It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….
The best of times if you happen to be an AI billionaire.
The worst of times if you look at how much your grocery bills have increased since 2024.
Which brings us to holiday roasts, and in particular, one of the most prized roasts of all: tenderloin. This is the little-used muscle that runs near the spine of pigs and cattle. In both animals, it’s lean, tender, and versatile with the potential to be the meaty star of your holiday table.
But the current difference in price is stupefying: A price check at a local supermarket revealed pork tenderloin was $2.99 per pound while beef tenderloin was $26.99!
Once trimmed of fat and silverskin, beef tenderloin can be cut into individual steaks (filets mignon) or grilled whole, then sliced. Pork tenderloin can be treated the same way, though when sliced crosswise, the cuts are known as medallions. Grilling tenderloins whole is our preferred method of cooking to ensure the meat remains juicy and tender.
Feeling indulgent this holiday season? Here is one of our favorite recipes for beef tenderloin. It uses the reverse-sear method of cooking—a very effective way to treat this exceptionally lean cut of meat. Serve as a main course with Three Hots Horseradish Sauce, or slice thinly and serve on cocktail breads as an appetizer.
Alternatively, take a financially conservative approach with Coffee-Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Redeye Barbecue Sauce. A new holiday tradition is born!
PC gamers have almost too many options when it comes to titles to play, which is a great problem to have. With decades of games to choose from (and the first port of call for most indie titles, too), the options are endless. You also get the perks of (nearly always flawless) backward compatibility and console-beating graphical performance — if you've got the coin for it when you’re building your perfect kit or picking up a high-powered gaming laptop.
The whole idea of what a gaming PC is and where you can play it is shifting, too, with the rise of handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. We've tried to be broad with our recommendations here on purpose; here are the best PC games you can play right now.
It’s been immortalized in song as “the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s also one of the busiest. We love the hustle and bustle of the season, but wish we could just slow…things…down. Sometimes, a bit of quiet time spent with your grill or smoker is just the respite you need from the craziness. We find fresh air with a whiff of smoke is a great restorative. Which is why we urge you to get outside in the next few weeks and make one or more of our most popular holiday-worthy recipes.
Oysters have been an American holiday tradition since the 1800s—oyster stew, oyster stuffing, oyster souffle, etc. One reason is that oysters are best during the months that end in “R” and can travel long distances in the cold.) While millions of people enjoy these briny bivalves raw, they’re also delectable when grilled on the half shell..
“Claire attempted to plunge into the next chapter, but her mind was elsewhere. She closed her computer and went to the kitchen to bake a loaf of cranberry nut bread. She roasted the walnuts in a skillet to give them a smoky flavor and perfumed the batter with cardamom and freshly grated orange zest. While the bread was cooling, she found a card, wrote a note, and tied it to the pan with raffia.”
–From Chapter 8, “The Hermit’s Lair” in Steven Raichlen’s novel The Hermit of Chappaquiddick
This Dutch baby pancake is a great way to incorporate grilling into breakfast. This cousin of the popover and Yorkshire pudding puffs dramatically on a hot grill. Plus, it will wow your house guests.
The Raichlen twist on the traditional Bloody Mary burns it up with fresh horseradish and sriracha. You’ll smell smoke—literally—thanks to a flavorful blast of hickory from a handheld smoker. I know it sounds like heresy, but to reinforce the smoke flavor, use mezcal (a smoky cactus spirit from Mexico) in place of the usual vodka.
Tired of leftover turkey? Pivot to a savory Italian beef sandwich. If you find yourself in the company of Chicago natives,, try not to talk about politics, religion, or who in the Windy City makes the best Italian beef sandwiches. Just don’t do it. The recipe varies from restaurant to restaurant, but this one will get you in the ballpark.
This chili takes an ecumenical approach, featuring both beef and pork—meats both diced and ground—two kinds of beans, plus plenty of chile powder, poblano pepper, and jalapeño to crank up the heat. Don’t be deterred by the long ingredient list—you probably have most of the aromatics in your kitchen already. And despite the lengthy instructions, you can make it from start to finish in 1 hour.
Burnt oranges with a sugar-and-rosemary crust is one of Steven’s simplest recipes. But the flavors and texture—bitter, sweet, fruity, floral, herbal, and smoothly creamy—are supremely intense and complex. The amount of smoke involved makes this a dish you definitely don’t want to do indoors.
Perfect for the holidays! Make lamb the centerpiece of a bountiful table. If you don’t feel comfortable frenching the bones, ask your butcher to do it. (And be sure to generously tip him or her.)
Our last dish is a custard. The Spanish call it crema catalana; for the French it’s crème brulee. It belongs in Planet Barbecue thanks to the use of live fire to burn its sugar topping to a candy crisp crust. The only thing that could make it better? A soulful blast of wood smoke. We give you torched, smoked crème brulee.
As the holidays gather speed, it helps to slow down around the grill, take in the cold air, and cook something that feels a little special. These December recipes bring comfort, smoke, and a welcome break from the rush. Fire up your favorite cooker, savor the moment, and let great food carry you through the season.
YouTube has launched its yearly Recap, turning your 2025 watch history into a shareable breakdown of your habits. The feature analyzes everything you viewed, even assigns a “viewer personality,” giving you a fun, shareable snapshot of how you used YouTube this year.
Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be complicated—especially when you’re buying for someone who lives for smoke and fire. This year’s BarbecueBible Holiday Gift Guide brings together gear, tools, cookbooks, and flavor boosters we trust and use ourselves. From budget-friendly stocking stuffers to big-ticket gifts that make a real impact, every item earns its spot. And with Black Friday kicking off the season, there’s no better time to grab something great for the griller on your list.
Oscarware’s Porcelain-Coated and Disposable Grill Toppers are a must-have for every outdoor cook on your list. Whether they’re searing veggies, grilling seafood, or whipping up breakfast at the campsite, these toppers make it easier, cleaner, and more delicious.
Proudly made in the USA by a women-owned business, Oscarware’s grill toppers are built for performance and convenience. The porcelain-coated models offer long-lasting durability, while the disposable versions are perfect for grilling on-the-go.
From backyard BBQs to tailgate feasts, it’s the practical, thoughtful gift that keeps the flavor coming all year long.
Grill smarter, not harder with the all-in-one GrillFighter Chainmail Brush; the perfect Gift for your Favorite Grillmaster!
Featuring four powerful methods: welded, square-edged chainmail backed by a non-absorbing silicone sponge for contour cleaning, steam cleaning with the included Grill Cauldron, a serrated scraper plow for lifting off tough grime and the Grill Pincer for clearing gunk from the bottom of the grill bars. Extremely durable, nothing to replace. Cleans up in the dishwasher. The Combo also includes the realistic Apron of Armor for mess-free BBQing.
Give the gift of effortless perfection this holiday season. The INKBIRD INT-14-BW lets grill lovers and home cooks master the feast with four separate true wireless probes to monitor multiple dishes at once. With dual WiFi and Bluetooth connection, as well as app control, you can track the turkey, ham, and even a side dish all from your phone – no more running in and out of the kitchen. It features ultra-precise sensors, various preset menus, dishwasher-safe probes, and a 25-hour battery – making holiday cooking a certainty, not a challenge.
Snag up to $100 off with code 14BWT for a limited time.
No coal in your stocking this year. But smoking wood chunks and chips are a definite must for your favorite griller. Try Steven’s cherrywood chunks with chicken; applewood with ribs, and mesquite for adding extra flavor to steaks.
LiquidZERO makes zero-sugar cocktail mixes that taste like the real thing—no bitterness, no artificial aftertaste. Created by writer and chef Michael Hiller and refined by master sommeliers, each shaker jar comes with dried fruit garnish and enough mix for eight cocktails. Great for parties, tailgates, and grill-side gatherings, it’s an easy way to serve pro-quality drinks (or mocktails) in under 30 seconds.
The American Barbecue Map is the first ever visual representation of the entirety of American barbecue culture. The Map took two years and 375 hours of painting to complete and is available as a high quality 24×36” print. It features 184 of the top American BBQ restaurants, a signature dish of each region, an illustrated timeline of barbecue history, 25 individual barbecue kings and queens, and the top BBQ sides and desserts. Try to look at it without getting hungry! A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Southern Foodways Alliance.
New this year from Steven Raichlen: an essential guide to griddles, including delicious recipes and the dos and don’ts of grilling. Named one of Amazon’s Best Cookbooks of the Year.
Prized for their accessibility and versatility—and because they’re so much fun to use—griddles (also known as planchas and flat-tops) are soaring in popularity. Project Griddle features the trademark Raichlen approach, with plenty of practical cooking techniques and nearly 80 hunger-inducing recipes. It traces the history and geography of griddling, from the teppan of Japan to the plancha of Spain to champa grilling in South America. A gear chapter showcases the various types of stand-up and portable flattops and planchas, plus the requisite accessories, how to season and maintain a griddle, how to oil and cook on it, with chefs’ shortcuts, and some pitfalls to watch out for.
And then there are the recipes—each one as outrageously delicious and foolproof as the last, for classics like the crispiest smash burgers and tapas bar shrimp to an entire suite of heretofore un-grillable foods—egg-and-bacon breakfast feasts, potato latkes, crepes, French toast, and smoky fried rice. It’s Project Smoke for griddles—and don’t think of buying one without its guidance.
The best way to spread holiday cheer is..? You guessed it, sharp knives! The Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is easy to use and provides professional results at home. Family parties this holiday no longer has to be a drag because of dull knives! In a matter of minutes, you will be able to transform your knives from not usable, to your favorite knife. This Swedish made knife sharpener with its adjustable angle guide, fine-grained diamond wheel and composite honing wheel makes it easy to get a razor-sharp edge.
For the dedicated home cook, a truly sharp knife isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential. Experience the HORL3: Engineered in the Black Forest, Germany, this Rolling Knife Sharpener blends exquisite design with functional authority. Its unique system uses a magnetic guide to lock in the desired angle (15° or 20°), ensuring consistent, gentle sharpening with a durable diamond and refining ceramic disc. This holiday season, consider a gift that promises lifelong quality and effortless performance.
The Perfect Stocking Stuffer for Grillers and Foodies!
Kinzie Foods 5-Pack BBQ Mini Gift Set includes Sweet, Fiery, Pickle, Ghost, and Espresso — five unique, clean-ingredient sauces with memorable flavor. Each bottle is made to amplify smoke, heat, and char without covering them up. With roots in Texas and a home in South Dakota, Kinzie Foods was founded by Walter Kinzie, a live event producer who traded backstage passes for adventurous and unforgettable bites. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for grillers, foodies, or anyone who refuses to settle for bland.
Need a gift for the guy who has everything and loves to cook outdoors? Treat him this holiday season with a bottle of Spritz King! Spritz King is an innovative culinary basting spray designed to create a deep char and better exterior bark on meats cooked on BBQ’s and smoker grills! Specially formulated with all natural ingredients and the perfect ratios of sugars and acidity, Spritz King seals in moisture, enhances flavor and builds a wonderfully crips exterior. Save up to 20% at Spritz King from November 28th thru December 31st. Get your Spritz on today!
Drip EZ’s signature Prep Tubs are a kitchen and grilling gamechanger. First use it as a vessel to marinate your favorite meats, then collapse it down to reveal the built in cutting board, and finally, use it to stash leftovers with the included locking lid. This all-in-one kitchen solution is the key to organized meal prep. The Prep Tubs are also great for organizing fresh produce and serving up sides with ease. When not in use, they collapse completely flat for convenient storage in your cabinets.
Top Chefs and Pitmasters Say It’s Simply The Best Beef In America!
Snake River Farms is the best beef you’re ever going to eat. Period. From steakhouse classics like ribeye and filet mignon to rare butcher’s cuts, each bite delivers rich flavor and unrivaled tenderness. Snake River Farms briskets are the secret weapon for most professional pitmasters. But even humble burgers and hot dogs become gourmet experiences with Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu. SRF wagyu is so exceptionally marbled that every cut grades well above USDA Prime. Discover why top chefs and pitmasters call it simply the best beef in America.
A Unique, Flavor-Enhancing Gift: Wagyu Beef Tallow
South Chicago Packing Wagyu Beef Tallow is the perfect gift for the Foodie, Grill Master, or Home Chef on your list this year! This 100% pure, traditional cooking fat elevates every dish, whether you’re grilling, frying, roasting, or sautéing. Wagyu Beef Tallow adds deep, rich flavor and helps you achieve that perfect, mouthwatering sear. Available in a convenient spray, 11.5oz glass jar, or 42oz tub, Wagyu Beef Tallow is the perfect gift for anyone looking to level up their cooking.
The thinnest probe on the market slips into tight spots, leaving an unnoticeable hole in your perfect steak or protein. It lasts 40 hours on a charge—and, as a game-changer, we pioneered integrating a full temp controller into a wireless thermometer. Set alarms and control remotely via Bluetooth/WiFi with unlimited range. Hits 1000°F for searing without melting. Built weatherproof for rain or shine. Users rave: “Accuracy and range blew others away—truly wireless freedom.” It’s not just a probe; it’s your pit boss in your pocket.
Hope a few of these ideas help you cross some names off your list—and maybe upgrade your own setup along the way. From all of us at BarbecueBible.com, here’s to a flavorful holiday season.
Decades ago, the late Hubert Green began an annual tradition of cooking a Thanksgiving meal for free at the Euless Senior Center. This year’s feast, on November 12, was the last served by the Green family.Hubert founded North Main BBQ just down the street from the senior center in 1981. A black-and-white pig statue greeted diners outside the front door, and the pitmaster would fire up an armadillo-shaped smoker around back. Both are now gone. Hubert and his second wife, Shari McKay Green, passed away in 2017. The business went to the McKay side of the family, was sold twice, and eventually closed.When Hubert died, his son Don Green had already opened his own barbecue trailer in Euless, the Saturdays-only Green’s Texas Bar-B-Que. He took…
Joshua Coleman loved his family, custom trucks, Nike shoes, and barbecue. When he passed away in September 2023, after a tragic accident at the age of 36, his obituary read in part, “Josh had a deep appreciation for Texas barbecue, often embarking on long journeys just to savor the finest flavors of the Lone Star State.” His mother, Adrienne Jolliff, encouraged mourners at his funeral to wear Nike tennis shoes. His brother Casey Coleman now drives one of the many trucks, a red Ford F-150, that Josh customized. After his funeral, Adrienne and Casey decided they would continue to celebrate Josh’s life through barbecue.“We were looking for a way to celebrate his birthday but also keep his memory alive,” Casey told me. A month after…
This week, Southern Living magazine released its Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South. The number one spot on the list, which is compiled annually by contributing barbecue editor Robert F. Moss, is in South Carolina, but Texas is well-represented with seventeen barbecue joints from the Lone Star State. It’s flattering, especially since the first list, in 2015, only included seven spots from Texas, but I think the Southern Living barbecue list could use seventeen fewer Texas barbecue joints. Stick with me.Barbecue in Texas is thriving. The best joints in the state get so much (well-deserved) attention compared to many of the new and storied barbecue houses throughout the rest of the South. And if you’re wondering if Texas should be considered “the South,” the…
A boy caught between the real and an ‘alternate reality’, ‘Out of the Woods’ by Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o takes a look at the struggles that mental health illnesses bring with them – for the person and their immediate family members.
During a recent trip to Nagaland, I decided to pick up a book or two written by local authors, and ‘Out of the Woods’ by Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o was one among them. One of the key reasons to pick up the book was the book blurb – there was no tiptoeing around the subject of the book, no promises of happy endings and salvations, no hiding the fact that this could be (and is) a painful read.
Out of the Woods is a book that may act as a trigger for individuals who have dealt with mental health issues – themselves or as support for families. Because Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o captures the emotional turmoil not only of the afflicted but the immediate family too. It took me a good while to read through the book as it brought back memories from the days when I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, the battle that ensued and the struggles that my immediate family, especially my parents faced in the interim.
The Crux
Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o’s ‘Out of the Woods’ is the story of a family struggling to cope with the trials and tribulations that village life brings with it while also grappling with the trauma of caring for a growing teen who is struggling to find his place in the real world that collides with the alternate world he lives in. The book traverses through the life of this family that is caught in an endless, harsh loop of loss, pain, trauma, the struggle to find the cause’ to the boy’s ‘behaviour’ and the penultimate discovery of the road to healing.
The Highs & Lows
One of the highlights of the books is the strong hold the writer has on the language (which could be contributed to the fact that she is an educator based in Kohima and has won an award for a previous book). The author uses simple language as effectively as a painter uses a paintbrush – her words transport you from the eerily peaceful and happy alternate world the boy lives in while effectively drawing out a picture of the home and world the boy inhabits with his family. She uses words to explain to the readers the thoughts and emotions that rush through the boy’s mind, in vivid contrast to the helpless anguish and frustration of the family that is tied together by their love for him. What is disturbing – and true – is that it is this very love and resultant uncertainty that govern their lives and threaten to break them apart. The book is a deep dive into the mind of a young boy dealing with an undiagnosed mental health disorder.
I keep writing ‘the boy’ because that is what he is through the book – ‘the boy’ – and that, in my opinion, works to create an awareness that the teenager and the family could be anyone, in any part of the world.
The relatives, the villagers, the pastor and other sources that claim they can help the child act as a commentary on the society’s struggles to accept the reality of mental health issues. This would, perhaps, be more pronounced in pockets that continue to remain relatively disconnected from the rest of the woke and allegedly more aware world.
So, does this mean Out of the Woods is without its follies? The very strength of the author works against the book – the words. By the time you reach the halfway mark, you may be hit by the ‘this is repetitive’ thought because it is for several pages. Thankfully, there is a shift from the normal to the parallel reality which shocks the reader out of the lull.
Another aspect that did not work for me is the end – the journey from the intervention, to seeking medical help and the manner in which the doctor explains the situation as also the boy’s return to ‘normalcy’ is not fulfilling from the reader point of view. Personally, tighter editing could have definitely helped the cause of this book.
However, for the sheer gumption required to write an entire novel that depicts the emotional trauma and exhaustion of mental health, Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o’s Out of the Woods is definitely a book I’d suggest you pick up.
Asian-style stir-fried lettuce with any and all greens in your refrigerator makes for a quick side dish or main with steaming hot rice.
Rounding up the Lettuce Series (I should have dubbed it ‘trilogy’) with the easiest recipe ever – a stir fry! Wash, tear, dump, toss and tadaaaaaa…
And did it go down well with the parents? Oh hell yeah! So much so we’ve had repeat requests and it’s been paired with steamed rice, dumped on toast, stirred into noodles and eaten as is.
I added a variety of lettuce and some spring onion greens (just because!); feel free to throw in a handful of the greens you need to finish up. There’s only one recommendation for this particular recipe – line up your ingredients coz you got to be quick!
Do let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at from.the.corner.table and hashtag it #fromthecornertable. I’d love to see it
For regular updates on recipes, recommendations on things to read and watch and ramblings that make sense, subscribe to the newsletter – you’ll find the form in the sidebar if viewing on a screen and at the bottom if viewing on the phone. Since spamming or flooding your inbox is a huge no for me, these newsletters go out only when I’ve put up a new post or sometimes, once in a month only.
A one-pot soup meal made with leftovers and greens, this is great for a working day dinner or when you’ve got surprise guests
Part two of the Lettuce Series as I’ve dubbed it was about throwing things into a large pot to put together a soup – the kind that makes life a whole lot better (read: bearable) when your home has been invaded by painters and you are sneezing your head off courtesy allergies. The Chicken Lettuce Soup isn’t a planned recipe but it’s the kind that, after you’ve sampled, you realise needs to be shared with the world. Or the little pockets of the world this blog reaches.
The best thing about this soup is that the mothership liked it and trust me when I say, her liking food that has chicken (she’s developing a dislike for chicken and meat) and lettuce (read part one of the Lettuce Series) made me feel like a parent whose child has accomplished something major in life!
Do let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at from.the.corner.table and hashtag it #fromthecornertable. I’d love to see it
For regular updates on recipes, recommendations on things to read and watch and ramblings that make sense, subscribe to the newsletter – you’ll find the form in the sidebar if viewing on a screen and at the bottom if viewing on the phone. Since spamming or flooding your inbox is a huge no for me, these newsletters go out only when I’ve put up a new post or sometimes, once in a month only.
Chicken Lettuce Soup
A one-pot soup meal made with leftovers and greens, this is great for a working day dinner
250 grams Smoked chicken (shredded/boneless)
200 grams Lettuce
1 Carrot
1 cup Cooked noodles/spaghetti (optional)
1 Onion
1/2 inch Ginger (grated)
6 cloves Garlic
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Chicken stock cubes
Salt (as required)
Black pepper powder (as required)
1 litre Water
Peel and mince the onion and garlic cloves.
Peel and cut the carrot into cubes
In a large pot, heat olive oil.
Add onion, garlic, ginger and sauté till the onion is slightly translucent.
Throw in the carrots.
Pour in the water, add the chicken stock cubes, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure there are no stock cube lumps.
Cube or tear the cooked chicken and add to the simmering pot of soup.
Wash the lettuce well, tear and add to the soup.
Add the cooked noodles/spaghetti if using.
Check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if required.
Adjust the consistency of the soup with water if required.
Bill Dumas took off his apron, then his shirt and undershirt, while walking away from the booth where he was serving sausage at the 2022 Monterrey BBQ Fest, in Mexico. Under the hot afternoon sun, he strutted toward the masked luchadores warming up outside a wrestling ring set up at the event. With animated hand motions and very little Spanish, Dumas persuaded one of them to climb in through the ropes with him and give him a proper body slam. Ever the showman, he feigned injury as he lay on the mat in his blue jeans, then rolled out onto the grass and walked back to his booth with a beaming smile.If you find Dumas at another barbecue festival, you may be treated to his…
It felt too early for barbecue one morning at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. I was on my way to Omaha to start a multistate barbecue tour last year when I saw a sign near gate A16 for the Salt Lick. The normal timetables for consuming food and drink seem to bend at airports. Ask anyone at a so-called Irish pub with a pint of Guinness before their 8 a.m. flight. So I pondered the breakfast taco for a moment before going right for the biggest barbecue sandwich on the Salt Lick menu.The Chop Chop ($21.99 with a side and drink) is a combination of brisket and smoked sausage chopped together and piled high on a sesame-seed bun. I got a side of slaw so…
“Barbeque, sliced beef, and breadRibs and sausage and a cold Big Red . . .”If you know the barbecue anthem from Robert Earl Keen’s fifth album, Gringo Honeymoon, you can probably finish the rest of the song in your head. For the uninitiated, it might sound like the perfect order at your favorite smoked-meat counter. You’ve got the Texas trinity, a Texas-born sugary drink, and the ubiquitous slice of fluffy white bread.The song “Barbeque” has been a longtime road trip companion of mine for obvious reasons. It’s also with me before I’m being interviewed, when I need to break the ice by belting out a few lines before they’ve had a chance to start recording. The first time I consciously sat with the meal in…
A boy caught between the real and an ‘alternate reality’, ‘Out of the Woods’ by Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o takes a look at the struggles that mental health illnesses bring with them – for the person and their immediate family members.
During a recent trip to Nagaland, I decided to pick up a book or two written by local authors, and ‘Out of the Woods’ by Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o was one among them. One of the key reasons to pick up the book was the book blurb – there was no tiptoeing around the subject of the book, no promises of happy endings and salvations, no hiding the fact that this could be (and is) a painful read.
Out of the Woods is a book that may act as a trigger for individuals who have dealt with mental health issues – themselves or as support for families. Because Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o captures the emotional turmoil not only of the afflicted but the immediate family too. It took me a good while to read through the book as it brought back memories from the days when I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, the battle that ensued and the struggles that my immediate family, especially my parents faced in the interim.
The Crux
Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o’s ‘Out of the Woods’ is the story of a family struggling to cope with the trials and tribulations that village life brings with it while also grappling with the trauma of caring for a growing teen who is struggling to find his place in the real world that collides with the alternate world he lives in. The book traverses through the life of this family that is caught in an endless, harsh loop of loss, pain, trauma, the struggle to find the cause’ to the boy’s ‘behaviour’ and the penultimate discovery of the road to healing.
The Highs & Lows
One of the highlights of the books is the strong hold the writer has on the language (which could be contributed to the fact that she is an educator based in Kohima and has won an award for a previous book). The author uses simple language as effectively as a painter uses a paintbrush – her words transport you from the eerily peaceful and happy alternate world the boy lives in while effectively drawing out a picture of the home and world the boy inhabits with his family. She uses words to explain to the readers the thoughts and emotions that rush through the boy’s mind, in vivid contrast to the helpless anguish and frustration of the family that is tied together by their love for him. What is disturbing – and true – is that it is this very love and resultant uncertainty that govern their lives and threaten to break them apart. The book is a deep dive into the mind of a young boy dealing with an undiagnosed mental health disorder.
I keep writing ‘the boy’ because that is what he is through the book – ‘the boy’ – and that, in my opinion, works to create an awareness that the teenager and the family could be anyone, in any part of the world.
The relatives, the villagers, the pastor and other sources that claim they can help the child act as a commentary on the society’s struggles to accept the reality of mental health issues. This would, perhaps, be more pronounced in pockets that continue to remain relatively disconnected from the rest of the woke and allegedly more aware world.
So, does this mean Out of the Woods is without its follies? The very strength of the author works against the book – the words. By the time you reach the halfway mark, you may be hit by the ‘this is repetitive’ thought because it is for several pages. Thankfully, there is a shift from the normal to the parallel reality which shocks the reader out of the lull.
Another aspect that did not work for me is the end – the journey from the intervention, to seeking medical help and the manner in which the doctor explains the situation as also the boy’s return to ‘normalcy’ is not fulfilling from the reader point of view. Personally, tighter editing could have definitely helped the cause of this book.
However, for the sheer gumption required to write an entire novel that depicts the emotional trauma and exhaustion of mental health, Neikehienuo Mepfhu-o’s Out of the Woods is definitely a book I’d suggest you pick up.
Asian-style stir-fried lettuce with any and all greens in your refrigerator makes for a quick side dish or main with steaming hot rice.
Rounding up the Lettuce Series (I should have dubbed it ‘trilogy’) with the easiest recipe ever – a stir fry! Wash, tear, dump, toss and tadaaaaaa…
And did it go down well with the parents? Oh hell yeah! So much so we’ve had repeat requests and it’s been paired with steamed rice, dumped on toast, stirred into noodles and eaten as is.
I added a variety of lettuce and some spring onion greens (just because!); feel free to throw in a handful of the greens you need to finish up. There’s only one recommendation for this particular recipe – line up your ingredients coz you got to be quick!
Do let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at from.the.corner.table and hashtag it #fromthecornertable. I’d love to see it
For regular updates on recipes, recommendations on things to read and watch and ramblings that make sense, subscribe to the newsletter – you’ll find the form in the sidebar if viewing on a screen and at the bottom if viewing on the phone. Since spamming or flooding your inbox is a huge no for me, these newsletters go out only when I’ve put up a new post or sometimes, once in a month only.
A one-pot soup meal made with leftovers and greens, this is great for a working day dinner or when you’ve got surprise guests
Part two of the Lettuce Series as I’ve dubbed it was about throwing things into a large pot to put together a soup – the kind that makes life a whole lot better (read: bearable) when your home has been invaded by painters and you are sneezing your head off courtesy allergies. The Chicken Lettuce Soup isn’t a planned recipe but it’s the kind that, after you’ve sampled, you realise needs to be shared with the world. Or the little pockets of the world this blog reaches.
The best thing about this soup is that the mothership liked it and trust me when I say, her liking food that has chicken (she’s developing a dislike for chicken and meat) and lettuce (read part one of the Lettuce Series) made me feel like a parent whose child has accomplished something major in life!
Do let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at from.the.corner.table and hashtag it #fromthecornertable. I’d love to see it
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Chicken Lettuce Soup
A one-pot soup meal made with leftovers and greens, this is great for a working day dinner
250 grams Smoked chicken (shredded/boneless)
200 grams Lettuce
1 Carrot
1 cup Cooked noodles/spaghetti (optional)
1 Onion
1/2 inch Ginger (grated)
6 cloves Garlic
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Chicken stock cubes
Salt (as required)
Black pepper powder (as required)
1 litre Water
Peel and mince the onion and garlic cloves.
Peel and cut the carrot into cubes
In a large pot, heat olive oil.
Add onion, garlic, ginger and sauté till the onion is slightly translucent.
Throw in the carrots.
Pour in the water, add the chicken stock cubes, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure there are no stock cube lumps.
Cube or tear the cooked chicken and add to the simmering pot of soup.
Wash the lettuce well, tear and add to the soup.
Add the cooked noodles/spaghetti if using.
Check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if required.
Adjust the consistency of the soup with water if required.
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