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Thursday, August 14, 2003

Occasionally, Nicholas von Hoffman writes a column for The New York Observer. When he does, it’s worth a read. Here is what he says this week about a Palestinian state:   Palestinians—terrorists though they all may be—do agree about having their own state. They’ve been terrorizing for years to get one, but they might want to stop and ask themselves whether or not Mr. DeLay has a point. What kind of a state are they going to get, assuming they get one? Its boundaries will be impossible to define. The area which is generally referred to as Palestinian territory is pockmarked by hundreds of thousands of Israeli squatters living in towns, villages and hamlets, defended by high walls and high technology. The Palestinian "state" will have no drinking water, since the Israelis have taken it. Palestinian "citizens" will be able to enter and leave their toy state only at the pleasure of the Israelis. The chief executive of this play-school democracy will of necessity be a stooge whose tenure in office is dependent upon the approval of Israel and Washington, whose slight benefactions will constitute the Palestinian state’s not-very-gross domestic product. Other than receiving charity from whomever might be so disposed, the Palestinian state will have no economy—not even olive groves, which have been chopped down to give Israeli machine guns a field of fire. The citizens or inmates of this sandbox republic will not be able to go to school, work, hospital or take a crap without having to pass a checkpoint manned by the Israeli Army. Should a Palestinian state come into existence, it will be toothless, penniless, waterless, schoolless, foodless and useless. If I were a Palestinian terrorist, I’d sign up with Mr. DeLay and shout, "Better to be a serf in old God-given Israel than free in man-made Palestine." 9:18:59 PM    comment []

There was a fair and balanced man Who walked a fair and balanced mile. He found a fair and balanced sixpence Against a fair and balanced stile. He bought a fair and balanced cat Which caught a fair and balanced mouse, And they all lived together In a fair and balanced little house. 7:46:57 PM    comment []

Fair And Balanced Buffalo Wings 7:24:16 PM    comment []

Me Too! 6:57:58 PM    comment []

How long can they talk about a blackout? It’s not like a hurricane where they can show the guy in the strong wind (why don’t they ever have him trying to fly a kite?). It’s just a lot of traffic, worse than usual, and crowds of people acting more confused than usual. It’s reassuring to hear the constant disclaimers that this is not the work of malicious terrorists, just the power grid blowing a fuse.   Like the media giving this nonstop coverage, I still have power. That’s good because I’m going to do up some frozen chicken wings, Wings seem to be cheaper the more you buy, so I buy big packages. With a little practice, it’s easy to separate them at the joints, seal them up into small packages, and freeze them. The tips make great stock. The new rectangular deep fryers are great for cooking them not only because of the size, but also because of the temperature control.   I thaw them at 212º F so the frozen water doesn’t sputter as it thaws. When they can be separated, I lift the basket up and raise the temperature to 360º F, then fry them until they float. Meanwhile, I melt half a stick of butter in a cast iron skillet until it starts to bubble. Then I add a cup or so of Texas Pete hot sauce, maybe livening it up with a little Tabasco, stirring into an emulsion. When that starts to bubble, in go the wings. Stir and cook until the sauce starts to “crack” – the butter begins to separate out from the emulsion. Then they’re ready to plate. When the wings start to float in the fryer, it means most of the moisture has cooked out and they are ready to absorb the hot sauce to make them righteous all the way through.   Now back to NPR, at 36th and Park, where people are calm and a private citizen directed traffic until the cops showed up… 6:44:32 PM    comment []