Baking Cakes in Kigali Virtual Book Discussion

Posted on July 14, 2010 by beckyajohnson

Baking Cakes in Kigali: A Novel by Gaile Parkin. Published in 2009.

Synopsis: Angel Tungaraza, a Tanzanian woman, has relocated to Rwanda’s capital along with her husband and five grandchildren. Living in a new, expat-oriented apartment complex, Angel operates a small business baking cakes for special occasions. A creative cake artist indeed, Angel always makes tea for her customers while inviting them to look through her photo album of previous cakes she’s made for inspiration. In this environment, customers open up to her and share their experiences as survivors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, and people away from their home countries. While genocide, AIDS, suicide and female genital cutting are underlying themes, the novel generally has an upbeat tone.

About the Author: Zambian by birth, Gaile Parkin spent two years in Rwanda as a VSO volunteer. Many stories and characters in this book are based on or inspired by her experiences there. This is her debut novel.

Becky’s Initial Reactions

First of all, let me say that I loved the character of Angel. I think central to this book is that she is an ‘outsider.’ She is not Rwandan, so her neighbors, friends and customers feel they can open up to her and share their experiences with her from the genocide, losing family members, spouses cheating on them, and why they are working as commercial sex workers (I loved Jeanne D’Arc’s story as well). From my time as an expat, these were somewhat my experiences also, and I was often caught off-guard by how open and honest people were with me.

I was a bit surprised (but should I have been?) that the most ‘oppressed’ character in the book seemed to be Jenna, the American and wife of a supposed-CIA agent. Imagine a husband who wouldn’t let you leave the house on your own or develop a life of your own? The two Indian women appeared to sequester themselves of their own volition – germophobic reasons indeed. The African women – Amina standing up to her own culture and not allowing her daughter to be cut, Françoise and Odile as true survivors of the genocide with their own tragic stories to tell, the seventeen-year-old Jeanne D’Arc raising her siblings on her own since before she was even a teenager – these were all stories of powerful women, and Angel seemed to be the biggest feminist of all.

I’m not big on looking for symbolism in books, but I think the phrase on that piece of Ghanaian fabric Angel bought for Leocadie’s wedding sums up her role in the book – Help me and let me help you. Angel is the mother of the entire community, always giving out encouragement and advice – but it is the community and her friends who help her come to terms with her daughter’s death and their estrangement before that.

While the unique characters were mostly likeable (except for that Canadian, Dave and perhaps The CIA, Rob), at times it seemed there were too many and you never got to know most of them on a deeper level.  I didn’t mind too much that the novel was not largely plot driven, and I appreciated both the anecdotal nature and sub-plots that drove the book.

Overall, I would give the book 4 stars out of 5 – I liked it a lot.

Enough from me, what did you all think of the book? Any particular characters or parts of the storyline that you particularly loved or hated? For those of you who have been to Rwanda, did you think it painted an accurate picture of contemporary, post-Genocide life there? Any questions you have for other readers?

Next Up : In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church by Gina Welch. Discussion begins July 29th, 2010.

Posted in Around the World Virtual Book Club, Movie Reviews/Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Baking Bread from Scratch

Posted on July 12, 2010 by beckyajohnson

I had such a good time making homemade blueberry pancakes the other day, that today I was up for an even bigger challenge: baking bread from scratch. I’ll admit that at first I was a bit ambitious, and had thoughts of whipping up some jalapeno-chocolate chip bread. The problem? I didn’t have a recipe for this, so would just have to make it up as I went along. My husband, knowing too well my previous kitchen troubles, suggested I start with a simple recipe for basic white bread.

When was the last time you read the ingredients on the bag of your store bought bread? We bought our’s at a health food store and it contains soybean oil, lactylate, calcium peroxide, datem, and soy lecithin, among about 35 other ingredients. Homemade bread? All it takes is a package of active dry yeast, 1/4 cup of warm water, 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 6 cups of all-purpose flour, and a bit of melted butter.

Start by combining the yeast with the warm water in a small bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, butter and salt and wait about 10 minutes for it to cool. Next add the yeast mixture and egg. Gradually add the flour 2 cups at a time and stir well. Here, electric mixers come in handy, but since I have none, I used a wooden spoon until it was so gummy I had to use my hands. Note to self: next time flour your hands good before touching dough. You’ll end up with a blob that looks something like this:

Now comes the fun part – kneading the dough. Sprinkle your clean countertop liberally with flour, otherwise you’ll end up with another sticky mess. I kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes to give it a good consistency.

When you’re happy with the dough, place it back into the now-cleaned out bowl that is greased with butter. I also added a bit of melted butter to the top of the dough for good measure. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it sit for about 1.5 hours, and when you come back the dough has magically doubled in size. This time the dough looked a lot prettier.

Next is the super fun part: punch the dough. I had to call my mom to ask how to do this correctly, and she basically said, ‘make a fist and, well, punch it down.” I ended up punching it about 5 times for good measure.

Leave it sit for another 10 minutes. Then divide the dough in half. Here’s where a rolling pin would have come in handy, but, alas I have none. Nevertheless I was able to form the two halves into what looked seemingly like bread loaves. The two bread pans definitely helped (don’t forget to grease the sides first and drizzle a little more melted butter over the top of the bread). Cover and let sit for another 45-60 minutes once in the bread pans.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the bread bake for 40-45 minutes. I left mine in for 45 minutes, and my seemed a bit overcooked. When the bread is done, it should be a golden brown and the loaf should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the pans and leave the loaves to sit on your countertop for at least 1 hour before you even think about cutting into it. The finished product, with  a little pat of butter, was simply divine.

The con to baking bread from scratch is that it is pretty much an all-day activity that requires you to be home and check on it just about every hour. It’s not bad if you’re self-employed and work from home like me, but not as easy for someone who works outside of the home. My mom swears by her breadmaker – it’s less time-consuming and you still get that great smell of fresh-made bread in your house.

Now about that chocolate chip-jalapeno bread. A couple of years ago, when I was going through a massive sweet tooth phase, I bought a book called 500 Cupcakes. My favorite recipe in that book is the vodka-chocolate chip-jalapeno cupcake, which happens to combine my favorite 3 food/drink items ever (especially good if you use Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka and also sip some while you assemble the cupcakes). I’m not sure how vodka would work in bread, but stay tuned for a future post as I attempt to create the perfect chocolate chip-jalapeno bread recipe.

Posted in The Simple Living Experiment | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

New Simple Living Series & Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

Posted on July 9, 2010 by beckyajohnson

In my quest to lead a more simple life, I love Erin Bried’s new book How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things your Grandmother Knew. At times, I feel that the more convenience products that are marketed and we are persuaded into buying, the more our lives become increasily busy and hectic. I for one do not want to become so much in debt that I am a slave to work, and I don’t want to buy into the culture of needing to check my e-mail every fifteen minutes. We live in a time where jobs and investments can disappear at any more, and the need to become more self-reliant is ever more apparent.  As Bried sums it up in her book:

What is simultaneously comforting and alarming about my domestic incompetence is that I am hardly alone. I’m joined by millions of women, GenXers and Gen Yers, who either have consciously rejected household endeavors in favor of career or, even more likely, were simply raised in the ultimate age of convenience and consumerism. Why do for ourselves, we shrug, when we can pay someone else to do it for us?

We have now entered what experts are calling the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Suddenly, not knowing how to cook my own meals, care for my own house, iron my own shirts, even make my own entertainment (hello, cable!) seems not only disempowering, but also downright irresponsible.

Last December, when I posted my blog The End of the Age of Materialism, I had intended to write more about my experiments in simple living. So far I haven’t been that successful. But today I hope to start something new – a series of blog posts (about one per week) focused on tips in simple living. Some posts will be inspired by Erin Bried’s book, others from my own experiences in try to reject over-consumerism and over-consumptionism. Yes, I will also continue my adventure and activist blog posts, and I’m super excited about my new Around the World Virtual Book Club.

My husband will be the first to point out that I am not the most skilled person in the kitchen, and this morning I attempted to make blueberry pancakes from scratch. We do make pancakes and waffles quite a bit at home, but I generally cheat and use Bob’s Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Whole Grain Mix.

For 2 servings, the ingredients are pretty simple: 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of canola oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 cup on blueberries.

First, mix the egg, milk, oil and sugar in a large bowl. As I am a super simpleton, I don’t even own electric mixers, and an egg whisk works pretty good. Next, add the flour, salt, and baking powder and stir with a spoon. Finally add the blueberries and your batter is ready to go.

As I don’t own a griddle either, I used a large frying pan. Setting my stovetop to medium, I added about 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the pan for each round of pancakes. The biggest challenge for me was waiting for the pancake batter to bubble enough to indicate it was time to flip it over. My impatience led to one semi-mutilated pancake in the first round of cooking.

After three rounds of two pancakes each in the frying pan, breakfast was served. We applied 100% Grade A maple syrup from Canada liberally (forget about the imposters made with high-fructose corn syrup). The husband’s verdict? Not too bad, but I think he like the Bob’s Red Mill batter a bit better.

Posted in DIY, The Simple Living Experiment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Around the World Virtual Book Club

Posted on July 1, 2010 by beckyajohnson

In keeping with the theme of my blog, “Reflections from an Activist and Adventurer,” I invite you to join my Around the World Virtual Book Club. Over the next year, I’ll be reading and reviewing 25 books – fiction, memoir, classics, Pulitzer Prize winners – written by North American and foreign writers alike. Every 2 weeks, I’ll be starting a new discussion thread, following the calendar below. Join me in reading and commenting on a particular book that suits your fancy, or challenge yourself to read all 25.

1. Baking Cakes in Kigali: A Novel by Gaile Perkin (Discussion begins July 15th, 2010) – A debut novel mixing together expat life in Rwanda’s capital with themes such as culture, tradition, womanhood, AIDS and genocide.

2. In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church by Gina Welch (Discussion begins July 29th, 2010) – Born and raised a secular Jew, Welch relocates to the heart of the Bible belt in Lynchburg, Virginia. On an undercover mission to learn more about her new neighbors, this memoir reflects on her immersion as a member of Jerry Fallwell’s mega-church.

3. Spooky Little Girl: A Novel by Laurie Notaro (Discussion begins August 12th, 2010) – Described by reviewers as a humorous account of life in the hereafter, this is the latest release from the author of The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club.

4. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Discussion begins August 26th, 2010) – The latest collection of short stories by the up-and-coming Nigerian writer.

5. Things I’ve Been Silent About: Memories of a Prodigal Daughter by Azar Nafisi (Discussion begins September 9th, 2010) – A follow-up to the internationally acclaimed Reading Lolita in Tehran, this memoir from Iranian writer Azar Nafisi explores her unhappy family life.

6. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Discussion begins September 23rd, 2010) – Written in 1966, a classic novel about murder and the criminal mind.

7. Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel by Isabel Allende (Discussion begins October 7th, 2010) – Newly released historical fiction from renowned Chilean author Isabel Allende.

8. Girl in Translation: A Novel by Jean Kwok (Discussion begins October 21st, 2010) – A coming-of-age debut novel about a young Chinese girl who immigrates with her mother from Hong Kong to Brooklyn.

9. Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody (Discussion begins November 4th, 2010) – Memoir from my favorite (Academy Award winning) screenwriter Diablo Cody, who penned Juno  and Jennifer’s Body.

10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Discussion begins November 18th, 2010) – Science-fiction classic about book burning firemen.

11. Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren (Discussion begins December 2nd, 2010) – Newly released memoir from a former American stripper/call girl turned concubine to the Sultan of Brunei’s younger brother.

12. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (Discussion begins December 16th, 2010) – Released in 1962, the book that help set off the modern environmental movement.

13. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Discussion begins December 30th, 2010) – From the author of The Kite Runner, a novel about life in a Taliban-run world.

14. The Almost Moon: A Novel by Alice Sebold (Discussion begins January 13th, 2011) – From the best-selling author of The Lovely Bones, this novel has had mixed reviews. Decide for yourself.

15. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert (Discussion begins January 27th, 2011) – With all the hype around this book, and my obsession with international travel, I can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet.

16. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Discussion begins February 10th, 2011) – Published in 1949, a political satire of a totalitarian world.

17. The Same Earth: A Novel by Kei Miller (Discussion begins February 24th, 2011) – A coming-of-age novel about a young Jamaican woman who leaves her country for England after the 1974 devasting hurricane.

18. Anthropology of an American Girl: A Novel by Hilary Thayer Hamman (Discussion begins March 10th, 2011) – The 2010 revised release of the 2003 self-published epic sensation.

19. The Lovers: A Novel by Vendela Vida (Discussion begins March 24th, 2011) – I loved Vida’s novel Let the Northern Lights Release Erase Your Name. This new release is set in Turkey.

20. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Discussion begins April 7th, 2011) – 2009 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this interconnected collection of short stories is set in Maine.

21. March: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks (Discussion begins April 21st, 2011) – This 2006 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction retells the story of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women from the point of view of their absent father.

22. Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl who Couldn’t Stop Praying (Among Other Things) by Abby Sher (Discussion begins May 5th, 2011) – A newly released memoir about the author’s struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

23. A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice by Malalai Joya (Discussion begins May 19th, 2011) – Autobiography of an Afghan activist.

24. Stranger than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk (Dicussion begins June 2nd, 2011) – The book club selection from my husband, a collection from the Pacific Northwest-based writer of Fight Club.

25. Animal Farm by George Orwell (Discussion begins June 16, 2011) – Required reading when I was in the seventh grade I missed the satire, so I think I should re-read this 1946 classic.

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Road Trip to Great Basin National Park

Posted on June 13, 2010 by beckyajohnson

This past Thursday my husband and I made the 6-hour trek up north from Las Vegas to Great Basin National Park, one of the newest and least visited national parks in the United States. Despite the surprisingly winter-like weather for the middle of June, it was well worth the trip. Here are some spots worth checking out along the journey:

Half-way between Las Vegas and Ely lies the town of Caliente, Nevada (population 1,123 – which makes it one of the largest towns we passed through along our journey). Several restaurants are situated along US-93 in town. We chose to eat at the Knotty Pine merely because of it’s name. We were so impressed by the quality of food and service in this typical American diner that we ate lunch here on our trip to Great Basin and stopped again for breakfast on our trip home. Standard diner fare is served up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had the ‘diet plate’ – a 4-ounce grilled chicken breast served with cottage cheese and raw veggies while my husband tried a mushroom Swiss burger and raved about the French fries. According to my husband, their biscuits and gravy are worth a special trip from Vegas as well. A small lounge is attached to the restaurant with a full bar and a handful of slot machines.

The Knotty Pine Restaurant in Caliente, Nevada serves up wholesome American diner fare with great service and great prices.

Arriving at Great Basin National Park in mid-afternoon on Thursday, we learned that their 2 lower campgrounds were already full for the night. We opted to stay at Wheeler Peak Campground at 10,000-feet elevation, which without running water, only cost $6 per night. The campground was sparsely populated and the scenery absolutely pristine, but we woke up the following morning to 30-degree Fahrenheit temperatures and later snow! A fast approaching storm cut our camping experience short, so we were only able to enjoy 1-full day in this great park.

The view we were blessed to wake up to at Wheeler Peak Campground, Great Basin National Park.

Friday morning we went on a 90-minute tour of Lehman Caves, the centerpiece of the park. I bought my tickets in advance over the telephone and I was glad I did. Although we would have likely been able to get on a tour later in the day, we learned that over 40,000 people visit the caves each summer and our tour was sold out with 21 people. I would definitely recommend the 90-minute tour over the 60-minute one. There is not much difference in price and you get to see far more of the cave.

Inside Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park

In the afternoon, we had hoped to hike the 2.6 mile Alpine Lakes Trail that passes by Stella and Teresa Lakes, or the 4.6 mile Bristlecone/Glacier Trail that passes by 4,000 year-old trees and the southernmost glacier in the United States. Both trails leave from near Wheeler Peak Campground and were covered in snow and nearly impossible to navigate. We met some other folks on the trail who were on snowshoes and commented that this had been a late winter. By June of last year, we would have had better luck hiking and being able to follow a trail.

Lehman Creek runs through Wheeler Peak Campground. Snow covered much of the hiking trails in mid-June.

The weather forced us down the mountain a day earlier than we had anticipated, and we were lucky to grab 1 of 3 rooms that was left at the Historic Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall in Ely, Nevada, about 65 miles west of Great Basin National Park. This 63-room hotel, built in 1929, has rooms starting from $38.85 per night (tax included). The hospitality here reminded me of what Vegas used to be. Upon check-in we received coupons for 1 complimentary draft beer each, 1 complimentary margarita each, and $2 free blackjack play each. Two nights at this hotel meant twice as many coupons.

The historic Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall, built in 1929 in Ely, Nevada.

The budget rooms are clean and comfortable, but nothing fancy. The more expensive suites are named after famous people who have stayed at the hotel over the years (Wayne Newton, Lyndon Johnson). The halls are decorated with historic Old West kitsch, pioneer inspired murals, and old newspaper clippings. The hotel’s cafe serves up decent food at reasonable prices. In the basement, I tried my hand at blackjack for the first time in my life and came out $5 ahead (I’m a pretty conservative gambler).

Friday night we walked nearly the entire length of Aultman Street, the main street in town and nearly 2 miles long, for dinner at the Prospector Cafe at the Prospector Hotel & Casino. The evening special was 1-pound of crab legs for $15.95, and includes soup or salad, starch and veggies. I opted for the chicken dinner, which I had been craving all week, and was suprisingly good for only $11. This was enough food for 2 people – half a fried chicken dipped in a honey batter, salad, corn on the cob, cole slaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, and bread rolls.

Saturday was raining nearly all day, so we bought tickets on the Northern Nevada Railway. This national historic landmark has the same designation as the White House and Independence Hall. For $24, one can take a 90-minute guided ride on the 100+ year stream train, followed by an optional hour tour of the shop/museum where they build and repair trains. Special trains are occassionally offered throughout the year – chocolate dessert trains, dinner trains, 4th of July fireworks trains, haunted Halloween trains, and a polar express train around the holidays.

The historic steam train we rode on at the Northern Nevada Railway in Ely, Nevada.

On the train ride back, we passed the Big 4 Ranch and Stardust brothels, the conductor proudly boasting that “prostitution is legal in Nevada.” One of the girls who works at Big 4 Ranch came outside to wave at the train, and my husband and I noticed the sign that read “Bar Open.” Our options still limited by rain to explore outdoor activities, we decided to give the brothel’s bar a try. We enjoyed several drinks here while chatting with one of the girls and the bartender.

This painting is the backdrop of the bar at the Big 4 Ranch, the oldest legal brothel still in use in the state of Nevada.

While the trip didn’t quite turn out as we had planned, it was a great escape from the craziness of Vegas into northern Nevada territory where people are much more friendly, life is much slower and simpler, and people are not overly obsessed with blackberries. This was also a great recession-proof trip, with the entire 4-day trip costing around $350 for two people.

Posted in Becky's Adventures, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments