June 2008 Archives

Not sure really, on how to start this one. So, I think I'll do it this way.

Oh yes I did.

I had a little rack of ribs all ready to go. It was too icky outside, the wildfires are way out of control and makes being outside just plain miserable. Um, but I had a rack of ribs to cook. I sat around the house with the air filter going, attempting to come up with something simple, good and smoky. Wildfires are kinda inspirational that way.

What if I put the ribs in my kitchen's gas oven, at 250 or so and put a smouldering pan of hardwood dust in there? Jack the exhaust fan way up and let'er go for a few hours?

Oh yes I did. Didn't think Wedgewood made a smoker, did you?

I love traditional cafe's, always have. Some of my fondest memories are breakfast meals coated in some non-descript gravy. It's the first thing on my mind, "Where's the gravy?". First on my lunch list would be the Hot Turkey Sandwich, oh man. The older I get though, I find that my body can't take that much sodium, oh well. It still doesn't stop me from making a hard left and pulling in to a homey town cafe and ordering up a nice breakfast.

For months I delivered and retrieved Boy #1 from school and would drive right on by The Squirrels, closed in the early afternoon. I knew that some day I would be early enough, and have enough time to stop by and poke my nose in the door. From the outside I could see it had booths, and counter space to sit and enjoy. The tall ceiling sported some cool, hanging, globe-ular lighting, neat! Oh, and the colors. Kinda lightish, brownish, yellowish 70's inspired vinyl upholstery, trimmed with plastic wood veneer. Put Stimpy in your mind rejoicing, "Happy Happy, Joy Joy !!!".

An opportunity knocked, and I answered. "Hello Ren."

For the last few days, the entire bay area and way, way beyond, smells smoky. Not like, "Oh wow, there must be a fire somewheres, cause I smell a grass fire." We got hugeass fires all over the damned place, it's insane. Hope for waft of fresh ocean breezes? No. It's all smoke, all the time, for days. No respite here.

I was up and out of bed at 6:22 this morning, directly in to the shower. Dressed, chores and as I opened up the back door, walked through my outdoor kitchen to the back of the property and what do I spy? With my camera's eye? This sun doing its best to rise, pretty dim for 7am, eh?

Biggles

This last weekend I made it in to our local, pretty large, grocery mart. I required a few things that Omar, 2008's shopkeeper of the year award worthy, didn't stock. I perused the isles of said largish mart, and there were products in attendance that were noticeably not there previously. What struck me first was the Bariani Extra Virgin, my favorite green extra virgin. Then, opposite that, on the top shelf I spied a jar of Marmite? Red Mill flour! 3 times the organic produce (Feel Good crap, but even so), the list goes on. I don't care that much, and grab my 3 paper sacks (for $110.00) and skeedaddle.

I was left with this haunting thought, "That store doesn't suck as much as it did a few months ago." I won't be frequenting any more than I did last week, but damn an shit. Ya know? Even way out in El Sobrante, where the demographics meander. Maybe, ever so slowly, things could very well be looking up.

Then Ear Ache wanders in to work with this in tow. A box of Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon, wtf? I suppose it's kind of a relief, knowing that The Man is still a fucking idiot and has about as much cohesive thought as a near death, bed ridden, 5 legged badger on morphine. But I have my hopes ya know. Or maybe this is their attempt at making a technological advancement up and over from bacon bits. The world may never know.

I can see there's a heading, or direction. But where are they going? Do they even bother to look? This my good people, be some rhetorical questions.

Biggles

No yay. Anti-yay. Last year it never got over 80 here in Richmond. My outdoor kitchen area topped out at 102 around 4pm. At 5:25? The kitchen was 94, what's up with that? Yeah, okay I'm a weenie. But I don't need yet another reason to sit like a lump on the sofa, watching M*A*S*H and pissing vinegar about everything and everyone around me.

Pure & simple, this heat is just plain ol' communism.

Biggles

The catalyst for this post is because our water bill showed up here 10 minutes ago. 5 minutes ago I took this picture of our dry birdy bath and toppled windmill surrounded by long since dried flax. Fueled I was, by the bill.

Eight and a half years ago we moved in to this house, buying was cheaper than renting then. No really, we spent less down on buying a home in the San Francisco East Bay Area than renting a home, crazy eh? We drug along with us our standard appliances and used the existing bathroom fixtures. It was so close that if we'd had to buy a new gas range it'd caused us to use a camp stove instead. Man, we rolled in with fumes in the tank.

Thankfully with some effort the finances stabilized (psychosis still reign supreme) and those water hogging appliances were replaced. On my 40th birthday I bought myself a low-flow toilet, 1.6 gallons a flush. I sorely miss my 1946 model that shot through 7 gallons a flush, it was great. But when you have a family of 4? Do the math, we were using about 460 gallons a day. This usage dropped down a bit and even further with the addition of one of those fancy high efficiency washer machine rigs. Surely the cost of the water versus the cost of the machinery didn't add up immediately, but I knew it was good to help the greater good and lower our usage. Nothing like a little altruism to boost one's ego, hey.

Again we turn another page and we're now a family of 3, water usage is at an all time low at 120 gallons per day. I'm exceptionally pleased with myself. Between the garden and the home, we've reached a pretty darned good consumption rate. Ed Begley Jr. would be so proud. I've been quite fond of him ever since he hit Mork & Mindy way back when. Little did I know he's been a staunch activist for saving resources ever since time began. Apparently, he was arriving on set via bicycle, cool eh? I've said for years, when I make my movie, I'll ask Ed Begley Jr. to play me, it'd be perfect!

Well, as I said the water bill rolled in and we've reduced our consumption to 85 gallons a day. For a family of 3, on a 5,000 square foot lot, I think that's pretty fricken GREAT and am very proud of our work to conserve water.

Biggles - Head Lab Rat

I'm a Californian, born & raised. This, by sheer definition, means I don't know what barbecue is. I can live with that, but it isn't easy. I've fought through teeth & nails to read, listen and scour the net for help. Most of this I did back in 1998, as far as the net is concerned. In the traditional sense, I just did what I thought was right and to hell with the rest. If my rack of ribs cooked slowly for 5 hours with real wood, that was good enough for me. But I wanted more, I wanted to taste the regional sauces of the Carolinas, Texas and/or St. Louis. I tried, but didn't come up with anything that was worth doing a second time. Until yesterday ...

Yes, I am working on a new barbecue sauce. Yes, am planning on smoking a slab of pork ribs. But since it's father's day? I get to hug dearly what I love most, my speaker.

It's our nature.

xo, Biggles

Just a friendly reminder: Saturday 6/14/08 10am-2pm

Timber says,

I've gone all fancy on you....I added a "e" onto "Air"....So it'll be that much better. Urban Tilth, RHS YME Club, Liana's Cake Kitchen, Pit Boss BBQ, Grande Finale Flowers (Be careful of your plants...Tracy might snag some of your flowers) Brookebot Tees, Jessica's Jewelry and Others will be there...will you!?

If you are a Richmond Resident and an Artist....There's still time. Please don't hesitate to join in the festivities.

Biggles here, I visited the last and first of his markets and it was pretty darned cool. Fresh veggies, sweet goodies, plants ready to plant and fresh roasted coffee. This time there will be more people attending, so stop by and have a gander.

Biggles

Catahoula Coffee
12472 San Pablo Avenue
Richmond, CA 94805
(510) 235-0525

Created by OnePlusYou

Hmm, well, while I have had my rants I've attempted to keep Meathenge fairly clean and ready for everyone, even vegetarians. So, it didn't surprise me that I rated so low on the cuss-o-meater. But it was fun! For a moment, I think. Thank you to Dagny for showing me the way.

Happy Friday !!!

MmMmMmm, spiiiiine.

They aren't easy to find, you have to really look and even ask around to find them. But when you do? There's nothing like fresh pork spine grilled over a real fire.

How best to grill thine spine?

I feel about as inspired as a white 3x5 index card. With nothing on it. Not even a stack of cards, just 1 card, laying in a pile of clutter. Yeah, just like that. Sitting down at Meathenge is about as easy for me these days as ridding the world of all known diseases at a glance. Heck, at this point I'd be happy with just curing cancer, ya know?

Well, ol' CB stopped by the other day and said I should either go on a Meat Adventure (regular gas is at about $4.50 for 9/10ths of a gallon as of 7:14 am this morning), so that's out. Or fire up the grill?

I can do that, I know how.