So They Aren't All Great - Chicago Confidential

So, OK, not every reading choice is a winner. At an estate sale, I picked up a copy of Chicago Confidential by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer. Published in 1950, the book is now exactly 59 years out of date. Lait and Mortimer were two New York newspapermen who had previously made their mark with, not surprisingly, New York Confidential. They followed up the NYC book with a sequel on Chicago. Despite trying to hype some Chicago roots, it's obvious early on that they see most things through a New York lens.

So what were these "Confidential" books (there was later a USA Confidential)? Basically, they were trips through the seedy parts of town, which probably was pretty risque by 1950 standards. They were even made into really bad movies, but seeing how none of these movies have seen the light of day on video, AMC, or TCM, I'm guessing they were pretty horrible. From this book, we learn:

- The "Taj Mahal" of Chicago brothels was the Everleigh Club, at 2131/2133 South Dearborn.

- Heroin costs $1.50 per capsule; marijuana joints cost 3 for $1.00.

- There are many ethnic minority communities in Chicago, but - amazingly - Lait and Mortimer never found the Irish neighborhoods, either on the North or South sides. Really. No, really. Oh, come on! Kinda an obvious oversight.

- There are dolls, dames, show gals, strippers, b-girls, and hookers. Lots and lots of hookers.

- Burlesque was very big. There were three classes of strippers - "fan-dancers", "grinders", and "talking women". There was also a difference between "nude" and "naked". No, really.

- In 1950, in addition to the Cubs and Sox, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (from A League of Their Own fame) still played in Chicago - at the Admiral Stadium, on the West Side. For you trivia buffs, the league lived on quite well past the end of World War II and didn't fold until 1954 (see additional Chicago link below).

- Bughouse Square (Washington Square, at North Clark and Walton) - a "haunt of homos, pinkos, nature lovers, and nuts... soap boxers and prosties". No, really, it says that.

Unfortunately, a book about 1950's Chicago, with mainly Loop addresses, is a severe Google Maps disappointment. Check an address, and it's now a 1970s cinder block post office or a vacant lot. But it does have a taste of what was important in the 1950s, and unfortunately, is pretty much lost today, like backstage phone numbers, names of the headwaiters of the best restaurants (including the Palmer House, Pump Room, and the Drake), and a list of restaurants and bars. I would say "the best" restaurants and bars with a grain of salt, but it seems like the authors never left the Loop to eat (or at least, not further north then the 1000 block of North Clark). There's a list of strip clubs, dancing halls, and restaurants, listed by ethnic cuisine.

One reason I bought the book was to do a bit of research on a famous restaurant owned by Mike Fish. It's part of my Dining Club project. More on that later. But no mention of Mike Fish or his restaurant in the book. Too bad. I was going to pitch the book, since I don't have that much of a need for it now. Rather, I may send it off to Katie, as the restaurant list (with addresses) may be of interest to her LTHForum buddies at some time in the future.

In short, the book was worth it. For 25 cents. Hmmm.

Oh, and the photo. From the Dog N Suds in Richmond. True Chicago cuisine.

Oh, and the girls baseball thing. I don't know why the movie glossed this over, but the entire idea for the AAGPBL was the idea of, yes, Phillip K. Wrigley. Spring training for the inaugural 1943 season was played at - woohoo - Wrigley Field. Well, there ya' go.

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Another Late Reading List Item - Absolute Friends

Yet another book I actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't gotten around to posting to the list. I picked this book up for free in the "share box" at the Jefferson City office. I figured, how can you go wrong with John LeCarre? Well, you can't apparently. An excellent read, on par with any of LeCarre's earlier books, with the same elaborate plot development, counterintuitive twists, and great characters. Absolute Friends takes the LeCarre spy genre, and updates it to factor in the post 9/11 paranoia of the GWOT era.

NIU vs Miami

From Friday's Chicago Sun Times:

At the midpoint of their season, the Huskies are 3-3 and entering a critical stretch if they are to entertain hopes of reaching the MAC title game or a bowl game. Their next four opponents -- Miami (0-7), Akron (1-5), Eastern Michigan (0-6) and Ball State (0-7) -- are a combined 1-25. NIU should enter the final two games of its schedule, at Ohio (5-1) and at Central Michigan (6-1), with a 7-3 record.

Today's score:

NIU - 27
Miami - 22

The Huskies are 4-3, with 5 games left to play.

The photo - Matt at the Wisconsin game. The Huskie Hat was a great hit.

Spaghetti con Calamari

The impetus for this recipe was frozen squid on close-out at the Jefferson City West Gerbes (a grocery store chain, for the uninitiated). Frozen squid, medium sized, whole, for 1.99 a pound. Damned good price. I bought two pounds.

I looked on line for an easy squid recipe that didn't involve deep-frying (too much oil, too messy), and I came across a recipe on cdkitchen.com that involved pasta, but didn't rely on a breading, a white or red sauce. Other than the butter - you don't want to use margarine or a non-butter substitute with this - it was a one mighty healthy dish.

Here was the problem, though. I planned to double up on the recipe - good for school week leftovers, good for teenagers. But then I went shopping to buy out of stock ingredients, and it dawned on me what four pounds of tomatoes entailed. That's one big pot-o-food. I stuck with the original recipe - two pounds of tomatoes, with one pound of squid, one pound of pasta. Still a hunk of food.

Like every cook with their personal half-assed "improvements", I substituted Roma tomatoes for Italian plums, and liberally near-doubled dried, processed oregano, thyme, basil, and marjoram for fresh alternatives. Why? Because I live in friggin' Kansas City, for Christ's sake. Try to get fresh basil and Italian plum tomatoes here.

Finally, I went with store bought spaghetti, though if I was going this for a more formal group than hungry kids I would have used a better pasta. But, hey - "tubular spaghetti" (the original recipe)? What the heck is that? Tubular? Is that like groovy fettucine or totally rad ziti?

To make the tomato/calamari sauce, I used a Zojirishi electric skillet, which is much more controllable and easier to clean (up after) than a frying pan. Mmmm. I love electric skillets.

Overall, making the sauce, making pasta, serving to a hungry horde - easy peasy.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or virgin olive oil
2 pounds Italian plum tomatoes, peeled & coarsely chopped
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound squid, cleaned, tentacles intact, body in bite-size
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 pound spaghetti or perciatelli (tubular spaghetti)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat butter or oil in large saucepan. Add tomatoes and onions and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tomatoes break apart easily and onion is soft. Add squid, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes more. Add herbs and cook for 5 minutes. The squid should be very tender. Add salt and pepper and serve over pasta.

Oh, the photo. Totally unrelated to squid, curiously. It's my one favorite place in South Korea. The hostels south of the Sorak-san. Unfortunately, this exquisitely beautiful stream (and scenery) was destroyed by torrential flooding in 2006. A tragic loss, like burning the Mona Lisa. Sorely missed.

Your Daily NIU Football Fix

From today's USA Today. Hooah!

Northern Illinois defensive end Jake Coffman spent two tours of duty in Iraq while a member of the Marines where he was an engineer, setting up equipment for combat units to use.

Northern Illinois DE, Iraq veteran Coffman plays for 'the fallen'

By Jack Carey, USA TODAY
When Jake Coffman got the itch to get serious about football again after four years away from the game, he brought a unique perspective back to the field.
War can do that.

The Northern Illinois junior defensive end walked on in 2006 as a 22-year-old freshman after two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq. A guy who knows what winning and losing is really about, Coffman understands shedding blocks beats evading mortar fire because he's done both.

"I was 18 years old and going into a war. That experience opened my eyes and made me appreciate a lot of things," says Coffman, now 25. "And to be in the situation I'm in now is really a blessing."

Coffman says facing a tough test in the classroom followed by a long, hard afternoon on the practice field is nothing compared to what he experienced in Iraq and what many of his friends and colleagues are still going through. His old unit was recently redeployed to Afghanistan.

"I still have friends there I think about all the time. I stay in contact with a lot of them, and they're on my mind every day," he says.

And so are friends and acquaintances who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Coffman has dedicated his career to them and writes, "For the fallen," on his wristbands before games. He then leads the Huskies onto the field while carrying the U.S. flag. "That's really a rush," he says. "To really know what it stands for means a lot."

Coffman was a linebacker and defensive end at Forreston (Ill.) High but says he was "pretty small" (about 180 pounds) coming out of high school and didn't receive offers to play in college.

"I needed something to pay for school because I didn't want to put a strain on my parents, and I thought the military would be a good way to pay for it," the now 255-pounder says.

"I thought the Marines would be the right fit for me; they're the toughest."

Showing an aptitude for electronics, Coffman became an engineer, setting up equipment for combat units to use when they arrived.

"It was electronic equipment repair, setting up generators, air conditioners, power grids, whatever was needed," he says.

His tours in Iraq lasted eight and seven months, and Coffman earned the rank of corporal while active, although he's now a sergeant on inactive duty. His term is to officially end in January.

It was while playing intramurals at Camp Pendleton in California after returning from Iraq that he began to get the urge to return to the sport. "I had made a promise to my father (Timothy) that I'd at least look into football and go to school when I was done," he says. "I had a lot of fun (in the intramural league) and realized I could still play."

In 2006, Coffman got in contact with then-NIU assistant coach Greg Bower, who had previously coached Coffman's brother-in-law. Joe Novak, then the Huskies' head coach, agreed to bring Coffman in as a walk-on.

He redshirted in 2006 while playing with the practice squad but then almost had his career derailed early in the 2007 season when he suffered a broken foot.

"I began to feel like maybe I was too old, maybe I can't take it. But at the same time, I had already played a little bit, and I got the itch to get healthy," he says.

Coffman returned last season, playing in 11 games, including the Independence Bowl, and finished with 22 tackles, three for loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

On Oct. 3 of this year against Western Michigan, Coffman got his first career touchdown when he tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage, caught the ball and ran 79 yards for the score. He also stopped another Broncos drive when he recovered a fumble.

The exploits earned him Mid-American Conference West Division defensive player of the week honors.

"I guess I had some oil in my joints," Coffman says with a laugh when thinking about the long return. "People didn't think I had enough speed or juice."

NIU coach Jerry Kill called Coffman's interception "about the best thing I've ever seen as a coach. With what he's been through, it was just great to see."

Kill, whose team visits Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, says he notices a "unique relationship" between Coffman and younger teammates. It's one of respect for what he's been through, the coach says, "but at the same time, he's one of them."

"People seem to forget about the sacrifices that are being made (by military personnel)," Kill continues. "But what he brings to us means a lot. "

Coffman hopes to graduate in the spring, and if he does, he's undecided about returning for his redshirt senior season next year. He'd like a career in government service and might want to get on with it.

"I'm not sure yet," he says. "I'm having fun. Hopefully at the end of the year, I'll know."

The Pope's Gambit? The Times of London has a New York Times Moment

Zoinks! I read in awe the hyperbolic Times of London article "Pope's gambit could see 1,000 quit Church of England", written by one Ruth Gledhill - ostensibly The Times' "Religion Correspondent". Which religion she normally corresponds on isn't all that clear, but it certainly is not reassuring when the "Religion Correspondent" of the Times possesses such an appaullingly superficial understanding of the Roman Catholic Church. Oh, where to start?

"As many as 1,000 priests could quit the Church of England and thousands more may leave churches in America and Australia under bold proposals to welcome Anglicans to Rome".

Well, not that bold actually, and not all that new, since Anglican/Episcopalian priests, including those who are married, have been converting to Roman Catholicism for almost thirty years, since the practice was approved by the Pope in 1980. It's a rather tiny number, with a handful of married Catholic priests running around here and there. The only thing that has changed is that the Church is formalizing a more distinct mechanism for 'managing' Anglican converts - a move thought necessary by Rome following a spike in conversion requests over the past few years resulting from problems internal to the Anglican Church. The biggest change, actually, is a result of nothing more than volume: rather than having to enter existing Roman Catholic seminaries to "re-blue" as Catholic priests (the current practice), converting Anglicans will be allowed to establish their own seminaries, and churches will be allowed to retain some elements of the Anglican rite. But to characterize it as a sneaky poaching operation foisted upon the Anglican Church by Rome is ridiculous. OK, the next line is even sillier:

"Entire parishes and even dioceses could be tempted to defect after Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to offer a legal structure to Anglicans joining the Roman Catholic Church".

Again, nothing new here. This has been happening since 1980. For example, in 1991 St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in Arlington, Texas, became St. Mary the Virgin Catholic Church, with the entire congregation becoming full members of the Catholic Church. The congregation voted on the change, and the pastor of the church was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest. So, once again, no real news here.

"Anglicans privately accused Rome of poaching and attacked Dr Williams for capitulating to the Vatican. Some called for his resignation. Although there was little he could have done to forestall the move, many were dismayed at his joint statement..."

Anglicans? Some? Many? The lack of clarity in this bold, unsubstatiated statement is astounding. And no good article about the Catholic Church isn't complete without a bit of the ol' Pope-bashing:

"The Pope has already shown his determination to reunite Christendom at almost any price, welcoming back the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X despite a Holocaust-denying bishop in its ranks."

Here, Ms Gledhill, the "Religion Correspondent", shows her pretty-near absolute ignorance of Canon Law and the SSPX matter. The "traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X" has not been "welcomed back". Unfortunately, Ms Gledhill apparently does not understand the difference between disciplinary actions and doctrinal differences. Yes, the Pope lifted the excommunications of 4 SSPX bishops - but excommunications are individual punishments, not collective. The status of the SSPX itself, as a religious order, has not changed, as the Pope highlighted in his 10 March 2009 letter following the Williamson brouhaha (and, yes, Mr Williamson - I would not dignify him by addressing him as Fr or Rev - is indeed an air-thief):

"The remission of the excommunication was a measure taken in the field of ecclesiastical discipline: the individuals were freed from the burden of conscience constituted by the most serious of ecclesiastical penalties. This disciplinary level needs to be distinguished from the doctrinal level. The fact that the Society of Saint Pius X does not possess a canonical status in the Church is not, in the end, based on disciplinary but on doctrinal reasons. As long as the Society does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church. There needs to be a distinction, then, between the disciplinary level, which deals with individuals as such, and the doctrinal level, at which ministry and institution are involved. In order to make this clear once again: until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church."

Of course, The Times correspondent could have easily fact-checked this, as it's all on the Vatican's website and easily searchable. But why let a few facts and understanding get in the way of a facile and easy bias.

By the by, I did visit the SSPX 'campus' in Kansas last year, where they run their own church and school. And, yes, in my opinion, they are total wack-jobs. Even if the SSPX order as a whole isn't quite as anti-Semitic as the ADL paints them, the atavistic views of some of their key leaders regarding Judaism puts them firmly at odds with the the Church's current relationship and doctrine regarding the Jews and the Jewish faith. So they aren't Roman Catholics. No matter how much they want to be. So there.

Oh, the photo - a beautiful little 100+ year-old settler church on the prairie in Saskatchewan, from my October 2008 road trip. A pleasant stop to stretch, meditate, and contemplate.

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

Toledo 20
NIU 19

OK. I'm done here.

Book List #3 - Nothing But Blue Skies

OK, I actually finished reading Thomas McGuane's Nothing But Blue Skies before the Penn Central book a couple of months ago. The initial interest was a novel about a guy living in the far west mountain country of Montana, a part of the country I really like. In that regard, Thomas McGuane did a great job in capturing the quirks, pace, and humor of life in a small rural mountain town in the far West. Similarly, I thoroughly enjoyed his main character Frank, a man left totally rudderless by his divorce, but comfortable and wealthy enough not to be desperate - and thus having a whole lot of time and aimlessness on his hands to make a whole series of slow-motion train wreck decisions. I that regard, the imagery was perfect - you could see the deliberate absence of reasoned thinking, as well as the oncoming cliff. What put it all together was Frank's basic 'niceness', and your hoping for him to find his way despite his basic knuckleheadedness. I came, I read, I enjoyed. A good read.

Book List Entry - "In Search of the World's Worst Writers"

I now can't recall where exactly I picked up a copy of Nick Page's In Search of the World's Worst Writers (London: Harper Collins,2000). But, oh, am I glad I did. Subtitled "A Celebration of Truimphantly Bad Literature", the book is a collection of short essays describing authors considered by Page to be among the worst ever to been published, culminating with the inimitable Amanda McKittrick Ros (pictured), considered by many as the worst published author ever (or, at the least, the worst abuser of alliteration). How good was this book? Tom's tip - don't read it in public. I laughed out loud reading parts of it, which is kinda frowned upon on Amtrak. Apparently, they have a low threshhold for loony behavior (unlike Greyhound, which is still a rolling freak show).

I would like to add a few quotes from Page's book here, but I don't know how he feels about such things. I've emailed him for permission.

One key element of a great book (like In Search of the World's Worst Writers) is when it inspires you to find out more. After laughing out loud reading Page's essay on Amanda McKittrick Ros, I found out a couple of pretty hilarious factoids:

First, she was considered so bad a writer that "she became the fad of the moment for the London literary crew, who threw Amanda McKittrick Ros parties at which they would take it in turns to recite favourite passages", and

Second, "The Oxford literary group the Inklings, which included such luminaries as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, held competitions to see who could read Ros' work for the longest length of time while keeping a straight face". Whoever laughed first, lost.

My one quibble with Page's list: he only gave Timothy Dexter two stars (on a one-to-five scale) for literary awfulness. I would have given him a couple more, for one very simple reason. "Lord" Timothy Dexter was so bad, he made other writers suck. I've read all of John P. Marquand's books, and Lord Timothy Dexter, which, ironically, was Marquand's first "biggie" that put him on the road to fame, is the only one that I found, in my humble opinion, practically unreadable. So Little Time it's not. Perhaps it just didn't age well.

As for Amanda, rare copies of her works are still around. Alibris.com is currently selling A.A. Milne's first addition of Delina Delaney for $651, and Abebooks has a first edition of Irene Iddlesleigh with a signed letter from McKittick Ros (ZOINKS!) for $251. Ah, for a bit of spare cash to splurge.

As for my copy of In Search of the World's Worst Writers, it's too good to keep to myself. I'll probably send mine on to Katie. For anyone else, it's worth finding, buying, and reading. Your darting orbs will become lachrymal lakes of laughter.

And Possibly Pants

Another humorous note from that bastion of ironic Midwest humor, the IGA store in Litchfield, Illinois. If it's hard to make out the blurry image, it goes from 'remove smocks" to "remove socks", to which another wit among the employees added ""& underwear" and then the best "and possibly pants". Great stuff.

No Punching? Huh?

I saw this note in the employee breakroom at a grocery store in Litchfield, Illinois. First, I normally eat off plates, but I kinda get what message they were trying to get across. And the writing thing. But, umm, "no punching". Is there some issue with furniture assault sweeping the Midwest I don't know about?

Don't Be Bitter, or In Brine

Another one of those oddities from the local Asian food store. Call me finicky, but I'm not instantly drawn to, or get a wild case of the yummies, by something with either "bitter" or "brine" on the label. Or a picture of a fruit, if that's what it really is, that looks all shriveled and wrinkly and about 50 years old. Decidedly unappetizing.

So That's Where Restaurants Came From

As seen in St Louis, en route to a Cardinals game.

The "original" restaurant? Really? What did they have before this? I can only imagine some folks cooking at home, and suddenly thinking "Hey, we call SELL this stuff!" And the rest is history.

And then, sadly, one day it closes. Another epoch closes. And the one and only Original Restaurant is lost to the ages. Like ancient Rome. Or the Romanov Dynasty. Or the St. Louis Browns.

Now That's a Big Bowl of Rice

As seen in Chicago, near Rush Street. Nothing says "I like Asian cuisine" like a rice bowl the size of a compact car.

Mr Squid. 'Nuff Said.

OK, for every great food idea Japan comes up with (like Vermont Curry), they also dream up one that is, well, not so great. Witness then "Mr Squid"-brand baked squid snacks. Made in Thailand for export to Japan and apparently for the Japanese palate. Or lack thereof. The things taste undeniably awful. Stale and somewhat rubbery, it doesn't even seem like it's a food source when you put it in your mouth. Bad. Like, really bad. Stunningly bad to almost being inedible. OK, you get the idea.

I should have known. Thailand. That explains it. The home of the fried egg flavored lollypop.

Vermont Curry - From Japan With Curiosity

Today's entry into the exceptionally weird world of food leads us to an old favorite, and decidedly more tasty than silkworm pupa. Vermont Curry. Why does a curry brand made in Japan since 1963 (and not originally intended for export to the U.S.) carry the name "Vermont"? Damned if I know. Perhaps the House Foods Corporation thought it was trendy at the time (1963). Anyway, the stuff is great. Major league tasty, easy to make, and mongo nutritious.

And in my quest to figure out how they came up with the name "Vermont", I came upon a cool factoid, considering I always considered curry as a decidedly Asian dish. Here ya' go - curry came to Meiji Japan during late 1800s by way of the British, who picked up a taste for it in colonial India. The Japanese, at the time, considered it a trendy 'Western' dish at a time when many new foreign ideas and products were entering the country. Pretty weird, eh? What we consider quintessentially Asian was thought by the Japanese to be quintessentially Western. So maybe the leap to naming it "Vermont Curry" in 1963 wasn't that far, after all.

As for why curry tastes the way it does, here's the list of spices that go into it (courtesy of the House Foods website):

The spices used in curry sauce and their general effects are:

Cardamom: improves appetite, relieves flatulence, and induces sweating
Turmeric: increases liver function, heals fatigue, and acts as an anticancer agent
Cumin: improve the appetite and digestion
Black pepper: stimulates appetite, digestion, and circulation
Coriander: helps purify the blood, induce sweating, and aid digestion
Red pepper: helps to improve heart and circulation, as well as induces sweating
Cinnamon: acts as a stimulant and detoxifier
Nutmeg: has analgesic effects and acts as a sleep aid
Fenugreek: brings down fever and helps with acid indigestion and diarrhea
Bay leaf: contributes to good digestion

OK, second weird curry factoid. The idea of putting potatoes in Japanese curry is credited to, umm, a guy from Massachusetts. William S Clark (1826-1886) was a president of what is now Amherst, officer during the Civil War, and 1876-77 spent eight months in Japan as a founding president of Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University). There was a rice shortage in Japan at the time (due to a drought), and apparently Smith came up with the idea of adding potatoes to curry mix for extra nutrition. Pretty cool, eh?

REALLY Bad Food Ideas

Pupa? No, really. Pupa? Let's look at the definition of that tasty culinary term:

[[From Wikipedia]] A pupa (Latin pupa for doll, pl: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis...In the life of an insect the pupal stage follows the larval stage and precedes adulthood (imago). It is during the time of pupation that the adult structures of the insect are formed whilst the larval structures are broken down. Pupae are inactive, and usually sessile (not able to move about). They have a hard protective coating and often use camouflage to evade potential predators.

Yummm. Tasty. OK, quick admission here. I lived in South Korea for almost 6 years. And they sold these things on pretty much every street corner. Try as I might, I never quite could get used to the idea of eating insects in a transition phase. It seemed kind of personal. To the insect, at least. Kinda like walking in on them in the dressing room.

But, hey - that's just me.

Not to mention that when I get hungry, the first word that pops into my mind isn't "holometabolous". Buffalo sauce, maybe. Holometabolous, no.

That said, I can't say the brilliant "market it as pupa for overseas markets" move will garnish much more of the seriously deprived north American edible larvae market.

Unless a LOT of hot sauce is involved.

The Litchfield IGA - Hmmmm.

And they wonder why grocery stores in the small towns of the Midwest are dying. I'm no farmer, but I'm relatively certain those aren't peaches.

Small Pleasures

Sometimes, you just need a small pleasure to pick you up, or get your karma back on the roadma. This is mine for today. Gas at $2.13 a gallon in central Missouri. I've heard it has actually gone a little lower, but I only post what I see.

OK. I feel much better now.

NIU Football - Bowlbound This Year?

I think YES! Northern is off to a 3-2 start, with the losses coming against Wisconsin and Idaho. Their big win against Purdue set them up for a powerful season.

Even better, the Huskies lucked out with an relatively light schedule this year. Let's look at who they face for the rest of the season:

Toledo (17 Oct) - This would seem like a pretty balanced fight, with both teams at 3-2 so far this season. But take a look at Toledo's three wins - an upset against Colorado (1-3), and then Florida International (0-4), and Ball State (O-5). A combined record of 1 - 12. Not exactly strong opposition. NIU should be able to knock Toledo off, as long as they don't choke.

Miami of Ohio (24 Oct)- Miami is currently 0-5.

Akron (31 Oct) - Akron is currently 1-3, with their one win coming against Morgan State, a Mid-East Athletic Conference team.

Eastern Michigan (5 Nov) - another MAC school sitting at the bottom of the charts with an 0-4 start thus far.

Ball State (12 Nov) - another team currently at 0-5.

Ohio (21 Nov) - NIU will have a nine-day rest before they take on Ohio, who are currently 3-2. But like Toledo, look at the schools Ohio has beaten: North Texas (1-3), Bowling Green (1-4) and Cal Poly (2-2) from the Great West Conference.

Central Michigan - Currently 4-1, and will probably be the team for NIU to beat to win the MAC West, But other than their impressive win over Michigan State, their three other wins were against Alcorn State (0-3), Akron (1-3) and Buffalo (1-4). This will be a tough game for NIU nonetheless as CMU seems to be the team to beat in the MAC this year.

Northern needs to win 4 more games to get that magic 7 wins. Between 24 October and 12 November, NIU plays four teams with a combined record of 1 - 17. These should be walkovers. As long as they don't choke, they should be able to handle both Toledo and Ohio. That just leaves CMU - the last game of the regular season. Even with one or two off days, NIU should go 8-4, at the worst, and possibly 9-3.

The MAC will get three bowl bids this year - the GMAC, International, and Little Caesars (the old Motor City Bowl), and could get more slots if other conferences fail to have enough bowl-eligible teams (which is how NIU eeked into the Independence Bowl last year with a mediocre 6-6 record). So, which one to hope for: Detroit (cold), Toronto (very cold) or Mobile (never cold). Hmmmm.

B-B-Q'd Quail

I picked up a package of six frozen quail at the same Chinese grocery story that had the periwinkles. I'd only made quail once before, and it wasn't that successful. The problem - quail are so small, they are very easy to burn or overcook. The recipe below seemed pretty simple, especially the use of barbeque sauce and water. I also was attracted to the use of an electric skillet. I love electric skillets. So retro.

Oh, I used a Korean pancake mix instead of flour, as I didn't have any flour readily available. In retrospect, I should have passed on either the mix or flour - the breading doesn't add anything to the recipe, and makes the fowl meat unnecessarily filling. No value added there. The barbeque sauce is more than adequate.

I found this recipe on http://www.backwardbound.com, which has all types of strange and mysterious game recipes, including squirrel, raccoon, and armadillo.

B-B-Q'd Quail

~ 2 quail breast per person
~ flour
~ oil
~ 1/4 tsp garlic salt
~ 1 cup "Cookies" bbq sauce or your favorite sauce
~ 1/2 cup water

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in an electric skillet until hot. A regular skillet can be used in place of the electric one.

Roll the quail in the flour. Add to the hot oil.

Fry until browned on all sides.

When browned, remove the quail and drain the grease. Return the quail to the skillet.

In a bowl, mix the bbq sauce and water together. Pour over the quail.

Sprinkle on the garlic salt.

Simmer between 250 and 300 degrees until meat is done.

The Recipe List And Recipe #1 - Periwinkle Chowder

OK, new list off to the right - a list of recipes. Some I will have tried, and some I just want to save for later. I will note the difference. Eventually, I will need a set up, like, a real web site for all this stuff. But this will suffice for now. The photo, by the by, is Matt and Theresa making sandwiches for the local homeless shelter in Woodbridge, Virginia. Lot's o' sandwiches.

I found this recipe online, at Recipes Wiki. About the only periwinkle recipe out there, actually.

More to the point, though, is where I found the periwinkles. They were at a Chinese grocery store in Kansas City. One package (a pound, more or less) equals about 2 cups worth, once they are chopped up for the chowder. On this one, I followed the recipe pretty closely, as it was new territory for me. I did add a second potato and went a bit more on the broth, creme, milk, and spices, mainly because I was stretching the dish out for more than six diners (and the periwinkles ended up being about 2 cups, vs. 1 1/2 cups called for in the original recipe. Unlike the original recipe, I bought my periwinkles already deshelled, so the whole "salt water/boiling" issue wasn't a problem. However, knowing that this type of seafood will get hard if over boiled, I waited until the bacon, onions, and celery were already well sautéed and soft before adding in the chopped periwinkle - the last five minutes or so. After that periwinkles and the sautéed ingredients started to simmer/light boil and produce a liquid, I added them to the potato-laden broth. I let the combined mixture simmer on a very low temp for another ten minutes of so (not too much, so as not to toughen up the periwinkle meat). All in all, it got great reviews, and was wolfed down faster than expected. One taste-tester said it needed more salt, which was probably a fair comment. Of course, I didn't tell them that periwinkle was actually a type of snail until after all was said and done. Cook's discretion, of course.

And, oh - I didn't have any pure cayenne readily available. I used Old Bay Seasoning instead.

Texas Periwinkle Soup

Description

Texas Periwinkle Soup is similar in taste to clam chowder and the recipe may be individualized to suit personal tastes. It is from Jamaica Beach, Texas, United States.

Ingredients

• 1 C chicken stock
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp. tarragon
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt & pepper
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1 C milk
• 1/4 C butter
• 1 1/2 C cleaned Periwinkles
• 1/2 C light cream
• pinch cayenne pepper

In a large soup pot, heat chicken stock, potatoes, tarragon, paprika, salt & pepper. Melt butter in a skillet, and lightly sauté the cleaned Periwinkle meat (see below), onion, celery, and bacon.

Add to stock mixture. Stir in wine and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Do not boil. Add milk and cream slowly, stirring constantly; do not boil or it will curdle. Add cayenne.

To clean Periwinkles: take a sauce pan full of water and throw in a small amount of salt. Bring to a boil and toss in the snails. Let them simmer for a few minutes, remove and use a toothpick to pull the meat from the shells. The salt water serves to both shrink and toughen the meat, making it easier to remove. Don’t boil them too long or you will end up with a very tough and chewy meal.

Dusk Arriving, Montana

Another perfect day in Montana ends - October 2008. Last post for today. More tomorrow.

Today's numbers:

11

Same as yesterday

680

175.0 (!!!)

Praying at the Altar of St. Ronald

One more from Pattaya, Thailand - where Ronald McDonald is, apparently, an object of near-religious veneration. He's kind of like the St Joseph of hamburgers. Or the St Francis of fries.

No, actually, this is a statue outside a Micky D's in Thailand, with Ronald giving visitors a traditional Thai welcome greeting. Because nothing says "Welcome" in Southeast Asia like a life-sized fiberglass clown hawking fast food.