fondue (WAS: chapter 1)

[Doug Millison]

Seems to me that the experience of a
not-quite-young-anymore-and-still-rather-convential American having her or
his mind blown by what's really going on out there in the real world (at
whatever level of goings on you care to consider, up to -- or down to,
perhaps -- and including the sorts of "conspiracies" that we now know,
thanks to hindsight and investigative journalism and works of history that
have occurred to expose the 50s and 60s, really did happen), once you depart
the sheltered American suburban life-style, is very much the primary story
line of COL49.  I also think it's interesting that Oedipa is refusing the
good Doctor's LSD -- her revelations come without that aid, which some might
call artificial or, given the chain of associations that can be read
vis-a-vis LSD in GR (as Terrance discussed in some detail last year),
associated, in the text's scheme of things at least, even with death itself
and with contemporary society's efforts to analyze and synthesize and thus
gain some degree of control over the very mysteries of life and
consciousness and death.

Thanks Dave and everybody else for this fun start to COL49 so far.  And
thanks very much, Dave, for bringing in those nuggets from Hollander's
article on COL49.  I agree, his research is deep and interesting, no matter
what any particular reader might think of his conclusions, and I express
again my gratitude that he has put as much time and effort into this
research as he has, it's a tremendous service to the community of COL49
readers and scholars.

FYI, Fondue Fred's was a popular restaurant on Telegraph Avenue (it's still
there) when I first arrived in Berkeley some 30 years ago, and was at that
time said to have been around for many years -- a great albeit rather cheesy
date spot with dim lighting and a faux European (intermixed, not
unawkwardly, with California casual touches) "elegance" appropropriate to
its featured dish, cheese fondue, you and your date could spear chunks of
French bread and dip them in the melted cheese in that soft light, lots of
opportunities for hands to meet and touch over the fondue dish, a little
extra heat from the chafing dish that kept things warm, the wine, then the
funky street outside on the way back to an apartment or dorm room....

http://www.lacabe.com/marga/food/rest/fred.html  is a rather cut and dried
account, no romance in that reviewer's soul, obviously...

[snip Dave's interesting post re Young Republicans and the Petries]