Local Food Notes

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*Looks like things are gonna get real interesting at Reading Terminal Market. Rick’s Prince of Steaks is getting kicked out and Tony Luke’s is coming in. And Rick isn’t exactly pleased, saying that he’s getting the boot in retaliation for always sticking up for his fellow vendors. His lawyer says that Rick will refuse to move out at the end of the month. This is gonna be fun to watch.

*Have you checked out the Foobooz “Philly Mag Best Of…” Map? Trivia Art really shows what a computer he nerd he is by putting this thing together, but it is pretty damn cool.

*The dude from Philafoodie goes to a giant foie gras farm (Ok, so it’s technically a duck farm) and discovers that it’s really not that bad. In fact, not nearly as bad as the protesters who are going over the line to protest it. Very interesting and informative article. Of course, someone used the comment section to leave a fairly well written rebuttal. The debate continues. Having worked with animals in the past in a controversial environment, I will say this: If you are going to do story on a controversial animal treatment, you can’t just take the company at its word. In the captive dolphin environment, there was a massive propaganda campaign that was used on the public and the press, much of it true and some of it not true. To do a comprehensive story on it, you do have to dig a little deeper than what that camp would want you to know.

The Race

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A thrilling race in my native Nassawadox (population 572) on the morning of July 4th. I had a little much to drink the night before, and didn’t get much sleep, but that’s when I race my best. The bets were as follows: $20 on whether I could do the 2.5 mile race in under 21 minutes, and $5 each on the two girls (above, with my gambling buddies dad). I started slow, but that’s how I always start. With just over a half mile to run, I made my move, and found myself catching my buddy Gerald, a small forward on my high school b-ball team. We turned the corner neck and neck and headed down the homestretch. With about 100 yards to go, I tried to put it in overdrive. Bad move. Gerald was a track star in high school, and looks exactly the same now as he did then. He blew by me and beat me by about fifteen feet. However, that little burst at the end brought me in at 20:50, and I won the $30, though my buddy Frank says he needs to make some phone calls before he gives me the money.And the postscript: I am gonna be on Ibuprofrin for th erest of the day. I can barely move.

Still No Baby

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My sister’s due date was June 27, but most people were betting that she wouldn’t make it that long. But here we are on July 5, and still no baby. I’ll keep ya updated.

Worthless info

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It’s beautiful outside, and I’m sitting here coming up with questions for quizzo. It’s a damn shame. Anyway, here’s a few worthless nuggets to get you through the day:

*Want to hear the worst voice ever? Here is former Philly resident Florence Jenkins’s Myspace page (she’s apparently still going strong at age 139), where you can hear her sing. Here is her wiki entry.

*Men are struck by lightning four times as often as women.

*Read about Poon Lim, who survived at sea by himself for 133 days.

*Do you know what a funambulist is?

Question of the Week

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OK, this is gonna be a tough one to find out. Might have to do more research than usual: At what no longer standing tavern, on 4th and Chestnut, did Jefferson stay while he was writing the Declaration of Independence, before he moved over to the Graff House?

Is Ryan Howard the next Rob Deer?

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I made a remark on Beerleaguer a few days ago that watching Ryan Howard was like watching The Natural: every at bat is either a home run or a strikeout. Well, the stats bear me out, though he does mix in a walk every now and again. In the past year, Howard has had three games in which he had four strikeouts and a home run. No player in the last 50 years has had three games like that in a career.

The Deal for this week

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Alright, I am kicking it from Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Went out to the beach yesterday with my extremely pregnant sister (with her husband and her dog, below). I am here b/c she is expecting a baby in the next couple of days. I’ll keep you updated. Anyways, quizzo as usual this week, except for the Rendezvous. Jam Master Sean will be hosting on Tuesday and Thursday, and MIke Minion will be hosting his own special quizzo at the Black Sheep on Wednesday. In other words, yes, we will be having 4th of July Quizzo at the Black Sheep, but 4th of July quizzo is cancelled at the Rendezvous.