Subject: The Road I Take

For a period I noti ed my tutors of my delayed essays solely through the medium of pastiche. is is a mock-up of Robert Frost’s e Road Not Taken that I wrote in my rst year, for which I received a (mocking) rst: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not go right And be on time, long I stood And looked down one as far I could Where I contemplated timeliness; en took the other, what a wrong turn, And having de nitely the worse time, Because I was silly and foolish; As for the hours that passed, they Had worn me down around the clock, bollocks – it’s not real and it only exists on sitcoms – just like fnding ‘the one’. Some people, you think you’re mates, until it reaches room balloting and you realise only the real ones stick around after that. I hope you know that even though you might think that all of those people around you have a massive group of close friends? It won’t last. Uni friendships come and go with every Union president. I’m not friends with everyone that I was in my frst year and I made new friends in my second year. You might even bump into someone you knew for a year and it turns out they were a diamond in the rough (not everyone can be as loud and proud as us x).

And so this morning I forlornly lay In leaves of unread critical theory. Oh, I kept it all for another day! Yet, knowing how way leads on to way. I doubted if I would ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one I have always taken, And I have made no di erence.

The last thing I would like to add is; why so pedantic about whom, Season 4 Ryan? (It’s a reference to The Offce) I really hope you don’t correct the people around you because if you are, that is almost defnitely the crux of your problem.

It’ll be alright bestie - just sort it out.

The Mad Hatter x

Photo Column: Easter Wedding

and you wonder where the column’s uting goes, and why those gargoyles pose at love above the gates; how the church, with its mullion sandstone nose gives and glances meaning, sublates those above from those below; and you wonder what each window casts inside or holds of the distant lives of saints, what it derives of ightless angels stained in glass, formed of tesserae and plated panes which coruscate like mountain folds in evening sun; you wonder as the silhouettes lean and stumble home, and the bridesmaids cycle in gures of eight with owers in their baskets, shuddering along the cobbled stone.

Pasta Alla Norma

This week’s recipe is brought to you by Giovann Attard. When he opened Norma on Charlotte Street in London he brought his home Sicilian cuisine to the UK in new and exciting ways. His signature dish is this pasta which, legend has it, was created in Catania to pay homage to Bellini and his new opera by the same name. It is a perfect example of how cheap, easily sourced ingredients can come together quickly and easily for a delicious dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400g dried rigatoni pasta

• 2 medium size, frm aubergines, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice

• 1/2 onion, peeled and fnely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and fnely chopped

• 800g quality chopped tinned tomatoes or passata

• 200g ricotta salata, grated

• 150ml Extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper for cooking

• A good handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions

To prepare:

Pre-heat the oven to 230C. Put the diced aubergine in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Leave to sit for 30 minutes.

1. Rinse the aubergine in cold water, pat dry with kitchen towel and toss in a bowl with half the oil, then bake, well spread out, for about 15-20 minutes until caramelised, turning occasionally to make sure the pieces don’t dry out.

2. Meanwhile, heat the other half of the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and half the basil and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and cook slowly for about 23 to 30 minutes until thickened (the exact time will depend on your tinned tomato brand).

3. Once the sauce is almost ready, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water to al dente or follow the instructions on the pack. Add the aubergine to the sauce and discard the basil. Drain the pasta (reserving a little of the cooking liquid) and toss in the sauce. If the sauce seems to thick then add the liquid to loosen. Now divide between plates and sprinkle with the