MARIANI’S
VIRTUAL
GOURMET APRIL 14, 2024
NEWSLETTER Founded in 1996 ARCHIVE
"Still Life" by Pierre Bonnard ❖❖❖ THIS WEEK BARCELONA PART TWO By John A. Curtas NEW YORK CORNER RIVERPARK By John Mariani THE MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES CHAPTER FIFTEEN By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WILL A.I MAKE WINE WRITERS SUPERFLUOUS? By John Mariani ❖❖❖
BARCELONA PART TWO By John A. Curtas Paella Dinner at Can
Culleretes (supposedly the second
oldest restaurant in Spain) was punctuated by
a surly teenage waitress and a hostess with
all the charm of a hemorrhoid. But the
historic rooms (since 1786) were a sight
to see and the tariff soft, especially wine,
with bottles costing what a glass does in Las
Vegas. This held true in both Barcelona and
Madrid, in restaurants both humble and
hi-falutin'. Our dinner for four (with enough
food for six) came to €252, including two
bottles of wine.
❖❖❖
NEW YORK CORNER RIVERPARK
450 East 29th
Street 212-706-4131 By John Mariani Photos by Svetlana Blasucci Talk about
hiding in plain sight! How did I miss a striking
venue with a Kips Bay panorama on the East River
that’s been around for fifteen years? ❖❖❖
THE MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES By John Mariani CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Professor
Porter continued, “By the time
of the Great Depression, which affected the
entire world, the Irish economy was
in a desperate shambles, and the Sisters of
Charity were taking in at least a
hundred young women a year.”
“When did the abuse begin?” asked
Katie.
“Probably around that time, 1930s,
‘40s, and after the war. You have to remember that
Irish Catholicism had become
very punitive, drifting away from the positive
preachings of Jesus Christ,
which were all about love, forgiveness, repentance
and redemption. The parochial
schools run by the Irish replaced that view with
the idea that all men were
sinners and women were temptresses, weak in moral
integrity, all of them bound
for hellfire.”
This was not really news to Katie or
David, who had gone through parochial schools
where the principal concerns of
the clergy were focused on the Sixth and Ninth
Commandments—“Thou shalt not
commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor’s wife,” which by
extension included any and all sins of the flesh,
from masturbation to abortion
and homosexuality, any of which were mortal sins
that would send the sinner to
eternal damnation.
Porter then said, “Beyond what I’ve
told you, I haven’t much in the way of details on
what happened inside those
asylums except that the women had no say in
whether they went in or got out.
Those decisions were made entirely by the girls’
families or courts or the
parish priests. They changed the girls’ names once
inside. And if a girl went
in pregnant, the baby would come to term and be
taken away from the girl and
put up for adoption.
She’d never see her
child again.”
“Why did they become laundries?” asked
Professor Mundt.
“Laundries were profitable, for one
thing. They did all the laundry for the churches
and convents. It was very hard
work, punishingly so, but very easy and cheap to
set up as opposed to, say, a
textile factory or a workhouse. And, of
course, it had always been considered ‘women’s
work.’ I’ve
heard it said that one reason the
Magdalene Laundries eventually died out was
because washing machines made them
obsolete. I’ve seen figures that suggest at least
10,000 women and girls passed
through the laundries between independence from
Britain in 1922 and the closing
of the last one in
1996.”
Katie asked if there was good
documentation on all Porter had told them. He
replied, “I wish there were.
We’re getting info from individuals, interviews in
the newspapers with former
inmates, but there has yet to be a serious,
in-depth study of the asylums and
their history. I know of little or nothing in
American scholarship.”
“And do you know anything about this
discovery of a mass unmarked grave on Church
property with hundreds of
unidentified bodies?” asked David.
“Only what’s been in the newspapers in
the early ‘90s, and I haven’t heard of any police
investigation that came up
with anything since then.”
Katie’s journalistic nerves were
pulsing, while David’s detective instincts were
simmering.
“Father Porter, do you remember Joseph
Evangelista?”
Porter’s eyes lit up. “Of course I do.
What a wonderful young man. I was
his
mentor in joining the Jesuits. Heard he was posted
to the Philippines? Have you
been in touch with Joseph?”
In astonishment Porter listened to what
Katie then told him about her friend and how and
why he’d left the order and
how his revelations had actually been what
prompted her to investigate abuse
within the Church.
“I’m sure he’d like to see you,” she
said. “He’s right here in the Bronx, staying with
his parents for the time
being. I could ask him if he’d like to speak with
you.”
Porter said, “Oh, Katie, I really wish
you would. Maybe
I can be of some help
to him. Sounds like he’s been through a lot. And
he’s hardly the first priest
to come to such a sad exit because of this
vicious, ongoing problem within the
Church.”
The four of them spoke a while longer,
and Katie obtained the names of a few people she
might be interested in
contacting with regard to the Magdalene Laundries,
all of them in Dublin. Porter
insisted on being kept in the loop on
whatever Katie and David found.
“It’s
a very dark chapter,” he said, “and most
of it is missing. There’s nothing like an official
history of the Irish Church.
Maybe you can write it, Katie.”
Katie glanced at Professor Mundt, who
was smiling and said, “If anyone can, Father
Porter, it will be Katie. And
David, of course.”
They parted and promised to keep in
touch. Katie and David went back to her apartment
to compare notes and speak
about what was next.
“Soon as I get all these notes into
some kind of order,” she said, “I’ll go to Alan
and try to pry an assignment
out of him.”
David laughed. “Like the professor
said, if anyone can do it, you can.”
Over the weekend Katie worked on her
notes, collating David’s, to come up with a
written proposal that would include
an estimate of expenses. She knew she would have
to argue to have David along
on the assignment, even though Dobell was well
aware of the ex-detective’s
critical importance to the last three
investigations. On Monday morning Katie went to
the
office and strode into Dobell’s office.
“Well, don’t you look highly intent on
convincing me of something,” he said.
“Whaddaya got? Something big, I hope.”
Katie had learned never to suggest that
maybe hers was not the kind of story McClure’s
usually did—her last two articles almost suffered
that fate—so she said, “How
does an unmarked grave on Catholic Church grounds
in Dublin containing only
female and infant bodies sound for a hook?”
Dobell straightened up in his chair.
“I’m listening,” he said.
Now that Katie had her editor’s
attention, she backtracked in as cogent a fashion
as she could in telling
Dobell about the sexual abuse within the Catholic
Church, about which he
confessed to know next to nothing.
“Oh, it goes on on an unimaginable
scale,” she said, citing figures from her
interview with Sipe, “maybe even
leading straight to the Vatican.”
Dobell was now knitting his brow, his
fingertips tapping together. “Go on.”
Katie admitted such a story was
probably too vast for her alone to cover; it would
take a squad of
investigative reporters and a huge commitment of
time and money. The Times might
launch such an
investigation, but there would still have to be a
pay-off at the end of the
story. Exposing bad priests, nuns and Church
hierarchy had to lead somewhere
very specific, and Katie could tell Dobell wasn’t
there yet.
Katie burrowed in, telling Dobell about
the Magdalene Laundries and leading up to the
discovery of the mass grave.
Dobell fidgeted in his chair. “It’s
certainly a good, ghoulish story,” he said, with
his editor’s nose for a good
headline. “But you say it’s already been written
about in the English, Irish
and Canadian papers? Nothing in the Times,
Washington Post, Boston Globe?”
Katie said “no” three times, adding how
the Globe
had killed a story on
religious pedophilia years before.
“Look, Katie, I trust your instincts,
but at the moment budgets are tight. This damn dot
com bubble cut into a lot of
media advertising, and this story would cost a
great deal to do right.”
Having already paid for the trip to see
Sipe and having paid in the past for her trip to
London on her last story,
Katie felt slighted by the idea she would have to
offer another carrot to
Dobell. Yet she felt so strongly about the story
that she said, “Look, Alan, if
David and I—”
“I knew David was going to come into
this conversation at some point.”
“If David and I pay our own way to
Dublin,” she continued, “like we did to London and
La Jolla, and
you like what we find, put me on
assignment and pay for my expenses, and I’ll write
a great story, okay?”
Dobell hated this kind of
arrangement.
With a freelancer on spec
it was one thing, but for a lead investigative
reporter he didn’t like to say
no. He put up his hands and said, “Let me think
about it, Katie.”
“Think hard,” she said. “Call me
mid-week?”
“Lemme see.”
*
*
* Mid-week came and
went, and Katie thought that by Friday she was due
the respect of an answer
from Dobell. Still, she didn’t want to bug her
very busy editor, and Friday was
a closing day, when everyone in the office worked
until midnight to get the
monthly magazine to bed. Katie
procrastinated
until it was too late on Friday afternoon to call
and disrupt the closing.
But she didn’t have to.
Her phone rang and it was Dobell. He
didn’t even say her name.
“Well, looks like you’d better fly to
Dublin ASAP.”
“What? Why?”
“It just came across the AP wire. Two
nuns from that Magdalene Laundry place turned up
dead, and not in a nice way.”
“What do you mean?” Katie grabbed her
pen and notepad.
“Whoever murdered them had a really bad
temper. One of the nuns was strangled with her own
rosary beads and the other
one had a classroom wooden pointer driven through
her heart.”
© 2019 ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
Will A.I. Make
Wine Writers Superfluous?
The task of most
wine writers is to try not to say the same thing
over and over to describe varietals that by their
very nature all share the same flavors, albeit to
different degrees. It’s hard to imagine that anyone
actually reads the descriptions in Wine Spectator,
Decanter or Wine Advocate
of, say, two dozen Chenin Blancs that all use the
same verbiage merely switched around, especially
when most readers merely glance at the numerical
ratings, which themselves will always hover around
the same scores. This one gets a 92, this one a 91,
this one a 90, on and on. “… It is a little shy wine
like a gazelle.”
Instead I like to give the reader more of a
sense of place and history about a winery, what the
owners try to do and what methods—type of oak,
filtering, yeast, alcohol level, aging, etc.—they put
in their tech data sheets. I never give
numerical ratings. "In
this Sonoma County Chardonnay, you'll find a beautiful
blend of warmth from the region and the refreshing
qualities of cooler areas. It boasts superb citric
acidity, lacks any hint of caramel, and its oak is
delicately toasted, offering a delightful edge. Pair
it effortlessly with swordfish."" “Discover
the essence of Sonoma County in this Chardonnay, where
warmth meets the crispness of cooler regions, sans any
artificial elements. With its vibrant citric acidity,
absence of caramel notes, and subtly toasted oak, it
perfectly complements swordfish." "This
Sonoma County Chardonnay epitomizes the best of both
worlds – the cozy warmth and the refreshing coolness –
without any artificial enhancements. With its
impeccable citric acidity, absence of caramel tones,
and just the right touch of toasted oak, it's a
flawless match for swordfish." "Experience
the pure essence of Sonoma County in this Chardonnay,
where warmth and coolness harmonize effortlessly,
devoid of any artificial influences. Its lively citric
acidity, lack of caramel overtones, and subtly toasted
oak make it an ideal pairing for swordfish." "In
this Sonoma County Chardonnay, you'll taste the
perfect balance of warmth and coolness, untainted by
any artificial additions. With its refreshing citric
acidity, absence of caramel nuances, and subtly
toasted oak, it's a superb accompaniment to
swordfish." "This
Sonoma County Chardonnay captures the essence of its
terroir, blending warmth with coolness naturally,
without any artificial intervention. With its bright
citric acidity, absence of caramel flavors, and gently
toasted oak, it's an ideal match for swordfish." "Indulge
in the authentic flavors of Sonoma County with this
Chardonnay, showcasing the harmonious fusion of warmth
and coolness, free from any artificial enhancements.
Its crisp citric acidity, lack of caramel influence,
and subtly toasted oak create a perfect synergy with
swordfish." "Experience
Sonoma County's terroir in every sip of this
Chardonnay, where the interplay of warmth and coolness
shines without artificial additives. Its lively citric
acidity, absence of caramel hints, and delicately
toasted oak offer an impeccable complement to
swordfish." "This
Sonoma County Chardonnay embodies the true essence of
its origin, marrying warmth and coolness seamlessly,
without any artificial interference. With its zesty
citric acidity, absence of caramel notes, and just a
hint of toasted oak, it's an exquisite pairing for
swordfish." "Savor
the authentic flavors of Sonoma County with this
Chardonnay, crafted to showcase the natural harmony
between warmth and coolness, untouched by artificial
flavors. Its vibrant citric acidity, lack of caramel
influences, and subtly toasted oak make it an ideal
partner for swordfish." Fortunately, A.I. would have a tougher time capturing the prose I write for other articles that are more than mere descriptions of a wine. So, I think I have a few more years left in the game. ❖❖❖ WELL, CHECK ANOTHER ITEM OFF MY BUCKET LIST! “I
Baked the Bisquick Coffee Cake So You Don’t Have
To” By Gabrielle Scelzo (March 29, 2024). Eater.com
❖❖❖ Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com. The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books) is a novella, and for anyone who loves dogs, Christmas, romance, inspiration, even the supernatural, I hope you'll find this to be a treasured favorite. The story concerns how, after a New England teacher, his wife and their two daughters adopt a stray puppy found in their barn in northern Maine, their lives seem full of promise. But when tragedy strikes, their wonderful dog Lazarus and the spirit of Christmas are the only things that may bring his master back from the edge of despair. WATCH THE VIDEO! “What a huge surprise turn this story took! I was completely stunned! I truly enjoyed this book and its message.” – Actress Ali MacGraw “He had me at Page One. The amount of heart, human insight, soul searching, and deft literary strength that John Mariani pours into this airtight novella is vertigo-inducing. Perhaps ‘wow’ would be the best comment.” – James Dalessandro, author of Bohemian Heart and 1906. “John Mariani’s Hound in Heaven starts with a well-painted portrayal of an American family, along with the requisite dog. A surprise event flips the action of the novel and captures us for a voyage leading to a hopeful and heart-warming message. A page turning, one sitting read, it’s the perfect antidote for the winter and promotion of holiday celebration.” – Ann Pearlman, author of The Christmas Cookie Club and A Gift for my Sister. “John Mariani’s concise, achingly beautiful novella pulls a literary rabbit out of a hat – a mash-up of the cosmic and the intimate, the tragic and the heart-warming – a Christmas tale for all ages, and all faiths. Read it to your children, read it to yourself… but read it. Early and often. Highly recommended.” – Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling author of Pinkerton’s War, The Sinking of The Eastland, and The Walking Dead: The Road To Woodbury. “Amazing things happen when you open your heart to an animal. The Hound in Heaven delivers a powerful story of healing that is forged in the spiritual relationship between a man and his best friend. The book brings a message of hope that can enrich our images of family, love, and loss.” – Dr. Barbara Royal, author of The Royal Treatment. ❖❖❖
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NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Publisher: John Mariani. Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher
Mariani, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish.
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