It seems a strange tradition, to bake a cake and light it on fire to celebrate one’s day of birth. But there it is — it’s a widespread occurrence, and one can’t help but wonder how far back it goes or how it came about. Maybe it originated in a busy farm culture, where the…
Category: Historical Reconstructions
Hot Eggs and the Formation of the Earth
One day, back when I was living in a trailer park in Te Puke, New Zealand, I boiled an egg. Now, if I am eager to eat a recently boiled egg, it is my custom, once the egg is done, to remove it from the heat and add cold water and let it overflow in…
Visual Riddles: Justin’s Mess
It had been a busy Sunday. I illegally swam to an unnamed island to check up on a stash of hidden books, purchased bacon, attended Port Moody’s Car Free Day, and roommate made a large quantity of vegan nachos, I baked a loaf of molasses bread, and baked my first loaf of molasses bread based…
Visual Riddles: California
Was this breakfast hastily abandoned, or mindfully intended for another day?
Enemy Days: the Rabbit, the Cross, the Sword, and the Stone
A rooster had been struck by a stray bolt of this lightning, and had grown to the size of a stallion. It crowed with a yearning for the blood of its enemies. Jesus crowed in answer, and so great was the thunder in his voice that every woman in sight of the mountain bore a child on the spot.