My Dinner with Ruth @lesliekarst

 LUCY BURDETTE: When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last week, I thought instantly of my friend Leslie Karst. I remembered that she knew RBG and has written a memoir about cooking dinner for the Ginsburgs. (I've read it, it's excellent, and I hope we'll see it out in the world soon!) Leslie agreed graciously to write a post about this for us.

LESLIE KARST: History will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg for many things, including her tireless and passionate work with the ACLU as an advocate for women’s rights, her thirteen years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, her twenty-seven years as justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and, recently, her rock-star status as the “Notorious R.B.G.,” inspiring “I dissent!” tattoos and jewelry in the shape of her famous lace collars. 

But to me, she was also a family friend.

RBG and me

My father and “Ruth,” as he always referred to her, became close back in the 1960s, when he was teaching at the Ohio State Law School and she was teaching at Rutgers and later at Columbia. They had both been involved in comparative law—Dad with Latin American land reform issues, and Ruth with Swedish civil procedure. (Yes, you read that right: Did you know that as a young lawyer, RBG learned Swedish and then helped translate the Swedish Code of Civil Procedure into English?)

The two stayed in touch over the years, and I grew up hearing stories about Ruth, as she and my father both moved on from comparative law to civil rights as their areas of study and advocacy—and she, eventually, on to the federal judiciary.

And then came the chance of a lifetime. Dad told me he’d invited Ruth to come speak at the UCLA Law School, where he now taught, and she had accepted. Only half-serious, I suggested that I come down to Los Angeles and cook dinner for Ruth and her husband Marty at my parents’ house. 

I’d expected Dad to merely laugh, in that “ha-ha, that’s a ridiculous notion” kind of way, but instead he cocked his head and looked at me, then said quite seriously, “That sounds like a great idea.” 

What had I gotten myself into?

I spent the next nine months planning and fretting, as I worked out the menu for a Supreme Court justice and her world-renowned tax law professor husband—both of whom I knew to be devout foodies. 

And when the evening finally arrived, I sat in my parents living room shaking in my boots. 

But I needn’t have worried. Ruth—though taciturn and serious, as was her wont—was absolutely lovely. And even more so as the evening wore on and the six of us (my parents; the Ginsburgs; my wife, Robin; and me) consumed all six of the bottles of wine I’d purchased for the dinner. 

Ruth, my dad, and me

And Marty was as charming as could be, enthusiastically digging into the food I’d prepared while regaling the table with hilarious stories—some regarding his wife, who simply smiled and nodded in response. Here are a few tidbits we learned that evening:

Ruth would routinely consume fourteen cups of coffee a day.

She once got her car stuck atop a bollard which had risen up as she tried to enter the DC Circuit Court parking lot after another car without waiting her turn.

The purse she carried (at least that night) was very heavy—weighing at least five pounds.

I’ve written a memoir of my experience planning, cooking, and attending the dinner—tentatively entitled Cooking for Ruth—which I hope will be published some time soon. But in the meantime, here’s a peek at the menu I served:

Seared Sea Scallop with Ginger-Lime Cream Sauce

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Butter

Garnished with Crème Fraîche, Chopped Walnuts, and Walnut Oil

Baby Spinach Salad with Blood Orange, Red Onion, Dried Cranberries, 

Pine Nuts, Gorgonzola Cheese, and Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

Blackened Ahi Coated in a Dry-Rub of Spices and Black Sesame Seeds

Served with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Snow Peas

A Selection of Pastries from Amandine Patisserie in Los Angeles

Robin and I saw Ruth several times after the big dinner. Whenever we were in Washington, DC, she’d invite us to the Supreme Court, and after watching the day’s arguments we’d chat with the justice in her chambers. (My attendance at Malice Domestic was twice the occasion for such visits with Ruth.)

RBG bobblehead in her chambers

The last contact I had with Ruth was last summer, to let her know that my father had passed away. She recorded a beautiful testimonial for his memorial service at the UCLA Law School, which you can watch here:  

I will miss you Ruth. Thank you for dedicating your own life to bettering ours. 

About Leslie:

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Sally Solari Mysteries (Dying for a Taste, A Measure of Murder, Death al Fresco, Murder from Scratch), a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. 

Visit Leslie at lesliekarstauthor.com 

Leslie blogs at chicksonthecase.com and mysteryloverskitchen.com 

About Murder from Scratch:

Sally’s life is already plenty complicated, what with running the popular and bustling Gauguin and dealing with irate cooks, scheduling headaches, and other staffing issues. So when her dad convinces her to take in a blind relative, Evelyn, whose mother has just died of a drug overdose, she’s none too happy. Sally’s cousin, however, turns out to be not only highly competent, but also lots of fun. And she’s a terrific cook, to boot—taught at an early age by her chef mom, Jackie. 

When moved objects around her house cause Evelyn to suspect that Jackie’s death was not the accident or suicide the police believe it to have been, she and Sally decide to investigate on their own. And Sally soon learns that Evelyn’s blindness makes her more attuned to her other senses, allowing her to discover clues that Sally would easily have missed. The cousins’ sleuthing takes them into the world of pop-up and Southeast Asian restaurants, macho commercial kitchens, and the cut-throat competitiveness that can flame up between chefs—especially when stolen recipes are at stake. 

“Karst seasons her writing with an accurate insider’s view of restaurant operation, as well as a tenderness in the way she treats family, death and Sally’s reactions to Evelyn’s blindness.”

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Our Favorite Nasty Women: A guest post by Kelli Stanley

RHYS BOWEN: Today I'm happy to welcome one of my favorite people on the planet, Kelli Stanley.I've known Kelli for years, really enjoy her company and her passion for justice, equality and women's rights. So when I as asked to contribute to her anthology called SHATTERING GLASS of course I was delighted to do so, along with a few other nobodies like Barbara Boxer, Heather Graham, Jacqueline Winspear etc etc.

It's an interestingly eclectic mix of stories, memoirs, biographies all with one theme. Nasty women make a difference. So today Kelli has asked some of the contributors to talk about their own candidate for Nasty Woman.

Our Favorite “Nasty” Women

Kelli: First, Rhys, thank you so much for inviting us to Jungle Red, one of my favorite blogs, and for being a major contributor to SHATTERING GLASS!! When I founded Nasty Woman Press in 2016, one of the major ideas behind it was to offer a series of anthologies that encompassed a very wide variety of works—both fiction and non-fiction—but which were also thematically united as individual works. Those themes then directly relate to the non-profit for which each book is raising money.

For example, SHATTERING GLASS, the first of our publications out on June 16^th, takes female empowerment as its overall theme and all profits are donated to Planned Parenthood.

Because SHATTERING GLASS offers fascinating and thought-provoking non-fiction pieces next to riveting short stories, we had an opportunity to ask contributing authors and political figures who their favorite “nasty women” were … and we’ve far from exhausted the subject! From history, the contemporary world or fiction, “nasty women” have influenced us all, so I thought we’d share three more of them with Jungle Red.

Joining me in this discussion are LIBBY FISHER HELLMANN and JAMES L’ETOILE, two of our contributors who have not had a chance to discuss their favorite “nasties” until now. 😊

Jim, please tell us about JOYCE ZINK—I was thrilled to learn about her and I know everyone else will be, too!

JIM: Thanks, Kelli and Rhys! “Birthright”, my story in SHATTERING GLASS, examines the potential for corruption and abuse within private-for-profit prisons where the most vulnerable populations in the criminal justice system are trapped. While my story focuses on a fictional women’s private prison and a single woman who breaks down barriers and exposes self-sustaining greed, there are real-life examples of women standing up against the system.

One such example is Joyce Zink. Joyce isn’t a household name, yet she faced incredible odds as one of the first women to serve as a Correctional Officer. Hired in 1972, Joyce Zink was one of the first Correctional Officers assigned to San Quentin State Prison, a historically all-male maximum security facility. She wasn’t allowed to perform in any role that brought her in regular contact with the inmates, because it was still believed, at that time, that women were the “weaker sex” and would prove to be a security threat. She was assigned to the visiting room and gun towers far removed from the housing units.

In 1973, she transferred to Folsom State prison with the hope that she would be able to pursue the full range of Correctional Officer duties but found her assignment in the visiting room once again.

On June 21, 1973, a resolution offered by Senator Hubert L. Richardson actually sought a moratorium on the hiring of female correctional officers in state correctional institutions. Fortunately, Richardson’s resolution died in committee.

In the midst of this incredible pressure, Joyce withstood the discrimination, harassment, and misplaced hostility she suffered because of her gender and focused on the job—and excelled at it.  Eventually, she became the first woman to work inside Folsom’s historic cellblocks.

Joyce went on to become one of the most respected Correctional Captains within the department and Correctional Officers lined up to serve under her. It was my pleasure to work with Joyce briefly at Folsom and her quiet confidence belied that inner strength and determination that paved a path for other women to follow.

KELLI: Wow, what a story—and what a story “Birthright” is, too, Jim—it certainly opened my eyes to the gross inequities of the incarceration-for-profit system. Next up is Libby Fischer Hellmann, who is offering another example of a woman who history will most certainly enshrine as a great jurist and human being: RUTH BADER GINSBERG.

By the way, Libby’s piece in SHATTERING GLASS, entitled “Daddy’s Girls”, is based on a horrifically true situation involving a politician, but is ultimately a story of survival, perseverance and above all, love. Take it away, Libby!

LIBBY: Thanks, everyone, and glad to be here! I’ve just gotta say that any woman who can do a one-minute plank at age 86 is my kind of nasty woman. I’m talking, of course, about the notorious RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who, to my way of thinking, is the epitome of nasty women. Not just because she is highly intelligent and has blazed a trail as an accomplished attorney and jurist. Not because she has the discipline of a lion but the disposition of a lamb. Not just because she’s been a crusader for women’s rights since the start of her career. And not because she has beaten colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer.

Following are just a few of her accomplishments that guarantee her acceptance into the Nasty Woman Club:

• 1^st female member of Harvard Law Review
• Graduated 1^st in her law school class at Columbia in 1959
• Became Columbia’s first female tenured professor.
• Served as the director of the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, for which she argued six landmark cases on gender equality before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Appointed to SCOTUS in 1993 by Bill Clinton; confirmed 96-3.
• Wrote the Supreme Court's landmark decision in United States v. Virginia, which held that the state-supported Virginia Military Institute could not refuse to admit women.
• In 1999 she won the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award for her contributions to gender equality and civil rights.
• Appeared at the Sundance Film Festival to accompany the premiere of the documentary RBG in 2018

Finally, one of her best Nasty Women attributes is discretion. Subtle when she needs to be, RBG wears unique collars on her judicial robes. Her most famous is the Dissent Collar. She wears it when she dissents from a decision being handed down by the Supreme Court. She also has a collar she wears when she's reading majority opinions.

RBG is my choice for favorite Nasty Woman.

KELLI: I so agree, Libby—RBG is most definitely in the pantheon of Nasty Women! 😊 And a true superhero to many of us. Like you guys, the favorite nasty woman I’m choosing to write about was real, but not contemporary—she died in 1883. “Hysterical”, my story in SHATTERING GLASS, is unrelated—it was inspired by contemporary events and a classic episode of “The Twilight Zone”.  

My choice for favorite Nasty Woman is the amazing Sojourner Truth. Born enslaved in 1797 in Ulster County, New York, Sojourner was bought and sold four times before escaping in 1827 with her baby daughter to an abolitionist family who purchased her freedom. The following year, she became the first African-American woman to successfully sue a white man, and won possession of her son.

She became a well-known and charismatic itinerant preacher, speaking on, from and with the Spirit, and on the necessity of abolition, despite never learning to read or write. In the 1850s she dictated her autobiography, which was published to great success, and became as much involved with women’s rights activism as she was with the abolitionist movement.

Her work before and during the Civil War brought an invitation to meet President Lincoln in 1864. She later worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau, helping the formerly enslaved find jobs and reunite with families.

In the 1860s, she fought against segregation, and in Washington, D.C., successfully petitioned for the arrest of a streetcar conductor who tried to keep her off the vehicle.  Her statue is in the Capitol Building; it is the first statue of an African-American to be placed there.

Sojourner may be most famous for one of her eloquent speeches, circulated widely during the Civil War, but first given at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. Entitled “Ain’t I a Woman?”, it eloquently resonates as a plea for recognition of human rights. As Hillary Clinton has said, “Women’s rights are human rights”, and Sojourner Truth, one of the great leaders of Resistance when Resistance meant fighting against the enslavement, torture and murder of human beings, was one of the most inspiring examples of true heroism in any era, in any country. She’s my choice for favorite “nasty woman.”

Thanks, everyone, for participating today! I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading—and hope that you’ll enjoy reading SHATTERING GLASS, where you’ll learn about other examples of women who’ve inspired us. Thanks again, Rhys, for your wonderful conversation with Jackie Winspear in SHATTERING GLASS and for inviting us to Jungle Red!

RHYS: Wonderful stuff, Kelli. So let's hear from you? Who is your Nasty Woman hero? I have several Maya Angelou, Nancy Pelosi, Mother Theresa, Michelle Obama.. all women who behaved with grace and dignity when they were insulted, belittled and threatened.