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September 9, 2021

The There There Letter: Marshmallow, Marlowe, and Malbec

Three things from DAH.

DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Waiting for Godot … it's all symbiosis, according to Beckett. 

First up this week, Marshmallow …  
For most of my life a marshmallow was just a puffy sweet white thing that came mass-produced in a clear plastic bag. Then, a few years ago, I was offered "homemade" marshmallows, which were distinctly different from, and superior to, the bland white pillows I'd grown up with. Since then I've noticed plenty of "artisan" marshmallows, all striving to be special. I shouldn't need a reminder that experience with one version of anything isn't the same as experience with all versions of that thing. But it's so easy and convenient to write things off after glancing contact with an inadequate sample.
The Long, Sweet History of Marshmallows

Second up this week, Marlowe …  
Just one of those things. Just one of those stumbled-upon things. I'm a fan of Raymond Chandler's books featuring Philip Marlowe. I'm also quite interested in Christopher Marlowe, the spy and play-writing contemporary of Shakespeare. The other day I wondered why Chandler chose the name Marlowe, because I noticed Chandler's The Long Goodbye and Charles Nicholl's The Reckoning  together on a bookshelf. So, I looked it up online: "Chandler was said to have taken the name Marlowe from Marlowe House, to which he belonged during his time at Dulwich College. Marlowe House was named for Christopher Marlowe, a hard-drinking Elizabethan writer who graduated in philosophy and worked secretly for the government." Thank you, Wikipedia, for assisting with my continuing education.
The Mysterious Death of Christopher Marlowe

Third up this week, Malbec …  
If asked about Malbec, most wine drinkers would say it was a red wine, and several would add that it was from Argentina. A smaller number might recognize Malbec as one of the six grapes allowed in the red wines of Bordeaux. A tiny subset of those would know about the "black wines" of Cahors (southwest France). These days, inexpensive Argentinian Malbec is so ubiquitous that one might be forgiven for thinking that's all you need know: dark, decent, Patagonian plonk. Myself, I like those Cahors wines, still a bit of a brooding discovery. Keep your corkscrew and wineglass ready for new experiences with grapes about which you thought you knew all. 
How malbec scaled the heights

And a bit more: 

Toasting Marshmallows, by Kristine O’Connell George 

I am a careful marshmallow toaster,
a patient marshmallow roaster,
turning my stick oh-so-slowly,
taking my time, checking often.
This is art---
a time of serious reflection
as my pillowed confection
slowly reaches golden perfection.
 
My brother
            grabs ‘em with grubby hands
                        shoves ‘em on the stick
                                    burns ‘em to a crisp
                                                cools ‘em off
                                                            flicks soot
                                                                        eats quick.
 
I’m still turning my stick.
He’s already eaten six.

And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …  
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it. 

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