The temperatures have dropped since last week, so I finally got to wear my new funky orange turtleneck today. I’m pretty excited because I love this brisk weather and the layers you get to pile on! The only problem with fall is that new styles and clothes are always being rolled out so I’m reluctant to buy anything because I know I’ll want something else later. Anthropologie is a dangerous store for me this time of year. It’s a good thing they have decent sales. So, layered fall clothing is comfort number one.
Since my last post was about my writing seminars, I suppose this one will follow the same theme. One of my favorite classes was a Philosophic Fictions class with a professor who was a classmate of Camille Paglia. I read her book Sexual Personae in high school and thought it was pretty interesting, though the professor said that she was pretty full of herself as a graduate student. I was pretty star struck that I was taking a class with a man who dared criticize Paglia. While I don’t agree with her all the time, I think that to some degree you have to be pretty confident in your abilities if you’re going to position yourself as a cultural critic if not cultural force (she’s a columnist for Salon and still teaches). If I remember correctly, the class met in the fall just around lunchtime, so half of us were always eating in class. There was this one guy, a shaggy-haired, brooding indie rock songwriter (there’s always one in each class), who always brought the same thing. Extra spicy garlic chili – the pungent smell permeated the entire room and lingered on your clothes like stale cigarette smoke.
I think it took about year or so before I could eat chili without feeling nauseous. But fall is the best time of year for those warm soups and chili’s. So, I’ll have to go find all my recipes and make vats of the stuff to freeze. One of my favorite chili recipes is actually a vegetarian/vegan recipe I came across to make for my vegan coworker. It’s called The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World – and it’s pretty good. I think I made it for a potluck and made it so that she could eat it. I hate going to those things because I usually can’t eat the typical Mid-Western items like casserole or things with heavy mayonnaise. So, I’m very mindful about bringing items that others can eat. Though to make it vegan, you’ll have to use organic products that don’t use calcium chloride as a preservative. I’m not a canner so I’m not sure where the mineral comes from, or if my vegan friend is that strict about it. However, I just try to avoid it so I’m not knowingly breaking her dietary restrictions. The recipe makes a very large about so it’s great for freezing…though I do have my own variation when I’m making it for myself. Maybe I’ll post that information later, I’ll be making tomorrow night so I’ll actually remember what I put in it. Warm soups and chilies are autumn comfort number two.
And since I need to wrap up this procrastination of mine, my most favorite autumn comfort is a fluffy bed with tons of pillows wrapped in a warm comforter! It’s the only way to sleep. Unfortunately, it makes waking up to the cold dark morning sky even more difficult. The best autumn comfort - sleeping to dream.
