Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder in Berkeley… their City Council decided to make a grand stand against the Military. Oh, it might have gotten a series of chuckles … I think I will just drive on by from now on. Here’s what their mayor had to say:
“I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don’t belong here, they shouldn’t have come here, and they should leave,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates ….
Roger Freberg
PS. it’s hard to remember they’re Americans… sort of
I have nothing but admiration for Rudy and his endorsement of John McCain is nothing less than a real class act.
Having lived and worked in crime capital of New York City in the 70’s and witnessed the transformation under Rudy … I was amazed! His leadership after 911 was no less spectacular. Here’s an excerpt of an email Rudy sent to everyone who supported him:
‘Our nation’s next President must understand and make a commitment to keep us on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us. He must understand that stimulating our economy requires cutting taxes, because you make better decisions with your money than Washington bureaucrats. He must be committed to ending illegal immigration and securing our borders. And he must use free-market principles to make health care more affordable for all Americans.
I believe John McCain is that man. He is the right leader to move us forward, unite our party and transform Washington. I hope that you will join me in supporting him to be the next President of the United States.
As I look forward to the road ahead, I am optimistic because I believe America’s best days are still to come. Our country has a bright future, but we must work together to ensure that our shared prosperity creates new and better opportunities for us all.’
Best Wishes,
Roger Freberg
PS. John McCain will make a great President
Quotes are a wonderful way of not having to reinvent the wheel…
” Tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when you walk into sewer and die.” -Mel Brooks ( as related by Jerry Bunin)
All of us tend to be preoccupied about things that affect our lives and we –hopefully — have a few folks on the planet that we care about nearly as much… and maybe, a bit more. However, the reality is that we never really know what the other person is going through until we ourselves are faced with similar serious issues. In fact, some people have a real difficult time putting themselves in another person’s ‘moccasins’ even in simplest things… we call this inability… lack of empathy.
I don’t believe in ‘sympathy’ which you can find in the dictionary somewhere between SH*T and SYPHILLUS, but empathy is much more. Empathy is genuine.
But for many of us, seeing what others face provides understanding and courage … for ourselves in the issues we deal with today and down the road.
I have blogged about this before… but this site — for as long as it continues — it is well worth the look. LEROY SIEVERS
Roger Freberg
One of the wonderful things about living a while is realizing how much we are told really doesn’t stand up to the test of time. We’ve been fed a lot of bad stuff.
What has been said about good nutrition simply doesn’t sit well with the facts. Vegetarians — for example — certainly are not healthier; it is more religious fever with them than based on any scientific evidence. Now, we are learning the value of animal fats play a vital role in our well being… who knew?
There’s an interesting book entitled “Nourishing Traditions” that challenges all of the rules we have been taught about what is and isn’t good for you. Without stealing any of their thunder… here’s what is being said:
“A full-spectrum nutritional cookbook with a startling message–animal fats and cholesterol are vital factors in the human diet, necessary for reproduction and normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels.”
Frankly, this doesn’t really surprise me… and this is why I have so enjoyed the refreshing turn-of-the-century pure fat saturated goodness of ‘the Epicurean.’
Yes, Virginia, you are what you eat… and if it be the 16 egg recipe for Eclairs in the Epicurean… so be it! My total cholesterol is down to 152 total… what’s yours?
Roger Freberg
“The Epicurean” — as described in AbeBooks.com is:
“A complete treatise of analytical and practical studies on the culinary art, including table and wine service, how to prepare and cook dishes, an index for marketing, a great variety of bills of fare for breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, suppers, ambigus, buffets etc. and a selection of interesting bills of fare of Delmonico’s from 1862 to 1894. Making a Franco-American culinary encyclopedia. 1183pp + index and illustrated with 800 plates.”
There is so much offered in this unique and historical cookbook. Every aspect is covered from how to butcher sea turtles, to the proper table settings to wonderful desserts like ‘Chocolate Eclairs’ (I will post their recipe later as I intend to make it!). Chef Ranhofer’s cellar selections might be a little amusing too, back in the day when Absinthe was in vogue. (My Laura writes about Absinthe in a recent Blog )
Some of the older cookbooks — like the ‘Epicurean’ — wrote their recipes and planned their menus based on seasonal variability and scarcity of foodstuffs. Recipes were written for certain months with the expectation that some foods would be available and others would not. Although this may seem quaint, there is a certain charm in serving food that is expected for the season.
So, if you are looking for the perfect gift for the Chefs in your life…. you could do far worse than one of the most historically important cookbooks in American life.
Bon appetite!
Roger Freberg
Karla bought a cookbook each for her sisters.