As much as one might be tempted to ask where all the work has gone, we know the question would be merely rhetorical.

As someone who has mostly worked in the “soft” fields – general business, marketing, tourism, academia and such – mine have gone the way of the global economy in general. I suppose those who smugly sneer that their business has been just fine are those who are smugly working in legal, IT and financial. The ever durable Unholy Trinity that would prosper even in the worst of times.

In my case, I am rather certain that some of the jobs I had been doing are now being done by members of a small agency that used to keep me busy. Translating into English, not their native language. Bad form, of course, and clearly bad results, but everyone has to put food on the table.

Beyond that, there has been a marked uptick in agencies from China, Russia and such swooping in with obviously European end clients offering jobs at, oh, one or two cents a word. And I’m quite sure they are happily awarding said jobs to non-native English speakers or non-translators.

Whatever. Having come up with no other alternative, I’ve decided to simply join them. To embrace the New Depression and behave like a simple outlier, slashing prices and bending over until all those other low-balling “translators” start screaming at me for “demeaning the profession.”

In the meantime, I think I might entertain myself by posting some of my favorite Depression recipes. Changing my POV, fully embracing my inner peasant. Irish stew would be an appropriate start.

Here is a most traditional variation, made with mutton [CHEAP!] instead of lamb. Feel free to play with the ingredients, tarting it up with marjoram or thyme, parsnips and parsley.

Irish Stew

2 ½ lbs. boned mutton
4 large potatoes
2 large onions
3 or 4 medium carrots
2 cups watersalt and pepper

Cut the meat into fair size chunks. Peel the vegetables and slice thickly. Use a pot with a well-fitting lid and put in the ingredients in layers, starting and finishing with potatoes. Pour in the water and season to taste. Cover and put on a very low heat for about 2 ½ hours until the meat is tender and the potatoes have thickened the liquid. If you’re feeling flush and can afford lamb, cut the cooking time back to 1 ½ hours.