Just returned from Book Lunch at Jane's. Oh how I love love love book lunch days. You never know what is going to happen. You never know what will be said. Love the exchange of ideas, the differing viewpoints, the synergy of 14 minds revolving around a central axis of one book.
Jane (and Betty) whipped up quite a Malaysian spread. First warm nuts and wasabi peas. Then Oriental Chicken Salad (mainly chicken, but with some red bell pepper, asparagus, green onion, sesame seeds in a peanut dressing), duck tacos (these from Hawkers, a Malaysian restaurant on Mills Ave in Orlando. Who knew?), homemade Malaysia flat bread, and cut fruit. Dessert tropical sorbets and brownies.
And they dressed in authentic attire from Malaya. These gals know how to make us all feel warm and welcomed. Thank you ladies!
The discussion. Well, all agreed this was an excellently written book. Almost poetic, his prose. So many moments in these 332 pages to stop, visualize, go inward. Figure out.
What happened to Aritomo after he passed out through the garden gate?
No concensus on this.
He committed suicide.
He wandered into the Cameron wilderness intentionally for the remainder of his life.
He went to the high mountain church and lived with the nuns.
No one thought he returned to the Prison Camp Golden Lily to take the treasure.
No one thought he returned to Japan to garden for the Emperor.
So was this intentional by the author, that we wouldn't know? Or were his hints there. Want to ask the author this. Maybe I will run into him someday in an elevator, and HOPEFULLY I will remember this question.
Did Yun Ling ever forgive Aritomo / the Japanese? Forgiveness is in stages, forgiveness of this depth. First an opening of the mind, an easing of the anger and the bitterness. An acceptance of her new reality. Finally forgiveness. We think it was complete. She was finally able, after 40-so years, to mail the blue envelope given to her by a dying Japanese war criminal.
What is forgiveness? See above. And when the past doesn't have that hold on you any more. You can move on, move forward.
The OED defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'. Move forward.
Did we think the tattoo was hokey? No, we liked the pulling together of Aritomo and Yun Ling, with Golden Lily and Aritomo's art.
Another theme besides forgiveness? Memory. Loosing your memories. Reconciling with your memories. How we are in charge of what we remember. Different filters. Loved the two goddesses at Magnus's Majuba garden - the goddess of Memory, named Mnenosyne, and the goddess of Forgetting, with no name. And with a face that is blurred. Which is older? Goddess of memory, as you need to have the memory before you forget it.
// Rhodesian Ridgebacks!// Several of us do have tattoos. Just saying.
// What makes you look more intently, a circular window opening or a rectangular one?
// Beautiful, intricate woodblocks shared by Rita and Marlene, as in the book. Works of art.
// Enthusiastic history information passed around by Cathi.
// Shinto Priests.
// War is a business.
// Bird nest soup is gelatinous and gooey. A delicacy at formal dinners. Thank you Beth for sampling for us.
// Even ordinary nuts, when heated and served in a white ceramic dish, are first class.
I want to visit a Japanese garden. Soon. Now. Several have been the the Kyoto Gardens.
Not where the dragons are, that's Kimodo.
And not where you wear a silk robe, that's Kimono.
Seriously, we all growing batty?
Violence in book was appropriate. Very savage treatment of prisoners by the Japanese in Malaya and by the British in The Boer War. To live in such fear, such uncertainty every day must have intensified the joy of being alive for those choosing to stay engaged in society. Others fled to the jungles, disappeared from society. I can't even imagine.
Contrast this book to The Buddha in the Attic (Julia Osaka), which we read a few months ago. There the Japanese women were diminished by American families. The diminished not the diminishers. A different side to the story. Same time period.
Such a worth while book to read. Highly recommended. But just don't rush through it.
Savor the author's sentences.
Savor the views he presents of human spirit, similar to Borrowed Scenery.
Jackie noted this book was elegantly and extremely carefully constructed. The author made us stop, pause, and look right where he wanted us to look. He told stories within the story to highlight points (Borrowed Scenery?). He was our guide, aiding us in contemplation.
Just like a Japanese Garden.
Bravo Tan Twan Eng!
Jane's Nuts:
This was borrowed from Jane's friend in the kitchen, Ina.
Jane (and Betty) whipped up quite a Malaysian spread. First warm nuts and wasabi peas. Then Oriental Chicken Salad (mainly chicken, but with some red bell pepper, asparagus, green onion, sesame seeds in a peanut dressing), duck tacos (these from Hawkers, a Malaysian restaurant on Mills Ave in Orlando. Who knew?), homemade Malaysia flat bread, and cut fruit. Dessert tropical sorbets and brownies.And they dressed in authentic attire from Malaya. These gals know how to make us all feel warm and welcomed. Thank you ladies!
The discussion. Well, all agreed this was an excellently written book. Almost poetic, his prose. So many moments in these 332 pages to stop, visualize, go inward. Figure out.
What happened to Aritomo after he passed out through the garden gate?
No concensus on this.
He committed suicide.
He wandered into the Cameron wilderness intentionally for the remainder of his life.
He went to the high mountain church and lived with the nuns.
No one thought he returned to the Prison Camp Golden Lily to take the treasure.
No one thought he returned to Japan to garden for the Emperor.
So was this intentional by the author, that we wouldn't know? Or were his hints there. Want to ask the author this. Maybe I will run into him someday in an elevator, and HOPEFULLY I will remember this question.
Did Yun Ling ever forgive Aritomo / the Japanese? Forgiveness is in stages, forgiveness of this depth. First an opening of the mind, an easing of the anger and the bitterness. An acceptance of her new reality. Finally forgiveness. We think it was complete. She was finally able, after 40-so years, to mail the blue envelope given to her by a dying Japanese war criminal.
What is forgiveness? See above. And when the past doesn't have that hold on you any more. You can move on, move forward.
The OED defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'. Move forward.
Did we think the tattoo was hokey? No, we liked the pulling together of Aritomo and Yun Ling, with Golden Lily and Aritomo's art.
Another theme besides forgiveness? Memory. Loosing your memories. Reconciling with your memories. How we are in charge of what we remember. Different filters. Loved the two goddesses at Magnus's Majuba garden - the goddess of Memory, named Mnenosyne, and the goddess of Forgetting, with no name. And with a face that is blurred. Which is older? Goddess of memory, as you need to have the memory before you forget it.
// Rhodesian Ridgebacks!// Several of us do have tattoos. Just saying.
// What makes you look more intently, a circular window opening or a rectangular one?
// Beautiful, intricate woodblocks shared by Rita and Marlene, as in the book. Works of art.
// Enthusiastic history information passed around by Cathi.
// Shinto Priests.
// War is a business.
// Bird nest soup is gelatinous and gooey. A delicacy at formal dinners. Thank you Beth for sampling for us.
// Even ordinary nuts, when heated and served in a white ceramic dish, are first class.
I want to visit a Japanese garden. Soon. Now. Several have been the the Kyoto Gardens.
Not where the dragons are, that's Kimodo.
And not where you wear a silk robe, that's Kimono.
Seriously, we all growing batty?
Violence in book was appropriate. Very savage treatment of prisoners by the Japanese in Malaya and by the British in The Boer War. To live in such fear, such uncertainty every day must have intensified the joy of being alive for those choosing to stay engaged in society. Others fled to the jungles, disappeared from society. I can't even imagine.
Contrast this book to The Buddha in the Attic (Julia Osaka), which we read a few months ago. There the Japanese women were diminished by American families. The diminished not the diminishers. A different side to the story. Same time period.
Such a worth while book to read. Highly recommended. But just don't rush through it.
Savor the author's sentences.
Savor the views he presents of human spirit, similar to Borrowed Scenery.
Jackie noted this book was elegantly and extremely carefully constructed. The author made us stop, pause, and look right where he wanted us to look. He told stories within the story to highlight points (Borrowed Scenery?). He was our guide, aiding us in contemplation.
Just like a Japanese Garden.
Bravo Tan Twan Eng!
===========
1 lb of your favorite nuts
2 Tbl. of melted butter
1 Tbl. of brown sugar
1 Tbl. of fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tsp. of kosher salt
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spread nuts on baking sheet and bake
for 10 minutes until toasted. Combine the remaining ingredients in a
bowl and mix well. Add the nuts and toss to coat. Serve warm. You can
freeze them and then warm them briefly in the oven or microwave before
serving. Yields 3 cups.
This was borrowed from Jane's friend in the kitchen, Ina.
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