Eleanor & Larry

Eleanor Heartney is a New York-based art critic and author of numerous books and articles about contemporary art. Her work has appeared in ARTnews, Art in America, the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Larry Litt is a writer and master Chan/Zen storyteller who travels the globe presenting his inspirational stories. He has written articles and stories from a Chan/Zen Dadaist worldview for many magazines and newspapers on topics ranging from vegan food, spirituality, travel, hiking and ecology.

Russian food, family stories, immigration, contemporary art, these are some of the things we talked about with Eleanor Heartney and Larry Littany Litt, over a dinner brimming with flavors, aromas, and conversation. The main dishes of the night, which were made before our avid senses, were the traditional Russian kasha varnishkas and a sophisticated catfish drenched in tomato sauce, both typical dishes crafted into their own personal recipes.

Eleanor published Doomsday Dreams: The Apocalyptic Imagination in Contemporary Art last year, and in 2017 Larry published Mad Monk Improper Parables: Wit, Wisdom, Humor, Laughter and Practical Advice. The art pieces on the walls of their Jackson Heights apartment display a diverse range of styles. However, the artificially lit garden in their living room, where they grow basil, cilantro, thyme, green onion, and other herbs, and above all their recipes, a block of papers with the corners bent from use located in the middle of the kitchen, bear witness to their intense love for food.

“When I was a kid, we used to live in these run-down apartments with tiny kitchens and the kids ran around everywhere” –Larry recalls, as he makes dressings and preps for cooking–. “My grandmother always yelled at us to get out of there. But we’re hungry, we used to tell her. She was scared that something would spatter from the stoves and burn us. We lived in Midwood, in Brooklyn.” The decision to make kasha varnishkes speaks to his cultural heritage. “I chose this dish because it showcases the variety of ingredients in Eastern European food. During those long winters from October until May, they have beets, cabbages, things that can be stored. They have wheat bread. They’ve made a variety of things with very few ingredients. There’s also fishing, which means they have smoked fish. This is not to say they have a limited diet, because the way they use the available ingredients is very creative and imaginative”.

Eleanor is of Irish and English descent. “My mother is of English descent, but her family has been in this country for several generations. On the other hand, my Irish side arrived more recently. They came because of the great famine and wanted to adapt immediately, so they left behind the coarse and proletarian ways of their Irish homeland. I find this sad because a part of that authentic Irish character has been lost. So I didn’t grow up thinking much about ethnicity. It’s for this reason that, when I met Larry, it was interesting because he has such a strong sense of ethnicity, I learned from that and enjoyed it a lot”, Eleanor explains.

They both agree cultural diversity and friendship intermingle and explain themselves around the dining table. “Immigration is not a food issue”, says Larry. “Food is a love issue. Women cook for their families to keep them alive. And what connects both issues, is a sense of tradition. We know a lot of folks of Asian descent that think a tuna sandwich is better than ramen. They are that Americanized. We think differently. I have learned how to cook Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Russian food, and we have friends who have learned how to cook American food –whatever that means”, she adds.

“We celebrate Thanksgiving Day every year and invite our friends over for dinner”, explains Eleanor. “They don’t have family here, most of them are immigrants. They’re older, several of them scholars in their 60s and 70s. And we have a Japanese friend who always brings cranberry sauce and gravy. She’s proud of that, what’s more American than cranberry sauce and gravy?”

For both, cooking is an act of creation, of adapting to ingredients and traditions, but ultimately an act of playfulness. Every single ingredient and ornament in Eleanor and Larry’s small yet functional kitchen, holds a story. They are the reminders of a friendship, a trip, an anecdote. The kitchen is undoubtedly the heart of their home.

Text by Benny Chueca