Animal Sacrifice

So finally, I return to posting on this good ole blog. There will be many of them today I imagine. I wanted to note down some thoughts that I've pondered on animal sacrifice. I don't understand overall why it's there. It's traditionally explained as some sort of useful memory device that pointed people to Christ's coming and sacrifice. But I don't see how that's a valid point of view. They were without Christ, just as we are now. We have our types, explanations, tools and so forth to "remember him," so why couldn't they use similar ones themselves? We don't need to slay animals now to remember. Other rituals like dances would be just as fruitful without causing suffering. So this is strange stuff.

But then I thought that of course the food was eaten by the priests after the slaying of the animals. We have to slay animals or kill plants ourselves to eat. So if the animals were going to be slain anyway for the purpose of food (in a nontorturous way), then maybe the ritual has purpose. The public killing and burning could bring a communal awareness of what must be done so that we might live as humans. This seems more humane than eating in private boneless meats and forgetting what is done for us to live. So in essence, the animal sacrifice attaches further meaning to an act we already endure. That's useful. Yet, as I'm going through these Biblical sacrifices, it seems that many animals were burned/killed without being eaten at all. This seems extremely wasteful, and contains pointless suffering. So, oh well I tried to think of a meaning for them. Only some do. Last of all, how good is the animal sacrifice for a prefiguring of the atonement? The animals are not voluntarily giving up their lives as sacrifices (not that we could no if they were or not I suppose), so it doesn't equate too well. The blood being spilt could be shown without death, but I guess death is the point. Oh well; seems like another case of human ascendancy.

Why? Why not!

Restaurant Review of Gloria's Little Italy

The majority of Italian restaurants I’ve visited in America have been embellished affairs, with flowers, soft music and reprints of semi-famous paintings adorning the walls. The atmosphere in these restaurants usually consists of every non-table surface being covered with darkly tinted wine bottles and baskets of pasta, tomatoes and garlic. This, however, is not the experience of dining had by most diners in Italy itself. Most Italian trattoria are not nearly this ostentatious, focusing on quality food and value rather than pomp and scenery. Gloria’s Little Italy follows this philosophy, a breath of fresh air in a market drowning in fake Italian music and too many lobster dishes.

Gloria’s is an unassuming, metal-chair-and-plastic-tablecloth kind of establishment. The restaurant, tucked cozily to the side of the kitchen and market section of the store, is lined with shelves holding a wide variety of purchasable imported European goods. The dining room is abuzz with busy staff and regular customers, some holding hushed conversations, some bantering back and forth in both Italian and English.

Upon seating, I asked the waitress (who had neither a Sicilian accent nor a name ending in –a) to suggest a dish for a first-timer. She steered me toward the pesto pasta, a house specialty. While waiting for my entrée, I was treated to a small salad and a few slices of bread. The salad was quite good, with a variety of unusual but tasty lettuces lightly sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The tomatoes, sadly, were rather tasteless and spongy, not unusual considering our location and season. The bread, drizzled with olive oil was warm and inviting, with an unanticipated but satisfying saltiness.

The pesto dish lived up to its billing. Penne pasta, tossed in copious amounts of olive oil-laden pesto sauce, was delightfully smooth and simple. The individual flavors of basil, olive and pine nuts, like harmonies in beautiful music, had been respectfully blended to create a balanced accord bringing out the highlights of each ingredient. The result was eminently rewarding.

The menu at Gloria’s consists almost exclusively of pastas and calzones, ranging in price from $7 - $14. There were select few antipasti or appetizers, one of which, amusingly, is the most expensive item available. There is a range of desserts available: distinctive cakes, flaky pastries and luscious gelato make their appearances, each with unpredictable and varying options. The servings are generous (especially the slices of cake) and the service hurried but friendly. Reservations are suggested for groups and on weekends.

Dining at Gloria’s Little Italy is a great experience. If you’re looking for fancy china, all-you-can eat breadsticks or expensive seafood, you may be better served elsewhere. However, if you want an Italian experience reminiscent of your favorite corner Italian restaurant in Europe, look no further. Gloria’s has the atmosphere, the ingredients and the personality to transport you right back to the outskirts of Florence, Milan or Rome.

Gloria’s Little Italy

279 E. 300 S.

(801) 805-4913

Ethical fragment

We mock the less fortunate to our own denouncement. When we see those around us that are ugly or awkward or dumb, we only indict ourselves by comparing ourselves to them. The less fortunate have the same desires for success, comfort, love, learning and acceptance as we do and often far less fortuity in achieving such. There is a struggle for these extremely important emotional needs that we simply do not face when things are easy for us. We often miss out on that struggle and the personal inglorious glory that comes with such a battle.

Do we put such persons on a pedestal, to learn from and idolize? Certainly not. Wishing or seeking for misfortune will only land is in bad situations without the natural processes that lead to the painful yet beautiful trial.

Do we pity them, for the mental anguish and their lack of whatever-it-be that causes their unhappy situation. We cannot. To pity is to make an even deeper mockery of the solemn life of the tried. We often reveal only our own glaring pride and ignorance by pitying the suffering.

How then, do we approach the weirdos, those people that make us squirm and take another path? How do we treat the over-friendly nerd in our class, the girl whose vocabulary is mostly the term "like"? How can we interact with the smelly, the socially awkward, the un-cool? Only with respect. We can give them the deepest respect for fighting through something we may never fight, facing disappointments that we cannot even fathom. It is a personal charge they (we?) face, the moment of self-realization when our weaknesses shine through and our precious self-deception disappears. Let us recognize these as fellow-beings and admire their courageous struggle, offering a hand of friendship and acceptance.

Yeah yeah yeah

Ok, everyone, I'm back. I know it's been a while, but when Brad makes fun of me for not writing in my blog I know things have gone a bit far. Thanks, Bradders...

Things have been good. I've been surviving the post-europe letdown fairly well. Christmas break was good, it involved a fair amount of working which was probably a good thing, preventing me from going completely and totally insane. I am absolutely pumped for school to start, I have enough cool classes to make me run around like a giddy schoolgirl. Schoolboy, perhaps? Martin and I have an independent study class that will be great. Why, you ask? Here's a taste: Tomorrow we get together to eat, talk and prepare a syllabus to present to our teacher.

How often does one make one's own syllabus?

That class is on Kierkegaard. Other good classes involve Nietschze, German, French Theology (focusing on Jean-Luc Marion and some other dud who's name escapes me currently) and "writing about food". Writing about food should be cool. Class will often involve tastings and restaurant visits. Not bad...

Well, that's it for now. I'll write more next time I'm up too late and feel postish.

Whew!

Well, there it is. After 4 surprisingly long days of studies, finals are finally over. The flu-like symptoms didn't help much. How'd they go?

German: Basically, I think I aced it. That means I probably didn't and will be rudely surprised
Fine Arts: Confidently filled out every question (just like the midterm), hopefully I won't be derailed by questionable grading methods (just like the midterm)
Religion: Had some trouble with the "random facts about the church in Denmark in 1871" section but it went well otherwise...
History: Easy, baby! If you spend enough time reciting the history of Austria in your head all you have to do is write it down. Hurrah for short term memory!



Quite a relief, now we can relax and try to enjoy our last few days in Vienna. It's nice here. Sadly, I was talking to a Viennese kid earlier and he was flabbergasted that I liked it here and reiterated over an over how much better America is than Vienna. Sad! He lives in one of the coolest cities in the world and doesn't even care. I hope I never take America for granted like that, lousy food or not.

I'm so excited to get back to dollars. You have no idea. Food at a restaurant for only 10-12 bucks? Amazing! So cheap! Movies for less than 15 dollars? Great! I'll watch two! Exchange rates are lousy when you're at the wrong end. It was all fun and games in Thailand buying dinner for $1.25 but now things are serious.

mmm....Vanilla Kipferl are tasty....

If anyone has any tasty European chocolate orders you'd better put them in now. As in now. I'm leaving soon. Who knows, maybe Santa will be nice to ya!

Did I tell you about Frankfurt? It was great!!! We spent almost all our time at the temple but did get to go into town once. They had a lego store!!! Whoohooo! I immediately reverted to a 9 year old.

The temple there has a guesthouse (like a hostel) and a cafeteria so we were pretty much self-contained there for the 2.5 days of the trip. Oh, and the two 9 hour bus rides? WAAAY too much fun. Sleeping on a bus leads to temporary insanity, it turns out:


While in Frankfurt, we went to an activity that involved gingerbread houses. While people made beautiful chateaus, replicated historical landmarks and so forth, I designed...

Gummy bear hell

27 individual methods of death and dismemberment!!!

Notice the lovely cubist design. Notice the suffering. Notice the European snobbishnish. You bet I've learned something about art!

Oh, and at the stake center in Frankfurt they had drinking fountains. Understand, that was the first fountain I'd seen in Europe since the old mosque in Granada. In August. AMAZING



Went to Cafe Sperl yesterday. Cafes here are SO cool. I am going to desperately miss them. Are there any good European style cafes in Provo? SLC? I need to find one to fritter my time away in and become a true turn-of-the-century existentialist. hmmm...I'll need to take up smoking and wear black clothes too...maybe I'll settle for hot chocolate and a hoodie. Martin, our destiny as useless philosophers calls!

Tasty treat of the week comes from a Frankfurt market:


Ok, gotta go. Wien calls!


P.S. On a slightly more menacing note, the gummies have started to revolt against my tyrannical rule...

...silly gummies...

This is WAR!!!!

More smatterings from Vienna

Today was pretty crazy, we got up early and went to hear the Vienna Boys’ Choir sing for Mass at the Hofburg Capelle. We were only able to stand in the doorway, which was a bummer, but they were quite good. We were watching them on a TV screen and even though they are world-class singers they’re still just little boys. They fidget, pick at their shoes and almost fall asleep. Funny little fellas!

I went to church in my German ward (for the last time) and had a temple interview with the bishop afterwards that was in German! Fortunately, I’ve had enough of those that I know the questions pretty well. Anyhow, to make a long story short, we’re going to the Frankfurt temple this weekend. I’ll tell you how it went when I get back (it may take a while, finals are next week. Bleh!)

We went to Wagner’s Kirche Am Steinhof, a Jugenstil church here in Vienna. It’s a modern architecture church, very different and cool.

We couldn’t get in on Thursday but we saw there was a concert there on Sunday. So we went back today and saw the concert. It was awesome! Organ, choral and violin concert.

Earlier in the week we went to the central cemetery. Graves there include Amerling, Schubert, Schonberg, Brahms, Beethoven (!) and Strauss. How crazy! They also have a Jugendstil church called the Dr.-Karl-Lueger kirche with a beautiful interior. Check out the inside of this dome!

Went to the Albertina museum this week which featured a exhibit on Impressionism called “From Monet to Picasso”. Loved it! My favorites were the paintings in the “Pointillist” style. Here are a few examples:

Signac

Feininger

The Monet stuff was also beautiful. I especially like his gardens.

Speaking of museums, we also went to Belvedere palace a learned about 20^th century art. I’m not a fan of Gustav Klimt. Not at all. I liked some of the expressionist stuff I saw and I loved a piece by Max Oppenheimer called “The Philharmonic”:

Anyhow, I’ve finally found some painting styles that I really like…

A small group of us went to Baden, a small town near Vienna, on Saturday. Baden means “baths” and it is aptly named. There are loads of natural heated baths in the town. We went to one called Romerthelle and it was great! 4 different pools of different temperatures and most of them had fountains and jets, etc. The large cooler pool also had underwater music and a reflective roof that you could look at and watch yourself swim around if you were on your back. It was like a video game as I maneuvered myself around, staring at the ceiling, trying to bonk into my friends’ heads while they weren’t paying attention. Hahahahaha! I was quite successful.

Oh! Cafes! We went to some great cafes this week! First was Café central, a old school, famous café in Vienna. We had dinner there and some cake. It is very stately, expensive and nice. It’s the kind of place that you can just sit all day and read, talk and listen to the piano player. They have free newspapers from all over the world that you can read and they’ll never kick you out. Perfect for itinerant philosophers!

We also went to Café Hawelka, a very different experience. A dark, extremely smoky place with tiny tables and tons of people. They serve fresh jam filled buns after 10 PM which we sampled. We also had dark hot chocolate which made the whole experience seem all the more gritty and fantastic.

As you can see, it was a brilliant week. Another one coming as I pack it all in before the end!