THE DORKSHIRE YULE PIG

Last Saturday evening, the wife and I were invited to a reading by the friend. (Let us call him D.) D. read The History of the Dorkshire Yule Pig, the opening "cartoon" for the "main show," his medieval prostitute/jilted lover Christmas novella Hawthorn and Holly. D. also provided each listener with their own Dorkshire Yule Pig cookie, a palm-sized gingerbread delight. I saved mine and ate it on Wednesday. The cookie was still firm but yielding, and rather scrumptious.

The reading was bracketed on both sides by people gathered in D.'s apartment in conversation, food, and drink, in addition to an intermission for the same. Everyone was to bring their favorite finger food and their favorite beverage. The wife made coated almonds that were a hit. The coating was rather sweet and strong and much to my liking, even though I am not a large fan of desserts that contain nuts, much less "dessert nuts." I made, upon the wife's suggestion and recipe and ingredients (all right, I was essentially the sous chef), antipasto kabobs that included mozzarella balls, black olives, and grape tomato halves that had been marinated in a sauce of dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and oil. The skewers were topped off with fresh basil leaves. These were also a hit. So, the wife scored on both food counts. For beverages, the wife brought Henry Weinhard's Orange Cream Soda and I brought Deschute Brewery's 2006 Jubelale. Good drink and good food, with good people sitting around in a candlelit apartment listening to well-written local literature being read to them: a wonderful evening. A big Troy's Work Table thank you to D.!

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I also greatly enjoyed the Christmas gifts that D. and I exchanged. I gave D. a copy of Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die! by Mark Binelli. It is easily within my top ten of favorite books, so it was an exciting gift for me to give. D. gave me a copy of The Ambassadors by Henry James. This was also exciting for me, as I have been meaning to read some Henry James. Most of my favorite authors cite him as an huge influence. Therefore, I figured I should see what makes Henry James so great. Now I have that opportunity in a gift given by someone whose taste I completely trust. D. tells me that The Ambassadors is the best novel of James, so I will take him at his word, not something I am prone to do with most people.