The Catskill Chronicle

By Jude Waterston

As a child, there seemed to be a near constant string of transgressions for which I was sent up to my room to “think about what I had done” and to be, well, barred from the fun in life that everyone who hadn’t been punished was busy experiencing.

I don’t recall my brother, Buzz, or sister, Janet, being punished. I alone appeared to have the corner on that market. My parents’ complaints were varied and vast. I’d repeatedly ignored a request, disobeyed a rule, done something or other I knew I wasn’t allowed to do, or was simply being incorrigible.

One unusually warm early autumn evening, at dusk, I was playing in front of our house with some kids on the block. I was supposed to be gathering into small bundles the leaves my brother had earlier raked, so they could be burned in the large metal garbage can on the back porch, but the laughter and squeals from my friends, wildly running up and down the street, had pulled me from my appointed chore.

After awhile, Janet came out the front door and walked over to where I was frozen to the spot, deep in a game of Red Light, Green Light, One, Two, Three. “Mommy says get back to the leaves. We’re eating in 15 minutes.” She walked back to the house and slipped inside. I couldn’t leave just then, it was clear. I was tied for first place with my nemesis and sometime kissing partner, Jimmy Koretsky.

A few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the front door swing open again. This time it was my mother who walked across the lawn, her face set in a tight expression I had come to know well. She came right up to me, bent her head, and in a very quiet voice through clenched teeth said, “Get inside and go right up to your room.” The group dispersed immediately, recognizing danger. Most kids on the block had screamers for mothers; they knew that hushed tones were way more potent.

Inside, I walked past the den where Janet was reading. From the kitchen, delicious odors wafted into the hallway. I climbed the stairs to the living room and then up another flight to where the bedrooms were. Buzz’s door was open. “I’m punished,” I announced as I passed. “What else is new?” he called after me. “Ha, ha, very funny,” I said, wanting badly to tell him to shut up, but we weren’t allowed to say that in my family.

I thought of crying a bit, but I couldn’t work myself up. Instead I took off my clothes, as the room was  sweltering, and sat on my bed naked. I took some dolls from a shoebox in which they were kept and played with them, changing their outfits and supplying witty dialogue. Then I flipped through the pages of a book my mother and I had been reading together. I missed her, suddenly, and having forgotten that I’d been punished, I opened the bedroom door I’d slammed shut not too long ago and danced my way down the stairs and stopped at the door to the dining room, peering in intently.

There my family sat peacefully eating my mother’s stupendous beef with broccoli, tender strips of flank steak sautéed and splashed with sherry and soy sauce, on Uncle Ben’s converted white rice. It seemed that they felt my presence simultaneously, as they all looked up from their food at once, and there I was poised in the doorway, smiling, happy to be among them, buck-naked. My father tried the hardest to retain a stern countenance, but the others fell apart, my brother almost falling from his chair. “Alright, Juju,” my mother said, caving, “go put on your pajamas and come down to eat.”

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed

4 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

2 ½ tablespoons Chinese rice wine, sake or sherry

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

½ cup chicken stock, store-bought low-sodium broth, or water

1 teaspoon sugar

4 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 ½ tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 small red onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise

1 small head broccoli, broken into small florets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in broccoli florets and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Do not overcook, as they will be stir-fried briefly later. Drain and run under cold water. Dry well and set aside. Cut beef lengthwise into 2- to 3-inch wide strips, and then cut strips across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Toss beef with 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons rice wine, sesame oil, and 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch in a bowl. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. To make sauce, stir remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch into stock in a small bowl until dissolved. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon rice wine, and sugar. Heat a wok or deep 12-inch skillet over high heat until hot. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add beef (discard marinade) and stir-fry until it is no longer pink and slices separate, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large sieve set over a bowl and drain (discard liquid). Wipe out wok with paper towels. Heat wok over high heat until hot, then add remaining 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add onions and cooked broccoli and stir-fry until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir sauce, then add to vegetables and stir-fry until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add beef and stir-fry until heated through. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and cilantro. Serve immediately.