Monday morning roundup and ramble

Liberal Europe has a Jewish problem.

This is eerily reminiscent of one of the bullets I dodged when my last relationship ended. More on that in my ramble.

Those of us with CSA veggies will love this quinoa-vegetable paella recipe (turnips and fava beans and carrots and more!). I don't know where one gets "very young artichokes" so I'll use canned ones; That reminds me, I meant to get asparagus. Would it be foolish to make a run to Giant some time today?

Speaking of recipes, the Times (Recipes for Health) features kabocha (or butternut as a replacement, but I love kabocha). These recipes are mostly very easily veganizable; only the lasagne could be iffy, but I intend to try it.

I was actually tempted to go to work but Metro is shut down and I'm not biking. I'm really hoping things (i.e., work, Metro) are open tomorrow.

***
Ramble: I was talking to an acquaintance (at the party I went to on Saturday) who's not quite a smug married but still feels positioned to pry and give unsolicited advice. This all came up because she had offered to set up another friend who was there, and then turned to me. I had not talked to her about my relationship (she'd heard that it ended from a mutual friend), and when she asked what happened, I said politely that I was done talking about it. But she asked again on Saturday: "Was it that your ex-bf didn't call back? Because sometimes people change their minds..." I let her know that that was not the issue and that I was infinitely better off out of that relationship than in it. Even in the first days post-breakup, when I was busy divesting myself with material (and digital) signs of him (stuff he left around the house, stuff he gave me, his info that would autofill on my computer) friends urged me not to be so hasty, I was certain beyond a doubt that I wanted that man out of my life. She couldn't have known that, but she might have figured that I didn't need someone who hardly knew me to offer advice. She then proceeded to suggest that I spring for a 'beauty day,' like a friend of hers did--get my hair and make-up done, etc. Shrug (see my "read a book or something" comments in other posts). Done-up hair and especially make-up is not me, and so it is counterproductive to try to attract someone with a look that I have no intention of maintaining, ever. The men out there who want to date women who like like Barbie are entitled to do so, but they have no business dating me and I have no business playing Barbie for a day in order to convince them to date me. Let them date Barbie. I want to date people who want to date me.

To be clear: I've ranted on in these pages about the general state of unwash (not to mention the state of illiteracy) of the eligible men in this city. I am not trying to match their level of unwash (it would be a challenge if I were). What I am saying is that someone who already puts a basic level of care into my appearance, and whose definition of basic care does not include face-painting, it would be best to date someone who is comfortable with that level.

The irony was, I'm not sure when the woman providing this unsolicited advice last put any thought into her own appearance. That is her choice, but is it also her hypocrisy? Or is it her double-standard: she's married, so she's in a position to let herself go. This brings me back to my point: my relationship or marital status will never put me in a position to let myself go, because I set my level of maintenance for me. Not everyone has to like it, and not everyone has to date me, but I'm going to date the people who want to date me as I am.