Althouse: At the Breakfast Café...

July 31, 2017

At the Breakfast Café...

... what should we be talking about?

(That tablescape is from Milktooth.)

70 comments:

MayBee said...: All the photography from your trip has a clear bluish cast to it. Is it the light? A filter on the photographs? Is Indiana very blue?; 7/31/17, 7:52 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: "Infinite Quisp" (an excerpt)...

Napken sat on a concrete bench and watched the old men in shorts and caps putter past with their metal detectors. Small shredded pieces of the plane were still being found even today, and earlier in the year a ring was discovered that had belonged to one of the doomed passengers...

There had been one survivor of the crash, who was found cast away from the wreckage without a single cut or scape or bruise, just a cleanly broken neck. Paralyzed, he was hailed a Hero, and newspapers and magazines followed his story ravenously, then occasionally, then not much at all...

I am Laslo.; 7/31/17, 8:02 AM
Fabi said...: What is the green drink in the wine glass?; 7/31/17, 8:02 AM
Ralph L said...: It's surprising more restaurants don't put potted plants on their tables. They don't want to risk a mess or theft?; 7/31/17, 8:10 AM
Anne in Rockwall, TX said...: Was just going to ask the same question Fabi.; 7/31/17, 8:11 AM
MadisonMan said...: What is the green drink in the wine glass?

Visualize Whirled Peas.; 7/31/17, 8:12 AM
Tim said...: What is the green drink in the wine glass?
It SHOULD be a lime-bomb; Vodka, frozen limeaide and crushed ice in a blender. More likely it's wheatgrass frappe with a twist of lime and a mint leaf.

I'm still steamed about the onion powder dig three threads ago.
In the world of post-modernism (read: Leftism) all tradition must be mocked. How else will we achieve total enlightenment through Marxist-Leninism if we leave vestiges of the cisnormative herteropatriarchy such as onion powder in the pantry?

I mean, really.; 7/31/17, 8:12 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: "Infinite Quisp" (an excerpt)...

The sun moved across the sky, and Napken ate the sandwich that was in his pocket. In a few hours nightfall would come, and the police curfew would begin again. The curfew was part of the town's Clean Streets Legislation, aimed at keeping the homeless from finding a home overnight in the parks and alleys and the sidewalks in front of closed businesses...

Most of the town's homeless had since left for neighboring towns, to the general consternation of the communities into which they arrived. The town of Fillmore would regularly bus the homeless back to Napken's town, where police would be waiting for them, and by rote escort them to the adjacent bus that would take them back to Fillmore. The process would repeat itself everyday, and soon more kind-hearted souls would wait at the bus station to give the homeless sandwiches and candies for their journeys...

I am Laslo.; 7/31/17, 8:13 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Blogger Fabi said...
What is the green drink in the wine glass?
7/31/17, 8:02 AM

Why, Green Drank, of course. Now Meade will get on a lawnmower and do scythe-bys, or chase down and stalk and ground-and-pound a gopher or prairie dog or whatever they have out there, till someone pops him with a concealed fertilizer. Althouse will climb up behind him with a pirate do-rag and a laddered stocking, and film it calmly.

"And they say that nobody gets hurt doing grass!"

...

I am not Laslo, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.; 7/31/17, 8:20 AM
Fabi said...: Funny, funny, Althousians!

A lime bomb, you say? Never heard of that one but I'll put it in my to-do list. Or my to-drink list.; 7/31/17, 8:29 AM
dustbunny said...: Samantha Powers face looks like the mask of Greek tragedy. Who will unmask her?

https://www.circa.com/story/2017/05/31/politics/russia-unmasking-probes-expand-to-obama-aide-samantha-power
When I copy links here they don't link, don't know why; 7/31/17, 8:33 AM
David Baker said...: "They don't want to risk a mess or theft?"

If it fits into a pocketbook, or under one's clothing, it probably won't last the shift (I also spent 20+ years in the restaurant business).

It's really amazing what some folks will steal. I had to screw the artwork into the walls, and crazy-glue the knickknacks. They even tried to "dogie-bag" the (stainless steel) "silverware." The most popular item was a brandy snifter, followed by steak knives, and of course, Sweet & Low.

One night after the dining room had closed (we had an adjacent lounge with live entertainment), I caught this guy trying to steal one of the dining tables - a big heavy thing, too. Not knowing who I was, maybe a waiter, he tried to bribe me to look the other way. And I agreed, that is, for $400.

Rather than getting into it about "theft," I put a price on everything. And the thieves were pretty shocked when they got their checks:
"Uh, waiter, what's this item penciled in here for $5.75?"
"Oh, that for the brandy-snifter in your wife's pocketbook."; 7/31/17, 8:35 AM
William said...: I bet the food there is good, but a tad overpriced. That bowling lounge bar and grill looked unappealing. I haven't done an exhaustive survey, but, in my experience, the food in bowling alleys is joyless. I'd sooner eat in a place called Mom's.; 7/31/17, 8:39 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "All the photography from your trip has a clear bluish cast to it. Is it the light? A filter on the photographs? Is Indiana very blue?"

The camera settings are all normal, mostly automatic, and the tweaking has not been in the hue.; 7/31/17, 8:51 AM
traditionalguy said...: Eggs Benedict done right cannot be beat . We will usually order them off the menu rather than accept the Breakfast Buffet that only leads to eating way too much bacon, sausage, French Toast and scrambled eggs. Burp.; 7/31/17, 8:56 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "What is the green drink in the wine glass?"

That's a greenhorn — "matcha, ginger juice, honey, coconut milk, shaken over ice and served up with mint."; 7/31/17, 8:56 AM
Ann Althouse said...: That's not an alcoholic beverage.

Think of the concoctions you can make that are intense enough to be served like that (without "cheating" but throwing in gin or vodka or something in that category).; 7/31/17, 8:58 AM
Meade said...: "When I copy links here they don't link, don't know why"

Try removing the "s" at the end of "https" after you copy/paste.; 7/31/17, 8:58 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Eggs Benedict done right cannot be beat ."

Have you read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"? I'm guessing no. Since reading that, I have never ordered Eggs Benedict.

Remember Eggs Benedict, the cartoon character? Am I the only one???; 7/31/17, 9:02 AM
Meade said...: "I'd sooner eat in a place called Mom's."

Gertrude Baniszewski, however, was again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Over the course of the next 14 years, Baniszewski became a model prisoner at the Indiana Women's Prison, working in the sewing shop and becoming a "den mother" to younger female inmates. By the time she came up for parole in 1985, she was known by the prison nickname "Mom".; 7/31/17, 9:03 AM
Ann Althouse said...: When you're good to Mom....; 7/31/17, 9:04 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: It's surprising more restaurants don't put potted plants on their tables. They don't want to risk a mess or theft?

Socioeconomics. Some places can have nice things; some can't. I live (sigh) in a working class city in South Texas and people will steal anything that isn't nailed down*, and fill any available container with dirty diapers and Whataburger cups. I marvel when we travel to places like Denver with that pedestrian arcade decorated with enormous potted plants that are clean and thriving. Where I live they'd be full of trash if not stolen outright.; 7/31/17, 9:10 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: *the church down the street from me recently had someone drive a truck up to their playground, disassemble all the equipment, and cart it away; 7/31/17, 9:10 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: That said, my late mother in law was an heiress millionaire and she would also steal everything that wasn't nailed down, and would also refuse to order in restaurants but assemble meals and drinks from free stuff*, so it's not just poor people; there are kleptos everywhere!

*Asking for a water and a dish of lemon slices, which she would cobble along with sweet and low into 'lemonade,' was a favorite, as well as making a salad from the toppings bar at Fuddrucker's.; 7/31/17, 9:15 AM
Ralph L said...: Dustbunny, are you using html coding?
If not, see how here: Linky link; 7/31/17, 9:17 AM
Jim Grey said...: Indianapolis radio newscast when Baniszewski was paroled in 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg9nIadyMHM; 7/31/17, 9:19 AM
Ralph L said...: We found boxes of hotel soap and sewing kits in my step mother's stuff. She didn't sew or use bar soap.

In one way or another, we're all nuts.; 7/31/17, 9:23 AM
Chuck said...: Here is what I want to talk about...

I missed it when it occurred last week, and I am sorry that I did. But now I can post it.

Remember the Milo-says-NPR-spiked-my-interview story? And I got into a massive comment war with a great many in the Althouse commentariat?

Well, no surprise; I was right. My detractors were wrong. The interview aired last week. It was an abbreviated/edited version of the interview, but WNPR/Connecticut Public Radio linked to their own Soundcloud posting of the entire, unedited interview.

Milo was wrong. NPR didn't spike the interview, because it wasn't their interview to spike. It belonged to WNPR-Connecticut. And WNPR aired it.

Now, what I need to figure out is to how to spike this football; how to grind on the notion that "I told you so."

I suggest to Althouse that she make a blog post for the aired interview on WNPR, and also linking the Soundcloud complete audio. As a home-page correction to the fake, fraudulent, malicious story that Milo tried to foist on the public. (And which went up on the Drudge Report, for further, phony amplification.

I said I'd be back to post on this. I said that I hoped to be a prick about it. Right now, I'll pass on the part about being a prick in the hope that Althouse will make a post.

Here is the WNPR link:

http://wnpr.org/post/scramble-how-alt-right-influenced-2016-election

And here is the Soundcloud link:

https://soundcloud.com/wnpr/milo-yiannopoulos-on-the-colin-mcenroe-show; 7/31/17, 9:38 AM
Chuck said...: Ann Althouse said...
"Eggs Benedict done right cannot be beat ."

Have you read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"? I'm guessing no. Since reading that, I have never ordered Eggs Benedict.

Funny coincidence; since I read about Anthony Bourdain using heroin, I have never tired it.; 7/31/17, 9:40 AM
Sam L. said...: BACON. Let's talk about bacon in all its scrumptiousness!!!!!; 7/31/17, 9:48 AM
Ralph L said...: I googled "eggs benedict cartoon character." At the top of the page

Today's Food History:
1521 Martin Luther arrived at the Diet of Worms. ...; 7/31/17, 9:50 AM
mockturtle said...: How about the mass exodus from the State Department? It would seem that part of the swamp has seen fit to drain itself.; 7/31/17, 10:01 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "It's surprising more restaurants don't put potted plants on their tables. They don't want to risk a mess or theft?"

I think fresh flowers in clean, clear water seem appropriate on a table. A potted plant is a container of dirt. Dirt seems dirty. Not the right message for most restaurants. Potted plants can get dusty too. You'll have to pay a lot of attention to keeping it looking clean and the dirt itself is never going to be clean. It's dirt!; 7/31/17, 10:05 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: A potted plant is a container of dirt. Dirt seems dirty. Not the right message for most restaurants. Potted plants can get dusty too. You'll have to pay a lot of attention to keeping it looking clean and the dirt itself is never going to be clean. It's dirt!

Not to keep beating this drum, but that's clientele, as well. Upscale clientele will just admire the plant and not touch it. The Dennys crowd will stick their straw wrappers in the dirt and their kids will pinch off the leaves and spread the soil over the table.

Same reason some restaurants can have candles on the tables and some can't.; 7/31/17, 10:20 AM
rehajm said...: A potted plant is a container of dirt. Dirt seems dirty. Not the right message for most restaurants.

New restaurant by famous chef: Terra Boston. On first pass it's reminiscent of an 80s fern bar, but the true theme seems to be 'dining in the potting shed'.; 7/31/17, 10:38 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Chuck said...
Here is what I want to talk about...

No one cares.

But good job telling Ann what to do! She really eats that stuff up.; 7/31/17, 11:24 AM
Ralph L said...: Looks like gravel in the cup to sequester the dirt. My grandmother's kitchen was awash in that porcelain-coated metalware. All of it rusted, so I tossed it. Now you tell me it's trendy.; 7/31/17, 11:37 AM
Chuck said...: You joined in the previous comments on the Milo controversy, Bad Lieutenant. So let me take this opportunity to rub your miserable nose in it.

I was right. NPR didn't "spike" any Milo interview. And WNPR broadcast and posted the interview.

I'm here to gloat. Especially over someone like you. You should be apologizing to me.

There were just over 300 comments under that Althouse post. Many from me, staking out the (ultimately correct) position and defending it, and then of course the customary abuse from my detractors who would seemingly slit their own throats than admit that I am right about something like this. I'm giving away free knives today.

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-milo-yiannopoulis-interview-milo.html?commentPage=2; 7/31/17, 11:38 AM
mockturtle said...: Inspector Javert speaks!; 7/31/17, 12:03 PM
Ralph L said...: Might Milo's public bitching have forced WNPR to broadcast his shit?; 7/31/17, 12:23 PM
dustbunny said...: Thanks to Ralph and Meade for help with my linkage impairment!; 7/31/17, 12:27 PM
Chuck said...: Ralph L said...
Might Milo's public bitching have forced WNPR to broadcast his shit?

Nobody gets to make that argument. Not after Milo claimed that "NPR" killed the interview (when NPR did nothing of the kind). And not after WNPR explained to Snopes, showing them copies of emails between the producers and Milo showing that all along, it was scheduling issues and not any editorial/communications conspiracy that dictated when the interview played.

Milo came up with ZERO evidence to support a claim that anyone at NPR acted to kill his interview.

So no; now is the time for Milo (and others) to simply say that they are sorry. And not one other word.

The story ran on Drudge. If this had been fake news propounded by NYT or WaPo, Drudge would be all over the error and the lack of any correction. Drudge is never going to call out Milo for this garbage that he invented and that was then posted to Drudge.

The least that Althouse can do is to put the story in an equal position to where she originally posted it.; 7/31/17, 12:35 PM
traditionalguy said...: A Fear of Eggs Benedict sounds like too easy a food slander sold by a hawker of special tips books. What other dark things might go on on in secret in restaurant kitchens. The feared Hollandaise Sauce is just a hot mayonnaise. If you believe that will harm you, then a Waffle House where you can watch the cook may be all that you can trust.; 7/31/17, 12:42 PM
Chuck said...: Breitbart, too, gets lots of blame for running with the phony, made-up story about "NPR" killing the Milo interview broadcast.; 7/31/17, 1:01 PM
Ralph L said...: So, Chuck, why do you want Althouse to give Milo another post?
For people like him, there's no such thing as bad publicity.; 7/31/17, 1:04 PM
Chuck said...: Ralph L said...
So, Chuck, why do you want Althouse to give Milo another post?
For people like him, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

So they say.

I don't care too much whether anything is good or bad for Milo. Such is my general contempt for him.

But I just don't think it is right; Milo took a deliberate shot at NPR. He was wrong; laughably so. I think the right thing to do, when you have passed on a false story, is to pass on the true story when you become aware of that true story.

This one is as plain as it gets.; 7/31/17, 1:13 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: "Have you read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"? I'm guessing no. Since reading that, I have never ordered Eggs Benedict."

Oh, no! Now I have looked it up, and my go-to breakfast order must change. The world is chaos.

Re: potted plants

This week I am staying at a university that costs $65k per year. There is a room in the cafeteria with a couple dozen potted plants. Most of us assumed that the plants were fake until one person looked closely and found that they were real. So $65k per annum gets you an exceptionally healthy orchid at your dinner table.; 7/31/17, 1:16 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Oops, no, it is much closer to $70k. One needs $5k more for the orchids.; 7/31/17, 1:20 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Maybe at a $65k school, you get a fern or a spider plant.; 7/31/17, 1:21 PM
Chuck said...: Further, about Anthony Bourdain and hollandaise:

I wondered, if he had any, like, data on the supposed dangers of hollandaise sauce. I looked at a few of his writings and found nothing like that.

I know that I have ordered hollandaise-smothered dishes in more restaurants than I can recall; I've eaten it with glee, and I'll continue to do so. Never, ever not once has hollandaise made me sick. It makes me happy.

I did see, in his other writings, that Anthony Bourdain hates brunch in general, and the people who brunch, and that he generalizes that all of the cooks who work brunch shifts are the second-string of any restaurant. Again, no data; not even a hint of any sort of quantitative analysis at all. Just a guy who hates brunch, going off on something that is a mainstay of brunch all over the world.

Anybody want to weigh in with a real live story of hollandaise sauce making anyone sick?; 7/31/17, 2:11 PM
mockturtle said...: Chuck, I assume it's the risk of using raw eggs. But I've never gotten sick from it, either.; 7/31/17, 2:35 PM
traditionalguy said...: Alright. Chuck is returned to sanity. Hang in there Chuck. I love your writing style. And there is no truth to the rumor that Trump Brand Hollandaise sauce is now mandatory in all US Military's MREs.; 7/31/17, 2:36 PM
Chuck said...: mockturtle said...
Chuck, I assume it's the risk of using raw eggs. But I've never gotten sick from it, either.

No, hollandaise is cooked. The eggs aren't raw. But Bourdain's gripe is that hollandaise sauce is made, and then during a lengthy brunch service, it is allowed to sit at a merely warming temperature such that bacteria can thrive in it. I don't know quite why he'd pick on hollandaise in that regard; there are other foods to which that might apply.

It might help, if he had been more specific. In any event, I think Bourdain's rant against hollandaise was blowing off his generalized anti-brunch steam.

(Are you mixing up the use of raw eggs in Caesar Salad? I always use Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook recipe for my Caesars; it calls for lightly-cooked liquid egg which always made me uneasy; I have found that liquid Eggbeaters are a wonderful, safe alternative.); 7/31/17, 2:44 PM
mockturtle said...: You cook hollandaise but it isn't brought to a boil.; 7/31/17, 3:38 PM
Ralph L said...: It's the poached egg that will turn on you.; 7/31/17, 5:50 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I don't order Eggs Benedict in restaurants because they always over cook the poached egg and it is basically hard boiled. Yuck. The egg should be softly poached so that when you cut into it all that warm egg yolk flows into the warm Hollandaise sauce.

I've never gotten sick from Hollandaise or soft poached eggs or raw egg whites whipped into a meringue either.

A good Ramos Gin Fizz is a thing of beauty.; 7/31/17, 6:32 PM
mockturtle said...: I was referring to the raw egg yolks in the hollandaise sauce, not the eggs on which the sauce in poured. The sauce is only 'cooked' by the heat of the melted butter which may not be sufficient to kill, say, salmonella. That said, most eggs are safe.; 7/31/17, 7:07 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I touched one of the orchids. I think it's fake. Don't be swindled out of $70k for fake orchids.; 7/31/17, 8:42 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: The least that Althouse can do is to put the story in an equal position to where she originally posted it.
7/31/17, 12:35 PM

More, Chuck! More! Keep telling Althouse what to do! Keep telling EVERYONE what to do!

If I even remembered the case in any detail, the obvious hypothesis is that pressure forced a shift in their methods. I don't have to be a fool just because you're a fool.

But I will throw you a bone! Tbis should please you:

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-judges-attorneys-nominations-2017-7; 7/31/17, 8:55 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Oh, and it figures for a BF like you that your favorite meal would be Eggs BENEDICT.; 7/31/17, 8:57 PM
mockturtle said...: I touched one of the orchids. I think it's fake. Don't be swindled out of $70k for fake orchids.

LOL, Freeman! :-D; 7/31/17, 9:02 PM
Meade said...: I'm laughing along with mockturtle. Funny stuff, Freems.; 7/31/17, 9:24 PM
Todd Roberson said...: Don't know if you're still in Indy, but if you are you might check out a neighborhood called "SoBro" (South of Broad Ripple). 54th and the Monon Trail. Some really cool shops, unique little places to eat, a very interesting arts district and a wonderful farmers market right on the trail. Chance of rain on Tuesday afternoon ... But should be nice in the morning.; 7/31/17, 9:33 PM
Meade said...: Sounds good. We're back in Madtown, TR. Thanks. Next time we visit, we'll check it out.; 7/31/17, 9:37 PM
Todd Roberson said...: Sweet. Hope you enjoyed your stay in our little burg.; 7/31/17, 9:41 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Only 50% of the students at this school applied for financial aid. Who are the other students? "No, we don't need that FAFSA paperwork son. Seventy thousand dollars a year is cheap for this school. You'll eat surrounded by fake orchids that look real."

Not really related: If this dorm is usually full of rich people, I feel like it should be better. It looks like the college dorm I lived in. Maybe this is the dorm for people who filled out the FAFSA.; 7/31/17, 11:04 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/31/17, 11:14 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Maybe related: The law school had signage about Romney speaking there. I think this is a good venue for the 47% remark.

Or maybe not.

There is a big bulletin board that says something like, "What is..." with folded over papers labeled with things like "PRIVILEGE" and "INTERSECTIONALITY."

$70k, a number that will wake you up so hard you'll stay #woke.

If you are going to a $70k per year school, the polite thing to do might be to get very quiet when the topic of privilege comes up.; 7/31/17, 11:18 PM
Chuck said...: Bad Lieutenant:

If you can't remember the details of the nasty fight over the Milo/NPR story, you should first refresh yourself, then return to the argument.

I don't need that refresher. I remember clearly.

And you can presume, if you want, that somehow, some form of "pressure" forced the broadcasting of the Milo interview on WNPR. You can think that, but in doing so you'll be just as ignorant as you were in the original argument.

I was right, back then. Subsequent events have proven me right. The interview never aired on "NPR" because it wasn't an NPR interview. The interview DID air on WNPR, which is an important distinction no matter how you, or even Ann Althouse, wish to ignore it. The interview was not "spiked," it was broadcast and also placed on the 'net as a podcast. Milo was wrong, in every way he could have been, in this case.

I have to say; it's a bit infuriating to argue with someone as dumb as you, and so determined to disagree with me no matter how right I am and no matter how clearly and obviously the facts unambiguously support me. But in this particular case, I have the energy for it.

I don't care nearly as much about you, however, as I do about Althouse placing a corrective on her home page.

She's big on calling out badly-reported news and themes having to do with Trump's "fake news" memes. This would be a very good time to cleanse the Milo business.; 8/1/17, 9:02 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Chuck, you know you're going to die here, right? I don't mean that you're going to get up the stones to come to New York and get what's coming to you. I mean you're going to wear out your welcome on this blog and be invited to leave.

As for dumb argument? If true you deserve none better. When I respond to you attempting to be serious you ignore it even when it should be interesting and agreeable to you. I assume it's because you can't refute the argument and prefer to whistle past, but you have little to offer so it doesn't really matter much.

You don't really matter much to me. Certainly not like Trump matters to you. Here, monkey, dance for me again: Barron Trump!; 8/1/17, 1:45 PM