WWBD?

I just added another nobly quixotic cause to my list of, well, nobly quixotic causes -- the anti-white merlot campaign. The people at this site have two things: too much free time and a point. White merlot is an unnatural, freakish thing that needs to be given a quick death. Just ask yourself -- What Would Bacchus Drink?

Pink Stinks! Join the Red Army here.
[Pink:: Stinks]

hat tip: bitchalicious

Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Blue Cheese Risotto

4 servings

7 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 tbsp butter
11/4 cups finely chopped onion
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into ½ inch dice.
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary, divided
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
½ cup whipping cream
½ freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Bring 7cups broth to boil in large saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to low.

Melt butter in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 mins. Add squash and 1½ teaspoons rosemary; sauté 4 minutes to coat with butter. Add rice and stir 2 mins. Add wine and simmer until evaporated, about 1 min. Add 7 cups hot broth, bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy and slightly soupy, adding more broth by ¼ cupfuls as needed to maintain consistency and stirring occasionally, about 18 mins. Stir in spinach, cream, and Parmesan cheese.

Transfer risotto to large bowl. Sprinkle with blue cheese and remaining ½ teaspoon rosemary and serve.

Source: Bon Appétit

For the Well-Dressed Revolutionary

When you revolutionize -- accessorize! Check out the lovely and talented TulipGirl for more Orange paraphenalia.

Animism and the "Little Death"

The Duchess and I were discussing sex and paganism today, in between meetings and homeschooling. We realized how much sense the concept of sex as a "little death" makes if you're an animist who thinks in terms of spiritual energy.

How else would such a mind interpret an act in which a man enters full of vigor and ends up wrung out and exhausted, while the woman often emerges full of new energy? It would be natural to snap to the thought that a transfer of life energy is taking place.

It's in line with the vagina dentata myths which stem from the same anxiety. . .

Cities: A MetroCon Perspective

21st Century Evangelicalism is a suburban/rural religion. There are exceptions, like the wonderful work Tim Keller and the PCA are doing in NYC. But for every Evangelical rhapsodizing about the Big City, there are probably ten others romanticizing living "off the grid" and raising chickens (or at least about a white picket fence in a housing development.) There's still a stigma attached to cities -- sprawling, sinful places full of Catholics and vice.

The Duchess and I are both big city people. While Red State in our values, the idea of actually living in one is a little scary.

So I got to thinking. . . our eternal reward described in Rev. 21 is a city. Which explains why Paris, San Fran, Prague or Budapest all feel like a foretaste of heaven. I'm sure there's some charm to small towns that I've missed, but nothing compares to the energy of the City.

For another city lover, check out Gideon Strauss, one of the sharpest bloggers I know.

Take My Test!

I've finally succumbed to the in(s)anity that is online quizzes, and made up one of my own. . .

You're a Red Stater! Your values and tastes are
those of America's Heartland. Which explains
the gunrack in your minivan.

Are You a Red or Blue Stater?
brought to you by Quizilla

Get Your Chakras in a Twist

The Duchess and I yoga each morning. Because we've excised all the Eastern spiritual hocus-pocus from things, it can be a bit dull at times as I'm not exactly meditating. So today I kicked out the soothing music, and popped in some Franco-Algerian hip hop. While probably doing terrible things to my chakras, it did liven things up a bit. So here's a tip from your friendly neighborhood Discoshaman -- leave off the New Age music and try some Outkast with your next session. . .

Just Say "No" to JC Penney

Kiev is having a huge sale on clothing these days. This is done semiannually, like in much of Europe. It reminded me of America's single best sale -- Dillard's twice a year men's dress clothing mark-down. Find out when it is, and GO THERE.

It's the real thing -- 40-60% off. For the price of a Hi-I'm-A-JC-Penney-Suit suit, you can pick up a Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Armani or Gianfranco Ferré.

Le Sabot Gets Its Feng Shui In Order

Le Sabot Post-Moderne has truly gone Metrosexual. We now have a site beautician/feng shui consultant on-call. Our badly aligned banner has been sending off all sorts of bad energy, and he's already managed to set it right. We're exploring exchanging the hanging clogs for a more auspicious symbol, perhaps a golden junk or a three-legged toad. So in coming days if you get a jolly feeling while reading Le Sabot, it's more than just the lighthearted banter -- it's Sciolist's virtual Chi.

*I'm kidding. Please no one excommunicate poor Sciolist. . .

Dystopian Dread

After watching both Matrix:Revolutions and Equilibrium in recent weeks, I'm feeling a bit angsty about the future. Not so much for the bleak, soulless existence it seems to hold, as for the fact that Nehru collars will apparently be considered the height of style.

That's not a world I choose to live in.

Metrosexual Much?

The incomparable Duchess came across a Metrosexuality Quiz yesterday. While I think it gives a BIT too much emphasis to depilatory queries, it's not bad. I came in with 33 out of 50, which must be close to downtown -- near the border between Metrosexual and Suburbosexual. Or something.

Dorian Gray -- Metro When Metro Wasn't Cool?

We watched League of Extraordinary Gentlemen today on video (available for about $4 American.) More than a little disappointed. The Nautilus was by far the most interesting character in the story, and it's an inanimate object. Skip the movie and use the money you save to by the infinitely superior comic series by Alan Moore. The Duchess and I devoured them when they first came out.

One question... If James Dean was the first teenager, was Dorian Gray the first Metrosexual?

Metrosexuality on a Budget

I just saw at Foxnews.com that Kenneth Cole's profits are way up. I was glad to see it, because he's putting out some great casual day-wear these days. Most of my everyday stuff comes from either him or Donna Karan. He has a very clean, very urban sort of look that has good lines and wearability. The only thing I've been less than impressed with is his suits, which have a good cut to them, but poor fabric quality. But check out his new arrivals, shoes, and outerwear. His watches hold up extremely well. He's not Issey Miyake, but for anyone shopping on a budget Cole's line is worth looking into.

Metrosexuality, Part Deux

I wrote in an earlier post that the rise of metrosexuality wasn't as radical a shift in masculinity as the author seems to believe. This is because metrosexuality brings with it no redefintion of manhood or a man's place in society. It's essentially a matter of style and consumer habits. These are culturally relative and shift throughout history even within a single culture. The average white collar worker of today would seem terribly effete to a 19th Century farmer. He cannot plow, thatch a roof, or slaughter animals. Decidedly girly-man by that era's standards.

Secondly, this isn't a new type of man. There have always been men who appreciated clothing, groomed well, loved opera and cared about thread counts. Bruno Magli and Armani didn't open their first ateliers last week, after all. Previously, however, these people belonged to the upper-middle class. Several factors are widening these tendencies to a larger pool of men:

1. Urbanization tends to make one urbane.

2. More and more people are receiving a higher education. This generally refines a man.

3. Globalization brings with it cosmopolitan influences. European men have always been more prone to the metrosexual end of the spectrum than Americans.

4. Pottery Barnization, the process by which style and design are brought down in price and made accessible to the middle class.

5. The death of Modernism, with it's ugly and sterile utilitarianism.

6. The Pink 90's, and the emphasis on aesthetics and style that seems to inevitably result whenever homosexuality is in apogee in a society (one of its few cultural benefits.)

It seems to me that much of what is meant by the label metrosexual is simply what other eras termed "cultured." If not taken to an extreme, metrosexuality is much closer to the chivalric ideal of martial valor coupled with refinement, sensitivity and a love of beauty than other historic views of manhood. Certainly closer than the sweating jock, the swaggering thug or the sniggering mook -- the three archetypes of Gen X and Y manhood.

Metrosexuality, Part I

The Times today carries a feature I think will eventually cause a lot of buzz. It's entitled Metrosexuals, and deals with the emergence of a new trend -- young, straight, urban guys who defy traditional gender stereotypes. (Registry is free at NYT if you can't access the article.) These are "straight guys who (are) into Diesel jeans, interior design, yoga and Mini Coopers, and who would never think of ordering a vodka tonic without specifying Grey Goose or Ketel One." They like shopping and know how to cook.

The more I thought about the phenomenon, the more sense it made. You have large numbers of upwardly-mobile whites leaving the 'burbs and repopulating the cities. You've had 10 years of the Pink '90s popularizing or at least leeching the stigma from a lot of things that were formerly considered "gay" -- for example grooming, fashion and camp. And there's the trend of the middle classes beginning to appreciate things that were previously reserved for the upper-middle, like interior design, exotic skin treatments, haute couture, mochaccino and the like. How many people knew what salade niçoise or freschetta were 15 years ago?

Lastly, perhaps as America continues to evolve into a neo-imperial power, it's also developing some of the traits of empire, such as decadence. The Metrosexuals sound like they would have gotten on quite well with Wilde and the Decadents.

While not about to 'come out' as a Metrosexual anytime soon, I could identify with much of the article. A lot of what the author has written rings true. But unlike the author, I don't see it as a radical redefinition of masculinity. I'll develop that idea in my next post on the subject.