 My two all-time favorite quotation books are Carolyn Warner’s The Words of Extraordinary Women, & Rosalie Maggio’s The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women. It fascinates & saddens me that the brilliant bits between these covers seldom appear in most books of quotations, or internet quotation sites. Here are some food-related quotes from these two fine resources:
Fran Lebowitz – Food is an important part of a balanced diet. Patricia Hampl – When we eat / we are like / everyone else Ayn Rand – Ah, there’s nothing like tea in the afternoon. When the British Empire collapses, historians will find that it had made but two invaluable contributions to civilization—this tea ritual and the detective novel. Erica Jong – Eating is never so simple as hunger. Fran Lebowitz – Cheese that is required by law to append the word food to its title does not go well with red wine or fruit. Julia Child – Noodles are not only amusing but delicious. Sarah J. Hale – There is small danger of being starved in our land of plenty; but the danger of being stuffed is imminent. Sara Peretsky – All food starting with a p is comfort food . . . pasta, potato chips, pretzels, peanut butter, pastrami, pizza, pastry. Peg Bracken – Molded salads are best served in situations where they have little or no competition. Joan Gussow – As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. Isak Dinesen – Coffee, according to the women of Denmark, is to the body what the word of the Lord is to the soul. Which quote hits closest to home? Which one coaxes a smile out of you? Please leave a comment. My thanks go out to this week’s sources: The Words of Extraordinary Women, & The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women.
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 I’ve always had a somewhat twisted fondness for author, poet & critic, Dorothy Parker (1893-1967). Generally, I try to see the silver lining, take the high road, and all that. However, when it comes to searingly mean wit of Dorothy Parker, I throw silver linings & half-full glasses to the winds & revel in her wickedness. Below are some of my favorite Dorothy Parkerisms.
“The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.” “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.” “She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B.” “If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.” “By the time you swear you're his, Shivering and sighing. And he vows his passion is, Infinite, undying. Lady make note of this -- One of you is lying.” “That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say 'No' in any of them.” “If all the girls attending [the Yale prom] were laid end to end, I wouldn't be at all surprised.” “That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.” She’s the best (or would that be the worst?) I hope you’ll leave a comment or three. My thanks go out to this week’s sources Women’s History, GoodReads & DorothyParker.com As summer leaves us, why not indulge in a bit of etymology & a few celebratory quotes about summer?
Summer comes to English from Sanskrit. It appeared in English in 825, meaning exactly what it does today & spelled sumur. Interestingly, summer is etymologically related to the word gossamer, which came to English in the early 1300s, from a marriage of the words goose & summer, & meant spider threads spun in fields of stubble in late fall. Etymologists theorize that the spider silk looked a bit like goose feathers. Hmm. Within a century, gossamer found its present meaning, of light, flimsy, or delicate. Here are some authors’ thoughts about summer. “Summer's lease hath all too short a date.” -Shakespeare ”There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart." -Celia Thaxter “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald “Come with me,' Mom says. To the library. Books and summertime go together.” -Lisa Schroeder “One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” -Henry David Thoreau "Summertime and the livin’ is easy Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high, Your mama’s rich and your daddy’s good-looking So hush little baby, don’t you cry" -DuBose Heyward, music by George Gershwin So, good followers, what say you about summer? My thanks go out to this week’s sources, Etymoniline.com, Goodreads & the OED.  For a change of pace, I’d like to celebrate a writer, generally fascinating chap & certifiable mensch.
Isaac Bashevis Singer once wrote, “When I was a little boy, they called me a liar, but now that I am grown up, they call me a writer.” He wrote countless short stories & any number of novels, some arguably memoir. Many of his stories featured holocaust survivors &/or the struggles & joys of the lives of Jews & searchers. Miraculously, Singer spent all those years pondering sadness, disappointment, torture, inequity & cruelty, yet managed to hold onto hope. He won the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature, two National Book Awards, countless other awards, & the love of many readers. A smattering of Singer wit & wisdom follows: “If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.” “The waste basket is the writer's best friend.” “There will be no justice as long as man will stand with a knife or with a gun and destroy those who are weaker than he is.” “For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store.” “Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life.” On that last note, followers, please chime in with one kind thing someone has done for you lately. My thanks go out to this week’s sources, The Library of America & Goodreads |
I write for teens, narrate audio books, bake bread, play music, and ponder the wonder of words in a foggy little town on California's central coast.
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