33 Comments
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Joshua Nearly's avatar

The garlic knows itself better than you ever will. You will be lucky to be as truly yourself five times in your life as that head of garlic is unless you’re Thelonious Monk.

Once again, brilliant. You never cease to amaze. Thanks!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Glad you picked up on that one, that's the the full loony boy, just popping off for the pure joy of it. Damn, you've got a great name! Every time I see it, I think that.

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Joshua Nearly's avatar

Can you write a better two word story?

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Than Joshua Nearly? No.

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Joshua Nearly's avatar

40 years in the wilderness trying to get to the promised land. That’s me!

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Martin Mc Carthy's avatar

This is a great article on cooking - one of the best I've ever read. Loved your advice on making stock: 'Your real job is to get out of the way.' I often tell myself the same thing when I'm writing a poem and something is coming through from somewhere else.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Yeah Martin, most poems are get out of the way, butterflies we try and catch with a net, or something out there somewhere, already written in dust we don't want to disturb before we get it all down.

Makes me happy you're reading.

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Martin Mc Carthy's avatar

It's interesting how you compared butterflies to poems because butterflies are symbols of the soul. I like the idea of trying to catch the soul in a net of words.

I think I'll be happy here.

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Josephine Spilka's avatar

Wow, “To decrease the existing in order to increase the remaining. That is a Shamanic act.” This is phenomenal! Actually the whole paragraph is. I’m going to be rolling that around for a long time, while I am cooking… thanks so much for the teaching on the wordless with such beautiful words!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thanks Josephine- The kitchen is where so much of the good stuff happens. There's alchemy everywhere, I guess, if we got a nose for it.

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Josephine Spilka's avatar

Indeed! I have made stock that literally made my whole body sing before it even touched my lips after 3 days on the stove. ❤️

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Patris's avatar

Impactful words, yes, wow.

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Eric Trules's avatar

“increasing of intensity by the reducing of mass., a shamanic act.” Totally Swerlowdian!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Lodian!

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Will Boucher's avatar

Everything about this is pure joy. "shortcuts don’t save time, they distort it" is my personal fav. What beautiful writing! I don't think I'll ever buy stock in a box every again now

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Eleanor Anstruther's avatar

Next time you’re in England I’m going to make a point of bringing you my chicken stock. We are comrades.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

EA-- If I get to England, I'll coming to you.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Clearly my proof reader is on holiday-- I'm coming or I'll be coming

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Eleanor Anstruther's avatar

Good.

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Louanne Greiner's avatar

Excellent. Always sautée the onions first.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

I do, I do

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Ro's avatar

My grandpa used to grow onions in his backyard, and they were the most pungent onions in the world. I don’t know if that is how onions are supposed to taste or there was just something about his yard.

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Marc Typo's avatar

When you write about food my tastebuds fire up. As always, Tommy, love when you put pen to paper. I imagine the food is as good as the pen.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thanks for calling me out and passing me on. Really appreciate you. Just thought of that Brooklyn boy in Alabama and smiled. Is it roll tide or war eagle country?

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Marc Typo's avatar

Haha half on one side and half on the other. Gotta watch what colors you rep out here.

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Anna Schott's avatar

onions cooking. the smell. nothing better.

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Anna Schott's avatar

Also, we always drive to the edge of town where there is a certain bay tree. For the beans. It's on private property but we look around and if the coast is clear we barge down to the creek to get our haul. I refuse to use those dried out brown things called "bay leaves" that they sell in the bottle at the store.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Herb snobs we be, Anna S

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Teyani Whitman's avatar

Glorious.

I’ll be right over to help chop, and I’ll bring the fresh sage I grew.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Bring it Teyani, we can fry some up or chop some in.

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Teyani Whitman's avatar

Oh how I’d love to take you up on this! Maybe the next time I’m in your area..

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Louanne Greiner's avatar

And do you know what else? You read it out in the nicest way. Thanks. It was fun.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Glad you enjoyed it Louanne

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