Hell

The single most exciting thing to happen to medieval/cultural studies has to be this:

Not only does this look like a fantastic game, but it also represents one of the most extensive appropriations of medieval literature I've ever seen. The combination of conventional RPG with the Divine Comedy seems to me to have highly interesting applications for other cultural productions. For more example, see Jeffrey Cohen's amazing blog. I also love The Tudors.

I also just got back from Puerto Rico and the American Society of Theatre Research (ASTR) Conference. I ate a lot in Puerto Rico, and of all the things I ate, the flank steak was probably the best. What would typically be a throwaway piece of meat, or just for stew, was tender and delicious. In addition, the double-fried plantains were fantastic. Now, plantains are easy to make. They should be sliced on a grade, fried in olive oil until brown, pulled out and crushed down, and then fried again. Salt liberally and serve with aioli.

Of course, Puerto Rico is also known for its rum. However, this is like no rum you have ever drunk before. Forget Bacardi. Really and seriously forget about it. I went on the Bacardi Rum Tour while I was in Puerto Rico, and I can tell you that it both glosses over the imperialistic history of the Bacardi family (as well as the fact that the sugarcane plantations were run by slaves) and is the most uninformative tour of anything I have ever been on. The tour guides are patronizing and the tourists are intolerable. Additionally, the clear disparity in wealth between the factory area and the the surrounding community made me believe that not much has changed in a little over 100 years. So much for them.

I hope to test out the Dante game as soon as it comes out. I wish it was coming out for Christmas. That's what I want.