I've read the publicity stuff and the Wiki article,
both of which indicate to me that the cellist was
an original part of the act - before that, there
was just a piano store called Piano Guys, with one
proprietor, who got a regular to make some publicity
videos, but the live act started out with the cellist
a significant part.
I'm just going by what the guy at the piano told us at the concert.
So history diverges, and it becomes less
clear what happened when.
My aesthetic has long since turned away from the
"ain't that cute." My interests are more along the
lines of the one percenters ... well, worse, as I
am pretty much still a one percenter, I pay
attention mostly to the 1/100th-of-a-one percenters.
Depends on the performance--if it's one I'm interested in, I'll pay
close attention. Others, of little to no interest, I tune out. Cute for cute-sy is a total no go for my attention.
One issue is that people key to their own
direct experiences and imagine that "the best
thing I ever ate" or "the most wonderful music
I ever heard" is the best thing ever eaten or
heard by man or beast. Might be, but as with
so much we discuss, quite unknowable.
Chocolate, a good book.........
Book, what's that?
Something I still enjoy, either in electronic format or original paper.
How retrograde! Says the man for whom "a
picture is worth a thousand words" is a
just plain lie.
Sad thing is that there are a couple thousand books
in the house to give to charity. A few years ago I
sent some to echo people who wanted them, but now,
Goodwill probably gets them all.
Good for Goodwill--I like to snag books from time to time at places like that. A good read or book related to other interests for a small outlay
is a great find.
Well, the Goodwill in Rockville, MD is soon
to get a relative bounty of relatively good
biodegradable hand-held entertainment devices.
Cookbooks have general interest, though. So
I'm keeping the cookbooks. There's one I was
specifically looking for but can't find, L"Art
Culinaire by Henri Pellaprat, which my father
gave to my mother when they were young. My
father always liked good food.
Keep looking; it may be there yet.
Appears to be gone forever.
I've got things that are totally useless that
I can't see my way to getting rid of - ten-year-old
boarding passes, for example, that I look at once
in a while and sigh at. I found a couple old dead
tickets, too, in my sortings.
I've kept some stuff like that but am sending more and more of it to the recycle bag. Nice to look back and reflect on, but after dealing with my parent's house, I'm trying to make it a bit easier for our girls in
years to come.
When I go, I anticipate everything being
tossed wholesale; what there is now will be
only momentary consolation for me, no one else.
That's why I like a real keyboard for typing.
Everyone probably prefers a real keyboard, even a
"Chiclet" one such as is on this little box.
Some geeks might prefer the on screen keyboard. (G)
Not sure - never met any of that kind of
geek that I know of.
I've made a beef Pot Au Feu that's pretty good--we call it a
"fancy > ML> > French Beef Stew". (G)
As with much French cooking, it's not beyond
most people's fanciness (or capability) level.
Just beyond their confidence level probably.
But that can be easily fixed if people realize
that a fancy name doesn't mean a complicated dish.
I've never really gotten into French cooking--done more German and
Italian.
Regional labels often don't matter - the
following could just as easily be German or
maybe Italian as French. Yes, you could
probably omit the wine, but the dish
wouldn't taste as good. Add MSG and extra
lemon juice if needed.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07
Title: Pork Collioure Stew
Categories: Pork, Soups, French
Servings: 8
4 lb Pork shoulder
- trimmed of fat,
- cut into 1-in cubes
1/2 tb Salt
1/2 ts Ground black pepper
1/4 c Vegetable oil
1 md Onion
- peeled and roughly chopped
2 tb Flour
2 c Dry white wine
1/4 c Tarragon vinegar
2 tb Grated horseradish
2 tb Grainy mustard
1/2 c Fresh lemon juice
4 c All-purpose broth
-OR low-sodium chicken broth
2 Bay leaves
4 Sprigs fresh thyme; -=OR=-
1/2 ts -Dried thyme
1/2 c Whipping cream
3 md Parsnips; peeled
- and cut into 1-in rounds
PREHEAT OVEN TO 375F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle
with
desired salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high
heat
on top of the stove. Add the pork, without crowding, and brown well on
all
sides. You may have to perform this operation in batches. Remove the
pieces
to a plate as they are brown. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat.
Reduce heat to low and replace the pot on the stove. Add the onion and
cook
5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits that cling to the pan. Add the
flour
and cook another minute, stirring. Add the wine, vinegar and broth and
bring to a boil. Return the pork to the pot with any juices on the plate
and add bay leaves and thyme. Cover tightly and transfer the pot to the
oven. Cook for 1 1/4 hours, or until meat is barely tender. Remove the
casserole from the oven and, using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from
sauce and set aside. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a
container
and discard onions and herbs. Replace the meat in the pot, add
horseradish,
mustard, cream, lemon juice and parsnips. Cover and replace in oven for
20-to-30 minutes or until meat is tender and parsnips are cooked. Remove
from oven and serve with boiled potatoes or buttered noodles.
MICHAEL ROBERTS - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK
MMMMM
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