One New Thing: Pequeña

Cat and her tacos

Oh boy, we've been dropping the ball on this blog! Kristin's been sick and I've been lazy. That's why this post is going to travel back in time to last Sunday...

Last night I went out to Fort Greene to hang out with my good pal Cat. I told her that I didn't have money for dinner, but I would go and sit with her if she needed to get food. She chose Pequeña and told me I could get a little side. I thought maybe I could spend just a little of my non-existent money on just a little food. But then the waitress handed me the menu and there were chicken enchiladas - one of those foods I just can't say no to. So a meal was ordered and a one new thing blog was born.

But first we ordered a carafe of frozen strawberry margaritas. I haven't had one in so long it was surprising how salty they were. I'm used to my sweet alcoholic beverages so it was a nice change.

Then the food came. Normally I like my Mexican food with a decent amount of spice - this wasn't that kind of food. It was more along the lines of what I consider Tex-Mex (This description may be wrong. I just refer to anything bland as Tex-Mex). But I enjoyed it none the less! The rice was a useless waste of plate, but I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken enchiladas. There was enough that I was able to save one for breakfast. I went to bed like on Christmas Eve, thinking the sooner I go to sleep the sooner I can wake up and open presents! However, in this case opening presents was really eating enchiladas!

If you're wondering where this margarita filled night led us... To Target. To buy Jenga. Which we played the rest of the night while watching Saturday Night Live. Just two single girls in the Big Apple livin' it up!

- Megan Leigh

Read More: Anthropology of An American Girl

I saw Anthropology of An American Girl lying on one of the tables at BookCulture and thought it looked intriguing. One of the reviews said it was like crack! That sounded good. I added it to my list of books to read. Then I saw it for sale for half-price at Goddard's Book Fair. Surely the gods were smiling on me! Or were they?

This book was hideously bad. I so wanted to like it. I made myself finish the whole damn thing, and because it was so bad it dragged on for weeks. I wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt. I really did.

The book follows Evie, an American Girl. We meet her in high school and stay with her past college graduation. Evie is pretty much the worst protagonist ever. She is a non-person. Totally passive, obsessed with her own thoughts, no interest in anything going on outside her head. She gets buffeted about by the men in her life like a paperdoll on a rainy day. Evie oozes through the book like a spineless, mute blob, but we are given to understand that everybody finds her irresistible. Reading this book is like getting stuck in the head of the most self-absorbed, vacant person you know.

Then there is the title. Unbeknownst to the author, anthropology refers to the study of humans. Plural. Groups of people. So the title "Anthropology of The American Girl" would make sense. "Anthropology of An American Girl" doesn't make sense.

Still, I thought maybe the author had a plan. After all, teenagers are self-absorbed. Maybe the writing was so overwrought because it was supposed to be like a real teenager's thoughts. Maybe she called it Anthropology of An American Girl, because a self-indulgent teenage girl would make the mistake of perceiving her own solitary thoughts as something of grand importance, something representative of an entire group. Maybe all this nonsense was culminating in some big ending that would make sense of everything. So I kept reading.

And then I finished, finally, and knew for sure that it was all not worth it. This book seems like a pretty transparent re-imagining of the author's own girlhood. It's almost embarrassing to read it. It doesn't seem like the passage of years has provided any perspective or wisdom in this case. It's really rare that I dislike books. I'm pretty easy to please. But this book was painful to read. Two thumbs down!

-Kristin

Read More: Sybil Exposed

Update: Well, what a horrifying book. This poor kid has pernicious anemia, she gets dizzy and woozy and acts strange, and instead of getting treated she falls into the hands of a mad psychiatrist and ends up drug addled with a multiple personality disorder diagnosis!

I can totally picture Elliot making up lies about me after I die, just like Sybil did about her mom. So I hope all of you are ready to stand up for me! You'd better defend my reputation, so people don't think I sneak around the town at night doing witchcraft and defecating in people's yards.

As I read this, especially the descriptions of the insane professional meetings where psychiatrists reported on their patients, describing things that no sane adult could believe, it reminded me of similar things going on today. Like child bipolar diagnoses... maybe even scarier, because it's defenseless kids who are getting drugged into oblivion, and mostly poor kids with no adults to stick up for them at that. I wonder if we ever learn!

-Kristin


Kristin always finds the best books in the new section at the library. Whenever I browse the shelf there's never anything good. She found Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan on the shelf the other day. I was surprised. I thought for sure when I got around to requesting it there would still be a wait list a mile long. But thankfully, lucky hands Kristin has no need for wait lists. La-Ti-Da.

I'm sure everyone knows the story of Sybil, but if you need your memory refreshed she's that girl with all the multiple personalities. When you think about the story with a rational mind it's pretty obvious that it is bogus. But it was so sensational and interesting you couldn't help but want to believe such crazy things are possible.

This book investigates Sybil (Shirley Mason) and her upbringing. I learned some about Seventh Day Adventists. For instance, they developed special foods to keep sex temptations at bay. One of these foods was the graham cracker, invented by a minister by the name of Sylvester Graham. I wonder how this Graham would feel if he were to read my match.com profile where I list S'Mores as a major turn on? (Just kidding. Sort of. Potential wooers take note: S'Mores and mashed potatoes are two keys to this girl's heart.) They also invented more food that are staples in this girl's diet: peanut butter, soy milk, fake meat! Yay for the Adventists! As you can imagine, living in a uber religious household was not the most fun childhood you could imagine, but far from the horrors that Sybil told of. So what's the deal?

Enter Shirley's psychiatrist, Dr. Wilbur. She injected Shirley with a drug called Pentothal, that puts patients into a trance state where they are highly sensitive to suggestion and for some reason Dr. Wilbur hates mothers. And out come Shirley's personalities. Many of them. Dr. Wilbur doesn't suspect / want to suspect that any of these personalities and claims could possibly be fake. Poor Shirley becomes addicted to Pentothal and the myriad of other drugs the doctor prescribes for her. It's a wonder that Shirley was even able to function at all on so many things.

Then comes in Flora Schreiber, the journalist who wrote Sybil. Unlike Wilbur, she does fact check and finds that things are not adding up. But what is she to do? She's already spent the advance the publishing company has given her and signed a contract to have the story ready in six months.

The book delves deeper into the relationships between these three women as well as some interesting tidbits about their personal lives to help understand them a bit more. It goes into what became of all them in the end, which was interesting and pretty sad. And updates us on the status of Multiple Personality Disorder in psychiatry today. Although the revelations in this book weren't surprising or shocking, it was still an interesting read.

- Megan Leigh

Read More: The Science of Yoga

I've been looking forward to reading The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J Broad ever since I read a review in Yoga Journal. And then there was a piece in the Times about gruesome yoga injuries, excerpted from the book, that made me want to read it even more. Finally, it was my turn to pick up my copy from the library. Hallelujah!

It didn't disappoint, for the most part. The premise of the book is that the author takes all these claims about yoga and subjects them to scientific scrutiny. He looks at the studies out there and separates the true from the false from the nobody really knows. Most yoga claims probably fall in that last category, which is hard for a writer to deal with. I mean, how many times can you say "We really don't have the faintest idea" without irritating your reader beyond the point of no return? This was clearly something the poor author struggled with.

The beginning of the book was the strongest. Broad starts by giving a rundown of the history of yoga and health claims and how we came to be in the state we are now. Interesting stuff! Then he moves on to evaluating the physical fitness claims yoga makes. This was by far the best part of the book. Those claims that yoga makes you lose weight? Nope, not true. Provides a good cardio workout? Nope, it's a really poor choice. While yoga can do a lot of nice things, making you slim and developing your aerobic fitness are two things that it ain't going to do. Which is way different than the story that many of us have been sold by all of the yoga chains/dvds/etc. There is also a pretty good chapter on what yoga does for moods, and that is where yoga seems to really shine. Honestly, if yoga can improve mood as dramatically as some studies suggest, then maybe it's not fair to expect it to do a ton of other things, like make you model-like svelte! I mean, we don't expect Prozac to make us drop the pounds do we? Elevating mood alone is a big deal. That yoga can also build strength and flexibility is a big plus, in my view.

As you get farther into the book, however, the author moves into topics that there is way less research about. And at that point, there really is no "science of yoga." The chapters on sex and creativity for example... I'm not really sure they should have been included. It's interesting to think about how yoga might impact these things, for sure. But basically, since there is no real research in these areas, the chapters on them were just full of wild speculation, which is the opposite of what this book is supposed to be about! All of the bits about kundalini-linked transformations... to be honest, I didn't even really understand what the heck we were talking about at that point in the book. I would have liked a little more skepticism in these chapters from the author.

I guess this book has been really controversial because of the way that Broad highlights terrible yoga injuries, as well as the woeful lack of training that many yoga instructors have. I think it's good for people to know that "certified yoga therapist" is not a real thing. Or to be aware of how bad yoga poses can go, so they approach their classes very carefully. I feel really lucky that most of the yoga teachers I've had seem really great, and never try to force people into poses that aren't for them... and are really careful to explain how to set up poses to avoid injuries. Even so, after reading this I approach my practice with a new level of caution, as well as greater enthusiasm, and I think that's a good thing. In my view, this guy is shedding some light on a subject that was kind of shrouded in darkness for most people, and that's a great thing! I think it would be hard for anyone to really argue that he paints yoga in a bad light, though. He practices it daily himself, and he is very positive about it on the whole.

- Kristin

One New Thing: Krik Krak

I've been wanting to experience some Haitian culture for a while now since one of my heroes, Dr. Paul Farmer, is all about Haiti. (Please don't take this to mean that I want to taste some chimp since one of my heroes, Dr. Jane Goodall, is all about chimps.) So for our weekly Funday Kristin and I finally made our way over to Krik Krak, the Haitian restaurant that Poppy, with her wails of protest, kept us from dining at before.

We started off by ordering Cola Lackay to drink. When we asked what it was the waitress told us it was "soda, but very sweet". I could tell by the look on her face that we were in for something terrible, but we wanted to be adventurous so we plunged ahead. It was the color of Jolt and it tasted like Bubbleyum Bubblegum, which is swell for bubblegum, but not for a drink. We had a few sips and then retreated to our waters. Lesson of the day: Be Cowardly and Ye Shall Reap Rewards Aplenty. Like the reward of not making cat butt mouth in public.

For an appetizer we ordered Akra de Malanga. I really have no idea what this was, but it wasn't great. I should note now that I had a cold (yes, another cold) and couldn't taste a whole lot. What I tasted when I dipped the dumpling in the sauce was burning. When I didn't dip the dumpling in the sauce I tasted nothing.

Then to the main entrees. Kristin ordered Poulet Maison. I ordered Filet de Poisson, which was tilapia in a buttery, garlic sauce. Although you can't go wrong with butter and garlic, it wasn't anything super special like I was hoping for.

All in all it was not exactly a disappointing dining experience, but my expectations were so high that it was destined to fail. I thought Haitian food would be a culinary adventure, but it was just the same ol' same ol'.

- Megan Leigh

I concur with Megan. I thought the food was reasonably tasty, but it wasn't the culinary explosion I had hoped for. You've got to understand that our visit to this place has been months in the making! Our expectations were probably way too high. I think most of the stuff we could have made ourselves--and if we had, I would have been pleased about how they turned out. But when you go to a restaurant, you want something you couldn't recreate at home! At least I do. Also, it was pretty darn expensive for what it was. Still, it was fun to finally get to go!

-Kristin

Read More: How We Are Hungry

I didn't love How We Are Hungry like I usually love Dave Eggers' books. I think it was because this was a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. Each chapter is a story about a different character and something they hunger for, primarily relationships and human companionship. With the exception of just a few stories, I would have loved to have had most of these story lines expanded into a book. I would have especially liked the story with Hand, who I bonded with in You Shall Know Our Velocity, to be expanded. When I began reading that chapter (towards the beginning of the book) I was excited, thinking this was a sequel. Alas! There were a few stories that didn't fit in stylistically and I could have lived without them. All in all it was an entertaining read, but it just doesn't get the super rating I am used to giving Eggers' works.

On a bit of a tangential note, the other night Marty and I were discussing A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. He tidbitted that in the first edition it was revealed that his niece and nephew were imaginary. I'm pretty sure I didn't have the first edition because this was quite the surprise. As I tried to think back about it, I realized that I remember nothing about this book, except one scene: He is driving on a winding California cliff highway like in a Hitchcock movie, imagining what would happen if he drove off the side. He formulated a plan where he would stay with the car, then just before it hits the ground he jumps up and off the roof of the car, missing the impact and hopping to safety. I filed this away in my brain because it was the perfect solution, and I figured it could easily come in handy in the future. (I read this book before I developed my California aversion). So anyway, after I read The Wild Things, I will have pretty much read all that I care to at the moment by Eggers, and then it will be time to do some repeats!

- Megan Leigh

In the Theater: Beauty and the Beast 3D

Last night me and Cat traveled down to Times Square to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D - my favorite Disney movie in 2D. I've only seen one 3D movie before, Despicable Me, and didn't feel that 3D added much to the experience. With Beauty and the Beast it actually took away from the experience. Maybe because this time I had something else to compare it to. Maybe because I am an old fogey and stuck in my ways. In 3D, there were some interesting parts - coming into the town at the beginning was like looking in a pop up book. However, for most of the time it was just overwhelming. It also made the animation look poorly done in parts.

After the movie Cat felt there were too many holes in the story. For starters, the witch gave the Beast only until he was 21 to change his ways. That's a very young age to learn lessons by! And the castle had been enchanted for 10 years, meaning the poor Beast was cursed when he was only 11 years old! Who isn't a big brat at 11? Who was the real beast in this story? And why was the boy beast all alone in this giant castle when he was so little? She had more holes she noted during the movie, but couldn't remember afterwards. Another issue I had was that they never explained the magic mirror in his possession.

Even in 3D the movie was still beautiful and the songs were still great and I just have no idea why Disney has gone in the opposite direction with their movies.

Now I will start watching the Beauty and the Beast TV show that is streaming on Netflix. It came out when I was little and I enjoyed it. I expect it is really horrible (in a wonderful way) now. 

After the movie, since we were in the area, we decided to give Steak 'n Shake another chance. This time we skipped the burgers and just went for chili and fries. The chili was just fine, but the fries were still not quite right. At least this time we got to sit down, which was pretty miraculous because it was quite busy. I'll probably return again for chili. Such good chili...

- Megan Leigh