{"id":1766,"date":"2005-03-13T04:18:00","date_gmt":"2005-03-13T04:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2005\/03\/13\/on-social-theory-theses-and-drastic-measures-involving-cookies"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:28","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:28","slug":"on-social-theory-theses-and-drastic-measures-involving-cookies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/03\/on-social-theory-theses-and-drastic-measures-involving-cookies\/","title":{"rendered":"On social theory, theses, and drastic measures involving cookies"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time again. Behold a reprise<\/a> of<\/a> geekiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a sucker for social theory.<\/strong> Really, there’s nothing sexier than the name \u201cMichel Foucault<\/a>,\u201d and that’s a non-debatable point. A close second goes to a man I once knew who, between sips of beer, spoke the words \u201cBaudrillard<\/a>\u201d and \u201csimulacra<\/a>\u201d so suggestively that I blushed, broke a sweat, and nearly passed out. He didn\u2019t stick around for long, but by god, social theory did. In fact, the two of us have just begun the arduous process of writing a Master\u2019s thesis.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll make it through.
Despite its smart, sexy, and enticingly knotty qualities, social theory is a fickle partner. At best, we together produce only somewhat incoherent jargon<\/strong>, such as this cloudy gem from a recent session at the keyboard: \u201cThe concept of solidarity operates today to cloak the market\u2014and market-based policy\u2014in a familiar, collectivizing discourse, even as French society is atomized and its citizens are increasingly individualized and responsibilized.\u201d [Oof. I’m so sorry, dear reader.]<\/p>\n

And at worst, social theory abuses me with page upon page of impossible, heart-shriveling nonsense<\/strong>, such as the following (courtesy of a misguided soul named Timothy W. Luke, not <\/em>me): \u201cMultitorialities are incipient polyarchical fields, contragovernmentalizing spaces giving free rein to the post-jurisdictive.\u201d [Even sorrier, dear reader.]<\/p>\n

As I said, I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll make it, social theory and me. The highs are high, and the lows are excruciating. It\u2019s enough to drive a girl to bake<\/strong>. Such times call for drastic measures, and pistachio-apricot oatmeal cookies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
I made these lovelies last week for the final meeting of my neoliberal governmentality seminar, and we washed them down with an enormous bottle of cheap red<\/strong>\u2014a better combination than you\u2019d think\u2014while sitting around the conference table at three in the afternoon. Through my sleepy sugar-and-wine-haze, social theory actually started to look sexy again. I think it even winked at me.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re giving it another go. I\u2019m a total pushover, at least until the thesis is done.<\/p>\n

Pistachio-Apricot Oatmeal Cookies<\/strong>
From Gourmet<\/em><\/p>\n

This recipe yields a cookie that\u2019s thinner, chewier, and more crisp than I\u2019d ordinarily choose, but it\u2019s absolutely delicious. The high ratio of brown sugar to white results in a deep caramelly flavor, which goes wonderfully with the pistachios and dried apricots.<\/p>\n

1 stick (1\/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
\u00be cup packed light brown sugar
\u00bc cup granulated sugar
\u00bc tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
\u00be cup all-purpose flour
\u00bd tsp baking soda
\u00bc tsp salt
1\/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 \u00bd cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1\/3 cup dried apricots (2 oz), cut into \u00bc-inch dice
1\/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios (not dyed red), coarsely chopped<\/p>\n

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray, or line them with silicone baking mats, if you have them.<\/p>\n

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Add egg, beating to combine well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and then add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing at low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the oats, apricots, and pistachios.<\/p>\n

Spoon rounded tablespoons of dough (I used a small ice-cream scoop) about two inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies carefully with a spatula onto racks. The cookies will crisp as they cool.<\/p>\n

Yield: About 18 cookies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time again. Behold a reprise of geekiness. I\u2019m a sucker for social theory. Really, there’s nothing sexier than the name \u201cMichel Foucault,\u201d and that’s a non-debatable point. A close second goes to a man I once knew who, between sips of beer, spoke the words \u201cBaudrillard\u201d and \u201csimulacra\u201d so suggestively that I blushed, broke a sweat, and nearly passed out. He didn\u2019t stick around for long, but by god, social theory did. In fact, the two of us have just begun the arduous process of writing a Master\u2019s thesis. Unfortunately, I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll make it through.Despite its smart, sexy, and enticingly knotty qualities, social theory is a fickle partner. At best, we together produce only somewhat incoherent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOn social theory, theses, and drastic measures involving cookies | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/03\/on-social-theory-theses-and-drastic-measures-involving-cookies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On social theory, theses, and drastic measures involving cookies | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s that time again. Behold a reprise of geekiness. I\u2019m a sucker for social theory. Really, there’s nothing sexier than the name \u201cMichel Foucault,\u201d and that’s a non-debatable point. A close second goes to a man I once knew who, between sips of beer, spoke the words \u201cBaudrillard\u201d and \u201csimulacra\u201d so suggestively that I blushed, broke a sweat, and nearly passed out. He didn\u2019t stick around for long, but by god, social theory did. In fact, the two of us have just begun the arduous process of writing a Master\u2019s thesis. Unfortunately, I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll make it through.Despite its smart, sexy, and enticingly knotty qualities, social theory is a fickle partner. 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