The ACLU and other liberal parties are clawing their faces and screaming "Profiling!"
Um, what is a "registered sex offender" if not someone who has been profiled?
Why CAN'T illegal aliens be identified as such? Why do so many eyes seem not register the "illegal" part?
In other news, my dear sister has informed me that I ran the wrong brisket recipe. She said if I behaved, she'd send the right one. Based on the above... don't go out and buy the beef now.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Life's Oddities/Improbabilities
Oddity: Today's news reports that Al and Tipper Gore have added to their real estate portfolio, buying an $8.8 million mansion in Montecito, CA (Oprah will be a neighbor.) The house is said to contain six fireplaces (air quality, anyone?) five bedrooms and NINE bathrooms plus an outdoor pool, spa and fountains. Southern California is nearly always in drought conditions; we are urged daily to conserve water.
But Gore who has yelled about global warming the way Henny Penny screamed that the sky was falling seems only to have done that and NOT joined in the Go Green Movement. Hey! Nobelist wants a nice house? What's wrong with that?
Improbable, But Actually Happened
Around 1985, we visited my cousins in Lafayette, LA. During the course of their showing us around, they stopped at a cemetery to explain how bodies must be buried in high water table areas (a concrete box above ground.) One "box lid" had a nearly life-sized engraving of a rider on a motorcycle, limned in turquoise stone. The resident, a young man, had died in a motorcycle crash.
But lo! Yesterday I heard on the car radio that David Morales Colon, 22, was waked wearing his racing leathers, helmet and dark glasses atop his motorcycle in the viewing room of a funeral home in Puerta Rico. Prior to being shot to death, he had requested this (most) unusual gesture.
He may have been taking a clue from Angel Pantoja Medina, age 24, who was waked standing up, propped in a corner of his mother's living room, on August 19, 2008, in Puerta Rico.
C'mon, mainland America! We're getting out-created!
For ideas, visit the National Museum of Funeral History (nmfh.org) located in Houston. Currently they are featuring fantasy coffins of arist Kane Quaye, of Accra, Ghana, whose works include coffins shaped and painted to resemble: a Mercedes car, a KLM plane, a Yamaha outboard motor. Ghanans consider the deceased still a (living) part of the family and want to reflect that person's status/importance in that family.
But Gore who has yelled about global warming the way Henny Penny screamed that the sky was falling seems only to have done that and NOT joined in the Go Green Movement. Hey! Nobelist wants a nice house? What's wrong with that?
Improbable, But Actually Happened
Around 1985, we visited my cousins in Lafayette, LA. During the course of their showing us around, they stopped at a cemetery to explain how bodies must be buried in high water table areas (a concrete box above ground.) One "box lid" had a nearly life-sized engraving of a rider on a motorcycle, limned in turquoise stone. The resident, a young man, had died in a motorcycle crash.
But lo! Yesterday I heard on the car radio that David Morales Colon, 22, was waked wearing his racing leathers, helmet and dark glasses atop his motorcycle in the viewing room of a funeral home in Puerta Rico. Prior to being shot to death, he had requested this (most) unusual gesture.
He may have been taking a clue from Angel Pantoja Medina, age 24, who was waked standing up, propped in a corner of his mother's living room, on August 19, 2008, in Puerta Rico.
C'mon, mainland America! We're getting out-created!
For ideas, visit the National Museum of Funeral History (nmfh.org) located in Houston. Currently they are featuring fantasy coffins of arist Kane Quaye, of Accra, Ghana, whose works include coffins shaped and painted to resemble: a Mercedes car, a KLM plane, a Yamaha outboard motor. Ghanans consider the deceased still a (living) part of the family and want to reflect that person's status/importance in that family.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Not Where We Thought We Were
My sister and bro-in-law (in from Chicago) decided to follow Richie's suggestion and have lunch at Creme de la Crepe (previously reviewed) in Manhattan Beach. Off we went. We followed Richie down the sidewalk, talking away. When he turned in at a red-painted doorway, we followed. Briefly, the thought flickered through my mind that the other Creme de la Crepes were painted yellow...
We chose a window table, sat down and the waitress brought menus. They all said, "Mr. Cecil's Ribs" in bright, red letters. Our server said, "Oh, the crepe place isn't here any more." We all love bbq, so we shrugged and ordered drinks at Mr. Cecil's Ribs, 1209 Highland Ave., MB, 310-546-5400 mrcecilscaribs.com
Richie had the BBQ pork with baked beans ($9.95) Jane had the BBQ Brisket with cole slaw ($9.95) and I can't remember what Jim had - something healthy; either chicken or salmon. I ordered the hush puppies with butter and honey (8 for $5.95) to share and a Cajun shrimp dish, four huge prawns with a dipping sauce composed of (I'm pretty sure) melted butter, habanero chili powder and SALT. $13.
The hush puppies were crispy brown (and go better with the "hot" bbq sauce on the table than with butter and honey.) Richie's beans were thick, smoky and flavorful. The cole slaw was praised for not being "too mayonnaise-y." My prawns were tough and then chewy; perhaps due to their size. Even though I knew it was loaded with salt, I couldn't resist the prawn sauce...
Jane, however, was less than pleased with hr brisket flavoring. She said, calmly, "My recipe is much better. Leslie (my niece) and her friends love it and ask for it." So here's her recipe, good for pork, chicken and beef:
BITE ME, MR. CECIL!
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T rosemary
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Combine, pour over the meat and marinate for 24 hours. Roast or grill the meat and heat the remaining marinade and serve over the meat.
We chose a window table, sat down and the waitress brought menus. They all said, "Mr. Cecil's Ribs" in bright, red letters. Our server said, "Oh, the crepe place isn't here any more." We all love bbq, so we shrugged and ordered drinks at Mr. Cecil's Ribs, 1209 Highland Ave., MB, 310-546-5400 mrcecilscaribs.com
Richie had the BBQ pork with baked beans ($9.95) Jane had the BBQ Brisket with cole slaw ($9.95) and I can't remember what Jim had - something healthy; either chicken or salmon. I ordered the hush puppies with butter and honey (8 for $5.95) to share and a Cajun shrimp dish, four huge prawns with a dipping sauce composed of (I'm pretty sure) melted butter, habanero chili powder and SALT. $13.
The hush puppies were crispy brown (and go better with the "hot" bbq sauce on the table than with butter and honey.) Richie's beans were thick, smoky and flavorful. The cole slaw was praised for not being "too mayonnaise-y." My prawns were tough and then chewy; perhaps due to their size. Even though I knew it was loaded with salt, I couldn't resist the prawn sauce...
Jane, however, was less than pleased with hr brisket flavoring. She said, calmly, "My recipe is much better. Leslie (my niece) and her friends love it and ask for it." So here's her recipe, good for pork, chicken and beef:
BITE ME, MR. CECIL!
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T rosemary
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Combine, pour over the meat and marinate for 24 hours. Roast or grill the meat and heat the remaining marinade and serve over the meat.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Signs of the Approaching Armageddon
Possible or Probable Scam?
Stephen Baldwin, age 43, on of the infamous Baldwin brothers is being helped by a Web stie called RestoreStephenBaldwin.com. Restore him to what? you wonder. It seems that Mr. Baldwin has discovered Jesus and become a born-again Christian. As such, he has refused to work in movies with sex or violence and is going broke, having "lost 70% of his income" for that reason.
Keeping It In the Family
Michael Jackson's mother Katherine is moving four of the seven children in her house to a condo, saying that at her age, she take care of them all. The children belong to one Alejandra Oaziaz and include her two with Randy Jackson, age 38, and her two with Randy's brother, Jermaine, age 55. She is not married (nor has she been) to either of the brothers.
Armagedden draws nigh...
Stephen Baldwin, age 43, on of the infamous Baldwin brothers is being helped by a Web stie called RestoreStephenBaldwin.com. Restore him to what? you wonder. It seems that Mr. Baldwin has discovered Jesus and become a born-again Christian. As such, he has refused to work in movies with sex or violence and is going broke, having "lost 70% of his income" for that reason.
Keeping It In the Family
Michael Jackson's mother Katherine is moving four of the seven children in her house to a condo, saying that at her age, she take care of them all. The children belong to one Alejandra Oaziaz and include her two with Randy Jackson, age 38, and her two with Randy's brother, Jermaine, age 55. She is not married (nor has she been) to either of the brothers.
Armagedden draws nigh...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Not Exactly Pearl Mesta...
Yesterday afternoon, we celebrated my birthday with a small party at Las Brisas, Redondo.
The restaurant staff took the half-sheet cake and put it in the refrigerator. Guests began arriving in a timely fashion and I enjoyed greeting and seating them. The party began to gain momentum; everyone had a beverage of their choice.
What they didn't have was any appetizers! I forgot to order them when the first guests began showing up. Las Bisas stepped in with alacrity and soon each of the three tables had nachos supreme or ole grande quesadillas.
Menus were given out, dinners were ordered and eaten. Guests continued to visit and enjoy libations. Right after the first wave of them had left, I remembered: The Birthday Cake!
Quickly it was brought out, photographed, admired and some small slices taken. We left with about 2/3ds of it and this was after restaurant staff had had a crack at it.
It was a carrot cake with a pineapple layer and cream cheese frosting. A more apt label would have been: IDIOT!
The restaurant staff took the half-sheet cake and put it in the refrigerator. Guests began arriving in a timely fashion and I enjoyed greeting and seating them. The party began to gain momentum; everyone had a beverage of their choice.
What they didn't have was any appetizers! I forgot to order them when the first guests began showing up. Las Bisas stepped in with alacrity and soon each of the three tables had nachos supreme or ole grande quesadillas.
Menus were given out, dinners were ordered and eaten. Guests continued to visit and enjoy libations. Right after the first wave of them had left, I remembered: The Birthday Cake!
Quickly it was brought out, photographed, admired and some small slices taken. We left with about 2/3ds of it and this was after restaurant staff had had a crack at it.
It was a carrot cake with a pineapple layer and cream cheese frosting. A more apt label would have been: IDIOT!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Food and Photography
This blog was triggered by a full page article in the Food section, LA Times, on the Getty Museum's new exhibit of same. "Tasteful Pictures" covers the last 150 years in food photography.
"None of these pictures were made by a digital camera," crows Virginia Heckert, curator of the exhibit. The earliest photo was shot by Roger Fenton in 1860.
I thought about today and the way so many find it necessary to whip out a cell phone or digital camera and record what was put in front of us. (Yes, I'm guilty because I ask Richie to do it.) And then I wondered what restaurants/chefs thought about it. Are there rules?
What I discovered is a virtual mania for food photos! Shooters put them on MySpace, YouTube and God only knows what all else. So much so that some chefs and front-of-the-house staff will tell you not to do it as the flash annoys other guests; there is an expectation of privacy (of sorts) in a restaurant and that they (resto staff) don't want you taking pictures of other guests.
Here are the rules that I learned:
1. Don't make a big deal of taking the photo. Don't kneel on the banquette, stand on a chair or move everything around on the table (which delays service and, more importantly, your food gets cold.)
2. No flash! It irritates others and, if you're really banging away, I'd remind that a flash every seven seconds can cause seizures in people prone to having them. Use the "candlelight" setting on your digital camera. I doubt that cell phone cameras have that setting (mine at least is Bang Flash Picture Taken) so perhaps if you feel you absolutely must have this picture, very carefully study the subject and then take one (and only one) shot of it with the flash.
3. If you're told "No!" tell them you're writing a blog on the place (and love it) or want to recommend it to friends and ask if you might come back at a less busy time and shoot them.
Sidebar: A University of Wisconsin program studied 43 people who were told to take a picture of everything they ate -- and those people lost weight! Something about having to think about what you were about to put in your stomach. Photos of your food also lets physicians know portion sizes which can often be the problem.
This public service announcement was brought to you by Furious Chefs, Inc.
"None of these pictures were made by a digital camera," crows Virginia Heckert, curator of the exhibit. The earliest photo was shot by Roger Fenton in 1860.
I thought about today and the way so many find it necessary to whip out a cell phone or digital camera and record what was put in front of us. (Yes, I'm guilty because I ask Richie to do it.) And then I wondered what restaurants/chefs thought about it. Are there rules?
What I discovered is a virtual mania for food photos! Shooters put them on MySpace, YouTube and God only knows what all else. So much so that some chefs and front-of-the-house staff will tell you not to do it as the flash annoys other guests; there is an expectation of privacy (of sorts) in a restaurant and that they (resto staff) don't want you taking pictures of other guests.
Here are the rules that I learned:
1. Don't make a big deal of taking the photo. Don't kneel on the banquette, stand on a chair or move everything around on the table (which delays service and, more importantly, your food gets cold.)
2. No flash! It irritates others and, if you're really banging away, I'd remind that a flash every seven seconds can cause seizures in people prone to having them. Use the "candlelight" setting on your digital camera. I doubt that cell phone cameras have that setting (mine at least is Bang Flash Picture Taken) so perhaps if you feel you absolutely must have this picture, very carefully study the subject and then take one (and only one) shot of it with the flash.
3. If you're told "No!" tell them you're writing a blog on the place (and love it) or want to recommend it to friends and ask if you might come back at a less busy time and shoot them.
Sidebar: A University of Wisconsin program studied 43 people who were told to take a picture of everything they ate -- and those people lost weight! Something about having to think about what you were about to put in your stomach. Photos of your food also lets physicians know portion sizes which can often be the problem.
This public service announcement was brought to you by Furious Chefs, Inc.
Friday, April 23, 2010
My Sally Fields Moment
Yesterday the Thurs. Writers stunned me with a bang-up birthday party! (I'll be 70 on Sunday.) I couldn't have been more surprised at the sheer lavishness of it -- a big cake with plenty of icing roses (a particular favorite,) a dozen long-stemmed, red roses from Emma, who owns and runs ELP Books and whose first imprimatur "Portia's Incredible Journey" is selling ike hot cakes in only the first two weeks of issuance! There were cool birthday cards plus Bob and Joyce both wrote odes to me! Joyce's card is an original painting entitled "Our Ocean" and it's above.
Since I am known most often as "The Rules Nazi" you can only imagine my surprise. That's what should have been on the cake!
Talk about a really appropriate card: "It is better to be 70 years young than 40 years old." Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Bob's poem notes that it is "to be read with proper bathos and a certain amount of sincerity."
Ode to Nina, on the occasion of her 70th birthday
They say, these days, that 70 is the new 50
Notwithstanding she says that it is
NOT so nifty to age, even if gracefully.
She recalls the day, when 50
She could slip around swiftly and
Now she is slowed up and thrifty
and wishes she could revert to 30.
But Happy Birthday
You've achieved a milestone
Your friends still love you, and
Throw you a bone
We like you old -- to have and to hold!
And, please remember --
Some of your friends are even older
And you're a long way from starting to molder!
(Ed. note: Probably won't be set to music any time soon.)
Joyce wrote this and you will notice the immediate reference to the Rules Nazi:
Our Nina is a critic; she tells us what is wrong.
She sees that every word is right, that no sentence is too long.
Our Nina writes a blog about the places best to eat,
Fun places we can play, what happens on the street.
Our Nina is a friend, to both the young and old,
We know that her good deeds are always left untold.
So Happy Birthday; may 70 be the start
Of many more years of happiness of which we'll be a part.
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