Monthly Archives: July 2011
FREE RANGE: FOOD, NATURE, PLACE, AND MORE
Food science: Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, and the Old Testament
When I was in seminary, my Old Testament professor Michael Floyd spent some considerable time and effort trying to disabuse us students of the thought that we were somehow more spiritually advanced than our ancient Israelite ancestors who codified the … Continue reading
Posted in Food
Tagged C. P. Snow, food science, Gastronomica, Leviticus, Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, processed food, purity codes
1 Comment
Unexpected connections
Only connect! (E. M. Forster) The world is getting smaller, we are told. New technologies are bringing what used to be distant, unknown, and unattainable, to our desktops and telephones; we can communicate instantly with people on different continents, sharing … Continue reading
Silos: my beef with Freeman Dyson
I have a bone to pick with Freeman Dyson, professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and generally acknowledged scientific genius. I bet he’s really nervous. On a recent trip to Aspen, I picked up The Best … Continue reading
A river runs through me
“Oh, it’s all very well to talk,” said the Mole, rather pettishly, he being new to a river and riverside life and its ways. A river, even one as dammed and sluggish as the Colorado in Austin, is a great … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged Austin, Colorado River, fly-fishing, Kenneth Grahame, stand-up paddling, Tink Pinkard
4 Comments
Field notes from Madroño Ranch: bison and birds
This is a bird-and-bison-intensive kitchen sink of a blog post; even Martin’s most focused editorial ministrations will be of no avail in trying to flush out some kind of narrative thread. To lend it at least an illusion of coherence, … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged birds, bison, fly-fishing, Madroño Ranch, Thunder Heart Bison, Tink Pinkard
Leave a comment