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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Food for Thought?


Life has a habit of simultaneously throwing you a curve ball and giving you exactly what you need. Today was the perfect example of that.

As a native Pittsburgher, no matter what your ethnic background, you are familiar with pierogies (or pyrohi, pirogy, etc. it all depends on who you ask.) These Eastern European pockets of carb-happy goodness are one of the major facets of Pittsburgh cuisine. A pasta shell, wrapped around a mashed potato filling, then boiled, then topped with melted butter and caramelized onions, there is no way that they are healthy. But, that is neither here nor there, it's all about flavor and tradition.

Here's the first part of the admission: Background wise, I'm mostly English, Scottish and Irish. Most people would say that then gives me no right to discuss ethnic food of another culture That is why I went to the source, first generation Ukrainians who know their food the best.

And once again, I was surprised to find that the food takes a backseat to the company. I met some amazing people today, such as Katherine, a grandmother, who constantly referred to me as "Strong Young Man" Other notables there were Andrew, who left his family behind in the Ukraine, and Gene, a former member of the Secret Service, who protected President Nixon.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mary, a brassy grandmother who, when I was warned to stay away from her, responded with "Don't worry, he's a man, he likes the abuse"

Another thing I learned, is that I have nothing on a grandmother when it comes to cooking. I can try, with elaborate measurements and difficult techniques, but nothing is quite as surprising as after having cut out 120 or so pierogi shells, to turn around and have them ask where the next batch is. I was run ragged in a really good way by a bunch of sprightly grandmothers.

Of course, pierogies were not the only ethnic food I was exposed to today. I had my first experience with braunschwieger when it was offered to me. It is a very interestingly textured sausage, comprised of mostly pork liver and jowl meat. I appreciated the offer, but the texture and liver flavor together were just a little too much together.

The most surprising thing for me though, is what happened after the cooking. My friends know that I'm not a religious man by any stretch of the imagination. And if you read this, you know that I've been having some rough going. I stopped by the sanctuary today, because I've been feeling so lost, sat down, and started weeping, for a solid 20 minutes. I realized that I've been holding on to a lot of pain for a long while, and I was able to let it go. This is the best I've felt in a long time.

So, in the words of the philosopher Jagger: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try some times, you might find, you get what you need." Sometimes, the universe does take care of it's own.

By the way, for some amazing pierogies, visit http://www.stjohnspittsburgh.com/pirohi.htm and follow the directions to order. I guarantee they are some of the best pierogies in Pittsburgh.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Bonding with Strangers

Nothing pairs as well with good friends as good food. It's also funny how often the two are found together, and in the most unexpected places.

A sudden upsurge to spring-like temperatures (which unfortunately did not last) led me outside to congregate with a few friends from Slackline Pittsburgh over in Oakland. After hanging out (I could not stop the pun) for a few hours, we noticed a group dressed similarly to us setting up shop about 50 yards down the sidewalk. Being the curious group we are, we went to say hello, and were faced with a large amount of food.


The group turned out to be the Pittsburgh chapter of Food Not Bombs, a protest group. The vegetarian/ vegan group collects unmarketable produce from supermarkets and then distributes it out to the community. According to their website:

"Food not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty, and the destruction of the environment. With over a billion people going hungry each day how can we spent another dollar on war?"

Personally, I'm not that political (I think politics just gets in the way of things.) so I have a tendency to just go with the flow and deal with people. The people with the Pittsburgh chapter seem very friendly and giving. As we were shivering from the cold, someone dished up bowls of home cooking to feed and warm us up a bit.


The food? It was very good, a spicy Spanish rice served on top of an assortment of green vegetables. The green peppers, lightly done, added a nice brightness and crispness to the dish. Of course, in a situation like this, the food takes second place to the people. It's about custom, and the finding of common ground. With the food in front of us, even though we all had different outlooks, and came from different situations, we all had something in common. The moral of the story? Well, I guess there isn't one, but there is a point, that nothing bonds people as much as food.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

No Amish Country for Old Men

Here it is, February, and the first audition road trip of the year. Some where glamorous? Not exactly, but unique in it's own way. I'm here in the (relative) heart of Amish Country, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. To be truly specific, I'm in Lititz, a smaller town about 8 miles away from Lancaster. Why would I be here, you may ask. Simple, about 10 miles or so from here is the home of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, one of the largest Faires in the U.S. I decided to audition this year.

There truly isn't that much to do here, I fully admit it. But what makes this area unique is the people. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, right there on the street. As much as I hate to say it, it's almost stereotypically small town. There is rarely a stranger, and you're an old friend within five minutes. Being raised in a city where the outsiders are never trusted, this is a new approach to life.

Not having much to do, and being hungry, as I usually am, I decided to try to investigate the local foods, and try for some regional specialties. In this situation, Lancaster County does not disappoint. The wide variety of food is fairly astounding, and generally pretty good. Some things truly stood out though.

First stop of the day turned out to be for desert, with a visit to the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. For those of you who don't know Wilbur, it's a smaller chocolate company in Downtown Lititz. What makes it notable is that it's been in operation for over 127 years. Due to the size, I think they offer a superior product than a larger company, such as Hershey's. Of special note are the Buds (Think something similar to a Hershey's Kiss, but not quite) which are delicious in the semisweet chocolate. (Granted it's chocolate, so of course it's delicious, but make sure to go for the semisweet, as it has a much more complex flavor profile than the cloying sweetness of the milk chocolate.)





Next up, craving something salty, as one is bound to do after something sweet, I headed to the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, the first commercial pretzel bakery in the U.S., according to their marketing materials. Also in downtown Lititz, the building is hard to miss with the large pretzel in front of it. I must say, they do make a good pretzel. But it's just that, a good pretzel, not a great one. Still, if you find yourself in the area, stop by, it's always fun to see how they are made.

Finally, after an exhausting audition, on the way back to the hotel, I happened to find a deli, S. Clyde Weaver, Smoked Meats and Cheeses, in the middle of Manheim. Curious to find out about what would be considered "traditional" Pennsylvania Dutch fare, I inquired about it to a rather knowledgeable fellow behind the counter, and he led me to three very disparate items that are unique to the Lancaster region.

The first of these items was Lebanon Bologna. As first glance, it's like no bologna I've ever seen before. Made of all beef, and with sugar, it is almost akin to salami, but even sweeter. I tried a sample, and it is delicious. Also in the case were rolls of the bologna, rolled with a vegetable cream cheese. The two together complement each other perfectly, and fortunately there are still a half dozen waiting for me in the refrigerator.

Next up, an item that 1) took me by surprise on a few counts, and 2) took some mental preparation to try. That item would be the tongue souse. Souse is a type of head cheese, which it turns out is not a cheese at all. It's actually a type of pressed meat (think homemade Spam) and the tongue part, well, you can figure it out for yourself. It's another all beef product. After a minute or five of looking at it, I decided, "What the hell, why not?" and gave it a try. Honestly, once you get past what it is that you're eating, and that mental block, it's actually really good. Full of spice, it has a full body, and the tongue is one of the most tender cuts of meat I've had. It's not something I'm going to dine on regularly, but for something different, it does not disappoint.

Finally, at the end of the day, desert once again, and the final item, shoofly pie. This is the culinary item most people think of when they hear Pennsylvania Dutch. The best way to think of this is as a marriage of a custard and a fruit pie. The notable exception is that in this case, it is a molasses based custard, with a thinner raisin based fruit layer. It is very good, but also extremely sweet, almost too much so. I could only handle a small piece personally. The crust to pie ratio however, is absolutely perfect. Now that is an item I will be dining on again, just in small doses, if only for my health.

I started this talking about travel, but then I ended up discussing the food. But doesn't this make a lot of sense? The best way to get to know a people is by experiencing the way they live. Food is something that unites all of us. The people of Lancaster are a welcoming, kind, down-to-earth group, and it's reflected in the food; simple, but filling, humble, but delicious and prepared with care. So, all in all, what I thought would be an inauspicious start has turned out to be a learning experience worth more than I ever thought it would be.
Until next time,
Andrew

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Pittsburgh Underground presents Tech Week Blues

As I write this, we just finished up day three of tech week on the latest show I'm working on. Fr those of you who aren't in the theatre industry, please allow me to explain. Tech week is the week before a play or musical opens, when all of the technical elements (set, costumes, sound, props, lights, etc.) are all supposed to come together to create a whole show. The operative word in that previous sentence is "supposed." Many theatre professionals also refer to this time period as "Hell Week," and with good reason. During this time, you can virtually be assured that whatever can go wrong, will.

As a result, much of my adventuring has been curtailed temporarily. So naturally, I've turned to find the underside of Pittsburgh, the underground, as it were. I ended up finding much more of the underground than I expected, on two different ends of the spectrum.


The first mini-adventure turned out to be a perfect example of seeing something unexpected. If you travel through the break room of a well known sandwich chain, you can find a staircase going down. This is intriguing, as the restaurant is on the ground floor. Four friends and I decided to investigate what was there. After going down the staircase, we found ourselves in an interesting maze of passages. Here are some of the interesting sights. Total exploration time: 2.5 Hours.
There were several blackboards throughout the building, and most of them had the phrase "Ouroboros Choked" on them.
A wall of what we think was a recording studio.

An abandoned escalator
An absolutely gorgeous vintage radio.
A few days later, I found myself underground in quite a different manner. One of the benefits, at least for me, of working with museums is that I have access to some absolutely fascinating things that very rarely ever see the light of day. In this case, I had a chance to check out this document:
That is a hundred year old hand written document of personal sketches from the American Civil War. In it, the soldiers wrote of their experiences during the War. I had a few hours to investigate this first-hand. A resource like this is literally one of a kind.


As it is now a little after 2 A.M., and I have work tomorrow, I do believe I will get some sleep. Good night all.