Down the Rabbit Hole

We drove for about three or four hours (~250 miles) en route to San Diego when we decided to take a stretch and snack break. We happened to be close to San Luis Obispo, so we searched for any familiar coffee shop franchise with vacant parking spots. After driving around the downtown area and not finding a suitable place to stop, we headed back towards Highway 101 and discovered the House of Bread Bakery and Cafe. The interiors smelled delicious! Just outside the open kitchen area, there was a good selection of freshly baked breads and pastries. The staff had us try several of their bread samples, which were so yummy! I ended up buying the chocolate zucchini bread. It contains unbleached flour, zucchini, and cocoa. Donan had no qualms about eating the bread despite the presence of zucchini because of the rich chocolate flavour. The texture was soft, chewy, and easy on the palate after a long drive. Mommy, on the other hand, got a prairie bread. It contains a wheat and rye flour blend, h...

I've been watching period productions recently, and one that made quite an impression on me was "North and South." It's a story about the contrasts between the industrial north (where the cotton mill owned by John Thorton was located) and the rural south (where Margaret Hale grew up as a pastor's daughter). It also contrasts the points of view between employer and employee.  What caught my attention early on was that Margaret was not a typical 1800s heroine. She wasn't knitting or painting while waiting for guests to arrive at her house (just like many heroines from Jane Austen's novels). Instead, she was looking for a home she and her parents could stay in when they moved to the fictional town of Milton in northern England. Moving to the North was quite an adjustment for her; nevertheless, she befriended a family whose source of income was tied closely to the cotton mills.  John, on the other hand, was not a typical rich man. He had risen from humble begi...