A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

Food and drink

  • Friday Links

    –Ludwig von Mises versus Christianity. –20-plus years of Willie Nelson’s political endorsements. –The media has stopped covering the unemployement crisis. –The Stockholm Syndrome theory of long novels. –An interview with Edward Glaeser, author of Triumph of the City. –Why universal salvation is an evangelical option. –A debate over Intelligent Design ensares an academic journal of Read more

  • Odds and ends

    In lieu of more substantive blogging… —Lent: I managed to make it to an Ash Wednesday service at lunchtime yesterday, but I have no grandiose plans for Lenten discipline. Every year it’s tempting to think that I’ll really get back on track (after the seemingly inevitable decline in my churchgoing, prayer life, Bible reading, almsgiving, Read more

  • In defense of pleasure

    I liked this article at Slate making what should be an obvious point: whatever health benefits it may be shown to have, it’s OK to drink wine because it tastes good and makes you feel good! The “medicalization” of food and drink, where everything is touted for its (real or imagined) health benefits, has gone Read more

  • Adventures in brown liquor

    I’d been hearing for a while that rye whisky was making something of a comeback. It seems that it was the preferred whisky of pre-Prohibition America and in fact many classic cocktails (e.g. the Manhattan, my fave) were originally made with rye. Happily, we’re not far from this place, so I went this weekend and Read more

  • “A wholly American and appropriate indulgence”

    “An Ode to Bourbon” ‘Nuff said. Read more

  • Water of life

    What my sweetie got me to ease the transition into my (sigh) mid-30s. On the bright side, while sharing a birthday with Brother Martin, I did not turn 525. Read more

  • Bourbon’s moment

    Bourbon’s shot at the big time (via). Recently I’ve been enjoying a bottle of Elmer T. Lee single barrel out of Frankfort, KY. I’ve long been more partial to bourbon than other kinds of whiskey. Though I won’t turn my nose up at a fine Irish whiskey like Bushmill’s. Read more