The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 5A

Images of conflict
Knight-Wallace
Fellow Kate Brooks _

A Thanksgiving turkey
that tickles taste buds

to share experiences
By JOHN BOHN
Daily Arts Writer
After the events of 9/11, pho-
tojournalist Kate Brooks - 23
years old at the time - was given
a four-day
assignment
in Pakistan to
document U.S. Forum
negotiations Presents: A
with the Tali-
ban, which Conversation
held a group with Kate
of Americans
hostage at the Brooks and
time. Juan Ri. Cole
She ended
up staying Wednesday
to cover the at 5:30 p.m.
region for the Hatcher Graduate
next decade. Library
"It was very Free
clear to me
once the U.S.
began bombing Afghanistan that
it was the beginning of a very
long story," said Brooks, who is a
current Knight-Wallace Fellow at
the University.
Brooks has been all over the
Middle East, from Afghanistan to
Lebanon to Iraq, photographing
and documenting the wars, revo-
lutions and political movements
that have shaped the course of
events in the region over the last
decade.
With the amount of conflict
in the area, her work is anything
but ordinary. "Current and past
wars have affected everyone in
the region," she said. In addition
to the chaos of conflict, the job
of documenting such a diverse
region has its own requirements.
"I can't really saywhat a typical
day in the region is like because it
varies so much," Brooks said.. "It
really "'epejds on whereyot are
and what you are doing, but life is
far more diverse than most peo-
ple imagine. Many of my softer
pictures challenge stereotypes."
Brooks's work has covered
events ranging from a Pakistani
fashion week, to the Shiite holi-
day of Ashura, during which Shia
men pay homage to Hussein ibn
Ali through mourning, poetic
recitations and self-flagellation.
Some of her photography shows

the ruinous cityscapes; others
depict a lone individual viewing a
series of bombings from afar.
"Personally, I am more inter-
ested in what happens to civilian
populations than I am in com-
bat," Brooks said.
"I spend a lot of time photo-
graphing daily life in conflict
zones, specifically how people
live in the midst of armed con-
flict," she added.
At a time when the United
States is engaged in affairs with
a region that most Americans
know little about, Brooks believes
it's imperative to increase efforts
of spreading general knowledge
about the region, its people and
its culture.
Brooks's decade-long excur-
sion into the region has been
compiled in her newest book, "In
the Light of Darkness."
"'In the Light of Darkness'
seemed the most fitting (title)
because of my use of light, the
content of my work and the fact
that compassion is an important
element in my photography,"
Brooks said.
The book is a mix of photo-
graphs from various projects,
some personal and some commis-
sioned by various publications,
such as The New Yorker, The
Wall Street Journal and News-
week.
"The collection of photographs
captures people's life experi-
ences, poverty and the violence of

war," Brooks said.
Along with the photos, Brooks
also wrote a series of essays. They
function as a diary, giving atten-
tion to the personal journeys
behind the regional narratives
told by her photographs.
The Author's Forum will be
hosting a conversation Wednes-
day between Brooks and Prof.
Juan Cole, who is the Director of
the Center of Middle Eastern and
North African Studies. The event
takes its name from Brooks's
book and will use the events of
the book as its subject. Cole will
be attempt to put the personal
experiences of Brooks into con-
text.
Having published numerous
works on the culture and poli-
tics of the Middle East, Cole is an
expert on the region. In his book,
"Engaging the Muslim World,"
Cole deals with the West's
"Islamic Anxiety" and the myths
and misinformation that have
given rise to it.
Brooks still travels, attending
events outside her fellowship in
Ann Arbor. This past weekend
she was in Houston attending
the War Photography Exhibit at
the Museum of Fine Arts. While
the residency is only halfway
through, she already has post-
residency plans in the works.
"I care deeply about what's
happening in the Middle East and
I intend to go back after my time
in Ann Arbor," Brooks said.

Though praising and
bashingthe eats in Ann
Arbor is my customary
modus operandi, I'm shifting
course a bit this time around
in honor of
Turkey Day."
Join me as I
mix together
a few family -
favorites, a
blue ribbon
culinary
technique or NATHAN
two and some WOOD
real deal tips
and tricks
that - served with a pinch of
sarcasm - will have you cook-
ingup the perfect Thanksgiv-
ing dinner in no time. In this
first installment of my five-part
Thanksgiving series, we're get-
ting to the meat (Get it?) of the
matter: turkey.
Your first job is to grab a fro-
zen turkey. We're looking for
one about 15 pounds, which - at
approximately pound per per-
son - should comfortably feed
20 people..For the more respon-
sible among us, Eberly Farms'
free-range organic turkeys are
available in most supermarkets.
The cheaper and still delicious
alternative is the classic But-
terball standby. Whatever you
choose, haul the turkey home and
force someone stronger than you
to stow it in the freezer for good
keeping.
On the Monday morning before
Thanksgiving, begin. to thaw
the poultry by placing it in your
refrigerator. If you're cooking a
smaller or larger turkey, adjust
this timeline by remembering
that you need to allow 24 hours of
thawing time per five pounds of
turkey. Assuming you don't have
room in your refrigerator for the
massive bird, you can:
1. Cry on the kitchen floor
as you tweet about your #first-
worldproblems
2. Binge eat everything
3. Move things around until
it fits
Doing all three would also be
accept- able.

On T
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'hanksgiving eve, the real grab a cup of Joe and tell your-
;ins: brining. In this con- self, "Today is the day I eat the
ine is a mixture of water, best turkey of my life." The lapse
d a variety of seasonings of time between the moment you
used as a sort of turkey pull the turkey out of the refriger-
ade." After soaking in it ator and the time you're looking
;ht, your bird will be well to eat is approximately four-and-
way to succulent perfec- a-half hours, so plan accordingly
based on whether dinner is at 1 or
6 p.m.
e Ingredients: Start by pulling the turkey
[on vegetable stock and its brine out of the refrigera-
llon apple cider tor. Let it sit as-is for one hour
llon water to take the chill off, and preheat
kosher salt your oven to 450 degrees. After
lespoons whole black one hour - because we're going
ercorns to make gravy with the turkey
ash bay leaves drippings and don't want them
to be incredibly salty - remove
ctions: the turkey from the brine and
rinse it inside and out. Pat it dry
bine all ingredients in and place the bird in your roast-
h oven or large stockpot ing pan. Prepare your own tur-
igh heat. Stir occasion- key broth by boiling the. giblets
il the mixture comes to a. (that package of organs inside
move from heat, cool and the bird) in four cups of water
'ate for at least two hours. for 15 minutes. Pour two of the
rine can easily be made a resulting cups of turkey broth
wo ahead, as well.) into the bottom of the pan.
Now it's time for the turkey
rubdown. In order to get that
)on't even crispy skin we're looking for, we
need to get some fat all over the
hink about bird. My favorite way to do this is
to make a faux compound butter.

skipping the
brining.
Pour the brine into a brining
bag or five-gallon bucket. Add the
turkey and four cups of ice to the
container. Store overnight in the
refrigerator, on the porch or in a
non-insulated garage, as your cli-
mate allows.
I cannot emphasize enough
the necessity of brining. It's the
only way you'll ever attain the
exquisitely peerless flavor and
moistness that your turkey has to
offer. Just do it.
After your restful (restless)
night of sleep dreaming of succu-
lent turkey (lamenting the snor-
ing of your in-laws down the
hall), throw on
your robe,

Ingredients:
1 stick of softened butter
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
Directions:
Chop your herbs and combine
them with the butter. (No chill-
ing is required here, which is why
I call this a "faux" compound
butter.) Get your fingers into the
herb butter and rub the turkey all
over, including underneath the
skin.
As far as stuffing the turkey,
don't do it. It's often unsafe to
eat dressing cooked in the turkey
cavity and, frankly, it tastes bet-
ter when baked separately, any-
way. What we will do is throw a
few aromatics inside the bird: an
onion, a lemon and three cloves of
garlic, all cut in half.
And with that, this bird
R T is ready tube popped into
the oven. To see its trans-
5 formation from raw and
slimy to crispy and juicy,
flip to the second install-
ment of my special Thanks-
giving series in Friday's
Daily. It's gonna be good.
Wood will delve more into
the secrets of a perfect turkey in
the next installment of the series.

Humor to tell universal story
of prejudice in 'Bat Boy'

"PA)
M 1

By LAURA KAYE
Daily Arts Writer
Unlike the bats that shriek at
night and unlike Gotham City's
crime-fighting Bruce Wayne,
another kind of
bat is flying to Bat Boy
the Ann Arbor
stage. Thursday at
The School 7:30 p.m.,
of Music, The- Friday and
atre & Dance Saturday at
is presenting 8 p.m. and
"Bat Boy." This Saturday
award-winning and Sunday
musical pres- at 2p.m.
ents a story of Arthur Miller
fantasy and Theatrei
comedic witti-
cism. Though From $10
it appears to be
all in fun, there's a serious note
that runs throughout the play.
Through themes of bigotry and
discrimination, "Bat Boy" cel-
ebrates the need to search within
ourselves for the acceptance of
others.
In the small town of Hope
Falls, W. Va., three boys are
attacked by the half-bat, half-
boy creature they discover in a
cave. Consequently, they haul
Bat Boy back to town, where
the sheriff places him under the
care of the local veterinarian, Dr.
Parker. The veterinarian's fam-
ily takes him in, giving him love
and education along the way.
 Unfortunately, Dr. Parker grows
increasingly jealous of the atten-
tion Bat Boy is receiving. As the
townsfolk begin threatening Bat
Boy, controversy propagates and
unspeakable events occur.

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may seem like a ludicrous humor is generated from the
n, said Linda Goodrich, transitions between these pieces.
te professor in the School The costumes also serve as
&D. Yet it deals with a an avenue of humor. Many of
rious subject, and can be the fast changes backstage are
eted as an allegory for supposed to be done seamlessly
hobia, racism or any other while others have farcical ele-
persecution. ments that are altered in front of
not pointing the finger at the audience. Vasquez explained
e person," Goodrich said. that some male characters wear
t it's pointing the finger blouses and hats and then take
gone, and how afraid they them off to transform into rug-
anyone different from ged farmers.
lves." Vasquez may not be a half-ani-
mal, half-human, but he did have
to shave his head for the show.
.squez who "Now I have a short buzz,"
Vasquez said. "I will also be
ays Bat Boy wearing fangs that click into my
teeth, and pointy ears."
ved his head The bat features of his char-
acter are communicated more
:r the role. through his behavior and his
physicality, Goodrich claims. He
crouches and hangs upside-down,
and then is taught to behave more
ugh humor, this poignant like a human, gradually becoming
ecomes more palatable. more upright and proper.
asquez, an MT&D junior, "Bat Boy" is a cautionary tale.
Bat Boy, described how In the last line of the produc-
w is absurd and melodra- tion, all the actors stand and sing,
However, this outlandish "don't deny your beast inside."
lent makes the audience "Although I do think that's
d in the narrative. The corny and poetic, there's some-
e is forced to judge the thing to be said about the solidar-
ers who persecute Bat ity you have with any group you
d, in the process, persuad- aren't a part of," Vasquez said
rok at themselves and see of the show's plot. "You become
ey are also alienating him able to see things from their per-
ame way. spective. As you watch this situ-
edy is also present in the ation unfold, you can take away
score. Different genres the idea that it's not so extreme,
c make their way into the but rather it's in your backyard,
tion including gospel, rap and you need to be able to toler-
ditional musical theater ate whatever it is that you may
's. Vasquez claims that find disturbing."


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