Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Without a family, one seldom thinks long term
I think we have all heard about the so-called health benefits of red wine and I think it tends to make most of us smile a little. We smile when some folks say they smoke marijuana for their glaucoma… it’s sort of the same thing.
However, I have been taking RESVERATROL now for about a month and I am a bit surprised at how much better I feel… granted I am taking the equivalent of 4000 glasses of wine… but it seems to be more than an expected placebo effect.
Anyway, just thought I’d mention it.
Are you having a little corned beef for St. Paddy’s Day?
Here’s our contribution to this fun day:
Tofu is worshiped by vegetarians, vegans and others not too worried about its estrogen enhancing properties. Tofu is billed as a meat substitute when prepared properly, but I don’t think I’ll ever hear anyone from down under saying to ‘throw another on the barbee!” or a confused hunter announcing that he’s ‘gonna hunt some reclusive snipe or tofurkey!”
However, when flavored with a sweet and tangy sauce and diced into a salad … it makes a nice diversion… especially when you are on a diet… as I am now. The key to preparation is to find a very firm grade of tofu and extract part of the moisture through a low bake or pressure method ( a step-by-step process is given by clicking on a link below) and then re-immerse the tofu in your favorite marinade! Some folks like a Chinese or Thai marinade… some even use a thinned barbecue sauce. Make the sauce as you like it… this is roughly how I make it…
Here are some ideas:
I am reminded that meat would also taste rather bland ( some say like aluminum) without the process of searing ( which converts the surface to sugar) and the blood content… so tofu really needs an infusion to have wider appeal.
There are bottle openers and there are bottle openers. One type of opener I have admired is a simple 50 caliber shell turned into one. Simple, convenient and always raises a smile or opens someones eye. Some folks actually ask me if it is dangerous or will explode? I have to remind myself that I live near a university where ignorance abounds.
Here are a couple of places to buy such a great opener:
Last night, I attended a Friends of the NRA fundraising event in Paso Robles. There were a fair few folks who happened to drop by for a tri-tip, bbq’d chicken or ribs dinner. I didn’t win or successfully bid on anything this year, but I did walk away with a couple of bottle openers… which pleased me. Fun times!
I was looking for a little ammunition and I was a bit curious as to what — if any- rifles would be available at the Gun show this year. The truth is that they had a wide assortment, a lot of old ‘collectable’ pieces and some new hunting rifles and shotguns… even a few pistols from the 1860’s were on display. If you are familiar with a ‘Broom handle’ gun from the turn of the 1900’s (made better known by the last Sherlock Holmes movie)… there were even a few of these. Prices overall were high, but understandable given the high demand.
Contrary to what you might see at elbow throwing Costco or at Target’s grab bag… people at the gun show were polite, courteous and respectful and open to conversation. This stirred a question in my mind… Were these just good people or did the fact that various guns were hanging about keep them well mannered? Pardner, it was probably a little of both.
So, I decided to do a little scanning of history and it seems that the most violent and dangerous places on earth were the cities where existing prohibitions against self defense made life difficult for the common person. This encouraged opportunistic groups of men to prey on the unarmed. After a time folks looked for ways to even the odds, firearms were called an ‘equalizer” a way one person could defend themselves from multiple or stronger assailants. Women today are the biggest growing group purchasing handguns… one little lady can make a mess out of a few men attempting to do dastardly things to her person!
I also ran across a quote by Mark Twain that raised a smile:
“I have carried a revolver; lots of us do, but they are the most innocent things in the world.” — Mark Twain
It doesn’t take a genius to see where the most dangerous places in America exist; they are where firearms are most restricted.
So, was it really safer in the old west? I think so… when the bad guys have to worry about whether or not you are armed… bad things just don’t happen as much. So, if we are trying to make American’s ‘safer’, then the past can give us a suggestion… I mean we are trying to make people safer, aren’t we?