What we're reading Esty Dinur, host of WORT-FM's Friday A Public Affair talk show:
Four years of Trump, racism and racial justice, the pandemic and almost half a million dead, children in cages and the future of DACA recipients — these issues and more have been top of mind for many of us. But the concern that overshadows them all and will affect the future in ways that are likely to exacerbate every social issue is climate change. Author and professor Michael E. Mann hasn’t forgotten. His fifth book, The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet, is just out. It looks at the history of lies and omissions by the fossil fuels industry and what we can do. It’s not too late, says Mann, but we must act now. This is an important
book and I hope you read it. I interviewed Mann for A Public Affair, take a listen here.
Where we're eating Catherine Capellaro, Isthmus arts editor:
For the love of everything that is delicious, do not forget about Himal Chuli. For decades, this tiny State Street restaurant has dished up delectable, consistent Nepali food. They are now open for takeout and delivery only. When I last checked in around the holidays, we got a two-person vegetarian special for just $29 that included momocha (the restaurant's scrumptious dumplings), dal (best in town), two tarkaris (fresh, succulent stews) and rice. Everything was perfect. The world was, for a moment, as it should be.
What we're watching
Dave Cieslewicz, Isthmus contributor and former mayor of Madison:
The Dig (Netflix) is an understated film (hey, it’s British) based on a true story about an amateur archeologist (Ralph Fiennes) who discovers an archeological treasure on the estate of an interesting widow (Carey Mulligan). The story develops slowly. There’s lots of tweed
and ticking clocks, and people stop to have tea. But I couldn’t take my eyes off it because it’s beautifully filmed, the characters are engaging and the story is intriguing. Sorry, no car chases, gun play or explosions.
What we're cooking Linda Falkenstein, Isthmus features editor:
Shortly after Christmas, I discovered the yellow
carrots from Tipi Produce among the vegetables at the Willy Street Co-op on the north side. Yellow carrots are a pale buttery yellow, and after oven-roasting taste like a cross between a parsnip and the familiar orange carrot; sweet, but without the woodiness that can sometimes plague a parsnip. I now check for them every time I'm in the store. Roasting is my go-to prep, but the indispensable Deborah Madison, in her book Vegetable Literacy, has a nice recipe for yellow carrots with coconut butter and lime, which is hardly a recipe at all. Just simmer the carrots, then saute in a little coconut butter and squeeze a lime over the top.
What else we're reading Darren Bush, Isthmus contributor and owner, Rutabaga Paddlesports:
I'm currently reading Basilica by R. A. Scotti. It is an excellent history of the design and construction of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome at the start of the 16th century. The details about the construction are interesting, but just as interesting is the drama, infighting and rivalries among a collection of the most corrupt, debauched, greedy and gluttonous popes (popes who were more scheming politicians than the Vicar of Christ). At the same time, these men were patrons of the arts, as Rome was a bit of a backwater compared to the other jewels of the
Renaissance, like Florence, Pisa, Bologna, etc.
