July 05 2003, 05:38 PM Making Use of the Raisins

There is a simple pleasure in rice cooked with a good chicken stock and small crispy bits of caramelized onions.

There is also something nicely fun with watching a lock work. We live in the clutches of rivers, we do, and we have public locks to pull boats up and down river past the dams put in place to make the rivers navigable year-round (avoiding any icy caveats). Somewhat earlier, I was able to spend some time in the damp air of the river as they shuffled a pack of boats up some two hands full of feet.

The striking thing was the grace of it. All motion was staid, simple, and carefully done; no violent rushings of water nor clamor of spray. The boats came up gently, almost too slow to see. When they finally left the confines of the lock, the powerboats broke the spell quickly with wash and noise, but were merrily followed on by paddleboats, honest paddleboats, with flat decks almost at the water line and common wooden picnic tables lashed to the front, incongruous on the water.

The rice was good with stock and onions, but we had some toasted almonds left over from something, and some raisins, too. Rice with broth and onions and raisins and toasted almonds with a bit of fresh nutmeg is very nice indeed.

Ice on the river has its own stories: I have heard tell once of a particularly large pack of ice that once came down on of our rivers and rammed open a brewery storehouse at high water, casting out to float untold cases, sixes, cans and kegs of rather nicely chilled beer.

They say never before or again were so many seen out in boats in the back channels down river, pulling brew after frosty brew out of the water. And I don't know if that's true, but it ought to be.