ugly fruit

it's true. the ugliest fruit at the *FM is the sweetest. it seems more pressing than ever to point this out now that i live in l.a.

*legend: FM = farmer's market

i incline to define beauty by qualities other than immediate appearances. for it has always seemed strange to me that one should revere a jumble of traits handed down: the arch of an eyebrow, the length of a leg, the degree of sheen and dimensions of one's hair. i am grateful to genetics for my skin and my eyes, but for reasons of functionality over quality of appearance. i demur when it comes to taking credit for those things that i have not well earned, like external appearances, barring efforts to keep myself ordered and habitually bathed.

there are pageants that dredge our inhabited planet searching for a standard of inflexible beauty, one that is meant to represent the archetype of physical acceptability. what a waste of resources and time. i don't think the definition of beauty was ever meant to be taken so far out of context.

perhaps the money would be better spent in seeking out the many bright minds that often go unnourished by virtue of poverty and the misfortune of being born into a lesser caste. society is obsessed with the idea of flawless beauty, defining it in absolutes when whose chosen characteristics are declared, manages to devalue most of humanity in one fell swoop. such a loathsome practice.

i realize that this post is a little controversial, and on this topic my soapbox is inviolably high. but the focus of attaining standards of beauty, in my opinion, absolves people from reaching monumental potential in the arenas of their lives that matter. we all have the potential to ameliorate the lives of others as well as our own through our art, through nurturing the talents with which we were born. that mindset, when pursued en masse, think, could bring us closer to the cohesive society that we all talk about moving toward, but whose progress is extinguished when a new beauty queen is elevated by reason of her superficial 'talents'. the pursuit of external beauty in lieu of self-value, artistic expression and discovering who we are intrinsically meant to be creates exclusions and illusory privilege when we should be embracing the beauty of our differences, external beauty aside.

stepping down.

Ugly Fruit Tartine

today i made a tartine with a gnarled nectarine whose face was more blistered than blushed, and which by current standards of beauty should have been hurled in a heap, sequestered from nectarine-kind. it's a good thing fruit doesn't judge.

there are rarely moments when i frequent cliché, but in the case of choosing the nectarine for this ugly tartine, it's what's on the inside that counts.

have a look:

the components for your ugly tartine: the absolute most hideous nectarine you can manage, one that has the inner beauty of his holiness, the Dalai Lama, an avocado, a few spears of dandelion, some basil leaves, olive oil, a balsamic vinaigrette, a few slices of your favorite crusty french bread. i'm using a loaf that i made recently, whole wheat with chili & rosemary, which turned out swell.

step 1: make a vinaigrette: dice a shallot, macerate in a jar for 10 minutes in balsamic vinegar along with a pinch of salt. add 2 parts olive oil to this one part of vinegar. apply the lid to the jar and shake the dickens out of it till it's emulsified.

step 2: toast bread under broiler.

step 3: drizzle toast with olive oil.

step 4: lay down slices of avocado.

step 5: tear your basil leaves, and get your dandies into a bowl. toss with the vin. lay it over the avo.

step 6: slice your nectarine and lay that over the greens. now drizzle with some of the vin.

step 7: eat with a knife and fork, or you can apply a lid and use your hands. but then it won't be a tartine.

mangia bene, vivi felice!


this post was sent to wild yeast's yeastspotting!