(no subject)

I'm having a quiet day. This is a direct result of the whinge day yesterday, which might have been the result of heat exhaustion or might have been something else. I realised I needed to not push myself quite so hard when I took out a bullace and discovered it was a cherry. My tastebuds weren't working correctly, which was very odd. Anyhow, it was that particular bottle of cherry liqueur that I thought had gone missing, so all was well (or will be, when my tastebuds decide to return home). I took a look at the bullaces (which were where I had left them last year, oddly) and they aren't ready for decanting yet.

Since I have a new-old fridge and since we're still getting this impossible heat, next week I'm buying a big tub of vanilla icecream and making some nice chocolate sauce. Anyone who visits and who expresses an interest, will be fed vanilla icecream laced with alcoholic cherries and chocolate sauce. If no-one expresses an interest, I shall eat it all myself.

I did this once, years ago, in Sydney, with blackberry liqueur for Chanukah. I found it very sad that I didn't get more than one serve of icecream when I had made over four litres. Maybe this time everyone will be on diet or hate icecream.*






* Don't get your hopes up, anyone who wants this icecream. It has already found a home. I can decant more liqueur, I guess, if friends feel neglected.

(no subject)

a_d_medievalist asked me five questions a few days ago. I thought it was about time I answered them!

1. Is resistance futile?

It depends what one is resisting.

2. What is your favourite native Australian fauna?

Many people ask me this. For a while it was the wombat. This was mainly because a bunch of non-Australian friends kept enthusing about koalas and I wanted an alternative creature to enthuse about. Also because I adored "The Muddle-Headed Wombat" as a kid.

I graduated from this very quickly (though I still rather like wombats) and learned to sing the whole of "The Drover's Dream" as my response to the question. it didn't stop the question, but it certainly stopped people asking me to sing. This is a shame, because I'm not sure I know all the words these days.

I guess it's the question people like to ask Aussies. The trouble is, I don't really have a favourite. My family never glamourised native animals the way it did native rocks. Which means that my answer, really, has to be this:

What's your favourite native American fauna? And can you buy tourist versions of them in cans?

3. You blend the fantastic with the now really well. How is worldbuilding when it's this world with a tweak different to you to creating a totally different world?

I cover very similar ground in my basic worldbuilding, whether I use this universe or an invented one. The difference is that, when I'm using familiar surrounds, I can say "This will work" and move on much faster. There's a lot more work in making a city work when you yourself have to discover slopes and sewerage and water than when you can just check a plan in a library if the subject comes up. I still do floor designs for the houses of my protagonists and work out colour schemes. I know about food distribution and waste disposal and realtionships with places outside. I don't need all the same types detail for each place.

Some things all cities have in common and these things I know for all my settings. I know where people congregate and how they congregate - what district is most likely to fall into violence and what stresses cause it to do so.

I know what works and doesn't work already for most real cities. If there's a flood, how do I know where the 100 year floodline is? For Canberra, I've seen a map.

The trick is always trying to make sure that the cities-of-setting look natural, whether they're twists on a place I've lived or visited or are entirely artificial.

4. How do you manage to re-create foods of the past and still respect kashrut? (or do you keep some form of kosher? I realize I don't know for sure!)

I grew up in a very kosher household, but now I only observe certain things. I live in a world that really knows nothing about kashruth and I've made compromises so that my world and I can work together. I don't eat pork or seafood, for instance, but I'm fine with food cooked in a non-kosher kitchen. I will mix meat and milk (though only do it rarely) because I paid attention to Maimonides' comment on why it was wrong and have decided that I'm in no danger of idol-worship in so doing.

I choose recipes to cook that fit these guidelines. If there's a dish that needs testing and it's got pork, for instance (like the barbecue for the last banquet), I ask a friend if they would mind cooking and reporting back. If I can't find a friend for a dish, I simply drop that dish from the menu.

5. What would we do if we managed to meet in person?

We would find some really good food, haul out the books in our handbags to see what the other is reading, then settle down for a good chat.