Cafe #4: Brunetti's

Date: Thursday, 08 February 2007, 6.30pm
Location: Faraday and Lygon Streets, Carlton
Coffee: $3.00 (I think) - cannoli, $2.50
Reading: The Pragmatics of Interpretation

I suppose this must be a famous Italian bakery. It is long horizontally, with the pebbly tile floor, steel and glass casing atmosphere of an old-time upscale department store. There is a long case of cookies and pastries, formal and cafe-style dining areas. I picked up a glass of water from the waiter at the cafe counter, which I ordered with my cannoli at the take-away pastry counter. I am outside.

I've opted to try a cannoli instead of coffee. It is very nice, authentic, with a good anise flavour.

It was cold again today, but the sun came out late this afternoon.

If it were not for my $13.00 pocket UBD (city maps) I think I would be crying on streetcorners. It fits perfectly into the green purse Kirsten gave me for my birthday (along with another book as well!). I'm getting used to carrying around a handbag (round wooden handles) rather than a backpack. I haven't lost it yet.

I met L for lunch today. We went to Chinatown and I picked out a dumpling restaurant that had steamed vegetable dumplings and vegetarian duck on the menu. It turned out to be the pink restaurant that A and I found and enjoyed years ago. I remembered it because it was cheap, yummy and had fake meat. It is on Little Bourke Street. I ordered vegetarian duck and noodle soup and radish cake dim sims. The radish cakes were very nice, the soup basic and good, but the duck looked like gluten out of a can. It was not the gourmet duck-like stuff of the proper mock meat restaurants. Still, it was a cheap meal ($5.50 for the soup) and I couldn't finish it (imagine, me not finishing a meal!).

Last night E, K of Pretty_Ugly fame, and I went to a new Morrocan restaurant that E has wanted to try. Rather than order couscous and vegetables, which I can make at home, I got besarra, an "African hummus" made with broad beans instead of chickpeas and different spices, tumeric definitely. It was served warm, with a layer of olive oil. I also ate most of the warm marinated olives that came out before the meal, as neither Erin nor Kelly eat olives. They were lovely warm and I ate many olives. I ate too many beans (I had lentils for lunch) and stressed my digestive system.

After eating and chatting we went to see a band called The Time of the Assassins at what E assures me is a famous and beloved Melbourne emerging band spot, The Tote. The band was like early Pink floyd meets Radiohead, meets Patti Smith, meets other bands I've only heard of. Lots of mellow musical repetition, sweetly screechy guitar, vocal screaming and nice vocal work on the part of the female singer. Unfortunately the vocals were quite drowned out by the music and aside from being too loud, I liked the set, which had moments of beauty.

I am jumpstarting my studies with Pragmatics of Interpretation, which I brought with me from Canberra after finding at A Suitable Book. Already I encounter words I understand making meaning beyond me: "interpretation is local, construction is global: the difference is of scale, not structure". I don't know what is inherently small town about interpretation and worldwide about construction. I suppose when I read about Freud's notion of construction, lo and behold, I will understand!