October 15th

"We had dinner and went to bed early." - Jonathan Harker (pg. 369)


Indeed! I think we turned in at something like 11:30 PM. It was about time I got some goddamn sleep for once. It's as though the Vampire's curse is lifting as I conclude the book.

"Dinner" was merely a bowl of Wild Mushroom and Brie Cheese Bisque; which doesn't sound like much, but on a cold autumn day when you're not very hungry can be just right.

October 5th

"When we met at early breakfast there was more general cheerfulness than any of us had ever expected to experience again." - Jack Seward (pg. 355)

Oh well that's quite a mouthful isn't it Jack? Must have been a pretty fucking good breakfast then huh? Good enough to mention what was served?

No.

Therefore once again I can only conclude that our heroes had a breakfast of Cinnamon Caramel Bread Pudding.

It was good, but I certainly didn't experience more cheerfulness than I had ever expected to experience for the rest of my entire life.

Please bear in mind that there won't be any posts until at least October 15th. At this point in time towards the end of the book entries become shorter and less frequent.

October 4th

"'Ask me nothing as yet. When we have breakfast, then I answer all questions.'" - Professor Van Helsing (pg. 347)



I was fortunate enough to be taken out for breakfast by two good friends: Adam and Abby. It's rare that I enjoy breakfast, much less take it in the company of friends. Our heroes in Dracula are dining together all the time at "our friend Jack Seward's" house.

Well we had breakfast at Al Vento, a neighborhood Italian restaurant. I had never been or even heard of it, but Adam and Abby like to go as often as they can. They had a nice brunch buffet that included all that you'd expect from a breakfast buffet only everything was a little classier and a little more Italian. They also pour all the mimosa you want.

Just like the professor we all had many questions to answer being that we hadn't gotten together for some time. It was an interview. Interview With The Vampire.

October 3rd

"We had a sort of perfunctory supper together, and I think it cheered us all up somewhat. It was, perhaps, the mere animal heat of food to hungry people - for none of us had eaten anything since breakfast - or the sense of companionship may have helped us; but anyhow we were all less miserable, and saw the morrow as not altogether without hope." - Dr. Seward (pg. 340)


Kind of a half assed update I'm afraid. None the less this was in fact my supper and I did enjoy it with guest and I do feel better about tomorrow as a result. To explain this mess of food in a pie tin:

Polenta, roasted carrots, flat iron steak medallions, portobello mushrooms, and a single sea scallop.

When you work at a restaurant sometimes your meals don't make sense, but taste delicious none the less. Tonight my wife was awake due to it being a weekend, and my friend and co-worker Natalie and her GF Amanda joined us for a late dinner/wine/tea/evening of conversation

So it was all pretty sweet.....but none the less I'll try and do better tomorrow. When fighting an immortal adversary one cannot waste time on half-assed updates.

October 1st

"I found Thomas Snelling in his house at Bethnal Green, but unhappily he was not in a condition to remember anything. The very prospect of beer which my expected coming had opened to him had proved too much, and he had begun too early on his expected debauch." - Jonathan Harker (pg. 287)



Jonathan Harker just can't stop running into blue collared workers who just want to get fucked up on his dime! Excuse me.....his sovereign.

And I just can't stop wanting to get fucked up as a result of my hard days labor either. Indeed my employers often keep me pacified and cooperative with gifts of wine and beer. Such was the case this evening when I was sent home with not one, but TWO Bell's TWO hearted IPAs.

September 30th

"'Lord Godalming, I had the honour of seconding your father at the Windham; I grieve to know, by your holding the title, that he is no more. He was a man loved and honoured by all who knew him; and in his youth was, I have heard, the inventor of a burnt rum punch, much patronized on Derby night." - Renfield (pg 268.)


Well! This is the first entry I've encountered that has mentioned a specific dish...or in this case: drink! Needless to say I was very excited! A number of recipes were yielded on the internet, all of them presumably created by enthusiasts of Dracula and Dining alike....but I decided to follow a simple rule that any gentlemen of distinction (such as myself or Arthur Godalming's father) would be inclined to follow.

One of sour, Two of sweet, Three of strong, and Four of weak.

Beyond this I added cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, anise, and additional lemon zest for seasonal flavors.

The results?

Just ask my neighbors! They all came over for a quick cup and were likely impressed and delighted by this simple, but delicious drink.

September 29th

"Their tally was exact with the list, and they had nothing to add except that the boxes were 'main and mortal heavy,' and that the shifting them was dry work. One of them added that it was hard lines that there wasn't any gentleman 'such-like as yourself, squire,' to show some sort of appreciation of their efforts in a liquid form; another put in a rider that the thirst then generated was such that even the time which had elapsed had not completely allayed it. Needless to add, I took care before leaving to lift, for ever and adequately, this source of reproach." - Jonathan Harker (pg. 249)

I think that's one of the funniest passages in the book. It happens AGAIN tomorrow when Jonathan goes somewhere else to inquire about the boxes. I can totally get behind what these guys were doing. If there's some rich bastard around that you can hit up for booze, by all means, hit him up!

It's quite likely that Jonathan allayed their thirst with some "Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale" it of course being brewed in an insane asylum by his new friend Dr. Jack Seward. It's also likely that he served it in a "Vampire Bat" pint glass because he likes designs that coincide with current events in his personal life.

September 26

"We dined at 'Jack Straw's Castle' along with a little crowd of bicyclists and others who were genially noisy." - Jack Seward (pg. 215)

Jack Straw's Castle? Yeah I think I know the place...


My baby and I had tiny hamburgers or tiny fish sandwiches with fries or onion petals. Afterwards we went to the adjacent Merlin's Rest for a pint. East Lake Street: Get to Know it. At both of these fine establishments we were the only or among the few bicyclists to be gathered. Dr. Seward would have absolutely no complaints about our behavior, which was especially good.

September 25

"Now you must eat. You are over-wrought and perhaps over-anxious." - Abraham Van Helsing (pg. 203)

Wise words from the professor. I was feeling all of those unpleasant emotions and many more before I had my lunch.

There was much ado about the lunch that Mina and Van Helsing were to enjoy together whilst the latter interviewed Mina to further develop his vampire theory. Once again we know very little about the lunch except that from the sound of things both Mina and her servants spent time preparing it. For lunch I had Duck Confit with Beef Short Ribs and Israeli Couscous with Green Beans. I feel like with the exception of the couscous this may have been comparable to what our friends had.....but we'll never know.

September 24

"I hadn't the heart to write last night; that terrible record of Jonathan's upset me so." - Mina Harker (pg. 196)

And with good cause Mrs. Harker. Why bother writing at all if you can't even mention what you had for supper on September the 24th.

September 23

"He will be away all day till late, for he said he could not lunch at home." - Mina Harker (pg. 196)

Indeed! I was out until 4 in the morning to be sure. The close of my evening can be seen in this photograph taken in my friend Nick's former living room.Much like Dracula himself I stay up extremely late and have naturally red eyes.

The lunch that I could not have at home was a vegetable pizza made from scratch by my friend Andrew. We enjoyed the pizzas alongside a bottle of 2005 Graziano Coro.

September 22

"'Why, Mina, have I been alseep? Oh, do forgive me for being so rude. Come, and we'll have a cup of tea somewhere.'" - Jonathan Harker (pg. 190)


While I do believe that Jonathan had intended to bring Mina OUT for tea, I found it appropriate for me to take my tea IN given that we have currently, a supply of tea that should last a grown man an entire winter.

Minnesota winter mind you.

I did; however, make the effort of trying to get my wife to have tea with me even though she was very tired. She doesn't like her photos to be posted on the internet, but agreed with this compromise:
I'm sure that Jonathan and Mina had some kind of fantastic tea that was only available in 19th century England....but the book failed to specify what kind of tea they had, if they even made it to the tea house. I find it likely that Jonathan's disturbed mind probably led him to forget he had even proposed the two stop to take tea in the first place. Regardless we both had Stash Licorice Spice tea.

ABOUT DINING WITH DRACULA

If I were to go through the personal and psychological history that led to the creation of this blog we would both be here all night!!!! Here's the short version:

I've always been into vampires...since I was a little kid. I was a total goth kid in high school. I got my BFA in studio art and most of my work deals with the documentation, obsession with, and visual representation of daily events. I'm also really into food and wine. A series of cultural influences, personal events, and the nocturnal lifestyle that results from working in restaurants have together given me a renewed interest in vampires.

When I first read "Dracula" as an 18 year old I was interested in the representation of good, evil, religion, and love. I always found it boring when Jonathan Harker would drone on about the boring details of his supper that evening. Now that I am 26 and a man of this world, I see things differently. All I crave is more details about WHAT KIND of cakes Mina had with her afternoon tea and which varietal of wine Van Helsing sent the boys to drink to calm their nerves.

I don't plan on making a bunch of fascist rules about exactly how I have to perform these recreations, but will try my best to enjoy something along the lines of whatever I believe they may have enjoyed in "Dracula." Enjoy!