Good morning!
It’s been a wet and winter-y week here in Canberra. I’d been planning on going to the Handmade Markets this weekend but they’ve been postponed due to a sudden COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, alas.
If you’re enjoying Solidaritas, I’d be incredibly grateful if you became a paying subscriber. Paid subscriptions are available for US$5/month or much cheaper at US$40/year.
-Kate
Read
Of Warriors, Bad Apples and Blood Lust by Caroline Graham in Meanjin:
Are Australian soldiers more brutal than others, as an American marine claimed recently? After reading the Brereton Report, political guru Guy Rundle wonders ‘whether there’s something uniquely Australian in all of this’. …
It was up to our soldiers to counter the convict stain by being the best, the bravest, the strongest and the most loyal to the mother country; to be living proof that the Australian colonies were not breeding degenerates tainted with inherited criminality. Their heroism has been one way, perhaps the only way, of rescuing national honour, and for the most part they have done us proud.
But the brutal edge was always there.
An awesome example of community action: the residents of a small town in Australia called Venus Bay have come together to buy a massive tract of farmland and restore it to its wetlands glory.
Watch and listen
I’ve had Bo Burnham’s ‘Welcome to the Internet’ stuck in my head all week thanks to my partner showing me a bunch of songs from his new comedy piece, Inside. This particular song is hilarious but also dark and incredibly spot on about how ridiculous and addictive the internet is. I’m going to watch the whole show on the weekend.
Eat (and drink)
Yasmin Khan’s citrus cake from her new cookbook, Ripe Figs, which is about to become a staple in my household. The natural yoghurt in the cake batter makes a really delightful texture.
This yuzushu made by Heiwa Shuzo in Wakayama, Japan, is phenomenal. I’m a huge fan of everything citrus and have been exploring limoncello (vodka & lemons) and yuzuzhu (sake & yuzu citrus) this year. My partner bought me this Heiwa Shuzo yuzushu the other week and it is an absolute winner. You can drink it on ice by itself or with some soda water:
