Kalistan

[Doc]

At Home with the Empress
La Moda's Exclusive Interview with "The Red Empress"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 1, 5705


We sit down with the Empress at Cliff House, with Wilson Bridge visible in the distance

September 21 marks the 10 Year anniversary of Her Imperial Majesty's Coronation, where she formally took up the responsibilities of the Kalistani State. Many will recall that she was never intended to become Empress, but the loss of her parents and brothers, including the Minor Crown Prince William Ananto-Connor in a tragic plane crash over the Mad Dog Ocean twenty years ago sealed the young princess' fate. A very shy and introverted girl, the tragedy hit her at an impressionable age, and she responded by burying herself in her studies as her Aunt became Regent to attempt to begin training her for rule. Her Imperial Majesty will herself agree that the training didn't completely take in a number of ways, and along with a number of key external influences, she has emerged as a reformer, to a degree--By Ananto standards, she is downright revolutionary.

She granted La Moda an interview, and expressed a desire to talk about things other than politics, but we couldn't avoid veering in that direction occasionally. This interview was conducted by Maria Cook (myself) of La Moda at Cliff House in Kaliburg.

(La Moda's) M(aria) C(ook): Before I begin, I need to note for the readers that, for the purpose of this interview Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto has suspended the rules of protocol regarding addressing her directly.

(Her Imperial Majesty, Empress) C(arolina II) A(nanto): We concur, and for the sake of our Chancellor's and our Aunt's respective hearts, we have also served tea and cake for this informal audience.

MC: Indeed, it was quite delicious carrot cake. Was it Her Imperial Majesty's recipe?

CA: Yes, and our own baking as well.

MC: Where did Her Imperial Majesty learn to bake?

CA: Well, when we were young, we tended to be kind of left up to our own devices. We did not like the food our parents' cook staff prepared, because it was far too fancy for a little kid, so we learned at a young age how to make simple things like macaroni and cheese, which, of course, we acquired a taste for and ate it far more regularly than was healthy for us. When we went to live with our aunt, she also could not cook very well, so we had to learn how to prepare food to our taste, and this led to a wonderful hobby of turning our kitchen into a culinary laboratory and learning by doing. We probably eat better than any previous monarch.

MC: Does Her Imperial Majesty cook any of her own meals?

CA: When we are in residence here or in Athosia, we cook them all. In Eveari we retain the kitchen staff, so they prepare food for us, but usually during those stays we are entertaining, and fancier fare for more people is required. Having a cook staff in those times is essential, as we can cook for a couple friends and our family, but we cannot cook for like 40 people.

MC: Does the Prince Consort help with the Cooking?

CA: Naturally. We are a very equal household.

MC: How is he as a cook?

CA: Ah, well, he tries. In his defense, those who do know how to cook tend to prefer their own cooking to everyone else's. Same with driving, we suppose. We make sure he knows that his effort is appreciated at any rate.

MC: So few people know about the inner workings here at Cliff House. I guess we all just assumed you had a full house staff.

CA: Well, we do have a cleaning and grounds staff, but we are sure we know how to dress ourselves in the morning, and do other things that many monarchs have people for which we do not need ourselves. The Prince Consort and I value our privacy, and don't think it would serve that goal to have permanent staff here constantly fussing over either of us.

MC: Speaking of getting dressed, Her Imperial Majesty is something of a fashion icon in Kalistan. Her outfits are always seen as very conservative and simple, but in their simplicity, they are very elegant. Could Her Imperial Majesty share some of her ideas on fashion?

CA: Well, we shall pass your compliments on to our tailor and seamstress. But it also helps to have one of the most famous supermodels as your best friend--Dame Bjorksdattir constantly offers us fashion advice to help us always look our best.

MC: Does Dame Bjorksdattir share Her Imperial Majesty's philosophy about fashion?

CA; Well, in as much as you can call aesthetic imperative a "philosophy", we would have to say No. She only models couture once a year. Usually, you will see her, when she is not on a runway somewhere, in jeans and a t-shirt and in glasses so people think she's just another person walking around. She can still be a little anonymous, probably because people only expect to see her dressed up. She likes comfort, while we cannot simply go to make a speech in, well, what we are wearing right now. Around the house, especially in the summer, we wear almost exclusively linen. Alice likes cotton and denim.

MC: To what degree does Her Imperial Majesty's faith play in her daily fashion sense, including her outwardly appearance?

CA: This is a very good question and if you allow us a second, we will try to answer it. We suppose we could point to the Brethrenist testimonies of Simplicity and Stewardship. We try to wear natural fibers, wool in the winter and linen in the summer. Linens are some of the most environmentally friendly fibers, and wool helps support Kalistani agricultural purchasers. Our clothes are not ostentatious or flashy. We like clothes that fit us well, ones that look very conservative. Very feminine but not sexy. Our goal with clothes is, if we have to wear them, they had better work and make us look good. That's all. We believe that this simplicity, functionality being first can be drawn directly from those testimonies.

MC: I can see what Her Imperial Majesty is saying, but there is no case where she looks ordinary or simplistic in any instance. Even now, the clothing Her Imperial Majesty is wearing look luxurious and of very high quality.

CA: (laughing) Well, we didn't mean to suggest that they were cheap! Our clothing budget it probably the highest personal expense we have since we don't spend a lot on jewelry or real estate or like yachts. Dame Bjorksdattir would be appalled if we ever bought anything retail for example--We'd never hear the end of it! (she laughed again.) She would say "Look, I'm the commoner here. You have more money than several mid-sized countries combined!" She's very funny. She gets to dress like a rock and roll chick, but we must wear an ₭8,000 Imperial couture dress if we want to go out to the movie.

MC: Does Her Imperial Majesty's faith influence her social attitudes toward the people of the nation?

CA: Sure. We have studied enough political theory to know that the biggest danger to the lifespan of any political regime is gross economic inequality. Inequality is the nursemaid of revolution, pure and simple. Kalistan was fortunate enough to have a national mindset and ideological orientation that we inherited from socialists over several thousand years that treats economic inequality as a moral evil. We have that as the center of our considerations on all domestic policy as well. If we reduce inequality in the population, we solve dozens of social ills that plague more liberal states who tolerate high inequality to allow their capitalists to enrich themselves upon the labor and life blood of their workers.

MC: I guess I know why some people are calling Her Imperial Majesty "The Red Empress."

CA: Who is calling us that?

MC: Well, there is a belief in the society that Her Imperial Majesty is a socialist.

CA: (laughs) Oh, We do not think so!

MC: But Her Imperial Majesty must admit that with her domestic policies in the last ten years, it could certainly seem so to anyone looking at her policies with an objective eye. Even her statement just now uses language that socialists regularly use.

CA: Socialists hate us. They do not like the fact that we will not hear their calls for more democracy. We think they have enough democracy in their work places and in the free cities. We don't need all that in the National Assembly.

MC: Her Imperial Majesty surely is aware that democracy in the workplace is a key component of the socialist program in many nations.

CA: Of course, but they call for that because they don't have it. There is no non-socialist nation in Terra that we are aware of that has declared for Capitalism but also allows their workers to have a meaningful presence in not only management, but the decision making process about what is produced and what it is sold for. That is our norm here in Kalistan, but you can hardly call it socialism.

MC: But it is socialism. The most important industries in this nation, the ones that serve the nation are socially controlled for the benefit of the entire society. Our social safety net, whether it be the guaranteed basic income, or the Food Bank, or the NSP, or free health, free energy, free education, those are all socialism in any nation.

CA: Well, whatever you wish to call it, we would say that it is nationalism. The goal of empowering workers is so they have a stake in our industries. They are far more qualified to run the operations they work in than some business school student schooled in profit maximization. But these industries produce for the benefit of this nation. National Service provides the Nation with a labor pool that other nations would have to contract out for. It is less expensive for us to do these things in the public sector than ask the private sector to do them, so we are saving money and getting better results than the private sector could ever provide, in any of those institutions you named. It serves our national interests if our people are well fed, healthy, skilled and trained, educated, housed and do not ever lack basic material resources to acquire the things they want. Socialist or not, these institutions serve the national interest, and if they did not they would not exist.

MC: Her Imperial Majesty will have to excuse us, but just listening here, we feel the title "The Red Empress" may be far more appropriate than she will acknowledge.

CA: Very well, if it is meant kindly, we welcome it. We do not wish to suggest we do not have a private sympathy for socialism, and we certainly value the contributions that socialists past and present have made to our nation--to run down the socialists is to run down our own nation's history. But we think before we are labeled as a socialist in the press, you may wish to ask the Socialists themselves what they think of the proposition that we may be socialistic. We suspect they will take issue with that thesis. (Just then, the toddler, Minor Prince William-Malcolm Isaac Ananto-Rosenfeld, who is with his father, escapes and runs over to his mother.) Ahh hello Willy. Can you say hello to Mama's new friend Ms. Cook? (The Minor Prince gives his mother a big hug and looks at me and then buries his face in his mother's long hair to hide from the scary stranger in his living room.)

MC: Hello Your Highness. Would you like to say anything to the People? (He looks at me again and then hides again.)

CA: Oh, he is very shy. If you see him again in ten minutes he will be showing you how he can climb up the couch and count to three.

(His Highness the Prince Consort Elliot Rosenfeld comes over at this point): Where is that boy? Where is little Willy? (The Minor Prince continues hiding.)

CA: (Still holding the toddler) I have not seen him. I don't know where he is! (The boy extricates himself from the Empress' Hair and looks at her square in the face.) I'm right here mama! (The Empress smiles) Ahhh, I thought you disappeared! Where did you come from? (The boy smiled as his father swooped him up while the boy tried to cling to his mom, clearly not over his little game.)

(His Highness, the Prince Consort) E(lliot) R(osenfeld): Forgive us, Ms. Cook. We were just on our way downstairs. I apologize for interrupting you, and so does Willy. (to which the Minor Prince shook his head and with a big smile said "No no no. Want Mama.")

CA: I will be down shortly, alright, Honey? (at this the Prince Consort stepped out carrying the future Emperor over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes as the boy squirmed to try to escape, oblivious to his own peril.) Oh L, please don't carry him like that. That's dangerous! (At this, the boy began laughing, as Elliot left the room as the Empress turned back to me and sighed.) Those two are so rough... We apologize for the interruption.

MC: It is alright. I was just about to ask Her Imperial Majesty how she is feeling with the new baby on the way.

CA: Well, not nearly as scared as we were with that one...

MC: Because you are more experienced with having children?

CA: Well, that of course and because we had a little scare at the beginning of the pregnancy with William that turned out to be nothing. There were some abnormal tests at the beginning, and the doctors said he was not hitting his growth targets on time based on where they thought we were in the pregnancy. But it turns out, they were off by about three weeks with their initial dates, and both Elliot of I kept trying to tell the doctors no it happened on this date, and so when Willy hit a specific milestone, the doctors were like 'Oh I guess you're right," and we were both like Of course, we know these kinds of things. So after we got that sorted, we made the announcement. With this one there have been no problems like that so far, knock on wood.

MC: Does Her Imperial Majesty hope she will have a girl?

CA: It really doesn't matter to be completely honest. Babies are babies until they become teenagers. So boy or girl makes no difference for about 13 years. Our goal is just to see that the baby grows up safe and healthy and the rest if gravy.

MC: Indeed.

CA: Do you have children Madame?

MC: Me? Yes I have two of them. They are nothing like one another. Once is artisticly inclined, while the other one just watches M7 all day.

CA: We believe that is the thing that is most amazing: two kids can grow up together and be radically different. Children are quite amazing.

MC: Is it true that Her Imperial Majesty's due date is on January 1?

CA: That would be neat if it was. But no, we think they said January 4 was the date they are expecting it. Willy was a day late, so who knows. For all the babies born under modern medicine, its really still just a lot of guess work.

MC: Well, I think we have gone over time. And I'm on a deadline. So I have to end the interview.

CA: Well, Ms. Cook. Thank you for coming to visit us here at Cliff House.

MC: It was a singular honor and pleasure. I thank Her Imperial Majesty for inviting me and welcoming me into her home.

CA: The feeling is mutual. We must insist you take some of this carrot cake with you or we will just eat it all ourselves and it is far too early to start eating for two just yet. Willy will not eat it because he thinks carrots are vegetables.

MC: They aren't?

CA: No they are roots. We would say they are the opposite of vegetables. As they are not vegetative, but instead, quite active in the function of the plant. The carrot greens are the vegetable parts of the plant.

MC: I suppose this nuance is lost on a one year old.

CA: Yes, regrettably, and on a 33 year old man who ought to know better. But alas. We will give you a container to carry it home with you.

MC: Her Imperial Majesty is too kind.

CA: It is nothing. You will be doing us a favor.

MC: As Her Imperial Majesty pleases.

The Empress eventually gave the reporter half of the cake. While it tasted delicious, it was far better split with friends later that evening.

@LaModa