It's All Very Creepy and Kooky, Mysterious and Spooky

Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Addams, the master of the macabre. Born in Westfield, New Jersey in 1912. He is known for his cartoon, The Addams Family.

Addams's first cartoon appeared in the New Yorker in 1938 and his biting, witty humor was a mainstay of the magazine for much of the 20th century. The cartoon featured husband Gomez, his wife Morticia (whose name was inspired by Addams flipping through the phone book and a list of morticians) and Lurch the butler, who had a beard. Uncle Fester, a bald ghoul who gave Addams the most room for wickedness, was described as "eyes are pig-like and deeply imbedded, circled unhealthily in black - no teeth and absolutely hairless."

Other characters that followed included Grandma Frump, Cousin Itt, Thing, and the children Pugsley (a nine-year-old troublemaker with a taste for torture) and Wednesday (a secretive daughter with six toes on one foot).

Addams's dark cartoons belied a dapper, sensuous man. Though he would have had the public believe otherwise, Addams in person was more Cary Grant than Vincent Price, debonair with a sunny disposition and a love of life’s pleasures. He liked to dress in Brooks Brothers suits and Saks ties and loved racing his expensive sports cars. Some of the things that gave Addams the most pleasure were glamorous company (he had love affairs with Greta Garbo, Joan Fontaine and Jacqueline Kennedy), his collections of vintage cars and medieval armor, a good drink and a great meal. Addams was described by one biographer as "A well-dressed, courtly man with silvery back-combed hair and a gentle manner, he bore no resemblance to a fiend."
Linda H Davis, who wrote a biography called A Cartoonist's Life, said: "He was a most genteel, civilised, gracious, charming, witty normal person...with one exception. He did have a taste for unusual things. He decorated his apartment with real, working medieval crossbows and had a most unusual coffee table, made from a civil war embalming table. They called it a drying out table in those days and Addams loved to point out a sinister stain in the place where the kidneys would have been."

He once opened his West Fifty-fourth Street apartment front door to find "a fat little man standing there." It was Alfred Hitchcock, who had dropped by because he wanted to see Addams "in your natural bailiwick." It was no coincidence that Psycho, released in 1960, had featured an Addamsesque home for the psychopath Norman Bates. In Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Cary Grant references Charles Addams in the auction scene. Discovering Eve with Mr. Vandamm and Leonard, he says, "The three of you together. Now that's a picture only Charles Addams could draw." The filmmaker was a friend of Addams', and owned two pieces of original Addams art.

The Addams Family television series began after David Levy, a television producer, approached Addams with an offer to create it with a little help from the humorist. All Addams had to do was give his characters names and more characteristics for the actors to use in portrayals. The series ran on ABC for two seasons, from 1964 to 1966.

Sardonic by nature, Addams was also a fearful man. He suffered from claustrophobia and was deeply scared of snakes (giant snakes are a recurring theme of his work - drawn as a way of diffusing his fears). But there was always the wit. He used to answer fan mail on a letterhead inscribed "The Gotham Rest Home for Mental Defectives".

The elusive search for happiness was a theme of many of his cartoons. He replied to a priest's question about what he believed in once with the answer: "Mother Nature."

He signed all of his work Chas Addams, claiming it was "just a matter of design," that "it looks better than writing out 'Charles".

In September 1988, after having a heart attack inside his parked car (and dying later in a hospital), his third wife Marilyn (whom he had married in a pet cemetery) made a remark that could have been a caption for one of his cartoons: "He's always been a car buff, so it was a nice way to go," she told The New York Times.

You can especially enjoy today by watching both The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values, both starring the late Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston.

You can also spend the day watching the entire series. I loved the humor in the show!

There is also Addams Family Reunion which stars Tim Curry (one of my favorite actors) and Darryl Hannah.

If you are looking for something macabre to make to eat, look at any Hallowe'en cookbook or website to find quite the variety. I was surprised to discover that Addams put out a cookbook, entitled Chas Addams Half-Baked Cookbook.

Hallowe'en may have been over for months now, but that doesn't mean one can't continue to scary fun! So, pop in one of the dvds I mentioned, grab the remote and settle in for some spooky fun. Creepy foods optional.

The Lord of Misrule

Now, now the mirth comes
With the cake full of plums,
Where bean's the king of the sport here;
Beside we must know,
The pea also
Must revel, as queen, in the court here.

Begin then to choose,
This night as ye use,
Who shall for the present delight here,
Be a king by the lot,
And who shall not
Be Twelfth-day queen for the night here.

Twelfth Night: Or King and Queen by Robert Herrick

In Tudor England. a King or Lord of Misrule would be appointed to run the Christmas festivities, and the Twelfth Night was the end of his period of rule. The common theme was that the normal order of things was reversed. During the twelve days of Christmas, traditional roles were often relaxed; masters waited on their servants, men were allowed to dress as women, and women as men. Midnight signaled the end of his rule and the world would return to normal.

Twelfth Night is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". However, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night: some count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. In some cases December 25th is the first day of Christmas, so therefore January 5th is the 12th day.

Foods common for this day are wassail and King Cake. The cake is baked on Twelfth Night, but not consumed until January 6. The King cake contained a bean hidden inside. The person who found the bean would rule the feast the next year. Often a pea is placed inside as well, and the woman who finds it is the queen or lady for the feast.

Following such a night of merrymaking is Nollaig na mBan, or Women's Christmas, or Little Christmas Day. Whereas Christmas was marked as a time of heavy foods and whiskey, or Nollaig na bhFear, or Men's Christmas, this day is much more genteel - cake, tea, wine. The tradition, still very strong in Cork and Kerry, is so called because of the Irish men taking on all the household duties for the day.Most women hold parties or go out to celebrate the day with their friends, sisters, mothers, and aunts. Children often buy presents for their mothers and grandmothers.

In the Christian church, the day is Epiphany and it is said, "Oíche na dTrí Rithe  Deintear  fíon den  uisce, Síoda den triopall  Agus  ór den ghrean." "On the Night of the Three Kings, water becomes wine, clusters of rushes become silk, and the sand becomes gold."

The first known performance of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare was on the 2nd of February 1602, which is in fact Candlemas Day. It was a traditional festival at that time. The Elizabethans allowed time for fun and festivals to break up their long hard winters. The majority of the Elizabethans also believed in the "Lord of Misrule" and they were quite happy to do as they willed at certain times of the year to let misrule preside over the normal state of order. This echoes the very essence of the play as Twelfth Night is certainly about letting misrule appear greater in stature to controlled behaviour and the normal state of order.

Twelfth Night is full of moments that contain a very lighthearted atmosphere and this is expressed through both the main and the subplots. The main source of comedy throughout the main plot is between the complete and utter confusion of the four main characters Olivia, Orsino, Viola and Sebastian. One version you might enjoy is this one.

Another custom common to the day of Epiphany is taking down and putting away all of the Christmas decorations. One way to make this fun is by having a progressive party. Invite friends and family that live nearby, and go from one house to the next undecorating at each home. Agree ahead of time on food, but appetizers at each home would be easy and light enough.

One German tradition is choir boys dressing in white robes, carrying star topped wands and singing Christmas carols. I suspect many by this time have had their fill of Christmas carols, considering they've probably been playing in the stores and shopping malls since before Thanksgiving, but there is some fun that can be had with this. Perhaps the white robes and wands and music can all be a part of the undecorating.

Continuing along the lines of La Befana is Dia de los Tres Reyes - Three Kings Day. In Latin America, children leave straw out for the king's camels. They awaken the morning of Epiphany to find the straw gone and gifts left in its place. They know this is the work of the Magi and their hungry camels.

After Twelfth Night the Carnival season starts, which lasts through Mardi Gras. In some places such as New Orleans, Louisiana, the night of January 6 with the first Carnival celebrations is called Twelfth Night.

Let the partying begin!

Befana - The Good Witch

The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all broken
With a dress in Roman style
Up, up with the Befana!
She brings ashes and coal
To bad nasty children
To the nice good child
She brings candies and many gifts!

In Italy, Epiphany is the time of "La Befana," the legendary Good Witch of Christmas, who gives gifts to children. In European folklore the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany were the period in the year when the presence of witches was most felt. New Year's celebrations in Italian folklore included burning a straw effigy of an old woman, symbolic of the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new. Furthermore, throughout Europe, Twelfth Night was considered the most magical night of the year, as Shakespeare knew quite well ("A witchcraft drew me hither." - Antonio - Twelfth Night). And Befana with her broken shoes actually flies on a broom, another important magic symbol in a number of European cultures.

La Befana is seen as a “good witch”. She visits all of the children on the eve of January 6th, arriving on her broomstick. She is a smiling Crone who wears a black shawl covered in soot because she enters the children’s homes through the chimney. She carries a bag over her shoulder filled with candy, dried fruit, small gifts, and coal. She will fill children’s socks with the treats if they have been good, or with lumps of coal if they have been bad. Because she is a wise and tidy housekeeper, she will sweep the floor with her broom before she leaves. The children’s parents will leave La Befana an offering of thanks. This may be a glass of wine or a plate of food. Some Roman children leave her a gift of soft ricotta cheese, believing she has hardly any teeth.

The tradition of the old woman bearing gifts can be traced to the 13th century where celebrations for her arrival included dances, bonfires and songs. These festivities probably stem from the ancient tradition of gift-giving among Christians on Jan. 6 in commemoration of the Magi. The Befana was "officially" given her name during the Renaissance, through the rhymes of Tuscan poet Agnolo Firenzuola, where appeared historically for the first time in writing in a poem in 1549. She is portrayed like an old ugly woman, dressed in dark rags who during the night between 5th and 6th January flies over the houses riding her broom and entering through the chimneys (or a keyhole, if no fireplace exists).

The "coal" that she would leave to the nasty children was actually also a symbol of fertility connected to the sacred bonfires and the "ceppo".

Many people believe that the name Befana is derived from the Italians' mispronunciation of the Greek word epifania or epiphaneia. Others point to the name being a derivative of Bastrina, the gifts associated with the goddess Strina. In the book Domestic Life in Palestine, by Mary E. Rogers (Poe & Hitchcock, 1865) the author notes:

"But an 'Essay on the Fine Arts,' by E. L. Tarbuck, led me to believe that this custom is a relic of pagan worship, and that the word "Bastrina" refers to the offerings which used to be made to the goddess Strenia. We could hardly expect that the pagans who embraced Christianity could altogether abandon their former creeds and customs. Macaulay says, "Christianity conquered paganism, but paganism infected Christianity; the rites of the Pantheon passed into her 'worship, and the subtilties of the Academy into her creed.' Many pagan customs were adopted by the new Church. T. Hope, in his 'Essay on Architecture,' says: 'The Saturnalia were continued in the Carnival, and the festival with offerings to the goddess Strenia was continued in that of the New Year…'" – page 408

An interesting theory connects the tradition of exchanging gifts to an ancient Roman festivity in honour of Ianus and Strenia (in Italian a Christmas gift is called strenna), celebrated at the beginning of the year, when Romans used to give each other presents.

In the book Vestiges of Ancient Manners and Customs, Discoverable in Modern Italy and Sicily by Rev. John J. Blunt (John Murray, 1823), the author says:

"This Befana appears to be heir at law of a certain heathen goddess called Strenia, who presided over the new-year's gifts, 'Strenae,' from which, indeed, she derived her name. Her presents were of the same description as those of the Befana—figs, dates, and honey. Moreover her solemnities were vigorously opposed by the early Christians on account of their noisy, riotous, and licentious character".

Also, popular tradition tells that if one sees La Befana one will receive a thump from her broomstick, as she doesn't wish to be seen. This aspect of the tradition may be designed to keep children in their beds while parents are distributing candy (or coal) and sweeping the floor on Epiphany Eve.

The tradition of Befana appears to incorporate other pre-Christian popular elements as well, adapted to Christian culture and related to the celebration of the New Year. Historian Carlo Ginzburg relates her to Nicevenn. The old lady character should then represent the old year just passed, ready to be burned in order to give place to the new one. In many European countries the tradition still exists of burning a puppet of an old lady at the beginning of the New Year, called Giubiana in Northern Italy, with clear Celtic origins. Italian anthropologists Claudia and Luigi Manciocco, in their book Una Casa Senza Porte (House without a Door) trace Befana's origins back to Neolithic beliefs and practices. The team of anthropologists also write about Befana as a figure that evolved into a goddess associated with fertility and agriculture.

In many cultures the relations between grown-ups and children is based on the observance of rules achieved through the fear of punishments and expectations of reward. To this family of figures belong the ogre and witch, transformed into the more positive figures of Santa Claus and the Befana. As a testimonial of this connection, here is an old Italian lullaby that goes:

"Ninnaò, ninnaò,
who will I give this child to
if I give it to the Befana
she will keep him one whole week
if I give it to the Bogey Man
he will keep him one whole year
but if the child goes to sleep
then his mother will him keep" 

Parents can use the wise and generous crone La Befana to give more personal, meaningful gifts. On the night of January 5th, let your children hang their socks from the mantle of your fireplace, or anywhere you might hang your stockings. Make goodies together for La Befana, like homemade cookies. After your children have fallen asleep, fill their socks with healthy snacks like fresh fruit and raisins and small, inexpensive gifts, like those from a dollar store.

Make some coal candy, either together, or on your own, if you have that kind of fun family and can leave it in the stockings without anyone getting upset.

There are several recipes out there, and I will admit I have not yet tried to make this. All I lack is some of the black paste food coloring.

Coal Candy

2 c. sugar
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. water
1 t. mint extract
1/2 t. black paste food coloring

Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, extending edges over sides of pan. Lightly grease foil with butter; set aside. Measure sugar, corn syrup and water into heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, being careful not to splash sugar mixture on side of pan. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan (do not let bulb touch bottom of pan).
Cook about 15 minutes until thermometer registers 290°F, without stirring. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in extract and food coloring. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cool completely.
Lift candy out of pan using foil; remove foil. Place candy between 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Pound with mallet to break candy into 1- to 2-inch pieces.

Many of the recipes call for anise extract instead of mint; one even suggested orange flavoring. I think I'll stick with mint.

Just be sure to make this fun. Let La Befana’s more gentle and loving approach show us how the world could use a little bit of her magic.

What A Grimm Day!

Today is the birthday of Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm. Grimm was born in Hanau, in Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. However, what you may know him best is as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy Tales. It was in Hesse that Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm, both law students, were persuaded to study ancient German folklore. Among the best-known story tellers of folk tales from Europe, the brothers collected, wrote, and compiled hundreds of folk tales, many from Hesse including the enchanted Rheinhardswald, the fairytale forest, which is part of the largest forestry area in Germany.

What a fun day to celebrate! You could, of course, watch The Brothers Grimm starring Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.

Most likely I'll watch Grimm on On Demand. Okay, it has nothing whatsoever to do with Jacob or Wilhelm Grimm, but I like the show!



There are several foods to choose from. Remember those gingerbread houses you made last month? The gingerbread house became popular in Germany after the Brothers Grimm published their fairy tale collection which included "Hansel and Gretel" in the 19th century. Early German settlers brought this lebkuchenhaeusle - gingerbread house - tradition to the Americas.



For something completely different, try some green sauce on your potatoes.  A favorite in Frankfurt, Hesse is this sauce made from borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel, and chives that's often served with hard boiled eggs.



Grüne Sosse (Green Sauce)

1/2 c. plain vegan yogurt
1 c. vegan sour cream (schmand)
1 T. lemon juice
1 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 c. finely chopped herbs, see hints below
1/2 t. sugar
salt, pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and put in fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve cold with potatoes cooked in their skins.

Hints:
Use vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Replace sour cream with vegan mayonnaise.
Use any combination of herbs. Traditional herbs are borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel, and chives. You can also include dill, tarragon, and/or lovage.
Omit onion if desired.

Have some French toast.  The earliest official mention of French toast may have been in the Apicius, a collection of Latin recipes dating back to the 4th or 5th century, but The Brothers Grimm mention it as Arme Ritter in the Deutsches Wörterbuch, quoting from the Buch von guter Spyse, which dates back to the 14th century.



The Brothers Grimm collected and retold the fairy tale in Das Märchen vom Schlaraffenland (The Tale About the Land of Cockaigne). Cockaigne or Cockayne is a medieval mythical land of plenty, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. While the first recorded use of the name are the Latin "Cucaniensis", and the Middle English "Cokaygne", one line of reasoning has the name tracing to Middle French (pays de) cocaigne "(land of) plenty the German equivalent is Schlaraffenland (also known as "land of milk and honey".

To celebrate the *land of plenty*, how about a dish with an abundance of vegetables?

Zesty Veggies

4 medium unpeeled red potatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch diagonal slices
2 T. chopped green onion
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. vegan butter, melted
1 T. Dijon mustard with a little agave nectar mixed in
½ t. caraway seed, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add potatoes to boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, cover and continue cooking until vegetables are just tender, about 7-10 minutes longer. After adding the carrots, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Place the cooked vegetables in a serving bowl, add the remaining ingredients, toss gently to coat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve immediately.

Germans believe Der Zweck einer MahlzeitDessert, or the purpose of a meal is dessert. The Black Forest is 4,600 square miles of woodland in the southwest corner of Germany, not far from France and Switzerland. The name came from the Romans because very little light shone through the trees. The Black Forest is so dark and mysterious that much of Germany's folklore, including many of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales comes from the area.

Consider making a Black Forest Cake! You can find a recipe for it here. I'll admit I've never made one before, but if I can veganize it, I will!

So have some fun with The Brothers Grimm today. And just think, you can do it all over again on February 24 - Wilhelm Grimm's birthday!

Celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien's Birthday!

On the 3rd of January, 1892, JRR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. To celebrate this event, on this day each year Tolkien fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author.

The toast is "The Professor".

For those unfamiliar with British toast-drinking ceremonies:
To make the Birthday Toast, you stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words 'The Professor' before taking a sip (or swig, if that's more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of your drink.

You can celebrate the birthday of Tolkien by dressing as your favorite Hobbit, elf, wizard or other character from one of his amazing novels and inviting friends and family to watch the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Make sure you watch the extended versions! I've never been one to care for extended editions, but this time it is definitely worth it! And be sure to have Middle Earth themed foods!

An excellent cookbook for finding recipes all things Middle Earth is Regional Cooking From Middle Earth: Recipes of the Third Age by Emerald Took.

 Enjoy the day!

Today is National Science Fiction Day!

Today is the birthday of Isaac Asimov, and in honor of this day, scifi geeks all over have designated it National Science Fiction Day.

According to Wikipedia, Isaac Asimov; born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, (c. January 2, 1920–April 6, 1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (although his only work in the 100s—which covers philosophy and psychology—was a foreword for The Humanist Way). Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime.

The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, and one Isaac Asimov literary award are named in his honor.

So how can you celebrate this day?

You could pay tribute to Isaac Asimov and pick up one of his books and start reading it today. Or you could check out one of the film adaptations. I, Robot is one.

The film I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was released by Twentieth Century Fox on July 16, 2004 in the United States. Its plot incorporates elements of "Little Lost Robot," some of Asimov's character's names and the Three Laws. However the plot of the movie is mostly original work based on the Three Laws.



I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. The book also contains the short story in which Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics first appear. Those of you familiar with The Big Bang Theory may recognize the three laws from this episode clip.
1.A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2.A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3.A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

And, of course, my favorite show Doctor Who (and my favorite doctor!) featured a four-part serial in 1977 titled "The Robots of Death". The titular robots were controlled by three laws, taken almost verbatim from Asimov. The story plays out much like the Elijah Baley mysteries, in which a murder has been committed, and a robot seems to have been directly or indirectly involved (contrary to the requirements of three-law programming). You can watch the entire episode here.

If that doesn't interest you, check out your local movie theatre and see if any new science fiction movies are playing or see if any are available for rent at places like Blockbuster, Redbox or Netflix.

You could even go all out and dress up as one of your favorite science fiction characters and lose yourself in a world of make believe for a day.

How about creating your own science fiction food? I think on my menu tonight we will be having Klaatu Burgers.

One veggie burger patty of your choice
One large onion

Peel the onion and slice. Grill your burger patty. Eat!

Whatever you decide to do today, I'm sure you'll make Isaac Asimov proud. Have fun!

Happy New Year!

Whew! 2011 was a pretty good year for me, but I'm never sad to see a year end. I always view the new year as a time for celebration; a time for new beginnings.

After watching the awesome fireworks display we are usually treated with in our neighborhood, we start each new year off with our favorite First Footer crossing our threshold after midnight.

Yes, it is my gorgeous son - tall, dark and handsome! He walks through the front door with alcohol in hand (traditionally whiskey, but we use whatever we have, which in our case is typically wine!), usually some shortbread and a firestarter. To ensure good luck for the house for the year ahead the actual first footer into a home should be a dark haired male carrying these gifts. The symbolism of these items is:

a lump of coal (firestarter) - for a year of warmth and health
shortbread - for a year of plenty
whiskey (or wine!) - for a year of jollity and not melancholy

My family and any attendant guests then toast the new year with our hopes for what we'd like to see coming our way. My standard toast is Health, Wealth and Happiness!

On the actual New Year's Day itself, we dine on traditional foods of black eyed peas and collards. The peas are said to bring prosperity and the greens money. This year I added red cabbage to the mix.

You can find the recipes here.

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot

May this new year bring your everything you desire!