October 2015 archive

Diners

Diners are a primarily Northeast phenomenon. You rarely find them in the South or on the West Coast. I’m not sure why this is. It could be due to the proliferation of fast-food and family restaurant (e.g., Applebee’s) franchises, where everything is prepackaged, portion-controlled, and lacking creativity. There’s also the cafeteria culture in the South …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/17/diners/

The Energizer Pepper Plants

I disposed of the tomato and basil plants before we left on vacation, and I was sure that the pepper plants would be compost by the time we returned. Surprisingly, there were 6 peppers on the padron plant and several blossoms on the cubanelle. I tend to doubt that the latter will have time to …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/16/the-energizer-pepper-plants/

The Cookbook Store Pilgrimages

The beauty of New York is that I know of two cookbook stores there to feed my fix. On Saturday we visited Kitchen Arts and Letters on the Upper East Side. I’ve been visiting them for nearly 20 years. Since Julian said, “You buy them, you schlep them”, I restrained myself. I saw a new …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/12/the-cookbook-store-pilgrimages/

Suggestions for Driving in New York City

DON’T! At least if you value your sanity and your car. The trains, buses, and subways can get you around relatively painlessly. You won’t have to worry about parking on the street or in a sketchy garage for an exorbitant price. When we went into Manhattan on Saturday for my honorary niece’s Bat Mitzvah, we …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/12/suggestions-for-driving-in-new-york-city/

A Philosophy of Hotels

When we’re just traveling from point A to point B and need a place to flop for the night, our requirements are simple: Clean, comfortable, quiet, and convenient. Cheap doesn’t hurt, either. Free Wi-Fi is essential, especially for blog and email purposes. Complementary companion animals, i.e., insects, are NOT welcome. We once stayed at a …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/12/a-philosophy-of-hotels/

Nostalgia Day

We left Hannibal this morning to spend the day in Ithaca. Julian and I both got degrees from Cornell, and this is where we met. So how much nostalgia can two people cram into one day? Plenty! We started off in Collegetown, which has a few leftover establishments from our time here. First we went …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/08/nostalgia-day/

Rudy’s!

Rudy’s (generally referred to in my family as the fish fry stand) is an institution in Oswego. Generations of locals and more than a few tourists have made pilgrimages there during the seven months that the restaurant is open each year. Naturally, we had to do so on this trip. When I was a kid, …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/08/rudys/

Bad News for Leaf-Peepers

People who drive around Central New York to gawk at falling leaves this fall could be sorely disappointed. In years past, the leaves would be near peak color at this time of year. However, climate change has left its mark. The leaves are slow to change color and are relatively muted. My brother-in-law has been …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/07/bad-news-for-leaf-peepers/

Destiny and the Dinosaur

No, this is not a post on evolution, creationism, or anything in between. We are visiting my mother and sister in my hometown of Hannibal. This is a small farming town north of Syracuse that hasn’t changed much in population since I grew up. Several of my high school classmates and a few former teachers …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/06/destiny-and-the-dinosaur/

The Central New York Car Culture

Some places are known to have large numbers of a particular type of car. Seattle, for example, probably has more Priuses than anywhere else in Washington state. Here in my birth turf of Central New York, the major vehicles on the road are trucks and SUV’s. I can understand trucks since this is a rural …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/06/the-central-new-york-car-culture/

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