Liberated by the Smiling Giants
One night in 1986 there was another man sitting on the sauna bench—a businessman from the Netherlands, passing through Beijing. He had been born in Asia, in the Dutch East Indies, today's Indonesia. Judging his age, I asked what happened to him during World War II.
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Wall Street Journal
8 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Liberated by the Smiling Giants
I lived in China in the mid-1980s, when it was a much different country. There were no high-rises, few cars and lots of bikes, and people still wore Mao jackets. The small apartment I lived in had about two minutes of hot water at a time, so once in a while I went to a Western hotel where I would sit in the sauna, take a long shower, and have dinner in the coffee shop. One night in 1986 there was another man sitting on the sauna bench—a businessman from the Netherlands, passing through Beijing. He had been born in Asia, in the Dutch East Indies, today's Indonesia. Judging his age, I asked what happened to him during World War II.
Axios
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Long-lost library book returned to San Antonio 82 years late — from Oregon
When one long-lost copy of "Your Child, His Family and Friends" was last checked out from the San Antonio Public Library, San Antonians were on the homefront of World War II, the movie adaptation of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" had just premiered, and fewer than 500,000 people lived here. The latest: In June, the wandering book finally returned home — 82 years later — courtesy of an Oregon family, the library said in a news release Thursday. Catch up quick: The library received an unmarked package from Oregon containing the well-worn parenting book by Frances Bruce Strain, as well as a note. The sender, who did not include a name, explained they discovered it while sorting through their late father's belongings. The sender believes their grandmother checked it out when their father was 11 years old but never returned it after she was transferred to work at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. What they're saying:"I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore," the note read, according to the library. The book was due July 30, 1943. By the numbers: In 1943, late fees were 3 cents a day. Returned on June 1, 2025, the book would be 29,892 days late — a $896.76 tab, assuming the rate never changed.
New York Times
14 hours ago
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‘This Was a Revelation in Cooking Eggplant'
Good morning! Today we have for you: A reader-favorite (and me-favorite) eggplant dish A tomato salad for that nice tinned fish you picked up Plus, strawberry and sesame swirl soft serve 'This was a revelation in cooking eggplant' By Mia Leimkuhler It's hit that time of the summer when, if I'm at the farmers' market and standing in front of a table heaped high with baskets of eggplant, I must tell myself the same thing my mom told me in front of the supermarket candy display: just one. If I don't, I run the risk of bringing home too much eggplant. The shiny, almost black Italian eggplant. The lavender-smudged Rosa Bianca eggplant, as bulbous and knuckly as the heirloom tomatoes. The long, slim Chinese and Japanese eggplants, the adorable fairytale eggplant. I want all the eggplants, but they won't all fit in my bike panniers (of course I've tried). So this week it'll just be some Japanese eggplant for Sue Li's five-star sweet and sour eggplant with garlic chips. (I've also made this with larger eggplant varieties; just cut them into slenderish batons.) If you're not so into eggplant — or you're cooking for the eggplant-avoidant — this recipe is a great place to start your eggplant journey. Any lingering bitterness is completely canceled out by the pungent garlic oil and the assertive soy-vinegar sauce that's sweetened with brown sugar. And the garlic chips (the tasty result of that garlic oil) add a solid crunch to counter the eggplant's melting softness. I usually eat this dish with rice and a fried egg, but it's occurring to me now that, for a really nice dinner, I could serve it as a side to a roast duck I pick up from an Asian grocer. Oh, or a plate of pan-fried dumplings, also snagged from said grocer. Maybe some cold, fresh tofu? More reasons to leave room in the panniers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
