Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Page A-9
Healthy U News: by Dorothy Vogel
On the Sad
Decline of the
Dinner Party
When I was a child, back in the
mists of the previous century, it was
considered extremely rude not to eat
what a hostess served for dinner. No
matter if it appealed to you or not, if
you were hungry or not, if the meal
contained items that made you gag,
you had to eat it, for not to do so was
a slap in the face of the homemaker.
If you refused her offering it was as
good as telling her she had failed as
a human being, for her only job was
domestic. It was up to the guests to
assure her she was up to her calling.
This custom was even present
at family meals, with a twist. “You
may not leave the table until you
finish your plate.” This directive
derived from the moral realm of
“Waste Not, Want Not,” and it came
with reminders to “Think of the
starving Hungarians!”
I have no idea if the Hungarians
were starving when I was a child and
I don’t think my mother did either,
but it did make me swallow a big
dose of resentment against them
along with my sprouts.
Dinner customs have changed
since women started pouring into
the workforce, causing domestic
arts to take second place to talents
that brought in some money,
enough money to take the family
out to dine, or to buy frozen or
ready-made dinners. This period of
culinary culture was called the Great
Domestic Relaxation.
But, due to the poundage it
put on, the populace got health
conscious, which threw a devastating
boulder into the dinner party.
Hostesses had to assume their
guests would restrict what they were
willing to eat according to various
diet plans.
Guests would also discuss
their plan at length, because it takes
mental energy to stick to it, and
if you’re thinking about it, you’re
talking about it. Ergo, we heard
details about the Atkins Plan, the
Cabbage Soup Plan, the Paleo Plan,
have planned is that both
artists will work from the
same subject; JoAnn in
watercolor, Lois in oil. You
will see the disadvantages
and advantages of each.
They will talk about warm
verses cool light, limited
palettes, organizing with
value, simplifying from
large to small shapes and
much, much more. They
will take you from the
beginning concept to the
finished winning painting.
There will be a still
life set up for those who
want to work from life. If
you prefer, work from your
own source material, photos
or sketches. You may draw
your picture out to save
time and have more time
for painting. Bring more
than one if you would like
or something you have
started and need help on.
JoAnn likes working on
Arches 140# cold press
paper. You will probably
need at least one large
week, or if the guests bring their
half-eaten dishes back home, their
next day’s dinner. It’s a democratic
way of spreading the work load, and
these days, the work load needs to be
spread.
With advancing age, I have
discovered yet another boulder in the
dinner party custom. Somewhere in
the upper age brackets, we women
don’t want the hassle of even putting
on a potluck anymore. We enjoy
guests, but our hips and knees and
lower back all protest against the
prep and the cleanup.
Happily, I have discovered
away to get around this boulder.
SEE DINNER ON A-10
RCC Chorus hits ‘Broadway ... Plus!’
Fine Artists schedule classes
Two nationally
known artists team up to
provide the total painting
experience. Popular artist
JoAnn Mathews will be
working in watercolor.
JoAnn is best known
for her portraits of
people and animals and
her cowboy paintings.
Check out her website at
JoAnnscowboyart.com. Lois
Petersen will be working
in oil and pastel. Lois is
best known for her pastel
landscapes. Put Lois
Petersen Colorado artist
in your search engine to
see her beautiful work.
Both excel in all areas.
So whatever your favorite
medium and whatever your
favorite subject you will
have expert help. Both
instructors have extensive
teaching experience and
have won numerous
awards and have boundless
enthusiasm. There will be
lots of individual attention.
One demo they
the Fat Flush, the Glycemic Index,
the Grapefruit Plan, the Macrobiotic,
the Master Cleanse (PU-LEASE!
At the TABLE?) The Nutrisystem
prepackages, the South Beach
Diet, and of course, those Weight
Watchers with their little scales.
Dinner parties fell by the
wayside.
But the need for companionship
rose again by dusting off an old
idea: the Potluck. The Potluck took
off with a zoom. Currently it is the
custom to invite the guests to “bring
a dish.” (That’ll teach you, dieters,
bring whatever concoction you
want!)
A potluck has the salutary
effect of either leaving the hostess
with enough leftovers to last the
brush, either a 1” square or
12 round. For colors she
is very flexible. She likes
Opera, Quinacridone Gold,
and Indigo Blue and Daniel
Smith’s mineral colors
(followed by Genuine) such
as Hermatite Genuine. A
good oil palette would be
Titanium White, Cadmium
Yellow light, Cadmium
Orange, Cadmium red
light, Alizarin Crimson,
Ultramarine Blue and Thalo
Green.
The workshop is
sponsored by the Illinois
Valley Fine Artists. It will
be in the back room of the
RCC bldg. in Kerby April
24 and 25 10 a.m. -3 p.m.
$80 for members and $90
for nonmembers. The
Illinois Valley Artists meet
weekly on Mondays from
10 a.m. -2 p.m. Yearly dues
are $15. Register by calling
Pat Hammer at 541-592-
6351 or Bea Thompson at
541-597-2359 or email Bea
at bebethom43@gmail.com.
“Broadway … Plus!” is the title of the
Rogue Community College (RCC) Illinois
Valley Chorus’ spring concert April 18. The
concert will take place 7 p.m. at Immanuel
United Methodist Church, 200 W. Watkins St.
in Cave Junction.
Famous tunes from Broadway musicals
of the past 50 years will be performed,
including choral and solo pieces from
“Camelot,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Les
Miserables,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Phantom
of the Opera,” and “South Pacific.”
RCC I.V. Chorus director Kate Campbell
stated, “We present this portion of the concert
in honor of Molly Gillyatt, who was working
on a Broadway solo for this show when she
passed away last month. As the oldest member
of the RCC I.V. Chorus, Molly was a faithful,
dedicated singer who actually worked on her
parts at home, and set a wonderful example for
the rest of us. She proved that there is no age
limit to music-making, and played the piano up
until her death.”
Campbell added, “The other portion of
the concert offers some hopeful songs for a
troubled world, including Oscar Peterson’s
‘Hymn to Freedom,’ the timeless hymn, ‘How
Can I Keep from Singing?’ and others.”
Campbell described the church sanctuary
as one of the finest acoustic spaces in Cave
Junction and an ideal location for the fun
presentation.
Although there is no admission fee for
the concert, donations are welcome to help pay
for the use of the church and other expenses.
Campbell emphasized that no prior
experience is required and there is no fee to
join the chorus unless the student is taking the
RCC course for credit.
The class is offered Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at
the Kerby Belt Building during fall, winter and
spring terms.
Plans are in the works for an additional
concert before the summer break, which will
be a collaborative effort with the I.V. High
School choir.
Easter Sunrise Service
Sunday, April 16, 7 a.m.
Refreshments to Follow
Saturday, April 15, 2017, 10 a.m.
Rough & Ready Wildflower Hike
Meet at the parking area at Rough & Ready Botanical
Wayside south of Cave
Junction on Hwy. 199 at mile marker 34.
For more information call
Suzanne Vautier at 541-291-8860.
Sponsored by: Cultural & Ecological Enhancement
Network (CEEN) and the Native Plant Society
Easter Worship
Service
11:00 a.m.
(No Sunday School or Evening Service Today)
Visitors Welcome!
H&R Block
210 W. Lister St.
Cave Junction
592-3667
Ted Crocker, LTC
Bob Litak, LTC
Licensed Tax Consultants B14914
Valley Evangelical Free Church
0480
498 Laurel Road • Cave Junction
Serving the Best Cheeseburger
with an Attitude!
Celebrating 10 years as the Valley’s Bar & Grill
12235 Redwood Hwy • Wonder, OR
541-476-8990
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