“Undoubtedly the most workmanlike class, and the least servile, are the cooks. They do not earn quite so much as waiters but their prestige is higher and their employment steadier. The cook does not look upon himself as a servant; he is generally called ‘un ouvrier’ which a waiter never is. He knows his power-knowsContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Importance of Timing for a Hotel Chef (George Orwell)”
Tag Archives: RKS literature
RKS Japanese Literature: A Dismal Failure Who Believes Himself Superior to All (Kōji Uno)
“As a child, Sanasaku tended to be smug and arrogant, always ready to show off his slightest ability. He was, in a word, vaguely contemptuous of just about everything and everyone. The tendency only increased with age to the point where now he has come to find it somewhat abnormal. His sense of dissatisfaction hasContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: A Dismal Failure Who Believes Himself Superior to All (Kōji Uno)”
RKS Literature: “Down and Out in Paris and London” (George Orwell)
“Hotel work is not particularly hard, but by its nature it comes in rushes and cannot be economized. You cannot, for instance, grill a steak two hours before it is wanted; you have until the last moment, by which time a mass of other work has accumulated, and then do it all together, in franticContinue reading “RKS Literature: “Down and Out in Paris and London” (George Orwell)”
RKS Japanese Literature: The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema (Haruki Murakami)
Tall and tan and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking When she walks, it’s like a samba That swings so cool and sways so gently, How can I tell her I love her? Yes, I would give my heart gladly. But each day when she walks to the sea, Shed looks straight ahead, notContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema (Haruki Murakami)”
RKS Japanese Literature: The Monk with a Lute (Doppo Kunikida )
“But I watched the monk and listened to his playing. The narrow yet busy street with its ramshackle dwellings had little in common with the monk and the lute, but somewhere, I felt there was a deep understanding between them. The lute’s sobbing tones drifted between the rows of houses on either side, mingling withContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: The Monk with a Lute (Doppo Kunikida )”
RKS Literature: The Russian Duke Military Scam (George Orwell)
“In general, the Russian refugees in Paris are hard working people, and have put up with their bad luck far better than one can imagine Englishmen of the same class doing. There are exceptions of course. Boris told me of an exiled Russian duke whom he had once met, who frequented expensive restaurants. The dukeContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Russian Duke Military Scam (George Orwell)”
RKS Japanese Literature: Unforgettable People (Kunikida Doppo)
“We can’t simply call parents and children or friends or teachers and others to whom we are obligated “unforgettable people”. These are people whom we dare not forget. But there are others-complete strangers-to whom we are bound by neither love nor duty. Forgetting them would imply neither neglect of duty nor want of compassion. YetContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: Unforgettable People (Kunikida Doppo)”
RKS Japanese Literature: All Men Long to be Pimps (Minako Ohba)
“Strangely enough, the man tended to feel pleasure in his exclusive possession of a woman who was constantly being pursued by other men. Far from merely tolerating her pretended flirtations with other men, he tended to encourage them. Deep down, it seems, all men long to join the species we call ‘pimps’. Minako Ohba, “TheContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: All Men Long to be Pimps (Minako Ohba)”
RKS Literature: Worsening Hunger (George Orwell)
“On the second day I thought of pawning my overcoat, but it seemed too far to walk to the pawnshop, and I spent the day in bed, reading the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was all that I felt equal to, without food. Hunger reduces one to an utterly spineless, brainless condition, more like theContinue reading “RKS Literature: Worsening Hunger (George Orwell)”
RKS Japanese Literature: The Last Stages of Ritual Suicide (seppuku) of Lieutenant Takeyama Shinji (Yukio Mishima)
“Was this seppuku? He was thinking. It was a sensation of utter chaos, as if the sky had fallen on his head and the world was reeling drunkenly. His will power and courage, which had seemed so robust before he made the incision, had now dwindled to something like a singe hair-like thread of steelContinue reading “RKS Japanese Literature: The Last Stages of Ritual Suicide (seppuku) of Lieutenant Takeyama Shinji (Yukio Mishima)”
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