11/22/11

Snow Day

This week’s Happy Hour column is making an early appearance thanks to Thanksgiving.

I have no experience in this, but I understand that our dear friends way up to the north, and yes, that means a good bit above Baton Rouge, receive school holidays and workday vacations when the snow comes down so hard and heavy that traffic cannot move and everyone just stays home.

It’s a Free Day to do as you wish, as long as what you want to do is in your house. And the power stays on.

Thanksgiving, when it comes to picking a wine, is sort of like that. You get to enjoy what you want. It’s a Free Day.  You can make no bad decisions about wine. Nothing can be chosen that is wrong. And no smart-aleck can tell you...

Posted at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/17/11

Then (Last Week) and Now (Now)

Then (last week)

Hard to imagine something so big and important occurring in our village for six years and yet still having such a low profile. Particularly when the cast of characters, and the main character, present such high profiles.

Chef and culinary entrepreneur Emeril Lagasse is deeply committed to the betterment of the lives of young people. His foundation raises a significant sum of money every year which is distributed throughout our community and others, with programs that teach youths about nutrition, food preparation, the importance of hospitality and life...

Posted at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/10/11

Keeping It All In The Family, Mostly

Believe it or not, there are some people in this world who have never had to ponder, “What am I going to be when I grow up? What will I be doing? And will I be able to earn a good and comfortable living?”

Must be nice. As the rest of us are racking our brains as to how we can make our lives unfold in a purposeful and, hopefully, profitable fashion, some others have the privilege to just stroll into the family business, doors already opened, and continue the work of previous generations.

I am not angry about it....

Posted at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1

11/03/11

The Foam Close to Home

I really enjoy a cold glass of Pilsner Urquell. The beer, which takes its name from the Czechoslovakian town of Pilsen where this style of beer was created, is both refreshing and thirst-quenching. I have had the great pleasure to enjoy Pilsner Urquell very near its source, in a pub operated by the brewery in Budapest, Hungary.

The memory of that clean, bright, fresh flavor lingers with me and I wish I could experience it again. But the realities of modern commerce, and the ways of Big Business, have dulled the bracing tastes. Pilsner Urquell is now brewed by Miller Brewing Company, a large concern renowned for distribution, not boutique products.

Miller also owns an Italian beer, Peroni; Grolsch from the Netherlands; Foster’s from Australia; as well as...

Posted at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0