Home cooking advice?

June 4, 2014

Food

...talian and Middle Eastern cuisines and cooking traditions, but these broad labels are enough for now.) I am neither Italian nor Middle Eastern–my native regional dish would be a steak with a corncob on the side–but I live in a Mediterranean climate, and the vegetables and herbs and fruits used in these cuisines thrive in my yard, and are easy to buy locally. This food just makes sense here. And we like it. If I limit my choices like this, my pantr...

Read…

Licensed to Rant

Mr. Homegrown

July 14, 2007

Bikes, Thoughtstylings

1 Comment

...simplify, simplify, simplify.” In the case of transportation, my notion of simplicity involves a few special requirements. First requirement: No permits, licenses, government registrations, or bureaucratic involvement at all. I know it’s naive in this super-governed age, but I’m foolish enough to hold fast to the belief that in a truly free country people travel peaceably on the roads without being stopped and hassled by “the authorities” and with...

Read…

A Primitive Bow Workshop

Mr. Homegrown

November 14, 2012

Preparedness

10 Comments

...re I’ll check the “tiller” i.e. even bendiness of the bow. I normally use a very modern, Olympic style recurve bow. But lately I’ve had more fun with Kelly’s more primitive Hungarian horse bow. There’s a lot to be said for the simplicity of a primitive bow. Plus, it’s good to know that in a pinch, a functional bow can be thrown together in a day. For more info on Nyerges’ informative and entertaining classes see his website: www.christophernyerges...

Read…

Age of Apocalypse

Mr. Homegrown

May 31, 2013

Age of Limits, Thoughtstylings

41 Comments

...shelter, and maybe defending one’s family . . . This is why the return to simplicity offered by the most extreme scenarios is providing so alluring to so many of us. The apocalypse meme also recalls Freud’s observation the the fear of death paradoxically results in a condition of pathological inaction that mimics death. It’s an impulse, in my opinion, that is best resisted. This impulse has long been recognized. Seneca said, “One must avoid that...

Read…

The Other Kind of Fencing

Mr. Homegrown

June 6, 2014

Fitness

9 Comments

...locally reminded me of Eskrima–Filipino stick fighting. I admire Eskrima’s simplicity. All you need are two sticks and lessons are typically conducted informally in backyards. Then there’s Haitian machete fencing which I had never heard of until I ran across this trailer for a upcoming documentary on the subject. Could machete fencing be the perfect synthesis of gardening and martial arts? What did I leave out? I know many Root Simple readers are...

Read…