I Just Ate What?

 September, 2014

     So what is going on in northern California? Recently a man was arrested for cooking and feeding his girlfriend a dog. Not his dog, but her pet dog. She didn’t know what she was eating until after she was done. The article did not say if she enjoyed the meal.

     Then the guy put a bag containing two paws on her front porch. Now I’m no expert but I would guess that this is not a healthy relationship and probably will not last overly long..

     The dog was a Pomeranian, so I’m guessing left-over’s were probably not an issue.

     The second northern California thing is that they have nudists stealing water. It seems that the area is having a drought, so this water stealing is a serious offense. In the nudists favor is the fact that they don’t seem to be drinking the water. They are using it to keep their fire pond filled which they also use for skinny-dipping. I mean, how can you argue against that?

     So a word to the wise - - - if you’re in northern California, be careful what you eat and drink.

You’re Going To Serve What

While we’re on the subject of eating strange things, consider this. In Europe they have a small songbird called an Ortolan. It is a bunting. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, and if you care, look it up. In the past this bird has been a gastronomic delicacy. It is prepared whole and eaten whole, except for the beak and feet. Why they would exclude those three items I’m not sure. It certainly can’t be from squeamishness, considering that other than that they devour the whole thing.

Since 1999 it has been illegal to eat these little birds. I guess even the French have developed some standards for what they will consume. But there are some chefs requesting a waiver so they can serve this bird once a year.

In case some of you want to try this delicacy---the bird is stuffed, while alive, with whatever it wants, (you know the old last meal thing), which is usually millet and then plucked, soaked in Armagnac (brandy), and roasted in the oven.

The traditional way of eating the bird is with a napkin draped over your head. “Some say the napkin serves to conceal them spitting out bones, others that it helps to seal in aromas, and still others that it serves to fend off the shame of being seen by God eating a song-bird.” (Reuters)

There you go  - - bon appetit.

What Do You Get A Patriarch   

What do you give His Holiness of Moscow and All Russia when he comes to visit? Especially if the visit is to a civilian and military aircraft plant in Russia’s far-east? Why? Nothing else will do but to give him a SU-35 single-seater fighter jet.

After all he gave workers at the plant icons that he himself had blessed. And who is this? None other than His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The announcement did not say if the fighter jet was life sized or a model. But there is nothing to suggest that it was a model. Just one of the things the reporter could have included to good effect. Another thing was what His Holiness was going to do with a fighter jet.

Those icons must have been some kind of gifts. Of course you must remember they had been blessed.

The fighter jet may come in handy for the Patriarch as he has been, according to the article, talking about the need to defend the homeland, and extending Russia’s influence over its previous sphere of influence. That would include Ukraine, as that part of the Orthodox Church went its own way when Ukraine separated from Russia.

Talk about a hard sell for bringing church members back into the fold.

Now if his rhetoric sounds a little familiar remember that he is good friends with Putin. Or so the article says. Of course the article could have been dictated by Putin.

(Reported by Alessandra Prentice; Additional reporting by Thomas Grove; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Several days later we were told that the gift was a model plane.