MarketStEl

Anyone know how I can fix my browser so that the backspace key doesn't map to the browser "Back" button if I press it twice? (I'm using Verizon Yahoo! Browser, based on MSIE.) Otherwise, you may never find out why I was up at 4 in the morning... Today, Saturday, October 28, the 301st day of 2006. There are 64 days left in the year. Today's Philadelphia forecast: Rain ending this morning, some sunshine this afternoon, and windy all day; high wind advisory in effect through Sunday. Forecast high 63F (current temp 65F), forecast low 45F. On this day: In 312, Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, becoming undisputed Emperor of Rome. Legend has it that before the battle, Constantine had a vision in which he saw a cross with the legend In hoc signo vinces ("By this sign you will conquer"); he converted to Christianity soon after this battle, becoming the first Christian emperor of Rome. In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba. In 1538, the first university in the Western Hemisphere, the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, was founded; known today as the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, it is located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 1636, the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony authorized the establishment of a college at Newtown, which the assembly renamed Cambridge the following year. This college, the oldest in what is now the United States, is known today as Harvard University. In 1886, the statue Liberty Enlightening the World, a gift from France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. In 1914, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered the single biggest one-day percentage loss in the recorded history of the New York stock market. In 1922, Benito Mussolini's Fascists staged their March on Rome, taking over the Italian government with help from the Catholic Church. In 1942, the Alaska (Alcan) Highway was completed from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. In 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev announced that he had ordered Soviet missiles removed from Cuba, ending the Cuban missile crisis. In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions," drafted by the Second Vatican Council. Among other things, the declaration absolves the Jews of collective guilt for their alleged killing of Jesus Christ, an edict issued by Pope Innocent III 760 years earlier. Also in 1965, the Gateway Arch -- Eero Saarinen's final architectural masterpiece -- was completed in St. Louis. Famous people born on this day include: Eliphalet Remington, American rifle maker, in 1793 in Herkimer County, New York -- which is also home to the Herkimer County Cheese Company, makers of Heluva Good cheese. Georges Auguste Escoffier, celebrated French chef ("the king of chefs and the chef of kings"), in 1846 in Villeneuve-Lobet, near Nice. Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, American geographer, editor of the National Geographic Magazine from 1903 to 1954 and president of the National Geographic Society from 1920 to 1954, in 1875 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Evelyn Waugh, English author, in 1903 in London. Jonas Salk, American medical researcher and inventor of the first polio vaccine, in 1914 in New York City. Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth DBE, British jazz vocalist, born Clementina Dinah Campbell in 1927 in Middlesex. Bill Gates (William Henry Gates III), American software pioneer, in 1955 in Seattle, Washington. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, in 1956 in Aradan, Iran. Finally made it through! Now to work on another resume and get you all caught up with yesterday.

Actually, Canada did have prohibition (sort of) From Wikipedia: For reasons I don't quite understand, liquor was fairly strictly regulated even after prohibition was lifted. In Ontario you can only buy alcohol from the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) or from The Beer Store (which represents Ontario breweries, and mostly only sells Canadian beers). At least now you can walk into an LCBO and browse the shelves. Back in the 70s (or maybe 60s), apparently the system was that you walked into an LCBO, went up to a wicket and wrote down what you wanted to buy, and handed the slip to a worker who fetched your order. And nakji: as far as I know, the system you describe is still the same in NS. I was there in August, and as far as I could tell it was pretty well the same system as in Ontario. ← Thank you for adding to my store of knowledge on the subject of alcohol regulation, and it also confirms something I have long suspected: Those jurisdictions (IIRC, 12 US states; Montgomery County, Maryland; and at least six of Canada's 10 provinces) that still have a state monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages and/or severe restrictions on where and how alcohol may be served in public are also those where prohibitionist sentiment ran strongest during the late 19th century. I believe I've already shown you where Pennsylvania came down on the subject earlier in this blog and in my first foodblog. Oddly enough, Kansas -- one of the centers of the temperance movement and home of saloon-buster Carrie Nation -- now has a fairly liberal alcohol regime after decades of severe restrictions on its sale and public consumption. The state never retained a monopoly on its sale, but liquor stores were small and could not advertise their wares, and alcohol could legally be served only in private clubs. Here was how you joined a typical private club in Kansas City, Kansas' black neighborhoods in the 1970s: Show up at the door. Pay a relatively stiff membership fee. Wait about 5 minutes or so. Enter the club as a member. Hotels and motels in the state included club membership for their guests in their room rates. Edited to add: None of the above explains New Hampshire's state liquor monopoly. The following two facts do: --New England's most populous metropolis, Boston, bumps up against its southern border and spills over into its southernmost county, Rockingham. --The state prides itself on its status as the only US state without either a state income tax or a state sales tax, and any politician who suggests instituting either commits career suicide, with the Manchester Union Leader gleefully sticking in the knife to help the process along. This means that the state must resort to all sorts of creative means to raise revenue -- today's state lotteries in just about all 50 states trace their origins to the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, created in 1964; New Hampshire exacts tribute from everyone headed to or from Maine by means of a toll on its 14-mile stretch of I-95; and most of all, there are those state liquor stores, 2/3 of which are clustered near the Massachusetts border and four of which can be found on the state's turnpikes where you would find service plazas elsewhere. "Welcome to New Hampshire! There's a state liquor store 1 mile ahead on the right. Remember, don't drink and drive!"

I guess that's my cue, Chris. So last night, after I return home in a meat stupor, Chris decides he's going to take a short walk. About a half hour later, I get a call from a slightly inebriated Chris, telling me that he is up by Rittenhouse Square, and could I make him half a cheesesteak when he gets back? "Sure. Just get your drunk [expletive] on home," I reply. Around midnight, he calls again. He's now clearly inebriated (I guess the chill metabolizes the alcohol faster, for the only drink he had was a stiff one before he headed out), says he is at the Art Museum -- The Art Museum? That's a hell of a walk -- no, sorry, the Franklin Institute, and could I make him a half cheesesteak for him to eat when he gets back? I'll approximate the time I spent talking him back to City Hall before going into the kitchen by giving you: The History of the Cheesesteak, As Best I Know Actually, the origin of the cheesesteak is pretty much settled. First, there was the steak sandwich. That was invented by Pat Oliveri, a South Philly hot dog vendor, in 1932. As the story goes, Pat was getting bored with selling (and eating) hot dogs day in and day out, so one day, he finds some thinly sliced steak and tosses it on the grill to make himself a sandwich. A passerby finds the smell so enticing that he stops to ask what's cooking, and when he finds out, asks Pat to make him one, which he does, putting the meat in a long roll. The steak sandwich is born. Some twenty years later, Oliveri creates an instant classic by adding cheese and serving the first cheesesteak. There is much debate over what kind of cheese to use on a cheesesteak. If the story I have heard about the first cheesesteak is correct, the only authentic, true-to-the-original cheesesteak must have Cheez Whiz on it. This is because (or so the story has it) Pat wanted a cheese that he could use without ruining the grill for his Jewish customers. I don't know whether he just had some of the recently introduced process cheese spread on hand or had been approached by a Kraft salesperson, but it really doesn't matter. The point is, Cheez Whiz can be heated to melting in the can or in a saucepan without ever touching the grill. This story may well be apocryphal, for people since then have put cheeses other than Whiz on their steaks without incident. In fact, I suspect that of the three most popular cheeses to use in cheesesteaks -- provolone, American, and Whiz -- the majority of cheesesteak purveyors in Philly use American now. What they do not ever use, as John Kerry found out to his embarrassment during the last presidential campaign, is Swiss. As everyone knows, Pat's King of Steaks is now a Philadelphia institution, run by the grandchildren of Pat's brother Herb Oliveri. In finest Philadelphia fashion, the next generation of the family didn't see eye to eye on how to run the place -- Pat's son Rick wanted to franchise -- and the two branches went their separate ways. Rick's son Rick runs a cheesesteak stand at the Reading Terminal Market under the name "Rick's Philly Steaks" -- he had originally opened it as "Oliveri Prince of Steaks," but the "Prince" title was already Steve's trademark. Currently, Herb's descendants, who run the original Pat's, are suing Rick for trademark infringement. Everyone who knows also knows that while decent, Pat's is far from the best cheesesteak in town. That honor may well belong to Steve's Prince of Steaks in the Northeats, which was featured on Chris Cognac's The Hungry Detective on the Food Network. Steve's, like many but not all of the city's best, is a Whiz shop first and foremost. (Oh, they'll serve you American or provolone if you want, but you will have to ask for it.) Tony Luke's, another of the city's best, shies away from it. So, I'm afraid, does the Smith household. Here's the mise en place for the home version I made around 12:30 this morning: As you can see, I am about to use the last little bit of two packages of sandwich steak: some sliced sirloin tips and some "Philly Gourmet" sandwich steaks, which, like most sandwich steaks sold in boxes in your grocer's frozen meat case, are made from chopped beef that has been formed into thin slices. The difference between the two in quality should be evident from the pan shot. And it's even more evident after they've cooked: At this point -- about a minute after they were put in the heated pan -- they are ready for topping with cheese. I used American. I had already split and dressed the roll before cooking the steak. I'm a ketchup-and-mustard man myself, but Chris prefers mayonnaise. Yes, I've started making my own from time to time. This batch was a little on the lemony side and had chipotle powder mixed in as well. And ketchup, as it turns out, for he poured it on as soon as he got back. This version is a plain and simple cheesesteak -- no onions, no mushrooms, no peppers, no broccoli rabe, no spinach, no nothing but meat and cheese -- but I guess it met with Chris' approval. Then I went back to posting the item about lunch yesterday. FWIW, that meal wasn't bad. I especially liked the hint of heat that had been added to the chicken noodle soup. I have two more Phillyphood History Lessons I plan to offer. The one on the hoagie will probably have to wait until tomorrow. The other will be offered later tonight.

Those meats were portioned for our party of five, more or less. And if they weren't, we behaved as if they were. I really don't understand the rationale behind rationing liquor licenses except to note that it does make sense in the context of a system that is -- or was -- set up to limit access to alcohol across the board. In Pennsylvania, you cannot buy beer and wine in supermarkets the way you can in many US states, though the Liquor Control Board has begun opening Wine & Spirits stores inside supermarkets where you can pay for all your purchases at the same register. If you want less than a case of beer, you go to one type of store (usually a bar, deli or convenience food store) and pay dearly for the privilege; if you don't want to pay a lot for your beer, you must buy a case of it from a beer distributor. It seems to me that most Canadian provinces have liquor laws on a par with Pennsylvania's at best. Why did this come to be the case? Canada never had Prohibition, if I'm not mistaken. So what do they do when they want to drink there?

I can walk you through the rather cumbersome ImageGullet uploading process if you like. PM me and I will send back a step-by-step guide.

I will answer that question in my foodblog over in General Food Topics shortly. BTW, Chris: I spied my back in one shot and the side of Katie's face at the edge of another. Hey, you take your 15 minutes where you can get 'em, but this certainly won't go into my video clip portfolio.

But first, I forgot to answer Daniel's question about why there are so many BYOBs in Philadelphia. Chalk this up to the state's liquor laws. Like neighboring New Jersey, Pennsylvania limits the number of liquor licenses that can be issued in a given area (county, borough or city; townships are incorporated into county quotas). They are allocated on a formula based on population; however, cities that have lost population, as both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have, can keep the licenses they already had when the current system and formulas went into effect. The result is that a liquor license is a precious and expensive commodity, and many restaurateurs choose not to obtain one when they open new places, preferring to wait until they've established a track record, customer base and steady revenue stream to buy a license. This has had a beneficial side effect, though -- the proliferation of BYOBs in Philadelphia has resulted in a slew of creative, interesting restaurants that diners can experience without completely draining their wallets. Some of the most-talked-about new restaurants in the city -- places like Mercado near me, for instance -- are BYOBs.

Thanks again. Actually, the place where we reconnoitered last night qualifies as a good BYOB, even though Jeff L brought the Bs. And they do a really good job with barbecue (even though they cook over an open flame, I will grant churrascuria status as barbecue because the marinades and the nature of their open-flame cooking technique -- closer to rotisserie cooking -- produces a result far closer to barbecuing than open-flame grilling does). Which makes this a perfect time to segue into last night's cow-out. I went almost straight from Chester to the Northeast, interrupting the trip only to stop at Commerce Bank to put some cash into my partner's bank account. That 10-minute interval probably meant the difference between my arriving at the Picanha Grill in time to make the first course (everybody was to have met at 6:30 pm) and my getting there at 7:07 pm, after everybody else had gotten a taste of the delicious pork sausage that opens this protein marathon. The rest of the crew -- Jeff L, saxchik, her husband Matt, and Mummer -- were already working their way through the meal when I walked through the door, and had polished off half of Jeff's first bottle of wine. (I promise that when we next head up here, I will bring one too, Jeff.) So I went about catching up, helping myself to some tasty short ribs in a mango-y sauce and some of the other side dishes offered at the buffet. But as you can see, I took care to take small portions of each, for we were all here at Picanha Brazilian Grill mainly because of the meat. And what meat it was! Order the all-you-can-eat special (somewhere around $25) and they bring it out to you, speared and ready to carve. Having missed the pork sausage, my meat orgy began with brisket: then pork short ribs: then chicken wrapped in bacon. But wait! There's more! Rare top sirloin: My portion of this, with salad topped with salsa cruda and a pea-and-potato salad: followed by marinated chicken wings that tasted like tandoori chicken. Charlie (Mummer) passed on these, explaining to us that a several-month stint working at a KFC permanently turned him off to chicken parts. He will eat the bird in other forms, though--he had the bacon-wrapped breast chunks as well as the chicken sausage: that came out after a delicious interlude of grilled pineapple. We all agreed that the pork sausage was the better of the two. saxchik wanted no part of the chicken hearts that came out next: but that's okay -- that left more for me to eat. And we still weren't finished. There was roast pork loin to be had: and finally, flank steak, which only Charlie and I had room for. We're still trying to figure out what it was they marinated the flank steak in -- it imparted a dark brown color and an unusual flavor we couldn't put our finger on to the meat. All of this was accompanied by the two excellent wines Jeff brought: and consumed with animated conversation about food, memorable dining experiences, things worth blowing serious money ($100 or more) on -- dinner at StudioKitchen, yes; seeing Wynton Marsalis play in front of an intimate crowd (what I'm saving up for later this fall), yes; designer threads, well... -- all against the backdrop of programming from TV Globo, Brazil's leading TV network. There was news about the upcoming second round of balloting in the national election (hence the references to Lula above; while he is expected to win, he has alienated a significant portion of his base among Brazil's poor), tomorrow's weather forecast: and telenovelas. The show that followed the newscast had a title that I think translates into "Lizards and Snakes" and (judging from its opening and closing titles, which I thought were very clever) deals with the lives of families across the socioeconomic divide that separates richer from poorer. There were also images on these programs that -- if the shocked reaction two years ago to that pre-Monday Night Football teaser involving The Former Eagle Whose Number Was 81 And Whose Name Should Not Be Uttered in Public and a Desperate Housewives star is any guide -- Americans are not yet ready to deal with in prime time, although they are apparently mature enough to handle during the day: We all agreed that this guy looked a bit like Isaiah Thomas. His style would probably have the NAACP crying foul were this a US TV program, but from what I understand about Brazilian society, racial roles and relations are far more fluid than they are in the United States. As I once heard it put, "In Brazil, anyone can be white, no matter what color they are." But racial discrimination is not a completely alien notion there: the predominantly Afro-Brazilian Northeast, Brazil's answer to the Southeastern United States, is also the country's poorest region. Both Brazil and the US also share a history of race-based slavery, but it seems to be a less sensitive subject in Brazil, possibly because it ended there (around 1880) without civil war. Oh, and there were plenty of scenes featuring topless hunky men that would probably be classified as soft-core up this way, not to mention a towel-dropping along the lines of the one that scandalized the nation when What's-His-Name did it in that MNF teaser. As this program was drawing to a close, so was our meal. We finished it off with dessert -- one of Picanha's tasty custards for Jeff (he chose guava): and flan for the rest of us. The only thing Jeff and I missed was the salt-encrusted ribeye (or was it some other cut?) we had on our first visit here. With the guava drink I ordered, dessert, tax and tip, the whole bill came to $35 -- a real bargain for a fun evening. I forgot to mention to the rest of the crew that work is proceeding apace on a Philadelphia branch of Fogo de Chao, a national chain of Brazilian churriascurias, in the grand Chestnut Street space that used to house the jewelers J.E. Caldwell & Co. (Preservationists are a bit up in arms about the defacing of this high-ceilinged space). Whatever FdeC may have in style, however, it will no doubt lack in authenticity, unless they can stock the place with gorgeous, friendly Brazilians like those who served us at Picanha. This restaurant is definitely worth the trek to the Northeast (about 40 minutes from Center City via SEPTA, and faster if you drive) to experience. Picanha Brazilian Grill 6501 Castor Avenue (at Hellerman) 215-743-4647 Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 59 from Margaret-Orthodox station, Market-Frankford Line, to Castor and Hellerman avenues. The restarurant's right at the corner. Coming up: Phillyphood History Lesson Number One, triggered by a somewhat inebriated roomie.

Thank God it's... Friday, October 27, the 300th day of 2006 and the 324th anniversary of the founding of the city of Philadelphia. There are 65 days left in the year. Today's Philadelphia forecast: Mix of clouds and sun this morning, becoming cloudy this afternoon, rain likely later tonight. Forecast high 52F, forecast low 42F. On this day: In 1275, according to tradition, the city of Amsterdam was founded. In 1795, the Treaty of Madrid establishes the boundaries between the United States and Spain's colonies in North America. In 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, driving all Mormons from the state. In 1904, the first line of the Interborough Rapid Transit -- New York's first subway -- opened. The system would eventually grow into the largest in North America and one of the largest in the world. In 1936, Wallis Simpson filed for the divorce that would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, which in turn would require him to abdicate the throne. In 1946, Geographically Speaking, the first commercially sponsored TV program (sponsored by Bristol-Myers), aired. In 1995, Latvia applied for membership in the European Union. In 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 554.26 points as stock markets worldwide crashed out of fears of a global economic meltdown. The drop triggered "circuit breakers" created after a similar crash in October 1987 and forced the New York Stock Exchange to close early. The DJIA rose some 300 points the following day. In 2002, trade unionist Luis Inacio Lula de Silva was elected President of Brazil. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox finally shook the "Curse of the Bambino" by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series, taking their first Series title since 1918. Famous people born on this day include: Erasmus of Rotterdam, Dutch theologian, in 1466. James Cook, British naval captain and explorer, in 1728 in Marton, North Yorkshire. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States and first American Nobel laureate (winner of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize), in 1858 in New York City. Emily Price (Emily Post), American etiquette maven, in 1873 in Baltimore. Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet, in 1914 in Swansea. Ruby Dee, American actress, in 1924 in Cleveland. John Cleese, English comedian (Monty Python, Fawlty Towers), in 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, in 1945 in Caetes (Garanhuns), Pernambuco. His birth registration is dated Oct. 6, but this is the date his mother recalls as his birth date and the one he prefers to use. Why am I noting Lula here? Answer to be provided later today.

I dump it in raw, just as Jeff does. It has the texture of cardboard and the rather bland flavor of oats. Maybe I should try toasting it.

Okay, before I collapse, let me at least get lunch today up here. Recall what I said about Widener feeding you? That salad I mentioned yesterday is still in the fridge, because I got fed again. This time it was because I'm on the planning committee for our Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month observations. The noontime meeting called for more than the Ubiquitous Cheese and Fruit Platter: Instead, there was a grilled chicken salad with potatoes, olives and roasted red peppers: a slightly spicy chicken noodle soup: and carrot cake. As I'm really tired now, I'm going to have to put off the commentary and the rest of the day until tomorrow. I think it's the aftereffects of all that meat.

Does it encourage anything else? I've been having gas of late...

Okay, now that things are at a brief lull as the end of the workday approaches, I can maybe catch up with yesterday. Since I was getting back up to speed both with my exercise routine (hah! That was interrupted again today) and with a pile of work on my desk, I ate there yesterday. Lunch consisted of a meatloaf sandwich, made from the leftover meatloaf from Tuesday. As I believe I said in my first foodblog, I often prepare dinner with an eye on having plenty of leftovers for lunches the rest of the week. There are certain dishes -- meatloaf is one of them; Hamburger Helper is another -- that Gary asks I pack him for the next day's lunch when I cook them. In the case of Hamburger Helper, that's only if he hasn't polished off what's left that night. Speaking of leftovers, though, one thing I am finding out about Widener is that food is a standard accompaniment for all but the most mundane meetings. At receptions, you will find the infamous cheese and fruit platter I described in my first foodblog; for business meetings at meal times, there will either be coffee, juice and breakfast pastries and breads or sandwiches and salads. Since I work in Old Main, the original PMC classroom and barracks building, which now houses the administration on the first two floors, the Nursing School on the next two and nothing at all on the fifth, there are a lot of administrative meetings in the conference room down the hall from me. Inevitably, not everything gets consumed, and what isn't consumed shows up in the room with the copier and coffee machine, as it did yesterday: I grabbed the half tuna salad sandwich in this picture as well, along with some potato chips also left over. I had packed a tossed salad before going to work as well -- it's still sitting in the fridge, for reasons you will see when I get to chronicling today -- and had forgotten that I had a bottle of honey Dijon dressing in the office fridge, so I tried to do something interesting with ingredients on hand. I had wanted to get rid of this mislabeled product: I say it's mislabeled because if there was any soya bean extract in it, the molasses swamped it, along with the salt. "Molasses with Soy Flavoring" would have been a far more accurate label. So I combined this with some industrial balsamic vinegar, a liberal amount of olive oil and some ginger, and got something that I could swallow but would not recommend you try at home. As I try not to waste food, I will consume this concoction eventually. Maybe I'll take it back home and stir-fry something in it. After work, it was off to PGMC rehearsal, where we ran through some of the longer works for our holiday concert ("Nutcracker: Men in Tights" -- I will be a Sugar Plum Fairy in the title work, which is a sendup of the Christmas staple that keeps ballet companies across the country solvent) and a quick run through of the songs we will sing on Saturday, when we open for Joan Rivers, who is stopping at the Keswick Theater in Glenside on her current concert tour. Afterwards, Vince and I -- still in our office drag -- stopped off at 13th Street Pizza before heading to Karaoke Blvd. at Pure so as not to drink on an empty stomach. This all-night hole in the wall used to serve pizza that was as reputable as some of the patrons who swamp the place around bar closing time. (The sidewalk in front of the establishment is a gathering place for young black queens who head out to vogue parties in West Philly in the wee small hours after hanging around for a while around closing time, and a less benign element sometimes inserts itself into the mix.) That has changed since the shop reopened after closing for a three-week makeover. I had two slices, one a meat lover's special with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and Cheddar, which I topped with grated Parmesan from a jar: and one a chicken ranch pizza. Both were made with very good quality ingredients, and had thin crusts that weren't quite up to NYPD Pizza's standard but came awfully close -- especially the chicken ranch pie, thanks to the absence of sauce (it had ranch dressing drizzled over the chicken). On the scale we developed for the Best of Philly Review Tour, I would rate these pies as 10-milers -- quite good indeed. (I explained the scale to Vince while we were waiting for our slices. He was surprised that I rated the pies at Joseph's as only one-milers, and that I was underwhelmed by Celebre's.) Then we went off to drink and sing and carouse. Now I have to get outta here pronto, because I have to make some close connections to get to Pichanha Grill in time. I will resume on the other side of a meat-induced coma. Edited to add additional photo.

Trust me, it was very easy to resist the urge. I had to check my camera and my cell phone at the entrance. What follows is the only photo I could take inside the Criminal Justice Center, shot when I went in on Monday morning: Alert viewers with good memories may note that the light fixtures in the lobby of the Criminal Justice Center (1999) bear passing resemblance to those in the main hall of 30th Street Station (1932), photos of which ran in my first blog (click on the link in my .sig to refresh your memory if you care). Postmodernism is so much fun because you can mix and match styles and influences with abandon if you are so inclined. However, I'd characterize this building as a cross between stripped-down classical and stripped-down Art Deco. The crowds in the lobby are mainly victims, defendants and their families, waiting to pass through the metal detectors at the main entrance. Visitors must remove all metal objects -- even their belts -- before passing through them. Lawyers, court employees and jurors serving on cases may use a restricted entrance with less sensitive metal detectors (you can keep your belt on). Employees and attorneys can keep their cell phones with them as well.

Yes, I'm still going, armed with my camera! I will be heading straight to Picanha from Chester. After accounting for transfers (Bus Route 109 > R2 inbound > Market-Frankford El > Bus Route 59) and waiting time, I will probably get there just a little bit late. I've let Jeff L know. I'll have extra chicken hearts for you, dear heart. Sorry to hear you won't make it.

Now that I've started the day with a question: Rise and shine! Today is Thursday, October 26, the 299th day of 2006. There are 66 days left in the year. Today's Philadelphia forecast: Mostly sunny and breezy, with the winds of the past few days dying down this afternoon. (The mighty wind of the candidates running for election will not abate until Nov. 7.) Forecast high 55F, forecast low 39F. On this day: In 1774, the First Continental Congress adjourned. In 1825, the Erie Canal opened across New York State, connecting the Great Lakes -- and thus the interior of the country -- with the Atlantic Ocean (via the Hudson from Albany south) for the first time. In 1881, the Gunfight at the OK Corral took place in Tombstone, Arizona. In 1905, Norway declared independence from Sweden. In 1948, a dense smog caused by pollution from local smelters settled over Donora, Pa., and remained there for the next five days, killing 20 and hospitalizing more than 7,000. The disaster led to the first meaningful state and Federal laws to combat air pollution. In 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem declared himself President of the Republic of Vietnam after receiving 98.2 percent of the vote in a suspect election. In 1958, Pan American World Airways inaugurated the first transatlantic jet service between New York and Paris using a Boeing 707. British Overseas Airways Corporation inaugurated New York-London jet service the same day. In 1977, the last natural case of smallpox was identified in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this day the date smallpox was officially eradicated. In 1992, the latest effort in Canada to "bring the Constitution home" -- the Charlottetown Accord -- fails in a nationwide referendum. In 2002, Russian troops storm a Moscow theater, bringing to an end a three-day siege by Chechen rebels; 50 rebels and about 150 hostages die in the fight. In 2006, I discovered how to make Starbucks coffee drinkable: Just use less of it per pot. Famous people born on this day include: Friedrich of Saxony, in 1473 in Torgau. Georges Jacques Danton, French revolutionary leader, in 1759 in Arcis-sur-Arbe, France. Mahalia Jackson, American gospel singer, in 1911 in New Orleans. Francois Mitterand, president of France from 1981 to 1995, in 1916 in Jarnac, Charente. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, in 1919 in Teheran. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and U.S. Senator from New York, in 1947 in Chicago. William "Bootsy" Collins, American funk guitarist, in 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

You're welcome. But as you are host of the France forum, I'd like to ask you: Is there anything like meatloaf in French cooking? I would think that some pates might count, but I'm not sure.

Going back to Monday: Vince left me something besides good cheese and tasty leftovers on Sunday night. He also left me fruitcake. Okay, it's not really fruitcake, but to us, it might as well be. When I told him I really didn't care for Starbucks coffee, he said to me, "We got this from a friend a while ago, and we don't like Starbucks either. So when I put stuff together to come down, I thought, 'Maybe I should bring this to Sandy. Maybe he might like it.'" Funny thing was, I brewed a pot that night before sitting down to post. And it didn't taste burnt. It was actually rather mellow. Rock Chalk Jayhawk! The University of Kansas is Mom's alma mater -- BSN '54, MSN '70, the first black woman to receive both degrees from the school. On my most recent trip back to Kansas City, this past June for my 30th high school reunion, I bought a blue T-shirt with only the words "Rock Chalk" emblazoned on it. I like to keep folks guessing, and while nobody in Kansas City would have to guess anything, nobody around here knows what this phrase refers to. Now all of you do -- it's the chant that goes up at KU football games. After making another pot the next morning, I decided that this must have been because I used less coffee than normal. My weekday breakfast routine has changed, by the way. It now consists of this, or something similar: with this mixed in: This was something I was tipped off to by a friend and former Penn colleague, Jeff Harris, one of the most attractive older black men I know. He started eating this combination for the same reason I am now -- to lower my cholesterol. (I may just have to bite the bullet and acknowledge that I won't get anywhere on this unless I stop eating some things in addition to starting eating others.) I still pack salads for Gary and me every morning, though. Speaking of morning routines: If you're reading this blog, hhlodesign, here's a little history just for you. My journey to and from work ordinarily takes me past a milestone in American architectural history twice each day. The Philadelphia Saving Fund Society building, designed by architects George Howe and William Lescaze in 1932, is universally acknowledged as the first International Style (or Modernist) skyscraper in the United States. It marked a radical departure both for Howe, a Philadelphia architect who had up until then worked strictly in the American eclectic tradition, and for local banks, which had up until then favored Greek Revival or neoclassical designs for their buildings. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982 or thereabouts, and it still looks as fresh and new as it did 74 years ago. The former PSFS boardroom on the 33d floor has been preserved beautifully. It's a striking space with a great view of the city. The large windowed space on the second floor used to be the main PSFS banking hall. It is now the grand ballroom of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, which occupies the building now. The street floor, which housed a dress shop when the building was PSFS headquarters, now houses a seafood restaurant, Sole Food. The CN8 cable channel broadcasts its morning show live from the corner space in the restaurant; before that, NBC10 (WCAU-TV) used the space for its morning talk/variety show, 10! The news ticker you see crawling across the top of the window is still NBC10's. On the way to jury duty Tuesday, this truck was parked alongside the building: Could someone please explain to me how it's come to pass that slapping a NASCAR logo on something instantly turns it to gold? Does it makes vending machine fare taste better too?

That's the idea! I may be an adopted as opposed to a native Pennsylvanian and Philadelphian, but I have come to love both the city and the state as though I've lived here all my life. I hope that my posts here, as before, let some of that love shine through -- to the point that some of you might want to visit someday. You'd be rewarded richly for doing so, for if you're willing to embrace it in all its maddening, frustrating, messy glory, this is truly (in the words of the local tourism promotion folks) the place that loves you back. Latvian community in West Philadelphia? Where? Unless I'm very much mistaken, that community is history now. I wouldn't know where to find it, or any culinary traces of its existence (what would those be, anyway?). What is there now are Africans. Ethiopians, Eritreans, Senegalese, Liberians--these communities have made the area west of the Penn campus their home, opening up some damned good restaurants in the process -- Fatou & Fama and Dahlak, to name two. I did my own rant on "the sixth borough" back in my first foodblog, so I'm not going to repeat myself here. What has been said about Mexico sometimes applies to Philly, with appropriate adjustments: "So far from God and so close to New York City." Not only Penn but the whole city has changed a lot in the past 10 to 15 years. The city has gotten a lot cooler and more interesting. I don't think that W.C. Fields, were he alive today, could quip as he did, "I went to Philadelphia last Friday, but it was closed." Our insecure, parochial souls went into paroxysms of ecstasy when a writer in National Geographic Traveler last year proclaimed this burg "The Next Great City," but the guy was on to something. What he was on to, I haven't figured out exactly, but I think it may have something to do with the expansion of choices in nightlife, dining and living options, both in the heart of the city and in some of the outlying sections. You'll get to see one of those outlying sections tomorrow. When I moved here, there were Ethiopian restaurants--two of them, one in Center City and one at 45th and Locust. The latter was called the Red Sea then; it's called Abyssinia now. The former is long gone. But there were no Jamaican places, nothing serving up West African fare, no authetic Mexican restaurants, nothing from South America, nothing from Russia, and only the Warsaw Cafe representing Eastern Europe. You will find all of these and more here now. I can't tell you how snapper soup came to be part of Philadelphia's culinary tradition. But since this blog is all about history, I will see if I can look that information up and post it later. It is finished with sherry, but cloves have nothing to do with it. Actually, this batch of gravy was left over from a batch I made from the pan drippings when I made roast beef the week before. But usually, brown gravy for meatloaf involves a cheat. Mine is "Better than Boullion," a concentrated flavoring base made from stock. It's got a good deal of sodium in it, but less than in boullion, and a richer beef taste to boot. I mix a teaspoon or two of this with the fat from the pan (another reason I don't cover it with tomato sauce or ketchup), a couple of tablespoons of flour (or one of cornstarch) and enough water to make one cup. I then add a little browning sauce (Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet) to add color. yeah chesterfield is real hoppy for a mass-produced beer. definitely not sweet. you may not like it, actually--but that's OK, as my dad used to say, that's why there are two flavors of ice cream... re: dock street, they did have a brewpub at 18th & arch, where they brewed some beer. the bottled stuff on the shelves was contract brewed, though. at least later. i wonder if rich is around here somewhere to help remember... sandy, was that sandwich from mcgillins so big that it was, like, two open face sandwiches, or did the pic just look that way? man that looks good. ← Dock Street Amber Beer first appeared on the scene in 1985, in bottles only. It was brewed for the Dock Street Brewing Company of Philadelphia by the F.X. Matt Brewing Company of Utica, N.Y., brewers of Utica Club Cream Ale. Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner and Illuminator Bock came along about two years later, and the brewpub off Logan Circle in 1991 or thereabouts. It opened a second brewpub in the Reading Terminal headhouse in 1993, which was purchased by Independence Brewing a few years ago. The rise of a host of other very good microbreweries and brewpub restaurants throughout the region (Victory, Yards, Flying Fish, Independence, Sly Fox, Iron Hill, Stoudt's...) ate into Dock Street's franchise as well. I can't say for sure what happened, but the company all but disappeared by this time two years ago. (I think it may have had something to do with their effort to expand beyond this region.) Anyway, the company has been acquired by the owner of Pizza Rustica on the Penn campus. The bottled beer is back in stores, and they are jumping through the hoops needed to open a brewpub and pizzeria at the Firehouse Farmers' Market site at 50th and Baltimore. No, James, that pic wasn't an optical illusion. I contemplated combining the two topped bun halves into one single sandwich but quickly realized that would be impossible. And it tasted as good as it looked -- the current owners have invested in their food as well as their building. BTW, James, you've got to meet me sometime soon. I just bought myself a pair of black Italian dress loafers that I think would meet with your approval. Edited to fix nested quotes.

Come to think of it, one of those sports bars is right down the block from the RTM: Champions, in the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel.

This just in.... In 2006, New Jersey joined Vermont and Massachusetts in the ranks of states whose highest court interpreted the state constitution to require the state to extend the same legal and financial benefits to same-sex couples that it does to married heterosexual ones. In the majority opinion in Lewis v. Harris, just handed down, the New Jersey Supreme Court took the same stance Vermont's did in not stipulating that the state allow same-sex couples to marry, but requiring the legislature to craft a status that extends the identical benefits and privileges as marriage. (Yes, there is a side theme to my history openers each day besides food, where I can find it in each case. October is also GLBT History Month. The link I just gave you is to the official GLBT History Month web site, put together by Equality Forum, a Philadelphia-based organization that stages an international GLBT symposium and festival here every spring. Equality Forum's public relations director, Mike LaMonaca, is an acquaintance of mine--we met when we both worked at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated.) More vittles to come.

My dining companions couldn't resist chuckling every time I whipped out the camera to take the pictures for this post in my current foodblog. I refrained from photographing their dishes, probably to their relief. They already know about my big-time traingeekery, and this probably would have sent them 'round the bend.

They're on the way. I promise. Like "Weird Al," I used to listen to the Dr. Demento radio program during my high school years--the radio station that carried it in Kansas City ran it at 11:30 pm on Saturday night, just as I was getting off my copy boy shift at The Kansas City Star. So I listened to it on the way home from the paper, and it permanently warped my taste in music, just as it did Al's. I'll have to check out "White and Nerdy." I think it came up as a featured song on Rhapsody this morning -- "Weird Al" currently tops their artist list, so the song must be getting a lot of streams and downloads. I can't believe he's 47, either. Usually, I use either ground beef and ground pork or prepackaged "meatloaf mix" -- the ground beef/pork/veal combination that most supermarkets carry now. However, after Monday night's meatloaf, I think I'm going to change my recipe, for this was the juiciest, tastiest meatloaf I ever fixed. For all we may spread our wings and seek adventure when dining out or cooking in, I do believe that all of us at some time or another crave the comfort foods we grew up on--the "all-American," "homestyle" "Mom food" (forgive me for sounding like a Zagat Survey review!) that just about all of us who grew up in the United States ate at least occasionally, if not regularly, as children. (I'm sure I will hear something from Hispanic and Asian Americans about how their Moms cooked none of these things during their childhoods, and indeed, I'm sure I'm slighting comfort foods that are now as American as tacos in making this statement. However, I wouldn't be surprised if third-generation Asian or Hispanic Americans had parents who did rotate meatloaf or (especially) spaghetti and meatballs -- an Italian import into the (Anglo/German-)American comfort food pantheon -- in with the staple dishes of their own cultures. In fact, it was an "Italian import" that made my Monday night meatloaf so tasty--namely, a pound of mild Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled, added to the two pounds of ground beef I usually start with. Of course, that's just the base ingredient. Meatloaf requires additives to truly shine. Here are some of mine: I usually take the jazz rather than the classical approach to preparing foods I am intimately familiar with like meatloaf, so the amounts I am about to give you are definitely approximations, unless you see the word "(measured)" after them. This meatloaf received about 2 tablespoons of dried parsley flakes, a like amount of oregano, six minced cloves of garlic (exact count), 4 tablespoons of dehydrated minced onion (measured) and one cup of seasoned ("Italian style") bread crumbs (measured). Then, for good measure, I grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano: and added that to the mix--about 1/3 cup in all. I then added two beaten eggs and 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce (measured) to the mix and went to town. The melange was pressed into a loaf pan: and baked for an hour at 350F. Meanwhile, I got to work prepping the veggies: That's right--fresh carrots and frozen peas. I added some tarragon to the mix for added flavor. while Chris peeled the potatoes for boiling in salted water. (I have to watch my use of salt in cooking, for Gary has high blood pressure, but I figure that salted water should be OK.) About an hour later, everything was ready to go. Please forgive my not having photographed the finished loaf before I sliced it, but doesn't this look delicious? Note the absence of any sauce on the top. That's because I usually serve my meatloaf with brown gravy. I have, however, been known to top it with Gates' Bar-B-Q Sauce during the last half hour of cooking. Put it all together and you get: Chris raved about the meatloaf. The Italian sausage's seasonings and higher fat content made a world of difference in the moistness and taste of the meatloaf. Oops! I said fat. Well, I haven't been following any of the weight management tricks I've been trying to follow since starting jury duty, so I guess it doesn't make much difference right now. Speaking of weight management: It's time for me to head down to the Wellness Center for a workout--the first I've had since last Tuesday. I'll see you all after I get back to the office.

No, you didn't make that up. Pennsylvania Military College began admitting returning veterans as civilian students in 1946. By 1966, the civilian program had grown to become larger than the Corps of Cadets and gone co-ed, and at that point PMC adopted the name Penn Morton College for the civilian program. Edited to add: The Corps of Cadets and both institutions' names disappeared in 1973, when the college Board of Trustees voted to rename the institution for the family of benefactor Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. (1923-2006), who also served on Widener's Board of Trustees for many years after his generous gift in 1973 helped save the institution from insolvency.

Good morning and happy Hump Day! Today is Wednesday, October 25, the 298th day of 2006. There are 67 days left in the year. Today's Philadelphia forecast: Back to life, back to reality under partly cloudy skies. Forecast high 55F, forecast low 37F. On this day: In 1415, the army of Henry V of England defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. In 1854, British general Lord James Cardigan staged his ill-fated attack on a heavily armed Russian brigade at the Battle of Balaklava--the inspiration for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade. In 1923, the United States Senate began its investigation into the Teapot Dome scandal, which will eventually ensnare several members of President Warren G. Harding's administration. In 1929, one of them -- Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall -- is convicted of accepting a bribe while in office, becoming the first individual to be convicted of a crime while serving as a presidential Cabinet member. In 1938, Francis J.L. Beckman, archbishop of Dubuque (Iowa), denounced swing music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people," warning that it would lead down a "primrose path to hell." In 1955, the Tappan Stove Company introduced the first microwave oven for the home kitchen, using technology licensed from the Raytheon Company, where the microwave oven was invented in 1947. Priced at $1,295--more than most cars sold at the time--the wall oven did not sell well. In 1971, the United Nations seated the People's Republic of China and expelled the Republic of China (Taiwan) from membership. In 2001, Microsoft launched the Windows XP operating system. Famous people born on this day include: Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer, in 1825 in Vienna. Georges Bizet, French composer, in 1838 in Paris. Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor, in 1881 in Malaga, Spain. Anne Tyler, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (The Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant), in 1941 in Minneapolis. Helen Reddy, Australian pop singer, in 1941 in Melbourne.