33 Comments
Jul 31Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

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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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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Can you write a better two word story?

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Than Joshua Nearly? No.

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Jul 31Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

Impactful words, yes, wow.

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Jul 31Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

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

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Lodian!

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

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

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Excellent. Always sautée the onions first.

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I do, I do

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Aug 2Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

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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Aug 2Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

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

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onions cooking. the smell. nothing better.

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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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Herb snobs we be, Anna S

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Jul 31Liked by Tommy Swerdlow

Glorious.

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

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

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

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

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Glad you enjoyed it Louanne

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