Time to Make the Donuts…, By Whitney Farmer – Un Pop Culture | @MDWorld

August 15, 2012 Whitney Farmer 3 Comments

Whitney works at a rock music venue on the beach in L.A.. She has an MBA, and – in honor of Julia Child’s 100th birthday – will wear today a new apron that Dolores Deux made for her.

Step 1: When summoned, walk across the field to the caravan of one of the matriarchs and be prepared to do exactly what you are told. Hold the hands of the children who have come to get you.

Step 2: Assist with putting out all equipment and ingredients on the white table beneath the white canopy that is attached to the white trailer, located with hundreds of others in a field rimmed by sunflowers outside the town of Royan, north of Bordeaux. Be grateful for the bright sun that has begun to dry the mud from the unexpected storms that started two nights before.

Step 3: Do exactly what you are told while trying to ignore the nervousness caused by four generations watching La Americaine cook. Verify instructions as needed due to rusty French.

Step 4: Mix together dry ingredients first into commercial-grade mixer – 750 ml of farina…flour…finely ground with a few additional handfuls set aside for use in manipulating the dough, 500 ml sugar, 2 sachets powdered vanilla, 250 ml finely cut coconut, one quarter fistful of salt. Pour in yeast which has been percolating in a shotglass full of water in the sunshine. Put mixer on higher speed and fold in remaining ingredients – 5 eggs, one half kilo of cold butter, 500ml du lâit avec crème, and a full shotglass of rum. Set rum bottle aside to use as rolling pin. Mixing ingredients can be done manually if necessary but is not recommended due to the size of the group that will gather when they hear that donuts are being made.

Step 5: Heat hotplate station on folding table under the canopy secured to the earth that spins under the sun. Heat fresh oil from sunflowers, originally a gift from the Americas and used during Lent because the blooms lift their faces to glorify God, then dip their heads humbly before giving birth to seed.

Step 6: Roll dough into a ball, dust with flour, and manually knead.

Step 7: After ingredients are mixed but before butter in dough becomes too soft, roll dough out on table with rum bottle while using remaining farina…flour to keep dough from sticking. Roll to approximately 5 mm thickness, adjusting based on wanting more spongy or crispier donuts.

Step 8: Cut dough in strips, then across to create size and shape of donuts that is preferred. Holes in the center are unnecessary unless you are planning on carrying them on a stick for sale in the public market.

Step 9: Drop cut dough into hot oil, putting halfway in before releasing to avoid splashing children who insist on helping at every step.

Step 10: As dough turns golden brown, donuts rise to the top of oil. Turn over once before removing from pan.

Step 11: Roll hot donuts in sugar and/or finely ground coconut. Glazes are allowed but not recommended because they make the crowd that has gathered wait longer. Test one from the first batch on a descendant of Django Reinhardt who has been waiting patiently, blasting “Nessun Dorma (None shall sleep…)” from the stereo in his work truck to facilitate operations.

Step 12: Watch stunned as the donuts disappear. Agree with Dolores Deux when she says you need to wear an apron next time.

Quote of the Blog from me, to the Editor of the L.A. Times in response to the following:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-france-roma-20120810,0,4309356.story

On August 10, I flew into LAX after spending time with a Gypsy (called this at their request) community encamped in Royan. I was there as part of a Christian team who had been invited to assist with providing educational programs in their community.

This action is ethnic cleansing.

The day we left, two of our students from what the children had decided to call L’École des Gypsies also were leaving, migrating to one of the areas identified in the story with their parents. Before they had left, they had given me a pair of earrings that said “I (heart) Paris”.  I wore these as I watched their white caravan drive down the road as their grandfather drove us to our train. I didn’t want to lose them on the plane, so I put them in my luggage for safe keeping.

Now, I am trying to find the family.

Image of original pastel from Kurdish artist Ramzi Ghotbaldin, purchased and titled “Sunflowers at the Gypsy Camp” by me in Montmartre, courtesy of my cell phone.