I’ve always loved books, but for a number of years–okay, for a lot of years–my reading choices have tended toward the serious. And yet few things are more enjoyable for me than curling up with some really funny reading material. And so I picked up this book at the library yesterday and finished it this morning, laughing loudly and inappropriately in the library (I started reading it before I even left the building), in the doctor’s waiting room, and while... Read more
Winter is for cinnamon rolls, I’m just sure of it. Cinnamon rolls are one of those foods that have been so re-created by the food industry so as to bear but a shadowy resemblance to the real thing. These rolls are treats, to be sure, but they are real food. I love them muchly. I think I shall be making them today. And here is how you can make some, too: Dissolve a heaping tablespoon of dry yeast in ¼... Read more
I love seeing the search terms that bring people to Eat With Joy. Some of them are strange, some are creepy, some are funny, some are sad. Sometimes, the search terms inspire posts, like this one, which landed someone here last week: “Is Hating My Body a Sin?” And so I’d like to attempt to answer that question. To begin, we might ask “What’s sin?” I’m aware that there are about a thousand disputed ways to answer that question–and so... Read more
I’ve written a number of times about bringing a home-cooked meals to people. It’s a time-honored tradition, one my family and I benefited from richly following the birth of our second son in St. Andrews, Scotland. When there are new babies, or when there is illness or death, bringing a meal, far from being a mere symbolic gesture, does at least 2 things: 1. It lets the person/family off the hook from planning/shopping/preparing dinner. 2. It lets them know that... Read more
No, I never set foot in a McDonald’s in Europe, except for one, desperate day in Dundee, Scotland, where my friend Julia and I escaped the damp cold with our husbands to eat McDonald’s “local” specialty, the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry, all other ice-cream-like options (I think we were actually aiming for Thornton’s ice cream?) being closed. Before you go getting all jealous, I’ll assure you that it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds. Anyway–for your weekend reading pleasure,... Read more
NYMag’s Vulture blog had this post on how the movie posters from the What to Expect When You’re Expecting movie are “deeply disturbing.” And they are, look– And that’s one of the less-bad ones. What’s frightening about these photos is how ridiculously skinny and airbrushed these pregnant women are, like the pregnancy is some kind of abdominal accessory. Make no mistake, “skinny pregnant” is a thing. I get blog hits every day based on those kinds of search terms. When... Read more
While in the magical disembodied world that is the Internet, I have appeared to be where I always am, in fact, my family and I have been in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for more than a week. We’re getting ready to leave, and while we have had a wonderful time with friends both new and old, we are feeling ready to get back to our home (and our cats.) (After a stop at the Harrisburg branch of the Appalachian Brewing Company, of... Read more
Usually I really don’t care what movies are nominated for/win Oscars unless its so that I can scoff that the Academy is full of nonsense and that their choices just stink. At the same time, though, a nomination usually means that the film will be seen by more people. And I certainly hope that will be the case for Hugo. I was first introduced to the story by my son, who loves Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret–a unique... Read more
Did you know that this blog got its name more-or-less straight out of a Bible verse? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t catch that; it comes from Ecclesiastes, which, being a frequently-neglected book of the Bible, is, naturally, one of my favorite books. (I enjoy rooting for underdogs.) While some writers and preachers like to say that Ecclesiastes is all about how bleak life is without Jesus, it seems to me that the little book pretty well sums up many... Read more
If you have been reading Eat With Joy for a while you’ll know of my fondness for two very old friends of mine, whom I’ve referred to here as Mr. and Mrs. S. That’s them on their wedding day in 1949–after Edie (Mrs. S.) had served as an Army nurse on a psychiatric unit and after Jack (Mr. S.) had spent nearly four years in military hospitals following a serious injury sustained to his leg on Iwo Jima. {They were... Read more
Rachel Marie Stone
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