Posts Tagged ‘Robert E. Lee’
“Trees and people used to be good friends”*…
What’s old is new again… yet again…
If there’s a style that defines 2020, it has to be “cottagecore.” In March 2020, the New York Times defined it as a “budding aesthetic movement… where tropes of rural self-sufficiency converge with dainty décor to create an exceptionally twee distillation of pastoral existence.” In August, consumer-culture publication The Goods by Vox heralded cottagecore as “the aesthetic where quarantine is romantic instead of terrifying.”
Baking, one of the activities the quarantined population favored at the height of the pandemic, is a staple of cottagecore, whose Instagram hashtag features detailed depictions of home-baked goods. Moreover, the designer Lirika Matoshi’s Strawberry Dress, defined as The Dress of 2020, fully fits into the cottagecore aesthetic. A movement rooted in self-soothing through exposure to nature and land, it proved to be the antidote to the stress of the 2020 pandemic for many.
Despite its invocations of rural and pastoral landscapes, the cottagecore aesthetic is, ultimately, aspirational. While publications covering trends do point out that cottagecore is not new—some locate its origins in 2019, others in 2017—in truth, people have sought to create an escapist and aspirational paradise in the woods or fields for 2,300 years.
Ancient Greece had an enduring fascination with the region of Arcadia, located in the Peloponnesus, which many ancient Greeks first dismissed as a primitive place. After all, Arcadia was far from the refined civilization of Athens. Arcadians were portrayed as hunters, gatherers, and sensualists living in an inclement landscape. In the Hellenistic age, however, Arcadia became an idea in the popular consciousness more than a geographical place…
And the pastoral ideal resurfaced regularly therafter. Theocritus, Virgil, Longus, Petrarch, Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, even Marie-Antoinette– keeping cozy in a countryside escape, through the ages: “Cottagecore Debuted 2,300 Years Ago,” from Angelica Frey (@angelica_frey) in @JSTOR_Daily.
* Hayao Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro
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As we pursue the pastoral, we might recall that it was on this date in 1865, after four years of Civil War, approximately 630,000 deaths, and over 1 million casualties, that General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to the commander of the Union Army, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, at the home of Wilmer and Virginia McLean in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia… a one-time pastoral setting.
It could be worse…
The motto of the good folks at Fancy Fast Food is “yeah it’s still bad for you– but see how good it can look!” Starting with over-the-counter fast food, they prepare gourmet(ish) delights like the…
BK Quiche (Fancy Croissan’wich & Biscuit)
Ingredients (for two mini quiches):
* 1 Burger King Croissan’wich (with ham) meal, with hash browns and a coffee
* 1 Burger King Ham, Egg & Cheese biscuit meal, with hash browns and an orange juice
* 1 bottle of water
Disassemble the two breakfast sandwiches into its ingredients: eggs, bread, and ham. (The cheese will probably be melted and stuck onto the bread or ham, but that’s okay.) Break apart the biscuit and croissant into smaller pieces and put them all into a food processor. Add about 2 tbsp. of bottled water and blend; it will soon turn back into a doughy substance. Mold the dough into non-stick quiche pans.
Next, place all the eggs in the food processor, plus ham and hash browns to your liking. Blend that down to a scramble and then fill the crusts. Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350°F, or until the crust becomes a golden brown.
Let it cool, then serve the quiche with coffee in a fancy cup, and orange juice in a wine glass. Why have it your way, when you can have it the fancy way?
For many more “serving suggestions,” visit Fancy Fast Food.
As we swallow our statins and lick our lips, we might recall that this is a big date in the annals of the American military: On July 3, 1775, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, George Washington took command of the Continental Army. Then, on this date in 1863, Major General George Pickett led his infamous charge– and Lee’s forces were defeated at Gettysburg…
It’s not about the chocolate bunnies…
Your correspondent is off for points Iberian, and will be largely out of touch for a couple of weeks. While readers cannot be sure that they will be missive-free for the entirety of the trip, regular service is unlikely to resume until late April.
Meantime, with an eye to the festivities this weekend (and the ecumenical observation that sometimes a pretty egg is just a pretty egg), an illustrated primer on coloring eggs from Barefoot Kitchen Witch.
Tenga las buenas dos semanas…
As we prepare for a dip, we might recall that it was on this date in 1865, after four years of Civil War, approximately 630,000 deaths and over 1 million casualties, that General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, at the home of Wilmer and Virginia McLean in the town of Appomattox Court House , Virginia.
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