phaNtasmagoria: Nuances of Life

This one was made after watching a documentary on a hotel's monthly-menu effort. The hotel (can't remember the name, twas in Australia) hired a Croatian chef to train, prepare & oversee Croatian dishes made for a month there. Not bad i would say. Very simple. You may add other veggies or salads to eat them with.

• 7-8 squids (medium size) & cleaned
• 3-4 cups of breadcrumbs
• about a bulb of garlic (chopped/minced)
• some chopped cilantro
• some olive oil
• 7-8 toothpicks
• broccoli florets - optional
• cauliflower florets - optional

1. mix the breadcrumbs with chopped garlic & cilantro
2. fill each squid with the mixture, cap it with its head & fastened with a toothpick (to prevent the content from falling out while grilling).
3. put the squids in a container & pour leftover breadcrumb mixture on top.
4. drizzle the squids with some olive oil & leave them in the fridge to marinate.
5. Grill in the oven for abt 8-10 minutes
6. When done, slice the squids & mix them with steamed broccoli & cauliflower florets.

mixed with Italian herbs & black pepper

There were loads of this book being stacked up during the BBW sale. I think i walked past it thrice before i finally picked one up.
Well, it's a national bestseller & became a major motion picture, which i havent watched. The thing that made me wonder on the cover is the comment by Evening Standard. Of course i havent read The Lovely Bones but i do admire Sebold's Lucky... i just wonder what comparison it has with this particular novel.

Having seen the cover that i absolutely agree with, the blurps is intriguing. It made you want to imagine what it'd be like in the motion picture. Since this is Niffenegger's first novel, i cant help but feel how this could be the ultimate baby for a multi talented person like her.

It's definitely an adult novel... but i somehow came to a point where i compare the faith that Clare & Henry have in their love destiny to what is expected & ideal regarding male-female relationship. Imagine, Clare tries to never date any guy since after she knows that Henry is her future husband (at 12 y/o) & so does Henry since the 1st time he met her (at 28 y/o). I mean, when one has faith & truly believe, one would take the right action, correct? Yet we still hear tales of dysfunctional love around us... Why not people adopt such stance?

Of course as in the blurps, in the time traveling setting, Clare 1st met him when she was six & Henry was 36 y/o. That's the trick. Niffenegger gave a new angle to 'flashbacks' & 'foreshadowings' here ;) & She made the time traveler's 'condition' as something real in the progress.
The resolution is heartrending :"(


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I kinda look forward to this weekly exercise with the clan...& i like that brunch would always follow :p
I bet it'll be hard to make it 'weekly' though. Well, it's one effort to another :)

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