Pat Taub
Neighborhood Sightings
I love it when my neighborhood walks yield unexpected delights. Here’s an example from this week: a compassionate door sign and modest pansy trio gracing the curb.
A Neighborhood Take-Out
Feeling bored, I turned on the TV and chanced upon the cooking show, “Chopped,” where chefs compete for the winning dish created from improbable combinations like dried fish and candied popcorn. The segment I watched was from 2019 when Portland chef, Natalie DiBenedetto, owner of Figgy’s take-out fried chicken stand, was the winner. Out of loyalty I ventured to Figgy’s this week, savoring my fried chicken dinner. It’s always feels good to sponsor neighborhood establishments.
Exterminate All the Brutes
This week I watched the riveting HBO documentary series, Exterminate All the Brutes, created by the brilliant director Raoul Peck, who also made the film, I Am Not Your Negro, about James Baldwin. Exterminate traces the origins of white supremacy and genocide to “The Age of Discovery,” This was the era when European and American explorers claimed their discoveries for their respective countries, massacring the natives who lived there. The title is taken from Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” This series is among the most radical and important TV I’ve seen.
A Mother’s Day Gift
Yesterday I received my Mother’s Day gift from the grands, purchased no doubt by their mother. I’m delighted when my family gets me. Here’s an image of the Mother’s Day tote sent to me.
A Good Read
The other night I finished the novel, Such A Fun Age, by Kiley Reid. It’s a spellbinding story of a wealthy young white mother and her Black baby sitter who are confronted with their ideas of race and class when the sitter, Emira, is accused of kidnapping her white three-year-old charge. Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed, a plot twist threw me. The surprises never let up.
