Thus Passeth the Inventor of the McNugget

by Erik Olsen on

With Neil honoring Guinness and the beverag-ariffic joys
that this hearty drink has brought, let us also pause for a moment and bow our heads to mourn the passing of a man
whose gustatory inventions brought us great happiness, and who has passed upwards into the great fat fryer in the sky.

You may not know the name – Robert C. Baker – but you know his work. Mr. Baker, who died yesterday
at the ripe and rather foul-smelling age of 84, was the creator of some of our most cherished processed food products.
Mr. Baker, virtually alone (albeit with the hlp from some poultry) came up with the idea of the chicken McNugget. Call
him the Thomas Edison of fast food, Mr. Baker was a pioneer of poultry innovations, and for that we hail thee! May you
stride through heaven’s Golden Arches like a colossus. May the denizens of your new celestial world be equally
blessed with chicken nuggets, strips and fingers. And may there be ample honey mustard sauce in which to dip them.

Honoring Guinness

by Neil Woodburn on

As we gear up for St. Patrick’s Day, spare a thought for the holy water of the Emerald Isle:
Guinness. 

This dark bitter beer has gushed from the teat of Ireland since the 19th century and continues providing sustenance
and joy even today.  It is indeed a national treasure and one which is saluted and honored as often as
possible.  I had never tried it before traveling to Ireland but grew to enjoy it once there.  It is an
acquired taste and certainly not for everyone. 

Nonetheless, a trip to Ireland remains incomplete if one does not tour the Guinness Brewery located in Dublin.  But, if you
can’t make it before Friday, check out the following Washington Post
article to brush up on your Guinness before honoring Ireland’s patron saint with a swig of the old
stuff.  And for God’s sake, stay away from the green beer on St. Patrick’s Day; it’s
sacrilege. 

 

Waiting for Cupcakes

by Erik Olsen on

The Magnolia Bakery is literally a cupcake’s throw from my
apartment, and I am constantly amazed at how popular the place is. The line around the bakery on some sunny days can
stretch off as far as the eye can see…since most of us can’t see around a corner.

Much of the traffic at
the bakery comes from Sex and the
City tours that drop off tourists by the busload. Curious what I’m talking about here? Well, then take a look at this video over at youtube, and you’ll see what I
mean. And let me add just one thing: I’ve had cupcakes from this place. They aren’t that good. Not worth
waiting over an hour. We’re talking about cupcakes, people!

One word: absurd.

Red Corner: Eatin’ Dog

by Neil Woodburn on

Kobe beef is usually the most expensive meat you can buy in an upscale market; in Uzbekistan, it’s dog meat.

Dog came to fashion in Uzbekistan thanks, in part, to Joseph Stalin. During his rule, Stalin exiled ethnic Koreans from Russia’s Far East to Central Asia where they introduced their fondness of dog into the land of shish kabob. Uzbeks themselves eventually came to embrace this new cuisine due to a widely held belief that dog meat was not only nutritional in value, but a medicinal panacea as well.

Uzbeks and Uzbek-Koreans alike are therefore willing to pay big bucks (or som in this case) to get their hands on this highly prized, canine cure-all. This is especially true today due to an outbreak of tuberculosis. Sadly, many who come down with this deadly disease are opting for shurpa (dog stew) in lieu of medical treatment. In the meantime, a rash of dog thefts is occurring amongst those who actually keep such potentially lucrative animals as pets.

Dog consumption isn’t only limited to the sick and contagious; it is still considered a delicacy and can be found on menus in some of the “better” Tashkent restaurants. I used to think that the cheap street food I ate in Uzbekistan was indeed dog meat, but that would be like serving Kobe beef in a Tijuana taco stand. I guess I was wrong.

American Way's Top 10 Irish Pubs

by Adrienne Wilson on

Should your luck so have
it to stumble upon a four-leaf clover and later find yourself stumbling onto the soil of the Emerald Isle, just
remember not to stumble out the pub this coming St. Patrick’s day for you may find yourself stumbling into jail. (Wait
– does such happen in Ireland on this day?) What better place to celebrate this extremely merry holiday than spending a
day pub crawling in Dublin, Ireland? American Way Magazine offers some of the top ten pubs in Ireland, five in
Dublin and the others on various parts of the isle if you should so happen to be one of the lucky ones staying in the
country at the time. Their list is as follows:

  • The Stag’s Head at One Dame
    Court
  • The Swan at 57 Aungier Street
  • John Kehoe
    at Nine Anne Street South
  • The Temple Bar on Temple Lane
  • Toner’s at 139 Lower Baggot Street
  • Morrissey’s in Abbeyleix, County
    Laois
  • Sean’s Bar in Athlone, County Westmeath
  • Hargadon
    Bros.     in Sligo Town, County Sligo
  • McCarthy’s Bar Hotel in Fethard, County
    Tipperary
  • The Castle Inn in Cory Citk, County Cork

Visit American Way for additional details
on each pub.