Interview Meme

[valiha]

At first I was just going to answer the questions in conjured_1 s journal, but I though, what the heck, I'll post them here.  So, with the caveat that I might not be able to ask you questions right away (or have any smart questions to ask):

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you 5 questions.
3. You should then update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You should include this and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed you should ask them 5 questions.

Answers for conjured_1 :

1. Who is your favorite painter? If not one, give me three.

• Even though I spent a lot of time drawing when I was younger, and had planned to go to art school, I didn't really learn all that much about artists and history of art to know.  The war broke out just as I started secondary school, which pretty much dashed all my aspirations.  I guess I could say that I like Leonardo da Vinci the most, because of his ability do draw the world around him in such detail.  

2. Favorite comfort food? Recipe?

• Mmmm!  Fried green bell peppers (which we call paprikas), and you make them like this:
  
  • First, you bake the peppers in an oven, or better yet, on a plate, turning them over so they don't burn, until you can peel their skin easily. 
  • Then you put them in a frying pan, either chopped up or whole, add some oil, salt and various spices, and fry them. 
  • Just before they're done, you can add some sour cream, but they're delicious either way.  It's eaten using your fingers, like most dishes in Bosnian cuisine are.  My mom bakes fabulous bread, and there's nothing better than dipping some warm bread into hot fried peppers and licking your fingers clean!  Are you hungry? ;)

3. Look behind you. What's the first thing that grabs your attention? Describe it.

• It's a model of a horse, white (Clyde), standing next to another one, chestnut, I suppose (Chaucer).  Still no Peso in sight, dang it!

4. Who's your favorite actor?

• Christian Bale.  He's a master of his trade, the same way that his character in the movie Equilibrium, Tetragrammaton Cleric John Preston, is a master of the Gun Kata.  Luff me some gun totin', katana wieldin' Bale!

5. What's the one night time ritual you can't do without?

• Lately, sharing a warm glass of milk with some honey in it with my aunt before going to bed.  It works wonders for me, as I'm usually not able to fall asleep for hours.  It's also a quiet moment between us, after an exhausting day at work/caring for my uncle.  

Comments

[conjured-1.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'm making the fried green bell peppers, sounds really good.


My turn. Hit me up with some questions, baby!

[dj-aida.livejournal.com]

OK, here goes:

1. What do you love the most about your job?
2. Favorite comfort food & recipe?
3. Who is your favorite character in any fandom and why?
4. What was the most special event in your life?
5. Is there any one person you look up to and why?

[conjured-1.livejournal.com]

1. In a word: Everything. The people, the atmosphere, the learning. I love that I'm good at what I know and yet, I'm continuing to get better (cuz really, if you think you know everything, why bother going on with life?), I'm learning new things all the time. It's really an exciting time for me.


2. Comfort food, Yum. Both of my grandmothers originally hailed from the South (Gran Hallie from Pineville, Kentucky & Gran Mary from Baton Rouge, Louisiana), and they both taught me to cook. My ab fab, Hocks & Beans over cornbread. Not exactly a quick meal, because of the time involved cooking the beans - I let mine soak overnight - but so worth the effort. Recipe is actually simple.


Hocks & Beans:

Water
1 smoked ham hock
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried pinto beans - soaked overnight
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic whole
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Place ham hock and salt in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Cook ham, covered, over moderately high heat until water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.


Add beans, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to ham and cook covered for approximately 3 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.


Remove meat from the ham bone and add back into the beans. Season to taste.


Now, I bake my cornbread in a 100 yr old 10" cast iron skillet, but any dark baking pan would work.


Cornbread:

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening, for skillet
2 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter
Melted butter for brushing over the the top (yes, more melted butter :D)


Preheat oven to 425°.


Put oil or shortening in a 10-inch iron skillet and place in the oven to preheat while making batter (make sure it doesn't burn, a little smoke is okay, but burned shortening/oil should be replaced).


Mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and sugar.


In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and butter. Combine with dry ingredients and stir only until all ingredients are moistened. Batter will be lumpy and thick, like pancake batter.


In your skillet make sure to coat all of the inside surface and sides with oil. Pour in batter and return to oven. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until browned. A toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.


3. Hmm, the only fandom I'm involved in is M7. Ezra and Vin and Chris and Buck and JD and Josiah and Nathan. M7 just does something for me. And at any given time any of the 7 are my favorite. Plus M7 has brought has brought some amazing people into my life.


4. Each birth of my girls, so I guess that makes it three most special events. :D


5. I'm a military wife, and even though my husband and I are divorcing, my extended military family is who I look up to, the soldiers for serving and their families for supporting. To fight in wars to protect our rights and allow my family to live in a free society... Ah, I have a hard time explaining this.


I think of all the people I know outside of the military community, you might have a better understanding of what's involved, probably even more than I do. War has never been on my doorstep. In my heart, yes, because my husband has served in the middle east and as an American because of 9/11, but never in my home. You're made of tough stuff, lady. ♥

[dj-aida.livejournal.com]

He he, yes, why bother? :) I never could understand people who would say, OK, I finished school, there's nothing to learn for me now. Of course there is! Even if your job a mindless, repetitive factory work, you can at least take up a hobby.

First of all, it's funny how similar our dishes are!

Mmm, cornbread! We actually have two types, one that's made similar to bread, and another which is practically a sort of a cake. In order to make that one, we use the same ingredients as above, but add some oil into the mix, and a cup of yogurt (my aunt prefers mineral water). The result is a somewhat liquid batter, which is then baked in an oven like a cake. Once it's done, it's cut into squares. It can be eaten with salty and sweet spreads, or instead of bread.

We go about making beans in a different order (as Muslims, we don't eat any pork products, so beef is usually the meat of choice):

Beans can be soaked overnight, but that depends on the type of beans. The meat is broiled in a deeper pan with onion, salt, pepper, and some tomato paste (just enough to add some color) until the meat and onions turn a nice golden color. Then you add the beans and add enough water to cover everything. People nowadays use pressure cookers instead of pans so it takes about half an hour until it's done.

From what I could see, it seems American beans are mostly dry, while ours are practically bean soup. We're big fans of bread dipping! (Gosh, look at us, exchanging recipes! :D)

As far as fandoms go, Mag7 was the only one I've been really active in. I usually enjoyed just watching my favorite shows, maybe making some fanart for them, but not really interacting with other fans. Lack of internet at home also prevented that. My first fandom was the Invisible Man about 5-6 years ago, and the first time I became aware of the existence of slash. I never thought male/female relationships should end in bed, and the same applied to male/male relationships. I guess that's why I'm indifferent to slash. Fawkes and Hobbes were interesting enough without it. I did some fanart for that one too, and I should probably post it sometime.

What made me move away from it was the treatment of unpopular characters. A fanfic contest called "101 Ways to Fillet a Mermaid" was set up, in which writers were supposed to find the most creative way to kill of a despised character, a woman who was definitely not perfect and could have used some work, but was interesting. I still love the show, but I'm not interested in the fandom.

Yay for the girls! :big wave: I hope you make each other happy.

Sorry to hear about your divorce. It's never easy making that decision.

I have the utmost respect for any man or woman who's prepared to go half way across the world to help those who cannot defend themselves. It's unfortunate that not every soldier or officer is lead by that motivation. The people who were here were almost always frustrated by not being able to make a difference due to a higher political agenda.

Tough stuff, huh? I don't know. I didn't think I was tough back then, just a scared girl. I didn't really do anything other than try and survive each day. And if I had to go through that again... I don't think I could. Now, my maternal grandmother was tough. During WWII, German soldiers lived in her house, and she had the guts to hide partisans in her basement, and an Orthodox Jewish family in a house next door. She was a devout Muslim, not very educated, but with profound respect for the life of others. That's tough.

((hugs))