Still Life in Deep Fry: Segment One

I'm hungry. Damn hungry, but have no idea what strikes my fancy right now. Apparently this starts making one nostalgic for the bits and pieces of culinary delight that may or may not still reside in some dark corner of one's small intestine. I started ruminating on the many places I've lived and the food that defines them. It's amazing how we use our senses connect with memory, so I decided to write about some of the places I've eaten that mean the most to me. Places that, for one reason or another, stand out in my mind. My life in food, so to speak. Now, I couldn't hit 'em all, but you'll get the picture from the highlights. I'm also a big fan of Top 10 lists, but this was too big for one post, so ya get 1-5 for now. Stay tuned for Segment Two; it promises to be equally as salivating. Or repulsive. Your choice. Mangia!

1. Ole's Waffle Shop, Alameda, CA.

One of the first places I remember eating; my pops used to take us here on the weekends. I remember hot syrup on the table and waffles bigger than my head with melting pads of butter that looked like ice cream scoops. Iconic & Rockwellian...what's not to love?

2. Goode Company BBQ, Houston, TX.

Classic Texas. Loud & proud. Best restaurant BBQ I've ever had. Pulled pork & ice cold Shiner Bock on a humid Houston night does a pretty good job of reminding you that everything's bigger in Texas. The one thing I miss about my miserable years in Texas is the down home cookin.' And my buddy John, who introduced me to this joint and made my stay in TX worth the while.

3. Fox & Goose Public House, Sacramento, CA.

I always loved this picture. And not just because of her furry jumper. I oft frequented this haunt in my English-majorhood for a game of darts & a pint or few. Still the best Sunday brunch on this side of the pond: Bubble & Squeak, bangers, Welsh rarebit, strawberries & Devonshire cream, and a proper pot of tea. And beer. Can't forget the beer. This probably sparked my strange affection for all things British. Even that impishly charming yet bumbling idiot (see 'character actor') Hugh Grant. Yeah, I just admitted that.

4. Noah's Bagels, San Francisco, CA.

Home of the Egg-mit & other fine bagel related stuff. I find it ironic I ate 100% more bagels while living in SF than in NYC. That's just mashuganah! Although, Noah's has nothin' on any really good Kosher deli in NY. See Katz' Deli for inspiration...or watch that scene from The Princess Bride about the MLT. When the mutton is nice & lean...no patschkiening...

5. The Little Nugget Diner, Reno NV.

How can you not love a place that's home to the "Awful Awful?" For those of you not in the know, that's an awful big & awful good burger. What I love about the Awful Awful is that it captures excess in a town bred of excess. Finding yourself here at 2am on a Saturday night likely means you have been partaking in said excess, and can are in serious need of some good ol' fashioned grease to coat the lining of your stomach...not my favorite dive in Reno, but definitely one to remember. I think.

As promised, Segment Two (5-10) will include clogging arteries in NYC, Philly & beyond...until we next meet around the deep fryer, my culinary compadres...

And feel free to add your fav's to the list if you're feeling inspired!

I Think We're in for a bit of a Rough Ride

“If there is one tendency of the day which more than any other is unhealthy and undesirable, it is the tendency to deify mere "smartness," unaccompanied by a sense of moral accountability. We shall never make our republic what it should be until as a people we thoroughly understand and put in practice the doctrine that success is abhorrent if attained by the sacrifice of the fundamental principles of morality."

--President Teddy Roosevelt--

I'm not much to rant on politics or politicians, but I happen to have a deep affection for Teddy Roosevelt as a man, leader, conservationist, and American. While this quote seems to embody much of the turmoil of today's American angst, what I want in our short time together is to hone in on the idea of morality in the modern world.

Morality, in this sense, is the perceived obligation we all have to think outside the ego, to act upon the best interests of both ourselves and our community whether great or small. To act within the confines of social obligation--to let it guide our decisions. What I want to know is: what the hell happened to our sense of morality? I'm not speaking on behalf of the "occupiers" of American financial and political institutions, but rather for our general sense of abiding by the golden rule in the treatment of each other and the re-instillation of this value within our society.

Look in the news today: corporate greed, political malaise and corruption, senseless murder suicides, unspeakable deeds committed in our universities, The Kardashians. You name the forum, moral evasion is omnipresent. It's heading to the top of the charts...with a bullet.

I'm far from a traditionalist, not The Lorax who speaks for the trees, no bible-thumper, not batshit crazy Dr. Bronner with his "Moral ABC's" and certainly not a politic, but I'm concerned. Nay, scared shitless at the direction our social machine is heading. When will the little sense of morality we possess as a society cease to exist? In my time? My children's time? What can we do?

That's when I think about Roosevelt. As you can guess, he is my favorite president, and for good reason. A dreamer, a radical, a rugged individualist, a conservationist, a 'pull yourself up by the bootstraps' kinda guy, a man who wasn't going to take shit from nobody. A man with high expectations of himself and others. A man with a conscience: a man with a moral conscience. An American.

Now, I always come down on those who lay blame without a proposed solution (much like Teddy would). So what's the solution? I don't fucking know. What I do know is our sense of moral obligation begins within ourselves and the values we instill within our kids. I ask myself every day: What am I teaching my children? To think beyond themselves and consider others first. To consider the consequences of their actions and realize the butterfly effect they can and will have. To act with a clear idea of the outcome. That being a member of a successful community (great or small) is dependent upon the actions of its members. Does this mean my kids will grow up to be fine, upstanding citizens? Win Nobel prizes? Meet the Dalai Lama? Host the Oscars? Perhaps not, but not for lack of effort on my part.

I guess my point (finally, the point!) is that I hope each of us, whether leading a great corporation or keeping the home fires burning, is acting with a sense of conscience and obligation to each other, and that we are sending this message to our kids. That we will grow out of this mess by using our minds to create equitable solutions to the very real problems we face as a society and culture. That we can find common ground in our ties as Americans that bind us together and cease to fragment our culture. Whether you believe in Teddy's teachings, Occupy Wall Street or Elvis, it's food for thought.

I hope we can create a society for our children worth preserving. Not some crazy utopia, but a working machine that is built on solid foundation; a society that values the simple law of physics that states: every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Well, I think I've about fulfilled my rant for the week and hope I've given you something to consider while you're stuck in traffic, stuck with your nose in the tall-guy's-armpit-who's-not-wearing-deoderant on the subway, or just plain stuck.

And you thought all I was going to talk about was bicycles...

A Sort of Homecoming

For a while now, I've meant to start writing again, so I dug up my old blogarific moniker: The Concrete Sage. Apparently it's been a busy few years, because my last post was in 2008. My intention is to write one post a week about whatever is going on in this noodle bowl of a brain I own.

My hope is that I can gain some catharsis and entertain you folks in the process. There's a lot going on in our collective consciousness that is worthy of analysis, anecdote, or simply giggling at the asinine.

I hope you all enjoy the posts and I look forward to any comments and feedback you would be inclined to give. At times I may keep it a little too 'real,' but my goal is not to offend or distance you: rather to provide you some food for thought. I pull no punches, just call 'em as I see 'em. And I promise not all the posts will involve bicycles...

Cheers!

Who's Yo Daddy? A Picture of Contemporary Sports Heroes

So, I was engaged in conversation not long ago with an acquaintance; another 30-something dad with small children. In a rather uncircuitous manner, as males are wont to do, the conversation eventually turned to what sports we dreamed our children would play. He suggested that his son would undoubtedly be not only the New York Giant's biggest fan, but in approximately 12.5 years, be the starting linebacker. Or starting pitcher for the Yankees, or power forward for the Knicks. But one of the big three, for sure! Hell, he's being bred for it right now. He's twice the weight and height of any kid in his class!

Great. I like football too. And basketball. And baseball. Then, as it became my turn to reply in the same, I let out the truth of my personal feelings on the matter; apparently the wrong truth. I told him I wanted my kids to be involved in less mainstream sports. I hope they will choose from the following: tennis (which they will be starting this fall), soccer (to learn team fundamentals), swimming (for complete body health & intensity of mind), or golf (for mental focus, mathematical analysis, and control). Skiing and cycling of course will come later...

Now before you sportsfans out there start beating me down with my un-American-ness, allow me to say this. While I do recognize that there are pros and cons to every competitive sport, hey, let's look at some of those soccer hooligans, there is a certain mentality that seems to accompany the big ticket sports that I don't necessarily subscribe to.

I don't agree with the "cultivation of cult" that seems part in parcel to some of the big 3, as I will refer to them. I don't agree with the mentality of "more pain more gain," "nice guys finish last," or invincibility of man. I disagree that "failure is not an option" and that one can act like a complete jackass because of athletic talent, real or pharmaceutical. Now, I will also concede that one of my favorite sports, cycling, has a real doping issue. But, I will also ask when the last time we saw a cyclist brandishing a firearm or holding dogfights in his basement.

The long and short of it is, I felt as if myself and my kids were already being called out as "tennis wussies" (and that is almost a direct quote) because I subscribe to different sporting philosophies. I will say this: we are all individuals with independent choices on self conduct and preservation, but what attitudes and morals are kids going to get when the "stars" of their beloved sports end up not finishing college to go early in a draft, attack their coaches, are on trial for steroids, or worse? It is, after all, up to us as parents to instill moral values and social etiquette within our children, but when the outside world (as it surely must) becomes a significant influence, where will our influence end???

And the bottom line: there surely are gentlemen (and women) in all facets of sports who play the game like it should be played. There are those who are pure of heart and mind who have nothing more than love of the game. But, also, those who truly possess a love for the spirit of competition will admire and respect any athlete of the same caliber, regardless of sporting choice. That's my bottom line. And fair to say, this gentleman did not possess this mentality, nor will his child, I am sure. So my call out to all my parent-readers out there is to give due consideration to what environment you wish to send your child into and what end result you would like to see...


Barry Bonds



Michael Vick



Dennis Rodman



Or...


Michael Phelps



Tiger Woods



Andy Roddick

What Doesn't Kill You...Makes You Not Dead...Yet

Since it has been, ummm, a spell since I have posted a blog, some of you may be inquisitive as to my general whereabouts and well being. I can assure you that I am still of semi sound mind and body, but as circuitous as my ways can be, I will lead you on a low level IQ guessing game to discover how I have been spending my "free time" sans family. So I will pose the following list, and you must choose which you think best fits the bill...Here goes.

Option A: The Couch Potato. Have I become intimate with fried bite-sized foods chased by microbrewed ice creams, grossly engrossed in such tragic realities as "Living Lohan & A Taste of Love with Tela Tequila" and leaving buttocks-sized depressions on my wholly uncomfortable futon?

Or...
Option B: The Circus Freak. Have I run off, as many young (I use the term generously) men are wont to do, to join the circus? To share with the world the abnormalities of my being? To delight in the awed faces of those who witness...well for those who like weird stuff, ya know?

Perhaps...
Option C: The Bachelor Pad. Have I been entertaining those of questionable taste, morals, and general public decency? Have I succumbed to the base animal of man, complete with poker chips, light beer, and I guess regular chips?

Maybe...
Option D: The Inner Child. Have I taken a big swim in "lake me?" Have I found again the little guy inside (no short jokes here) who just wants to know the world for the innocent place that once seemed so real? Have I fingerpainted all the walls and put PB&J sandwiches in the VCR again?

Finally...
Option E: How often do you get a multiple choice test with option E? Maybe I have been this guy. We'll call him Dave for anonymity. Have I been running rampant on the streets of New York brandishing my tape measure and t-square? Have I actually used the "hammer loop" on my carpenter jeans? And I thought that had something to do with MC Hammer. Silly rabbit.

So you be the judge. What best describes the past month? Which picture paints accuracy? Jump in. Take the plunge. Decipher this Rorshach test of enigmatic proportions. Let me know. And don't dis Chuck E. Cheese. I may have pushed some of the little kids out of the way, but I always keep my eye on the prize.

The 5-Boro Bike Tour

Today goes down in history as my first lengthy pedaling endeavor via pavement. A few months ago when I saw a subway ad for the Five Boro Bike Tour, I thought to myself: self, this might indeed be an interesting way to get to know your neighbors. All 8 million of them. So, The Little Mule(that's what I call my two wheeled commuting compadre) & I signed up.
This morning at 8 am, 31,000 of my closest friends and I were cut loose on the streets, highways and byways of NYC to complete a 42 mile bike tour of Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn & Staten Island. See map & Info Link below.
http://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/fbbt/

As riders rode past the starting gate, they were asked to shout where they were from, while the event chair announced them over the loudspeaker: "India, Greece, Australia, Italy, China, and Reno," to name but a few worldly locales...Now the event participants ranged from groups of friends employing silly themes (the sombrero wearers were my favorite, although the group dressed as flamingos was a close second), families with kids, team riders/racers, and of course, the rest of us who fall somewhere in between.

Anyway, the tour was great and I had a blast. It was fun to roll The Little Mule for such a long journey, and she did not disappoint (though my leg power did about mile 35). I had fun, avoided being in the midst of the many frightening collisions I was unfortunately privy to witness, and even kept up nicely with Team Saucy-Neon-Pink-N-Green-Spandex on my single speed. All kinds of people lined the streets and front yards encouraging us on, kids handed out candy and water, cheerleaders were, well, cheering, as well as the occasional street corner music group doing their thing.

Also, I have to commend The City for putting on a well organized and safe event. They had all the roads blocked off and NYPD on every corner. There were ample rest stops with free food and water, live music & a festival at the end. Not too shabby! I will do it again next year, though I have decided to recruit some willing friends to come with. Pony up folks. I have also decided to acquire a real road bike (since there seems to be a striking absence of mountains out here) and shoot for a century race this fall.

I have some great race shots on my camera phone, but haven't worked out how to download them as of yet. I will post an addendum once I figure it out. But now, as my weary bones are ready to drift off to sleep, I will leave you with some highlights from my own personal winner's podium:

Little g's congratulating Big G


Ready for a slice & a Pabst


Eye of the Tiger (like the Survivor song, you know?)

Derbyriffic in NYC

Well, not everyone can be as shining an example as The Colonel himself...but if there is one thing we have in common, it's to enjoy a fine specimen of equine gallantry. I am, of course, speaking of The 134th annual Kentucky Derby, not biscuits and Cole Slaw, lest you should be confused.

One can, however, invite a few fine folks over to celebrate the big day at Churchill Downs with Mint Juleps, Derby Pie and maybe an itsy-bitsy wee little betting pool...well, we ARE from Nevada, you know. We put a warning against the evils of gambling here for you kids to read...

My bride, not a Kentuckian by nature, decided to christen our first NYC Derby Day by inviting friends over for cordials. As you can see in this photo, she is about to serve up our interpretation of the state beverage...not that alot of hard research was conducted. When in Rome and all that...

Our neighbors arrived looking mighty "Rico Suave" for the occasion...perfect!

And, here is the rest of the party, conducting themselves in ways becoming of young Southern Genteel folk...

Even The Dudes joined in the fun...

A grand time was indeed had by all; wish you could have joined us! Salutations from your hostess...