Land of Oz

Food and Drink

Wow, it's been a spell since I last posted here. This'll be a short post, just to get back into things again. I'll relay some interesting sayings I've heard over the years about eating and drinking.

• Spying an unclaimed, yet mostly full bottle of beer on a table and grabbing it: "Don't you know there are people in Africa going sober?" (rich and very smart friend)



• Upon hearing a request for a veggie pizza: "Veggies ain't food - veggies are fed to food." (manager where I work)



• "I don't have a drinking problem - I drink, I get drunk - no problem." (too many to count)



• Watching mom fry dinner: "Anything tastes good fried in enough butter - even shit would taste good in enough butter." (my dad)



• A 17 year old with a beer in his hand: "If you're old enough to get killed in 'Nam, you're old enough to drink." (heard before lowering of drinking age to 18)



• The boss and I in our Osan Korea office: "Oh my god, what is that smell!" (when the Korean cleaning ladies opened thier lunch)



• When faced with some really ugly food: "How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tried it?" (too many mothers to count)

Labels: food

Home Store

OK, I spend a lot of time complaining about stores here, so I thought I'd say something nice for a change. We moved almost out in the country this year. The ironic thing is that after a move from a city to the suburbs we are now within walking distance of some pretty nice places.

Pat's is a combination hardware/grocery/dollar store. The grocery store is Spartan based and the hardware store is Doitbest based. It's about 15 minutes away. The service is very good and the quality of groceries is pretty good as well. Prices range from OK to low to expensive. As a penny-pincher, I've had really good luck with their reduce priced meats.

The hardware store is well supplied although with prices somewhat higher than the big-box stuff. And unfortunately the level of knowledge is about the same as the big-box places. There's one or two older workers who know what is going on, but there's also a couple of younger ones who are totally clueless. Overall, though, it's a nice place to shop and of course, being only 15 minutes walk away, very handy.

There's also a couple of nice places to eat within a couple blocks of Pats for when we get tired of cooking. The Second Street Sports Pub is just what the name sounds like, a small sports related bar. I usually go early on a weekend when it isn't too crowded. They have a very good BLT, that unfortunately was left off the new menu, but can still be ordered.

Another place is Antonio's, an Italian eatery. It's basic mid-west cooking, no fancy Italian stuff, but they offer pizza, spaghetti, lasagna along with burgers and a pretty good breakfast. Nothing fancy, but nice prices and good helpings. Just up the road is the Log Cabin, which to be honest, I have been afraid to go into. Most of the time there's a load of bikers parked outside, so I've just decided to leave it alone. A few blocks further, almost out of walking distance is the Riverside Restaurant. It caters to the older crowd, but is always busy and has good prices and average American food. We don't go here too often, but the pies are pretty good and I've heard the bread pudding is great.

Most everyone around here is nice and friendly and I really like that. A little bit of Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days come to life.

Labels: food, michigan, rave

Big Numbers!

Newsweek: It's difficult to quantify the costs [$.7 - $1 trillion] of these activities [government bail out] for a few reasons. Even though the government has now formally agreed to guarantee the debt of Fannie and Freddie, the White House says it doesn't see the necessity—shock me!—to include the cost of doing so in the budget.

Here's a number for you; 9,727,009,619,894.34. Don't worry. If you click the link the number will change - probably higher. You know what that number is? It's the total public debt of the USofA. Take that and divide it by 305,000,000 (roughly the USofA population) and you get roughly 31,891. Since the USofA is supposedly a government of the people, by the people, etc. etc. that means that each of us has a standing debt of $31,891 (and I'm guessing it's gone up since I started typing this). That's on top of what you owe on your house, your car, your kid's college and that 46" plasma TV you use to watch Biggest Losers.

One of my few splurges is maple syrup; not the colored sugar water stuff, but the real deal made from trees. This weekend I checked out a bottle of maple syrup at Pat's, the local grocery store. The price for I think 12 ounces was $8.50 or so. Last year I paid $3.75 for the same stuff. I'm really glad the Republicans think our economy is doing so well.

Labels: food, government

Microwaves at Work

You would think that by the time a person becomes a worker in an office, they'd have some experience with microwave ovens. Why do people mess up microwave ovens so much? Today, I brought some leftovers for lunch and went to warm them up in the microwave. Sounds simple, except for the people around the office.

How many times have you gone to use the office microwave and find something cooking in it and no one is around? The bell dings. Do you take it out and start cooking yours or do you wait for someone to show up? The idiot I was waiting on was no where to be found, and his hot pocket had leaked cheese all over the turntable. The janitor keeps paper towels on top of the microwave to stop this kind of stuff. He knows it's too hard for someone to reach more than 12 inches to grab a paper towel. He also keeps a plastic cover to prevent spattering the oven. This guy didn't, so hot, melted cheese was all over the oven. At least it hadn't splattered all over the inside of the oven. At that point I wandered off to find another microwave in the building.

When I came back after eating to clean my container, there was another guy using the microwave who had taken out the item that had been in there. Naturally whoever put it in there wasn't around when it finished. She came in as he was heating his, and rather pointedly asked him if her's had finished before he'd taken it out. If she wouldv'e have waited the entire three long minutes it took to heat her food up, she wouldn't have had to ask.

These are some serious microwave ovens too. You don't have to wait long before they heat up (and spill) whatever you stick in them. I think if you're not around when the bell dings, the next person waiting should take yours out, start heating theirs, and you have to wait until they finish (unless they leave too).

Labels: food, gripes

Papa Vinos

I have mentioned this restaurant several times before, but it bears mentioning again. Papa Vinos, in Mishawaka (the only one I've eaten in), is a great place to eat. We've been there several times now, usually as a family dinner around Christmas, and without fail the food and more importantly, the service has been great. In our case, we usually need a last minute reservation with wheelchair access, all on a weekend. And without fail, this place has managed to take care of our needs. Even better, the food, Italian style, has been very, very good. My wife usually orders a dish with mussels in it and I'll order some sort of pasta dish and they have yet to mess it up.

They start out with hot bread with an olive oil/baked garlic dip. We added MUSSELS IN SAFFRON for an appetizer and a house salad to be shared. This time my order was SHRIMP RAVIOLI, tasty and hot and the portion size was just right. Not so big as you'd feel stuffed, yet not so small as you'd feel cheated. My wife had LINGUINI PESCATORE, a shrimp and mussel dish that she enjoyed just as well. Other people in our party had different pasta dishes and no one had a bad one. We had a range of desserts including lemon tango cake, apple crumble sundae and tiramisu none of which had any leftovers. Even my beer was crisp, cold and tasty.

If you are ever in the Mishawaka/South Bend area and get a hankering for some Italian food, you ought to try and get into Papa Vinos. You're probably going to have to wait for a table, but you'll find the wait worthwhile.

Labels: food, rave

Misleading Ads

Why do companies seem to appear that they try to mislead customers? They send you offers via email or newspapers and then when you want to use them, the store says, oops, that isn't any good for that. A good example happened today at lunch. I drove to the local Woodcraft store in Saginaw to buy an air filtration device. Last night I had gotten a %20 off coupon via email. Like all coupons designed to mislead, it has a pretty extensive caveat printed on it. This one excludes, "Power tools , Sawstop, Leigh Jig, Steel City, FESTOOL and gift certificates, etc...."

I come to find out that Woodcraft considers anything with a cord a power tool. Maybe it's just me, but I would never have guessed that an air filter is a power tool. Routers, lathes, band saws and circular saws, I can understand, but not an air filter. I guess they also consider lights and heaters to be power tools. (I just did a search on their web site for "POWER TOOLS." It seems they also consider things like lathe stands, vacuum tube connectors, PROXXON Micromot Collets And Three-Jawed Chuck, Woodcraft Biscuit Joining Set, FLEXEEL 25' Polyurethane Hose and more to be power tools.)

By the same token, after my disappointing stop at Woodcraft, I stopped to pick up a couple Whopper Juniors at Burger King. I was at the payment window in the drive-through and noticed two different signs posted. Several say that Burger King wants to sell you a gift card. Right next to these were more posters saying they aren't honoring any gift cards. In other words, buy it here, but don't use it here.

And what really ticks me off about all this is that the employee is the one who ends up taking the grief from the pissed off customer when in actuality it's the damn company who is making their life miserable.

Labels: food, gripes

DUI

Another actor bites the bullet with a DUI and this time faces some serious jail time. Kiefer Sutherland's 24 hours has been extended into 48 days and Daniel Baldwin has a warrant put out on him. And actors from Lost seem to make DUIs part of the script. What bugs me is that people seem to get extra pissed when this happens.

Actors are people too. Driving while impaired is a lot more common than the police blotter would lead you to believe. Looking back on my childhood so many years ago, I hesitate to count the number of times I might have allegedly been driving under conditions that may or may have not been considered under the influence. Not that I would ever do something like that. (Is that phrase legally wishy-washy enough to get by?)

The biggest problem is that Joe Smith gets busted and it's filed on page 6 under Metro News while when Mel Gibson gets busted it's front page news on every manner of media known to man. Just think about how many times you've left a restaurant after a couple glasses wine and after dinner drink? Can you honestly say you weren't over the limit? You probably made it home this time, but sooner or later you're going to pay for the alcohol high. If we're lucky, you'll just wrap your car and yourself around a tree. If we're unlucky, you'll take some of us with you.

Labels: driving, food, gripes

Bad Joke

For a lack of anything better, I thought I'd copy this joke I read in Night Fall a book by Nelson Demille:

So, Jeffrey Dahmer asks his mother over for lunch, and she's eating and says, "Jeffrey, I don't like your friends." an he says, "Well, then, just eat the vegetables."

Hey, I didn't write it, I just copied it...


Night Fall

Labels: crime, food

Thanksgiving

Because of some unfortunate circumstances we had to spend Thanksgiving on the road in South Bend. One problem with Thanksgiving day is that almost everything is closed. Resteraunts, stores, and others are all closed. We had a tough time finding someplace that was open to eat. Our hotel said nothing was open, but I knew that wasn't true. I called a couple of other hotels and finally found one who told us that Notre Dame had a big buffet and that anyone could eat there. It was a bit expensive, $15 per adult, but they had a massive spread of food. Fresh roasted turkey, ham, and trout, along with mashed potatoes, pies, ice cream, veggies, bread and other stuff. And it was all you could eat. You could tell a lot of international students were stuck there for the holiday since about 75% of the people there were Asian. All in all, it was pretty good.

Then we had to pick up my brother flying in from New York around 7p.m. And since he was hungry we had to find a place. I did find out earlier in the day, but too late to take advantage of it, that a Country Buffet was open. We got there around 8 p.m. but I think they closed around 7 or 7:30. The doors were locked and the cash register closed, but the manager still let us in and treated us to a dinner on the house!! She was so nice about it, and after all day of crowds, you know she had to be tired. What a cool person. The food was still very good, even at that late hour. We pigged out and really enjoyed her hospitality. Kudus to Country Buffet in South Bend - and thanks a lot.

Labels: food

Pickle Assault Probation

I'm sure some of you who have read this story will feel that the punishment is out of order for the crime. After, who could be hurt with a pickle - right? Like the guy getting life for stealing a pizza and another guy getting jail time for a donut assault, the important point here isn't the item. It doesn't matter if it's a pizza, a donut or even a pickle. To me the two important items here are the fact that it was an assault - no matter its severity, but more important, it was also a break in. Now I don't really care what a criminal does after the break in, the fact is they entered someones home without their permission. It's not important how trivial the event that happens later - later the criminal is only compounding the crime. Granted if it's an life-threatening assault, murder or rape, the idiot should be put away forever (or executed) as soon as possible. But even if it's a trivial event like throwing a pickle, it's still crimes against an individual. Not only the assault but the break in as well. Quit feeling sorry for people who are out to get you or someone else. Our society has no need for people who can't function without breaking laws - whether it's breaking in and throwing a pickle or walking out with an unpaid donut.

(AP - October 30, 2007)NILES, Mich. -- Calling it silly yet serious, a judge sentenced a 35-year-old man to time served in jail and probation in a case that police say involved an assault with — and over — pickles.
Bobby Lee Bolen, who lives in the southwestern Michigan community of Buchanan, was sentenced Monday to 54 days in jail with credit for 54 days served and one year of probation as well as restitution for third-offense home invasion.
According to police reports, Bolen broke into (my emphasis) Jody Lee’s home in Buchanan Aug. 20, got into an argument and threw two large pickles at friends Lee and J.W. Romanski III.

Labels: crime, food

Gotta Eat Here

Here's my kind of restaurant - Thai Cottage restaurant. I like spicy food and rarely find a restaurant, especially in mild-mid-america, that cooks the sort of food I like.

I find that most ethnic restaurants around here - and they are few and far between - are hesitant to really spice up a pot. Occasionally the local Indian restaurant, Kabob and Curry in Saginaw, Michigan (go there - please, they need the business and they have very good food) is about the only one to push my limits. There's another mixed-asian store in Midland, but they are almost 25 miles away.

Labels: food

Peanuts

I was walking past a desk that had a bag of pistachios on it and it reminded me of one of the offices I worked in while in the USAF. While life for me was normally a square peg in a round hole, with one group in particular I just didn't come anywhere close to fitting. I actually loved the work, but just couldn't fit in with the folks there. Anyway...

I was trying to get out of the group and ended up working in the scheduling office with a MSgt who was real close to retirement - basically putting in his time. He fit the group about as well as I did so both of us took great pleasure in tweaking the noses of the "establishment."

One of those tweaks took place every Friday afternoon. One of our duties was to strip and wax the floor every Friday afternoon before quiting for the day. I was low man on the totem pole so usually did that. I must admit, however, that the "old" sergeant would always pitch in and help. He started bringing in a big bag of peanuts in the shell and after lunch on Fridays we'd open them up, eat peanuts and dump the shells on the floor. I'd also like to add that we were somewhat off the beaten path in the offices so we didn't get a lot of foot traffic. It sure pissed the officers off though - especially one in particular. The one who'd hold prayer meetings every lunch.

The same officer was in charge of harrassing the troops during the annual Consolidated Fund Campaign (CFC). I didn't really have any problems with the idea of a charity fund raising, but I had a real problem with the fact that it was pushed so hard - no actual threats mind you, but they were there. A unit would be rated as to its percent of participation. One of the things that was commonly done was to use funds from people who donated over the minumum to cover those who didn't donate at all. When the Captain (If I remember his rank correctly) asked me if I minded that, I said I did, which really ticked him off, and he barely listened to my whys (basically I don't like to be pushed or threatened into charity projects). He finally gave up after several minutes of veiled threats and illogical logic. What made my day, was when he asked the MSgt to donate and he said no. When asked why, the MSgt told the Captain, "he (referring to me) said it all."

That Captain and the rest of the unit would often try and get me to "volunteer" for some real crappy temporary duties after that. It actually got to the point where I would carry a copy of the regulation spelling out why I was expempt from being sent involuntarily. Thankfully I found a way out of that organization not very long afterwards. I still get a kick out of an office floor full of peanut shells though.

Labels: food, military

Where to Eat?

Did you ever have one of those nights where you can't figure out where you want to eat? Tonight I had planned to stop at the Jade Garden which is probably my favorite Chinese restaurant in town for some Chicken Curry with Rice Noodles. Naturally it was closed. Once your main plan is closed, it sometimes gets hard. OK, then Macdonalds I figured. I got near it and decided I wasn't quite ready for the grease.

I went further on and decided to turn right on Davenport and head to Tim Hortons or maybe Wendy's. I only got two blocks and then went back on Bay to go another Chinese place downtown for takeout. But then I wasn't ready for the portion size and didn't feel like eating at home, so I decided to see if the Firehouse Nine felt OK. It didn't and I went past it and then headed back up Court to return to Tim Hortons. On the way I thought I might head for the Old Towne Drive In instead, but again the grease made me forget that. I also was thinking about frying up some egg noodles and breadcrumbs, like I had originally thought before I left work, but that didn't seem right either.

I finally made a U-turn on Court and returned to Papa Johns pizza where I ordered a small veggie pizza. I brought that back home and ate while I finished my Animated Batman DVD and had some watermelon for dessert. I'm wishing now I had stopped someplace else to eat, but I'm not sure where.

Labels: food

Chinese Steamed Buns

You may remember awhile back about a big news story about steamed buns in China being made from cardboard. Fox News among many others ran it. I guess a week or so later, there were more stories, this time about the Chinese reporter who ran the story accused and arrested over the fact that the whole cardboard food story was all a fake. Even Wikipedia has an entry about the fake story.

What I find interesting is that a lot of Chinese don't believe the reporter was arrested for faking the story, but in actuality was arrested because the story was true and the Chinese government was less than thrilled with the publicity as they ramp up for the 2008 Olympics - the Chinese government being the kind and considerate folks that they are. Some of my Chinese friends actually thought I was pretty guillable for buying the idea that the Chinese government arrested the reporter for telling lies rather than arresting him for telling the truth the government really wouldn't like to hear right now.

Labels: food, government

White Castle

For those of you who aren't familiar with White Castle, they're a hamburger chain that started in the twenties if I remember and basically started all the stuff that Macdonalds does now. The had their own butchers, their own paper company and even had their own building company that would erect new White Castle buildings - that surprisingly enough look like white castles. This was an urban business and many of the restaurants today are in the not so good parts of town that were once the better parts of town. They had, and still have, wannabe competitors like White Tower and other similar sounding names in similar looking buildings. And like Macdonalds, they often took them to court to protect the name.

The burgers, also called sliders (based on the grease content) are tiny little things with holes in them that are steam fried in dehydrated onions. The reason for the holes by the way isn't to save meat, but so the grillers don't have to flip them. They're tiny enough so that buying and eating a dozen isn't much of a feat. When I was a kid I can remember buying the burgers by the 40s and 50s when we visited my grandparents in Chicago. Each teeny burger comes in a cardboard box that probably costs about the same as the meat in the burger. I have tried making them myself with limited success, but you can't really match the restaurants. See my recipes section for directions.

Anyway, we drove to an Ikea this weekend for my wife and there's a White Castle across the street from Ikea. The trip is good for both of us, as she gets to go shopping at Ikea and I get to pig out at White Castle. What really prompted this post was a sign advertising the latest White Castle sandwich - a bologna, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. I'd always thought that sliders were about as greasy as you could get and they come out with something like this. No, I didn't have a chance to try one - it being too late, and I'm not sure I would if I could. This sounds like something that would make one of the Burger King meat monstrosities almost healthy. Bon Appetite.

Labels: food

Samosa Speakeasy

I was visiting Toronto this past weekend and ran into a rather odd place to buy food. In a office park area there was what looked similar to a strip mall for offices. It looked that about three-quarter of the places were abandoned and those that were left were on hard times.

Some of the folks who work at a nearby office told me about this place to get good cheap samosas. For those who don't know, samosas are a type of Indian dumpling stuffed with meat or potatoes and peas and little spicy. They are usually deep-fried and served as an appetizer. You go up to the door. The place had a small sign, but nothing you'd ordinarily notice. I guess they often go there to order up a few bucks worth of samosas and naan for office lunches.

Anyway, you walk through a glass outside door and inside there's another wooden door with a small sign that says ring the outside doorbell. There are a couple of handwritten signs on the wall that say Vegi Samosas 4/$1 and mutton samosas 3/$1. There is also a bread ad but it doesn't mention price. So I stepped out, rang the bell and waited. Pretty soon some Indian guy dressed in whites with a hairnet answered the door. I told him 4 veggies and 3 meat and handed him $2. He closed the door and in a few more minutes handed out two paper bags full of samosas. While some people have said this is the equivalent of crack house for food, I couldn't help but think of Al Capone and the speakeasies of days gone by.

Unfortunately the samosas I got this time were a bit cold, but still tasty, especially when I got them home and warmed them up. I guess most of the time they are served hot and fresh.

Labels: food