When I was training to be a chef in the Las Vegas casinos in the late 70’s I had to perform and master all the stations of a kitchen. My final exam for the boucher (butcher) station was the breakdown of a pig corpse into, well everything edible. Pork rinds to sweetbreads. Now breaking downContinue reading “My Favorite Sandwich”
Category Archives: Education
Corny
Ever since we moved to southern Ohio, I am turning into a real cornball. I leave my left arm free when I slowly drive through my neighborhood. So I can do the “neighbor wave” in case one of my peeps throw me a wave as I make it home. I eat at Bob Evans sometimes.Continue reading “Corny”
The Bus Trip
It was supposed to be a first-class plane ticket home, but I ended up squandering my grant money from school on a doomed football bet. I had to take a bus all the way across the states, and it turned out to be quite the adventure. I boarded the Greyhound bus in South Bend, IndianaContinue reading “The Bus Trip”
Weddings
I was sitting here blasting away at some old-school OG Kush and I started thinking about weddings. I have been to very few weddings in my lifetime. In order, I have been to my own wedding, my Goddaughter’s nuptials, and my cousin’s. That’s it. Growing up as a way-too-confirmed bachelor, I was invited to manyContinue reading “Weddings”
Timelines
Such as in when is it OK to swear around children? Parents will go to extreme measures to shelter their children from hearing any curse words. They will interrupt you in mid-sentence if need be, to remind you to beware as you proceed. As you may know, Karen and I were not blessed with childrenContinue reading “Timelines”
Changes in Latitudes
Great Jimmy Buffet song, but also true. When I think back to all the different latitudes in which I have dwelled or visited, it did seem to matter how far north or south I lived as to what my attitude was. For example, I once visited the Philippines Islands (latitude just north of the equator)Continue reading “Changes in Latitudes”
Fringe Bennies
There are benefits that come with good (read: high-paying) jobs. Usually, the higher-paying the job, the better the bennies. Not usually, higher. I was fortunate in my chef career to have befriended and worked for several very rich people. Diamond Danny owned forty-seven restaurants around the globe, and all of them were in coastal communities.Continue reading “Fringe Bennies”
Tipped Employees
I am a good tipper. I was taught by my mom that you did not accept service from someone without compensating them. We always had money to go out AND tip for services rendered. And we weren’t rich by any means. Of the many jobs I worked in my life, it’s hard to beat musician,Continue reading “Tipped Employees”
The Bike Ride From Hell
I was thirty-two years old and had the body of a coke-fueled alcoholic on the fast track to The End. I had not lifted a weight since I was nineteen years old and I soaked my body nightly in Seagram’s VO, Elephant Beer, and other people’s girlfriends. I was dating my wife-to-be for all ofContinue reading “The Bike Ride From Hell”
Boo-Hoo
Crying is one of my favorite emotions. I find it to be at once cathartic and cleansing. Laughing until you cry is the best. I’m trying to think of the last time I laughed so hard I cried, but it has been awhile. It seems like when I was a young man I did itContinue reading “Boo-Hoo”
