More than just a hot dog...

A couple of weeks ago, I had to fly back home (home being the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY) for a family matter and while there, I bought some Zweigle's Hot Dogs to bring back to Kansas City. These are, in my opinion, the finest hot dogs one can buy anywhere. They are currently only found in upstate New York, in the Rochester area, but rumor has it that they may be going national in the near future. This would be a great nudge upwards of our country's quality of life. They come in two varieties: the classic "Texas Hot," a red hot dog, with natural casing and superb flavor. They also make what is known as a "White Hot," an incomparably subtle and delicately-flavored dog that has no peer that I've found anywhere. They make skinless dogs too, but these are the real deal, "the best of the wurst," as they say. I was describing these to some friends who come from other parts of the country and, I can tell you, the skepticism was tremendous. These guys are hard-nosed composer-types, not easily impressed. They didn't actually sneer at my rhapsodies about these hot dogs; they just didn't believe that there was a hot dog that could be THAT good. Well, last weekend they stopped over and I grilled up a bunch. Doubts were erased, McIntire's credibility was left intact, if not greatly enhanced. All agreed that they were terrifically delicious.

For some history on these unique hot dogs, go to:

http://www.zweigles.com/In%20The%20News.htm

To order them for yourself and your friends, go to:

http://www.newyorkstyledeli.com/

Addendum: As an indication of just how passionately these hot dogs are regarded by Rochesterians, I should note that visitors to Rochester are able to purchase these hot dogs AT THE AIRPORT. So tourists and members of the Rochester Diaspora like myself don't need to go haring off to a grocery store—they're available in convenient thermal pouches, just past security.

Jubilant Update Update

The Great Eastern website now has all ten episodes of Sunny Days and Nights uploaded and ready for your enjoyment. This website was recently described as "a trusted friend, in good times and bad," something I think would benefit just about anyone. So the link to the right has become just that much more potent since I last wrote about it...

Kyle Gann: Postclassic

Probably I should actually put this link (found just to the right) on my Words About Music blog, but here it is. I used to read Gann's reviews of new music cds in Fanfare magazine years ago, and he never steered me wrong with a recommendation. I like his writing a lot. His recent postings on Charles Ives have been very good, and he's one of the most insightful writers on new music around. He can be a bit strident sometimes, and he doth protest too much about how Downtown composers are neglected in general and shunned by the academy. Maybe so, but he himself has got three cds coming out this year, he teaches at Bard and writes for the Village Voice, so it's hard for me to regard him as being muzzled to a great extent. Aside from that, I like what he has to say, and I like his own music very much He's very interested in just intonation, minimalism and other things that appeal to me.

The Great Eastern

If you've tried to access the link to the right for "The Great Eastern," possibly out of idle curiosity, you will have noticed that it doesn't lead anywhere. Keep your fingers crossed that this will be fixed. The Great Eastern was one of the most remarkable radio programs ever created, and if it's gone, the world will be much the poorer for the loss. It would be nearly impossible for me to describe this program in a short posting, but I'll try: GE was a fictitious program broadcast out of St, Johns, Newfoundland that was the funniest and sharpest thing to hit the airwaves since The Firesign Theatre started doing routines on Peter Bergman's Radio Free Oz back in the late '60s. Ostensibly billed as "Newfoundland's cultural magazine," GE created a fictitious community that I personally longed to emigrate to. Hilarious personalities appeared week after week, plus many unique features, including "What's That Noise from Newfoundland?" a contest where listeners had to try to identify a brief (and largely indescribable) sound's source. (The first sonic entry on the program was the sound of a piano being thrown down Signal Hill in 1986...) All of this was presided over by Paul Moth, a radio host of unquenchable enthusiasm, a checkered past and negligible humility or self-awareness. It went off the air in 2000, but the same team of writers came back in 2004 with Sunny Days and Nights, also hosted by Mr. Moth. A pilot for a TV show called Town Beat! was made recently as well. If it comes back up, go to "episodes" and download them all. I recommend listening to them in order. You can thank me later.

Jubilant update: I just learned from the GE webmaster Gerry Porter that the website has been moved to a new address, but is entirely intact. Whew. The link is fixed. What are you waiting for?

Comfort Food, Part I (McIntire's Oyster Stew)

The classic oyster stew recipe that you find in most cookbooks tends to be very simple--usually variations on a combo of oysters, butter, plus milk or cream. While these are pretty tasty, I always wanted an oyster stew with more texture and complexity of flavor. Here's what I've come up with:

Saute a couple cloves of garlic (crushed) and a whole sweet onion (Vidalia or somesuch), chopped, until tender. I use a tablespoon of good olive oil, with about a tablespoon of butter. Once the onion and garlic are ready, add about 8 ounces of oysters, with the oyster liquor. Fresh are best, but canned will do in a pinch or off-season. Once they just barely begin to boil, add about 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half. (Whole milk works almost as well.) Season with plenty of ground pepper. I don't add salt, but you might want to. Let simmer for a few minutes, without boiling, stirring very gently. Serve with crushed Ritz crackers. If you want to de-emphasize the oyster aspect, use more half-and-half. This is no sort of health food, but on a cold winter evening, it tastes pretty darn good. This should serve two people as a main course, or four as an appetizer, but usually at my house it is wolfed down by one hungry composer all by himself.

Update: My sister has helpfully pointed out that this recipe omits chopped celery—an essential texure ingredient; this is an egregious oversight on my part. I'd use a cup or so, and sauté with the garlic for a few moments, then add the onion. More accurate quantities will be posted after I make a batch or two.