Watermelon is one of the things that I absolutely love about summer. Yes, you can get decent chunks of watermelon from somewhere on earth just about any time of year, but in the summer, it becomes incredibly cheap and unbelievably sweet and juicy. I've learned to pick a whole one by judging the yellow patch, where the melon sat on the ground to ripen, and a good thump. I like 'em to sound hollow if I thump 'em, although all experts say it is really that yellow patch that lets you know the melon sat in the field long enough to ripen into something sweet. If I'm just buying cut melon, I have to be able to know that it smells like watermelon through the plastic wrap. If I don't get a whiff of watermelon oozing through that plastic, I leave it on the shelf. That's pretty much my guideline with a lot of fruit, especially things like tomatoes (they are a fruit), peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears, apples and strawberries. They ought to smell like what they are, no matter how pretty they look in the bins. My grandpa taught me to pick cantaloupe by pressing the stem end, to be sure it gives just a little, and by sniffing the stem end, to be sure you get a good cantaloupe scent. This method has never failed me. My friend Lisa taught me to pick a honeydew melon by finding one with a slightly yellow tinge to it, and this has always worked for me, too. A rule I have for most fruit is that it should also feel heavy for its size. This is how I pick my citrus fruits. Nice and unblemished skins and fruit that feels heavy, meaning it will be juicy.
I pretty much just cut the watermelon into chunks and have it that way, unless I mix it into a fruit salad. Last night my dessert was half of one of those cute little "personal" sized watermelons. It was beautifully red and sweet, and was a perfect ending to my dinner of leftover baked tilapia with fresh salsa and green beans.
Back in the days when I ran, one of the earliest races I did was at the Cleveland Zoo. I think it was sponsored by the local Lions club, and it was a 5K that ran through the zoo. Most of the old Lions that manned the points where they directed us on the course just stared in amazement. They had what was probably one of the best post-race treats I've ever had, though. On a hot morning, they offered water and watermelon slices. As much of both as you wanted. I don't think watermelon has ever tasted so good and so refreshing. The memory sticks with me every time I'm looking for something light and refreshing and sweet, especially in the dog days of summer.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Fabulous Fish
I can cook fish. With confidence. I realized that this evening as I was eating my dinner. This weekend I was up visiting Dad, and among the things we did was help out at community dinner the church (Grace Loyal Oak UCC) sponsored. It was a free dinner for anyone in the community that walked in the door. The idea was to give a good hot meal to anyone that needed it for whatever reason. I think they were hoping for a bigger turnout, but this was the very first one, it was a beautiful Saturday and the church isn't really convenient for those in need who may not have transportation. It's still a good idea. One of the ladies at church is a retired school cook, so she can put together a couple mean roasters full of shredded barbecued beef and shredded barbecue chicken, and the rest of the church crowd, which includes several Men Who Cook, put together a plethora of side salads, baked beans and desserts. Dad bought a couple of pies to contribute.
Anyhow, we volunteered, pitching in wherever needed. I manned the dessert table, keeping it filled with an assortment of individual servings of all the desserts and helped with cleanup afterwards. It's always nice to see a lot of the "regulars" at church and have a chance to visit. Some of the folks have been going to the church since I was a little girl, and some of them are newer additions to the congregation, but they've all really re-energized the church. Somehow, we've managed to figure out how to get enough people showing up on a regular basis to fulfill the spiritual and community service needs of many good church-going folks and keep the folks that want a nice building and sanctuary happy. It's a pretty liberal congregation, and pretty much anyone and everyone is welcomed with open arms, regardless of race, faith, gender or sexual orientation. There are young and old alike, and plenty of families as well as single people. I'm always glad to go there for various events, including actual Sunday worship, and whenever I go, I wonder why I don't make more of an effort to go more frequently when I am visiting up at Dad's. Of course, they love you there anyhow, even if you only come once a year! This weekend, I went to help with the dinner on Saturday and then came to services on Sunday. There was so much leftover from Saturday that everyone had lunch in the fellowship hall after church, and I'm pretty sure that there was plenty of leftover shredded chicken and desserts, like brownies, that were going to be frozen for later use at Open M lunches and for the weeks that the church hosts a homeless family as part of an interfaith network of churches that hosts temporarily homeless families.
After a weekend of good church crowd food (and a reading of Dad's "Arthritis Today" magazine), I was definitely in the mood for light and healthy fare when I headed home. I stopped at the store and bought some frozen tilapia fillets, along with fresh cilantro, a perfectly ripe avocado and some of those microwave ready green beans from the produce department. Upon arriving home, I preheated the oven according to directions for cooking the fish from its frozen state, and put the fish in a baking dish. I sprinkled it with a mixture of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and ground coriander and drizzled it with fresh lime juice. While the fish cooked, I made a fresh salsa from a couple of Dad's homegrown tomatoes, the avocado, some diced red onion, half of a finely diced jalapeno pepper, garlic, chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice. I microwaved the beans according to package directions, and then tossed them with salt, pepper, some extra virgin olive oil and some of Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. When the fish was done, I plated some and topped it with the fresh salsa and put the beans on the side of the plate. This made enough for two, so I've got tomorrow's dinner already in containers in the refrigerator. The fish was perfectly cooked, light and flaky. That was when I realized, truly and deep in my heart, "I can cook fish!"
Fish and seafood was always something I ordered out because, living in central Ohio, there really wasn't much good affordable fish to cook and when you spend all that money, you'd like something tasty at the end, so cooking it was a nightmare at home. A few years back, though, I tried a couple recipes from "Cooking Light" that began to give me confidence about fish cookery, and that have become tried and true staples for me. One is "Cumin Crusted Chilean Sea Bass" and the other is "Oven Roasted Barbecued Salmon". The first is simply sprinkling fillets of Chilean sea bass with a mix of toasted ground cumin, salt and pepper, searing it in olive oil on one side and then finishing it in a murderously hot oven and spritzing it with fresh lemon juice before serving. Since I do try to actually practice fish conservation at home and since Chilean sea bass is notoriously over fished, I've found that red snapper and cod can substitute quite nicely, depending on their general availability and how well they are being managed as a food source. The salmon is another terribly simple recipe that involves marinating salmon fillets in a mixture of lime and pineapple juice for 15-20 minutes (longer than that and the lime juice starts to cook the fish, leaving you with oven-roasted barbecued salmon seviche!), and then rubbing the flesh with a mixture of salt, pepper, brown sugar, cumin and cinnamon. You cook it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. These recipes have never failed me, but I've always given credit to the recipes. Naturally, me being me, I began to play around with them a bit. I discovered that I could put the cumin crusted sea bass rub on large sea scallops and follow the same general technique to produce perfect scallops. I figured out that Alton Brown's rib rub , which I usually have on hand in the spice cupboard (I make it myself), substitutes quite nicely for the rub in the actual recipe for the salmon. It's that kind of experimentation that gives me the confidence to know that I need not fear the fish in my own kitchen, especially when it comes to preparing it in ways that are light and healthy and full of flavor. Because plain baked or broiled fish is right up there with poached chicken in my book on the "boring" scale.
One of the dietary changes I want to make is to include fish in my diet more regularly, and my revelation today will help. Fish doesn't have to be "special occasion" because I know how to cook it right. It's like falling off a log once you figure it out, and you can't beat most fish for "fast" when it comes to prep and cooking. In truth, fish is definitely one of those foods that lends itself to the KISS principle of cooking. That's "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" Good fresh fish doesn't need much in the way of preparation and saucing, especially if you want to enjoy the taste and texture of the fish. There is virtually no waste with fish, so it really does give me a bang for the buck, especially when we're talking fish like tilapia, catfish and salmon (which is frequently on sale). I can usually buy other types of fish and seafood, like cod, red snapper, tuna steaks, sea scallops , mussels and clams in portion appropriate sizes, which means I'm not required to invest in a whole pound of the stuff. I do try to keep abreast of fish that are endangered and over fished and ones that are full of mercury so that I spend my fish dollars responsibly.
I'm looking forward to having more fish in my diet! And I swear I am not on the payroll of any fish council with my hearty endorsement of fish!
Anyhow, we volunteered, pitching in wherever needed. I manned the dessert table, keeping it filled with an assortment of individual servings of all the desserts and helped with cleanup afterwards. It's always nice to see a lot of the "regulars" at church and have a chance to visit. Some of the folks have been going to the church since I was a little girl, and some of them are newer additions to the congregation, but they've all really re-energized the church. Somehow, we've managed to figure out how to get enough people showing up on a regular basis to fulfill the spiritual and community service needs of many good church-going folks and keep the folks that want a nice building and sanctuary happy. It's a pretty liberal congregation, and pretty much anyone and everyone is welcomed with open arms, regardless of race, faith, gender or sexual orientation. There are young and old alike, and plenty of families as well as single people. I'm always glad to go there for various events, including actual Sunday worship, and whenever I go, I wonder why I don't make more of an effort to go more frequently when I am visiting up at Dad's. Of course, they love you there anyhow, even if you only come once a year! This weekend, I went to help with the dinner on Saturday and then came to services on Sunday. There was so much leftover from Saturday that everyone had lunch in the fellowship hall after church, and I'm pretty sure that there was plenty of leftover shredded chicken and desserts, like brownies, that were going to be frozen for later use at Open M lunches and for the weeks that the church hosts a homeless family as part of an interfaith network of churches that hosts temporarily homeless families.
After a weekend of good church crowd food (and a reading of Dad's "Arthritis Today" magazine), I was definitely in the mood for light and healthy fare when I headed home. I stopped at the store and bought some frozen tilapia fillets, along with fresh cilantro, a perfectly ripe avocado and some of those microwave ready green beans from the produce department. Upon arriving home, I preheated the oven according to directions for cooking the fish from its frozen state, and put the fish in a baking dish. I sprinkled it with a mixture of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and ground coriander and drizzled it with fresh lime juice. While the fish cooked, I made a fresh salsa from a couple of Dad's homegrown tomatoes, the avocado, some diced red onion, half of a finely diced jalapeno pepper, garlic, chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice. I microwaved the beans according to package directions, and then tossed them with salt, pepper, some extra virgin olive oil and some of Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. When the fish was done, I plated some and topped it with the fresh salsa and put the beans on the side of the plate. This made enough for two, so I've got tomorrow's dinner already in containers in the refrigerator. The fish was perfectly cooked, light and flaky. That was when I realized, truly and deep in my heart, "I can cook fish!"
Fish and seafood was always something I ordered out because, living in central Ohio, there really wasn't much good affordable fish to cook and when you spend all that money, you'd like something tasty at the end, so cooking it was a nightmare at home. A few years back, though, I tried a couple recipes from "Cooking Light" that began to give me confidence about fish cookery, and that have become tried and true staples for me. One is "Cumin Crusted Chilean Sea Bass" and the other is "Oven Roasted Barbecued Salmon". The first is simply sprinkling fillets of Chilean sea bass with a mix of toasted ground cumin, salt and pepper, searing it in olive oil on one side and then finishing it in a murderously hot oven and spritzing it with fresh lemon juice before serving. Since I do try to actually practice fish conservation at home and since Chilean sea bass is notoriously over fished, I've found that red snapper and cod can substitute quite nicely, depending on their general availability and how well they are being managed as a food source. The salmon is another terribly simple recipe that involves marinating salmon fillets in a mixture of lime and pineapple juice for 15-20 minutes (longer than that and the lime juice starts to cook the fish, leaving you with oven-roasted barbecued salmon seviche!), and then rubbing the flesh with a mixture of salt, pepper, brown sugar, cumin and cinnamon. You cook it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. These recipes have never failed me, but I've always given credit to the recipes. Naturally, me being me, I began to play around with them a bit. I discovered that I could put the cumin crusted sea bass rub on large sea scallops and follow the same general technique to produce perfect scallops. I figured out that Alton Brown's rib rub , which I usually have on hand in the spice cupboard (I make it myself), substitutes quite nicely for the rub in the actual recipe for the salmon. It's that kind of experimentation that gives me the confidence to know that I need not fear the fish in my own kitchen, especially when it comes to preparing it in ways that are light and healthy and full of flavor. Because plain baked or broiled fish is right up there with poached chicken in my book on the "boring" scale.
One of the dietary changes I want to make is to include fish in my diet more regularly, and my revelation today will help. Fish doesn't have to be "special occasion" because I know how to cook it right. It's like falling off a log once you figure it out, and you can't beat most fish for "fast" when it comes to prep and cooking. In truth, fish is definitely one of those foods that lends itself to the KISS principle of cooking. That's "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" Good fresh fish doesn't need much in the way of preparation and saucing, especially if you want to enjoy the taste and texture of the fish. There is virtually no waste with fish, so it really does give me a bang for the buck, especially when we're talking fish like tilapia, catfish and salmon (which is frequently on sale). I can usually buy other types of fish and seafood, like cod, red snapper, tuna steaks, sea scallops , mussels and clams in portion appropriate sizes, which means I'm not required to invest in a whole pound of the stuff. I do try to keep abreast of fish that are endangered and over fished and ones that are full of mercury so that I spend my fish dollars responsibly.
I'm looking forward to having more fish in my diet! And I swear I am not on the payroll of any fish council with my hearty endorsement of fish!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Best Part of Late Summer
It's the middle of August, the dreaded "dog days" of summer. The weather is often hot and humid and leaves you feeling like a limp dishrag by noon. The upside? In general, the availability of fresh corn, tomatoes and cucumbers, along with a host of other great local produce. I love fresh local sweet corn. I can make a meal out of three ears with just a spoonful of my basil pesto pasta salad and some freshly sliced tomatoes.
I think my absolute favorite thing this time of year is the fresh tomatoes. After 10 months of making due with the plum tomatoes and little grape tomatoes available year round, I've forgotten just what a tomato really tastes like until I get the first bite of a juicy ripe locally grown one. The juicy, sweet-tartness of a tomato is heavenly this time of year, and I really can't get enough of them. Don't need to do anything complicated or fancy to them either. I'm fine with slicing one and sprinkling it with a little kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. The simple bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich at this time of year makes you wonder why you even try them any other time of the year. I've come to enjoy the peppery bite of arugula in place of the standard iceberg lettuce in my BLT, but even if you can't get arugula, a BLT is delightful this time of year. I do not fritter away my time cooking bacon these days either. Not when I can get that fully cooked bacon that you crisp up in the microwave! The same number of slices in a package of the pre-cooked stuff as are in most of the uncooked packages, and I don't have to figure out what to do with all the bacon grease that comes from cooking the darn stuff? It's a no-brainer!
Take away the bacon and the lettuce and you have another all-time favorite sandwich of mine: the tomato sandwich. Elemental simplicity. I happen to like toasted whole wheat bread, but there are tomato sandwich devotees that insist on plain white toasted Wonder Bread. Aside from the nutty flavor of the wheat bread, I just happen to think it's a good idea to mitigate the use of real mayonnaise (and I do mean mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip) with some whole grain and fiber. Lots of thinly sliced fresh tomatoes that are sprinkled with plenty of black pepper and just a sprinkle of salt. By the time you're done, it's a sloppy little mess, but it's delightful and something I just plain don't make any other time of the year because fresh, fresh, fresh tomatoes, preferably picked off the vines at my dad's, are essential.
I love plain old sliced tomatoes, as mentioned above, but this is the time of year that I actually make a nice Caprese Salad. It's worth the fresh mozzarella from Carfagna's and makes use of that fresh basil and good olive oil that are usually sitting around in my refrigerator and in the cupboard. It's a nice refreshing main dish type of salad for me when paired with a nice crusty roll and some fresh plums for dessert. I also make a recipe from my paternal grandmother's kitchen. I peeled and slice fresh ripe tomatoes and soak them in a mixture of white vinegar, sugar and water, along with a thinly sliced onion. A little salt and pepper round this one out and it goes well with just about every summer table I make. Lasts a couple days in the fridge, too, which makes life simpler.
Of course, on the salad front, I also choose to mix chopped tomatoes, red onions, green and/or red peppers, cucumbers and chopped kalamata olives with lemon juice or red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Maybe some fresh oregano or mint or parsley or some combination of all of the above, along with some finely minced garlic. Sometimes, I just throw it all in the blender and wind up with a gazpacho for a change of pace.
Summer and tomatoes. Nothing goes together better. And that is my paean to the tomato.
I think my absolute favorite thing this time of year is the fresh tomatoes. After 10 months of making due with the plum tomatoes and little grape tomatoes available year round, I've forgotten just what a tomato really tastes like until I get the first bite of a juicy ripe locally grown one. The juicy, sweet-tartness of a tomato is heavenly this time of year, and I really can't get enough of them. Don't need to do anything complicated or fancy to them either. I'm fine with slicing one and sprinkling it with a little kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. The simple bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich at this time of year makes you wonder why you even try them any other time of the year. I've come to enjoy the peppery bite of arugula in place of the standard iceberg lettuce in my BLT, but even if you can't get arugula, a BLT is delightful this time of year. I do not fritter away my time cooking bacon these days either. Not when I can get that fully cooked bacon that you crisp up in the microwave! The same number of slices in a package of the pre-cooked stuff as are in most of the uncooked packages, and I don't have to figure out what to do with all the bacon grease that comes from cooking the darn stuff? It's a no-brainer!
Take away the bacon and the lettuce and you have another all-time favorite sandwich of mine: the tomato sandwich. Elemental simplicity. I happen to like toasted whole wheat bread, but there are tomato sandwich devotees that insist on plain white toasted Wonder Bread. Aside from the nutty flavor of the wheat bread, I just happen to think it's a good idea to mitigate the use of real mayonnaise (and I do mean mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip) with some whole grain and fiber. Lots of thinly sliced fresh tomatoes that are sprinkled with plenty of black pepper and just a sprinkle of salt. By the time you're done, it's a sloppy little mess, but it's delightful and something I just plain don't make any other time of the year because fresh, fresh, fresh tomatoes, preferably picked off the vines at my dad's, are essential.
I love plain old sliced tomatoes, as mentioned above, but this is the time of year that I actually make a nice Caprese Salad. It's worth the fresh mozzarella from Carfagna's and makes use of that fresh basil and good olive oil that are usually sitting around in my refrigerator and in the cupboard. It's a nice refreshing main dish type of salad for me when paired with a nice crusty roll and some fresh plums for dessert. I also make a recipe from my paternal grandmother's kitchen. I peeled and slice fresh ripe tomatoes and soak them in a mixture of white vinegar, sugar and water, along with a thinly sliced onion. A little salt and pepper round this one out and it goes well with just about every summer table I make. Lasts a couple days in the fridge, too, which makes life simpler.
Of course, on the salad front, I also choose to mix chopped tomatoes, red onions, green and/or red peppers, cucumbers and chopped kalamata olives with lemon juice or red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Maybe some fresh oregano or mint or parsley or some combination of all of the above, along with some finely minced garlic. Sometimes, I just throw it all in the blender and wind up with a gazpacho for a change of pace.
Summer and tomatoes. Nothing goes together better. And that is my paean to the tomato.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Tom Glavine wins 300
I like Tom Glavine. Even when he was an Atlanta Brave and whupping my Cleveland Indians in the World Series as part of one of the most formidable starting pitching lineups all those years ago. I congratulate him for winning 300 games and becoming, most likely, the last pitcher to achieve that status. Now what does that have to do with food, you are likely asking. Well, let me tell you....
I really, really like baseball. In spite of the controversies that surround the modern game, I still love the game. I really like going to games, even though it is god-awful expensive to see a major league game these days. I like to watch the people and roar with the crowd. Some of my favorite memories are of attending Cleveland Indians games back in the days when they set a major league record for consecutive sold out games. I often went with my dad or my nephews. I had a friend that had partial season tickets in those days. I still have the friend, but he doesn't have the season tickets! The package was originally bought because he had a baseball-loving son that went to Case Western Reserve University, and there were always some tickets available because the boy couldn't LIVE at Jacobs Field and earn a doctorate in microbiology. The seats were near the Indians' bullpen, overlooking right center field. Good home run territory in the days when Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez were in the lineup, and a good view of the whole field most of the time. Those were the days of Omar Visquel at shortstop, and I'm glad I got to see him play. And Sandy Alomar. Never much cared for his brother Randy, but Sandy was a journeyman catcher and it spoiled me for watching any other catcher because Sandy was It was a time when it meant something to watch the boys play the Seattle Mariners because you got to watch Randy Johnson pitch when he was at the peak of his power. Even out there in right center field, you could hear that ball pop into the catcher's glove when he threw.
These days, the modern ballpark is a virtual smorgasbord of food. Something there for just about every taste, really, but I am something of a classicist when it comes to ballpark eats. I like to have a hot dog, which in Northeast Ohio means an all beef dog on a plain white bun with minced onions and Bertmann's Ball Park Mustard. The mustard, near as I have determined, is a cross between Dijon mustard and Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard. No ketchup, puh-leeeze! I like to have a beer and some peanuts in the shell. Don't care for peanuts most of the time, but there is just something about peanuts at the ballpark. Preferably purchased from a vendor inside the park. It is probably all in my mind, but to me they just taste different. Cracker Jack and popcorn are acceptable nibbles, too, with a nice cold diet Pepsi (who can afford more than two beers maximum, and they don't sell beer after the 7th inning anyhow. Largely to forestall any repeat of the Great Nickel Beer Night Debacle of the late 70s, I think. Even the normally taciturn and staid Mike Hargrove's eyes still widened at the memory of being a player on the field that night and watching as scores of drunken fans came onto the field over the wall at the old Municipal Stadium before running for the dugout!). Nachos are remotely acceptable if I am in the right mood. Always get the deluxe nachos, though. You get a 1/4 cup of salsa and some jalapeno peppers to go with your garden variety tortilla chips and melted Cheese Whiz. On a really hot day, a nice lemon ice is good, too. It's a cool and refreshing thing that starts out as a rock-hard cup of something like lemon sorbet that gradually melts into something more like a lemon slushy as you sit there in the full afternoon sun.
These days, Dad and I usually take in an Akron Aeros game sometime over the summer. The park is closer, the parking is cheaper, and, being the AA affiliate of the Indians, you get to see the up and coming prospects and the occasional big leaguer that's recovering from an injury. In AA ball, the players are still human enough to sign bats, balls and gloves for the kids and the stands aren't full of memorabilia collectors fighting for home run balls. The players still make dumb fielding errors, but it's not met with nearly the same outrage as when watching a guy making a million dollars a season do it. It's a more laid-back atmosphere. There are guys who won't get the chance to play any higher level of ball, and, while everyone is hoping to make it to The Show up in Cleveland, most of them are really just playing for the chance to get to go to Buffalo with the club's AAA Buffalo Bisons. It's one of the few places where you can meet people who actually WANT to go to Buffalo. And the hot dogs, peanuts and beer all taste just as good as they do up at Jacob's Field on a warm summer afternoon or evening.
I really, really like baseball. In spite of the controversies that surround the modern game, I still love the game. I really like going to games, even though it is god-awful expensive to see a major league game these days. I like to watch the people and roar with the crowd. Some of my favorite memories are of attending Cleveland Indians games back in the days when they set a major league record for consecutive sold out games. I often went with my dad or my nephews. I had a friend that had partial season tickets in those days. I still have the friend, but he doesn't have the season tickets! The package was originally bought because he had a baseball-loving son that went to Case Western Reserve University, and there were always some tickets available because the boy couldn't LIVE at Jacobs Field and earn a doctorate in microbiology. The seats were near the Indians' bullpen, overlooking right center field. Good home run territory in the days when Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez were in the lineup, and a good view of the whole field most of the time. Those were the days of Omar Visquel at shortstop, and I'm glad I got to see him play. And Sandy Alomar. Never much cared for his brother Randy, but Sandy was a journeyman catcher and it spoiled me for watching any other catcher because Sandy was It was a time when it meant something to watch the boys play the Seattle Mariners because you got to watch Randy Johnson pitch when he was at the peak of his power. Even out there in right center field, you could hear that ball pop into the catcher's glove when he threw.
These days, the modern ballpark is a virtual smorgasbord of food. Something there for just about every taste, really, but I am something of a classicist when it comes to ballpark eats. I like to have a hot dog, which in Northeast Ohio means an all beef dog on a plain white bun with minced onions and Bertmann's Ball Park Mustard. The mustard, near as I have determined, is a cross between Dijon mustard and Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard. No ketchup, puh-leeeze! I like to have a beer and some peanuts in the shell. Don't care for peanuts most of the time, but there is just something about peanuts at the ballpark. Preferably purchased from a vendor inside the park. It is probably all in my mind, but to me they just taste different. Cracker Jack and popcorn are acceptable nibbles, too, with a nice cold diet Pepsi (who can afford more than two beers maximum, and they don't sell beer after the 7th inning anyhow. Largely to forestall any repeat of the Great Nickel Beer Night Debacle of the late 70s, I think. Even the normally taciturn and staid Mike Hargrove's eyes still widened at the memory of being a player on the field that night and watching as scores of drunken fans came onto the field over the wall at the old Municipal Stadium before running for the dugout!). Nachos are remotely acceptable if I am in the right mood. Always get the deluxe nachos, though. You get a 1/4 cup of salsa and some jalapeno peppers to go with your garden variety tortilla chips and melted Cheese Whiz. On a really hot day, a nice lemon ice is good, too. It's a cool and refreshing thing that starts out as a rock-hard cup of something like lemon sorbet that gradually melts into something more like a lemon slushy as you sit there in the full afternoon sun.
These days, Dad and I usually take in an Akron Aeros game sometime over the summer. The park is closer, the parking is cheaper, and, being the AA affiliate of the Indians, you get to see the up and coming prospects and the occasional big leaguer that's recovering from an injury. In AA ball, the players are still human enough to sign bats, balls and gloves for the kids and the stands aren't full of memorabilia collectors fighting for home run balls. The players still make dumb fielding errors, but it's not met with nearly the same outrage as when watching a guy making a million dollars a season do it. It's a more laid-back atmosphere. There are guys who won't get the chance to play any higher level of ball, and, while everyone is hoping to make it to The Show up in Cleveland, most of them are really just playing for the chance to get to go to Buffalo with the club's AAA Buffalo Bisons. It's one of the few places where you can meet people who actually WANT to go to Buffalo. And the hot dogs, peanuts and beer all taste just as good as they do up at Jacob's Field on a warm summer afternoon or evening.
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