text:
What does a man remember most in life? Women? Sure, a few. Victories won on the playing field? Yeah, they're nice, too. But if you are Alan Richman, what you remember most—what defines your life above all else—is dessert. Herewith, one man's eternal search for the best part of a meal
i am no longer 8 years old, but I feel that way whenever I order dessert. My mother hovers over me, in spirit at least, letting me know what I cannot have, just as she always did.
At the rural Pennsylvania dairy where we would stop on the ride home from my grandmother's house, I'd stare in wonder at the menu board over the freezer case of ice cream. Up there was a sundae so irresistibly grandiose that I would dream of it between trips.
"I want that," I'd say. "The Pig's Dinner."
"No, you will not have the Pig's Dinner," my mother invariably replied, and though we were a Jewish family, religious restrictions were not the problem. (Anyway, pastry chefs had yet to come up with the entertaining idea of adding bacon to ice cream.) "You may have a chocolate sundae."
Hardly abusive, you might think, and in my more rational moments I must agree, but I have to think my obsession with desserts, barely diminished from childhood, results from excessive denial in those early days: "Three cookies is enough."… "You don't need whipped cream on everything."… I might not have endured those years of deprivation had I not been encouraged to pour heavy cream on my sugared cereal, then considered nutritionally desirable.
All of us are incessantly being told that food should be local, but desserts are adolescent. They are a way of life—the life you led before you made rational (and often boring) decisions about what was best for you to eat. The world of sweetness is a fantasyland where the basic desires of childhood are satisfied, provided one is mentally strong enough to ignore lingering parental admonitions and physically sound enough to laugh at contemporary medical cautions.
Diners who live for the pleasure of main courses might fret over the fat content of their cream sauces, but they face far fewer crises than dessert eaters (unless they're morally conflicted by foie gras). Desserts are exquisitely torturous to those of us who know our health is better served if we do without them, and we envy those who have the constitutions (and blood workups) that enable them to indulge without guilt.
To adults, desserts are the ultimate forbidden fruit, unless they actually eat fruit, in which case desserts are neither forbidden nor much fun. (Fruit belongs in salads, the banana and the Maraschino cherry notwithstanding.) Now you know why I made my way to Sherman Dairy Bar, in South Haven, Michigan, just a few miles from Lake Michigan, on a chilly, snow-is-on-the-way day this past March. It was opening weekend—premature, I'd say—of the summer season, and what I had sought for more than fifty years awaited me: a Pig's Dinner, served in a genuine miniature wooden trough. Not only is the ice cream made on the premises, so too is the trough. "Building them gives us something to do in the winter," the company president, Bob Eisenman, told me.
Sundaes lend themselves to fanciful and fabulous names—Pig's Dinner, Kitchen Sink, Gut Buster, Belly Buster, Goliath, Volcano, Suicide Sundae, Atomic Sundae, and even a few well-respected variations on the porcine theme, Pig Out and Pig's Delight. By my reckoning, there is no such thing as a badly named sundae. Even the tough decisions—hot fudge or cold chocolate, marshmallow topping or whipped cream?—provide enormous entertainment, delaying the most certain gratification on earth. (You didn't think it was sex, did you?)
As I sat warming up with a mug of complimentary coffee—the ceramic mugs are on hooks, the coffeepot is constantly refilled—I realized that Sherman's has everything I want in an ice cream parlor, including a blue plastic cow on the roof. That many of the flavors are local is demonstrably clear: There is one named Blue Moon that was an iridescent glow on the tongue of a 3-year-old giggling wildly as he ate a dish of it in an adjoining booth.
I asked for my Pig's Dinner prepared traditionally, without culinary imagination. The standard assemblage includes four scoops of ice cream, one each of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and butter pecan. While at first that seemed hardly enough, each scoop by my reckoning was about a half pint. The toppings were artfully applied by Dawn, the manager: crushed pineapple on the strawberry, chocolate syrup on the vanilla, marshmallow sauce on the chocolate, gooey butterscotch on the butter pecan. (Such perfection comes with a half century in the sundae business.)
Some customers select their own flavors and toppings, and they are welcome to do so, although the possibilities are overly abundant. Dawn told me the indecisive ones do the "flavor dance" for as long as twenty minutes, hopping back and forth in front of the freezer case, trying to improve on what should be left as is.
There's more to a Pig's Dinner, of course: banana slices buried deep in the trough. Cumulus clouds of whipped cream, one of the great foodstuffs, up there with buttercream and pastry cream as a building block of a bad body. Maraschino cherries, correctly served on the stem.
A button reading i made a pig of myself at sherman dairy is the prize, in theory awarded only to those who can finish the entire sundae by themselves. This was clearly not going to be me. In fact, a smirking fellow in another booth watched me struggle and said too loudly, "The snow is liable to come before he finishes." I did not take offense. Even the testiest of men do not get into fistfights in ice cream shops.
Despite my disappointing performance, Eisenman rewarded me with a button. He realizes that everybody ends up sharing, and he is a practical businessman, much loved in the community for wisdom such as this: "I don't sit there and say, 'Oh, you had help; you don't get a button.' "
It's not easy to describe how satisfied I felt after visiting Sherman's. It made me realize that the shrewd adage "Be careful what you wish for" doesn't apply where desserts are concerned. There's not much sense in pursuing wealth or women, but desserts are always worth the chase.
before sauternes and foie gras, there was Pepsi and Hydrox.
The first is a pairing of the gods, the second of Cub Scout meetings. Some kids join to learn how to tie square knots; for me, scouting offered my first memorable food-and-beverage matchup.
Pepsi-Cola seemed to have more high notes than Coke, while the Hydrox cookie soared above the less complex Oreo. (Hydrox cookies no longer exist, having been vanquished by Oreos after decades of epic commercial combat.) I never forgot that lesson, because what kids learn about desserts stays with them all their lives. Show me a man who believes his favorite desserts are those he has eaten as an adult and I'll show you a man who had an unhappy childhood.
Savory foods are straightforward: protein, carbohydrate, fat. Desserts are infinitely more complex, incorporating most of what is known about shape, form, and structure. To those add texture, contrast, and technique. The only commonality is that to some extent, every one must be sweet.
Yet if they are of little or no use nutritionally, they are invaluable psychologically. They soothe us when we are depressed, elevate us when we are festive, console us in times of despair. They impart insightful messages, happy birthday being the one of such importance that it is clearly written in icing, not implied. Nothing completes a celebration more than cake, with or without candles, but always with icing.
Somebody like me, a man of as much experience as anyone in the random and unrestrained consumption of desserts, has wisdom worth passing on.
Pies are for family gatherings, bod chocolates for girls you want to know better, bars of Lindt for packing in your luggage on long trips away from home. Ice cream cones (with sprinkles) are for roadside stops, ice pops for summer afternoons in bathing suits. Aunts should always show up with bags of homemade chocolate-chip cookies, although that doesn't preclude other relatives from baking for you. Sundaes are for grandchildren and cotton candy for carnivals. Even molded Jell-O has its place, because your mother added that canned fruit to demonstrate her love. Funnel cakes are the greatest of all ethnic foods, although I have no quarrel with those who prefer churros. Nothing satisfies more in the damp gloom of a weary day than a bonbon, provided you don't get the piece with the yucky raspberry-cream center.
Custards should be eaten dreamily while you are alone and pumpkin pie earnestly to please the family members whose feelings would be hurt if you didn't sample everything on the Thanksgiving table. Only cheesecake is served at a more unfortunate time—it's invariably picked at in steak houses by bond traders who have each consumed a twenty-ounce T-bone and three or four heavily buttered rolls. Still, I will forever remain captivated by cheesecake, because one of the supreme pleasures of my childhood was driving over the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, handing the toll taker the requisite nickel from the back window of our Oldsmobile, then stopping for a cool slice at the Country Club Diner. Cheesecake seemed so much creamier in those days, a bridge between a milk shake and ice cream.
Pie can teach you about the kind of man you are. The banana-cream pie, modest in height, topped with whipped cream as lovely as a soft-breaking wave, the discs of banana softened to a baby-friendly consistency, is markedly unlike the majestic lemon-meringue pie, where the tartness of the fruit aggressively counters the billowy, Taj Mahal–like meringue. Few sights are more welcoming or irresistible than a lemon-meringue pie rotating in the glass case at a diner, just inside the front door.
I would like to think of myself as a lemon-meringue kind of guy, being as it's more adult, but I fear I am a devotee of banana cream. There's another reason that both are champions of the pie world: Their fruit is always fresh and never seems cooked. Classic fruit pies—strawberry-rhubarb, peach, whatever—are drearily similar in numerous ways to supermarket meat pot pies, which I do not admire.
I have a few other dislikes, but not many. I don't want salt sprinkled on my desserts, even high-minded pink sea salt from some Hawaiian coast. I don't enjoy marshmallows snipped off tableside; it's way too French. Of course, marshmallows roasted over a campfire are exquisite, the only dessert that should be served searing hot. (That's the second great lesson I learned in the Cub Scouts.) I particularly dislike the custom of plopping cold ice cream in the center of hot soufflés, a perverse practice that ruins two desserts at once. I never cared much for Chuckles as a kid, and I don't go for gelées now. That's never going to change.
To most people, desserts are best eaten immediately after meals, while candy is a sweet intended to fulfill random desires. I don't think that way. To me they both serve the same purpose, and I will eat either at any time. Most people get a growl in their stomachs when they're hungry, something a burger will quell. Not me. I get a growl in my mind, a random lust for something sweet. When that comes upon me, it must be pacified by whatever is on hand. It's not that I don't want a little something with sugar after lunch or dinner. I do, but just a small bite, which is why I consider myself a connoisseur of the petits fours plate, the array of miniature cookies, candies, and pastries that arrives at the conclusion of meals in fine restaurants. They are a magical mélange, and they are prepared by underpaid pastry assistants with frayed fingertips who work unendurably long hours in service to the pampered restaurant clients of the world. The practice is reminiscent of Third World sweatshops, and I shamefully admit that it bothers me not a bit.
To be honest, I'm not that levelheaded in the presence of petits fours. If you're eating with me, I wouldn't advise turning your head when they're set down. Something in my makeup trumps rationality when desserts arrive. I will devour everything, regardless of whether I want it or not.
When I was a child and my family drove up to New York City from Philadelphia, my father always brought me to Yonah Schimmel's, a shop on the Lower East Side specializing in knishes, the ultimate nineteenth-century Eastern European snack food. Knishes are most commonly filled with potatoes, but there are also sweet knishes, and that's what my father ordered, because we were invariably coming from a lunch of pastrami and cream soda at Katz's Delicatessen down the street.
Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery essentially jump-started my career as a restaurant critic. I never liked the knishes there, and when I'd ask my father why we always came here, he'd just smile and continue eating. I went back recently to see if I would react differently, and I admit it was wonderful to be in the store. It hadn't changed.
The tables are scattered about randomly, as though they were set down in 1910, when the restaurant first opened, and not straightened since. The linoleum floor looks original, and the walls are crammed with an assortment of badly arranged press clippings and photos. It's as though a deranged serial killer had been hired as the decorator.
I don't want to be unfair, because the knishes at Yonah Schimmel's are warm and fresh, which counts for a lot, and they're famous, which means I could be wrong about not liking them. I had the cherry-cheese, which was cloying and reminded me of a throat lozenge. It was then that I realized that my father—born in 1915 and raised on the Lower East Side—was returning to Yonah Schimmel's because the knish was his madeleine.
The concept of the madeleine, to say nothing of the rebirth of the petite shell-shaped pastry itself, was brought about by Marcel Proust, a sickly writer who was inordinately fond of his mother and whose tribute to her madeleine is the Gettysburg Address of food writing. In part, his manifesto reads, "One day in winter, on my return home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take.… She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called 'petites madeleines,' which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell.… A shiver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin."
Marcel was actually not much of a food writer, since he only talked about himself and not the madeleine, giving us no idea of how it tasted. Likely it resembled a pound cake in flavor, inasmuch as Proust's mother was Jewish, and to a Jew, a nice slice of pound cake evokes plenty—to me, late-afternoon noshes in neighborhood coffee shops.
These days, it seems, many men are seeking their madeleine, the holy grail of sweets, the dessert that most comforted them when they were children. (I'm not positive the quest is quite the same for women, who seem to be similarly reassured by Jane Austen novels.) The Pig's Dinner was not my madeleine—a man's madeleine by definition cannot be what he has never before eaten. For me, the possibilities are countless.
I loved saltwater taffy, particularly James' "Cut-to-fit-the-Mouth," every plump piece double-wrapped in paper with a polka-dot twist at each end, and each one carefully labeled, which was vitally important so you could avoid the weird ones. So many colors. So many choices—seventeen, to be exact. Since I always had to share with my sister, I always gave the bad ones, like molasses mint, to her.
Maybe the best thing about saltwater taffy was that labeling. Kids back then weren't like the kids of today. We had no choices in life, certainly none we could make about food, and saltwater taffy allowed us a sliver of self-determination, the right to eat whatever flavors we wanted in the order we wanted to eat them. (LifeSavers had five varieties, of course, but you had to eat each piece as it popped up. With a run of bad luck, you could be stuck with pineapple a lot.)
My mother unconditionally approved of saltwater taffy because it was wrapped twice, which she was convinced made it a sanitary and healthful product, although we kids weren't so sure. Sooner or later, all of us asked ourselves if there really was salt in saltwater taffy, and if there was, would it make us sick? I haven't preserved much from my childhood, but I still have one of the original barrel-shaped papier-mâché containers from James' that came filled with taffy and were designed to be used as banks. It has not appreciated in value as I had hoped—I recently saw one offered on eBay for $2.99—and I suspect it has minimum intrinsic value because of a design flaw. A kid had to be pretty stupid to keep his life savings stashed away in papier-mâché.
I have always loved nonpareils, discs of dark chocolate covered with white sugary dots, perhaps because of another deep-seated belief: There is chocolate and there is vanilla, and all flavors after those are basically ornamentation. They were my favorite corner-store candies, back then selling for a nickel a box.
I consider nuts a fundamental building block of desserts and candy, even if they are more commonly eaten in salted form. Among the most important cartoon characters of my life, equal to Mickey Mouse, was Mr. Peanut, who wore a top hat, spats, and white gloves and beautifully represented the Planters company. (I never understood why Disney never went into the candy business, because the company would easily have achieved world domination.)
In the field of bod, presentation-style candy, I love none more than See's, which comes from California. The pieces are large and the fillings plenty fancy enough for me. Intellectually, I admire those chocolates that cost $75 a pound, La Maison du Chocolat and the like—and who could not?—but I feel about them as I do about wines like Romanée-Conti. It is far too simple and shows an absence of discrimination to admire only that which costs more than anything else.
See's California Brittle, to this day my favorite piece of candy, has a surfeit of everything irresistible—not just the requisite genuine chocolate coating (milk chocolate most of the year but a choice of milk or dark during the Christmas season) but also nuttiness, sweetness, and crunchiness, all adding up to an assurance of a stunningly successful candy experience. Brittle—basically almonds transformed into a meltingly crisp assemblage through the addition of sugar, butter, and cream—is to me the ultimate filling, and while I generally prefer cashews to any other nuts, cashew brittle is somehow not the equal of almond brittle. I think we're talking umami, the elusive fifth taste, when almond brittle is discussed.
Milk shakes are better than ice cream sodas, although I don't for the life of me understand why anybody likes malt in theirs. (A moment here to pay our respects to Stephen J. Poplawski of the Stevens Electric Company, who invented the blender in 1922. The purpose was to make malted milk shakes, and it's possible the reason he isn't remembered is all that superfluous malt he added to his drinks.)
It's clear, I hope, that sprinkles should be chocolate, not multicolored. The love of multicolored sprinkles is one of the few childhood dessert infatuations that should be outgrown. The only fundamental alteration in my dessert habits today is that I now prefer Coke to Pepsi, but I have to admit I was shaken when that occurred. I felt that part of my childhood was lost, in the same way I knew that I had grown up in an undesirable way the day I no longer liked to read comic books.
I suppose I could be considered an intractable fellow, cranky much of the time, particularly when I don't get my afternoon bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream. I have much to say about desserts that I realize not everybody will want to hear. We all believe we know best where desserts are concerned.
The Carvel Brown Bonnet, one of America's best ice cream options, should always be ordered in a cup. You probably think otherwise. A conventional Brown Bonnet is a scoop of ice cream in a cone that is turned over and dunked in liquid chocolate. Magically, the ice cream remains in place during the dunking—a technique outwardly similar to bobbing for apples, an embarrassing and unrewarding ercise that at best results in an apple, not much of a reward.
Once the cone is turned upright, the chocolate quickly hardens, creating a thin, pleasingly crunchy shell. Order your Brown Bonnet in a cup and the warm chocolate is poured over the ice cream, the excess puddling in the bottom. That results in approximately twice the chocolate at no extra cost. To me this is reminiscent of the trinket hidden in the box of Cracker Jack, the extra that adds a thrill.
Cappuccino should be consumed as a dessert, not as a breakfast beverage. It is warm, frothy, and wasted early in the morning. (Anyway, it often comes with a cookie, which proves my point.) Italians become unreasonably upset if you order it after the stroke of noon, but they are wrong. I always walk into bars in Italy about 2 p.m., ask for a cappuccino, and, when I get a funny look from the barman, respond by saying, "I'm an American. I can have a cappuccino whenever I want."
No doughnut is worth eating more than an hour after it comes out of the fat, and that's cutting it close. The only establishment that never disappoints is Café du Monde in New Orleans, where the doughnuts are sensational even if they are called beignets and are consumed outdoors in an uncomfortable tropical climate. Should you be in Mexico City, I highly recommend freshly made churros. Sure, I prefer funnel cake, but that's because I'm from Pennsylvania, not because it's better.
Whenever I'm in Istanbul, and I travel there as often as possible, I invariably spend my free time searching for the ultimate Turkish baklava—to me the greatest of all primal desserts, superior to the French tarte Tatin. Not much is as spectacular as honey and finely chopped nuts wrapped in flaky pastry that is minutes out of the oven. (Baklava becomes leaden quickly, as though it has some perverse ability to suck moisture out of the air.) I should also point out that Greek honey atop Greek yogurt is a magical combination, whereas any other honey atop any other yogurt is health food.
For years, whenever I was in London, I would dine in the Grill Room of the Connaught Hotel, enduring the most awful food in order to get to the rolling dessert chariot, which is absolutely without equal, although I might have loved the magnificent one at Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia just as much had it offered English trifle and bread-and-butter pudding. A luncheon guest of the Grill was entitled to only one selection, but the waistcoated and white-jacketed captains and waiters who served the exclusive clientele always took pity on me, seeing that I had barely touched my appetizer or main course, invariably some woeful British concoction containing peas and crusts. They would allow me both of my favorites, and to be looked after by such gentlemen was a pleasure that could not be duplicated. I felt like a crown prince. Only desserts have the power to transport me to a realm above my station in life.
I like to think I am open to new possibilities in desserts, although I suspect few men are capable of acquiring tastes for sweets they never had as a child. Recently, I went on an Asian-dessert excursion with Bernie Sun, a respected sommelier and beverage director for Jean-Georges Management, but we had little luck, probably due to an excess of red-bean paste in the pastries he selected. Perhaps I am not as open-minded as I think I am. At the end, exhausted, we sat down at the counter of the Brooklyn Diner (which is in Manhattan, not Brooklyn) for root-beer floats.
I had never taken the root-beer float seriously, and yet it was Sun's contention that this is among the greatest of desserts. The Brooklyn Diner, it turned out, prepares root-beer floats with Stewart's root beer and Häagen-Dazs ice cream, an admirable combination. "I think it's the perfect drink, in the same way that peanut butter and jelly is the perfect sandwich," Sun said. Indeed, he had a point. An overlooked aspect of this drink is that the melting vanilla ice cream cuts the bitterness of the root beer and adds a desirable velvety consistency—root beer tends to be praised when it is creamy. Before this, I thought the finest dessert beverage was the vanilla milk shake, for not much is superior to vanilla in its most easily ingestible form, but I concede that the root-beer float is vastly more fascinating.
It is time now to speak of my greatest disappointment. I am referring to chocolate cake.
This may well be the most influential of our baked goods, and certainly the one most beloved by children. In my opinion, the chocolate cake with chocolate icing has fallen on hard times, and its potentially superior version, the devil's food cake, is also performing poorly. Such cakes are vital, for without them few birthday parties can be deemed successful. Such cakes need not be flawless. Spectacular is good enough. They are like New Year's Eve party hats—Borsalinos they need not be.
The chocolate birthday cake fulfills expectations. To a child, it should not be homemade, for that reeks of the everyday. It must be a bakery cake to appear special, and it should come in a white box wrapped in string that's been pulled down from a skein of twine twirling overhead. It should have chocolate buttercream icing, and billowy roses crafted from icing are always a welcome addition—mandatory for girls. A birthday cake reminds kids that they are special. It does not tell them that they are older—the candles take care of that.
I do not say this to stir up pity, although I'm sure it will, but I never had a chocolate birthday cake with chocolate icing as a child. As far as I can tell, Jews rarely bake traditional iced cakes, simply because icing typically contains butter and butter cannot be part of a kosher meal that also includes meat. In other words, a hot dog cannot be followed by chocolate icing in an observant household. (While my parents didn't keep kosher, they instinctively stuck to most of the rules.)
My sister recently reminded me of what we got on our birthdays: homemade, icing-free, white chiffon cakes topped with a reusable baby blue apparatus that had happy birthday spelled out in plastic script. Actually, most Jews do bake chocolate cakes. They never stop. But they are not the right kind. They are Bundt cakes, babkas, and kuchen, all without icing. My sister tried to convince me she made a wonderful chocolate cake and that if I came for a visit on my birthday, she would prepare one for me. She described it as a "beet-chocolate Bundt cake." I shuddered and suggested she stick to her carrot-cake cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting, the best I've ever had.
Is it any wonder that I become agitated as my birthday approaches and desperately seek alternatives to the homemade chocolate cakes that kindly relatives might thrust upon me? Thus far, I have failed in my mission.
Patisseries, the obvious source of substitutes, have lost their way. The classic pastries in these once revered shops now remain on sale for two or three days, and invariably they are old and heavy. They've become the black holes of baking. My newfound disillusionment has done nothing to diminish my appetite for pastry. It has simply made my quest for satisfaction more challenging. Pastries, you see, have to fulfill several requirements. They must taste as good as you remember them. You must eat every morsel, even if you had every intention of taking only one or two measured bites. And you must ask yourself how you can get to that last dab of crème pâtissière without making a fool of yourself by licking your plate. Where does one go for such pleasures, if not to pastry shops? Well, there are always restaurants.
Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin in New York is one of the best of the fancy-pastry chefs, although he still has to justify his existence to customers who think Mom's apple pie is every bit as good. Actually, it might be, for even an artiste as celebrated as Laiskonis admits, "At home, I'm known to go through a pint of ice cream in one sitting." He also points out that he is totally fascinated by the Snickers bar—chocolate coating, crunchy nuts, soft caramel, considerable enjoyment. "You will notice that pastry chefs are always trying to replicate the Snickers bar in a refined way," he says.
In the world of pastry, not much is more worthy of debate than the dichotomy between that which merely satisfies a craving and that which dazzles. Dorie Greenspan, who has written cookbooks with the greatest French pastry chefs, admits that "every pastry chef's soft spot is homey desserts: pound cake, butter cookies, madeleines."
To Laiskonis desserts exist in three categories: (1) "The craving for sugar is hardwired into our DNA—we are the only mammal that after breast-feeding retains that desire." (2) "The role of comfort and nostalgia, which results from the great meaning that sweets have for children—a lot of children, and I was one, steal and hide sweets." (3) "Pure pleasure, bordering on gluttony, which results in dessert names such as Death by Chocolate."
Elegant desserts, the kind traditionally served at restaurants such as Le Bernardin, are dazzling technically. They creatively incorporate structure, texture, and temperature.
Greenspan compares eating fancy desserts to wearing Chanel clothing: dazzling and gratifying but not necessarily an everyday need. "They are meant to be special and inspired, not a casual munch," she says. Laiskonis likes to point out that a successful pastry chef, unlike a savory chef, must dabble in psychology, because the craving for dessert is influenced by comfort, reward, and whatever diet or health trend is in vogue. At the same time, he says, a pastry chef cannot make too much of fashion, because chocolate desserts invariably outsell all others.
And, he adds, "You cannot discount the ego of the pastry chef creeping in, the desire to create something new—and nothing much is new."
Laiskonis served me three desserts, each designed to illustrate the passions of customers—or in this case, himself. To him, a panna cotta satisfies the most primary of dessert desires: the longing for creamy, soft milk custard. Atop the custard was honey, almost certainly mankind's first sweet. His second dessert was warm chocolate cake, prepared with his favorite brand of luxury chocolate, Amedei from Italy, fulfilling the need for luxury and pleasure. Finally came the dessert that most appealed to me, one that evoked wistfulness. It was a small glass of warm spiced apple cider accompanied by tiny, still-warm-from-the-oven cinnamon doughnuts. When he noticed my obvious pleasure, he said, "To me this suggests early autumn, a chilly Sunday, the days getting shorter, driving to a cider mill with the family, the crunch of leaves underfoot."
Laiskonis, who grew up in Michigan, called cider-and-doughnuts his madeleine. I will admit that I have yet to find mine, which might be why my life feels vaguely unfulfilled. I have traveled extensively in my lifetime—living in four countries, dabbling in two wars, and working for five newspapers and four magazines. Perhaps, had I found my madeleine, I would not always have been so unsettled.
I am almost certain that when I find it, it will have something to do with ice cream, the fundamental food of my existence. Whenever I was conflicted over what dessert to order as a kid, my mother would say, "You can't go wrong with ice cream."
I've heard it said that a raspberry or some other piece of ripe fruit is the ultimate foodstuff, but I wouldn't know. Like most Americans, I never see ripe fruit. To me, vanilla ice cream is the ideal food, as well as a cure-all, providing the same essential service to disappointing desserts as ketchup provides to overcooked burgers. Vanilla ice cream is flawless. To have creaminess, sweetness, and coolness in one spoon is so astonishing I am continually amazed that ice cream is not a precious commodity, like black truffles or caviar.
After vanilla, the building block of the ice cream family, there are really only two other fundamental kinds, green and all the others. Green ice cream is for kids, although I was never able to decide whether pistachio or mint chocolate chip was the greatest of the greens. (I come from a better time, when mint-chocolate-chip ice cream was not pasty white.) The Howard Johnson sugar cone topped with pistachio ice cream and dipped in chocolate sprinkles was the go-to cone of my childhood.
At one time, I believed my unrelenting craving for ice cream was a perversity that should be hidden from others, but about fifteen years ago I telephoned the legendary food writer Craig Claiborne and invited him to dinner. He accepted, and for a reason I now understand, which is that everybody loves to be invited out by a food critic but nobody ever invites a food critic out.
After our main courses, I suggested dessert, but he declined. He said, "I'd rather go home and eat a bowl of ice cream."
That simple declaration justified my existence. I knew at that moment I was born to be a food writer and would remain one the rest of my days.
Alan Richman is a GQ_ correspondent._


text:
Saturday, October 5, 2013
I finally GET it!
I've flirted with the idea of going fully "paleo" for several years. I actually tried it for a while back in 2011 and continued off and on for the past 2 years... until about 6-8 months ago when I was ANYTHING but paleo. Bring on the gluten-free oreos!
Now I've mentioned before how much I don't really like labels. I'm not saying I want to be "paleo" to have a certain online reputation or to pretend I am the be-all, end-all of all things food knowledge. I'm not. Far from it.
See the thing is, I was feeling terrible. Tired ALL the time. Sugar swings EVERY. SINGLE. afternoon. Cheetos and diet Dr. Pepper were a daily part of my food intake... and I was even nearly falling asleep on the way home from work in the evenings. And that was not cool. Not cool at all. It was embarrassing and I just felt terrible. Again, ALL the time. And I finally had had enough. I was honestly scared that I might get into an accident on the way home just from the constant sugar swings.
It took me years to get to that point. Do you still want to go to McDonald's? No judgement here! I went for years and years, even just for the gluten-free eggs & sausage. But apparently after years & years of abusing my body through food... it had had enough.
My Dad needed heart transplant surgery. My grandmother was a long-time diabetic. I really didn't want to make either of those health issues part of my future and I was just exhausted from feeling bad ALL the time.
So with the help of my husband's cousin Sabrina, I decided to try paleo again. Sabrina talked about the great success she had had over the past few months and her soaring energy levels and I wanted that. I want to feel good. On a daily basis, without tons of caffeine or sugar swings in the afternoon.
I was finally ready to say goodbye to my beloved "Cheetos." My body felt bad enough that I didn't want them anymore. You don't have to be there yet. It took me a LONG time. And that's kind of the beauty of this whole journey. I know how hard it is to let go of those foods. No judgement here.
Today marks being 1 month completely paleo. It's actually closer to 6 weeks, but a month since I've been tracking my weight and my stats just to see how paleo has helped me. And it has tremendously. My energy levels are incredible. I finally feel GOOD most of the time, most days. I've lost quite a few inches in my waist, arms, and thighs. My clothes fit much better. But I'm still learning things. I'm still learning what foods work best for my body and what foods don't.
Right now, as much as I love baking, I'm not baking much at all. I want to hold off on the "paleo" baked goods until I'm at a healthy weight and mindset. Baked goods are an 'overeating" trigger food for me. And right now, I feel better about my health than I have in years. I feel like I'm finally ready to make healthy eating a life choice, not just a "few months" choice, or a "transitional" choice... but lifelong.
I'm no longer angry that I can't eat whatever foods I want too. I came to the point where I'm more interested in my health than in what I cannot have. It took years, I MEAN YEARS, for me to get to that point in my life. But I'm here. And I'm ready. I'm ready for a healthy and happy future that works for my body.
11 comments:
- AnonymousOctober 5, 2013 at 8:37 AM
Love your story! Mine is quite similar and after a long bout of being "angry" that I can't eat the "good stuff" (i.e. desserts, the occasional donut, anything with wheat in it, etc) I finally reached a point where I had to pick between having stomach pain/health issues/being resentful or simply choosing to embrace a paleo lifestyle. I've been Paleo for about 2 years now and have never felt better!ReplyDelete
Looking forward to seeing future Paleo posts/recipes from you!
- AnonymousOctober 5, 2013 at 9:23 AM
You'll never look back. It's been almost 2 years for me and I'm actually at that point where I don't even want the baked goods anymore. The paleo journey is a journey and I hope you find what you are looking for.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 5, 2013 at 11:19 AM
Yeah!!!! So happy for you!!! I have been a follower since I was diagnosed "gluten intolerant" but over the last year or so since we've gone Paleo, I was finding less and less on your blog that I could relate to. I was just about ready to unsubscribe. With your family health history, I was really concerned for you. I too have come a long way from what I used to call the "O's" food group (Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos -- all consumed with ice cold Pepsi, of course) which was a "go to" thing for me when I was having an emotional day. Now, I am just finishing my Nutritional Therapy certification, and I understand how the body works at a whole new level and what nutrition means to the body physiologically. Let me know if you have any questions. Keep it up!! Good health should not be taken for granted. =)ReplyDelete
Hi Carrie - I have to applaud your willingness to share on your "Ginger Lemon Girl" journey. I've identified with you and your blog for quite awhile (we both work in libraries and have similar interests). I've been running the same anxiety game over food for years... anger at not being able to eat sugar and/or gluten-filled treats whenever I wanted to, and dealing with candidiasis. But, I've reached a point where I just can't fight low energy levels, aches and pains, and foggy-headiness anymore. There's so much that I need to accomplish on a daily basis, and I can't do it while feeling lousy. I tried the Atkins diet years ago for a several month stretch and began to feel fantastic; I lost weight, my skin cleared... ALL my symptoms just disappeared--even the constant tinnitus I experienced. Then, I began to eat "normally" again toward the holidays and my immune system just seemed to fall off a cliff. The hypothyroidism (brought on by gluten sensitivity?) that may have lurked for some time hit with a vengeance. I've been eating paleo for just one week now, and I am seeing a big improvement already--several pounds dropped, rashes beginning to clear, and I'm not utterly exhausted when I get home from work. It's all about planning and having the right things in the house, by-passing all the pitfalls (like the McD word), and doing one day at a time. There are a lot of us out there who struggle with the same issues, so thank you for being brave enough to share it all. I'm so sorry for the loss of your grandmother and very hopeful for your father's progress. Their experiences have influenced you for the better, and I'm sure they would be thrilled about that!ReplyDelete
Five years paleo and 60 pounds lighter - be well, and thanks for sharing:)ReplyDelete
yahoo! all of us make decisions/changes if and when we're good and ready. So glad you feel good.ReplyDelete
Hi Carrie, I'm new to you blog and think that I understand your plight. I've recently chosen to eat gluten-free and have read quite a few bloggers pages while looking for new recipes. At one time, for six years, I chose to not eat meat. I did just fine, felt wonderful. I've learned that we need our meats, oils, veggies, fruits, etc. I now eat Paleo, most of the time. My foods are carefully chosen, and, if veggies are not garden fresh, they are bought as organic. Eggs are organic and are from a neighbor's chickens. Meats are all organic. My choice is to be fussy and eat nothing with pestacides, antibiotics, or hormones in it. If I want, I treat myself with something that I know is 'bad' for me. I'm human. Believing that our bodies do their best on 'clean' foods, my goal is to continue to be 'fussy'.ReplyDelete
This works and works well. I'm older, in my sixties (eeek!) and feel great. I walk first thing in the mornings (for my health0, ride my bike both for the fun of it and for my sanity/health, and mow the grass myself, care for a small garden, etc. Yes, it all works well. Unfortunately, I watch as my friends continue to get, what is called, diseases and begin taking RX's for their problems. If only they would find their CURE in foods. I, too, loved the Dr Pepper and Cheetos. Odd, huh? but they taste so good. Sodas are no longer in my home, nor are any of the bagged 'treats'. Recently, I tasted a Bacardi Rum and Coke. The taste? awful. That satisfied my desire for that old favorite drink. 21 yers ago my dad, my sweet daddy, died quickly of cancer. I began to read from the libraries near to me. 'What to do if you have Cancer', 'What to eat for Diabetes', etc. I learned that one must eat clean foods in order to maintain a clean body. It's really simple. We must desire to be well and eat REAL FOODS. Nothing should be 'processed' or made in test tube. We must read all ingredients on anything that we buy to eat. Lotions, makeup...same thing. organic only. I've learned so much. I keep a great kitchen supply of foods and try to find new and interesting recipes all the time. Library cookbooks are the rage. It's so fun to hold a book in my hands, almost making the prepared recipe come to life. What better way to live? Fun times can be bike riding the paved trails nearby, or riding thru town during a quieter time of day. I've learned that this is so true, "We are what we eat!" Carrie, you are on the right path to good health. It's not about dieting for weight loss or fewer inches, but for ones own good health. The body will soon heal and adjust itself to that smaller size when it's taken care of properly. We're amazing!
By the way, your books are in my library and, YES, I've read them. You did such a fine job! Thank you from so many of us.
I'm confused: you were gluten free while eating Cheetos AND McDonalds??? How?ReplyDelete
Paleo baked goods are definitely an over-eating trigger for me, too, so I sure get the choice to wait a bit on the baking. As always, I love reading your posts. Good luck to you on this adventure. Thanks for sharing this.ReplyDelete
Yay, good for you! I think I told you once those gluten free pop tarts were an evil thing, LOL. I actually unliked your FB page a while back because it was all about gf baked goods and treats these days and I don't need to see pics of those every day. I still check in here on the blog occasionally, in case there's a "real food" post. I'm so glad you'll be doing less of the bread and dessert stuff. I'll be able to re-like your page! I'm also glad to hear that you are feeling better and taking charge of your health! It isn't easy, I know. We all struggle with it, but we just have to keep making one good choice after another as much as we can.ReplyDelete
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Top Five in Tech: Facebook's IPO Anniversary
Larry Page broke his silence, Dell's earning's disappointed and Facebook will celebrate a very special milestone. Scott Austin counts down the top tech stories. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the ... welcome back to Digits I'm for your stopped flying intact I'm Simon Constable hit with many tech and all the will Street tunnel skull Austin has been looking through does aliens of stories and is going down to just ... five goals more advantages in and this week is a busy week we take it and thought ... it was a was very busy upright number five ... Dell disappoints again that think and say oh story ... this isn't just the Dow ... the quarter's earnings this week of course it is in the midst of a buyout ... I it's profit slid about eighty percent Utah sliding ... um anyone wanna finance supply and a heads up lines and really I missed analysts' estimates by a lot ... I use AVB Cours ... as Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners trying to take this companies private their argument has been we take it private because their financials are so ugly right now ... we're getting punished by shareholders ... lets you know to restructure the company ... away from the camera publisher offers eyes ... then you have the center's skeptical investors the ones that are against the buyout saying ... they're just making the result was really really bad ... a K and in so that they can have this argument ... I hear Dell's clearance quarter they've been trying to do or promotions trying to cut prices ... I'm really trying to gain some market share and then spend a lot of money and hiring in ... and on software some other areas ... so their costs are away ... and across the aisle recalls that the buy and the various parties is like this on the those an update every few days incentive to seems to have around ... I'm sure we'll be talking above that of the next few weeks with a ... novel fall ... and ... that Japan's electronics industry is under siege there really interesting to to cut it main events happening this week ... of course we know the electronics industry is in Japan has ... really been troubling these former technology powerhouses and Sony sharp into some sort of place icon of my childhood is that good yet with that said some money you want one in this copy Apple's today and ... I you know these companies missed the mobile boom then spent so much money on televisions ... on R and D to be the leader in MTV's ... as a cutthroat in every state is and and and the costs on so this week Sharp to ... report its loss of more than five billion dollars ... its largest hundred year history ... and its clearance is having ... troubles ... with the creditors could even turn to its ... rival in Korea Samsung for money in recent months ... on end and also as Sony's one is large shareholders that from billionaire Daniel Loeb ... it has been pushing for Sunday to spin off its lucrative entertainment or ... and ... this is ... it something that you have ... investors taking action here ... I really trying to turn these companies around that so many of the government and early to return them to weaken against itself out as well and the idea of its value to its value to push to help the story say things up aam in Japan and so less of that was that those as ... yet has a sharp rise ... also cut its president chairman so once these things are really engines will be out of the big big check up ... another freight ... about this Congress looking into Dougall glasses sent a letter to Larry Page's CEO Dougall ... ballad it's out wearable eyeglasses and I know I didn't say can you send this fall ... by the peasant class and said ... that though I didn't know doing it right now ... aam is ending in just a few months ago were talkin bout this'll be in service to a frivolous futuristic saying ... the goal is trying to now ... it's still in development hasn't perfected is not even on on the market here is ... the congressmen and women ... who are inquiring about said the privacy aspect of this ... and you know you really have to think about if this does take off and allowed people think it will ... the people viewing glasses will be you know you'll be on its ... knees ... a quarter of all devices ... when you step into public areas in in the bathroom are when the year and ... you know it ... the gym or wherever ... you can record people's very easy now to do the critique hope the phone ... by this law suspect when you have this set of glasses on you and Google says well we have ... some story that lights up when this recording ... we have some ... privacy practices in place ... um but you know to come when you are saying well if you can ... read ... a person's face facial recognition software ... can you call and I have privacy personal identification information ... on the person a is really interesting can see the ... difference is that the US so it's pretty scary only wish all say im ... Tak Levit said ... Larry Page takes the stage as the euro had nice to see with all my with them I you know they ... it is their war is of course last year ... aam can go ... in saying that he has lost his voice ... in the few public appearances on earnings calls a very raspy voice and thus is very concerned about his health ... especially in light of what happened with Apple and Steve Jones for ... many many years ... yet health problems and of course ... passed away ... of cancer and ... um they were ... very quiet about and and ... finally after almost a year Larry Page spoke up this week and said that he had ... a vocal cord paralysis ... one of his two vocal cords that doesn't mean that the clip that doesn't mean Eikon speaking the candidates disquiet Thousands uses words very carefully and help some of my can by all accounts he's demanding day today is my key advantages can caucus loudly ... on but he was on stage and is fun to see him and his feisty self ... attacking Micra soft and don't point that you know or cause rivals ... of this is part of the big software ... developers conference in which you will ... announce a lot of products includes including the music streaming service a lot going on ... to the last scene is is is it that is a busy map aam even if these GoPros vocal coach okay I ... thought I was fine for Millwall on drum roll please ... I ... Facebook iam marking the one year anniversary this Saturday ... I can't believe it's been one year are ready ... and on its IPO ... does he go with it ... on the still unsurpassed the IPO price for its historical moment a one year ago and ... here he is here it is when your leaders stock is down about thirty ... plus percent ... Ezra was stalled last for the speaker the vast new IPO price but we were among the number that that one when the IPO once ... during the day it's like top for a few for little while and some people going to need higher prices than thirty am the forties ... and so it's a cotton that they'll be done in five show up get lost money in the IPO and he was actually still up ... slightly ... I've that day to begin to scratch but ... of the next course of a few weeks is starting to fall into supple twelve percent in the last six months ... on Facebook I is really going in the right direction right now on I think investors are superstar see that ... I've that it's it's made mobile ... its first big initiative ... I we've story out today I was really takes a look at how ... Facebook has ... emphasized revenue use to just emphasize user growth in detention as much to Britain and ... the now has more to ten ways beyond advertising to make revenue ... it is to bring in money ... and time ... thirty percent of its ad revenues come from mobile devices that's a positive trend in Indomobil after its real or even just opt out rates ... this clearly the future Facebook is positioning itself to the slow early on so they didn't address those earnings strength ... Baba I knew I much Scott Austin all the Wall Street Journal tech editor we appreciate it onto the ... bomb Simon Qassam on and I


text:
Fontbonne University offers an array of evening/online programs that could help you advance in your career or help you begin a whole new career.
Why Choose Fontbonne for Your Evening/Online Program?
- Choose a format that works with your schedule and life: take classes in the evening on campus or online at home. Options vary depending on program.
- Experienced faculty bring practical, relevant industry knowledge to the classroom — information you can use on the job right away.
- Transfer credit and prior learning — your work experiences outside the classroom — are assessed carefully to give you maximum academic credit.
- Tuition is competitively priced, and there are many financial aid opportunities available. And summer undergraduate tuition is reduced!
- Undergraduate students taking 12 or more credit hours per 16-week semester may qualify for Fontbonne scholarships.
- Your dedicated admission counselor will guide you through the application, enrollment and beginning financial aid processes. Once registered, you will be assigned to a dedicated financial aid counselor.
- Our advisors help you design a degree completion plan to reach your goals.
- Earn your degree faster with two courses at a time — without sacrificing quality.
- Most programs are offered in eight-week terms that begin in January, March, May, July, August and October.
- This is a personalized educational experience designed to help you reach personal and career success.
Contact Us
Questions? Contact our office of admission: 314-889-1400 | email@example.com


text:
Wabash Alum's Daughter is American Idol Finalist• February 27, 2007 Share:
Wabash College alumnus Steve Hunt '76 as plenty of reasons to be both nervous and proud this week. That's because his daughter, Leslie, is one of 10 women finalists on American Idol.
The 24-year-old native of Chicago advanced through last week's round of cuts and performed Wednesday night before a live audience and estimated television audience of more than 30 million viewers. Contestants had to sing songs of dedication during this week's round, and Leslie dedicated her performance to her grandfather.
Two of the 12 women finalists were eliminated last week. Click here to read Leslie Hunt's profile.
Click here to see photos of Leslie's performance last week.
To advance through the competition on America's hottest television program, contestants rely on the votes of viewers. Voting began immediately after Wednesday's round concluded and continued for two hours after the show ended. The eight women who will advance to the next round will be announced live on Fox TV Thursday night.


text:
Food & Drink
Five don't-miss Caribbean beach bars
By Katherine Dorsett Bennett, CNN • Updated 12th March 2012
The Caribbean's tropical weather, beautiful beaches and clear blue waters attract travelers seeking a place to kick back and relax.
Add a cocktail and you have a true recipe for repose. Try these five drinking establishments with very different vibes:
Go bananas at Bananas
A husband and wife team quit their jobs in Philadelphia and sold virtually everything they owned to open a tropical bar and guesthouse in Puerto Rico.
"It was one of the smartest things we ever did," said Glenn Curry, owner of
Bananas Guesthouse, Beach Bar & Grill
in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Bananas is in Vieques, Puerto Rico, within short walking distance to Sun Bay, a popular public beach.
Wynne Curry
The 63-year-old former journalist and his wife, Wynne, a mortgage representative, bought Bananas in 2002 and enjoy their lives hosting locals and guests from around the world at their remote tropical corner of the world.
Since Vieques can only be reached by boat or plane, their establishment caters to a more adventurous crowd, Curry said. Vieques is an island municipality of Puerto Rico that lies 8 miles east of the mainland.
"Vieques is special because it is not very developed and contains unspoiled land and pristine beaches, which is attractive to many tourists," he said.
Bananas has views of the Caribbean Sea and is a short distance from Sun Bay, a large public beach. The bar specializes in frozen drinks like piña coladas and dirty bananas.
"The atmosphere in our establishment is very relaxed," said Curry. "The clock in our bar landed on happy hour and it never gains a minute," he said with a chuckle.
Jamaican tropical oasis
The owner of Floyde's Pelican Bar in Jamaica said he doesn't keep regular hours and works on the honor system.
"If you pass by and I'm not in, then take a beer and leave cash," said Floyde Forbes.
Floyde's Pelican Bar in Jamaica, owned by Floyde Forbes, can only be accessed by boat.
Katherine Dorsett Bennett
This remote bar can only be accessed by boat and is about six-tenths of a mile from Treasure Beach on the southern coast of Jamaica. It was built with driftwood and coconut trees.
This tropical oasis, which specializes in fresh seafood and Red Stripe beer, was named after the large flock of pelicans that rest on a sandbar nearby.
Forbes said the atmosphere at Floyde's is "calm and serene with a very accepting international flavor that doesn't compare to anything else."
The original bar was built in 2001, but in 2004 Hurricane Ivan destroyed it. Local residents helped rebuild.
Drink to infinity at the Infiniti Bar
You may feel like a movie star at this hot spot.
Jane Fonda, Cindy Crawford and Shaquille O'Neal are among the many celebrities who have spent time relaxing at the glamorous
Infiniti Bar i
n Turks and Caicos.
The Infiniti Bar stretches 90 feet across Grace Bay Club to the shores of Grace Bay beach.
Grace Bay Resorts
The Infiniti Bar is the marquee attraction at the upscale
Grace Bay Club
resort and is the Caribbean's longest bar at 90 feet, according to the resort. It is surrounded by a white sand beach and lush vegetation and attracts its largest crowds at sunset.
The "longest bar in the Caribbean" is the pride and joy of internationally renowned designer Keith Hobbs. His creation has been celebrated by guests, travel magazines and other publications since its opening in 2007.
During your visit, be sure to order the bar's signature drink, the Infiniti Martini.
Still standing after multiple hurricanes
Music lovers will be drawn to
The Dune Preserve
Since 1994, reggae singer and songwriter Bankie Banx has owned the beach bar along Rendezvous Bay in Anguilla.
Banx often performs at his bar, and he has attracted big name performers over the years, such as Jimmy Buffet and John Mayer. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has visited, too.
Dune Preserve Beach Bar has survived four major hurricanes since 1994.
"Banx formed the Moonsplash Music Festival back in 1991 and it has become one of the premier music festivals in the Caribbean," said his manager, Olaide Banks. The event will be March 8 to 11 this year on the grounds of The Dune Preserve.
In addition to live music, the beach bar is known for its signature "Duneshine," a fermented ginger cocktail.
"The two-acre complex has changed quite a bit since 1994 due to four major hurricanes, but the charm lives on," Banks said.
The Dune Preserve is primarily built from driftwood, pieces of shipwrecked boats and harvested wood from Dominica and Guyana.
Pack a swimsuit at Rick's
You'll dive into more than just a drink at
Rick's Cafe
in Jamaica.
Since 1974, countless guests have jumped into the waters off this 45-foot cliffside bar in Negril, so be sure to pack a swimsuit and a sense of adventure. Boaters like to pull their vessels up to this seaside establishment, too.
Rick's Cafe is famous for its cliffside location and sunset views.
Sonya Matalon
Aside from aquatic adventure, this drinking spot is known for its sunset views of the Caribbean over the naturally formed cliffs. Bring your camera!
"From the minute we entered Rick's it was evident that it was one of the most beautiful spots that we had seen in Jamaica, if not the world," said Sonya Matalon of Columbus, Ohio. "I felt like I was standing in a picture postcard with an absolutely amazing view."
Rick's takes pride in calling itself "the premier gathering spot" in Negril and has maintained much of its original seaside ambiance despite damage from Hurricanes Gilbert and Ivan.
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches
Food & Drink
Go to top of page
© 2019 Cable News Network.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
About us
Work for us
License Footage
CNN Newsource


text:
Next Episode of Trial and Retribution is
not planed. TV Show was canceled.
Trial and Retribution is a drama series created by Lynda La Plante and is broadcast on ITV1. Each two part story follows a different story through a crime being committed, the following investigation and finally the trial.
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


text: September Faculty/Staff News News Home 09.17.13 By: Mark Tarnacki To read the full text of each entry, click the name of the faculty member and visit the "recent news" tab for that person. George Ashline, professor of mathematics, recently presented "Exponential Functions in Snowflakes, Carpets, and Paper Folding" to two separate classes at Brattleboro Union High School on May 23rd. Valerie Bang-Jensen, associate professor of education, has written an article, "How to read a garden: Creating signage grows critical readers and audience-savvy writers" to be published in the Fall volume of the New England Reading Association Journal. Valerie Banschbach, professor of biology, is in India working at the Wildlife Institute of India as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar this semester. Christine Bauer-Ramazani, instructor of applied linguistics, conducted a Pre-Convention Institute workshop at the International TESOL Convention in Dallas, Texas, March 21-23, 2013. Michael Bosia, associate professor of political science, has been awarded an external research grant through the Small Research Grant Program of the American Political Science Association, which supports research conducted by faculty at non-Ph.D.-granting institutions that have funding sources available for faculty research. Susan Breeyear, Technology Learning Center associate director, and Kellie Campbell, manager of the Language Learning Resource Center (LLRC), presented two Teaching with Technology Workshops on campus this summer in June and again in August. The purpose was to bring faculty up to speed on some of the basic technology available in Saint Michael's classrooms and spark ideas for enhancing teaching with that technology. The June participants, who included Brian O'Regan (instructor of education), Patricia Bunt (instructor of physics), Mahmoud Arani (Applied Linguistics chair), Timothy Mackin (Writing Program director, English instructor), and James Conley (classics professor), learned about the my.smcvt portal, played an interactive game that helped them learn to manage their files better, practiced setting up and recording with Tegrity and had a hands-on session with several types of classroom podiums with Rick Leggett (Media Services senior specialist). They were given a sampling of various computer efficiencies to help them work smarter and faster, and spent a good deal of time practicing their Smartboard skills. Each session included both teaching and application of their learning through discussions led by the workshop mentor Mary Beth Doyle (education professor), and hands-on work with instructional technologist support. The discussions were tailored to foster deeper thinking on teaching in general and with technology in particular. The last day was capped off with participants presenting new skills and how they hope to enhance their teaching with technology. Alain Brizard, professor of physics, had two articles accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Physics of Plasmas: "Monte Carlo implementation of a guiding-center Fokker-Planck kinetic equation" in a collaboration with physicists from Aalto University (Finland); and "Beyond linear gyrocenter polarization in gyrokinetic theory." Nick Clary, professor of English, wrote a review of David Bevington's Murder Most Foul: Hamlet through the Ages (Oxford University Press), which appeared as the lead review in the Summer 2013 edition of Shakespeare Quarterly. Laurence Clerfeuille, assistant professor of modern languages, has learned her article, "Les masques noirs de Cunégonde: relecture fanonienne des nouvelles de Fatou Diome sur l'immigration dans La Préférence Nationale," was accepted for publication in Mélanges francophones, Issue 8: "Dialogues francophones" [forthcoming]. Brian Collier, assistant professor of fine arts/art, and his project "Roadkill Shrines" has been written about in a new book by Jane Desmond from the Routledge Studies in Anthropology series (Routledge Press), titled Environmental Anthropology: Future Directions, published on June 4, 2013. Laura Crain, associate director for collection services in the Saint Michael's College library, recently was honored by the local United Way with a "Building Block Award" for her work with the Kids-A-Part Storybook program, which allows incarcerated mothers an opportunity to "mother" from prison. George Dameron, professor and chair of history, recently had his essay, "Purgatory and Modernity," published in Bridging the Medieval-Modern Divide: Medieval Times in the World of the Reformation, edited by James Muldoon (Ashgate, 2013), 87-105. John Paul Devlin, associate professor of fine arts/theater, served as Production Manager for the Saint Michael's Playhouse this summer, supervising the work of 21 professional staff and interns including seven Saint Michael's students. Mary Beth Doyle, professor of education/department chair, and Jim Millard, senior instructional technologist/IT, presented "Tegrity as a Platform for Student Evaluation" at the annual Tegrity User Conference in Boston, April 10. William Ellis, professor of fine arts/music, was curator recently of a group art show titled "This Was Me: Self-Taught Art from the G.R.A.C.E. Gallery Collection," in the downtown Burlington art space New City Galerie, through regional arts organization Grass Roots Arts and Community Effort (G.R.A.C.E.). Kristin M. Gehsmann, associate professor of education and coordinator of the Master's in Literacy program at Saint Michael's College, and her co-author, Shane Templeton, Foundations Professor Emeritus from the University of Nevada, Reno, recently announced publication of their new book, Teaching Reading and Writing: The Developmental Approach (Pearson/Ally & Bacon, 2014). William F. Grover, professor of political science, had an article published in the journal New Political Science (Vol. 35, No. 3, September 2013). Robert Letovsky, professor of business, recently had his case study "The Workplace that Kills: Suicides at France Télécom Parts A and B" accepted for publication by the Georgetown University, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Pew Case Study Center. Mark Lubkowitz, associate professor of biology, and Valerie Bang-Jensen, associate professor of education, presented a talk, "Interpretive Literary Gardens," at the American Horticultural Society's National Children and Youth Gardening Symposium in Denver, CO, in July 2013. Michael Stefanowicz, assistant director of admission, is participating in the third class of the Enrollment Leadership Academy (ELA) through the New England Regional Office of the College Board, following a nomination from Jacki Murphy, director of admission. The Enrollment Leadership Academy is a year-long program focused on leadership skills, enrollment management issues, and development of the next generation of enrollment leaders. Participants come from a diverse group of institutions and backgrounds. Jerry Swope, associate professor of media studies, journalism and digital arts, in early May had some of his photographs of a house in Stowe appear on the New York Times web site in the Real Estate section. Joan Wagner, director of the Center for Community-Engaged Learning and coordinator of experiential learning, on April 12 won the top statewide award for an engaged educator, presented at the Vermont Campus Compact Engaged Campus Forum at Burlington's Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center. As the key person facilitating community-engaged learning at the college, Joan was recognized for her role integrating service and community engagement into the college's curriculum. Her honor was based on the nomination of Saint Michael's President John J. Neuhauser and the recommendation of Katherine Kirby, Saint Michael's associate professor of philosophy. Carrie Williams Howe, executive director of Vermont Campus Compact, presented the award. The Center for Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) specifically seeks and supports close partnerships between faculty, students, and community members to make a better world a reality through an emphasis on integrating experiential service-learning, community-based research, or advocacy projects into academic coursework across the disciplines. Its focus is on the Burlington/Winooski area, but community-engaged learning opportunities frequently propel students and faculty to other parts of Vermont, the nation, or the international community. Bill Wilson, professor of political science emeritus and former Vice President for Academic Affairs, recently was elected to the Board of the Vermont Historical Society. Bill served on the committee to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Underhill, Vermont, and has served as the Moderator of the Town Meeting for 21 years. Joan Wry, associate professor of English and former associate dean of the college, presented at two international conferences this summer.


text:
Why Great CEOs Are Worth It
Popular outrage over CEO pay and perks is understandable, says author Ray Fisman in a discussion with WSJ weekend Review editor Gary Rosen, but many top executives provide good value for their lavish compensation.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... it's been a tough few years for American CEOs they're widely thought to get excessive compensation and most of the time not to be worth their pay and perks where here today with rates this month Iran ... and has to be him who is the author of ANU book author I should say with Tim Sullivan of a book called The or the underlying logic of the office and in one of the subjects you take that is exactly what the CEO is due ... and and how and why they are compensated the way they are so ... so I think it's a great place to start to ... see what we know about how most CEOs spend their time it's it's surprising him anyway ... it is that when a lot more about it now than we did a few decades ago because there been a number of times studies of ... CEOs were ... they or their assistants her research are ... I have is tell them around for the course of all over the course of a week to see how they spend their time is that in meetings ... at a meeting with one person in the meeting that many people in these BlackBerry ... are they sitting working alone ... time and it turns out that this last category ... city in thinking deep thoughts in solitude take some very very little of that I needed a five percent of the time is spent meeting ... and so ... what what did they do in these meetings so what what is what is the function of a CEO in spending so much face time with ... other people in their companies ... but terms of that is not a lot of useful information they give you can extract from a spreadsheet ... or are on a report ... that if I actually want to get to the truth I need to look you straight and I ... can say really ... how can that be try it you made those loans to whom ... on so that's in one direction so the way that is the CEO gets most of this information ... is information traveling up through the organization my manager is ... the same thing as too on the way back down his message is so prone to be an garbled ... I you hear the Ariz Red's vacuous statements and annual reports we've maximize shareholder value we promote innovation what are these things really mean ... aam the CEO communicates this message ... by these face-to-face meetings ... you also ... get a very different perspective on some of the perks of being a CEO so private jets ... have been a source of great controversy in recent years ... and then you say in many ways I'm private jets ... Anwar and functional school and Morgan functional school for certain Chief Executive so explain to me just seems like one of these perfect emblem of corporate corruption it just seems wrong yes know before I answer this question how the deficit by saying ... I don't want to be an apologist for outrageous CEO pay which certainly exists I think ... the fact that we need to confront ... is that CEO pay is not just high eroded to the earnings of others ... but historically it is astronomical I don't wanna see the CEOs today are so much better than they were ... in the fifties and they earn ... a massively higher multiple relative to the average person than they did back then ... now having said that ... I if you think that what's so important about what CEOs do is extracting information and presenting information via face to face ... a contraction ... you want to do everything you can ... I'd to make it easy for him to meet ... and talk ... on that is he needs to be flying around in many many cases to take the company like Eli Lilly is based in Indianapolis ... awful lot of their business will reside elsewhere ... so the CEO of Eli Lilly needs a private jet to have more face time and to use it ... effectively ... so something that I think is noteworthy is that one ... aam cost cutters private equity investors ... to take over firms ... they very often to get rid of private jets that is there is ... a slack in the sense ... there is waste and the Basseley don't get rid of all ... so the image that you present the CEO is someone who's running around an organization running around the world collecting information making sure that people with different levels of the company are on task ... trying to make things work according to his or her vision ... so that we just a question of compensation so how does this sort of activity in the best case ... and make it ... I'm understandable least ... I'm how much the CEOs get paid for what they do ... it all makes it understandable it is that your partner organization has tens or hundreds of thousands of employees ... profits in the billions ... to pay it actually quite a lot of money ... to have someone who is not necessarily vastly better paid than just a few fractions of a percent better than the next ... best thing ... it's the it's the economics of superstars in the same way the ... major League baseball player gets paid millions ... for thronged a fastball that only a few miles an hour faster than a minor leaguer who is earning ... ten thousand dollars for the season ... so it did to some of it away if we step back and look at popular and political indignation about CEO pay ... what what are we to conclude from the research you've done to permit the conclusions of your book ... why we like people to take away ... he is an understandable CEOs do which is a necessary condition ... to appreciating the logic underlying why they're paved the way they are bizarre and that's the only way ... we'll ever distinguish between pay for genuine performance as opposed to pay for incompetence ... very good think you're a fist and co author of The for the underlying logic


text:
Notice to Members 04-43
Members' Use of Affidavits in Connection with Stipulated Awards and Settlements to Obtain Expungement of Customer Dispute Information under Rule 2130
On December 16, 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Rule 2130 governing the expungement of customer dispute information from the Central Registration Depository System (CRD® or the CRD system).1 As described in further detail below, Rule 2130 applies to any request made to a court of competent jurisdiction to expunge customer dispute information from the CRD system that has its basis in an arbitration or civil lawsuit filed on or after April 12, 2004.2
This Notice addresses members' obligations under Rule 2130 regarding the use of affidavits in connection with settlements that are incorporated into stipulated awards to obtain expungement of customer dispute information from the CRD system under Rule 2130. For a more detailed discussion of Rule 2130's requirements, members and other interested parties should review Notice to Members (NtM) 04-16 (March 2004) (Expungement). NASD also has published questions and answers about the expungement rule on its Web site at www.finra.org.
Questions concerning this Notice may be directed to Richard E. Pullano, Associate Vice President/Chief Counsel, Registration and Disclosure, at (240) 386-4821; Jean I. Feeney, Vice President and Chief Counsel, NASD Dispute Resolution, at (202) 728-6959; or Shirley H. Weiss, Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Regulatory Policy and Oversight, at (202) 728-8844.


text:
I saved the donuts. I had my iPhone 5 in my hands, and a box of donuts, and everything began to fall, and I saved the donuts, and my iPhone 5 screen shattered. Apple replaced it for me, but it was expensive, and if I'd been using a case (or if I valued donuts less!) I could have avoided the cracked screen, the cost, and having to tell you this story now. But I didn't, it did, and I do. Sigh.
So now I'm looking for the perfect case to protect my replacement iPhone 5 without getting in my way about it. First up is the Seidio CONVERT Combo for iPhone 5.
The Seidio CONVERT Combo for iPhone 5 is actually two cases in one. First, you get the Seidio SURFACE case for iPhone 5 which is a two part hard case with soft-touch coating that provides pretty good protection all its own. There's even a screen protector to ward away scratches. Second, you get a rugged skin and skeleton which turns the protection up several notches with a silicone outer shell and plastic frame that keeps out pretty much everything you'd want to keep out.
Topping it all off is the the Seidio holster. As much as I make fun of holsters, this one is actually pretty cool and locks securely in place.
It's a two piece case with a soft inner layer and hard out layer. You can use the inner layer separately if you really want to, but for maximum protection you'll to use both.
Most of the time I'd personally stick to just the SURFACE part of the case, but I like the option for the added protection for hiking, camping, skiing, and, you know, donut carrying.
If you value protection but also want flexibility, check out the Seidio CONVERT Combo case for iPhone 5.
- $47.95 - Buy now


text:
|More Information on the Kawasaki Z1000
The Kawasaki Z1000 is a four-cylinder motorcycle in the streetfighter or standard style. It was first introduced as a successor to the early-1970s Z1 and Z900 machines
Kawasaki introduced the Z1 (900) motorcycle in 1972 as the first of the Z series. Four years later they introduced the Kz900. The original Z1 was the first series of Japanese motorcycles with the combination of four cylinders, dual overhead cams and 903 cc (55.1 cu in).
In 1977 a Z1 ridden by Reg Pridmore became the first Japanese bike to win an AMA Superbike national when it took the victory at Pocono Raceway. Pridmore went on to win both the 1977 and 1978 US Superbike Championships on Kawasaki Z1s
From 1979, a 'Mk 2' (mark two) version was added with black engine, general restyling including body and paintwork and a shaft-drive version was available, designated Z1000ST. The models continued until superseded by the fuel-injection Z1000H and GPZ1100 of the early 1980s
In 2003 Kawasaki introduced a completely revamped 30 year anniversary edition of the Z1000. It used a modified engine from the Kawasaki ZX-9R, and was bored out by 2.2 mm resulting in bigger displacement, more low-RPM torque, and only a slight power loss of 4 bhp from the original ZX9. In 2004, Kawasaki released the Z1000's smaller brother, the Z750. In 2007, Kawasaki released a new Z1000. The Z-series since the 1970s until today are also known as the "Z", "Zed", and "Z1k".
In October 2009, Kawasaki unveiled the 2010 Z1000. It had a new aluminum frame, digital instrument panel, bodywork, and engine. Bore and stroke are 77 x 56 mm, 1 mm more than the ZX-10R's 76 x 55 mm displacing 1,043 cc. That is up from the previous model's 953 cc. Compression ratio is 11.8:1, and fuel injection is handled by a bank of 38 mm Keihin throttle bodies.
2003–2006 Models
Stylistically, the 2003 Z1000 was a departure from other naked sportbikes of the time. The Z1000 used the same tail section that was being used on the 2003 ZX6R 636 cc sport bike. Kawasaki hired the same industrial designer credited with designing the Mazda Miata to create an aggressive bikini fairing to match the 636s tail section.
The Z1000 uses a backbone frame that supports the engine as a stressed member. Engine mounts can be removed to ease access for maintenance.
Compression damping is done on one fork leg, rebound damping on the other. This technology is from dirt bikes, and is rare on street motorcycles. The Nissin brakes have four piston calipers.
2007–2009 Models
In 2007 Kawasaki released an updated version of the Z1000. The bike features a detuned version of the ZX-9R engine. This detuning, in addition to the design of the exhaust, provides less top end compared to the super-sport ZX-9R engine, but more low to mid rpm range.
2010–2013 Models
The Z1000 was redesigned for 2010. Along with the customary styling update came a slightly larger capacity engine. The motorcycle was officially marketed as the "Z1000 ABS" as ABS came fitted as standard.
In 2013 Kawasaki broke with the 3 year update cycle and choose to release a "special edition", alongside the standard edition, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Z brand. The differences between the models were purely aesthetic.
See also


text:
Donovan left off roster for World Cup qualifiers
CHICAGO — Landon Donovan was left off the 29-man U.S. roster for a training camp ahead of a trio of World Cup qualifiers next month, but American coach Jurgen Klinsmann anticipates he will rejoin the team at some unspecified point.
Donovan, a 31-year-old midfielder who played for the last three U.S. World Cup teams, took a sabbatical of nearly four months after last season, returning to the field with the Los Angeles Galaxy on March 30.
"I think Landon is catching up," Klinsmann said. "We're all excited that he has decided to continue to play. That was the first major answer that we needed to get, and now he's just working himself back into shape and back into a playing rhythm. He will get sharper and more confident with every game he's going to play now. So, we'll watch that, we'll monitor that and we'll decide then when to bring him back into our picture.
"It's not going to be for these upcoming games, but maybe later on we'll definitely expect him back in the team."
Former U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra also was overlooked. He dressed but didn't play for the February qualifier at Honduras, then was dropped for a pair of qualifiers in March.
Klinsmann said the defender, who turns 34 on May 25, "right now is in a little bit of a backup position."
"He knows that if anything happens to one of those center backs that he'll get called in right away," Klinsmann said, "but I think we are blessed with our center back position."
DaMarcus Beasley, like Donovan a veteran of three World Cups, was called in after playing well when he was shifted to left back in the last qualifiers. Beasley, who turns 31 on May 24, is one appearance shy of 100.
Seeking its seventh straight World Cup berth, the U.S. travels to Jamaica on June 7, plays Panama four days later in Seattle and then faces Honduras in Salt Lake City on June 18. The Americans also have exhibitions against Belgium on May 29 in Cleveland, and Germany on June 2 in Washington, D.C.
Klinsmann called in six goalkeepers, four from MLS who will rotate through camp as backups behind starter Tim Howard and No. 2 Brad Guzan.
Several of the players have seen little playing time at their clubs: Midfielder Brek Shea has been limited to two substitute appearances with Stoke, and none at all since March 10. Defender Michael Parkhurst has barely gotten on the field since joining Germany's Augsburg, and midfielder Danny Williams hasn't played for Hoffenheim since March 30 because of illness and injury.
Midfielder Stuart Holden, out for most of the past two years because of a knee injury, is on the roster but likely will be used in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July rather than in the qualifiers.
In the six-nation final round of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, the United States (1-1-1) is third, one point behind Panama (1-0-2) and trailing Costa Rica (1-1-1) on goal differential.
Honduras (1-1-1) is fourth, one point ahead of Mexico (0-0-3). Jamaica (0-1-2) is last.
The top three nations qualify for next year's tournament in Brazil, and the No. 4 team faces Oceania champion New Zealand in a home-and-home playoff for another berth.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tally Hall (Houston), Bill Hamid (D.C.), Tim Howard (Everton, England), Sean Johnson (Chicago) and Nick Rimando (Salt Lake).
Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla, Mexico), Matt Besler (Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke, England), Edgar Castillo (Tijuana, Mexico), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles), Clarence Goodson (Brondby, Denmark), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim, Germany) and Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg, Germany).
Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Roma, Italy), Joe Corona (Tijuana, Mexico), Brad Davis (Houston), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor, Turkey), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jermaine Jones (Schalke, Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Brek Shea (Stoke, England), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim, Germany) and Graham Zusi (Kansas City).
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna, Austria), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham, England), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna, Mexico) and Eddie Johnson (Seattle).