C.S Lewis, Ascension, and a New Nature

From Miracles, by C.S. Lewis

"The records represent Christ as passing after death (as no man had ever passed before) neither into a purely, that is negatively, 'spiritual' mode of existence nor into a 'natural' life such as we now know, but into a life which has its own new Nature. It represents Him as withdrawing six weeks later, into some different mode of existence. It says - He says - that He goes 'to prepare a place for us.' This presumably means that He is about to create that whole new Nature which will provide the environment or conditions for His glorified humanity and, in Him, for ours. The picture is not what we expected - though whether it is less or more probable and philosophical on that account is another question. It is not the picture of an escape from any and every kind of Nature into some unconditioned and utterly transcendent life. It is the picture of a new human nature, and a new Nature in general, being brought into existence. We must, indeed, believe the risen body to be extremely different from the mortal body: but the existence, in the new state, of anything that could in any sense be described as 'body' at all, involves some sort of spatial relations and in the long run a whole new universe. That is the picture - not of unmaking but of remaking. The old field of space, time, matter and the sense is to be weeded, dug and sown for a new crop. We may be tired of that old field: God is not."

Eating all by my lonesome

My beloved husband is still in California for the next few days after we flew out all of a sudden for a family funeral. Work constraints have me back in the UK, and I'm faced with the prospect of eating alone for the next few evenings. Now I could in theory invite myself over for dinner with friends (which I may yet do tomorrow), but much as I seriously and actively dislike being without my dear Drumstick, I am rather looking forward to cooking just for myself. Hector, Drumstick's digestive alter ego, seems to require meat in large quantities in order to feel satisfied, whereas I can be happy noshing on bits of this and that. Case in point: when we were apart a couple weeks ago for the same reason, I moved away from spaghetti with meat sauce and starting eating spinach salads with pancetta cubes, chicken liver pate spread on french baguettes, yoghurt, and apples for my meals. Prospective menus (ones which leave Hector still a little rumbly) for this evening include:

• sauted filet of some white fish with pancetta and white wine sauce, served over a bed of spinach with wild rice on the side
• seared tuna, dressed with soy, ginger and honey and served with noodles and bok choy

Leon Kass in The Hungry Soul talks about taking time to dine, to relish a meal, even when eating alone. This means, at a minimum, eating for over more than 15 minutes, not watching tv while eating, and just generally observing the same proprieties one would in company. Part of the point is that one tends towards a particularly human sort of virtue when one takes the time to eat in a way that goes beyond necessity, beyond mere re-fueling and feeding and towards dining. This, I confess, is difficult for me when alone; dining for me typically reaches beyond necessity because it is also time with my husband to discuss things, chat over the day, and generally just talk and talk away until it gets so late that the dishes get left 'for tomorrow'. When by myself, I often turn the radio on or put on a dvd to keep myself company instead of missing Drumstick, paltry as the substitution is. I find reading while dining to be generally awkward, even with a bookstand, and I can't remember if that's even allowable by Kass' high standards. I suppose, though, at the end of the day as with all virtues it's not about a certain list of rules to apply, but about being a certain sort of person. Perhaps the care I take in shopping and preparing for the meal evinces the same sort of human virtue as leaving the dvd on the shelf for the moment, so I shouldn't worry too much about the temptation of watching the first episode of Firefly during dinner tonight.

Update: Menu turned out to be sesame-encrusted tuna, seared to medium-rare and served with a stir-fry of egg noodles, chestnut mushrooms, carrot, green onion, and chinese leaf cabbage (no bok choy at Sainsburys last night) dressed simply with soy and ginger. Drumstick called me right when I was tucking in, so I had a leisurely meal by default :)

Celebrating the Ascension

There is nothing about being Protestant that precludes celebrating more than Christmas and Easter during the Church year. And yet, with the exception of Pentecost for the more charismatic among us and Palm Sunday for those of us who like waving palm crosses into our old age, we let pass by a great number of incredibly important days of remembrance and celebration, including the one coming up: Ascension Day.

As far as I currently understand it, Ascension Day is the celebration of Christ's ascension to the Father after his resurrection and the affirmation that he has sat down at the right hand of the Father, not only as Savior but now as enthroned, triumphant, and glorified Lord and King. I can understand a Protestant reticence about celebrating the Dormition of the Virgin, but why pass over a holy day celebrating an event that forms part of the Apostles Creed accepted by all of Western Christendom, and, as it seems to me after a little bit of thought and nosing around, is a key moment and reality to:

Jesus (e.g. looking forward to his glorification in John 18; Revelation 1, 5),
Peter (e.g. 1 Pet. 3.15-22; Acts 2.32-26, 3.12-26, 5.29-32),
Paul (Eph. 1.18-23, 2.4-10, 4.7-16, Phil. 2.5-11, 3.20-21, Col. 2.6-12, 3.1-5ff),
Luke (who tells it twice, Luke 24 and Acts 1),
the author of Hebrews (1-2; 4.14-16; 8.1-2ff; 9.23-28; 10.11-14, 19-25; 12.1-3),
Stephen (who sees to the reality of the Ascension and the glory of Christ in Acts 7.54-6),
etc.

(Let me know if you can add any more or wish to subtract some of these.)

A conversation with a friend after Good Friday services ultimately produced a plan to prepare ourselves for Ascension Day: read 1 chapter a day from Matthew and then from Revelation and get thinking about the Kingdom. So that’s what I’ll be up to until the Thursday about 33 days from now, with Psalm 46 thrown in here and there for good measure. And then what, I’m not sure – any suggestions?

(Aside: in a stroke of brilliance while walking to the University Library the other day, I realized the perfect Ascension Day celebratory dessert, known for its lofty appearance and soft, pillowy clouds of batter - Angel Food Cake!)

When you've bought too much lamb for Easter

Sometimes, whether out of exuberance or in ignorance, you buy too much meat. Sometimes, it might be as much as twice as much. After the initial chagrin, that's when handy leftover transformations are great, and you can't get much more English and much more homey than shepherd's pie. Shepherd's pie is of course not to be confused with cottage pie, which is essentially the same thing but with beef instead of lamb. (Although it is tempting to think that perhaps the Shepherd should actually prefer cottage pie, out of loyalty to his charges?) Traditionally, both are made with leftover roast, but rumor has it that making it with fresh, raw ground beef or lamb (dry-fried with the aromatics at the beginning) is actually better. The following is a version of shepherd's pie that I've cobbled together from Nigella's How to Eat, Jimmy Doherty's A Taste of the Country (which by the way is not only a good guide to classic British farm fare, but also one of the most quirky and literally 'down-to-earth' cookbooks I've ever read, and has inspired my obsession with owning chickens one day), and a recipe adapted from a back-issue of Cooks Illustrated for 'smashed potatoes' - the yummy peeling-free version of mash. This is a recipe that calls for a lot of judgement calls, but if you're fearless in such situations and you have any leftover lamb hanging about, give it a go!

Di’s 'Souped Up Easter Leftovers' version of Shepherd’s Pie

Filling:
1 lb. leftover lamb roast, very finely chopped or minced (can dry fry ground lamb with onions first too)
1-2 cans of chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
about 3/4 c. of beef broth
2-4 Tb. Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
3 large carrots, minced
2 medium onions, minced
3-4 stalks of celery, minced
a large handful of parsley and stalks, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced

tip: for the last 5 ingredients, using the food processor is quick and easy

1. Cook this mixture in a few Tb. of olive oil over low heat 10-20 minutes or until carrots are cooked
2. add cooked lamb and flour, stir to combine thoroughly
3. add 1 can of tomatoes slowly; add 2 Tb of tomato paste and some broth and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and add more tomatoes/paste/broth as needed to reach the desired consistency, namely moist, but not soupy, like a filling for a meat pie. Simmer until meat is heated through. Dump into 9x13 pan and finish topping.

tip: While you're waiting for the carrots to cook, you can start the smashed potato topping

Smashed Potato Topping:
2 pounds or more of large red potatoes, washed but not peeled and generally all the same size (cut them down if you have to)
3 bay leaves
8 oz. (1 pack) of light cream cheese
4 Tb. butter or margarine, melted
½ c + warm milk or reserved water from boiling the potatoes (which is actually better than milk)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring potatoes to a boil with the bay leaves and then turn down to a low heat and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until a paring knife can pierce the potatoes with no resistance
2. Drain potatoes, reserving some of the potato water; remove bay leaves and let the potatoes dry out back in the pan for about 5 minutes with the lid off
3. While the potatoes dry, whisk together the melted butter, cream cheese, and salt and pepper, adding ½ c. milk or potato water to create a smooth creamy consistency
4. Smash the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon on the side of the pan. Leave lumps in: lumps taste good. Fold in cream cheese mixture. Add more milk/potato water as necessary to reach the desired consistency (not too wet - you want a chunky topping that can spread, not a gummy topping)
5. Adjust salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1. Top the meat filling with potatoes, and grate over a small amount of cheddar cheese if desired
2. Put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top

Easter feasting

For Resurrection Sunday, we invited friends over for a proper Easter feast, with all generousity and abundance in light of prudential wisdom. We wanted to celebrate together as a family with them, and so planned for a leisurely, relatively painless meal preparation that wouldn't take away from my enjoyment and their comfort by enslaving me to the kitchen. This pretty much went according to plan, minus the roast being a bit more speedy than anticipated and causing a last-minute sprint for me! But the original plan was something like this:

Come whenever after church
Nibble on cheese and crackers, nuts, delicious french pickles, while sipping Kir for a good while, listening to joyful music
Kick-start the appetite proper with pan-roasted asparagus with a warm orange-sherry viniagrette (easy to make!), quaffing the rest of the white wine therewith
Have a breather and talk
Bring out the roast lamb, peas, artichoke hearts, and green onions with lemon zest and garlic, and 'smashed potatoes' and switch to the red wines
Adjourn to the sitting room and eat carrot cake (made the day before)
Read resurrection poetry (largely dominated by Hopkins) over coffee and chocolates
Go on a walk together by the river

And that's generally what we did, resulting in a great time of leisurely fellowship and celebration of Christ's resurrection and our new life in Him.

Later that day, after the walk, friends spontaneously dropped by and we spent the next hour and a half laughing ourselves silly together. Calls to home ended the day, and we woke up on Monday for another round of enjoying resurrected life with our friends: banana pancakes with John and Di in the morning sunshine and later tacos with more friends in the evening, picked up from Cambridge's one and only tacqueria. All in all, a satisfying set of celebrations and delight, all pointing towards and participating in the great feast in New Jerusalem that awaits us and to which we look forward eagerly in hope!