Results tagged “depression”

MvB is off to SIFF Cinema for Preston Sturges' Depression-era fable, Sullivan's Travels, and then there's a going-away party for a friend on pilgrimage, held in the medieval pageantry of Canterbury's.

Economist, New York Times columnist, and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman doesn't want you to miss any of the intricacies of his thought, which is why he bothers to explain how Wile E. Coyote generally flies off a cliff, pedals the air for a bit, and then plummets like a stone to the canyon floor below--all for the benefit of those of us "not familiar with the classics." He's ruddy, glowing with the good health of a man whom circumstances have put in the right, and facing a sold-out house at a World Affairs Council talk at Town Hall, 850 people hanging on his every word.

Over the weekend we walked into the cash-only Than Bros. pho restaurant on Broadway, ordered a small bowl, and were charged $5.42, a price increase as yet unreflected on their online menu. We don't remember the specific passage in Revelations where the high price of pho is called out, but we're sure it's there. A friend of ours was just reminiscing about the days of the $3.87 small bowl with tears in his eyes. At these prices, we're likely to start expecting broth instead of that watery brownish stuff we use as a base for the plum sauce. Tomorrow night we're going to hear Paul Krugman speak at Town Hall on "The Return of Depression Economics"--we'll ask what pho used to cost in '33 and report back.

Is it time to start trading Spam and Velveeta recipes on Seattlest? We can do that, you know. According to the Times, after all, demand for food stamps in Washington state is up by 42 percent--and processed foods are still cheap foods, however unappealing and unhealthy that may be. Here's a beautiful recipe for Spam Musubi from Serious Eats. Spam And Gravy On Biscuits could be a delicious protein-heavy spin on an old classic. (Hint: make your own biscuits, it's not that difficult.) As for Velveeta, it's hard to go wrong with a "goulash" or, if you're feeling creative, a few of what seem to be called Velveeta "nosebags." Please let us know how the cooking festivities go. We're right there with you on the penny-pinching.

The ability to endure month after month of days like today is an unappreciated phenomenon unique to this corner of America.