Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness

Book menu for Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller

ISBN of edition I read: 9781594202995 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness:
Wine, 5, 69, 80, 85, 96-97, 162, 165, 205, 212, 217, 219, 222
Tea, 5-7, 41, 55, 85, 102, 111-112, 129, 133, 137, 204, 207, 215, 221
Gin, 15, 66, 113, 144
     Gin & French, 131
     Pinkgin, 186
Beer, 74, 124, 160
     Bitter Ale, 23
     Guinness, 148
Sparletta Creme Soda, 28
Willard's chip, 28
Vodka, 32
Apples, 35
Toast, 41, 221
Stewed plums, 41
Wheatie buns, 42
Grapes, 42
Rum, 42
    Rum punch, 117-118
Chili, 43
Plum jam, 43
Brandy, 87, 89, 129, 150, 191, 193, 201
Chocolate, 87-89
Mutton, 87
Coffee, 87, 130
Fried sweetbreads, 87
Rowntrees Fruit Gums, 90
Dolly mixture, 90
Mashed potatoes, 125, 190
Port, 124
Sherry, 125
Champagne, 149-151
Eggs, 160
Curries, 165, 218
     Fish curry, 222
Sausage rolls, 177
Coke Cola, 177
Boervors, 179
Koeksisters, 170
Sadza, 190
Piri piri prawns, 205
Tilapia, 220
Corn porridge, 221
Turmeric rice, 222

Books/Authors mentioned in Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness:
Katherine Mansfield, epigraph
William Shakespeare, 4, 127-8, 167
     King Lear, 127
     MacBeth, 127
     Hamlet, 127
     Coriolanus, 127 
West with the Night / Beryl Markham, 6
The Flame Trees of Thika / Elspeth Huxley, 6
Out of Africa / Isak Dinesen, 6
The Air Pilot's Manual / Trevor Tom, 10
German Step by Step / Charles Berlin, 10
The Ring of Bright Water / Gavin Maxwell, 19
Heaven's Command: an Imperial Progress / Jan Morris, 19
Christopher Robin, 33
A.A. Milne, 33
     Winnie-the-Pooh, 167
Rudyard Kipling 54, 181
     The Jungle Book, 167
Ernest Thompson Seton, 54, 181
White Mischief / James Fox, 64
N.P. Van wyk Louw (poet), 105
The Wind in the Willows / Kenneth Grahame, 167
C.S. Lewis, 181
Lewis Carroll, 181
Laura Ingalls Wilder, 181
Robindranath Tagore, 197
W.C. Fields, 197

Music mentioned in Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness:
"Come Fly with Me" / Frank Sinatra, 7
"Fly Me to the Moon" / Frank Sinatra, 9
"The Bandit" / Cliff Richards and The Shadows, 14
Donovan, 21
     "Sunshine Superman", 21
     "Season of the Witch", 21
     "The Fat Angel", 21
Bob Dylan, 21
"I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" / Joe South, 26-27, 32
"From Russia with Love" / Matt Munro, 32-33
Doris Day, 111
     "Sentimental Journey", 75
     "Everybody Loves my Baby", 170
"God Save the Queen", 92
"The Hallelujah Chorus"/  Handel, 119, 150
"The Banana Boat Song" / Harry Belafonte, 145
"You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille" / Kenny Rogers, 179
Chopin, 181
Strauss, 181
Brahms, 181
"The Last Farewell" / Roger Whittaker, 193
"The Flowers of the Forest", 201
"Cammi i colori...", Tosca / Puccini, 222-223

Libraries mentioned in Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness:
p. 122: Considering that Mum has always moved with a full complement of animals and a sizable library, precious few other acquisitions have survived the shift from one place to the next. "Lost, stolen, broken, died, left behind." she says.

Some of my favorite passages from Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness:
p. 144: Whether out of desperation, ignorance or hostility, humans have an unerring capacity to ignore one another's sacred traditions and to defile one another's hallowed grounds:...Surely until all of us own and honor one another's dead, until we have admitted to our murders and forgiven one another and ourselves for what we have done, there can be no truce, no dignity and no peace.

p.196: No one starts a war warning that those involved will lose their innocence--that children will definitely die and be forever lost as a result of the conflict; that the war will not end for generations and generations, even after cease-fires have been declared and peace treaties have been signed. No one starts a war that way, but they should. It would at least be fair warning and an honest admission: even a good war--if there is such thing--will kill anyone old enough to die.

And lastly, I loved how Ms. Fuller continually lists her mother's Le Creuset pots (p.121-122, 124, 136, 147, 153, 164-165, 209, 218, 222) in the short list of items that her Mum moved from place to place. Decades ago, my husband received a complete set of these pots as a gift from his parents and he will NEVER part with them!  It was not a good day in our house when I dropped the 7-quart pot on our tile floor and it broke.

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Scibbling the Cat:Travels with an African Soldier

Book menu for Scribbling the Cat by Alexandra Fuller

ISBN of edition I read: 1594200165 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in Scribbling the Cat:
Coke, 5
Fried mealie meal cakes, 5
Tea, 13, 20-21, 24, 28, 32-33, 48, 50, 61, 79-80, 107, 109-110
     132, 139, 178-179, 181, 186-187, 192, 201, 209, 211-213, 215,216, 240, 248
Beer, 13, 67, 77, 79, 88, 100, 102-103, 120, 141, 155, 161, 194, 203, 224
Vodka, 14, 67
     Vodka and Coke, 67
Sherry, 15-16
Bananas, 16-17, 29, 33, 43-44, 49, 98, 121
Orange juice, 19, 160
Turkey, 44
Biscuits, 53, 98, 175
Fried okra, 53
Coffee, 73, 209
Sundried tomatoes & wild mushrooms with olive oil, 73
Chicken, 96
Vegetarian samosas, 86
Peanuts, 120, 141
Potato chips, 120, 141, 155-156
Fish, 175
Sadza, 175
Cheese, 175
Eggs, 185
Fruit, 185, 209
Porridge, 197
Vegetable curry, 208
Mangoes, 227
Wine, 231-232


Books/Authors mentioned in Scribbling the Cat:
Echoing Silences / Alexander Kanengoni, 1
Rhodesians Never Die / Peter Godwin, 39

Music mentioned in Scribbling the Cat:
Wrex Tarr
     "Terrorist's Lament", 40
     "Picanin Red Riding Hood", 40

My favorite passages from Scribbling the Cat:

p.72: "It should not be physically possible to get from the banks of the Pepani River to Wyoming in less than two days, because mentally and emotionally it is impossible. The shock is too much, the contrast too raw. We should sail or swim or walk from Africa, letting bits of her drop out of us and gradually, in this way, assimilate the excesses and liberties of the States in tiny, incremental sips, maybe touring up through South America and Mexico before trying to stomach the land of the Free and the Brave."

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Last Flag Flying

Book menu for Last Flag Flying by Darryl Ponicsan

Last Flag Flying is the sequel to The Last Detail. Both were adapted into feature films. 

ISBN of edition I read: 9781510727748 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
Jagermeister, 6
Beer, 7-8, 11-12, 15, 30, 137, 143-144, 154
     Budweiser, 94-95
Burgers, 14, 130, 213
     Cheeseburger, 97, 113, 172
Pizza, 15, 53, 94, 169, 202
Chorizo con huevos, 16
Ham in Coca-Cola sauce, 24, 52, 78
Yams, 24
Lima beans, 24
Swiss steak, 25
Coffee, 27-28, 31, 56, 61, 86-87, 113, 125, 143-144
Pie, 27
Peach cobbler, 28, 31, 33
Wild Turkey, 30, 154
Soda, 53
French toast, 55
Fried potatoes, 55
Eggs, 55
Doughnuts, 61
Coke, 67, 109, 133-134
Pancakes, 106
Chicken & rice soup, 113
Tuna salad sandwiches, 113, 158
French fries, 113, 130, 172
Chocolate malt, 113
Philly cheese steak sandwiches, 127
Onion rings, 130
Sausages, 137
Ginger ale, 154
Salad, 172
Liver & onions, 172, 175
Herbal tea, 172
Rolls, 211
Fruit, 211
Cheeses, 211

Books/Authors mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
John le Carre, 116
Michael Moore, 116
Jarhead / Anthony Swofford, 116

Music mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
"Join the Navy" / The Village People, 4
Nina Simone, 72

Television programs mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
Cops

Magazines mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
Mother Jones

Libraries mentioned in Last Flag Flying:
p.117: "The Philadelphia-bound train pulls away. They are less than an hour from Newark, where Mule hopes to call his wife and find out if anyone has called the library, which is where Mule finds his reading material. He is too poor to afford to buy books."

p.158: "In a few minutes, they see Mule making his way back to them.
          "'How's things on the home front?'" Billy asks him. He gets off his stool to give Mule another boost onto his.
          "'She's not aware of anything. I told her to call the librarian and see if anybody is snooping into my reading habits.'"
          "'It's embarrassing,'" says Billy. "'To know agents are checking up on you. How far can they go with that shit, and for what?'"

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War and Peace

Book menu for War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace has long been on my to-read list.  Twenty years ago when working with a Russian woman, I expressed my interest in reading Tolstoy.  She advised me to start with Anna Karenina.  Very wise advice!  I've since read Anna twice and loved it both times. 

Completing War and Peace was no easy task!  It took me a little over four months. But, I came away with care and compassion for Tolstoy's characters. Tolstoy is a wonderful storyteller.  I didn't enjoy the sections that were written more as an essay and made no mention of the characters, especially part two of the epilogue (36 pages).

As soon as I finished reading, I watched the new War and Peace mini-series starring Paul Dano. Dano is perfectly cast as Pierre.

 Now I'm on the hunt for a great biography on Napoleon!

ISBN or edition I read: 9781400079988 (trade paperback)


Food mentioned in War and Peace:
Tea, 5, 192, 258
Saute of madere of hazel grouse, 56, 62
Turtle soup, 62
Pineapple ice cream, 65
Champagne, 65, 337, 545, 669
Coffee, 129, 319, 569, 626
Sausage, 131, 133
Doppel Kummel, 137
Ham, 140, 509
Apple, 140-141, 509
Kasha, 172, 175, 179, 898, 995, 1094
Bread and cheese, 173
Rein wine, 210
Gingerbread, 297, 674, 725
Strawberries, 305
Pineapple, 305
Mead, 509
Roasted nuts, 509
Roasted chicken, 509, 806
Cherry liquor, 510
Walnuts and almonds, 518
Lime flower tea, 588
Kvass, 674, 905
Poppy-seed cakes, 674
Biscuits, 675
Lemonade, 691
Sunflower seeds, 698
Plums, 703
Roast lamb, 905
Baked potatoes, 970
Raisins, 1046, 1058

Books/Authors mentioned in War and Peace:

Commentaries / Julius Caesar, 24
Julie / Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 89, 1157
Laurence Sterne, 106
N.P. Nikolev (poet), 310
Moliere
     "Les Fourberies de Scapin", 1231
     "Georges Dandin", 364
Adelaide Filleul, 348
Thomas a Kempis, 354
"The Song of Solomon", 444
Poor Liza / Nikolai Karamazin, 550
The Lives of the Saints, 702
"Jaconde" / Jean de la Fontaine, 708
Les Chevaliers du Cygne / Stephanie Felicite Genlis, 743-744
Anne-Louise Germaine de Stael, 1043, 1085

Music mentioned in War and Peace:
"Spring" / Mozart, 67
Daniel Cooper (dance), 68-69
Dusek sonata, 97
Cherubini, 452
     "The Water Carrier", 519
John Field (composer), 521

Some of my favorite passages from War and Peace:

Thought Price Andrei...How good it would be to know where to look for help in this life and what to expect after it, there, beyond the grave! p.293

Man proposes, God disposes. p. 971

Said Pierre: "Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost; but it's only here that the new and the good begins. As long as there's life, there's happiness. There's much, much still to come." p. 1118

 

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