Excess: Then and Now.

I've developed a fascination of the Eighteenth Century, of what was fashionable at the time and what that means then and now. I recently finished a short paper in which comparisons between the Eighteenth Century and today are argued with evidence from text and Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette film. The reviews on the film are undeniably mixed, though I believe there is a sort of genius in her merging of the past and present. The means through which Marie Antoinette deals with commodity through objects and fashion, I think, confuses the natural and unnatural in such a way that poses questions to an audience living in a similar world of blurred lines. How clear are needs and desires when one's environment is a teaching tool?

Earth Day

Earth Day is coming up in a couple of days. In honor of this, many morning shows have been showcasing various "green" products (my favorite being packaging that breaks down after you bury it, producing a plant) all week. On Tuesday, I caught Regis and Kelly's "Clean Green" day:

5 Things You Need to Clean Green

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Club Soda
• Borax is a natural mineral you can find at the grocery store (Be sure to keep out of reach of children & pets)

It's a bit strange to me that we must be reminded of these simple solutions. And, yes, viewers were reminded that they can put starch and water in a spray bottle to use when ironing clothing. When did we stray so far from the simplicity of these items? The distance makes me nervous.

Tender

A kiss is tender.
A heart can be tender.

Meat is tender.
Hot pockets have tender, flaky crust.

Maybe the way to the heart really is through the stomach?

Paper

Have you ever noticed the way, or different ways, that paper keeps in ink? Sometimes the ink warmly soaks in like an embrace and sometimes it stays more on the surface and feels colder. I prefer a natural or soft feel with page turns. There is a delicacy and a strength embodied in few things. The kind of paper that has these two qualities, I think, seem to whisper deep and sweet in ears willing to listen.

Paper is strong.
Paper is fragile.
Paper is potential.

Tofu

I think that food is an unusually powerful tool in revealing things about an individual.

So (now to the title), where did this sort of taboo for tofu all start? "It" can be lumped together with other edibles, such as spinach and anchovies, in the category in which one often states a dislike for, though the flavor of (fill in food here) may have never actually touched taste buds. Associations with tofu are even more fascinating when considering the attachment to lifestyle that it carries. I think the overall tofu attitude is morphing, but some still don't know what to do with it, causing the taboo to continue on. In conclusion, if you haven't tried tofu, go for it. (It sounds scarier than it really is.)