Hanoi Scratchpad

When I find a really marvelous travel writer, following their blog delights me almost as much as finding a letter in my post box. In the case of Hal Medrano's Hanoi Scratchpad, maybe even more. When I tried to purge my office closet of two shoeboxes full of old letters, I found a stack of thin blue airmail stationary with missives from Hal about his first forays into living in Asia and travelling throughout SE Asia. Much old correspondence went; but I couldn't bring myself to part with these delicious bites of his experience.

Hal's current writing from Viet Nam maintains all the vibrancy of his handwritten notes, but with a few bonuses. The photos are gorgeous, and complement his insights and wit beautifully. Facebook updates provide me with reminders, easy links, and the ability to see comments from his other friends. Nearly real-time exchanges are possible, mostly closing that sense of distance that the several-week time lag in letters made so palpable. But most important to me, he has room and time to include full recipes with detailed instructions (and mouth-watering photos).

Hanoi Scratchpad is much broader than a food blog; but the food writing is first class. When I read the other posts, I chuckle, reflect, or even tear up. But when I read about the dishes cooked and shared in Hanoi, I just salivate.

Laurie Colwin

A friend gave me a gently-loved paperback copy of Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen, now several years ago. I tried it on for size, but didn't absorb it well on the first go; and so I shelved it for another day.

In the meantime, I started writing regularly about food, and also reading a variety of food blogs. And my food focus shifted, from anything interesting or yummy to a richer diet of slow food topics - local eating, seasonal harvests, organics produces, pastured meat and dairy, fair trade. Less quantity, more quality.

When I picked the book up again, I found it delightful and engaging. I kept turning it over to glean from the back cover profile something about the woman behind the words. The list of novels all sounded promising; but my mind kept getting stuck on the last sentence, "She died in 1992."

So finally I did what this marvelous writer could not do during her pre-internet lifespan - I Googled her. And not too surprisingly, her works remain well-read and her loyal following continues to grow. I won't repeat the regrets of various commenters in blogs and print articles, but will add one: I wish she were still with us, and blogging. It would be such a treat to read a short bit from her every so often, enjoying a peak into her treasured domesticity. It is hard to fathom that her body and mind are gone from our world, when her voice continues on so clearly.