Just when I was thinking that no one really reads my blogs, there it was! An actual comment! And, a good one for clarification on the tenderloin sandwich.
Now, I guess my tenderloin tasting spree might have to cross state lines, perhaps taking me all the way to Missouri! The Show Me State!
Show me the tenderloin, baby!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Indiana Tenderloins
Indiana is the home of the breaded tenderloin sandwich. Pork tenderloin, that is. And there are a number of restaurants and cafes that serve this curiously "Indiana Only" sandwich.
It has continued to surprise me, as I have traveled around the contiguous United States, that Indiana really seems to be the only state where you can get these sandwiches. Maybe there are one or two places just across state lines, but I've never found them, or heard of anyone else finding them.
As it turns out, my dear friend's family by marriage claim to be the inventors of this sandwich. It's a pork tenderloin, pounded out thin - but not too thin for a good one - and coated with breading and deep fried to a golden crispy brown. Served on a bun with "the works" of course, or whatever you want. It is usually a big sandwich, the tenderloin hanging way over the edge of the bun, but size doesn't always mean better, or best, in this situation at least.
Other criteria that my other friend and I have determined are necessary for a good pork tenderloin sandwich are tenderness and flavor of the breading. Tastless breading and cardboard thin tenderloins are guarantees of a one star rating from me and my friend.
We have decided to tour the state in search of breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches and are planning to write a tenderloin guidebook to hopefully help attract tourists to our great state. Dan Quayle has outserved his usefullness in that regard.
Other factors we consider are service, atmosphere, and the ability or not to get a Bloody Mary with our sandwich. We are trying to not let that last criteria overshadow the actual quality of the tenderloin, but have to admit, that we have been disappointed when all we could get for a beverage was coffee or a softdrink. We were especially elated just this past week when we were able to get not only a delicious sandwich but a spicey and strong Bloody Mary at the tavern in a town of about 150 people. "How do you like 'em?" the bartenderess asked us. "Strong and spicey", we said, and that is just what we got. She stood there while we tasted our drinks, just to make sure she got them right.
I'm not sure just at this present moment how this fits in to my goal of "purification" for the new year, but I'm sure it fits in there somewhere.
So far, we have visited 4 taverns or cafes that serve tenderloin sandwiches, including the store that claims to be the original maker of the breaded tenderloin sandwich. So, I would say, there are only about 150 or so left to try. Right now I am not prepared to make a public statement, beyond what I said about the little tavern with the good Bloody Marys, except that we feel that we have had 2 good and 2 okay pork tenderloins. And we have had 1 great and 1 okay Bloody Mary.
It could be that the last good Bloody Mary was so good because it helped us recover from a night of tequila drinking at the new art studio of one of our friends.
Nothing like a good breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in that situation, either.
It has continued to surprise me, as I have traveled around the contiguous United States, that Indiana really seems to be the only state where you can get these sandwiches. Maybe there are one or two places just across state lines, but I've never found them, or heard of anyone else finding them.
As it turns out, my dear friend's family by marriage claim to be the inventors of this sandwich. It's a pork tenderloin, pounded out thin - but not too thin for a good one - and coated with breading and deep fried to a golden crispy brown. Served on a bun with "the works" of course, or whatever you want. It is usually a big sandwich, the tenderloin hanging way over the edge of the bun, but size doesn't always mean better, or best, in this situation at least.
Other criteria that my other friend and I have determined are necessary for a good pork tenderloin sandwich are tenderness and flavor of the breading. Tastless breading and cardboard thin tenderloins are guarantees of a one star rating from me and my friend.
We have decided to tour the state in search of breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches and are planning to write a tenderloin guidebook to hopefully help attract tourists to our great state. Dan Quayle has outserved his usefullness in that regard.
Other factors we consider are service, atmosphere, and the ability or not to get a Bloody Mary with our sandwich. We are trying to not let that last criteria overshadow the actual quality of the tenderloin, but have to admit, that we have been disappointed when all we could get for a beverage was coffee or a softdrink. We were especially elated just this past week when we were able to get not only a delicious sandwich but a spicey and strong Bloody Mary at the tavern in a town of about 150 people. "How do you like 'em?" the bartenderess asked us. "Strong and spicey", we said, and that is just what we got. She stood there while we tasted our drinks, just to make sure she got them right.
I'm not sure just at this present moment how this fits in to my goal of "purification" for the new year, but I'm sure it fits in there somewhere.
So far, we have visited 4 taverns or cafes that serve tenderloin sandwiches, including the store that claims to be the original maker of the breaded tenderloin sandwich. So, I would say, there are only about 150 or so left to try. Right now I am not prepared to make a public statement, beyond what I said about the little tavern with the good Bloody Marys, except that we feel that we have had 2 good and 2 okay pork tenderloins. And we have had 1 great and 1 okay Bloody Mary.
It could be that the last good Bloody Mary was so good because it helped us recover from a night of tequila drinking at the new art studio of one of our friends.
Nothing like a good breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in that situation, either.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Mexican Snow Boots
When I left Mexico for the mid-west, I stopped in the port city for one last look around the "Secundas", the second hand shops. There is a 5 or 6 block section of the town that is only these second hand shops. You can find some real treasures there if you are patient and look carefully.
And there they were. The snow boots I had in my vision of the type of snowboots I wanted to weather the winter in the mid west. Snowland, the label on the inside said, with a little caricature of a person skiing. Brown with fake fur tongue, above the ankle with the patterned piping that would put you in mind of the Alps, well, it did me, anyway.
Being this was Mexico, and a part of Mexico where they don't get any snow, I wondered how the boots ended up there. The manufacturer figured out just how to make the soles so that they don't slip at all, well, unless you are walking in conditions like the last ice storm when even my friend's railroad ice boots were ineffective. They are lined with the fake fur and made from some waterproof material on the outside that keeps the heat in and are so comfortable, fit me like a glove.
I love my Mexican snow boots.
And there they were. The snow boots I had in my vision of the type of snowboots I wanted to weather the winter in the mid west. Snowland, the label on the inside said, with a little caricature of a person skiing. Brown with fake fur tongue, above the ankle with the patterned piping that would put you in mind of the Alps, well, it did me, anyway.
Being this was Mexico, and a part of Mexico where they don't get any snow, I wondered how the boots ended up there. The manufacturer figured out just how to make the soles so that they don't slip at all, well, unless you are walking in conditions like the last ice storm when even my friend's railroad ice boots were ineffective. They are lined with the fake fur and made from some waterproof material on the outside that keeps the heat in and are so comfortable, fit me like a glove.
I love my Mexican snow boots.
Friday, January 9, 2009
remain calm
do you think that if you fell out of an airplane
at 10,000 feet
without a parachute
you'd be able to remain calm?
how about if you were captured
and your captives
comitted some horrible atrocity
against your body?
or if you were walking down the sidewalk
and the person in front of you
suddenly burst
into spontaneous combustion?
or how about if you were sitting
beside a stream
and the water
just kept flowing right on by?
at 10,000 feet
without a parachute
you'd be able to remain calm?
how about if you were captured
and your captives
comitted some horrible atrocity
against your body?
or if you were walking down the sidewalk
and the person in front of you
suddenly burst
into spontaneous combustion?
or how about if you were sitting
beside a stream
and the water
just kept flowing right on by?
Knowledge Gained
Recently I applied for a position at the little local college, with the encouragement of the department chair. Even though I felt it might be a long shot for me to get an offer, it was something that I felt passionate about and believed I could have learned the apsects of the position that were not in my area of expertise. I had many of the qualifications that the position description listed as necessary.
On several occations, I visited the department chair's office, wanting to introduce myself and get a name with a face, but he was always out or in class. I did not get the offer, not even an interview.
Listed on my resume was my current employer, the college, as I work in food service there. The other day, while serving the Rotary Club their lunch, I saw that this department chair was in attendance and introduced myself to him. "Oh, I didn't know you worked here", he said.
This caused me to wonder if he had even read my resume or application. I learned later that they already had someone in mind for the position, and the listing was just a matter of formality, you know, to satisy those pesky human resources people.
I thought about all the time and energy I had put into this application process and was left feeling, well, sort of bummed out.
But then I remembered that I had learned so much from an on-line course I had taken - to gain some of that knowledge that I didn't have that was pertinant to the position - and I realized what a blessing the whole process had been. I brightened up and gave thanks for the experience and went outside to feed the squirrels.
On several occations, I visited the department chair's office, wanting to introduce myself and get a name with a face, but he was always out or in class. I did not get the offer, not even an interview.
Listed on my resume was my current employer, the college, as I work in food service there. The other day, while serving the Rotary Club their lunch, I saw that this department chair was in attendance and introduced myself to him. "Oh, I didn't know you worked here", he said.
This caused me to wonder if he had even read my resume or application. I learned later that they already had someone in mind for the position, and the listing was just a matter of formality, you know, to satisy those pesky human resources people.
I thought about all the time and energy I had put into this application process and was left feeling, well, sort of bummed out.
But then I remembered that I had learned so much from an on-line course I had taken - to gain some of that knowledge that I didn't have that was pertinant to the position - and I realized what a blessing the whole process had been. I brightened up and gave thanks for the experience and went outside to feed the squirrels.
Friday, January 2, 2009
the answer
it wasn't exactly as if i were waiting for it,
it just showed up at an opportune moment.
a moment of weakness, or perhaps vulnerability.
a moment when my soul must have been crying out,
unheard even to me, hidden behind the sound proof barrier.
there it was, golden and shining, powerful yet meek, known yet unknown,
everything and nothing, all at the same time.
i suddenly found myself enveloped, surrounded,
the sound proof barrier instantly gone,
the sounds of angels resounding across the universe.
it just showed up at an opportune moment.
a moment of weakness, or perhaps vulnerability.
a moment when my soul must have been crying out,
unheard even to me, hidden behind the sound proof barrier.
there it was, golden and shining, powerful yet meek, known yet unknown,
everything and nothing, all at the same time.
i suddenly found myself enveloped, surrounded,
the sound proof barrier instantly gone,
the sounds of angels resounding across the universe.
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