll be our contribution to Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Mara Fojas | April 16, 2005 10:34 AM
Mara and Mark will be home for Thanksgiving? Hooray (you do realize that I've not seen the two of you in over almost two years?) I've not seen Nathan, either, for a really long time!
Oh Ouch! Lonely!
Posted by: Mendon | April 16, 2005 07:42 PM
Mensch, just remember that everything our world is sort of a maybe - remember last Thanksgiving? Similarly with our trip to Spain, which is now a negatory....
Posted by: Mara Fojas | April 16, 2005 11:14 PM
This is sort of embarassing. And very sweet. I really appreciate all the nice things you all wrote. (It sort of sounds like you are defending me from me!) Now about a book. I don't know what I know that you don't know until you ask me. Then I know. So I do want to put together a cookbook for you. Yes, that I'll do. (Is everyone on the look out for a good software for me?) So keep talking to me, keep asking me. You will get all that is in me out as I ma more than willing to share (ie. tell people what to do.) And not to worry; I'll never be another Martha!
Mara, no Spain?
Hey, guys, turn on your html in comments. I miss it. Love to all of you. I'm just too lazy to post my own blog. Maybe tomorrow.
Posted by: Maman | April 17, 2005 01:53 AM
Eric and I will spend some of our trip in Paris with our friend Jason...any good(cheap) places to stay? I have an international student card, do places really give discounts to students?
Posted by: Rae | April 17, 2005 09:30 AM
oh, yes, Rae - that international student care may well come in handy - Europe is way more student friendly than the States!
Posted by: Mara | April 17, 2005 10:49 AM
Shoot! I went to make a blog entry and I can't remember my password! I have so many! and I just can't keep them all straight. They tend to be similar, depending on whether the site insists on alpha/numeric or if just words will do, and if they will take spaces or not, etc., six or seven, case sensitive, punctuation or whatever criteria. So now I have forgotten just which configuration I need to blog. I did record my passwords and what they go to(or most of them) in my Palm Pilot, but since my Palm is refusing to talk to my computer (and my computer is refusing to talk to my scanner -- I feel like I am in the middle of a bad marriage, technologically), I can't look them up on the Palm Desktop. (this is the only desktop that I have that is clean. And the only one I dont' want to be clean!) I have to go and look it up in my Palm before I can actually blog. Love to you all.
Posted by: Nannie | April 17, 2005 04:53 PM
Mara,
If it's not too late to comment on your entry. Maybe the best thing about your mom is that she is a real person and not a book or website where you have to find what you want. I often wish when I'm looking through an index or trying to think of search words, especially in the help function of computer programs that some lovely reference librarian or computer geek would come and rescue me. Sometimes it would be so much easier to explain things to a person that knows than to locate the relevant trustworthy bit of information you need out of that whole big mess of it out there.
Posted by: Ms. Maidenname | April 18, 2005 02:27 PM
You're absolutely right, Selvi! Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's my mother, either :-)
Posted by: mara | April 18, 2005 03:26 PM