Well I hope everyone had a splendid St. Patrick's day. I myself spent the entire day in Cincinatti helping the Ohio Williams clan help my Grandmother move from her independent living home into her newer, smaller, assisted living home. Other than to say that these are NOT the same things as a nursing home, I won't bore you with descriptions.
I am really, really sore. She has alot of old family heirloom furniture, and you know, that old time furniture is not nearly as good as IKEA. For one thing, it's all huge and made of solid, solid wood. Oak and whatnot. So, very tiring to move. I can't believe any of that stuff still exists; think about how much more useful it would be as firewood, and modern furniture is so lightweight and cheap that it's either much easier to move or is so fragile that you might as well throw it all out and buy new stuff every time you move. God Bless mass consumerism and the global pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Also, speaking of mass consumerism and the global pandering to the lowest common denominator, the area where my Ohio branch of the Williams family lives is chock full of fast food joints, chain restaurants, and chain stores... the modern strip mall hell that we're all used to seeing, right? Well, something I noticed, and have been noticing in the Stroudsburg area as well, is that if you don't fucking feel like eating at a Ruby Tuesday's, or Red Robin's, or TGI Friday's, or any of a hundred other chain restaurants that serve identical menus with identical-tasting food nationwide, you don't have much else in the way of choice. What I mean is, if you want to eat at a unique but tasty privately owned restaurant, where the owner is very proud and/or involved in his business and the food is cooked fully right there on premises (meaning that rather than an employee of Outback Steakhouse unfreezing a pre-cooked steak, warming it up and sending it out, a real live Chef in a fully functional kitchen picks a piece of raw meat out of the walk-in and cooks it to perfection and serves it to you fresh off the grill just the way you asked for it) you really have to search. While driving around town out here, I didn't see any businesses, food or otherwise, that weren't part of a chain located in a strip mall. And I was looking. In Stroudsburg there are still a few genuine restaurants left, but the chains are slowly taking over even there. Where my Dad lives, near Allentown, it's horrendous. There are still a few non-chain diners in the area, however, and hopefully that's an East Coast tradition that will never die out; I love Diners. The greasier spoonier the better.
But since leaving PA with my Dad for the 10 hour drive out here yesterday, we've eaten at a Bob Evans, a Red Robin's, Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, a Street-something or other (we don't have them in PA, I don't think. Can't remember the name) which is a chain that specializes in chili cheese dogs, and a Twin-Dragon Chinese buffet. And that's all I've eaten. I feel unbelievably bloated and greasy, actually. This isn't even fast food, folks! Well, mostly not. But the point is, I'm beginning to suspect that chain restaurants are no better for you than fast food, and that our finer dining-out options are slowly disappearing. And that the food in our grocery stores is slowly becoming pre-cooked individually wrapped crap.
Not totally of course, but think back to what grocery stores and restaurants were like when you were a kid... there is a definite downward progression in quality. Hell, I remember going to Pizza Hut when I was like 6 or 7 and the pizzas were made totally from scratch in an oven and they served beer and the place was cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoky as hell. And you could play Space Invaders on a glass table top console. Those pizzas were awesome, and it was before they began joining the fast food method of streamlining everything into utter shit. Ah well... I'm just sore and cranky and full of chain food gas, don't mind me. I'm not even being consistent. I may have to think deeper about my argument before I even know if I have a point.
But actually it hasn't been a bad trip. I got to see my cousins, and my closest cousin, Karen, has a 1 & 1/2 year old daughter named Kennedy, who is , I suppose as these things work, my 2nd cousin, and she was alot of fun to meet. While we were moving Grandmother's stuff, my other cousin Keith and I stumbled upon her photo albums, which generally we avoid like the plague because if she sees you with them she will want to go through every single picture with you for hours and I've lost one or two cousins to insanity that way, I'm sad to say. But it was an altogether different matter without her around, and I got to see alot of pictures that I haven't seen in maybe 25 years of when Cousin Karen and I were babies and of my very young Mom and Dad... It was nice because I often forget how beautiful my Mom was (My sister Katie looks alot like Mom did then) and how much I loved my cousin back then... but sorry, you guys don't really care about all of this. It was just one of those deeply nostalgic moments for me and I didn't want to forget.
But one thing I do want to mention is the story that I finally got straight (well, mostly straight) from my Grandmother on my great great (great?) Grandfather, Hawkins Hart Hatchett. I love this story and am very proud of it. His dad stole a horse. He was caught, and although he could have been sentenced to hang, Judge Hart was lenient and only made him pay a fine or something. So great great great (great?) grandpa middle-named his firstborn son after the Judge that didn't hang him, and Hart has been the firstborn's middle name ever since. Of course my line came through my Grandmother (née Hatchett), but she passed on the Hart name nonetheless. And on the Williams side... well, all we know there is that great great (great?) grandpa was a stowaway on a ship from Portugal, possibly a pirate, and when he hightailed it off the ship upon arrival in the New World he changed his name to Williams and we haven't got a clue what family he was originally from. Horsethieves, pirates and mysterious stowaways, that's my heritage. And I couldn't be more set-up about it.
Also, I may have embelleshed one or two details purely for my pleasure, but it's all essentially true. He could have been a pirate. What else was he doing, all stowing away like that on Portugese "Trading Vessels?"
Anyway, I've got another long day of driving back to PA with Dad tomorrow, and possibly some disgusting food to vomit up later. Time for sleeping and dreaming of my gloriously shady ancestors.
Let's go to the Stone Bar this week.
Posted by: Christy | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 13:09
Let's go to the Stone Bar this week.
Posted by: Christy | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 13:09
MmmmMmmm... Unfrozen Pre-Cooked Steak.
"Your 'K.C.Masterpiece' frightens and confuses me!"
Posted by: Volguus | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 15:45
It's all because of the stock market. If it wasn't for that none of this shit would be happening. God I'm such a commie pinko.
Posted by: Gary | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 16:08
Or go to Robert John's, Anteleo, or The Private Table. All delicious.
Posted by: Miss Luongo | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 18:46
I am SO down for the Stone Bar. When you wanna go?
Volguus, you're SUCH a batch commenter. You need to stop by more often.
The stock market sucks. I hate it I hate it I hate it! I just lost a buncha money again. Stoopid 'conomy.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 18:47
And I don't know those other places, but again, I'm down. So very, very down.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 18:48
Today, I had Krispy Kreme again for breakfast, thanks to my Aunt & Uncle in Ohio, and we ate lunch at a family/trucker resaurant on the way home... not a chain restaurant, but still not so great. Well, I'm home now, and I can control what I eat better now. Like... pizza... and egg and cheese bagels... and... stuff. Maybe I oughtta have a V8?
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 18:57
Well I'm not mad at the stock market because of its performance. I just hate the idea of it in general, because it seems like nearly everything that sucks about corporate america (and there's a lot) is because of stock. Gotta make a profit for the stock holders. That simple idea is fucking up this world, let alone this county. It's screwing up the media so badly - forget about chain restaurants!
Posted by: Gary | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 19:16
Oh right. Yeah, I have no stocks. Never mind. Move along.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 19:24
Don't mind me - I'm even worse than liberal (if that's possible).
Posted by: Gary | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 20:17
No no, usually I agree with you. The system is shit. I just hadn't thought about the stock market aspect... you made me feel guilty, not defensive.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 20:30
And just for the sake of posterity, my Dad remembered the name of the Chilli Cheese Dog place. It's Skyline. Or Skysomething. Crap.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 22:24
Ok then wolfboy, ante up.
Posted by: thesecolorsdon'trunloveitorleaveitdon'tletthecountryhityouonthewayouttocanadayoudirtyhippieboy | Monday, March 19, 2007 at 13:37
One of my greats - was a teenage stowaway during an Irish potato famine. Go figure. I've got a legit reason for drinking! I'm irish.
Posted by: Cristy | Monday, March 19, 2007 at 16:13
See, now *that's* funny.
Posted by: wolfboy | Monday, March 19, 2007 at 20:01
"Skyline Chilli" - portugese fisherman - horsethief - all links in a chain... problem is the link your at is usually the weakest...
I like Bob Evans though... it's hard to ruin an egg or a pancake... and I did have a good time in Cinci watchin' you with your cousins and all... not a bad weekend spent with m'boy and his truck....
Posted by: Dad | Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 07:11
Just because my parents only eat at chain food joints doesn't mean that's all there is; I spent the rest of the weekend in Cincy, and went to an awesome Peruvian place (Sabor peruano), a local pub (Arthur's), and and independent pizza place (Cant remember the name) for the rest of my meals.
And don't knock Skyline. Skyline rules.
It was good to see you and your dad this weekend. Email me if you come to Chicago--I've already got some places to eat that you might have a hard time complaining about.
Posted by: Cousin Keith | Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 12:05
No you're right Keith... I'm sure there are places other than chain food joints to eat at... it's just that they're harder to find than they used to be. All I saw while there was the strip mall stuff. So, it's good to know the locals who know where the good stuff is at. Nice to see you here, by the way! You too, wolfboy.
Posted by: messiestobjects | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 15:44
Horse thieves, eh? There were horse thieves on my mother's side. Long story, but an interesting one.
Posted by: Tim | Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 18:29
Well? I don't censor the comments, have at it! Maybe our ancestors were part of a gang of horsethieves!
Posted by: messiestobjects | Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 18:51
test
Posted by: spanky | Friday, March 23, 2007 at 09:29