Good evening, 919 Gang. Checking the Yahoo home page today,
I spied a headline which really got my attention:
“California's chances of having a magnitude-7 or
greater earthquake in the next couple days just skyrocketed”
The
story continued in that vein, including this phrase “…local seismologists might
feel their hearts racing”
I
checked the Weather Channel, and it reported that the California Office of Emergency Services said there
is about a 1 percent increase in the likelihood of a major earthquake along the
San Andreas fault line through Tuesday.
So, there is a chance of a major quake, but the “1 percent
increase” helped my heart stop racing.
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BONNIE ROGERS writes:
THROWBACK THURSDAY:
 |
| French chef Jacques Pepin and Julia Child. Jacques currently has a program on my local PBS station and recently made the rabbit dish we just enjoyed. |
No,
I do not have Jacques Pepin and Julia Child lurking in my kitchen, but I might
as well have. My cooking history predates my exposure to gastronomy. Since my
mother worked, it was left up to my older sisters to prepare most of the
dinners of my childhood.
First
Lois, then Pat got the nightly dinner on the table. Lois was always hungry. Her
idea of the perfect meal was mountains of macaroni and (Velveeta) cheese. Plus
bread. Pat's favorite was a prepackaged version of Spanish rice and heating up
a can of green beans. On the occasions when Mother cooked, she often tried to
emulate the recipes in the women's magazines of the day. (Her idea of a fancy
dessert was to cut the Jello into cubes and pile them in a glass.) At least
that was edible. Many of her attempts were not.
The
summer I was 11 Mother said it was my turn to cook. I ventured further than my
sisters, but had very little to work with except a Woman's Home Companion
Cookbook. (I didn't meet a piece of broccoli until after I was married.) As a
young mother I had quite a struggle getting enough nourishing food on the table
for my kids until I had a transforming encounter. Somebody gave me a paperback
book titled "How To Eat Better For Less Money." It opened my eyes to
a myriad of possibilities. I didn't realize until years later that the author
was James Beard, the quintessential American food authority. .
I
learned about organ meats, edible critters beyond beef/pork/chicken, stock pots
and bones, and fresh herbs. My kids grew up eating what their friends
considered downright exotic food. Mike's friends especially, always showed up
at meal time to share in the boiled tongue, horse steaks, and oxtail ragout.
Husband
Gene was interested in compiling a wild game cookbook and used me as the test
kitchen. Friends would donate their "kills" and we feasted on elk and
wild boar, frog legs and squab, venison and rabbit, and all manners of fish. I
cooked it all, and loved doing it. And loved eating even more! (One time Gene
came back from a hunting trip to Culiacan, Mexico, with 70 wild ducks, all
dressed and ready for my freezer. We had a tamalada and sent all our guests
home with several dozen duck tamales.)
Then
came the period when I lived alone and family meals were no longer required. I
made many gourmet meals for one. It's a totally different way of cooking. I
enjoyed it a lot. But then I became more and more limited in my ability to work
in the kitchen. When it got to the point I couldn't stand at the counter long
enough to make a sandwich, I knew I needed help.
That's when Bobby the Sous Chef came into my
life. Actually, he is a plumber, a good gardener and is helping me organize,
pack and store a lifetime of "stuff." He didn't know his way around
the kitchen at all. How wonderful to have a blank slate to work with! I had
taught all three of my kids to cook and they all became very good at it. So I
(Julia Child) sit on the couch and shout directions at Bobby (Jacques Pepin) in
the kitchen.
This
week we ventured into French cooking. I had ordered a rabbit from the internet.
Bobby had never cut one up. I showed him how.
 |
| This is how the rabbit comes--skinned, dressed and headless, ready to cook whole or be cut up into parts. Bobby asked me how it was different from a chicken. "A chicken doesn't have four legs," I said. |
Then
I told him how to make a bouquet
garni. He had never used tarragon, fresh sage and rosemary tied
with a string before. There is a method to making Pepin's sauce from bacon,
white wine, mushrooms and cream that the rabbit is braised in. Bobby mastered
it perfectly. We both agreed, dinner was marvelous!
"What
else have you got waiting for me in that freezer?" Bobby asked. "Oh,
just a crown lamb rib roast, a duck and a couple of lobster tails," said
I. I can hardly wait.
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PRESTON TUREGANO
writes:
In
April 1997, I wrote a story about a loo redo at the San Diego Civic Theatre.
“After 32 years, the facility's ground-floor ladies restrooms are being
rebuilt, increasing the number of stalls in two rooms from 14 to 30.” At a cost
of $337,000. Unwritten: that most theaters and stadiums have been designed by
men, so therefore having plenty of places for women to relieve themselves at
such public venues has been a social shortfall for decades. At San Diego’s
Qualcomm Stadium, which we all learned in today’s U-T that Chargers owner Dean
Spanos just hates, I recall women using a men’s restroom during a rock concert
(The Eagles? The Rolling Stones?) circa 1995. Can’t exactly recall. Anyway,
women of all ages were coming in and out of a men’s loo like there was no
tomorrow. I sympathized with their decision. Talk about a place that was really
designed with mostly men in mind. Unfair. Inconsiderate. Sexist. Tear it down!
CARL LARSEN
writes:
This Costa coffee shop in Doncaster, England, seems to have
solved the restroom gender issue.
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FRED SIDHU
writes:
I saw this item on EBay.
Just wanted to send this on to you to see if anyone knew
anything about this.
This is the first time I've seen this item.
REBER: I have never seen this. Anyone?
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DAVID FARMER writes:
Noel
Osment told of having lived in Saddle River, New Jersey. I once lived in nearby
Ridgewood. Those two towns give the lie to New Jersey's reputation among the
ignorant for being ugly. People sometimes laugh at NJ's motto, the Garden
State.
Such
benighted souls must be thinking of industrial towns like Bayonne that you see
while driving the New Jersey Turnpike. Most cities pierced by freeways don't
look so good from your car.
But
Ridgewood and Saddle River are coveted places to live. In fact, the late
President Richard Nixon resided in Saddle River from 1981 to 1991. It's said he
could have chosen any location as his Elba.
The
smaller Upper Saddle River is even more exclusive, though offering few amenities
-- that's the general idea. Neighboring Alpine is one of the 20 most expensive
towns in the U.S.
All
the places I've mentioned are in Bergen County, New Jersey. Located in the
northeast corner of the state, it's a virtual borough of New York City. Towns
there have reasonable (not great) access to Manhattan while offering beauty and
quiet to those who can afford it.
Bergen
County is one of the top two or three parts of the country where Hinda and I have
lived. Of course, you have to like snow and winter sports. Ridgewood had a
swimming pond in the middle of town that froze in the winter and residents
ice-skated on it.
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CARL LARSEN
writes from London:
The NFL again invades London this weekend as the Jaguars
meet the Colts Sunday at 6:30 a.m. San Diego time at Wembley Stadium. If past
trends continue, the 80,000 seat stadium will be sold out. Regent Street,
above, will be the scene of a pregame festival Saturday. Did I hear anyone say
London would be a great new home for the Chargers?
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REX SALMON Reunion Update:
18 have said YES so far!
919 Fall Gathering
Monday, Oct 17, 3 p.m.
Black Angus Steakhouse
in giant BullsEye Bar
10370 Friars Rd SD
Mile East of Stadium
Plenty of Free Parking
(619) 563-5862
For big crowd at BullsEye,
Erin needs 2 weeks’ notice
to have plenty of servers of us.
So Notify Rex Salmon by Oct. 3
If at last moment you find
you’re free to come, join us!
Happy Hour Food and $3 Bud Lite Draft
Other drafts $4 and full menu.
Sent your name and number of people
to
So far, those saying
YES, I’ll be there: Antonia Allegra, Pat Flynn, Anita Palmer, Alison DaRosa,
Martina Schimitschek, Patricia Dibsie, Diana and Gary Mortenson, David Gaddis
Smith, Rex and Lynnie Salmon, Thane McIntosh, Joe Holly, Logan McKechnie, Ken
Stone and Camera, Terri Spilecki and Bill, and Jack Reber. (If your name is
missing here, poke me again.)
Jim O’Connell is coming from
Washington D.C. He writes: ”It’s a long trip and I’d like to get a good
crowd. I hope crowd includes: Cheryl Clark, Pat Flynn, Michael Smolens, Lisa
Petrillo, Anita Palmer, Gerry Braun, Mark Sauer, Ed Jahn, Greg Gross, Steve
Droessler, John Wilkens, and Rex Salmon.”
So far, Jim, only Anita K. and Pat Flynn have
nodded YES. You others are on a “Wanted to See” list. We’d love to see a
hundred or more. Call up a pal and make plans now.
JIM O’CONNELL
writes:
Rex,
you better prepare for a crowd. The news that Pat Flynn will make every effort
to attend the Oct. 17 gathering will have the same effect among the 919 Gang
that William Shatner signing free autographs would have on Star Trek fans, or
Kim Kardashian revealing a new outfit would have on paparazzi: it's now a can't
miss event. Erin, prepare your team.
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REBER: A doubleheader
tonight: Happy Birthday, Oct. 1, to Jim Goldsborough and Ruby Layson.
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CARL LARSEN
forwards:
The notion of a train plowing into a
terminal is, unfortunately, an idea that has over the years captivated
Hollywood. Two examples: "Silver Streak" and "Hugo."
P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.
