Saturday, August 01, 2009

A Couple of Links from the NYT

The NYT has, lately, been chock-full of interesting things. First, that Michael Pollan article I wrote about yesterday. Also, this excerpt from Frank Bruni's memoir.

Earlier this week, M&G reader Emily sent me a link to the Bruni piece, which I'd read about, but hadn't read. After a quick skim of the first page, I assumed it was an entertaining look back at his life of eating. What I didn't realize was that the title, "I Was a Baby Bulimic," was more than flip. The fact that men have eating disorders, too, is something so rarely addressed. Bruni's story is an important one, and it's touching. It's also funny, though, and as we all know, it has a happy ending.

On a happier note, Maira Kalman has a new piece up in the Times and as usual, it's brilliant (via Pigtown Design). It starts as an ode to Benjamin Franklin and by the end, gets to this:

Jell-O lightbulbs. She gets there in a logical manner, too.

I think Kalman is kind of brilliant - I like the way she draws and the way she thinks. In this case, I like her subject a lot, too. Last Thanksgiving, my brother and sister and I had a characteristically dorky conversation about which founding father was our favorite. We all agreed that though TJ was the logical choice (architect, foodie, wine lover, W&M alum and founder of UVA), there's just something about Franklin. His penchant for invention and his absolute devotion to America fit with our particular family values kind of perfectly.

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails