"Upon Further Review"

Either my memory is failing cos the old grey mare ain't what he used to be, or time slips away, but Sandy Fajitas was the name I gave the legendary food cost man.

8) Chop Beef Sardinia: Invented by Sandy Fajitas ( a legendary character ) back in the day. Mr. Food Cost. Also peruse the fresh kale recipe and leftover garnishes. Cooked and served after garnish pre-requisites have been met. Waste not; want not.**

The rest of the article:

From The Archives: Liner/Recipe Notes ( First Published in November 2004 )

Remember the liner notes on l.p.'s. A little bonus for buying the record. My company's recipes have liner notes at the bottom which help sort out the complexities and nuances. A helping hand, if you will. Some of my favorite notes are republished here from July 2003. Submitted for your approval and perusal. Entitled re: Recipes/Hooterville. And here it is:

As for recipes, my favorite notes:

1) Au Jus: Should be the same color as coffee. ( Is this before or after a treatment of urn cleaner? )

2) Soft Rolls: If one falls on the floor, discreetly retrieve. Look for grit, hair, or any other foreign matter. [ includes critters ] Brush off against clothing or blow hard to remove. May be used for bread pudding if the above fails to remedy.

3) Roast Beef: Cook to an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Blood should ooze when slicing on the serving line.

4) Yellow Cake: Do not insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake to see if it's done. Only at home does this method work. And you are not at home. So whatever you do, don't use a toothpick. They are reserved for our paymasters leaving the establishment. ( a toothpick is a good sign. It means the paymaster enjoyed the food. )

5) Raspberry Argentine: When running this delectable gelatin with the fancy name, be prepared for guests, er, paymasters using your bathroom facilities a bit more during the course of the meal. Contains prunes, the organic laxative. Pink Floyd's 'just another brick in the stalls" would constitute a synchronistic occurance. )

6) Fried Green Tomatoes: Should be 1/4 ripe. ( Who can determine 1/4 ripeness with a green tomato? )

7) Stewed Tomatoes: Buy day old bread from the Piggly Wiggly. Best value. Serve stewed tomatoes when your cook is feeling lethargic and not on top of his game. And you've run out of creative solutions to empty pans. WARNING: May become habit-forming.

8) Chop Beef Sardinia: Invented by Sandy Fajitas ( a legendary character ) back in the day. Mr. Food Cost. Also peruse the fresh kale recipe and leftover garnishes. Cooked and served after garnish pre-requisites have been met. Waste not; want not.

9) Milk: some guests, er....may be lactose intolerant. ( made that up: no one was lactose intolerant, back in the day ) And no one had acid reflux as well.

10) Diamonds and rust: You know what memories can bring; they bring diamonds and rust. Apologies to Joan Baez. Submitted for the bored's perusal. Back on the night train. Ready to crash and burn-I never learn.

Farewell and adieu, v.c.

P.S. The postscripts from the above post have been removed by request of me, the author.

** Even used the same cliche/parable.

"Go Dawgs"

The Dawgs manhandled the Tech Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon. Wasn't even close, and I was thankful for the little or no intrigue.

The Dawgs return Saturday to battle the Tigers from LSU for the championship of the SEC. Here's hoping the Dawgs win, complicating the BCS standings/title game. Go Dawgs!

"Eat More Kale"

This is a crazy story! The naked city, eh?

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- A folk artist expanding his home business built around the words "eat more kale" says he's ready to fight root-to-feather to protect his phrase from what he sees as an assault by Chick-fil-A, which holds the trademark to the phrase "eat mor chikin."

Bo Muller-Moore uses a hand silkscreen machine to apply his phrase, which he calls an expression of the benefits of local agriculture, on T-shirts and sweatshirts. But his effort to protect his business from copycats drew the attention of Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fast-food chain that uses ads with images of cows that can't spell displaying their own phrase on message boards.

In a letter, a lawyer for Chick-fil-A said Muller-Moore's effort to expand the use of his "eat more kale" message "is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Chick-fil-A's intellectual property and diminishes its value."

"I'm So Tired"

The song below describes how I felt after the Thanksgiving festivities were over and done with.

John wrote and sang it on the album, but this is a rare find with Paul doing the vocal. One of the viewers suggested that perhaps he had imbibed. Or inhaled.

"Happy Thanksgiving"

 

It's Thanksgiving Eve. How do I feel? Elated! That I no longer have to deal with the Thanksgiving preparation of meals.

No rowdy passive-aggressive guests; no rowdy and passive-aggressive employees aka team members; no phones ringing literally off the hook; no screwups from vendors who ran out of turkeys or dressing or gravy; no rest for the weary. Damn. And to think I put up with this mess for 30 years.

Hell Whole, the establishment where I worked, was always in the top ten in catering sales.

So now I get to reflect on this part of my life, the only thing I can conjure up is: "what was it all about, Alfie?"

Tomorrow I will dine on turkey, dressing, turnip greens, and cranberry sauce. All made the old fashioned way-from scratch.

And tomorrow I will watch the football games from noon til midnight. Ain't life grand? So this is what I've been missing?

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I'm thankful for no more catering. And many other things, too many to mention here tonight.

P.S. Dear Rock, How's the job search going? Hope all is well!

 

"No, I haven't heard. The surgeon general says cigarette smoking is bad for your health! What's a surgeon general?"

"We're No Angels"

 

"Lengendary UGA broadcaster Larry Munson dies at age 89"

I was coming home today listening to the radio, when I learned Larry Munson had died. He was the voice of the Ga. Bulldogs for over 40 years. He was 89.

I remember Larry along with Milo Hamilton called the 1966 season for the new Atlanta Braves. His career with the Braves lasted only a year, if memory serves.

And a little known fact. Larry played piano for Tommy Dorsey with old blue eyes doing the crooning.

RIP Larry.

From the ajc article:

As a high school senior in Minneapolis, Munson was, by his own account, a "decent" piano player who loved jazz. He was in class when the phone call came. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, in town and scheduled to play 28 shows over the next week, had lost its regular piano player to illness.

"I had no idea how they got my name," Munson once recalled. "I couldn't believe they were interested in me."

Soon, he found himself onstage with one of the most heralded groups of the big band era. The lead singer was a skinny kid from Hoboken, N.J.

"The women went crazy over Frank," said Munson, who played every show with Sinatra for the princely sum of $31 per night. "I had never seen anything like it in my life."

"Tebow lifts Broncos to win vs. Jets"

I never cared for Tim Tebow. Perhaps because he always throttled the Dawgs in Jacksonville.

I like him now though, because the naysayers said he couldn't make it in the NFL.

His team, the Broncos, are now 4-1 with Tebow as the quarterback. And he's winning without throwing the ball much. Kinda unheard of in the NFL.

Pete Prisco for CBS Sports had this prediction prior to the game:

This is Tim Tebow against Rex Ryan, the spread option against a supposedly good defense. The Jets are coming off a blowout loss to the Patriots at home that saw their defense pushed around. The Broncos have won two consecutive games without throwing the ball. They can't do that against the Jets. Ryan gets his team to bounce back against an offensive-limited team.

And Mike Freeman of CBS ( after the game ):

Now, I'm not saying what Tebow is doing will last. I doubt it will. Eventually the NFL will catch up to this madness of an offense. But it is impossible not to appreciate, enjoy, be stunned, be amazed, at what he is doing....

I'm in shock. The entire league is in shock right now.

And as for me. I'm loving it. At least he's not throttling the Dawgs anymore. I'm on the Tebow bandwagon!

"Dear Prudence"

Written by John Lennon while the Beatles were hobnobbing with the Maharishi in India. One of my favorite tunes, and this one from the "White Album." Prudence was Mia Farrow's sister who tagged along, but one day she didn't want to participate in the frivolities. Hence, a song was born urging Prudence "to come out to play."

The bass line in this tune is outstanding. I always listen in "Old Betsy," my car, with the balance turned to the side which highlights the bass.

The following video cover agrees with my sentiments:

One of my favorite beatles songs from the White Album. I tried something new recording this.. I recorded directly in to the computer rather than use the built in mic by using my mixer. Played on the Bumble Bass. Thanks for watching!

And this one from another youtube Dear Prudence bass cover:

Yet Another bass line from the Album The Beatles (known as the White Album) featuring the great bass line from Dear Prudence, one of John's greatest songs in my opinion.

P.S. I had a Beatles book-it's gotta be around here somewhere-which extolled the virtues of the bass line in D.P. on the very first page.

"We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich"

I stopped by ye old Chick-Fil-A today and ordered a number 1. Sans fries instead opting for cole slaw. On the way out I noticed its famous slogan: "we didn't invent the chicken blah blah blah, and I thought of the other ad slogans that have willed themselves into our psyche. Here's my take on these ad slogans.

1) "Where's the beef?" Even tho' Wendy's has a big burger, the beef is actually on my grill. With my famous herbs and seasonings and an inch thick ground chuck burger. Yep, that's where the beef is.

2) "11 herbs and spices" Would KFC have been as popular if the Colonel had decided to use 10 herbs and spices instead of eleven in his famous fried chicken. Or maybe a twelfth would have gummed up the works. In summary, 11 made him famous.

3) "You know when it's real." At least they've sped up the singing on the commercial. In the beginning it sounded like an old cafeteria chain's ad which had a wimpy "so fine" at its end. Anyway, what does it mean?-"you know when its real."
Doesn't do a lot for me. I know when it's fake as in "where's the beef." Once again peruse my backdoor grill.

4) "I'm loving it." One of my favorites. Loving what? The long work days for the manager. The scrumptious food? The rowdy guests?

5) "We didn't invent the chicken yadi yadi yadi." A few people out there in the U.S. surely will take issue with that one. Was Truett Cathy the first man on the planet to decide that a chicken on a bun was a good idea? Don't think so.

6) "Have it your way!" Burger King really gummed up the works when they told the populace that they could have it their way. Have you ever been to a drive thru and heard?: "Gimme 2 mcburgers without ketchup; two without pickle; 3 value fries without salt; 2 with salt; three mcburgers add mcsauce and lettuce; 3 cokes one without ice, one regular ice, and one with ten cubes of ice. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!

7) "We made money the old fashioned way, we earned it." Wonder what the wall street protesters think of that one? ( Sorry to veer off the food service theme )

8) "Hardee's: Come on home." I didn't know Hardee's slogan, perhaps that is why they are so far down the food chain, so I looked it up. I do remember going to Charleston, S.C. as a young boy and reveling in the fast food concept ( Hardee's ). Cos I loved me some hamburgers and fries back in the daze. My cousin, Joanie, gummed up the works by ordering a plain burger-nothing on it-and was similar to Truett Cathy as she invented the need for a burger sans condiments.

9) "Papa John's. Better ingredients, better pizza." Perhaps. At least Dominos was spurred into action.

10) "Arby's. Now That Your Tastes Have Grown Up! What are you eating today?"

If yours truly was still in San Fran, I would be enjoying a plastic bottled water transferred into a glass bottle; tons of organic lettuce and bean sprouts; and anything else organic. Perhaps the sloganeer of Arby's hails from the bay.

So where's the beef?; who invented the chicken sandwich?; yadi yadi yadi.

The Beatles and Elvis Presley...Hey Bulldog

"Nobody wants to play for Tom Coughlin"

 

The Sporting News surveyed 111 players around the NFL and asked them a series of questions at the NFL's midpoint of the season. One of those questions was, "Which coach would you least like to play for?"

Not surprisingly, the most popular answers were the mean guys. Here are your top-three vote-getters:

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants - 22
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins - 21
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots - 15

Pete Carroll, Todd Haley, Jim Harbaugh, Rex Ryan and Jim Schwartz were next on the list, but none of them had more than six votes. Coughlin, Sparano and Belichick are clearly the meanest teachers in the school....

"PSU trustees fire Paterno, Spanier"

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Paterno was fired by the Penn State board of trustees Wednesday night despite saying he would retire as coach after the football season ended, brought down by the growing furor over the handling of child sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach.

Penn State President Graham Spanier was also ousted.

``I am disappointed with the board of trustees' decision, but I have to accept it,'' the 84-year-old Paterno said in a statement. ``A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed.''

Paterno, the winningest coach in major college football history, learned of the board's decision at the end of a day that began with his decision to finish out his 46th season and leave.

It was not to be....

What were they thinking????

"RIP Smokin' Joe"

 

"Rotten Tooth of John Lennon"

 

The rotten tooth of former Beatle John Lennon will go on auction next month. The mouldy molar is expected to fetch over $16,000 when it goes under the hammer in the UK on November 5. The nasher was apparently removed by a dentist after becoming cavity-ridden. Lennon then gave the tooth to his beloved housekeeper Dorothy "Dot" Jarlett at his old Kenwood home in, Weybridge, Surrey. Dot gave it to her daughter who kept it in her home in Canada for 40 years, say the auctioneers. Dot's son Barry Jarlett, said that his 90-year-old mother conceded that it was finally the right time to pass it on to a fan rather than run the risk of it getting lost. Omega auction house is taking care of the sale. Pictured: Tooth that is said to have once belonged to John Lennon

P.S. The tooth was sold for #31,000 to a dentist.

P.S.S. Sugar plum fairies; sugar plum fairies. And one of the best songs ever! { the Anthology version }

"a-cheat-sheet-on-tipping-do-s-and-don-ts"

The size of a restaurant gratuity depends on how well you are served, including whether your order is correct or if your server checks on you after you receive your food, says Hoffman. Don't base your tip on the food's taste; the server has no control over it.

Hoffman's tipping guidelines:

* Restaurant wait staff: 13 percent to 20 percent of the bill.

When your party stays through the time that the restaurant could seat and serve others, tip twice the amount. Hoffman says you should always leave a minimal tip, even with abysmal service. Tips are generally shared by the restaurant's workers.

* Takeout: Nothing is necessary. But if you receive some service, like a waiter packaging your food, then tip $1 to $2 or up to 10 percent. For sushi, tip 10 percent for its preparation, Hoffman says.
* Tip jars at fast-food counters: Nothing required; it's your call.

 

"Thrilla in Manilla"

 

Boxing great Joe Frazier in serious condition with liver cancer.

Me and my friend, Paul Brooks, went to see this fight in Athens, Ga. Pay per view. We were part of a big crowd, a beer guzzling crowd. And me and Paul had our share of tall boys. The beers were 48 oz. ( Maybe time exaggerates but they were the biggest cups I've ever drunk out of ). And we swilled more than a few. And we cheered for Muhammed Ali.

It's a sad story but just goes to show death's inevitability. And you can't take it with you.

"Dos Equis"

LSU vs. Bama this Saturday. 1 vs. 2. Go Bama. I don't like LSU. And Go Dawgs!

 

The Crawling Hand"

"You Can't Do That!"

This is my second posting of this song. But it bears repeating.

 

"Paul McCartney is Dead....1967"

This is too funny! And here's another clue for you all-the walrus was Paul!

"Epitaphs"

 

1) Dean Martin: "Everybody loves somebody sometime."

2) Edar Allan Poe "Quoth the raven nevermore."

3) Merv Griffin: "I will not be right back after this message."

4) Rodney Dangerfield: "There goes the neighborhood."

More epitaphs can be seen at comcast.

I was wondering what a good epitaph for me would be. There are many to choose from:

1) How long on that fried chicken?

2) Farewell and adieu

3) Gimme shelter

4) I am the eggman.

5) "All the world's a stage." Scratch that one. Seems I've heard that one before.

6) He wrote forays into the infantile.

7) Hello, goodbye.

8) Dear Cat....

9) You may now diembark the night train cos v.c. has.

10) How long on white meat?