College football season is only a few days away here in the Deep South and I cant wait! Tailgating, pizza in front of the TV, and Game Day! Throwing the football on the Quad! The faint sounds of the band warming up. The smell of grills cooking barbecue, hamburger and many other culinary delights! It is a wonderful thing! In fact, I predict I will blog about the experience again before this season is over. Count on it! But one of the things that I hate about the coming of the season: Local sports talk radio.
I love to listen to intelligent discussion about college football. I enjoy the dissection of each team and their strengths and weaknesses. I like hearing people, more knowledgeable than myself, discuss strategy for upcoming games as well as commenting on where teams went right or wrong on the previous Saturday. I like well-thought-out comments regarding the rankings and why one team should be ranked higher than another. HOWEVER, it is the "well-thought-out" aspect that seems to have been sidelined. I am not sure how anyone with a brain can listen to sports talk radio down here after the first kickoff.
The host of the local sports call-in radio show is a nationally syndicated sports reporter. I really have no beef with him except that he seems to have lost his desire for serious discussion about college football. It is my belief that he has given up. I cant say that I blame him. He probably used to go to work every day with an interesting topic to discuss. He probably did a lot of study and preparation so that he would be ready for intelligent repartee regarding the latest strategies of defenses around the country. It was probably never his intention for his show to sink to its current level. He is probably embarrassed to be presiding over the variety of callers that he gets in a typical day. It is really poignant when someone calls in who actually has a real point to make and something of value to discuss. You can ALMOST hear real passion in the host's voice.
What has happened? It is only a theory, but I believe that the call-in number has an almost magical effect. Once dialed, it transports grown men back to third grade. Reasonable men with actual careers. Intelligent members of society who have important jobs. This phone number sends them to a time capsule that takes them back to age eight. Having had two boys, I know the age very well. And as I listen to the discussions, I cant help but be reminded of sleepovers composed of five or more third grade boys, arguing in the basement.
"My dad is bigger than your dad!"
"Well, my dad is stronger than your dad!"
"Uh-Uhhhhh! My dad is bigger and smarter than your dad"
"So"
"So"
"So"
"Well you are stupid"
"You are stupider than me!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-Huh!"
You get the picture. Substitute the word "team" for "dad" in the above conversation and you have very close to a direct transcript of the show on any given day. There is no way that a simple discussion of college sports by grown men can dissolve into the name-calling, mud-slinging, afternoon that it has become. There has to be something about that phone number! What other possible explanation could there be?
Adding credence to my theory, are the "regulars" that call in to the show. These "regulars" must suffer more effects from the phone number time machine. Perhaps because of the frequency of their calls, they are transported further back in time, somewhere between nursery school and kindergarten.
"You are a poopyhead!"
"No, YOU are a poopyhead!"
"I know my letters!"
"Not as good as me!"
"MOMMY! He just called me a poopyhead!"
These extreme regressors are even harder to take because, while neither they nor the third graders have any desire to carry on reasonable discussion, they call in EVERY DAY! Their contribution to the show isnt third grade bravado. It is kindergarten name-calling. They also "contribute" by adding fuel to the fire of the third grade campout. The third graders call in to tell everyone what "poopyheads" the kindergarteners are (plus the fact that their dad is bigger than "poopyhead's" dad.
Particularly hard for me are the callers that represent my school. Since my blog is called "Crimson Tidings", I dont think it is hard for anyone to see where my loyalties lie. While I cringe when I hear the "children" call in who "support" other schools, I can at least say "Thank goodness he isnt from my school". It is purely painful when a "supporter" of my school calls in. Unfortunately, there are plenty of "poopyheads" to go around.
Now before you go feeling too much sympathy for the host, you have to ask why he continues to let these "regulars" call in. I mean, they dont disguise their names or their voices. The host knows who they are. He welcomes their call. I have an idea that he has stopped caring. He has allowed the show to become nothing more than a name-calling day at the playground. He is responsible for the content and could steer the conversation in any direction he chooses. Yet he continues to "next caller" himself into a coma. Could it be that his ratings climb higher as the discussion dissolves? I refuse to believe it.
If I believe that, it means that it isnt the phone number that transports the callers to elementary school. That would mean that the men who listen to the show are also transported. That would be too evil to contemplate!
Perhaps the host is also transported by answering the calls. And maybe since he answers so many calls, he is magically transported to the age of two or three. Maybe the show coincides with his nap! Shhh!
I really wish they would change that number so that adult conversation reigned and I could learn more, through others' ideas, about the sport that I love so much! If they wont change the number, I, at least, want to know one thing; If a man calls in and is magically sent to third grade, if I call in will my wrinkles go away?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Let Me Fix It For You - Reality TV With A Soul!
I dont completely hate reality television. That is very difficult for me to admit, considering that I hate what reality television has done to TV viewing in general. I am a fan of good writing. I love a good story! Creative TV dramas and comedies are what good viewing is all about. I love the set-up, the climax, the resolution and the ability for television to capture imagination and inspire laughter, tears and that satisfied feeling that comes from talented story weavers! However, there are a few - and I really mean only a few-- reality television programs that capture the essence of what a good television drama can provide to the viewer. There is a "micro-genre" of television reality programming that I have embraced. I like to call it " Fix-It For You" TV!
When I think of reality television, I am reminded of a movie that I saw called "The Invention of Lying". In it, the character is living in a world where no one lies. Everyone tells the truth all of the time. Need money? Just go into the bank and tell them how much you want and how much you have in your account. No one checks because no one lies. Seems like a utopian society, no? Well the main character is a television writer. However, in a world where only truth is told, television is nothing more than documentaries of differing eras. Each writer is assigned a century of history and just writes shows filled with facts and figures. A total bore. That is what most reality is to me. Want to see people fighting? Look around your own office! Want to see someone with a messy closet? Come on over to my house! Want to see a bunch of girls fight over a good looking guy? Hit a bar after work. Who needs it?
The dirty little secret of reality television is that producers LOVE the genre. Reality programming is the cheapest form of programming and is a cash cow! Why is it so cheap to make? No writers to pay, sets to construct or actors to hire. Just a director, a couple of camera guys and maybe a posh beach rental for filming. Low cost and high profits are the norm. Because I recognize this fact, I have always snubbed my nose at these shows, accusing the television industry of "phoning it in". Anyone could do it with both hands tied behind their back. (I can see a director reading this, saying "WHOA, I have an idea! A family lives for a year with their hands tied behind their backs! Brilliant!") So I really hate to admit that I find any nugget of value in reality television. (Gee, I hate to admit it so much, I have spent three paragraphs telling you how much I hate it!)
"Fix It For You" television shows have a simple scenario. A host comes into a failing business, spots the problems, pumps some money into the failing aspects of the business, retrains the staff and helps the business to return to profitability. I recently penned a blog post about "Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares". This is one such show. Others that fall into that category are "Restaurant: Impossible" and "Tabatha's Salon Takeover". These shows, and others like them, all follow the basic formula, with a twist here and there to make them different. (Oh my goodness, could that be-gasp- CREATIVITY?) These twists can be silly or far-fetched, but help to individualize shows and garner the masses.
For example, in "Tabatha's Salon Takeover", Tabatha is a British hair designer who has a funky blonde hairstyle and only wears black. She secretly films the salon and then confronts the owners, showing them the secret videos. She scolds them like they were bad children and demands their keys, with the phrase, "Im taking over!" She then follows the above-mentioned formula. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Other shows inject unreasonable time limits for the transformations so that everything has to be done in a rediculously short amount of time. "Restaurant;Impossible" takes "two days and ten thousand dollars" in order to overhaul a restaurant. Why not give it a week as is done in "Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares"? Because then it would be essentially the same show!! And just because I love Gordon Ramsay, I wont pretend that he doesnt have his own "schtick". Gordon Ramsay's gimmick is to talk harsh and rough to the restaurant owners, pulling no punches. He is rude, hateful and sometimes (okay, often) vulgar in his rants about cooking and service. In the end, he becomes a pussycat, right before you throw a shoe at your television!
So in spite of the cheesy gimmicks of these varieties of programs, why do I like them? I believe that part of their appeal to me is the similarities between them and the made-for-television dramas that I used to love so much. I mean, all of the characters are there! The hardworking, but down-trodden family, trying desperately to save the family business! They are good-hearted, but misguided souls who are one step away from the poor house. There is the hero that comes to save the day but he is misunderstood by the family. His motives are questioned. His ideas are foreign. Later the family comes to understand that the hero only has their best interest at heart. The family succeeds, thanks to the hero, and everyone lives happily ever after. If that doesnt remind you of Pride and Prejudice, you need to re-read that book!
What sets these programs apart from the "garbage" reality shows? For me, it is that I DONT hate that these people profited from the experience. The people in the "Fix It For You" shows have a work ethic, integrity and a sense of right and wrong. Good prevailed over bad --the good guy won! "Kate Plus Eight"? She made money by letting the cameras film her children! She became a star on the backs of her fertility! I am appalled that she walked away with a truckload of cash! "The Kardashians", "The Bachelor", "The Bachelorette", " Survivor"... I could name a hundred more. It bothers me greatly that these folks walked away with money for their amoral, disturbing, and uninspiring lives. What is the lesson in that? The more bizarre and depraved that your lifestyle becomes, the better chance you have of striking it rich in television? The more worthless and useless you are in life, the more money you make so you can become more worthless and useless? You can look for that "hero" all you want in these shows and you wont find him!
I still long for the return of television programming that relies on excellent dramatic and comedic writing. I wonder if the public will EVER become weary of the trash and wish for better. I wonder if they will ever become so weary that they will DEMAND better. I also wonder if producers will ever feel that the investment in quality writing, acting, costumes and set design is worth the money. Will any of them take the initiative and say "Gee I have been producing crap for so long! I have made my fortune. It is time to produce something important! Something of value! Something that makes the world a better place!" I am not holding my breath! (But if I could hold my breath longer than anyone ever has, do you think I could get a show out of it??)
When I think of reality television, I am reminded of a movie that I saw called "The Invention of Lying". In it, the character is living in a world where no one lies. Everyone tells the truth all of the time. Need money? Just go into the bank and tell them how much you want and how much you have in your account. No one checks because no one lies. Seems like a utopian society, no? Well the main character is a television writer. However, in a world where only truth is told, television is nothing more than documentaries of differing eras. Each writer is assigned a century of history and just writes shows filled with facts and figures. A total bore. That is what most reality is to me. Want to see people fighting? Look around your own office! Want to see someone with a messy closet? Come on over to my house! Want to see a bunch of girls fight over a good looking guy? Hit a bar after work. Who needs it?
The dirty little secret of reality television is that producers LOVE the genre. Reality programming is the cheapest form of programming and is a cash cow! Why is it so cheap to make? No writers to pay, sets to construct or actors to hire. Just a director, a couple of camera guys and maybe a posh beach rental for filming. Low cost and high profits are the norm. Because I recognize this fact, I have always snubbed my nose at these shows, accusing the television industry of "phoning it in". Anyone could do it with both hands tied behind their back. (I can see a director reading this, saying "WHOA, I have an idea! A family lives for a year with their hands tied behind their backs! Brilliant!") So I really hate to admit that I find any nugget of value in reality television. (Gee, I hate to admit it so much, I have spent three paragraphs telling you how much I hate it!)
"Fix It For You" television shows have a simple scenario. A host comes into a failing business, spots the problems, pumps some money into the failing aspects of the business, retrains the staff and helps the business to return to profitability. I recently penned a blog post about "Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares". This is one such show. Others that fall into that category are "Restaurant: Impossible" and "Tabatha's Salon Takeover". These shows, and others like them, all follow the basic formula, with a twist here and there to make them different. (Oh my goodness, could that be-gasp- CREATIVITY?) These twists can be silly or far-fetched, but help to individualize shows and garner the masses.
For example, in "Tabatha's Salon Takeover", Tabatha is a British hair designer who has a funky blonde hairstyle and only wears black. She secretly films the salon and then confronts the owners, showing them the secret videos. She scolds them like they were bad children and demands their keys, with the phrase, "Im taking over!" She then follows the above-mentioned formula. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Other shows inject unreasonable time limits for the transformations so that everything has to be done in a rediculously short amount of time. "Restaurant;Impossible" takes "two days and ten thousand dollars" in order to overhaul a restaurant. Why not give it a week as is done in "Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares"? Because then it would be essentially the same show!! And just because I love Gordon Ramsay, I wont pretend that he doesnt have his own "schtick". Gordon Ramsay's gimmick is to talk harsh and rough to the restaurant owners, pulling no punches. He is rude, hateful and sometimes (okay, often) vulgar in his rants about cooking and service. In the end, he becomes a pussycat, right before you throw a shoe at your television!
So in spite of the cheesy gimmicks of these varieties of programs, why do I like them? I believe that part of their appeal to me is the similarities between them and the made-for-television dramas that I used to love so much. I mean, all of the characters are there! The hardworking, but down-trodden family, trying desperately to save the family business! They are good-hearted, but misguided souls who are one step away from the poor house. There is the hero that comes to save the day but he is misunderstood by the family. His motives are questioned. His ideas are foreign. Later the family comes to understand that the hero only has their best interest at heart. The family succeeds, thanks to the hero, and everyone lives happily ever after. If that doesnt remind you of Pride and Prejudice, you need to re-read that book!
What sets these programs apart from the "garbage" reality shows? For me, it is that I DONT hate that these people profited from the experience. The people in the "Fix It For You" shows have a work ethic, integrity and a sense of right and wrong. Good prevailed over bad --the good guy won! "Kate Plus Eight"? She made money by letting the cameras film her children! She became a star on the backs of her fertility! I am appalled that she walked away with a truckload of cash! "The Kardashians", "The Bachelor", "The Bachelorette", " Survivor"... I could name a hundred more. It bothers me greatly that these folks walked away with money for their amoral, disturbing, and uninspiring lives. What is the lesson in that? The more bizarre and depraved that your lifestyle becomes, the better chance you have of striking it rich in television? The more worthless and useless you are in life, the more money you make so you can become more worthless and useless? You can look for that "hero" all you want in these shows and you wont find him!
I still long for the return of television programming that relies on excellent dramatic and comedic writing. I wonder if the public will EVER become weary of the trash and wish for better. I wonder if they will ever become so weary that they will DEMAND better. I also wonder if producers will ever feel that the investment in quality writing, acting, costumes and set design is worth the money. Will any of them take the initiative and say "Gee I have been producing crap for so long! I have made my fortune. It is time to produce something important! Something of value! Something that makes the world a better place!" I am not holding my breath! (But if I could hold my breath longer than anyone ever has, do you think I could get a show out of it??)
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Oversell of Hurricane Irene
This past weekend, my son and I were headed to Atlanta, GA for a soccer tournament. We rented a car because there were only two of us traveling and we didnt want to take the gas guzzler. As I picked up the car, the agent cheerfully told me that I was getting complimentary XM radio on the car. Well... that wasnt exactly true. We had ONE station - The Weather Channel. My son had his Ipod so I just left it on so I wouldnt have to keep searching for local radio stations as we traveled. I was interested in learning more about Hurricane Irene anyway so it passed the time. In the two and a half hour drive, the anchors and correspondents on the Weather Channel had me convinced that the mother of all hurricanes was headed up the coast of the United States and that we were in for mass destruction! I recognize that the professionals in the weather profession are in a catch-22 situation. They are criticized if the give too much information and criticized for making too light of the situation. However, am I the only one who thinks that Hurricane Irene was oversold to the public and, if I were a cynical person, I would say it could be because of the potential financial gain from advertising dollars? I mean, you do have a huge percentage of the country tuned in with a potential personal stake in every bit of information that is being conveyed--waiting patiently through the Allstate commercials in order to be on top of this life-changing event.
I dont know a lot about hurricanes but I do know that they tend to weaken as they leave warm tropical waters. So I have to be a bit skeptical when the weather personalities keep saying "This is a Category Two storm with winds of blah blah blah.." and " A Category Two storm could do tremendous damage to New York City and all of the Eastern Seaboard!" What were the chances that the storm, after hitting North Carolina, skimming the east coast (landfall does weaken hurricanes) and then heading to the colder waters of the North Atlantic, would still be a Category Two storm that would hit New York City? These guys were even telling people what the wind speeds would be against buildings over twenty stories tall.
There were affects of Hurricane Irene all the way up the coast, mainly in the form of flooding lower lying areas. But even as the hurricane was reduced to a tropical storm, huge warnings were going out about mild beach erosion, flash flooding and how the winds could always start up again. I do feel for those people who were affected by high winds and flooding. The people affected are mostly heaving a big sigh of relief because it was so much milder than it could have been. An attitude of "Whew, we dodged a bullet!" permeated all of the people who were interviewed by TWC. "Thank you Weather Channel, for keeping us informed of the impending doom! Thank goodness it wasnt as bad as it could have been"
Does anyone else have a slightly "icky" feeling about all of this? I compare this to a doctor who examines you and says "Gee, it could be terminal cancer! You might not make it!" When the tests are done and the issue was not terminal cancer, but a case of indigestion, why would you be grateful to your doctor for scaring you to death for nothing?? The Weather Channel encouraged the belief that some huge disaster was looming and I just dont think that they believed that even for a moment! Whether they were trying to keep the public tuned in for ratings or exaggerating the risk in order to make people pay more attention, The Weather Channel should be ashamed of themselves.
As we headed home from the soccer tournament on Sunday afternoon, the masses of Weather Channel employees that had been dispatched across the Northeastern U.S., were hard-pressed to find something to report. The only people they could find to interview talked about how mild this storm was compared to a Noreaster, which these folks face almost annually. It was almost humorous to hear these newsmen say things like "Look at this! Here is a boat that was in the HARBOR and is now on dry land!! Can you believe it? Wow, I am sure glad that no one was aboard this vessel! They took our warnings and left town! Oh and here is some beach erosion! Gee, the sand that is over there, was once over HERE! Unbelievable!" It was kind of sad, really.
The really sad thing is that they are particular about which weather catastrophes they choose to report on extensively. I am hearing that there were fourteen deaths due to the hurricane and a couple of hundred people might be displaced, yet I predict that the Weather Channel vans will be there for weeks! When the Deep South and Midwest lost over four hundred people and thousands of people were left homeless, the Weather Channel devoted about three days to the disaster. It will be interesting to see how this plays out! I mean, we will see if this is about numbers of people affected and severity of outcome,
One of my friends made a remark that rang true with me, convincing me that she would never get a job at TWC!! She said "Gee a Category One storm in the Gulf, would basically be a free pressure wash for the condos!" Amen!
I dont know a lot about hurricanes but I do know that they tend to weaken as they leave warm tropical waters. So I have to be a bit skeptical when the weather personalities keep saying "This is a Category Two storm with winds of blah blah blah.." and " A Category Two storm could do tremendous damage to New York City and all of the Eastern Seaboard!" What were the chances that the storm, after hitting North Carolina, skimming the east coast (landfall does weaken hurricanes) and then heading to the colder waters of the North Atlantic, would still be a Category Two storm that would hit New York City? These guys were even telling people what the wind speeds would be against buildings over twenty stories tall.
There were affects of Hurricane Irene all the way up the coast, mainly in the form of flooding lower lying areas. But even as the hurricane was reduced to a tropical storm, huge warnings were going out about mild beach erosion, flash flooding and how the winds could always start up again. I do feel for those people who were affected by high winds and flooding. The people affected are mostly heaving a big sigh of relief because it was so much milder than it could have been. An attitude of "Whew, we dodged a bullet!" permeated all of the people who were interviewed by TWC. "Thank you Weather Channel, for keeping us informed of the impending doom! Thank goodness it wasnt as bad as it could have been"
Does anyone else have a slightly "icky" feeling about all of this? I compare this to a doctor who examines you and says "Gee, it could be terminal cancer! You might not make it!" When the tests are done and the issue was not terminal cancer, but a case of indigestion, why would you be grateful to your doctor for scaring you to death for nothing?? The Weather Channel encouraged the belief that some huge disaster was looming and I just dont think that they believed that even for a moment! Whether they were trying to keep the public tuned in for ratings or exaggerating the risk in order to make people pay more attention, The Weather Channel should be ashamed of themselves.
As we headed home from the soccer tournament on Sunday afternoon, the masses of Weather Channel employees that had been dispatched across the Northeastern U.S., were hard-pressed to find something to report. The only people they could find to interview talked about how mild this storm was compared to a Noreaster, which these folks face almost annually. It was almost humorous to hear these newsmen say things like "Look at this! Here is a boat that was in the HARBOR and is now on dry land!! Can you believe it? Wow, I am sure glad that no one was aboard this vessel! They took our warnings and left town! Oh and here is some beach erosion! Gee, the sand that is over there, was once over HERE! Unbelievable!" It was kind of sad, really.
The really sad thing is that they are particular about which weather catastrophes they choose to report on extensively. I am hearing that there were fourteen deaths due to the hurricane and a couple of hundred people might be displaced, yet I predict that the Weather Channel vans will be there for weeks! When the Deep South and Midwest lost over four hundred people and thousands of people were left homeless, the Weather Channel devoted about three days to the disaster. It will be interesting to see how this plays out! I mean, we will see if this is about numbers of people affected and severity of outcome,
One of my friends made a remark that rang true with me, convincing me that she would never get a job at TWC!! She said "Gee a Category One storm in the Gulf, would basically be a free pressure wash for the condos!" Amen!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Key to Southern "Fried" Corn
One of the best parts about summer is the availability of real fresh corn! I mean the kind that you either pick yourself from a friend's garden or you stop on the side of the road and pick it up from a farmer's truck! This is a "whole different animal" from the corn sold in the supermarket ten months out of the year. I never tire of fresh corn on the cob or southern fried corn when it has that fresh-picked taste! Mmmm! I dont think it is a coincidence that fresh corn is the color of the hot summer sun! But do you know how to spot fresh corn? Do you know whether you like yellow or white corn? Dont assume that if it is at the farmer's market or on the back of a farm truck, you are buying fresh corn!
Our family is partial to a variety of corn called "Silver Queen". It is a white corn with a very sweet and consistent flavor. I find that white corn is a little bit sweeter and a little more tender--completely a personal opinion! The sweetness and tenderness of corn is affected mostly by age! A good way to test fresh corn is to pull back one husk. Look at the kernels. Are they arranged tightly together or are there spaces between each kernel. Fresh corn will have kernels that touch each other. There may be a bald spot or two on the ear but neighboring kernels should be snuggled together! Do the kernels look filled out or are they a bit wrinkly? corn kernels indicate that the corn is drying out. This means old, dry corn. Dont buy it! Take your fingernail and pop a kernel. The liquid should squirt out and it should be milky, not clear! You also want to look at the silks at the top of the husk. They should be soft and light colored. Dried out or browning silk is a dead giveaway! Tiny ears of corn that have not "filled out" near the tip, was picked too early and will not have the liquidity of corn picked at the right time!
Southern "fried" corn is one of our family's favorite ways to prepare fresh corn. I use the quotation marks because this dish is not really fried at all. It is similar to a creamed corn but is so much more special and tasty! This dish is ONLY good with fresh corn! Fresh corn makes HALF of the difference! The other half is properly cutting the corn off of the cob!! This is where most people make their mistake! Follow these steps for the best fried corn you will ever eat!
1. Shuck and silk all corn that you plan to prepare. Place ears into a large tub of water. This helps to keep it from drying out as well as keeping the flies off of the corn! Did I mention that the first steps should be completed outside for less mess?
2. Get a comfortable chair, a large, sharp knife, a big pan and put on your crummy clothes. This job is messy! That is why I always prepare a huge amount of the corn, freezing what I dont plan to cook right away! That way, it is worth the mess!
3. Holding the ear with the tip pointing down, shave off just the tips of the corn kernels into your large pan. Do this all the way around the ear. Then, turn your knife over to the dull side and scrape down the ears and let the creamy bits fall into the pan. This step is crucial! If you cut whole kernels off in one stroke, you have whole kernel corn--NOT what you want for fried corn! When you are finished, the corn cob should be clean and dry!
4. Continue "tipping" and then "scraping" the corn until you have done all of the ears that you plan to do. At this point, you may need to hose off or shower as you will have corn in a lot of places where corn should not be! Take your treasured pan of corn into the house and freeze what you dont plan to use. There is no need to blanch the corn or add water. There should be enough liquid if you have scraped your corn properly.
5. I like to use a large cast iron skillet but, be warned that whatever pot or pan you use, this stuff likes to stick! I set the stove temperature to medium and add the corn. At this point, I usually add some milk and a little water to make sure there is enough liquid. As it starts to boil, I reduce the heat to simmer and stir, stir, stir! You will let this simmer for about 45 minutes or longer., until you have a tender kernel. You cant really overcook this corn unless your temperature is too high or if you let the liquid simmer out! You can always add more milk or water to the corn, as needed. Add butter and salt, to taste and simmer until you are ready to serve.
This is the way that my grandmother taught me to make southern fried corn and it has never failed to make a wonderful summertime treat for us---unless my corn was not fresh! Then, I get what I deserve!
Happy Summer, Y'all!
Our family is partial to a variety of corn called "Silver Queen". It is a white corn with a very sweet and consistent flavor. I find that white corn is a little bit sweeter and a little more tender--completely a personal opinion! The sweetness and tenderness of corn is affected mostly by age! A good way to test fresh corn is to pull back one husk. Look at the kernels. Are they arranged tightly together or are there spaces between each kernel. Fresh corn will have kernels that touch each other. There may be a bald spot or two on the ear but neighboring kernels should be snuggled together! Do the kernels look filled out or are they a bit wrinkly? corn kernels indicate that the corn is drying out. This means old, dry corn. Dont buy it! Take your fingernail and pop a kernel. The liquid should squirt out and it should be milky, not clear! You also want to look at the silks at the top of the husk. They should be soft and light colored. Dried out or browning silk is a dead giveaway! Tiny ears of corn that have not "filled out" near the tip, was picked too early and will not have the liquidity of corn picked at the right time!
Southern "fried" corn is one of our family's favorite ways to prepare fresh corn. I use the quotation marks because this dish is not really fried at all. It is similar to a creamed corn but is so much more special and tasty! This dish is ONLY good with fresh corn! Fresh corn makes HALF of the difference! The other half is properly cutting the corn off of the cob!! This is where most people make their mistake! Follow these steps for the best fried corn you will ever eat!
1. Shuck and silk all corn that you plan to prepare. Place ears into a large tub of water. This helps to keep it from drying out as well as keeping the flies off of the corn! Did I mention that the first steps should be completed outside for less mess?
2. Get a comfortable chair, a large, sharp knife, a big pan and put on your crummy clothes. This job is messy! That is why I always prepare a huge amount of the corn, freezing what I dont plan to cook right away! That way, it is worth the mess!
3. Holding the ear with the tip pointing down, shave off just the tips of the corn kernels into your large pan. Do this all the way around the ear. Then, turn your knife over to the dull side and scrape down the ears and let the creamy bits fall into the pan. This step is crucial! If you cut whole kernels off in one stroke, you have whole kernel corn--NOT what you want for fried corn! When you are finished, the corn cob should be clean and dry!
4. Continue "tipping" and then "scraping" the corn until you have done all of the ears that you plan to do. At this point, you may need to hose off or shower as you will have corn in a lot of places where corn should not be! Take your treasured pan of corn into the house and freeze what you dont plan to use. There is no need to blanch the corn or add water. There should be enough liquid if you have scraped your corn properly.
5. I like to use a large cast iron skillet but, be warned that whatever pot or pan you use, this stuff likes to stick! I set the stove temperature to medium and add the corn. At this point, I usually add some milk and a little water to make sure there is enough liquid. As it starts to boil, I reduce the heat to simmer and stir, stir, stir! You will let this simmer for about 45 minutes or longer., until you have a tender kernel. You cant really overcook this corn unless your temperature is too high or if you let the liquid simmer out! You can always add more milk or water to the corn, as needed. Add butter and salt, to taste and simmer until you are ready to serve.
This is the way that my grandmother taught me to make southern fried corn and it has never failed to make a wonderful summertime treat for us---unless my corn was not fresh! Then, I get what I deserve!
Happy Summer, Y'all!
Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Gordon Ramsay has a potty mouth. His language can curl your hair! If you watch his shows on BBC America, they don't even bleep out most of what he says. I am very sensitive to foul language. Yet I cant stop watching Kitchen Nightmares! I am not sure what it is about this genre that really speaks to me. There are at least three different shows that follow the formula of Kitchen Nightmares, but I think that Ramsay originated and perfected the concept. The show started several years ago in Great Britain but has since moved to the United States. Gordon Ramsay's show has me captivated even if it causes my ears to bleed!
Gordon Ramsay is a world class chef, has a world class temper and is a world class businessman. He owns several very successful fine dining restaurants that are among the highest rated places in the world. He has parlayed this success into a marketing empire. He has authored several cookbooks and hosts at least three different television programs. The man is the ultimate expert on running a successful restaurant, from developing menus and purchasing food to training chefs and wait staff. This is the guy you would want to come to your failing restaurant and help you turn things around. And that is the premise of Kitchen Nightmares. But if you call on him for help, you had better be prepared to take the heat ---or get out of your kitchen!
If you haven't seen the show, the formula is like this. The owner of a failing restaurant makes an appeal for Gordon Ramsay's help to turn things around. Ramsay's first task is to actually go to the restaurant and EAT the food! He orders several items off of the menu and the show is off and running. More times than not, the food is horrible and he finds plenty of criticism for the taste, preparation and service of the meal that he is served. Ramsay pulls no punches and is sometimes very harsh, sprinkling his food descriptions with colorful four letter adjectives--usually the kind that can be used as nouns, verbs or adjectives! You know, the kind that are usually bleeped out! BBC America decides, from show to show, what they will bleep and what they will keep. Consistency is not their forte!
Next, Ramsay watches an evening of dinner service, making comments to the camera about what is right and wrong about the experience. He sometimes asks diners how they like the food, how often they eat at the restaurant and if they will return. Since the restaurants are FAILING restaurants, the diners are almost always disappointed and are not inclined to try the place again. Ramsay calls all of the staff together after the dinner service is over and gives them a heated review of the food, service and anything else he can think of. This is one of my favorite parts of the show because they then cut away to the owners and staff of the place who always seem to remark "Gee, I thought our food was good. We have had no complaints. I don't see how he can say that our food is bad." This is when I want to throw a shoe at the TV and say "YOU WERE PICKED OVER ALL OTHER RESTAURANTS TO GET HELP! YOU ASKED FOR HELP! YOU ARE LOSING YOUR SHIRT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THAT BAD???"
The next morning, Ramsay goes into the kitchen for an inspection of the cleanliness and functionality of the establishment. Of course, the place is usually filthy, the kitchen staff is usually inept or unconcerned and the owner is unaware. Thankfully, Gordon usually finds a diamond in the rough--either a chef that is being restricted by controlling owners or a sous chef with all of the tools that the head chef lacks to run a kitchen. This "Cinderella" aspect of the show humanizes Ramsey and gives a glimmer of hope to a lost cause. At this point, Ramsey sits down with the owner, who begins to cry over how much money they are losing, how hard they work, and how it is affecting their mental health. Gordon turns into a kind and sympathetic mentor, who promises to help to make the place profitable and successful again. The specific placement of this segment in the show is pure genius! Just as you (and everyone in the restaurant) are ready to strangle Gordon Ramsey for his heartlessness, he puts on his hero hat and you are once again on his side.
This is the point in the show where he leads a thorough cleaning, teaches the chef new recipes (or has the owner fire the chef and promote "Cinderella"), designs a new menu, trains the wait staff, takes employees out in the streets to promote the new and improved restaurant, and give the big pep talk for the reopening night. Sometimes there is a restaurant decor overhaul and maybe even a gift of new cooking equipment. Reopening night is never a total success but Gordon walks them through the glitches and makes everything better. He calls everyone together and encourages them to keep up the good work and leaves. He returns a few weeks later and makes sure everything is the same--with mixed results. On to the next disaster!
So why do I love this show? I really like the idea of a hero on a white horse coming in to save the day but my fantasy usually doesn't include a short, foul-mouthed Scotsman. But I think that is exactly the point! Would this show be any good with a soft spoken, hand-holding chef who weeps with the owner and waves a metaphoric wand over the situation? Absolutely not! For one thing, the show would be terribly boring without the confrontation and blowups! Furthermore, these owners are completely clueless as to the seriousness of their situation and the true depths to which their businesses have sunk. Gordon is the "slap in the face" they need in order to bring them into reality. I find myself moved to tears sometimes when I see the desperation, and then gratitude, in many of these restaurateurs. I laugh out loud at the pomposity of owners and wait staff who decide to try to challenge Ramsay and his expertise. I am curious to see if the restaurant is able to survive following the makeover. I am hooked!
Other shows have attempted to copy Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, using other successful chefs and restaurateurs. These shows aren't bad and I watch them from time to time. But the knowledge, experience and humor of Gordon Ramsay, combined with the "now you love him--now you hate him" emotions that he evokes, makes for a perfect recipe for a television program. However, if I were serving Gordon Ramsay, my first course would be a big ole bar of soap for his mouth! Bon Appetit!
Gordon Ramsay is a world class chef, has a world class temper and is a world class businessman. He owns several very successful fine dining restaurants that are among the highest rated places in the world. He has parlayed this success into a marketing empire. He has authored several cookbooks and hosts at least three different television programs. The man is the ultimate expert on running a successful restaurant, from developing menus and purchasing food to training chefs and wait staff. This is the guy you would want to come to your failing restaurant and help you turn things around. And that is the premise of Kitchen Nightmares. But if you call on him for help, you had better be prepared to take the heat ---or get out of your kitchen!
If you haven't seen the show, the formula is like this. The owner of a failing restaurant makes an appeal for Gordon Ramsay's help to turn things around. Ramsay's first task is to actually go to the restaurant and EAT the food! He orders several items off of the menu and the show is off and running. More times than not, the food is horrible and he finds plenty of criticism for the taste, preparation and service of the meal that he is served. Ramsay pulls no punches and is sometimes very harsh, sprinkling his food descriptions with colorful four letter adjectives--usually the kind that can be used as nouns, verbs or adjectives! You know, the kind that are usually bleeped out! BBC America decides, from show to show, what they will bleep and what they will keep. Consistency is not their forte!
Next, Ramsay watches an evening of dinner service, making comments to the camera about what is right and wrong about the experience. He sometimes asks diners how they like the food, how often they eat at the restaurant and if they will return. Since the restaurants are FAILING restaurants, the diners are almost always disappointed and are not inclined to try the place again. Ramsay calls all of the staff together after the dinner service is over and gives them a heated review of the food, service and anything else he can think of. This is one of my favorite parts of the show because they then cut away to the owners and staff of the place who always seem to remark "Gee, I thought our food was good. We have had no complaints. I don't see how he can say that our food is bad." This is when I want to throw a shoe at the TV and say "YOU WERE PICKED OVER ALL OTHER RESTAURANTS TO GET HELP! YOU ASKED FOR HELP! YOU ARE LOSING YOUR SHIRT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THAT BAD???"
The next morning, Ramsay goes into the kitchen for an inspection of the cleanliness and functionality of the establishment. Of course, the place is usually filthy, the kitchen staff is usually inept or unconcerned and the owner is unaware. Thankfully, Gordon usually finds a diamond in the rough--either a chef that is being restricted by controlling owners or a sous chef with all of the tools that the head chef lacks to run a kitchen. This "Cinderella" aspect of the show humanizes Ramsey and gives a glimmer of hope to a lost cause. At this point, Ramsey sits down with the owner, who begins to cry over how much money they are losing, how hard they work, and how it is affecting their mental health. Gordon turns into a kind and sympathetic mentor, who promises to help to make the place profitable and successful again. The specific placement of this segment in the show is pure genius! Just as you (and everyone in the restaurant) are ready to strangle Gordon Ramsey for his heartlessness, he puts on his hero hat and you are once again on his side.
This is the point in the show where he leads a thorough cleaning, teaches the chef new recipes (or has the owner fire the chef and promote "Cinderella"), designs a new menu, trains the wait staff, takes employees out in the streets to promote the new and improved restaurant, and give the big pep talk for the reopening night. Sometimes there is a restaurant decor overhaul and maybe even a gift of new cooking equipment. Reopening night is never a total success but Gordon walks them through the glitches and makes everything better. He calls everyone together and encourages them to keep up the good work and leaves. He returns a few weeks later and makes sure everything is the same--with mixed results. On to the next disaster!
So why do I love this show? I really like the idea of a hero on a white horse coming in to save the day but my fantasy usually doesn't include a short, foul-mouthed Scotsman. But I think that is exactly the point! Would this show be any good with a soft spoken, hand-holding chef who weeps with the owner and waves a metaphoric wand over the situation? Absolutely not! For one thing, the show would be terribly boring without the confrontation and blowups! Furthermore, these owners are completely clueless as to the seriousness of their situation and the true depths to which their businesses have sunk. Gordon is the "slap in the face" they need in order to bring them into reality. I find myself moved to tears sometimes when I see the desperation, and then gratitude, in many of these restaurateurs. I laugh out loud at the pomposity of owners and wait staff who decide to try to challenge Ramsay and his expertise. I am curious to see if the restaurant is able to survive following the makeover. I am hooked!
Other shows have attempted to copy Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, using other successful chefs and restaurateurs. These shows aren't bad and I watch them from time to time. But the knowledge, experience and humor of Gordon Ramsay, combined with the "now you love him--now you hate him" emotions that he evokes, makes for a perfect recipe for a television program. However, if I were serving Gordon Ramsay, my first course would be a big ole bar of soap for his mouth! Bon Appetit!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Standing in Awe of Character
Three years ago, one of my son's soccer teammates received the news that his grandfather, James Lee, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident. He was paralyzed from his neck down and has spent the past three years fighting all of the complications that go along with such a debilitating injury. Since the accident, he and his family have been a constant inspiration to all of the people around them. Their perseverance, positive attitude and the absolute conviction that God is in control have never wavered. Last night, Mr. Lee went to claim the place prepared for him by the Father. I think he would be surprised to know how many people he inspired through his faith and courage.
I am not sure how long after the accident it was when Mr. Lee showed up at a soccer game in his motorized wheelchair. I dont remember much about that day except that he looked radiant--so happy to be with friends and family, watching his grandson, Conner, play soccer. Rikki, his wife and tireless caregiver, was all smiles as well! It was a day to celebrate and we were all very happy for them. That wasnt the last time Mr. Lee ventured onto the soccer sidelines. Season after season, we would see Mr. Lee watching Conner play. Even after my son and Conner didnt play on the same team anymore, we would go over and speak to him. We would ask how he was doing and he would always turn the conversation away from his struggles and toward how the kids have grown or how exciting the game had been.
Caringbridge.org is such a wonderful resource. It provides a webpage for those who have chronic or terminal illnesses. Rikki and her son Jason, would keep us all informed about Mr. Lee through the Caring Bridge page. Through the years, it was evident in their posts that their faith in God and His Divine will never wavered. Their honesty as they struggled with the "whys" of these sort of things was truly inspirational. They always answered their own questions with faith, prayer and scripture. As I would read their posts, I would pray for them, but I would also pray for myself. It was my prayer that, as I was watching my own father in his last days, I could stand firm in my own faith and accept His will as readily as the Lee family. I also prayed that, should the Father decide that I, or someone in my family, suffer a crisis on a similar scale, I would respond with the courage, strength and integrity that I have seen in this entire family.
I dont know the entire reason that God allowed this bad thing to happen to this good man. I know that one of the reasons is to provide, for me and my family, an example of how to rely on Him and his Word in hard times. I am reminded of the story of Job and can only believe that God is very pleased with James, Rikki, Jason and their family. James Lee and his family have been an inspiration to so many. Today, James is walking and talking with the Father, free of pain or suffering. He can sing and raise his hands in praise. While I know that his family is suffering from the loss of such a man, I am absolutely confident that they are rejoicing for him as he receives his Heavenly reward.
Thank you, James Lee, for your lessons in resilience, unwavering faith, positive attitude and for your kindness to our family. Thank you, Rikki, for your lessons in self sacrifice and faith. I would also like to thank you for your honesty as you shared your feelings and fears with us. Your grace under fire was amazing. Thank you, Jason, for showing such an ability to balance being a good husband and father, a good worker and a good son. Juggling all of the responsibilities must have been so difficult! Thank you, Lord, for allowing the Ellis family to meet the Lee family and to learn all that you had to teach us through them. We will never be the same.
I am not sure how long after the accident it was when Mr. Lee showed up at a soccer game in his motorized wheelchair. I dont remember much about that day except that he looked radiant--so happy to be with friends and family, watching his grandson, Conner, play soccer. Rikki, his wife and tireless caregiver, was all smiles as well! It was a day to celebrate and we were all very happy for them. That wasnt the last time Mr. Lee ventured onto the soccer sidelines. Season after season, we would see Mr. Lee watching Conner play. Even after my son and Conner didnt play on the same team anymore, we would go over and speak to him. We would ask how he was doing and he would always turn the conversation away from his struggles and toward how the kids have grown or how exciting the game had been.
Caringbridge.org is such a wonderful resource. It provides a webpage for those who have chronic or terminal illnesses. Rikki and her son Jason, would keep us all informed about Mr. Lee through the Caring Bridge page. Through the years, it was evident in their posts that their faith in God and His Divine will never wavered. Their honesty as they struggled with the "whys" of these sort of things was truly inspirational. They always answered their own questions with faith, prayer and scripture. As I would read their posts, I would pray for them, but I would also pray for myself. It was my prayer that, as I was watching my own father in his last days, I could stand firm in my own faith and accept His will as readily as the Lee family. I also prayed that, should the Father decide that I, or someone in my family, suffer a crisis on a similar scale, I would respond with the courage, strength and integrity that I have seen in this entire family.
I dont know the entire reason that God allowed this bad thing to happen to this good man. I know that one of the reasons is to provide, for me and my family, an example of how to rely on Him and his Word in hard times. I am reminded of the story of Job and can only believe that God is very pleased with James, Rikki, Jason and their family. James Lee and his family have been an inspiration to so many. Today, James is walking and talking with the Father, free of pain or suffering. He can sing and raise his hands in praise. While I know that his family is suffering from the loss of such a man, I am absolutely confident that they are rejoicing for him as he receives his Heavenly reward.
Thank you, James Lee, for your lessons in resilience, unwavering faith, positive attitude and for your kindness to our family. Thank you, Rikki, for your lessons in self sacrifice and faith. I would also like to thank you for your honesty as you shared your feelings and fears with us. Your grace under fire was amazing. Thank you, Jason, for showing such an ability to balance being a good husband and father, a good worker and a good son. Juggling all of the responsibilities must have been so difficult! Thank you, Lord, for allowing the Ellis family to meet the Lee family and to learn all that you had to teach us through them. We will never be the same.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Stone Ground Grits!
" Ahhh, yes. Tonight on the menu, the chef has prepared a fabulous Tenderloin Of Pork with a mango chutney, served over a lovely rissoto---um, I mean a lovely bed of stone ground grits."
The reputation of grits, in the culinary world, is quickly changing from rednecked southern porridge to the cool person’s rissoto. Being from the south, I have always had a fondness for grits and am glad to see them embraced by the fine dining community. However all grits are not the same and the type of grits that you purchase can make all the difference in your cooking!
Growing up, my family relied on grits as an all-inclusive breakfast meal. Many mornings, breakfast would consist of a large bowl of grits mixed with salt and butter, a slice of bacon and juice. We rarely had grits for our evening meal unless there were lots of leftovers from breakfast. Then my mother would pull them out cold, slice them in to wedges and fry them in a pan, similar to polenta. When I was younger, I remember visiting relatives that lived further north and the thought of grits just sickened my cousins. I couldnt figure out how they could be turned off by grits when they were eating lots of oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. I later discovered the reason when they came to visit my family and had them. My cousins were eating grits with sugar!!! EWWWW! Once they discovered that salt and butter goes on grits, their world was changed. (Sugar also does not go into cornbread, but that is another article!)
My mother purchased our grits at the supermarket and they came in three varieties; grits, quick grits and instant grits. These are listed in order from really good to positively gross! Regular grits and quick grits are similar in taste. The big difference is the cooking time. Quick grits takes about five minutes to cook and regular grits fifteen to twenty minutes. For people who dont have FIVE MINUTES, there is instant grits. These taste terrible and are not worth the four minutes you save, trust me! To make matters worse, the companies sometimes add flavors to the grits, like bacon or cheese flavors. I guess this is for people too busy to put cheese on top of their grits. The flavorings are very artificial tasting, but then, so are the grits.
All of my knowledge of grits changed the day I visited a Grist Mill on a scouting field trip. The mill, in southern Tennessee, ground grits and cornmeal and sold it to mill visitors. I purchased a bag (mainly because my parents had given me souvenier money and that was all that they sold) and my life was changed! Okay, maybe it wasnt a life-altering purchase, but it definitely changed my taste for grits. While stone ground grits can be a bit hard to find, they are absolutely worth the hunt, as well as the thirty minutes that they take to cook!
Stone ground grits are a coarse grind of corn, coarser than regular grits. When cooked, they have a pronounced corn flavor and a texture that is not quite chewy but definitely not mealy. The taste is absolutely light- years above regular grits! These are the grits that you eat in fine dining establishment versions of Shrimp and Grits, as well as most of the other new gourmet uses for grits. Garlic cheese grits sing when made with the stone ground variety! The difference is astonishing even when served as the plain breakfast dish with butter and salt! There is no substitute!
Finding stone ground grits can be impossible, north of the Mason-Dixon Line but can even be difficult down here in the south! The company that I like to get my stone ground grits from is McEwen & Sons. They are in a few supermarkets here in Birmingham and other parts of Alabama but are also suppliers for many of the fine dining restaurants across the country. They have a wonderful online shop and I find their prices to be reasonable and their service fabulous. McEwen & Sons‘ grits are organic, as are all of their stone ground products. I highly recommend them! There are other on-line sources, as well as the possibility of local grist mills still operating in your area.
Once you get that bag of stone-ground goodness home, make a big batch and enjoy. Just repeat after me “Salt and butter, not sugar!!”
The reputation of grits, in the culinary world, is quickly changing from rednecked southern porridge to the cool person’s rissoto. Being from the south, I have always had a fondness for grits and am glad to see them embraced by the fine dining community. However all grits are not the same and the type of grits that you purchase can make all the difference in your cooking!
Growing up, my family relied on grits as an all-inclusive breakfast meal. Many mornings, breakfast would consist of a large bowl of grits mixed with salt and butter, a slice of bacon and juice. We rarely had grits for our evening meal unless there were lots of leftovers from breakfast. Then my mother would pull them out cold, slice them in to wedges and fry them in a pan, similar to polenta. When I was younger, I remember visiting relatives that lived further north and the thought of grits just sickened my cousins. I couldnt figure out how they could be turned off by grits when they were eating lots of oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. I later discovered the reason when they came to visit my family and had them. My cousins were eating grits with sugar!!! EWWWW! Once they discovered that salt and butter goes on grits, their world was changed. (Sugar also does not go into cornbread, but that is another article!)
My mother purchased our grits at the supermarket and they came in three varieties; grits, quick grits and instant grits. These are listed in order from really good to positively gross! Regular grits and quick grits are similar in taste. The big difference is the cooking time. Quick grits takes about five minutes to cook and regular grits fifteen to twenty minutes. For people who dont have FIVE MINUTES, there is instant grits. These taste terrible and are not worth the four minutes you save, trust me! To make matters worse, the companies sometimes add flavors to the grits, like bacon or cheese flavors. I guess this is for people too busy to put cheese on top of their grits. The flavorings are very artificial tasting, but then, so are the grits.
All of my knowledge of grits changed the day I visited a Grist Mill on a scouting field trip. The mill, in southern Tennessee, ground grits and cornmeal and sold it to mill visitors. I purchased a bag (mainly because my parents had given me souvenier money and that was all that they sold) and my life was changed! Okay, maybe it wasnt a life-altering purchase, but it definitely changed my taste for grits. While stone ground grits can be a bit hard to find, they are absolutely worth the hunt, as well as the thirty minutes that they take to cook!
Stone ground grits are a coarse grind of corn, coarser than regular grits. When cooked, they have a pronounced corn flavor and a texture that is not quite chewy but definitely not mealy. The taste is absolutely light- years above regular grits! These are the grits that you eat in fine dining establishment versions of Shrimp and Grits, as well as most of the other new gourmet uses for grits. Garlic cheese grits sing when made with the stone ground variety! The difference is astonishing even when served as the plain breakfast dish with butter and salt! There is no substitute!
Finding stone ground grits can be impossible, north of the Mason-Dixon Line but can even be difficult down here in the south! The company that I like to get my stone ground grits from is McEwen & Sons. They are in a few supermarkets here in Birmingham and other parts of Alabama but are also suppliers for many of the fine dining restaurants across the country. They have a wonderful online shop and I find their prices to be reasonable and their service fabulous. McEwen & Sons‘ grits are organic, as are all of their stone ground products. I highly recommend them! There are other on-line sources, as well as the possibility of local grist mills still operating in your area.
Once you get that bag of stone-ground goodness home, make a big batch and enjoy. Just repeat after me “Salt and butter, not sugar!!”
Down With Unanimity!
“Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, everyday, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.” ~Christopher Morley
An old high school friend posted this quote on his Facebook page and it really spoke to me. This is, in words, the reason that I blog. If you had asked me to explain why I feel the need to sit at this computer and convey my thoughts, feelings and ideas--even if no one reads them - these are the words that I would have wanted to have had in my head! The fact that I can also read another's quote - and have it speak to my very soul - is the reason why I read the thoughts, feelings and ideas of others. The bandwagon is a bad place to stay--in uniform thought and expression. While it takes courage to be different, it is the very essence of good conversation and a live lived well.
Expressing an original thought only to find that the thought isnt original after all, gives me a delightful glow. It is not ego that drives my need to write. No need to have someone say "Oh isnt she clever! I wish I had thought of that!" The best satisfaction comes from knowing that others in the world have had the same ideas and have either improved upon them, implemented them, or dismissed them on grounds yet unknown to me. I have some strange thoughts; random, eccentric and strange. It comforts me to find that many people feel the same way about their own ideas and aspirations.
I think that the best thinkers and conversationalists are those who are not completely positive that they are always right. Think of the person whom you most like to converse with. I am not asking you to think of the one that you would most go to for advice. I am asking for the one person who you can spend hours just talking with. Are they full of facts and information? Are they authoritative and precise about what they think and believe about everything? Do they listen to you with interest and question comments that you make? Are they talking "with" you or "to" you or even "at" you? Are they willing to sound rediculous? Silly? Do you leave their company wishing that you had an hour more?
In this age of information and technology, sometimes we focus more on conversing with people who have the information that we need and not with people whose information and ideas we desire. I love hearing about a book "no one is reading". I might like it, too! I love hearing a thought that "no one is thinking". I love being around the person who "does things no one would be silly enough to do". These people add life to my life.
I would love nothing better than for people to read the quote above and think of me!
That is the essence of why I write this blog and what I want from my readers! Let's share! Let's be silly and read things no one else would. Let's discuss ideas and form new, "crazy" ideas that no one else would repeat! Who wants to think like everyone else? Who wants to talk and share only for information? Who wants to be professional and authoritative all of the time?
Not me! Down with unanimity!
An old high school friend posted this quote on his Facebook page and it really spoke to me. This is, in words, the reason that I blog. If you had asked me to explain why I feel the need to sit at this computer and convey my thoughts, feelings and ideas--even if no one reads them - these are the words that I would have wanted to have had in my head! The fact that I can also read another's quote - and have it speak to my very soul - is the reason why I read the thoughts, feelings and ideas of others. The bandwagon is a bad place to stay--in uniform thought and expression. While it takes courage to be different, it is the very essence of good conversation and a live lived well.
Expressing an original thought only to find that the thought isnt original after all, gives me a delightful glow. It is not ego that drives my need to write. No need to have someone say "Oh isnt she clever! I wish I had thought of that!" The best satisfaction comes from knowing that others in the world have had the same ideas and have either improved upon them, implemented them, or dismissed them on grounds yet unknown to me. I have some strange thoughts; random, eccentric and strange. It comforts me to find that many people feel the same way about their own ideas and aspirations.
I think that the best thinkers and conversationalists are those who are not completely positive that they are always right. Think of the person whom you most like to converse with. I am not asking you to think of the one that you would most go to for advice. I am asking for the one person who you can spend hours just talking with. Are they full of facts and information? Are they authoritative and precise about what they think and believe about everything? Do they listen to you with interest and question comments that you make? Are they talking "with" you or "to" you or even "at" you? Are they willing to sound rediculous? Silly? Do you leave their company wishing that you had an hour more?
In this age of information and technology, sometimes we focus more on conversing with people who have the information that we need and not with people whose information and ideas we desire. I love hearing about a book "no one is reading". I might like it, too! I love hearing a thought that "no one is thinking". I love being around the person who "does things no one would be silly enough to do". These people add life to my life.
I would love nothing better than for people to read the quote above and think of me!
That is the essence of why I write this blog and what I want from my readers! Let's share! Let's be silly and read things no one else would. Let's discuss ideas and form new, "crazy" ideas that no one else would repeat! Who wants to think like everyone else? Who wants to talk and share only for information? Who wants to be professional and authoritative all of the time?
Not me! Down with unanimity!
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