24:00 No Jack Bauer, no ticking clock, but plenty of action to be had. This post is about what has occurred in the last twenty-four hours. No worries, it’s all good. Friday featured dinner and a show. The show was in the Slammer (Saint Louis Art Museum), “Conflicts of Interest: Art and War in Modern Japan”.
23:29 This exhibit showcases a collection of extraordinary visual material that documents Japan’s modern rise to power, starting in the mid-19th century and culminating with Pearl Harbor. Emphasis is on depicting events of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Featured are propaganda posters that invariably highlight the prowess of the Japanese armed forces. These posters were ‘the news’ for a mostly illiterate, unplugged populace. The images depicted are bold, striking and frequently violent. They were created using sophisticated wood-block printing techniques. As art they foreshadow modern anime. In 2010 local collectors Charles and Rosalyn Lowenhaupt contributed 1,400+ works. I was fortunate to catch a mini-show then. This new show has been worth the wait. It runs through January 8th.
21:11 Exiting the museum, I photographed this tree-lined path atop Art Hill. The tops of these trees have already turned red, but as you can see, underneath everything is still green. We dined at Little Saigon in the Central West End. This Vietnamese, Asian fusion style restaurant has been one of our favorites since almost when we still needed a babysitter. Although we last ate out at Lemon Grass, which features traditional Vietnamese, we asked why not? It was good.
06:53 Today, we went bicycling. Our neighbor, Mary had invited us out for the day. We rode to Tower Grove Park and toured the farmers market there. Independently, all three of us bought Hawaiian ginger, but mainly we just shopped. On Morganford we lite lunched at the London Tea Room. The staff there all wear “Tea Shirts”, but instead of any of their marvelous teas, we all chose hot cider. Anne and I each enjoyed a chai cider. On the way home, we were still feeling a bit peckish, so Mary introduced us to la pâtisserie Chouquette and we all enjoyed a little something. Anne and I have ridden by this place dozens of times without ever stopping. This is a mistake that in the future shall be further remedied. We all enjoyed the available confections, but the real claim to fame at la pâtisserie Chouquette is its ganache. Ganache is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream. Typically, two parts chocolate to one part cream are used. Pictured are two examples of their edible special order masterpieces. It was a grand day. 0:00