Circles

[altivo]

At MFF I picked up the compilation of the first four issues of Circles from Rabbit Valley. This was recommended to me by several of you after I expressed enthusiasm for Lance Rund's Associated Student Bodies a couple of months ago. I have to thank you for the recommendation, as this is a very high quality storyline with some superb characters. Paulie has many of the characteristics of my own protagonist Argos, and I find I can empathize with him very well.

In an interesting coincidence, there's mention of the Urban Peasant, who had a television cooking show that is cited in one story. I had not heard of him, but I'm curious enough now to look up his cookbooks. The footnote in Circles made him sound obscure and I didn't realize he had published books, but ducktapeddonkey has just posted the news that the chef himself has passed away at age 84, of natural causes, while reading a cookbook at his dining room table and with a pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove. I can respect that.

The snow did come, despite my lack of faith in the NOAA's forecast. We got more than 5 inches overnight, and many things are closed or cancelled today. Not work though, I still have to go in for the usual horrible Wednesday...

Comments

[saythename.livejournal.com]

I've heard of Associated Student Bodies but more importantly
the Urban Peasant. Good stuff.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

He wrote a whole stack of cookbooks it seems. I don't think I've ever seen any of them before though. He was on Canadian television, which I haven't seen since I lived in the Detroit area. Something like the Frugal Gourmet, I guess. I'm checking used book sellers now.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

There should be more graphic novels like that written.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm not generally that excited by the graphic format, though this one works well. I'd say there should be more stories like this written in any form though. Obviously I'm going to have to get the rest of the issues.

[zachary-geminus.livejournal.com]

I've got all of them so far and I'll tell you what, it just gets better from there.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I admit the idea of it getting any better makes me a bit nervous. ;p

[nekura-ca.livejournal.com]

The Urban Peasant was Canadian, I grew up watching his show, but haven't seen it in a long while, not since I cut the cable. Everything he cooked, he made it look so simple, elegant, and intimate all at the same time. He didn't have a studio, he had a kitchen (ok, was it was a kitchen studio, but I'm sure you know what I mean ^_^), and he had a way of making the viewer feel like they were visiting friends, and not an audiance. It's sad that he's gone.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Fortunately for me, he left behind a stack of cookbooks and they are still available on the used book market, so I'll get at least a hint of what his style was.

The incident in Circles was amusing to me because it mostly involved negative reactions to the idea of apricots in a stew. Having some familiarity with Middle Eastern and African cooking, I have no problem at all with that concept. In fact, it sounds quite appealing.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

How about a suburban peasant? :)

I have some of the circles books ^.^ a bit more serious than ASB but very good K-9 is an excellent artist and writer.
"Excuse the lateness of this reply"

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The art is a little better than ASB, though some of the guest artists on ASB were especially brilliant, like Terrie Smith.

The writing in Circles is really good, though. He doesn't need the artwork at all to maintain a story like that.