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Thursday, April 30, 2020

Seriously...fuck capitalism -- A May Day message from The Left Chapter

image via twitter
With International Workers' Day at hand after weeks of the capitalist coronavirus crisis the truly awful, harsh and likely to get much worse, corporate driven dystopian reality we find ourselves in can only be summarized by saying...fuck capitalism.

If ever a system has been exposed as a rotting, putrid corpse riddled with the maggots of oppression, racism, vast inequality and staggering arrogance and ineptitude, it is the global capitalist order and the various clowns leading it.

Before anyone thinks our society is likely to get much better due to its being exposed, that is, rather terribly, not at all the case. Things are likely to get much worse...unless we do something about it.

For all the cheery and, frankly, delusional optimism of those who think "society cannot go back to where it was" they may be right. But at the moment not in a good way.

We are seeing the absolute triumph of the very worst tendencies of the neo-liberal era all exploding at once, from the sacrificing of the lives of the least paid, often racialized workers so as to "keep the economy going", to the white supremacist armed American rallies at state legislatures, to the billionaires, corporations and CEOs being bailed out -- yet again -- on the backs of all of us for a failed economic system they created.  

Amid the capitalist cornavirus crisis the wealthy and the powerful continue to control and take advantage of the situation. The mainstream parties are still engaging in mainstream politics. Circumstances have dictated that they have had to sweep some crumbs to the masses and say a few things here or there but they have and they will sweep a lot more to the wealthy and the corporations.

As we see millions and millions of workers or the formerly middle class facing destitution, bankruptcy and even homelessness, Wall St. just had its best month on the stock market in over 30 years. The utter and absolute disconnect between human needs and our economic system could not possibly be better expressed. Never mind the vast quantities of food being literally destroyed because capitalist agriculture is based around corporate "demand" as opposed to actual human demand. 

With trillions of dollars being pumped in to prop them up, of course the stocks are soaring. They are literally laughing in our faces all the way to the bank.

Fuck capitalism. 

Meanwhile, billionaire manchild egotists like Elon Musk scream "Free America" and the corporate political class from Georgia to Quebec look to "reopen" and throw us all under the bus as fast as possible wherever possible.

They cannot make money unless we are working. They need us to risk our lives to keep that stock market and those profits humming along. They will finance any number of stooge politicians or angry white lumpen petty bourgeois rallies to make it so. They will get the dumbest and most mechanistically reactionary of their corporate owned media talking heads to vomit out columns and TV moments claiming that compensating workers for lost income or for not being able to work will make them "lazy" and unwilling to go out and find some new job that pays less and that is more dangerous than the one they used to have but that exists now because fucking Amazon can hire more workers as Jeff Bezos gains a billion dollars in blood money every day or two.

Fuck capitalism.

The sick vampire lifeblood sucking disgusting shitshow sham of divide and conquer one day you too will be rich hahahaha reality horror show travesty that is capitalism is willing to cannibalisticly eat you whole and sacrifice the old, the workers and -- don't kid yourself -- the young and whoever else it takes as long as it can make money and thinks that it can replace one dead or sick delivery or cashier worker with another.

They will keep the mines, the factories, the warehouses going no matter how many workers are crammed together, no matter that social distancing is impossible, no matter that nearby communities will pay, no matter that workers will die, because they are all literally willing to end your life in their bloodlust for profit and "growth". 

Don't worry, hundreds of thousands of you are going to die...maybe even millions...but it will all be worth it! Freedom! Why would you not want to offer yourself up so that the parasites can feast on you living or dead. 

Soon enough they will cut off your benefits to force you back. Already the corporate class in Canada has somehow conned "progressive" politicians in parties like the NDP to back programs that hand 75% wage subsidies to businesses while Employment Insurance remains maxed out at 55%! How clever is that? And the NDP sheep squad is happily taking "credit" for this. The imbecility of it would almost be funny were the consequences not so grim.

And get ready, as it is coming fast and furious, for the austerity attack when the lockdown is lifted. When the corporate political goons and their media sycophants will demand deep, deep cuts. If you think the bailout corporate cash grab will be repaid by those who primarily benefited -- the wealthy -- I have got some Florida swampland for you for a song. You may need it after all is said and done. 

With no actual mass anti-capitalist left political movement in North America outside of the institutionalized and failed ones like the Democrats, Liberals and New Democrats, how exactly is the fightback to this politically being envisioned?

The principle that it was necessary to discard these failed capitalist vessels and build something new was perfectly obvious for many years now and especially after 2008. Had this been done we would be in a far better position now.

Capitalism is not going to just get "nicer" or disappear on its own. All that rhetoric about "heroic" workers is only that. It has already adapted to the new reality. 

If there was ever a May Day where it was obvious that we had to build new left parties and movements out of the ashes of the old it is this one. Otherwise we will once again see the workers pay dearly and deeply while perhaps a few parks are occupied again, some Marxist academics have conferences about it all and maybe everyone wishes the establishment "left" parties would really do something as it only ends up getting worse.

This is not inevitable but it is what is happening. Collectively we can try to stop it. Or the capitalists will walk away unscathed and empowered as they did after 2008. It is our choice.

Fuck capitalism.

Happy International Workers' Day.

Workers of all countries unite!

Bailouts for billionaires mean big gains for Wall St and Bay St. on the eve of May Day


If you were in any doubt who the bailouts are really for Wall St. stocks saw record gains in April even as millions of people lost their jobs, were tossed scraps by our governments and face bankruptcy. Meanwhile billionaires like Elon Musk remind us that they need labour to make all their vast wealth and call for workers to head back to dangerous jobs even if they might face illness or death while Trudeau backs away from making sure offshore companies can't get handouts...still think "we are all in this together"?

On the eve of International Workers' Day preparing to fight back against the coming corporate and government calls for vicious austerity in the wake of the capitalist coronavirus crisis is more important than ever!

Links: Wall Street powers through waves of bad economic news to one of its best months in decades

Wage subsidies for strikebreakers and no premium pay at the LCBO -- Dispatches from the bailouts

Facebook arbitrarily limits The Left Chapter...again


Today Facebook limited, again, without any explanation whatsoever, The Left Chapter's ability to be seen on the forum. While our Facebook page is still up, the posts are not showing up in Facebook's news feed essentially rendering it invisible.


This is the second time this has happened in less than a month. There is no ability to appeal. It is 100% arbitrary and now appears targeted. It also shows yet again how different "community standards" are applied to left wing pages as opposed to right wing pages.

As we stated the first time this happened:

The Left Chapter page has been active for over 5 years on Facebook. It has had the same admins for most of those years and has gone through the identification process for an admin. It has thousands of followers.

Facebook is a private enterprise and can essentially do what it wants, but given its power and grip on social media, arbitrary decisions without proper explanation or the right to appeal to an identifiable person are unacceptable and profoundly hypocritical given that Facebook demands admins on pages like ours identify themselves to Facebook.

This leaves decisions up to the whims of hidden admins who may themselves have biases politically or otherwise.

Obviously the one week limitation of The Left Chapter is not one of the great issues of our time, and at least -- unlike some left pages like Telesur English that have been taken down entirely on more than one occasion (only to be eventually restored) -- this decision is apparently temporary.

But it does speak to the undue influence Facebook has more broadly and the ability it has to tamper with debate and discussion  in its forum with absolutely no oversight. The Left Chapter is a page dedicated to the fight for socialism, worker and human rights, internationalism and support for feminism and anti-racism. As such, as a forum -- unlike many right wing pages on Facebook -- it is not a place where you will find the kind of hate speech, sexism, homophobia or racism common on Facebook.

Let us take this opportunity to also thank again all our readers and supporters.

Please note that during this week the page is still up and you can visit it for our usual content and updates and you can still like and share content.

You can also follow us on twitter, Instagram and can subscribe (for free) to our new You Tube channel.




Vietnamese Poster for National Reunification Day, April 30, 1975


Vietnamese Poster for National Reunification Day, April 30, 1975

April 30, 1975 Saigon -- now Ho Chi Minh City -- was liberated by the forces of North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the decades long struggle against western and American imperialism in Vietnam ended. The liberation of Saigon marked the beginning of peace and the process that led to full reunification of the North and South in 1976. It is a national holiday in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

May 1, International Workers' Day Holiday Card, USSR 1976 -- Daily LIFT #185


May 1, International Workers' Day Holiday Card, USSR 1976 -- Daily LIFT #185

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

May Day, painting by Renato Guttuso -- Daily LIFT #184


May Day, painting by Renato Guttuso -- Daily LIFT #184

Guttuso (1911 - 1987) was a renowned Italian artist, anti-fascist and leftist. He was awarded a World Peace Council Prize in 1950 and the Order of Lenin in 1972.

April in Lenin's Life, USSR April 1983


Vintage Leftist Leaflet Project

Leaflet: April in Lenin's Life, USSR April 1983

This short little piece looks at the various events that happened in April over the course of Lenin's life. It has some interesting photos and anecdotes and was excerpted from the book The Portrait and Time by Y. Yakovlev that had been published in Moscow the year before.

There are snippets and events from both before and after the revolution. April 22, 2020 was the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth.

(Click on scans to enlarge)










   

Monday, April 27, 2020

Capitalism Also Depends On Domestic Labour, Red Women's Workshop, UK 1975 -- Daily LIFT #183


Capitalism Also Depends On Domestic Labour, Red Women's Workshop, UK 1975 -- Daily LIFT #183

Wage subsidies for strikebreakers and no premium pay at the LCBO -- Dispatches from the bailouts

Locked out co-op workers picket in January
In yet more evidence that the coronavirus bailouts in Canada are being constructed to heavily favour the interests of big business and the corporations, Unifor is calling out the federal government for a loophole in the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) that allows it to be used to subsidize scab labour. 

There is apparently nothing in the legislation (Bill C-14) that prevents companies from using the wage subsidy of up to $847 per week per employee to hire or contract out for strikebreakers. Using scabs during strikes -- which should be made illegal at all times -- undermines collective bargaining and the power of workers. When profitable corporations can continue to operate during a strike, they have little incentive to bargain in good faith.

Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, said "Companies that have chosen to use scabs to prolong labour disputes should not benefit from the scarce emergency funds designed to help legitimately struggling businesses and organizations. COVID-19 financial support should not be used to weaken workers' bargaining power."

This should be perfectly obvious, but governments are much more interested in keeping the economy going than they are in treating workers fairly.

In its press release Unifor points to:
...the example of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) in Saskatchewan, where the company has locked out refinery workers for 144 days and has flown in scab labourers and housed them in cramped conditions. The local community has expressed concern that the scab camp is a health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FCL recently rejected recommendations to end the dispute from independent mediators appointed by the provincial government. Unifor says employers like these can't be rewarded with federal CEWS funds.
"Co-op's repeated refusal to compromise has been made possible by its use of scabs," said Dias. "If those scabs are subsidized with federal CEWS cash, the government will further tip the balance in favour of a company that saw over $2 billion in profits between 2018 and 2019."
Meanwhile in Ontario, despite the publicly owned alcohol retailer the LCBO having been deemed an "essential service" thereby forcing its workers to work under dangerous conditions, LCBO management is refusing calls for a pandemic pay premium.

It was recently announced that frontline healthcare workers would receive a $4.00 an hour wage increase -- long overdue though likely only temporary -- but LCBO workers are not getting any extra pay even though the LCBO is bringing in "record sales" according to the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) that represents them.

In an OPSEU press release:
First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida says the rot at the LCBO starts at the top, pointing out that LCBO President and CEO, Dr. George Soleas, takes home a reported annual salary of $560K plus benefits.
"Mr. Soleas is sitting comfortably in his ivory tower, making record profits off the backs of hardworking employees who are risking their lives," says Almeida. "Since the LCBO has seen a windfall in profits during this pandemic, Soleas and all the other LCBO managers are anticipating hefty bonuses, while all the essential workers get is a sneering brush off."
This is clearly wrong, especially given that the LCBO is public.

Always remember that "We are all in this together" is more rhetoric than reality.


 

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Poster for the 110th anniversary of Lenin's birth, USSR 1980 -- Daily LIFT #182


Poster for the 110th anniversary of Lenin's birth, USSR 1980 -- Daily LIFT #182

Blockade No, Solidarity Yes! US imperialist sanctions need to end


Blockade No, Solidarity Yes! US imperialist sanctions need to end

In this audio dispatch, Michael Laxer looks at how -- in contrast to Cuban internationalism and humanitarianism -- the US government has intensified their economic blockades during the capitalist coronavirus crisis despite the humanitarian toll this will take. He also looks at how we need to call out and oppose Canada's hypocritical complicity in this.

Coronavirus, Nova Scotia Shootings, Tara Reade, Lenin 150 & more -- The Week in News and Opinion April 19 - 26


This week's list of articles, news items, visuals and opinion pieces that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of  April 19 - 26.

This week's edition begins again with a very large roundup of news and left opinion about the capitalist coronavirus crisis and its impact on working people globally. There are also a number of links related to the terrible mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Tara Reade's allegations against Joe Biden and the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth.

The Featured Article link at the start is an important piece by Pamela Palmater on the attempts by governments in Canada to use the coronavirus crisis as cover to attack the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous people. 

We have tried to arrange the coronavirus news thematically and to touch on many different areas of concern.

Featured Post:

Under cover of COVID-19, rule of law falters

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada, Indigenous peoples and allies were engaged in nationwide solidarity actions in support of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, its traditional leaders and clan members. Their actions were in response to RCMP removing Wet’suwet’en peoples from their homes to allow construction of Coastal Gaslink pipeline on their territory without their consent. Solidarity actions included peaceful occupations of railways, ports, bridges, highways, legislatures and minister’s offices supporting Wet’suwet’en calls for RCMP and Coastal Gaslink off Wet’suwet’en lands.

Capitalist Coronavirus Crisis

- 'Violent Men Are To Blame, Not The Virus’: Lockdown Sees Rise In Women Being Killed

Women disproportionately 'bearing the brunt' of coronavirus crisis, advocates say

Sexism on the Covid-19 frontline: 'PPE is made for a 6ft 3in rugby player'

COVID-19 Lockdowns Harmfully Impacting Millions of Children: UN

Workers’ health over profit! -- WFTU May Day poster and statement

So much for entitled millennials – it’s billionaires such as Richard Branson who are begging for loans

Call for Virgin Atlantic to be nationalised after billionaire Branson asks taxpayers to bail him out

Disney to stop paying 100,000 workers but is still on track to give shareholders $1.5 billion

Carnival Executives Knew They Had a Virus Problem, But Kept the Party Going

Ruth’s Chris Made $468 Million in Revenue but Gobbled Up $20 Million in Small Business Relief

CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating

Coronavirus pandemic 'will cause famine of biblical proportions'

‘Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.’ A Global Food Crisis Looms.





WHO to Receive $30 Million From China to Fight COVID-19

Palestine Receives Medical Aid from China to Fight COVID-19

'We’re in a prison': Singapore's migrant workers suffer as Covid-19 surges back

As pandemic rages, U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba are getting deadlier

- Cuban doctors are the world’s heroes — their nation needs us now

U.S. Blockade Prevents Swiss Aid to Cuba

Cuban Doctors Head to South Africa to Help Fight COVID-19

Cuban Doctors Arrive in Honduras to Fight COVID-19

Cuba's Medical Brigade Arrives in Cape Verde to Face COVID-19

Argentina Welcomes Cuban Medical Aid, Slams US Blockade

“We Don’t Have the Capacity to Treat”: Palestinian-Canadian Doctor Says Israel Must Lift Gaza Siege

“The question was whether to die of hunger or coronavirus”: Garment factories reopen in Haiti despite fears

Hunger Protests Grow in Colombia Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

Latin America Surpasses 100,000 Infections From COVID-19

Bolivia: Social Leaders Denounce Gov't for Rights Violations

Peru: Poor People Undertake Exodus to Their Home Towns

“Physical Distance, Social Unity”: How India’s Red State Got on Top of Coronavirus

Domestic Violence Increases 431% in Brazil Amid Lockdown

Brazil Registers Record of Daily Deaths as Hospitals Collapse

Brazil becoming virus outbreak centre as hospitals reach breaking point

Students across Europe fight COVID-19 and the neoliberal state

Demands of European communists in response to the coronavirus pandemic

Italy: COVID-19 Plunged One Million People Into Poverty

Social distancing is important...which is why our politicians need to stop being hypocrites about it:




OPEN LETTER: Indigenous Leaders, Doctors, Nurses And Others Call For Closure Of Construction Camps (Canada) 

Manitoba universities told to cut costs by up to 30% to help province endure pandemic

Environmentalists slam Ontario for suspending oversight regulation amid pandemic

Coronavirus discriminates against Black lives through surveillance, policing and the absence of health data

Grocery workers talk poverty wages and pandemic profits (Canada)

RELEASE NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS FROM CANADIAN PRISONS (Canada)

Coronavirus: Outbreak in federal women's prison validates worst fears of advocates (Canada)

Bike couriers in Toronto risking illness to deliver 'junk food to rich people'

Military and hospital teams won’t stop long-term care nightmare; test, identify and relocate residents’ with COVID-19, union asks (Canada)

GM Oshawa plant will now produce millions of masks following worker mobilization: CUPE Ontario

Doug Ford does not deserve any praise...and neither do other neo-liberal politicians:




Trump Says He'll Suspend All Immigration Into The United States Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Trump Was Real Time Informed During COVID-19 Outbreak in China

Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs

The White House Has Erected a Blockade Stopping States and Hospitals From Getting Coronavirus PPE

Amazon reaps $11,000-a-second coronavirus lockdown bonanza

Hundreds of Amazon Workers Strike Over Unsafe Working Conditions

Amazon Will Not Change Without a Union

Las Vegas workers push back after mayor's call to reopen casinos and hotels

COVID-19: Lockdowns Pushing Mass Transit to Brink & Low-Income Riders Will Pay the Price



- 'Heroes': Healthcare Workers Stand in Street to Block Right-Wing Protest Against Colorado Stay-at-Home Order

Hundreds Defy Common Sense, Safety At Infowars Rally To Reopen Businesses

KENTUCKY REPORTS HIGHEST CORONAVIRUS INFECTION INCREASE AFTER A WEEK OF PROTESTS TO REOPEN STATE

Give Me Liberty and Also Death

Right Wing Brain Worms - Hellworld #9 (Podcast)

The whiteness of anti-lockdown protests

'A phantom plague': America's Bible Belt played down the pandemic and even cashed in. Now dozens of pastors are dead

Brazil:

Brazil's star justice minister Sérgio Moro resigns in blow to Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil's Attorney General Demands Inquiry Against Bolsonaro

Canada:




Ecosocialists Demand Immediate Increase in Minimum Wage for Essential Workers (BC)

TRUDEAU’S PATCHWORK INCOME DEAL IS INSUFFICIENT

Why Isn’t Canada Treating Climate Change With the Same Urgency as COVID-19?

University students demand lower tuition, fees as classes move online

Alberta Pension Manager That Lost Billions Made Big Investments in Conservative Donors’ Companies: Report

Climate Emergency:

Europe had hottest year on record in 2019, report shows

Feminism:

Author of book about victim blaming bombarded with misogynist abuse

Israel / Palestine:

Israeli plans for occupied West Bank would violate international law: EU

Lenin 150:

The future belongs to socialism -- Statements from around the world on the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth

Capitalism is not the end of history -- More statements from around the world on the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth

Cuban Communist Party sends message on 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth

Cuban workers honor Lenin and convoke May Day mobilization

Lenin in Urdu: His Every Word Became Poetry

Nova Scotia Shootings:

Nova Scotia mass shooting lays bare media's white male bias

Nova Scotia shootings began after gunman attacked his girlfriend, sources say

Women’s Shelters Canada Calls on Authorities to Acknowledge Gendered Aspect of Nova Scotia Mass Shooting

Misogyny is often behind the acts we deem ‘senseless’

When real life turns surreal

Porn/Prostitution:

What does pornography reveal about the world we are a part of?

United Kingdom:

Half of frontline care workers paid less than living wage

The leaked Labour report should have been an explosive scandal

United States:




Noam Chomsky Is a Liberal

The Moral and Strategic Calculus of Voting for Joe Biden to Defeat Trump — or Not

Do I have to vote for a rapist if I live in a swing state?

On The Record: A Former Biden Staffer's Sexual Assault Allegation

Tara Reade says Joe Biden sexually assaulted her. She deserves to be heard

NEW EVIDENCE SUPPORTING CREDIBILITY OF TARA READE’S ALLEGATION AGAINST JOE BIDEN EMERGES

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Magic Garlic, Paprika, Cumin and Curry Powder Vinegar Paste for Pork Shoulder



Today we are going to take a look at a terrific paste for cooking pork shoulder based around garlic, paprika, cumin and curry powder that is a fusion of a number of different marinades I have used over the years. This one is perfect for a pulled pork that you later serve over rice or in tacos or as a sandwich.

Here I cooked it in a clay baker, but the paste could be used for doing pork shoulder in a slow cooker or Dutch Oven.





Paste Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon black vinegar (if you do not have this you can substitute balsamic)
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt and black pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all of the paste ingredients and stir together until thickened into a paste.

Take the paste and coat a 3-4 pound pork shoulder with it evenly. You can cook after doing this right away, but if possible let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

As always, if clay baking soak your clay baker for 15-20 minutes.

Place the marinaded shoulder in the baker. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth around it. Add 1 small to medium chopped onion. Finally, pour a tablespoon of soy sauce over it.



Place in a COLD oven if clay baking.

Set the oven to 425 and cook for two hours.

Handling carefully take the baker out after two hours, keeping the oven hot, and remove the shoulder to a platter. Leave all the juices in the bottom of the baker. Using two forks or a fork and a knife pull the pork apart or cut it up coarsely and then put it back in the baker.

Stir it all up thoroughly, top it again and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

After it is done, remove from oven. Stir up again and let sit 10 minutes before serving.



This very flavourful dish is best served, in my opinion, over rice with a squirt of lime and some extra hot sauce. But it also makes excellent taco filling or as the base for pulled pork sandwiches.

Enjoy.

Friday, April 24, 2020

Protest Against Plant Closures, New York, 1983 -- Daily LIFT #181


Protest Against Plant Closures, New York, 1983 -- Daily LIFT #181

Cast Iron Pan Crumpets



By Natalie

Today we are going to take a look at a rustic pantry dish that makes a great snack or breakfast served hot with butter or jam. Homemade crumpets cooked in a cast iron pan are fun and tasty.

Batter Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 TB dried yeast
1/2 TSP baking soda
1 TSP salt
1 TSP sugar
1 cup warm milk
1 cup warm water
vegetable oil/canola oil to grease the cooking rings.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients except the yeast.

In a different bowl mix together the warm milk and water separately from the dry ingredients and add the dry yeast. Be sure to dissolve the yeast.

Add the wet to the dry ingredients.

This will bubble up, mix together in the bowl until fully combined.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel.

Allow to proof for 1 hour at which point the mix is ready to make crumpets with, or if you like, refrigerate until needed and use within a couple of days.

Heat a cast-iron pan on medium high until nice and hot -- not smoking hot but heated enough to cook pancakes.

Lightly grease your pan with veg or canola oil, and grease any baking rings if using. Otherwise drop the raw mixture by the spoonful and smooth out slightly to create a wider but not too thick shape so it will cook evenly. They may  be wonky or cloud shaped, which  is fine. This is part of the charm of a homemade crumpet.

Or you can spoon some of the mix into your cooking rings til about half full. Cook approx 2-3  mins on one side and they should be bubbly on top and ready to flip. Cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.

I couldn't find cooking  rings among my jumble of kitchen things so I just used a mason jar ring, a bit awkward but it does the trick.

I find that opening any thicker crumpets while cooking, down the middle with a fork (butterflying them)  smearing a dab of butter in the pan and cooking them inside helps to expedite the process.

A small stack of crumpets should begin to appear as long as one doesn't eat them all as soon as  they are cooked. Hah!

Eat while hot with butter and/or topped with either sweet or savoury toppings.

Enjoy!






Statistics!


Statistics!

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Mao and Che dine together, China 1960 -- Daily LIFT #180


Mao and Che dine together, China 1960 -- Daily LIFT #180

Che enjoys a meal with Mao during his diplomatic trip to the People's Republic of China, late 1960.

Bajan Cooking in a Nutshell w. Pepperpot, Pickled Green Bananas, Stewed Down Salt Fish & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Bajan Cooking in a Nutshell, Sally Miller

Publication Details: Miller Publishing, 2010

Bajan Cooking in a Nutshell is a terrific small format cookbook that looks at the wonderful cuisine of Barbados. As any regular reader of The Left Chapter knows I am a huge fan of Caribbean and West Indian cooking and this book packs a lot of different, classic recipes into 80 pages.

It starts with some essentials like a Bajan seasoning blend and a fiery pepper sauce, and then looks at soups, street foods, seafood, mains etc. There are numerous photos and some history and anecdotes mixed in.

I have featured some of my favourite regional dishes such as Pepperpot and Bajan Patties as well as fun bites like Salt Fish Cakes and Pumpkin Fritters. This one was hard to edit as I would have loved to include every recipe!

Definitely a cookbook worth seeking out.

(click on images to enalrge)