robert irwin redux

the revised and expanded edition of seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees arrived today, together with trickster makes this world and the gift (both by lewis hyde). the new edition of seeing is printed on cheesy coated paper and has a cheesy cover that makes it look like a tourist guidebook (minus) but has the benefit of more colour plates of the fabled irwin experimental paintings which were, hitherto, never photographed (distinct plus). it remains one of the best books i've ever read about the cyclic nature of research and development.

in other news, spice tonight restored my faith in pad thai when i asked for it slightly spicier and with more ground peanuts than usual. by all accounts, it is totally inauthentic (is it possible to be totally inauthentic? is authenticity a binary state? anyway.) but it presses all the right buttons nonetheless--slightly sticky, sweet, sour, salty, crunchy, soft, chewy, smooth, spicy all at the same time.

also, for the first time here, the boston (but really mostly cambridge) companion to the san francisco map of good eats:

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