Recently I have been discovering what an unsophisticated person I am.
It began a while back at a concert featuring some contemporary music by the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet. They are a very skilled group, but I’ll admit I was convinced one of their pieces was simply a rendition of the screaming eels from The Princess Bride. It was dissonant, piercing, jarring and I did not quite enjoy it.
I was reassured in my aspirations to refinement when Renee Fleming came to campus. Her concert was outstanding. My favorite piece was a letter set to music from a Civil War Major to his wife, written the week before he died at the battle of Bull Run. It was very moving
But then we had a series of lectures on globalization and urbanization. The first one was so far over my head I thought I might have to stand up to understand it. Then I went to supper at an Italian restaurant with my professor, one of the guest speakers, and a few others. I had tackled Olive Garden by myself for the first time earlier in the week, so I knew I could take this on.
Wrong.
The menu was mostly in Italian. And the English explanations weren’t much help either. Example: Finocchio Brasato- Braised Fennel with Blood Orange Vinegar Infused Onions – $9. Oh dear. The meal went through several courses, lasting almost three hours. It was quite the experience.
To top it all off, I ended the evening at a lecture given by Karl Rove followed by an exclusive reception. Yes, exclusive! They checked my name on a list before I could go in. Again, a lot of the politics went over my head, but I got an autograph, so that’s worth something.
All of that to say, I’m a simple person. Give me my hooded sweatshirt and homemade mac & cheese over multi-syllable words and five course Italian meals any day.
Kimwondo 