savory rhubarb curry

In the US the most common, and seemingly only way, to use rhubarb is in a crisp where the ample sugar can balance the tartness.  Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, though!

In many other countries, rhubarb is used in savory dishes such as meat stews and curry. This allows a person to get the vitamin K, fiber, manganese, and antioxidants, while not taking in the added sugar from something like a crisp. (Rhubarb on its own is extremely low in sugar - It contains less than 1.1 grams of sugar per 100 grams!)

I tried my first savory recipe by dicing two cups of rhubarb into a curry. I added it to the pan just after the onions and garlic had cooked along with the stock and lentils. The rhubarb softens up and it's indistinguishable in both taste and texture in the final curry. So, it seems it could be a nice addition to a whole range of recipes.

book review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  3.5/5

Yellowface kept me engaged as an enjoyable and interesting read. I did recently read The Plot/The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz and Fruit Fly by Josh Silver and will say I found those to be a bit more of a unique take on this trope. Both also created a higher level of pace and suspense in needed areas. I did appreciate R.F. Kuang's discussions on cultural appropriation and authenticity. Possibly, if I had read it before any other similar books, the plot and execution might have knocked me off my feet better.

book review: Jaws by Peter Benchley

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

The suspense in Jaws by Peter Benchley is expertly crafted - characters are put in situations where as the reader you're just yelling for them not to do what they are about to do. Particularly in the beginning of the book, the narrative goes from the person to the shark and continues back and forth creating such wonderful suspense. I wish that would have continued a bit more in the later parts of the book (the shark's perspective wasn't provided any longer). The characters were interesting and had compelling back stories. However, I did find some of the commentary and situations quite raunchy, racist, and unnecessary. I don't think these would make it through it to the final copy if this was published today, which I think is good. Even in 1974, though, even if they weren't considered taboo or unacceptable, the plot probably would have benefited if more focus was put on the situation with the shark versus so heavily character driven. I wanted to read the actual book since I never had and overall I enjoyed it and am happy I did.