May 17th 2012 08:21 am Hardcore corn
I think we’ve said all we need to say about barbecue for now, but I couldn’t resist throwing in this classic A&J comic strip from this month 15 years ago.
If you’ve been here this week already, you probably know I was in Kansas City Monday and Tuesday, hob nobbing with the folks at Universal Uclick which distributes Arlo & Janis and about 87 other comic strips. They’re very excited about the growth of GoComics.com, the syndicate Web site where you go every day for “Today’s A&J.” At the risk of shilling for the home team, I would like to remind you that you can sign up at GoComics.com and have your favorite strips delivered to you in your mailbox every morning. It’s free with ads, or you can pay about a buck a month and not have to look at the ads, some of which can be pretty annoying. Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not so interested in wrangling a buck a month out of you as I am in having you include me in your list of favorites, which I assume is not a lot to ask or you wouldn’t be here reading this. However, if you do have A&J delivered by GoComics every morning, don’t neglect to come here for Classic A&J and daily barbecue discussions.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
116 Responses to “Hardcore corn”
TruckerRon on 17 May 2012 at 8:30 am #
Obviously we need to talk about grilling corn! My oldest daughter has a “secret recipe” she found online that involves making a mess in the kitchen… I just end up with foil-wrapped ears that need to be cooked on both sides for 10 minutes each. It’s tasty and savory, and she gets upset at the idea of my wanting something plain with just butter on it.
Mindy from Indy on 17 May 2012 at 8:34 am #
You DO realize ending the BBQ conversation just sends everyone back talking about eggs and breakfast, right?
Glad everything went well in KC.
Mindy on 17 May 2012 at 8:40 am #
Eggs? I still can’t get “over easy” to work very well and I’ve lost all those precious notes I made on A&J readers’ suggestions on how to have the yolk runny without the white slime surrounding it! Thanks for the opening Mindy!
TruckerRon, you should try John’s roasted corn. He rubs the corn in butter and certain secret spices I suspect were developed by the same Amazonians who gave us curare, wrapped in foil tightly so that foreign neutrons can’t migrate onto the white or yellow kernels, and the placed on a grill, invariably to turn into pseudo-popcorn or some black baked carbon stuff. He does try.
Steve from Royal Oak, Mi on 17 May 2012 at 8:52 am #
One of my pet peeves is when I get corn at the produce market and people shuck the corn at the stand. What is worse is that they will “sneak a peek” and then leave it. I just pat down the ear to confirm that the kernals are fully formed and then husk the corn moments before putting them in the hot water.
The husk protects the ear and helps keep the sweetness from converting to starch. The quicker from stalk to the hot water, the better.
sandcastler on 17 May 2012 at 8:54 am #
At the risk of being banned, I use the microwave to do corn on the cob. I do fry bacon and roast potatoes on the grill, hope that is a saving grace.
Mindy, I agree with your post yesterday, “What undies?”
Michael on 17 May 2012 at 9:22 am #
I’m a gocomics.com premium member and of course you’re in my favorites!
Only problem is, it doesn’t have all the comics I like (Sherman’s Lagoon and Zits come to mind), so I still have to go elsewhere for those.
minnesotadon on 17 May 2012 at 9:35 am #
Don’t shuck the corn at all … either for the grill or the microwave. Leaving the shucks on in the microwave about 3 to 4 minutes (depends on your wattage) per ear. Take it out and shuck it then…yes still hot enough you might need a towel to hold it…the silks and everything come off so nicely with the shucks right into the trash. If you prefer grill the same amount of time as if it were foil wrapped…you can even opt to half shuck it half way through the cooking time (when you would normally turn it) so you can add your secret ingredients on top of the just exposed half shucking and it will trickle down to the unshucked half…mmmmn good.
Ruth on 17 May 2012 at 9:57 am #
When my husband grills corn, he has me leave the husks on and soak them in water for 10-15 minutes. He then puts them on the grill (no idea of how long). The water keeps the husks from burning and the corn from drying out. If we aren’t grilling then the corn goes in the microwave.
Neal in Bahstawn on 17 May 2012 at 9:58 am #
Well, I had something to say about barbecue, but spent all day in ‘moderation’ purgatory!
Mark from Maine on 17 May 2012 at 11:21 am #
1) Both my wife and I are premium GoComics members, and Arlo is first on our list of emailed comics.
2) Crap! I can say it now?
3) When we grow corn, we boil the water and then pick the corn. Unbelievably sweet and flavorful. No need for butter or salt that way. The sugar in the corn begins turning to starch as soon as you pick it and in 24 hours it’s almost all gone.
4) I always found the big problem with cooking corn on the cob was twofold: timing it to be ready with all the other goodies and the fact that if you want another ear (which we do in Maine with our three- or four-week corn season) it’s usually cold. Here’s the secret I learned from Gourmet magazine well over ten years ago:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the corn and remove from heat immediately. After ten minutes you can start eating and the corn will stay yummy – and warm! – for another 30 minutes or so. (If you haven’t finished it all, you should remove the corn after this period so it doesn’t get mushy . . .)
This solves both the timing and the cold second ear problem! Try it – you’ll like it!
Tom (somewhere in Georgia) on 17 May 2012 at 11:40 am #
Haven’t been here for a while but I see the topics are good and dear/near to my heart. Eggs and barbeque- nice. My ideal day starts with a tomelet (an omlete made by Tom) and ends with barbeque. While each barbeque style should be enjoyed and not compared- tomelets are all about personal preference.
Tom (somewhere in Georgia) on 17 May 2012 at 11:42 am #
How could I forget the corn discussion! Ohio sweet corn is my fav.
Jerry in Fl on 17 May 2012 at 12:03 pm #
So how do you feel about shiitake mushrooms? Sorry JJ, I coudn’t resist.
Jerry in Fl on 17 May 2012 at 12:06 pm #
And it got through! Wasn’t there a song-It just goes to show, you never can tell?
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 17 May 2012 at 12:08 pm #
Sorry to put a damper on the party, but I see that Donna Summer just dies after battling cancer.
I was among the forefront of those bashing disco in the 1980′s but as I have aged and mellowed, I grew to appreciate real artists like Ms Summer whose talents rose above the genre they performed in (or where pigeon holed into).
She had a magnificent voice and the talent to outlast a music fad. From what I understand, she was also a sincere and nice women who avoided many of the pitfalls of stardom.
Charlie Schroth on 17 May 2012 at 12:11 pm #
Folks, you are spending way to much time preparing corn. The right way to have truly fresh corn is … buy it from local farm, take it home, shuck, and wait for it EAT IT RAW. Now that is good corn.
TruckerRon on 17 May 2012 at 12:21 pm #
Charlie Schroth, you aren’t shilling for the ADA (American Dental Association) are you?
Neal in Bahstawn on 17 May 2012 at 12:37 pm #
Charlie, the right way to have truly fresh corn is to grow your own! This summer we will have three ‘squares’ of corn, each roughly 50 stalks, planted 15 days apart. We start with ‘quickie’ (will that get me into moderation?), progress to butter and sugar and end with autumn delite: that’s corn from August 1 through the middle of September.
Don Robertson on 17 May 2012 at 12:41 pm #
For many years I have cooked corn in my pressure cooker. The steam doesn’t seem to wash all the goodness out like boiling does, and it just takes a few minutes. When you can smell the corn, it is done.
I too shuck em just before putting the in the pot. Seems to taste better than the ones you can buy pre-shucked in a package.
Bob, near Mark on 17 May 2012 at 12:53 pm #
Jerry in FL,
Chuck Berry, “You Never Can Tell”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoDPPgWbfXY
David in Austin on 17 May 2012 at 1:05 pm #
My first planting of sweet corn will be ready for harvest around the end of next week. I always grow a bi-color sweet corn, either Sugar Dots or Peaches & Cream. I don’t normally use pesticides, so I prefer shucking the corn just before cooking… that way I can trim the end of the cob and eliminate the worm. My family is a little squeamish about eating the corn cooked with the worms. About 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling water is good for freshly picked. I do still slather it with butter and add a little black pepper. We will eat corn just about every day while we have it in the garden.
Leo in LA on 17 May 2012 at 1:35 pm #
I really appreciated the “Tune it Out” line in today’s cartoon. Cracked me up. I have even been accused of that very thing.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 17 May 2012 at 1:44 pm #
Mark from Maine: It would almost be worth a drive up to Maine just to eat your corn. I like the way that you do it.
David in Austin: I too like bi-color sweet corn. I often will drive out to a farm early on an August weekedn and then take it home, cook and then freeze it. It is really nice to have sweet corn on Christmas Day. I purposely leave just a bit of husk in each bag to remind everyone that it was frozen fresh off of the cob.
The only problem with bi-color is the name. I once when out to a farm and told the farmer that I wanted bipolar corn. He laughed and said if he had any of that corn, he would be sure to plant some Prozac right next to it.
Tom in Glendora, CA on 17 May 2012 at 2:08 pm #
Mmmmmmmmmmm….sweet corn. Yellow corn’s the best. Guess that’s part of my
midwest upbringing. There used to be corn fields and stands everywhere in
the Chicago suburbs. Not so much any more.
I roast mine in the husk on the grill. On the ‘warming rack’. Usually don’t do the
soak in water trick any more.
Here’s a sneaky way to husk roasted corn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4
CIDU Bill on 17 May 2012 at 2:32 pm #
I stopped soaking the corn first as well. And I don’t use the warming rack: I put the corn right on the grill, and when the husk is completely charred, the corn’s ready to eat. The caveat here being that this only seems to work with fresh corn.
And you couldn’t pay me to put butter or salt or pepper on it: I can taste butter and salt and pepper all year, but fresh corn? Too short a season.
sandcastler on 17 May 2012 at 4:22 pm #
Tom in Glendora, thanks for the YouTube link. Have corn will use this method.
Debbie in Alabama on 17 May 2012 at 7:43 pm #
Fried corn….cut the kernels from the cob, use butter (or bacon grease even better), put in black cast iron frying pan, cook on low, stirring and stirring. With sliced tomato, corn bread, peas and cantalope…. a summertime feast!
db on 17 May 2012 at 7:48 pm #
Agreed with CIDU Bill, no seasoning on my corn, I love it fresh.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 17 May 2012 at 8:06 pm #
A “secret recipe she found online” reminds me of a commercial of a few decades back lauding some cosmetic as “the beauty secret of millions”. I think it was print unless wife reported it from TV, which I rarely watch. Seemed to us that a widely publicized “secret” isn’t. It’s an oxymoron.
As to “foreign neutrons”, it’s an interesting idea. Unless you’re into WMDs that presumably have not been developed yet, you needn’t worry about unchaperoned neutrons. They’re pretty well tied up with protons in atomic nuclei. They may also be released in the random* decay of radioactive isotopes, but I think they then split into a proton and an electron, each of which usually team up with somebody else quickly, perhaps with each other as a hydrogen atom.
*We may know pretty well the rates at which particular elements decay [which allows for reasonably reliable radioactive dating, and accounts for planets' internal heat], but we have no idea which ones will decay now and which won’t. It’s one of the nice non-deterministic aspects of our merely 13.something billion year old physical universe.
Mark in Boston on 17 May 2012 at 9:01 pm #
I had an uncle who loved field corn and served it up for his family. Big starchy kernels; no taste.
Mindy on 17 May 2012 at 10:00 pm #
It’s late, I’m sore as a boil from planting flowers and fighting bamboo, but I have to ask: Why doesn’t the subject of prunes ever come up in here? Eggs, gumbo, BBQ, corn, steak…never prunes.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 17 May 2012 at 10:08 pm #
Mindy: I use prunes in this recipe. It is received well at church potlucks, but has a warning sign on the slow-cooker: A TAD SPICY. Do recipes get moderated?
SLOW-COOKER WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN* CURRY FOR POTLUCK
3.5-4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs* 1 tbs dry minced onion, or ½ cup fresh
onion
4-5 tbs curry powder** 29 oz can peach halves/slices, or split
[salt?] apricots, cut into bite-size pieces*
1 clove garlic, or crushed/minced garlic ½ cup pitted prunes, halved or quartered*
1 tbs butter 3 tbs cornstarch
½ cup chicken (or other) bouillon 3 tbs cold water
Cook the thighs in a pressure cooker for 25-30 minutes, or microwave them, following your microwave oven’s directions. Save the pot liquor, if any. Cool the pieces. (Use chicken breasts if you must; they contain fewer fat grams, but are not as tasty). Shred (or cut) the meat into bite-size pieces and put it aside.
Combine curry with garlic, butter, bouillon, and onion. Drain peaches (or apricots); add the syrup to the pot liquor. Add half this liquid to the curry mixture. Pour this curry sauce over the shredded meat. Cover cooker; cook on high 50 minutes, then on low 3 hours. Remove meat from sauce with a large slotted spoon, and put it aside. Turn control to high. Stir in prunes, add more liquid if needed, and cover. Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tbs cold water. Put ? cup of liquid (adding water if needed) in a saucepan over a low fire, and slowly stir in the cornstarch suspension until thickened, but DON’T let it boil. Stir this thickened mixture into the sauce in the slow-cooker. Add peaches/apricots and the meat, cover, and cook on high 20 minutes. Serve over rice or cut-up cooked potatoes. (You can mix the cooked rice in and take the whole thing to the reunion, church basement, or whatever in the slow-cooker.)
* In West Africa, the fruit would likely be mangoes, papayas, and such. This curry works well with rabbit instead of chicken, and turkey would do, as might various kinds of game. We often use 4 chicken hind quarters. Chicken and turkey are kosher; rabbit is not. Lamb/mutton is, though we haven’t tried that with this curry. Pork (non-kosher) might work well. Some curry-eaters don’t eat beef, but might eat bison, since water buffalo is permitted. Firm tofu might work, but I’d want a skilled vegetarian to work out the details. Scrambled eggs is another thought. Fish?
** Equatorial peoples would consider this mild. Some gringos may find it a tad strong. Curry powder in these quantities is expensive if you buy it in the standard little containers in supermarket spice racks. It can be bought in bulk or larger containers in ethnic food stores, co-ops, and such, or wholesale. Curry powders are mixtures of spices, so different brands will differ in taste and potency. If you are into alcoholic accompaniment, avoid delicate wines and light beers. Porter, stout, or a sturdy dry red go well. Always have non-alcoholic beverages available.
Mindy on 17 May 2012 at 11:42 pm #
eMb, as a former Coonass, I’ve found a solution for the aftershocks of ingesting too many hot spices is, simply, candy, something sweet. We’ve tried the milk, water, beer, etc. fixes with no success, but the candy does the trick.
Jerry in Fl on 18 May 2012 at 1:56 am #
EMB, was your comment regarding granite counter tops? When I stay up this late and try to catch up on the comments I can scan too fast and miss something. The reason I ask is that I read somewhere that granite is radioactive, but I assume it is probably at the watch dial level.
Mark in TTown on 18 May 2012 at 6:51 am #
Not to stray too far from the food topic, I notice a lot of discussion about cooking eggs for breakfast. Has anyone here ever had a Dutch pancake, AKA Dutch Baby? They are pretty simple to make and look really nice. I was using a recipe from the New Joy of Cooking, but I’m sure there are others out there. All it takes is milk, flour, sugar and butter, with powdered sugar or fruit to top it off. Ummm!
Debbie in Alabama, I like your idea about a light summer meal. Sounds good to me.
Deb on 18 May 2012 at 8:30 am #
No GoComics list is complete without A&J! In fact, it’s first on my list.
I’ve never tried barbequing corn, but I do like to place some squash and onions in tinfoil with some butter, salt & pepper. Mmmm, good.
Bob, near Mark on 18 May 2012 at 8:51 am #
Mark in TTown,
I used to make German Pancakes (Dutch Babies) often, but I have had to cut down in later years.
German Pancakes, Pennsylvania Dutch Pancakes (or “Dutch Babies”)
As it bakes, this pancake will rise up the sides of the pie plate, forming a pie-crust-shaped pancake that is light and fluffy.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream (whipping cream)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 pinch nutmeg
4 TBS (1/2 stick) butter, melted*
lemon juice to taste
powdered sugar to taste
*Reduction of the butter to less than 3 TBS does not allow the pancake to grow up the sides of the pan as it should.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg together until smooth.
Put melted butter in a 9-1/2-inch pie pan (glass works best). Add mixture to pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Squeeze lemon juice generously over the pancake and then sprinkle powdered sugar over it. Cut into quarters and serve hot. Also good with jam, or fresh or canned fruit, spooned over the pancake.
You may also fill the uncut pancake with fresh fruit and whipped cream, and slice to serve.
The pancake may also be first cooked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes. The pancake may not rise quite as well up the sides of the skillet as it does the glass pie plate.
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 8:56 am #
Appears Janis is seeing a new side of Mary Lou. Might it be all that remodeling has given her some chaffing.
Mindy on 18 May 2012 at 9:33 am #
I really want to know what it was Janis saw today that made her eyes bug out so!
Judy in Conroe on 18 May 2012 at 9:51 am #
Mindy – The cartoon brought two thoughts to my mind – one, she was trying to “eavesdrop” on the texting – impossible, of course, from a distance and I don’t even think I could do it looking over someone’s shoulder (but then, I would be no good at stealing pin numbers either). Two, she is trying to use mental telepathy to figure out what is going on in her son’s head – this may sound improbable, but is a proven talent of many mothers. Looks as though neither is proving very reliable on this occasion, which is leaving Janis very frustrated! Inquiring minds . . .
Mindy on 18 May 2012 at 10:32 am #
Judy, it was more of a look like she walked into the living room and found the kids making out or something. I remember my own mother getting that bug-eyed look on [at least] one occasion but, yeah, that’s a story for yet another day…and John knows better than to rat me out this time.
Russell Way Out There on 18 May 2012 at 10:37 am #
Mindy, inquiring minds want to know…
Judy in Conroe on 18 May 2012 at 11:22 am #
Oh Mindy – I’ve seen that look too! (on at least one occasion) Come to think of it, I’ve probably given that look to my own kids.
Actually, it wasn’t the look that sticks in my memory so much as the piercing squawk that followed!
That’s what’s great about Jimmy’s work – it resonates with so many memories.
Mindy on 18 May 2012 at 11:59 am #
But those are stories for yet another day, right, Judy?
Jerry in Fl on 18 May 2012 at 12:24 pm #
We’ll think about it tomorrow, for tomorow is another day. TARA! TARA! Who knew that GWTW had been so popular in Japan?
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 18 May 2012 at 12:33 pm #
Jerry:
My 14 May post read, “About both marble and concrete countertops: both, perhaps marble more than concrete, would pit when exposed to acid, as in vinegar, oj, gfj, lj, soda, etc. The plastic that came with this house, built and first occupied in 2002 or earlier, stands up very well to spills and doesn’t shatter glass [as a "large Wagnerian mother" might?]. Has a few shallow cut marks. NFS.” Others reported on granite counter tops.
sideburns on 18 May 2012 at 12:52 pm #
I’ve been thinking about all the discussion we’ve had recently about BBQ. I’ve seen people on TV shows insist that their way of doing it is The One True Way and all others are wrong. (You’d be surprised how many people think that it’s not BBQ if you don’t use The One Right Wood.) And, I saw people on a show about a BBQ contest in Memphis assert that if it’s not pork, it’s not BBQ.
To paraphrase Kippling:
There are nine and sixty ways,
Of cooking BBQ,
And every single one of them,
Is right!
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 18 May 2012 at 1:40 pm #
sideburns: The same can be said for religion, politics, automobiles, music…. One of the neat things about this blog is getting exposure to new things and new ways of thinking. I think it is OK to to be proud of your particular way of doing things, but not OK if it excludes another’s opinion.
I saw this on twitter and would love to hear the opinions of others on this blog. I definitely think the reporter should have been fired. We all think these things but we should never document them:
http://jimromenesko.com/2012/05/18/that-damn-coach/
CIDU Bill on 18 May 2012 at 2:08 pm #
Janis, Janis, Janis… I have two words for you: “telephoto lens”
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 2:13 pm #
If Ms. Habezt had an outstanding season and the coach failed to complie her stats he deserves the comment. The coaches actions could very well hurt a players chances for college scholarships, I am basing comment as if she is a high school player. At risk of being banned, this country has acquired the weird idea that we should never make a negative comment about someone other than bankers, politicians, and those that are in Nancy Grace’s sights.
Judy in Conroe on 18 May 2012 at 2:17 pm #
Steve from RO MI – I read the article you referenced and I agree that the reporter should have been fired. The “crime” was not heinous, nor (according to the reporter) was it taken badly by the coach. However, the fact that it showed up in the paper was an indication of laziness and bull**** (in deference to Jimmy’s moderation) on the part of the reporter. We all blow off steam or make jokes with those sort of quips, but it was very unprofessional of him to make them a part of his article, and it was embarrassing to everyone that it was accidentally published. Perhaps he will be hired back at that paper if his apologies are accepted and the coach makes a request of it. I am certain that this incident will make a better reporter of him, since he probably won’t make THAT mistake again.
Don’t we all have experiences like this in our pasts? Yes, and we lived them down and even laugh about them sometimes. And maybe another day we’ll share some of those stories!
Tom in Glendora, CA on 18 May 2012 at 2:37 pm #
I think Janis is amazed at how fast Gene can text.
We have soapstone counters in the kitchen. Nothing hurts it….nothing. It’s the stuff
they used to make chemistry lab tables back in the day. Well, it’ll cut with a knife and
if you bang an edge with a pot or something hard like that, it may take out a small hunk.
Minor scratches can be fixed with regular old sandpaper. Great stuff.
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 2:51 pm #
Tom in Glendora, soapstone sounds like a good product. How does it standup to oils and stains?
CW in 617 on 18 May 2012 at 2:59 pm #
Regarding the article in the Rayne (LA) paper:
In the ensuing discussion, the reporter’s excuse seems plausible, in that he intended to change the story when he had more information. Note that the story is poorly edited anyway.
For my own part, it’s been a while since I had to ask a student what a new (to me) slang term meant (see if “gnarly” gets through moderation), but there are few words in English slang I haven’t heard before. I know better than to ever put these into an e-mail, or any other electronic format these days, unless I’m sure it won’t be distributed in a manner I hadn’t intended.
(If it matters, I misspelled “plausible” on my first try, and had to look it up.)
Darn it, now I want fresh corn.
Judy in Conroe on 18 May 2012 at 3:18 pm #
Yay! Fresh corn! The blueberries in our area are ripening early, and if I get a chance to go out to Moorhead’s Blueberry Farm (pick your own, $2 a pound) this weekend it will also be fresh blueberries!
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 18 May 2012 at 3:31 pm #
I have been forgiven on more than one occasion, and had better job security than most workers do. I could not be fired for being liberal, conservative, agnostic, evangelical, or not wearing a tie. In a society with fewer and fewer safety nets, I’m inclined not to fire people. This happens to be a male reporter, but in their 30s, there are relatively few men or women where loss of a job is not also a loss of livelihood for others. Give him a demerit on his “permanent record” perhaps, and a less satisfactory assignment.
Bob, near Mark on 18 May 2012 at 4:08 pm #
Re the “right way” to cook.
The right way to cook anything, BBQ included, is to cook it the way you like it.
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 4:19 pm #
Bob, near Mark
Sometimes the “right way” is the way the spouse likes it. A third of a century of marriage to a fussy eater has taught me to carefully select meal experimentation.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 18 May 2012 at 4:21 pm #
EMB: I do not like to fire people either. I have sent out emails that had information in the prior threads that if I had read, I would not have sent, but I really try to careful. However I try not to ever document anything with an obscenity. In this case the writer really should have known better. I guess it depends on what type of job he has performed outside of this incident. If he was a poor reporter then this would be an excuse to fire him. Since the community was not up in arms, he probably should have just been given a warning.
Mark in TTown on 18 May 2012 at 4:39 pm #
Re the reporter’s error, the editor should be disciplined as well for allowing this to pass. That is why newspapers and book publishers have editors,as a last line of defense against this sort of thing. As to whether the punishment fit, we aren’t told what else he may have done to give cause beside this. The two independent staffers should be given a stiff warning too, because they didn’t do their assigned duties properly.
Mindy on 18 May 2012 at 6:15 pm #
CW, try http://www.urbandictionary.com for the trendy stuff.
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 6:20 pm #
Tom in Glendora, just used the sneaky way to husk roast corn, seems I am now being hailed as a cooking expert. Luckily everyone here knows I am an Id10t.
sandcastler on 18 May 2012 at 6:27 pm #
Thanks Mindy, now I can add Kardash to my unusal measuring units. When it come to length I like to use the Smoot.
Tom in Glendora, CA on 18 May 2012 at 8:00 pm #
sandcastler – soapstone stands up to anything. Oil, grease, stains, nothing fazes it.
Water spots happen though and you have to keep it dry. But we’ve gotten used to
wiping up after ourselves (like after washing hands, etc). And the water spots go
away with some mineral oil.
Downside is that you have to keep it oiled every month or two with mineral oil. Otherwise
it kind of fades and turns a bit pale.
Don’t know if you watch Paula Deen, but her show is filmed in her kitchen and she has
soapstone.
Glad the corn trick was such a hit.
Mindy on 18 May 2012 at 8:38 pm #
There are some excellent wood stoves made of soapstone as well.
CW in 617 on 18 May 2012 at 8:59 pm #
sandcastler -
Couldn’t resist. Just yesterday afternoon/evening, I walked across the bridge measured in smoots (in physics, we don’t capitalize the initial when the unit is spelled out, but nobody really cares). In fact, I walked across the bridge twice, due to a desire to sleep in my own bed.
While it can’t compare to sunset over Crater Lake in Oregon, a full moonrise in Vermont, or Half Dome in Yosemite any time, a walk across the “Smoot Bridge” at sunset on a clear, warm evening in May has a good deal to be said for it.
Mark in TTown on 18 May 2012 at 9:05 pm #
What’s a “smoot”? I know what a Shmoo is and what a snoot is, but smoot?
Lost in A**2 on 18 May 2012 at 9:40 pm #
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot Smoot was used to measure a bridge. A smoot is his height at the time of the measuring.
Bob, near Mark on 18 May 2012 at 9:41 pm #
Mark in TTown,
The smoot is a unit of length, named after Oliver Smoot, who was used by his MIT fraternity brothers to measure the length of the Harvard Bridge crossing the Charles River between Cambridge and Boston. One smoot equals 5 feet 7 inches (his height at the time). I used to work a couple of blocks down the street, at 1 Memorial Drive.
(The length of the bridge is “364.4 smoots, plus or minus one ear.”)
I also know what a Schmoo is. They fit right into the cooking discussion. I’ve been told that a Schmoo will gladly flip itself into a frying pan if you’re hungry. I don’t know about BBQ-Schmoo, though. They’d probably supply their own dry rub.
CW in 617 on 18 May 2012 at 9:46 pm #
Remember, sandcastler started it.
I can’t find the 2011 Old Farmer’s Almanac online, so here’s a synopsis (possibly within the limits of “fair use”).
Oliver Smoot was the shortest member of his fraternity, at 5 feet 7 inches. As a prank (some stories have “hazing”), he was used to measure the length of the Harvard Bridge, which crosses the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge. The length of the bridge is 364.4 smoots, and there are markings every ten smoots to let you know how far you have come, or need to go, across the bridge. On days when the Red Sox play a day game at home, it’s actually crowded.
This part is true: Oliver Smoot went on to become the president of the International Organization for Standardization.
Jerry in Fl on 18 May 2012 at 11:20 pm #
Newspapers have editors? In court we would say that statement assumes a fact not in evidence. I went star gazing tonight and was able to see Saturn through a very powerful telescope. Amazing! It was so large and clear that it actually looked like a drawing in an old SF movie. I had assumed that the rings would be blurry but that wasn’t the case at all. Venus looked like a crescent moon and I didn’t understand why that was the case. Anyone with an explanation?
TruckerRon on 18 May 2012 at 11:32 pm #
Jerry in Fl, Venus is at the point in its orbit where, through a telescope, its apparent shape is like unto a crescent moon for the same reason that the crescent moon has that shape. To the naked eye it still looks round because its both small in its diameter and so very bright.
I hope you saw something like this: http://bit.ly/KApP3S
Mark in TTown on 18 May 2012 at 11:36 pm #
Jerry in Fl, perhaps Earth was between the sun and Venus? Or one of the other planets. I once had the experience of watching some of the moons around Jupiter from my back deck in Tennessee. Fascinating! It’s a fun thing to do, if you can stay up that late.
Jerry in Fl on 19 May 2012 at 12:32 am #
Yes, that’s what it looked like. One guy was talking about the moons of Saturn that he could see, but the moons just looked like stars to me.
Tom in Glendora, CA on 19 May 2012 at 3:17 am #
Jerry in Fl – a friend and I went to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles years ago. They
had one of the big telescopes aimed at Saturn. My friend looked through the eyepiece,
turned to me and said “That’s just painted on there, isn’t it?”. Yes, it’s amazing and
really does look like it’s painted there. Sharp and clear.
sideburns on 19 May 2012 at 4:31 am #
Mark, the Earth can’t get between the Sun and Venus because Venus’ orbit is smaller than ours. Think about it.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 May 2012 at 7:50 am #
“That’s just painted on there, isn’t it?” sounds like the Flat Earth Society’s take on the last several decades’ pictures of Earth seen from space, the supposedly staged videos of men walking on the moon, and such.
Jerry, Mark, Ron, et al.: You’ve just summarized some of Galileo’s evidence that not everything revolves around Earth. He predicted that Venus [and Mervury] would have phases, and, to his initial surprise but also delight, obseved that Jupiter had 4 little “stars” revolving around it, showing that not everything revolves around us. They are now known as the Galilean satellites: Io, Europa, Ganymende, and Callisto.
Galileo’s telescope provided no more magnification than a standard pair of field glasses, and most ordinary amateur scopes today will not resolve those four and Saturn’s largest moon Titan as anything more than “just look[ing] like stars”. I’ve seen all four Galilean satellites using 10×70 binocs. I’ve also seen Titan, but cannot remember if that was with my binocs or the college’s 3 1/2″ Questar scope [which was eventually stolen].
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 May 2012 at 7:55 am #
Mercury. And by the way, the current NASA satellite [name?] orbiting Mercury is sending back lots of neat info, according to articles in Sky & Telescope. I haven’t searched to see if they have a website on it, as they do for Cassini which has been gathering date and photos of Saturn, its rings, and its moons for several years now, and for the current Mars Rovers.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 May 2012 at 7:56 am #
data.
Mindy on 19 May 2012 at 9:54 am #
I didn’t take the darned scope! I’m innocent this time!
sandcastler on 19 May 2012 at 11:17 am #
Gathering while Mindy pleads innocence this time there were charges that stuck.
John in Virginia on 19 May 2012 at 1:38 pm #
TASFYAD, sandcastler! But they were only misdemeanors.
Charlotte in NH on 19 May 2012 at 1:40 pm #
You need to know that the fraternity guys actually picked Mr. Smoot up and laid him down all those times, while measuring. They painted the markings in red, and the markings are freshened up from time to time as needed, by the fraternity (? not sure).
I see now what the 617 means.
I too have seen the moons of Jupiter, from my front porch, with my ordinary binoculars — under $100 — dark clear winter nights especially, when the planet was sort of high in the sky but not too high. 45 or 50 degrees? I steadied the binocs on a porch pillar so the image didn’t jump around so much. It was really neat ! And I didn’t have to stay up extra late to see them.
Mary in Ohio on 19 May 2012 at 3:12 pm #
Jerry in Fla – Venus indeed has phases, just like the moon. I can’t cite the proper physics, but it appears to wax and wane to us Earthlings, and for the same reason the moon appears to. I suppose Mercury does too – the outer planets can’t present this appearance.
sandcastler on 19 May 2012 at 3:40 pm #
John in Virginia, The Commonwealth of Virginia currently has four classes of misdemeanors: Class 1 and Class 2 which require serving time, Classes 3 & 4 are resolved by payment of fines. May I safely think Mindy’s actions were of the lessor kind?
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 May 2012 at 3:40 pm #
Mary: Right. When Mars is at quadrature [Quadrature (astronomy), the position of a body (moon or planet) such that its elongation is 90° or 270°; i.e. the sun-earth-body angle is 90°] we will be able to see part of the unlit side; maybe 10% [I'm guessing] of the disc will be its night side. The same is true of Jupiter, Saturn, etc., but to a much lesser extent.
Charlotte: You are far enough north that, depending on the orbital details, Jupiter can easily be that high above your southern horizon.
Mindy on 19 May 2012 at 4:24 pm #
sandcastler with a small “S”: John has already bought himself banishment to the sofa. He says he doesn’t want to extend that to the woodshed. And they weren’t my fault! I didn’t intend to be…oh, never mind. You wouldn’t believe me, either.
Russell Way Out There on 19 May 2012 at 8:03 pm #
You guys were talking astronomy before Mindy’s escapades came to light and I have to ask: Did anyone notice that one of the major networks said that the solar eclipse was scheduled on Monday — initially — and then changed it to SUNDAY instead? I wonder if there’s a name for that? The sun moving the schedule up, I mean.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 May 2012 at 8:20 pm #
Sol has not moved up the schedule. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_May_20,_2012
It’s always been 20 May here. On the other side of the international date line, it will be 21 May.
CW in 617 on 19 May 2012 at 9:41 pm #
Briefly to Charlotte in NH:
It should have been mentioned earlier that the Smoot markings are on the sidewalks; this is what I meant by the bridge being crowded, with baseball fans walking across the river to Fenway Park.
A few years ago, the bridge was in danger of falling, piece by piece, into the river, and was rebuilt. The original Smoot markings were lost. The new bridge (with wider sidewalks!) was immediately recalibrated. In yellow, but that’s a minor detail.
What, did I say “brief”?
Bob, near Mark on 19 May 2012 at 10:51 pm #
CW in 617,
Also, when the bridge was rebuilt, the sidewalks were poured with the joints in the concrete spaced at 5ft 7in intervals instead of the standard 6ft. This was done to match the height of Oliver Smoot.
Another reason (besides fraternal history) that the smoot measurements were re-painted is that the police had gotten in the habit of recording accident locations on the bridge by the smoot.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 20 May 2012 at 7:06 am #
Sunday’s hardware strip:
Poignant that Arlo is going to a hardware store.
The last independent hardware store in my little town closed a few years ago.
Although the selection is greater, going to Lowe’s and Minnard’s is just not the same.
John in Virginia on 20 May 2012 at 11:26 am #
I appreciate what you’re saying, Rick. There is one non-chain hardware store here, a builder’s supply store, actually, but the owner of roughly 50 years passed away and although his family is trying to keep the business going, they’re having a rough time of it. I think when he died about half of the store’s personality was buried also.
David in Austin on 20 May 2012 at 1:02 pm #
EMB,
Nice curry recipe. My in-laws were missionaries in Liberia, west Africa, for a good number of years. Their recipe for curry toppings include bananas, boiled eggs and peanuts, with other fresh fruits or chopped vegetables as available. We normally cook a whole chicken, then de-bone, and cook in the curry sauce. Our recipe has about 6 TBS curry powder. The chicken and gravy are served over rice, and the other fruits and toppings added at serving time, depending on the preferences of the eater.
Charlotte in NH on 20 May 2012 at 1:41 pm #
CW in 617 and Bob, near Mark — Thank you both for these fascinating facts that I didn’t know. Glad you are both so well informed. I will pass these on to my (grown up) children, most of whom are familiar enough with the city to know the story of the smoots.
sandcastler on 20 May 2012 at 1:56 pm #
While dicussing the Family Smoot we should mention Oliver’s (of the smoot fame) cousin George. George was a winner of a million dollars on the quiz show “Are you Smarter Than 5th Grader.” George’s other cliam to fame was as the 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics.
Mindy on 20 May 2012 at 2:55 pm #
What confused me was you guys talking about “Smoot” and I was thinking of “Swoosh” as in Nikes. An honest mistake.
Bob, near Mark on 20 May 2012 at 3:29 pm #
Mindy, some folks get confused and think “smoot” is what knights of yore had done to their enemies.
sandcastler on 20 May 2012 at 3:31 pm #
Mindy was a tad shorter than a smoot,
And when she walked her pontail swooshed,
But all agreed in general she was a hoot.
TruckerRon on 20 May 2012 at 6:07 pm #
“pontail” isn’t in my dictionary. Is it anything like a “bippy”? As in:
Dick: May the Good Fairy sprinkle stardust on your bippy.
Dan: Just a minute now. I’ve been meaning to ask you; what’s a bippy?
Dick It’s a baby bip.
Dan: Then what’s a bip?
Dick: It’s a big bippy.
Dan: Are you sure?
Dick: You bet your sweet bippy, I’m sure!
Jerry in Fl on 20 May 2012 at 6:09 pm #
sandcastler, sounds cute enough to give her a smoot on the cheek. Actually a smoot sounds like a baby owl. In any case I’m sure that the measurements and numbers of smoots on the bridge are a secret society code which, if decoded, would give us some important bit of knowlege about mankind and/or the universe. I experimented with the numbers and so forth only came up with a fairly close approximentatin of the actually length of one Earth day and an aproximentation of the distance around the planet earth. I wonder if it has anything to do with the newly disovered planet beyond Pluto. Smoot would have made an excellent name for the planet.
Mindy on 20 May 2012 at 6:11 pm #
What hath God wrought? Gotta love you guys…you’re all strange!
And that’s good.
Bob, near Mark, you won’t fool me! The knights smated their enemies and hid behind the smoat during sieges! Thought you’d trick me, didn’t you?
TruckerRon on 20 May 2012 at 6:34 pm #
Assuming that JJ will read all of this at some point, don’t you wish we had a webcam focused on his face when he does read this?
Mindy on 20 May 2012 at 6:42 pm #
That would be priceless. This place certainly does become a gallimaufry at times, doesn’t it? I wonder what Jimmy really thinks about his devoted fans?
sandcastler on 20 May 2012 at 7:04 pm #
Aye Mindy, we be a might saucy when the voyage is a long one. Me thinketh showers might avail some of the stench. Then perhaps a better grade of groge would keep us more fully sauced and even keeled.
sandcastler on 20 May 2012 at 7:08 pm #
John in Virginia, while your wife is cute, I promise she I will not smoot.
Jerry in Fl on 20 May 2012 at 8:12 pm #
After reading about cousin George, the astrophysicist, I’m sure of the deeper meanings of the Smoot measurements. This leads to a long list of revisions to lengths and measures, ie the millismoot, etc. I see that the Smoot family was from Florida. I wonder if they invented the smoothie.
Jerry in Fl on 20 May 2012 at 8:21 pm #
Research shows that there are 8111 people in the US named Smoot. The state with the most is Virginia. Second is Maryland. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Jerry in Fl on 20 May 2012 at 8:30 pm #
Before I continue to forget- RIP Robin Gibb. We’re losing the giants this year. Back to Smoot. Mason Smoot is a McDonalds executive who lives in Roseland, NJ. As we all know the rose is code for a compass and was an ancient symbol for locations of constellations. We’re getting spooky now.
Spooky on 20 May 2012 at 8:42 pm #
This is Spooky. We will be in orbit over your location tonight. Call fire coordinates at will. Spooky over.
Jerry in Fl on 20 May 2012 at 8:49 pm #
See. I told you. It’s probably just Dennis Yost though.
John in Virginia on 20 May 2012 at 8:59 pm #
Spooky, Spooky, this is Bad Karma Six, Bad Karma Six, fire mission, over…
Sandcastler — as Mindy says, “With A Small ‘S’” — the nice thing about the lady is that she may not smoot, but she’s not allergic to a little smut at the proper time and place.
Her temper flared this afternoon, though. Our “Day of Rest” turned into a day of “‘restling’” with the Demon Bamboo, and that seems like it will never end. Anyhoo, the Little Tyke was working out on one root — the horizontal kind are called Rhizomes, I think, or something like that — and she was fuming and spewing as she dug up one I kid you not was 11 feet 7 inches long! She’s not a big person and she’s usually quiet — in spite of how she may sometimes come across here — with Deep South manners and class, but that hunk of heck really ticked her off. The language was…caustic. Like I said, she’s not a big person, really lithe, wiry and petite, but she managed to break a hickory pick handle! I kid you not! When she gets wound up, Katie bar the door. We noticed — and this should have occurred to us sooner — that the Rhizomes when they come up in sections look exactly like the “trophies” the Predators hung up to dry in the movies! Only uglier.
And she’s only partially the air head she seems to be on occasion. Maybe 73% or the time?
Spooky on 20 May 2012 at 9:12 pm #
Bad Karma Six, Bad Karma Six, Spooky reads you. Light target, will paint with seven point six two.
Bob, near Mark on 20 May 2012 at 10:12 pm #
Mindy, I’m sure many of them DID smate at knight.
Also when your king is in inescapable check in an inebriated game of chess. You’d say, “Tha ‘smate!”
Galliglo in Ohio on 21 May 2012 at 5:22 am #
5/21 strip: the drama continues…
sandcastler on 21 May 2012 at 6:25 am #
Mindy, just read John’s 73% comment. Did he spend 73% of last night sleeping on the couch?