Backstage with Rick Garrett

First in a series of interviews

In this modern, electronic age, it’s easier than ever to not only become connected, but stay connected with people from all over the world. I thought it would be interesting to have a conversation with some people I’ve met through my travels or via the digital world who are entertainers. I use the term entertainers to encompass not only musicians, but comedians, authors and others who entertain us for a living. 

Being a foodie, albeit a finicky foodie, I also want to do the same thing with a chef or two. Of course, these will have to be a "live" interview, at the table, sampling their creations.

Some of these people I’ve actually met, while others are those I’ve only conversed with via e-mail or the internet. To a person, though, the one constant that I’ve found to be pleasantly surprising is just how down to earth they are. One hears the term “professional comedian” or “award winning author” and sees only the profession and not the person. Yes, of course we know these are living, breathing people, but we tend to lose sight of this basic fact. They have house payments to make, children to support and other obligations just like we do. I have yet to interact with any of these people in anything less than a warm and friendly manner. I don’t know why I was so surprised by this, but I was.

Here, then, is my effort to further humanize some of these entertainers and show just how much of a “real person” they are. I’m glad I made the effort to reach out to them and I’m proud to call some of them friend.

Unless noted otherwise, these conversations took place via e-mail, phone calls, in person or a combination thereof. I’m formatting this more as a conversation than an interview, mainly because I like the flow of a conversation much better than a strict question and answer format. In the case of e-mail exchanges, I have left the answers unedited, and they appear just like I received them.

My first “interviewee” is Rick Garrett. Ironically, Rick is one of those I’ve only met online, and have yet to meet in real life. Part of that is a geographical restraint and part is the nature of how we “met.”

Rick (who I’ll tag as “RG”) is both a comedian and musician. I actually met him in a very indirect way through a shared hobby: geocaching. Our conversation took place primarily through e-mail, with a pleasant phone conversation to clarify a few questions I had.

PN: Do you recall how we first met?

  

RG: I’m pretty certain we first met on MySpace!  We’ve never met in person.  I’d like to see that changed in the future. :-)

PN: I believe it was through MySpace. I think it was via Duane (“Odyssey Posse”) from Geocaching. I agree that we definitely need to meet in person! You and Holly should make a caching/Ingress road trip down here. Then again, Cindy and I could make a road trip up there…

So, please describe your current gig.

 

RG: I’m a comedian/musician.  I started out doing music, and then decided to give stand up comedy a shot, and now spend a lot of my time doing that.

PN: From your social media posts, it seems like you are pretty much evenly split between music and comedy. Is this accurate, or have you found one to occupy more time than the other?

Note: Italicized text throughout our conversation indicates where I paraphrased Rick’s answers and comments from our telephone conversation.

RG: In the winter: due to the weather, I tend to do more comedy. In the spring and fall, with more festivals and outside activities, I tend to do more music.

PN: I’m especially intrigued with “An Evening With Burl Ives” from your website. I’ve been a Burl Ives fan since I was a child, and my absolute favorite song is Kentucky Turkey Buzzard. When can I expect to purchase your cover of this?

 

RG: I’ve been looking for a project to do after I complete the current Gospel CD I’m recording….this gives me a great idea!

PN: So, “Patchwork” is your musical persona, and “Rick Garrett Comedy” is your comic persona?

RG: Yes :-)

PN: Does Holly (Rick’s wife) contribute to your comedy act, or does she mainly focus on the musical aspect?

RG: Holly mainly focuses on the music, although she’ll accompany me to my comedy gigs as time permits.

PN: Since you do both music and comedy, for clarity, I’ll lump them together as “entertaining” unless I have a specific question about one or the other. Please tell me about your pre-entertaining life. Where did you grow up?

RG: I was born in East Tennessee, spent most of my life in Cowan, Indiana  (near Muncie) and have lived in Indianapolis for the last 12 years or so.

PN: So, you’re a Colts fan, then?

RG: A casual fan, but I’m more of a baseball fan…a big Cincinnati Red’s fan. I even got to play golf with Johnny Bench one time.

PN: I remember watching Johnny Bench hit a homer when they played the Astros at the Astrodome…..many years ago. Have you ever been to the Indianapolis 500?

RG: Many times! I used to work as rescue crew there as well, mainly as a paramedic. People who have never been there in person are usually surprised at just how huge the speedway is. It’s enormous!

PN: Who were some of your heroes? 

  

RG: My number one hero will always be my Uncle Bob.  He was THE major influence in my life growing up.  He introduced me to the music that I love so much, taught me to fish and enjoy the outdoors, and, most importantly, taught me to laugh.

PN: Kinda like John Denver’s Matthew, huh?

RG: That song is one of my favorites to perform!

PN: Please tell me how you got started in entertaining.  

RG: I guess I took a pretty typical path.  I was the class clown in school, and I always loved attention. J  I started off doing music in Church, and in 1974, I played my first professional music gig.  I got paid 5 dollars and dinner.  I thought I was in hog heaven!  Once I did my first “real” entertainment gig, I was hooked, and knew, that in one fashion or another, I’d find a way to entertain people.

PN: Was that first gig playing a guitar or the dulcimer?

RG: It was the dulcimer. But more to the story, by the time I had a chance to eat, all the food was served and I didn’t get anything to eat afterall.

PN: Speaking of instruments, what all do you play?

RG: I was a classically trained pianist first. I’ve also played the trumpet professionally, but not lately. I play the guitar and dulcimer more than anything else now.

PN: Who were some of your inspirations?

RG: My Uncle Bob, as mentioned earlier.  He had a lot of health problems, mostly from working in the coal mines, yet, he was ALWAYS smiling. Music…Ricky Skaggs is at or near the top of the list.  Not only a fantastic musician, but a man who followed his own path to play the music he loved so much.  Harry Chapin is/was also an inspiration, especially when it comes to songwriting.  He had such a way with words, and could take the mundane….a taxi ride, for example, and make it magic.  Comedy, Bob Newhart.  I appreciate the fact that he never resorts to vulgarity or shock value to get a laugh…he relies on being smart and witty.  I appreciate humor you have to think about a bit.  Jerry Seinfeld also falls into that class.

PN: I’m also a fan of both Ricky Skaggs and Harry Chapin! The first song that comes to my mind when I think of Ricky Skaggs is Uncle Pen. My favorite Chapin song is Mr. Tanner. 

(author’s note: As soon as I said this, Rick broke into the first lines of Mr. Tanner. As much as I wanted him to continue, we had to focus on the interview.)

Were you ever a fan of Red Skelton?

 

RG: Only a casual fan.  I liked his work, but always equated him with an actor more than a comedian, since he often played characters…..I’m not much of an actor, although I’ve done it a few times.  It’s really hard to step into someone else’s skin and then back into your own!  Actors have my highest admiration!

PN: What was it like first starting out? What were your biggest fears?

RG:  I was fortunate.  I never suffered from stage fright.  I LOVE being in front of people, and I’m MUCH more comfortable on stage, speaking to a group of people than I am talking one on one. I guess my biggest fears was that people wouldn’t like what I was doing.  It took me a while to cope with that, and to follow my own path, especially in comedy.  My early career in comedy was MUCH different than what I do now.  I was more R rated, and I tried political humor and shock value.  Once I decided to just be myself on stage, I was much more successful.

PN: More “Rick Garrett” and less “Sam Kinison?”  

RG: Absolutely!  I’m convinced that the key to being a successful comic is being yourself.  Opening the door to your inner being and letting people have a peek inside.  Generally, I try to be a kind and gentle person, and that’s the kind of comic I try to be.

PN: Can you tell me what some of your biggest expectations were?

RG: I can’t say I really had any!  I honestly considered myself so fortunate to be on stage, that that was enough for me.  Although I still have to pay bills and such, still…I’ve no expectations.  I’m honestly just please to be on stage.

PN: I take it, then, your green room requirements are minimal? No contract specifics like “only green M&Ms in a red plastic bowl” or “A sandwich tray and a case of Dr Pepper?”  

RG: I’m pretty happy if they’ll provide me with a bottle of water, actually.  I just feel fortunate to be doing this! :-)

PN: What were your biggest surprises? 

RG: That people seem to really appreciate clean comedy.  In a day and age that often relies on shock, it’s a pleasant surprise to see what a hunger there is for good, clean comedy.  Also, how competitive both music and comedy is.  It IS a bit disheartening, at times, that so many of us compete, instead of working together.

PN: Your philosophy reminds me a lot of my friend Mutzie. His shows are very family friendly as well. I bet y’all would make for an interesting evening performing together.  

RG: So, how do we make that happen? :-)

PN: I can easily put you two in touch with each other. Mutzie, be on the lookout for a message from me about this.

So, please describe a typical day when you are NOT performing, such as rehearsing, writing, promoting…

RG: A pretty typical day for me is a LOT of computer time.  I’m seeking out venues, festivals, and such to perform at.  Then I send a query to them, and much of the rest of the day is promoting gigs already booked.  Add to that the occasional interview, either for newspaper, radio, or a podcast, I typically have fairly busy days.  Most folks don’t realize that the vast majority of entertainers don’t have an agent or promoter.  We have to be a booker, promoter, web designer, publicist, and much more, all rolled into one.  It is quite time consuming!  Add to that a notebook that keep comedy ideas in, I’ve got to set aside some time to write new material.  I don’t have have a set schedule for that…I technically in the process of writing ALL the time.  I’m fairly good at multi tasking.

PN: I didn’t realize that most entertainers had to rely on themselves until I met a couple of comedians on cruise ships. Without the help of something like Self-Promotion and Gig Booking for Dummies, was this a “learn as you go thing?” 

RG: I was fortunate that early on, I got paired with a couple of VERY experienced comics, who were a wealth of information for me.  I will always appreciate those guys!

PN: And answering all of my questions, which I thank you for, just adds to your work load. What about non-work related activities. Do you ever take time for that?

RG: I really enjoy my bicycle, although I don’t get on it nearly enough.  (Indiana winters severely cuts my time down!!)  I’m a ham radio operator, so I do like to take a break here and there and see who is on the air.  I’ve got numerous pets (cats, lizards, snakes, turtles) and they’re always a nice distraction when I’m feeling like I need a break.

PN: I’ve seen you mention your cats, especially on Facebook. I didn’t know you also have snakes. I’m shuddering just at the thought of it. To me, all snakes are considered “armed and dangerous.” 

RG: That’s a really common misconception. And I occasionally do educational shows with snakes and lizards for schools, etc.  Like any animal…they CAN be dangerous if not treated with the proper respect.  The same goes for dogs, cats, and just about anything else!

PN: As a diver, I get the same reaction when I mention sharks. Most sharks really don’t want anything to do with you. Snakes, though, just arouse some primal instinct in me. I don’t even care to look at photos of snakes in a book.

Please describe a typical day when you have a show or shows to do.

RG: A lot depends on where the show is, if there is travel involved, and so on. But, pretty typically, it will be spend loading in the PA system, taking some time to go over my set for the gig, driving to the gig, setting up the PA, doing the show, tearing down and loading out the PA, and then either spending the night or driving back home.  I always like to get to a gig early, whether it’s comedy or music.  I like to set in a dark corner and watch the crowd filter in. Although I always have a basic set list in my head, nearly every time I have a gig something will happen that will cause me to alter that.  It might be an older or younger audience than I anticipated, or I’ll hear a snippet of conversation from someone that will spark a thought, or see something in the room.  I really think one thing that sets me apart from some other entertainers is that I never do the same show twice.  I work really hard to make each one personal and unique in some way.  I also try to make a couple of Facebook and Twitter posts day of the show as reminders. :-)

PN: Your social media updates are quite effective, and always entertaining. For some reason, I always think of “Metamora” when you mention a musical gig. Can you remind me exactly what/where Metamora is?

 

RG: Metamora is about halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati.  It’s a beautiful, pre civil war Canal town, we still have a working canal, with horse drawn canal boat, a working grist mill, and more.  It’s an amazing place to visit!  You can see pictures and such at www.metamoraindiana.com

PN: Do you ever indulge in anything non-work related on show days?

RG: I try to keep gig days…especially higher profile gigs….pretty stress free. I’ll take some time to answer any emails that need to be answered, make any phone calls I absolutely need to, but I usually DO try to find a way to relax, mentally, on a gig day.  Maybe I’ll play with the cats, or go for a walk or a bike ride.  It’s all about finding time to get in the right mental space.

PN: What is your proudest accomplishment thus far?

RG: Overcoming my past.  I was a pretty terrible student in school, and was actually in special ed for the first part of my elementary school career, until a teacher realized I just learned differently.  I was able to go mainstream, graduate, and even to college when no one really thought I’d be able to.  It was a huge obstacle for me, and I still learn kind of untraditionally.  Often, we don’t only have to learn, we have to learn HOW to learn.

PN: My late brother was mildly dyslexic and way back then schools didn’t routinely test for such things. I know he struggled with school until he adapted to it.

How do you maintain your energy level through several shows in a row? 

RG: That’s a really good question!  The main thing for me is to take a mental break here and there.  If I can keep my mental status sharp, the rest is a piece of cake.  Usually, that involved doing something that’s almost mindless.  Play a computer game, read a magazine, go for a bike ride, grab a guitar a play not to rehearse, but just to play.  For me, maintaining an energy level is pretty much all about being in the right mental space.

PN: Surely robust laughter or enthusiastic applause helps. I remember my days in high school marching band and our small town school had a very supportive crowd. I can still feel the surge of energy from a stadium, albeit a small one, filled with cheering fans. Given that, how do you overcome a “dead” or “flat” audience? 

RG: I just have to remind myself that everyone may be dealing with issues I have no idea about.  My job is to do my very best to entertain  them.  Early on, I would be very discouraged when I stepped off stage from an audience like that.  Now, I realize if I gave it my all….I did my job. :-)

PN: What is your toughest challenge to stay creative?

 

RG: As a comedian…it’s to avoid the cheap laughs.  It’s easy to use profanity  (and, I’m no prude) or shock value to get a laugh.  When I’m struggling  with a new bit and can’t quite get it to work, there’s always the temptation to take the easy way out.  I always have to remember  it only takes one slip up to alienate my core audience, and loyal friends and audience members are VERY important.  I need to keep first and foremost in my mind how important they are, and how much I care for them.

PN: So, the easy Hillary or Trump throwdown may not be the wisest choice? 

RG: Low hanging fruit.  Far too many comedians rely on that.  I don’t find that stuff all that creative. :-)

PN: What advice would you give to newcomers in your field?  

RG: The BIGGEST advice, is to be yourself.  You’re not Robin Williams or Paul McCartney.  People want to see you.  People want to hear YOUR jokes, hear YOUR take on songs.  YOU are who people what to see, and it is YOUR story they want to hear, whether through music or comedy.  Be yourself.

PN: Great advice! I have to constantly remind myself of this when I’m writing short fiction. On a subconscious level, I tend to try writing in Stephen King’s voice. That’s his voice and not mine. I’m definitely no Stephen King and need to remember that.

What would you change about your profession (industry) if you could? 

RG: I’d completely get rid of shows like The Voice or America’s Got Talent or American Idol.  None of us are really in competition with each other.  We’re all unique, and there’s an audience for each of us.  AND…those shows give an unrealistic view of success.  It’s not an easy road.  There are lots of miles to travel and lots of shows to do in small towns and dimly lit bars.  99% of us will never make a full time living at this….but we’ll be incredibly happy.

PN: I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t care for those types of shows. What are some of your interests outside of entertaining? 

RG: I’m an avid Geocaching…..kind of like a high tech scavenger hunt,  My wife and I play together as a team and it’s great fun, and has taken up to SO many amazing places we’d never have seen otherwise.  Lately, I’ve been playing a similar game called Ingress a little bit.  I love animals, and I’m a ham radio operator  (N9GSU)

PN: We definitely have a few things here in common, don’t we? Both my Geocaching and Ingress names are “Lefty Writer.” What’s your favorite type of cache? 

Personally, I avoid most puzzle caches. I think I’m fairly intelligent, but the vast majority of puzzle caches destroy my sense of logic. It’s worse when I see the log state something like “Thanks for a fun puzzle. It took me a few minutes to solve, but it was fun.” Wait, a “few minutes?” I struggled over that bad boy for hours! 

And don’t get me started about micros in the woods……. 

RG: I really like caches that make me see something that I would not have otherwise seen.  A pioneer cemetery, a historic marker, an interesting view or building.  If they show me something interesting, I really don’t care if they’re a micro or large.  It’s more about the experience than the container to me :-)

PN: How did you pick your Ingress faction? For me, my sister introduced me to it and said “When you sign up, join me on the Resistance side.” I’m still plugging along at level 9, stomping “frog portals” every chance I get. 

RG: I like the color green.  Seriously…that was all it was :-)

PN: Please elaborate on your passion for tenderloins. When and how did the Tenderloin Connoisseur make his first appearance? If you and Holly ever make it down here, I can’t guarantee you’ll find places that serve a good tenderloin, but you’ll definitely be able to experience some world class Tex-Mex cuisine. 

RG: Holly and I were having dinner at a little dive bar, and I ordered a tenderloin.  I said it was the best I’d ever had, and she said  “Why don’t you start reviewing them?”.  I realized there were lots of general food review sites out there, but not that many that were focused on one particular food.  And I did it, and the rest is history.  It’s been a great journey that I still enjoy!  That was about 5 years ago. :-)

PN: If you weren’t an entertainer, what would be your preferred vocation? 

RG: I really can’t imagine doing anything else.  I’ve had a number of great jobs in my past  (and some NOT so great ones).  I supposed I could see myself working in a museum as some sort of interpretive person.  Hmmmm…..maybe I should look into that!

PN: You mentioned firefighting to me before, in an offhand comment. Did you do this as a volunteer or were you in a paid position? I was a volunteer firefighter for several years, mainly when I did EMS full time. I loved doing both.

RG:  I was full time  (but I also volunteered with a small rural department, which made for some interesting union issues)  Being a medic led to some great comedic bits! :-)

PN: Suppose you won a multi-million dollar lottery. Would you still perform or would you retire? 

RG: I’d certainly still perform!  But if money weren’t an issue, every show would be a charity show for a good cause.

PN: Good for you! While I truly love my job as well, if I won a huge lottery I’m pretty sure the first thing I typed would be my two week notice. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. However, there are too many geocaches and portals in the world just waiting for me to discover, and there are many places I haven’t had a chance to dive yet. Just think of it….doing a fascinating multi-cache in Dublin, Ireland followed by refreshments at a local pub, listening to authentic Irish music.

Rick, thank you for your precious time. Any last thoughts? 

RG: Thank you for allowing me to do this!  It’s been a blast, and it’s the first time I’ve ever done an interview like this.  I look forward to doing it again!

I hope this has captured your interest in Rick. He’s definitely a fascinating person and it’s fun reading his tweets and other social media posts. Below are several ways to contact him.

Website:         http://www.rickgarrett.net

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/RickGarrettComedy/?fref=ts (comedy)

                        https://www.facebook.com/patchworkstringband/?fref=ts (music)

Tenderloin Connoisseur:   https://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com/

Twitter:           @IndyCacher

I hope to do several more of these interviews in future blogs. I have a few people in mind, and I hope they will be amenable to something like this. I’m sure you will find them every bit as fascinating as I do. Of course, I’ll still continue to blog about other topics as well. Hopefully I won’t be blogging about a cat-5 hurricane rumbling towards the Texas coast.

Until next time……

carpe cerevisi

What's YOUR comfort food?

Imagine you’re having a stressful day. You blew a deadline for your boss, and he’s not happy. One of your coworkers accidentally spilled coffee on your white shirt. Your kids are giving you grief about wanting a new car. And speaking of your car, that pesky “check engine” light just came on…..again! Wait, are you starting to get a runny nose?

We’ve all had stressful days like this, right? That’s when we crave our “comfort food.” The Merriam-Webster definition of comfort food is: “Food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds you of home, family, or friends.” It is often used to invoke feelings of nostalgia, safety, and, well, comfort.

Mmmm, donuts!

Did you happen to notice that the Merriam-Webster definition didn’t name any specific foods? No surprise, really, as it’s such a personal thing to all of us. I took an informal survey on Facebook, as well as asked several of my coworkers and family members to get an idea of what comfort food meant to them. I asked people to name just ONE comfort food and collected about 50 answers, and found some interesting results.

Now, I’m not going to turn this into a dry, boring statistical analysis of what brings us comfort. Food isn’t about percentiles or standard deviations. It’s about that first bite of your childhood favorite, such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the feeling of simple pleasure. It’s about how food can take you back to a special time in your life when your biggest worry was a scraped knee or how to keep your bratty little brother out of your room. If you’ve ever seen the 2007 film Ratatouille, you might recognize this very sentiment in one of the final scenes. I’ll just leave it at that in case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t seen this fun movie. Crawl out from under that rock, or walk out of that cave. Give it a try, and you just might like it.

I’ll start by naming my own comfort food. Since I held everyone to just one answer, I will name only one thing too, even though I have a few faves, as did most others. For those who read my “Pi blog,” you’ll see I tend to have a few favorites at any one time. In this case, though, I’ll limit my choice to just one: “breakfast” tacos. I’m an equal opportunity eater when it comes to “breakfast” items. I’ve had pancakes for dinner, and breakfast tacos for dinner are a common occurrence at our house.

I was raised on breakfast tacos. My mom would make these for us when we worked cattle on the weekend. She had a special touch with them, much like her fried chicken. As much as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to replicate her fried chicken, even when she would stand right beside me, supervising the whole process. I guess you are still stuck on chicken duty, mom.

My basic “blueprint” for breakfast tacos is really quite simple. First and foremost, I use flour tortillas exclusively. Well, let me backtrack just a little. If I’m making chorizo and egg tacos, I’ll use corn tortillas for that specific combo. Otherwise, it’s flour tortillas all the way. Obviously eggs are the backbone of my breakfast taco. I’ll vigorously beat some eggs with a little milk and a dash of red pepper flakes. If I’m making tacos just for myself, I use two eggs, otherwise I’ll add more depending on how many I’m cooking for. The next critical ingredient is some form of potato. Ideally, I’ll have leftover chunks of roasted red potatoes or homemade hashbrowns. Barring that, I’ll bake some “tater tots” or something similar. Oh, relax! It’s OK to cheat and use prepared components from time to time. Besides, these are my tacos! By the way, if you decide to use something like this, I recommend putting them under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes at the end to achieve maximum crispiness.

So now we have our eggs beat and our potatoes in whatever form ready on the side. For the meat component, I prefer bacon, but will use pan sausage if I don’t have any bacon in the house. Scary concept, huh, no bacon in the house. Let’s not contemplate that too deeply. I cook my bacon until it is very crisp, almost to the point where it will shatter if you thump it. Crumble it up and set it aside, being careful not to sample too much of it before it goes into the pan. That’s always a high potential in the Newman kitchen…..oversampling the bacon. Hey, I believe in quality assurance, sure, but I don’t want to QA myself out of a good taco.

Dump the beaten eggs into a warm to hot skillet and let them cook until almost done. Add the potatoes, bacon and any other ingredient you want at this point, along with a good handful of shredded cheese. I’ll leave the specific type up to you, although sharp cheddar or pepper jack seem to work quite well. Mix everything well and cook until the eggs are done. Add a little (or a lot, up to you) more shredded cheese and you’re done! Heat the flour tortillas and add a nice dollop of filling onto it. If you have some fresh pico de gallo or salsa go for it. Wrap it up and enjoy.

My breakfast tacos

That’s my comfort food. It was a tough choice, though, as my second choice was homemade carne guisada tacos (with brown gravy, NOT red gravy!). So, maybe it’s just tacos that are my comfort food, and not necessarily the specific kind of taco….. Nah, it’s pretty much breakfast tacos for me.

Earlier I mentioned an informal poll I posted on my Facebook page as well as a verbal poll of several coworkers. I promised not to make this a boring statistical analysis, but I do want to make some observations I found quite interesting.

I got almost 50 responses from Facebook, coworkers and via Twitter. Of these, only five people selected a non-savory dish. Two said chocolate (good choice!), one preferred oatmeal, one selected pancakes and my wife said, hands down, chocolate pudding. I don’t know why I find this so interesting, but I do. I figured more people would’ve chosen a “sweet” dish but that wasn’t the case at all.

The top four answers, in no particular order, were pizza, mac & cheese, wings, and steak. I’m giving honorable mention to meatloaf and chicken and dumplings, as they popped up almost as frequently. One quick note about the meatloaf entry: One reply was actually “My mom’s meatloaf.” I guess I’m not the only one who prefers one of mom’s dishes, and that absolutely confirms the definition of comfort food. Not surprisingly, two of my friends from Louisiana picked classic dishes from their state: gumbo and boiled crawfish. A friend from Alaska named “dry fish” as her comfort food. I can definitely see regional tastes being an influence here. An award winning author was kind enough to reply to my query with “low country BBQ shrimp and grits with grilled peaches.”

Naturally, I had a good idea what some of my family would say. Mom of course said fried chicken, although I had her pegged for Fritos and bean dip (her second choice). Both of my sisters prefer a good grilled cheese sandwich. One of my brothers from another mother was definitive about egg sandwiches being his comfort food. He actually turned me onto this gem of a food at a restaurant in Galveston called Farley Girls. Check out their menu item called “Good Morning Galveston.” It’s quite yummy and a preferred lunch choice for me when we eat there. My other bro surprised me with his choice of an Egg McMuffin. I make my own version of this from time to time, and prefer it over the original article. I’m not knocking his choice, just providing a little extra commentary. But really though, an Egg McMuffin? Seriously? Just kidding, brother, if it works for you, great.

My coworkers fell pretty much in the mainstream with gumbo (my boss) pizza and steak topping the list. Two of our UTMB police officers had the same idea of chicken fried steak, with white gravy, of course. My lab manager selected kielbasa as her preferred comfort food.

I really didn’t know how a chef would answer this question. Via Twitter, I asked some Food Network chefs, and they replied with such dishes as roast chicken with mashed potatoes, spaghetti carbonara and goulash. A local chef and culinary instructor (and friend) preferred chicken and dumplings. I wondered if being a chef would influence their decision with something like “arctic char with truffle oil sautéed vegetables” or Beef Wellington or some other fine dining type dishes. Nope, not at all.

All this talk about comfort food and now I’m wondering what I’ll do for dinner tonight. I guess I’ll order a pizza with a side of wings. While waiting for it to get delivered, I’ll jump into a big bowl of mac & cheese.

Until next time…….

carpe cerevisi

Happy St. MY Day

Happy St. what day? Well, that’s what my mom said I used to call St. Patrick’s Day……”Saint MY Day” when I was a wee lad. I’m sure some of y’all are nodding your heads and saying something to the effect of “Wow, you were arrogant even as a child.” Nah, not arrogant, at least not then. Just call it a child’s view of the world.

My love of St. Paddy’s Day is of the music! Forget the green beer (amateurs!) and the “Kiss me, I’m Irish” t-shirts. I don’t need any of those gimmicks. I’m Irish on both sides, with ancestral names like O’Madden and Kilpatrick in my family tree. I live it year round. Yeah, I’ll be happy to sip on a Guinness or a Harp’s Lager to celebrate, but I’m NOT going to contaminate good beer with green food coloring. Nope, not gonna happen. I’ll forego the corned beef and cabbage for dinner as well. I’m still a Texan after all, and some beef sliders with roasted red potatoes will do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

Back to what I first mentioned, though, the music. For being a predominantly auditory medium, music is also very visual for me, especially Irish folk music. I often wonder, when listening to this music, if it’s just my fertile imagination or something buried in my DNA that evokes such mental imagery. Sinead O’Connor’s version of The Foggy Dew always conjures images of fog-shrouded hills, and smoke rising over crumbling buildings. I can see the fishing boats, and even smell the peat fires in a small cottage when listening to Killybegs. It’s amazing just how visceral some of this music is!

Here we go!

image from Google search

Naturally, when writing or talking about Irish music, the two most common groups that should immediately come to mind are The Chieftains and The Wolfe Tones. I have many CDs from both of these groups, as well as from other Irish groups and have had the pleasure of attending a couple of live Chieftains concerts in Houston. Of course, there are many other groups, but these two are probably the most well known.

The Chieftains

image from Google search

Another very visual song is an instrumental called The Fox Chase. It was written for the Uilleann pipes, which is the Irish variant of the Scottish Highland pipes. My favorite version is by Leo Rowsome, but neither YouTube nor an extensive Google search yielded a suitable video of it. You can find a sample of it here, though. I do have this on CD, but am hesitant to post it on YouTube for copyright reasons. The Chieftains have a version of this song which you can find on YouTube here. This is a fun song to listen to, as with Rowsome’s version, all of it is done on the uilleann pipes. You can hear the bugle of the hunt master and the dogs barking if you listen carefully.

Tally-ho!

image from Google search

Of course it’s easy to visualize these scenes with an instrumental, as there are no words to influence your mind. Having just written that, though, some of the traditional songs with lyrics can also create a powerful mental image. Consider the song Kilkelly, about a father writing to his immigrant son. The words alone are powerful, but I can listen to this song and see a withered old man, sitting at a table, dictating his letter to a friend. Compare this to Spancil Hill, which is from the viewpoint of the immigrant, missing his homeland. You definitely don’t have to be Irish to appreciate the longing for family demonstrated in either of these songs.

Kilkelly, Ireland

image from Google search

Whew, this is starting to get a bit heavy. Let’s lighten it up a bit, and look at some of the famous “Irish drinking songs” that are fun to sing along with. Before every cruise, my wife swears she’s going to participate in karaoke, which is fine by me. I can’t carry a tune to save my life, so I’m doing everyone a favor by not singing. The other reason, though, is the lack of a good Irish drinking song on the karaoke list. Seriously, if there were even a few of those, I’d be tempted to belt out a few. If a, well, let’s just say less than talented person could sing My Heart Will Go On (while on a cruise ship....in Alaska!), and still receive a polite, yet warm response, surely I could get away with a rousing pub tune like Whiskey in the Jar, Finnigan’s Wake, or The Wild Rover. I guess I can always host an Irish drinking songs karaoke party at my house. Who’s in?

Several years ago, I attended the King’s Feast at Texas Renaissance Festival with my sister and brother in law. Audience participation was pretty much mandatory, and one of the songs we had to sing was Here’s a Health to the Company. Hey, I know that song! The Chieftains have a great version of it. When it was time to sing it, my brother in law opened the program to the lyrics and held it up to share with me. “No thanks, Mikey, I already know it.” He looked at me and started to argue. It took a few minutes for me to convince him I actually knew the lyrics and wasn’t just faking it. Adding insult to injury, my sister just rolled her eyes at him and told him he should’ve known better.

Earlier I mentioned how I must have some sort of coding in my DNA from my ancestors that provide such clear imagery. Besides the famous “drinking songs” of the Irish, their music also has many “rebel songs.” I can listen to these rebel songs and have it speak to some deep part of my soul. The Wolfe Tones are known to perform many of these, and the upbeat tempos make for a good accompaniment to a proper pint of Guinness. The melodies are typically pleasing to the ear, and on the surface they are fun to drink and sing to. Once you actually listen to the lyrics, though, you’ll see just how potentially inflammatory (to some) they can be. You can listen to a playlist on YouTube here. Go ahead and give it a try. Hey, if it’s on St. Paddy’s Day, all the better, right? If you don’t have the time or inclination to listen to almost three hours of Irish music, I invite you to at least sample Rock On Rockall or Broad Black Brimmer. You’ll get a good idea of what I’m referring to. One caveat, though: You may want to listen to Rock On Rockall at home. There are a few words, not too bad, that really aren’t suitable for a work environment.

I can’t finish today’s blog without mentioning a more contemporary group: The Pogues. A good friend of mine, John Myers (you’re always gonna be John to me, not “Jack”), turned me on to The Pogues many years ago when I was still doing EMS up in Colorado. I can best describe them as “Irish Punk,” although that isn’t entirely accurate. Just listen to Dirty Old Town, Fairytale of New York or A Pair of Brown Eyes and see what mental images you can come up with. Maybe you can come up with a better description than “Irish Punk,” too. Thank you, John, I'm glad you told me about The Pogues. You were absolutely right!

So, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing on this Paddy’s Day, 2016, I wish you much joy and pleasure. You can bet that I’ll be listening to my Irish music and enjoying everything about it. And if you happen to enjoy some adult beverages along with the music, please do so responsibly.

Until next time…….

carpe cerevisi

A slice of Pi

In just a few days it will be National Pi Day: 3/14/16. Pi: such a marvelous mathematical constant. Who all remembers their junior high (or was it elementary school) mathematics? “Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.” This ratio is expressed as 22/7, or in decimal format 3.14159……. Wow, rounded off it’s 3.1416. Mind =  blown.

And who, by the way, remembers that goofy little phrase: Pi are squared? Pi are round, cornbread are square!” It seemed to be so funny in junior high.

Of course, whenever I hear the term Pi, the first thought that comes to my mind is a circle, but nothing dealing with ratios. It is, of course, Pi’s famous homonym: “pie.” Yes, I know there’s an actual “National Pie Day,” which occurred on January 23^rd this year. I guess I could’ve written on this topic then instead of the topic I ultimately selected, but at the time I didn’t have my list to choose from.

So, here are my thoughts on that circle of goodness: pie!

I love pie! Apple pie, lemon pie, blueberry pie, the list goes on and on. Can’t you just smell the aroma of a freshly baked apple pie, or see an exquisitely flaky crust? Imagine that first taste of a blueberry pie, topped with French vanilla ice cream.

The last pie I made was, ironically, on National Pie Day. I made a turtle pie from a recipe I’ve modified over the years. I’ve just about perfected it, and will be happy to share it with any of y’all on one condition: I want one of your pie recipes. Deal?

This version has an Oreo cookie crust, with a layer of caramel on the bottom, topped with a chocolate and pecan layer. The crust is the one component that I’ve modified more than any other. The original recipe called for a standard, “blind baked” pastry shell, and while good I knew it could be better. I tried a shortbread cookie crust, and this definitely improved the flavor. The downside to this crust was it was a bit hard to cut without it breaking.

My next idea was either a graham cracker crust or an Oreo cookie crust. Since I was going for an authentic turtle flavor, I opted for the Oreo cookie crust. Yep, that’s it! Now I just need to increase the thickness of the caramel layer and it should be perfect.

Turtle pie

What is my favorite pie, though? Wow, tough choice! If I had to pick one, just one pie, I would narrow it down to two: A blueberry cream pie or a lemon pie. Now, most people think of lemon meringue pie by default. I’m one of those few that prefer no meringue on my lemon pie. All too often the meringue is too thick and detracts from the lemon flavor.

So, which is it, the blueberry or the lemon?

         

What do y’all think? Only one can be at the top of the list. That doesn’t mean I won’t eat any other pies, let’s not be foolish here. I just have to pick one for the top. It’s not like I’m picking out wallpaper, or voting for President, right? It’s not like picking a favorite will change the course of history. No butterfly effect here, right? Let’s see, if I pick the blueberry cream pie, it probably won’t cause rain in the Sahara Desert, and if I pick the lemon pie, a dozen lemurs most likely won’t be crushed by a meteorite…..in theory.

OK, enough stalling! I have to pick a favorite, if for no other reason than I’ve been teasing y’all this whole blog. Looking at all the variables, and considering such nuances as complex flavor profiles, and calculating the net fat grams…..no, forget that. “Pie” and “fat grams” do not belong in the same sentence, or even on the same planet.

The envelope please. And the title of Patrick’s favorite pie goes to……

LEMON!

So, for this coming Pi Day, I want to see a lemon pie at my house. Who wants to bring me one? I'll even share with the volunteers.

Until next time…….

carpe cerevisi

Spider's coffee

I’ve previously written about my passion for reading, such as this post from 2014. I’m always amazed at how many hidden gems I manage to find in the library, or via one of the eBook lists I subscribe to. Oftentimes I have no idea about a particular author, but based on the book’s description, I’ll give them a shot. With few exceptions, I’m glad that I gave this unfamiliar author’s book a chance. Not only do I find the actual story entertaining, but on occasion I’ll discover a “real world” treat.

I was looking for an audio book at the library and found The Callahan Chronicles by Spider Robinson. This is a compendium of his series about a barkeep that caters to aliens. The story was fantastic, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction sprinkled with liberal amounts of humor. What made this an extra special find for me, though, was one of the characters mentioning a particular type of coffee bean. Until that point, I had never heard of Tanzanian Peaberry.

I love a good cup of coffee, with the operative word being good. My wife and I enjoy our weekend morning “ritual” of brewing a pot of gourmet coffee and enjoying it at leisure. With my claim of being a fan of coffee, I must admit that I’m not a fan of a certain coffee chain. Even though I’m not mentioning this chain by name, I’ll emphasize here that this is strictly my opinion on the matter. I find even their “basic” coffee to be bitter and overpriced, and honestly can’t see why it’s so popular. I’d rather just brew my own.

Welcome, my friend!

image from Google search

So, once I read about Tanzanian Peaberry, I ordered a bag of this bean from one of my favorite online suppliers. The first weekend after it arrived, I ground enough to make a full pot and the first sip was, well, divine! It had a smooth, rich flavor with a hint of chocolate. Yep, that one pot earned a place on our permanent rotation. In fact, it is our “go to” gourmet coffee, and I make sure to always have some in the pantry. Thank you, Spider, you definitely enriched my life in more ways than just good writing.

On my very first cruise, one of our stops was in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I had heard of, but never consumed, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. From what I read, and what others have said, this was another rich coffee that was highly sought after. This variety, much like the famous Hawaiian Kona coffee, is much more expensive than many other varieties. Without even tasting my first cup, I bought a couple of one pound bags of beans. I brewed a pot on the first weekend after getting home. Like the Peaberry, the Blue Mountain was fantastic! There’s little wonder why these varieties are so popular.

You may have noticed that I write about buying beans. Generally, whole beans tend to retain their flavor much longer than ground coffee, especially the flavored varieties. Once ground, the coffee beans will lose their flavor more quickly than the whole beans. The small downside to buying beans is that it adds one more step to the brewing process. You have to use a grinder and grind the beans before brewing. It isn’t hard to do, but it does take just a little extra time and effort.

Our daily coffee is typically Yuban dark roast. I had never heard of Yuban until a pathology resident I worked with told me about it several years ago. I prefer the flavor and aroma of Yuban over any other regular coffee blends, such as Folgers or Hill’s Brothers. Even better, Yuban is generally less expensive than Folgers, at least where we buy it. Better taste and less expensive? Great combination, if you ask me. And before you ask, no, I don’t “contaminate” my coffee with anything….milk, cream, sugar or other additives. I drink my coffee black. My wife, on the other hand…. To each their own, though, and I won’t begrudge anyone adding a splash of this or that to their brew if that’s what they want.

Actually, let me clarify one minor detail. While I don’t add anything to my coffee, I will drink flavored coffees from time to time. A freshly brewed cup of Chocolate Almond or Heavenly Cream on a Sunday morning, with cinnamon rolls right out of the oven, and my day is made, even if the Cowboys are playing, and lose.

A final word here on my favorite morning beverage. There’s a reason why places like IHOP and the like put their coffee in an insulated carafe. It’s more than just the convenience of having a pot of coffee at your table, and not having to wait for Flo or Vera to bring you another cup. As coffee sits on that hot plate, it will get more and more bitter as time passes. Once that pot is brewed, put it in an insulated carafe, and it’ll stay hot and won’t be bitter. You can buy one at pretty much any store. It’s well worth it, and once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you got along without one.

Until next time……

carpe cerevisi