- Where can I get a pastry knife/pastry blender in Austria? And what are they called in German? I just get puzzled looks when I describe them to store clerks.
- Saw a trailer for “The Men Who Stare at Goats” a while ago. It looks funny. It has Jeff Bridges as a New Agey instructor-guru type. WHY ALWAYS JEFF BRIDGES? DO HOLLYWOOD PRODUCERS READ A SCRIPT, SEE A PONYTAIL AND SAY, “CALL BRIDGES’ AGENT, WE NEED A HIPPIE?” I’m getting tired of that.
- As much as I like Jeff Bridges.
- Just read Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” a while back too. It took me a long time to get started because the first paragraph broke my heart with its beauty and simplicity, the way you knew both main characters IMMEDIATELY from just a few well-chosen words that weren’t even describing them, and knew that nothing good was waiting for them out there in that post-not-further-described-apocalyptic-world. However, with that great start, I could only be disappointed by the end, and I was. I was left with the feeling that the language was, ultimately, TOO poetic and self-conscious and beautiful for a novel. There were too many coincidences although an argument could convince me otherwise, namely the argument that of 100 pairs of such characters, 99 would have died well before the final chapter in this hostile environment; the only pair that would make it to the end of the book would be the lucky one. You can be careful and wise and knowledgeable and prepared, but without luck you are fucked pal at least in a vague apocalypse. But I found McCarthy’s economics grand, the most compelling part of the book. Following an event such as the vaguely described one in theh book, everything would become scarce almost immediately. Within 10 years: no bullets, no shoes, no food.
- Srsly, our current system ROCKS in comparison.
Brane dump
Posted in Metamorphosism
Tags: apocalypse, cormac mccarthy, criticism, film, jeff bridges, literature, pastry blender
I’ve never even heard of a pastry blender before; all my recipes call for fingertips and keeping it very cool. Good luck!
A pastry blender is a hard thing to describe; If it were I in this situation, I would print out that page with the pictures and take it with me to show to the store clerks.
I have no idea what this is called in German, basically because I don’t think an instrument that looks like this is used here in this country at all; or at least I’ve never seen it anywhere, and I am a frequent visitor to shops that sell kitchen tools. Places where you can ask: Slama on Mariahilfer Strasse, Grandia on Josefstädter Strasse, and Menning on (outer) Mariahilfer Strasse. Print out a picture and bring it along.
Printing out a picture is good advice, judging from my success with verbal descriptions.
If this tool is not in common use, how is butter worked into pastry dough normally? With a fork like I do it now? With the fingers? I have been told it is done with two knives, which strikes me as dangerous.
I have never used a pastry blender; I use either my fingers or two knives, like dinner knives – they don’t have to be really sharp. I think it would be difficult with a fork.
I use an electric mixer, Kochlöffel or Schneebesen, depending on what kind of dough it is.
Judging from the pastry blender situation we are already entering a vague apocalyptica of scarcity. As a revolutionary, I will send you mine.
But Trish, what will your family do without pastry in the apocalypse?
My family will not eat cake.
If you use your fingers, use only the ends, not your whole hands, because if you heat up the butter too much it will start to melt, which is not what you want. Rub like you’re making the “money” sign. You can leave large lumps this way (good for flakier pastry), or end up with fine breadcrumb-like results (good for scones), depending on how much you do it. I’ve never tried knives, I’d probably stab myself. Good luck.