Arts or No Arts...That is the Question

Art. A word that often conjures up visions of large pieces of canvas covered with paint in a manner from which only the artist or those who fancy themselves connoisseurs of the arts can derive any beauty or inspiration. Those of us who aren't as cultured as these occasionally uppity and snobbish folks stand back and mock them for being bamboozled by the "artist" who appears to have not had a haircut or shower in some number of days if not longer. That may be an unfair characterization of the artsy set, but it is a characterization that is probably more prevalent than the artsy may care to admit. I grew up in the country. There weren't a lot of museums or concert halls in Slapout. There is a Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts but it is located in Washington, D.C., not Kennedy, Alabama where my dad was a pastor in the late 70s. As such, I didn't have the opportunity to be exposed to "the arts" the way some folks who spent their formative years in larger, more populous areas did. What are "the arts" anyway? Congress, in the United States Code, defines the phrase like this:

The term "arts" includes, but is not limited to, music (instrumental and vocal), dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture and allied fields, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft arts, industrial design, costume and fashion design, motion pictures, television, radio, tape and sound recording, and the arts related to the presentation, performance, execution, exhibition of those major art forms, and the study and application of the arts to the human environment. 

Congress' recent and numerous shortcomings notwithstanding, I think that's a pretty solid explanation of the arts. I can only speak for myself, but I wish that I had had more opportunities to learn about and be exposed to various forms of the arts. My wife grew up dancing and singing and still does both of those things regularly as an adult. My son takes piano lessons and sings and my daughter takes violin lessons as well as dances under the tutelage of my wife who owns and operates a dance studio. I want my children to grow up with an appreciation for the beauty that can be found, not only in the performing arts they are involved in but in other forms of art as well. Larger cities like Montgomery and Birmingham provide a means for them to do that but I'd love for them to be able to have that sort of experience right here in Wetumpka as well.

With the growth that Wetumpka and Elmore County have experienced in the last several years I have to believe that there is an ever growing segment of the local population that would like to see the arts have a larger presence here. The Wetumpka Depot Players provide a number of high quality, award winning productions each year and our city is also home to The Alabama River Region Arts Center. Among others, there are art classes offered by Stephanie Burdick Harrison at The Jasmine Hill Art Gallery. My desire is to see more opportunities afforded Wetumpka residents to be able to both view and enjoy as well as actively participate in all forms of the arts. Perhaps a civic choral group of some sort or more emphasis on arts in some of our civic events. Even though I had to step away with the declining health and subsequent death of my mother there seemed to be much interest in having a music and arts festival in Wetumpka. I still think that is a very real possibility and hope to revisit trying to make that happen in the coming months.

Art is a broad term and a particular art form that one person enjoys may not be something that someone else does. That's okay. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. We would all do well to follow my high school literature teacher's advice to me when I said that reading Shakespeare was stupid. She said that just because I didn't like it didn't make it stupid. It just meant that it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Don't like what someone else is doing artistically? Do something different! Your preferred medium not being represented? Be the catalyst that gets it started! I think we are limited only by our own imagination and ideas. One thing I think that true art doesn't do is inspire hatred and vitriolic behavior. I believe that at its worst, one might find true art benign, perhaps based upon personal preferences. I think that true art can certainly inspire a vast array of emotions but at the end of the day is not harmful or damaging when taken in context. That's my opinion anyway. I digress.

So, what do you think can be done in Wetumpka to promote an interest in the arts, whether performance, visual, or literary? Are there things you are aware of that the rest of us may not have heard about? Do you have a talent or gift you could share with our community to promote the arts in some manner? Am I waiting for a ship that has long-since sailed or will never leave port? I hope not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's an election year here in Wetumpka which means it might be a bit easier to get some things done since politicians will be looking to please voters and secure their support at the ballot box. What do you think?

Yummy Seafood! The Guru Goes to Wintzell's.

Target: Wintzell’s
Target Address: 105 Commerce Street, Montgomery Alabama
Service: Dine in/or Carry Out – Lunch and Dinner menu (Average entrée - $14.65)

If you like Gulf Coast cooking, then you will like this one for sure. Wintzell’s was started in Historic Mobile in 1938 and quickly became known for its Oysters which you could get Fried, Stewed or Nude. Personally speaking, you can have my Oysters based on their function in life, to filter water. Wintzell’s came to Montgomery a few years ago with the completion of the Civic Center make over and has been a hit here ever since.

On this day there were 4 of us dinning. The Wait Staff was kind and courteous but not so quick to get us settled in and order the beverages. Some of us decided to get a cup of Gumbo only because we don’t pass it up where it’s offered and we were glad we didn’t pass on this one. It was perfectly seasoned, good ingredients and left us all wishing we had one more. Our table then ordered Back Wrapped Shrimp ($16.99), a Shrimp Po Boy ($9.99), Fish Basket ($8.99), and I slid in there with a Crab Cake BLT ($9.99). All of the entrées were perfectly cooked and had an ample amount of food for the price.

Desert was offered and refused by all; too many full people sitting around a table after a meal like that will run your desert business right down the drain. However what they had to offer looked delicious and may just draw us back again for a desert run. 

You cannot go to Wintzell’s and not sit around reading the walls. Some of the sayings are timeless and priceless. It also helps to pass the time for the young ones in your crowd as well. For an after work dinner and drink or a family outing, Wintzell’s Downtown Montgomery is a good solid choice. 

Guru Grade – Over all they get a 91out of 100 points on the scorecard. The 91 is not exactly reflective of Wintzell’s, but let’s face it they lose points on parking because after all it is Downtown Montgomery. The service could have been better, although it was not bad, just a little slow. Not sure if it was because of the crowd or maybe the person was new. All in all, you can’t go badly with Wintzell’s in Montgomery. To Wintzell’s, the Guru had your food, and was pleased. **Guru TIP** – after dinner, take a nice walk down by the River, they have really fixed the place up nice there.

Bringin' the Pain with my College Football Picks of the Week!

These are my seven, totally baseless, unresearched college football picks for today. Well, maybe a little bit of a base. Based on what little bit of ESPN Gameday I might pay attention to that doesn't involve the University of Alabama or what I might skim over in the paper. Why only seven? Because my OCD dictates it, that's why. I could try and explain the whole number issues regarding prime numbers, good and bad numbers, and numbers that are multiples of six or seven but it would take several paragraphs. So, suffice it to say that seven is a good number and it is what I settled on. Here they are...

• Georgia at Tennessee: Gotta' take the Dawgs in this one. Not the old, scruffy hound named Smokey, but the rough and tough UGA XIIIXIIVVI or whichever number they're on now. I hate Tennessee. I hate orange, I hate checker boards, and they some snitches. Need I say more? If so, refer to this video.
• Auburn at Arkansas: Remember that part about me hating orange? 'Nuff said. With apologies to my many Auburn friends, if Auburn played Wetumpka's 7th grade team, I'm afraid I'd have to pick the Indians. This will be the case week in and week out. I pick with my heart, not my head.
• Florida at LSU: Did you ever just have a feeling about something with nothing to really base it on? Me, too, and they're usually way off base, but I'm having one of those feelings now. LSU is located in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge is about an hour and a half from New Orleans. I love New Orleans. Great food. Great music. I love it. For that reason, I'd love to say LSU wins this one and stays undefeated when they collide with my beloved Tide in Tuscaloosa. Gotta' go with the gut feeling on this one. Which likely means LSU wins in a walk. Hey, no guts, no glory, right? Gators chomp the Tigers.
• Kentucky at South Carolina: If the Gamecocks completely lay down against Kentucky the way the did against Auburn, expect the Cats to prevail. In fact, the aforementioned 7th grade Indians might prevail in that case. Spurrier has decided to let Garcia have a seat for at least the beginning of this game and may I say, IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! You never know what you're gonna' get when SC takes the field. They'll be able to do enough today, sans Garcia, to whip the Mildcats who are already looking forward to March Madness.
• Iowa at Penn State: Iowa is trekking to Happy Valley, the home of Joe Paterno who happens to be the oldest living man in North America. Is he anything more than a figurehead at this point? A not-so-subtle reminder of glory days past? Heck, he didn't even have on the dark glasses as he sat, without even a headset on, in the press box a few weeks ago when the Crimson Tide rolled into town. A friend always told me he thought Paterno wore the dark glasses to hid his eyes which were actually just empty sockets with actual fire in them. Methinks the fire has gone. I say the Hawkeyes win.
• Maryland at Georgia Tech: Wetumpka's own Tevin Washington is Tech's QB. I'm a homer and I hate Maryland's stupid, ugly uniforms. Ramblin' Wreck wrecks the Turtles.
• Vanderbilt at Alabama: This ain't a math test, it's SEC football! ROLL TIDE!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Evangelical?

A few weeks ago, after reading the story regarding the weekend of religious themed observances at the National Cathedral in Washington, I wondered both aloud and on Facebook why there was no representative of our country's large evangelical Christian community invited to take part in these events. I am prone to occasional bouts of pondering and so I began to do just that. I think I've finally come to a conclusion and that conclusion is, simply, that evangelicals are mean, ornery, narrow-minded, violent, selfish people who don't deserve to have a voice in any sort of public discourse, let alone something as important as marking the tenth anniversary of such a tragic event as the terrorist attacks of 9/11. How could I not have seen it before when it's as plain as the little round nose on the end of my bearded face? As my kids wold say, "DUH?!?"
In fact, I go to church with some of these thugs! Do you know that every time there is a natural disaster of some sort, there is a group of men from my church who have the nerve to pack up and travel to wherever that disaster happened and try to help the people affected by it? What a bunch of self-serving, right-wing goons! They don't waste time, either! The people who may have lost their homes or other belongings haven't even had time to fill out a pile of paper work only to be given more paperwork by FEMA before these guys in their yellow shirts are already pulling into town wielding chainsaws and all sorts of other tools to clear debris or do whatever else might need doing. They even set up mobile kitchens so that victims and volunteers alike can have a hot meal! How obnoxious and divisive can some people be? In an as yet unrivaled show of pure meanness and spite, one of these guys actually spent time in NYC following the 9/11 attacks helping to clean up, among other things, the apartments of people that had been damaged by the collapse of the twin towers. Good gravy!

There is another church in my city that selfishly and small-mindedly decided that they would not only create a charity that helps those in our community who may be in need, but they actually created a space right in their church building where someone could actually sleep and shower if they happened to be traveling through and had no money for a place to rest and clean up. Another church started a food pantry that, when they still had it at their church, had a line of cars waiting for hours on Saturday mornings to get food. How dare they?

I became a Christian in 1977. My father is a Baptist minister who pastored various churches for almost 50 years. I've been around an evangelical or two in my time. With very, very few exceptions, I've known them to be loving, caring people who want to share the love of Christ with a world that seems to be in desperate need of something permanent. Something that will give them security and peace in tumultuous times. Christ can do that, so they want to share it. Some may be misguided in their methods and understanding and some will make mistakes. Sometimes, big ones. We never claimed perfection, only forgiveness. And, like every group of people who adhere to the same or similar beliefs, be they social, political, religious, or otherwise, there are those on the fringe who claim to be followers of Christ but their deeds do not bear their alleged beliefs out. Those who would kill an abortion provider in the name of Jesus would fall into this category. They are few and far between, though. We shouldn't all be judged violent or dangerous simply based upon the actions of an occasional nut-job who decides to do something foolish. That is unfair at best and demonstrates a terrible misunderstanding of what a real evangelical is and what their objective is.

Don't be afraid or run and hide the next time you see the big, bad evangelical coming down your street. They're pretty harmless and if you have a tree on your house they'll probably help you cut it up and move it. You might even get a hot meal out of the deal.

Like Good Seafood? So Does the Food Guru...Check Out the Latest Review.

Target: J&D Seafood


Target Address: 461 North Eastern Blvd, Montgomery Al

Service: Carry Out ONLY – Lunch menu (Average entrée - $9.15)


Guru, ready for a request? I think that is about how Thad put it. One of his readers requested that I take on J&D Seafood. Now I will be honest with you, walking in the place reminded me a lot, A LOT, of the Destin Connection. I don’t want to pit one against the other here, so I will just say this; Destin Connection had better step it up! This place was great in every aspect. You can also order all kinds of seafood to take home and cook yourself from this place. They had a section of spices for sale to take home and prepare your seafood with. I was very pleasantly surprised to see “Slap Ya Mamma” on the shelf.
First of all, don’t look for a table to sit at, it’s carry out only. There are however plenty of chairs around the perimeter to sit in while you wait on your order. There is a lunch menu posted and all of it is cooked to order. To say that this food came to me hot, fresh and ready to eat would somehow be an understatement because it had to be even better than that. Oh yeah there was something better, it was PLENTIFUL too.

I ordered the Fish and Shrimp Platter with Okra and Hushpuppies. Can you say 2 for 1? There was a dozen perfectly breaded and fried shrimp, two of the largest yet not strong tasting catfish filets I have ever eaten outside of my own house, 6 hushpuppies and enough okra to feed a small 3rd world country. Ok, maybe the amount of okra is stretching it a bit. I assure you though; there was more than enough food for two people there. The Catfish was light, flaky and none of it was greasy at all.

Now let’s talk about the place, it’s a fish market. They tell me in all of my training that you’re not supposed to smell fish even in a fish market. On the other hand I have been in fish markets from the Gulf Coast to Seattle and all up and down the East Coast and have never been in one that didn’t smell of fish. However there was a smell of fish and if you have a serious problem with that, then you’re not going to like walking in the door. That said, everything I looked at was clean and orderly. The State Health Department is not going to give these types of places a 98 just because, they have to earn it.

Guru Grade – Over all they get a 98 out of 100 points on the scorecard. Thad says I have to be fair, and well, that isn’t fair!! It’s a fish market and thusly smells like one. This place should be a 100 out of 100!! Everything else, and I mean everything else was perfect for a carry out fish market. I cannot wait to go back and take some seafood home to cook. One foot note, I had a short conversation with the owner and his line to me – “I only buy the best of everything”. If you have missed J&D Seafood on the Bypass, you have missed out big. Give it a try, Guru out!
 

Judge Thornton is Reappointed and Waffle House is 10-84!

Click here for The Wetumpka Herald's coverage of the last Wetumpka city council meeting. Remember all the hullabaloo some members of the council raised over reappointing John Thornton as municipal judge? Remember how they got everyone in an uproar over why they couldn't just reappoint Judge Thornton who had held the post for many years? Yeah. Well, they finally did that. Nothing is without high drama with some of these people. I hope that as we close in on the next election in 2012 that everyone remembers how some of these folks made a mockery of our city with their antics. Who knows what sort of capers they could dream up if they somehow ended up in office for another four year term. Let's do what we can to make sure that doesn't happen.

Remind Me Again Why We Don't Buy Everything at the Dollar Store

I thought I'd repost an old blog entry from way back on April 9, 2009, just after I started this here blog. I still wonder about the "Everything is only A Dollar" stores. Enjoy...

I just got home from church and eating Mexican for the second time today. Just in case you didn't already know this, if you eat at a Mexican restaurant, at least this one in particular, you ain't gonna' be able to hide it from anyone. As I sit here writing, I can smell myself. I can only imagine how the people at the grocery store could smell me. Anyway, let's move on.

Gigi and I went to one of the 28,352 Dollar (fill in the blank) stores in our area the other night. I love going to these stores because where else can you buy a watch, or a toy, or party favors, or pet supplies, or any number of other things for only a dollar? We bought some things for my daughter's 3rd birthday party Friday night and may I just say, WHAT A BARGAIN! We also bought some Dial antibacterial bars of soap and a few other items. As we walked around the store I saw many items that we normally buy at Wal Mart or the Winn and Dixie (as a friend's grandmother called it) and the thought entered my mind, "Why don't we buy everything here at the dollar store?" Does anyone have the answer to that question? I'm sure there is a logical explanation. Here in Wetumpka, there is a Wal Mart Supercenter right next door to the dollar store. I wonder why the dollar store isn't overrun with people buying all the things there for a dollar that cost a good bit more at Wal Mart.
Anytime I stand in any line at any store like Wal Mart or Target I am always tempted to buy, and often do, a Twix bar or some chewing gum or maybe one of those various sticks of meat that are always near the check-out line. I realized the other night that when I'm in line at the dollar store, I never even consider the items there because apparently the candy and gum at the dollar store is not up to par with the candy and gum at the big-box retail stores. I mean, if I can buy the four-pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at Dollar General for a buck when they may cost four times as much at Wal Mart then something has to be wrong with them, right?

If I buy the toothpaste at Dollar Tree, will it cause the enamel to just slide right off of my teeth into my Diet Dr. Pepper, purchased at Winn Dixie by the way, resulting in my never being able to eat Mexican food again? Not that no Mexican food would be a bad thing necessarily.

Do the gummie bears contain an unusually high level of DDT or some other birth defect causing chemical. Benzene, maybe? Perhaps strychnine?

What happens if I somehow muster up the courage to buy a bag of the various kinds of potato chips they have at the dollar store? Upon putting one of these chips into my mouth am I going to suddenly be stricken ill by salmonella or trichinosis or develop some horrible Olestra type symptoms?

Is the bottled water there flown in after being scooped directly out of a mud hole in the most impoverished, malaria-stricken, desolate, built-on-a-dump African nation? Will I get leprosy just by getting a drop of it in my skin and suffer a horrible, rapid death within minutes if I dare take a sip?

Is all their merchandise made in China?

And the soap. We bought the soap. I have now bathed with the soap no less than four times. Did anyone who saw me at church today think that I didn't look clean the way that Kid Rock never seems to look clean. Did I stink? More than usual, I mean. The bar looks and feels just like the ones we always buy at Wal Mart. Since it's anti-bacterial, does it only kill 75% of the germs rather than 99.9% like the good stuff? I need to know.

It's tough to beat the price at the dollar stores. There aren't many things in the world you can buy for a dollar anymore. To have a store where everything they sell only costs a dollar seems like a deal that is just too good to pass up. Which brings me back to my question: Why aren't people just breaking down the doors to buy the merchandise in the dollar store?

Here is what I know for sure. We ventured out and bought soap this time. We haven't ventured out and bought much else other than a pack of green army men or some skewers or something. Anything that you eat or drink or put on a cut, those type things we always get at a big store. I'm not sure why and I'm hoping someone out there can shed a little light on the subject for me. Anyway, gotta' go now. I've developed several oozing sores on my back since my shower this morning. Not sure what's going on with that but I need to run to Wal Mart and get some Neosporin.

There's a reason for this solo pic post...

We2 Food Guru Dines at RJ's Chicken Fingers

Target: RJ’s Chicken Fingers



Target Address: Wetumpka Alabama


Service: Dine in/or Carry Out – Lunch and Dinner menu (Average entrée - $)




Guru and Crew went to RJ’s Chicken Fingers to see what all of the clucking has been about. It’s a walk up and order type place. Just as the name implies, they serve Chicken Fingers as well as Wings. The menu is short, sweet and to the point. Its easy to read and clearly laid out. The décor is an odd mix yet the hometown flavor of the pictures from around Wetumpka is very nicely done. There are tables and booths inside and outside. There were three in our group and when we arrived there were two people there eating.


I ordered the 3 finger snack ($4.95), also ordered was the Wings and Chicken ($7.19), an order of Cheese Sticks ($3.49) and 3 regular drinks ($1.69). The food was delivered in a timely manner and was hot which is a wonderful thing when dealing with Chicken. It was obviously cooked to order. We asked what the sauce was and the answer we got was “You know how Zaxby’s sauce taste, its like that”. I was looking for more of how I will describe it for you here. Peppery, yet with just a hint of sweetness. I liked this sauce, I do not however care for Zaxby’s.


There are 3 types of Chicken Fingers in this world. Pre-processed slabs that are generally flat, then two types whole chicken, double/multiple breaded and lightly breaded. RJ’s are lightly breaded breast of Chicken and were really juicy. The regular fries were good, but I found myself wanting to dip the Sweet Potato Fries into something like cinnamon butter, however they were great as they were. The report on the cheese sticks is that they were all eaten so I would say that they were good as well. However there was nothing to dip them in either. It just seemed like a dipping kind of place. Now let’s talk about the wings. We ordered hot and they had a nice spicy flavor. They were cooked perfectly, not dried out or tuff. Quick word about the Pies that we ordered, while I love homemade fried pies and these are have a good flavor, eating them hot would have made them GREAT.


Guru Grade – Over all they get a 97 out of 100 points on the scorecard. Price, well for chicken I would say it was just slightly high. For instance there are places you can get wings for 50 cents versus 68 cents, but you do have to hit a ‘wing night’. RJ’s may have nightly specials however we were not aware of any. Not a deal breaker for sure. The biggest issue came down in the ‘clean’ column. Food Safety is important as it can lead to serious consequences. An employee from the kitchen got himself a drink and proceeded to take it back to the kitchen. Employees consuming food in food preparation areas is a big no no with the health department, and the Guru as well. Cross contamination leads to many Food Borne Illnesses. All in all, this is a Local Guy taking a stab to fill a local need and I think they have it. However he can’t continue to fill that niche if you don’t go support him. If you haven’t been yet, give it a try soon.
 

Who Are Your People?

Some of you may remember me writing guest blogs for Thad a few years ago. I called them “Tales of a Displaced Debutante”, but since then I have landed squarely back in the South (Rome, Georgia to be exact). He asked me to give the guest blog a whirl again so here I go. I have no plans and no outline for what I will write or how often I will write it. I hope you laugh a little and get where I am coming from. You may get funny anecdotes of a first year college professor or funny things that pop in my head. Either way, this is my life….When in Rome.


Who are your people?
Kimberly Hays


In my house growing up we had a big, blue dictionary and we called it “the blue dictionary”. It often stayed by my dad’s chair for his morning crossword puzzle solving, but was also on call in case my sister and I made the mistake of saying “What does _________ mean?”. The automatic from both parents was always “Look it up.” There was also a cool section in the back of commonly used foreign phrases which came in handy when my Latvian pen pal in 4th grade asked what E Pluribus Unum meant when I sent her a U.S. Dollar (fyi, it means “out of many, one”). There was also a section that told you how to address letters to important people. I got mad at Bill Clinton once and my dad told me to write him a letter. I used “the blue dictionary” to find the correct salutation. I am assuming my mom still has that blue dictionary somewhere. I got a big fancy new one for Christmas (yes, I asked for it) a few years ago, but honestly it just isn’t the same.


Between all of the looking up and crossword puzzles and scrabble games that happened in our house I fell in love it words - big words, little words, words that sound funny (onomatopoeia is one of my favorites – I had to use my shiny dictionary to double check that one), and words that mean far more than their definitions are fun. In fact, I am still saying onomatopoeia to myself right now. When Thad asked me to revive my guest columns I thought I would start with the humorous anecdote of packing my whole life up and moving it halfway across the country. I started to write that and got pretty far until I realized that I shouldn’t tell the story of my stuff, I should tell the story of my people. You know, my people.


If you have spent any time in the South you have inevitably been asked the question, “Who are your people?” We all know what they mean and we all have them - our mama’s people, our daddy’s people, our Granny’s people, our relations, our shared genetic history, stretching back for generations on land, in places, and changing the shape of communities for centuries. Genealogy has become the cool thing to do in the past few years and no doubt some of you can tell me who came to the New World on what boat. I have never delved quite that far. When people ask my heritage I tell them Southern or poor white trash (my mama hates that answer) because it seems so odd to think about my ancestors living anywhere else. And for the record, my people are from Butler County, Alabama on one side and South Georgia and Northern Missouri (I know, I know, I know) on the other. With the exception of that one guy that was in the Union army we are pretty dang Southern. One set of grandparents even grew up in Pigeon Creek, Alabama which was where they set the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Trust me, it was not that glamorous in real life.


Even though there are plenty of stories to tell about my people, they are not who this story is about. I am writing about my other people. The ones I got to pick. The family built of Southerners and Northerners, carnivores and vegetarians, men and women, every race and language you can imagine, and about a million ways to refer to a Coke and a water fountain. In the grand scheme of things my life has not been that exotic, but for a small town Wetumpka girl it seems that way to some. I moved away with no plans to return. I set off to a place where I knew no one. I have lived my adult life unattached thus far, no husband or children to consider in my decision making. While all of that is fine and dandy it is no walk in the park to find yourself 900 miles from the people, places, and things you have known all your life. There were tons of things I disliked about growing up in small town Alabama and some I still do, but there are things I never realized I would miss until I was gone. Sick and need a doctor? Go visit Dr. Kumar and he will fix you right up. Hankering a walk down memory lane? Go to Wal-Mart and I guarantee you will bump into a classmate. Death in the family? No need to cook, the casseroles and fried chicken will arrive shortly. Starting to feel Christmasy? First Saturday in December you will be downtown at Christmas on the Coosa. Need a laugh? Go see a play at the Depot. Went to Wetumpka High? You know exactly who I mean when I say Coach. These are the pieces of Wetumpka life that I left behind. I had no Dr. Kumar when I was sick and no church ladies to send me a note when I missed church. What I found, however, was a group of people that was equally as ragamuffin as I was. They were from crazy places, too - Northern California, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (no, they aren’t Canadian, they just sound that way), Brazil, India, Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Missouri. We were all in the same place. We packed our trucks and cars and cattle trailers and moved them from the corners of the globe to land almost in the geographical center of the United States – Stillwater, Oklahoma. We were all, many for the first time in our lives, people-less. No one understood me when I said my people were from Pigeon Creek. They didn’t have the context I had. They chuckled at my funny accent and I chuckled at theirs. I spent a whole afternoon pointing at a water fountain and asking a girl from Wisconsin what she called it. Ha – a bubbler!


I am not sure when the transition happened and we became each others people. It could have been all the birthdays when we gathered in a tiny apartment or rental house to bake homemade cakes for the birthday boy or girl. It could be the celebrations we had on the days one of us received a big grant or award for the science we were doing or the celebrations of our epic failures when we didn’t get those same grants and awards. Maybe it was the Friday nights we spent doing the Texas two step around a wooden dance floor. I prefer to think that it happened on the less glamorous occasions. The semester I had strep throat and was trying to write my doctoral dissertation and people brought me soup and medicine and walked my dog because I was too sick to walk down the stairs. The airport drop offs for a 6am flight home when the airport was an hour away or the pickups that turned into a 3am adventure when the flight was delayed. It could have been the freezing cold or burning up nights in a tent somewhere in the wilds of Oklahoma when folks would tag along to help with your research just because they had the time. It definitely happened when the big things in life happened – we lost parents and grandparents and friends, people got married, and nieces and nephews were born. It happened when we spent Thanksgiving Day together, starting with a Godfather breakfast all the way to raucous board games after a potluck dinner. It happened when we got to share our traditions with each other. Regardless of when it happened it did. This random, ragamuffin, diverse group of individuals became my people.


My shiny red dictionary defines people as “the members of a family or kinship”. I don’t share a single bit of DNA with my people and most of us have scattered to the winds now doing the things we studied so hard to do. But, they are still my people. Do you have the kind of people I have? Did you choose them? Did you choose each other? You should. Find some. Don’t be afraid of finding people that talk funny, or look different, or come from different places – they are the best kind. If you see me around town when I come to visit and you ask about my people, be prepared for a long answer.

We2 Good Guru Visits Corsino's, Says "Viva Italia!"

Target: Corsinos


Target Address: 911 South Court Street Montgomery Al

Service: Dine in/Carry Out – Lunch and Dinner



Wow! I did not know that this little gem existed, that is until some friends of ours suggested that we meet there one day for lunch. Its real Italian, not out of the box stuff. Its real good too, well worth the drive, price and even the headache you will encounter with parking.

We were there for lunch and it turned out that it was Hero Sandwiches all around. I had the Italian Sausage Hero and the other three all had the Chicken Parmesan with extra sauce. While I did pick mine up for the first bite, I assure you without a doubt that it is knife and fork food. The bread was perfect, extremely soft on the inside, slight crunch on the outside. Its baked fresh every day.

The owner stopped at our table to check on us and I missed his name totally. With the Hero being carved up on my plate what he had to say sounded a lot like the Teacher on Charlie Brown. They tell me that only the Pizza is available at night, but that its quite possibly the best Pizza in town. I will say this, if the pizza is made with the same love that the sandwich was, it is the best pizza in town.

Guru Grade – Over all they get a 88 out of 100. Don’t let that 88 fool or bother you in any way though. The low score is reflective of the parking situation, and Momma Mia – its some bad parking. There is only one line of cars at the doorway and the rest of the people have to park across the street. Don’t be discouraged though, I would walk across I-85 for this food.
 

Who Wears Jort-Jorts? I Wore Jort-Jorts.

Do you ever wonder what possesses someone to go out in public looking a certain way? I am disappointed almost every time I go to some public place where a lot of people are gathered because of the unfortunate decisions some folks make regarding their clothes or hairstyle or other things of that nature. Before I continue, allow me to say that this rant does not pertain to people like me who are just looks challenged. Some of us, no matter what we do, how we dress, how we fix our hair, can't help certain things like simply being old fashioned ugly. I am chief among this group and readily admit and accept this fact. I do, however, feel like I give it my best shot and do as good as I possibly can with the severely limited outward physical gifts that God blessed me with. For instance, you're not likely to find me pushing a buggy around Wal-Mart wearing a stained wife-beater t-shirt, pajama bottoms, and a pair of house shoes. I may not have much to work with but I can at least take the extra 90 seconds or so to put on an actual pair of pants, a regular t-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops before I make the trek into "town" to buy a bag of dog food, a case of Schlitz, and a can of potted meat. Good night, man! You couldn't tear yourself away from Dog, the Bounty Hunter long enough to put on some clothes before going out? This is not something I've seen in public only once or twice, either. I see it on a regular basis. Boggles the mind, I tell ya'.

While I'm at it, you ladies who like to wear your shirts a little short so as to expose your midriff? More power to you, I suppose. If you are tipping the scales at a reasonable weight and want to show the world your navel, then make it hap'n cap'n. Whatever floats your boat. But if your exposed midriff keeps us from being able to see your knees then we neither need nor want to see said midriff. There are few things more disturbing than catching a glimpse of that EXPOSED AND UNCOVERED, big ol' hang-me-down belly as it bounces by me in the food court while I'm trying to finish my allegedly Chinese bourbon chicken and pile of yellow rice soaked in soy sauce. By the way, does anyone else feel like they're traversing the game section on the midway at the state fair every time they walk through the food court? "Hey, man! Come here! A winner every time! Win your lady an inflatable Atlanta Braves tomahawk by shooting out this little red star with a BB machine gun! Or maybe she'd like this Quiet Riot mirror! Oh, and while you're at it would you like to try a sample of this mystery meat/chicken/beef off of this toothpick I've probably been picking my teeth with?" You sample offerers are coming in a little hot. But I digress. Anyway, I'm not talking about those of us who are heavy but have enough sense to dress appropriately. I'm talking about the blissfully unaware 700 pounder who thinks she's got the body of Shakira. Those hips may not lie but neither does that gut. Buy a bigger shirt.

All I'm asking is for folks to take a look in the mirror and then make an honest, the key word here is honest, assessment based on what you see. If it takes you 20 minutes to convince yourself that no one will notice that you combed your hair from just above your right ear all the way over the top of your head to just above your left ear, then we probably will. We can actually see your bald head through those nine strands of hair. This is not an indictment on comb-overs, either. I've seen some good ones where you'd never know it was a comb-over unless a stiff breeze hit the wearer's head from one side, got underneath their hair, and caused it to stand 18 inches straight up.

Heck, I fell vicitm to "I'm ignoring the mirror syndrome" myself once when I was a younger man. I actually found myself at the old Atlanta Highway Wal-Mart, of course it would be Wal-Mart, wearing a yellow and gray striped tank top with a pair of stone-washed, black cutoff jorts. It's not that I was wearing the jorts. They were actually somewhat in style in the late 80s and early 90s. It's that I had cut them off too short and the pockets were sticking out waaayyyyyy below the bottom of the legs of the jorts. Mortified, I bought a pair of fake, Wal-Mart brand Sun Britches and changed in my car in the parking lot. Ever have that dream where you're in a public place with no pants on? You know that embarrased, self-conscious feeling you have in the dream and then the relief you feel when you wake up? There was no waking up from my horrible jortmare. A simple, honest self-assessment in the mirror could have saved me from having to go through that traumatic experience. I'm certain I'd have made it onto The People of Wal-Mart website had websites and camera phones existed at the time.

Thankfully, they didn't and I'm probably a more conscientious, even paranoid, dresser because of it. I'm not saying I always make good decisions on the clothes I wear or that I ever look particularly good at all. I am saying that I at least give it an honest try. You can be certain that you will never see me in Wal-Mart wearing pajamas and house shoes, at the beach wearing a Speedo, or anywhere wearing black, stone-washed jort-jorts. You have my word.

We2 Food Guru Dines at Texas Roadhouse. See What He Thought.

Target: Texas Roadhouse


Target Address: 7525 Eastchase Parkway, Montgomery Alabama

Service: Dine in/or Carry Out – Lunch and Dinner Menu (Kids Menu) (Average entrée - $14.62)



Know what I hate about chain restaurants? You’re going to get the same thing no matter if it’s here in the River Region or in Texas. Know what I like about chain restaurants? You’re going to get the same thing no matter if it’s here or in Texas. Love ‘em or leave ‘em, they are what they are and what they are, is a large part of the dining out experience. I fall to leave side more than not. So I will be doing a few reviews from time to time that are chain based. For the most part though, I like to look for those hidden gems.

Recently I had the occasion to go with co-workers to Texas Roadhouse, yee haw!! You walk in and there is something different, something you just can’t put your finger on. Wait, it’s something you wouldn’t want to put your finger on, peanut shells on the floor. Right from the start they have to score poorly on cleanliness. I know what you’re thinking; it’s part of the experience. In the world of food safety though, so is sweeping and mopping the floor. While the State Health Department seems to have no problem with this, I bet they would not allow shrimp carcasses on the floor of a seafood restaurant.

That aside, we ordered our meals. There was a great variety across the table. One ordered Grilled Chicken ($10.29), one ordered Ribs ($17.29 full slab) and for me it was the 6oz Dallas Filet ($16.29). The Chicken was tender and juicy with a great flavor so I was told. My Filet that I asked to be prepared Medium was, dare I say, perfect and thus the whole reason for this review of a chain restaurant. Then there were the Ribs and their great disappointment. The friend that had those reported that the smaller end of the rack was dry, tough and overcooked. Ribs can be hard and to nail them each and every time takes a lot of practice. I understand that normally Texas Roadhouse is really good with this, however on this occasion they missed the mark.

Between the three of us we had a variety of vegetables. I had broccoli carrots and yellow squash that were steamed just the way I like them with a little crunch. TIP OF THE DAY – squeeze a lemon over your steamed veggies and hang on for a new experience. My co-workers also had a side salad and the other had mashed potatoes, both were reported as great. No desert, not real sure how someone can have desert after all of the nuts, bread, meat and veggies; however they looked great. One last item that they did well on, my drink. I like an Arnold Palmer, and this was spot on.

Guru Grade – Overall they receive a 92 out of 100 points. In the words of the famed Mark Bullock, CLEAN UP!! Those peanut shells are both food and harborage for insects, even if it is part of the experience it does not make it right. Little bit of a wait time for the food, however they were pretty busy. Fast and courteous, very friendly staff and we wanted for nothing as our glasses were always full and her presence was constant. Food was well prepared with the exception of the Rib hiccup and the price isn’t bad for our business dinner or the family outing. It was a bit noisy because of the large crowd; however I saw no one having a bad time. I wonder if Willie will ever be in his corner on one of my trips there. Good job Texas Roadhouse; the Guru had a good time.

We2 Food Guru Takes on Casa Napoli and The Stockyard Grill

Target: Casa Napoli
Target Address: 2215 US Hwy 231, Wetumpka Alabama
Service: Dine in/or Carry Out – Lunch and Dinner Menu

Had the opportunity to have a nice relaxing dinner after working in the yard all day in the hot sun. Showered up and set my sights on Casa Napoli, Wetumpka’s little secret on the hill. I almost don’t want to pen this review for fear of word getting out in the River Region about this place. Once I do, I may never get another seat.

When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was that the very thing that drew my attention there a few days before was gone, and that was them advertising Seafood Manicotti on the marquee. I was a little heartbroken, but not enough to make me turn and walk away though.

We proceeded inside and were seated at a candle lit table. I enquired about the advertised special from a few days before and to my surprise our waiter went and asked the Chef if he still had the makings for the special that was no longer. He did, and you guessed it, I ordered it.

Just before our food arrived, the lights left. Apparently the storm blowing up that day was not conducive to keeping the power on. Not to worry though. We were in no hurry and there was candle light. When the food arrived a short time later, my Seafood Manicotti  was perfect, my wife had ordered Veal Parmesan and our little one had settled on straight up Spaghetti. All three dishes were as always, presented well and tasted wonderful.

Guru Grade – Overall they receive a 94 out of 100 points. Their Wait Staff and Food are always on target. Of the times we have eaten there, we have never had any issues with either. While the parking situation is so much better than it was with the new paving, its still an older location land locked on all four sides. So even though they went through great trouble to fix it, they had only so much to start with. Now for all of you River Region people outside of Wetumpka, forget you ever read this, this is OUR diamond leave it alone. All jokes aside, this family run business is well worth the drive from anywhere in Central Alabama. It’s a perfect place for Date Night!!

Target: Stockyard Grill
Target Address: 4500 Mobile Highway, Montgomery Alabama
Service: Dine in/or Carry Out – Breakfast and Lunch menu (Average entrée - $10.00)

This is a place that I have gone to a few times now for breakfast and for lunch. When it comes to breakfast, moooooo-ve over Hardees, Stockyard Grill is hands down the best breakfast value on the south end of Montgomery. This time I ordered their “Stockyard Special” which includes two eggs cooked to order, grits, choice of 5 different meats; toast or biscuit and a drink for $5.35. The eggs were ordered and delivered Over Easy. I went with the smoked sausage and it had a great taste. The grits were cooked perfectly and lightly buttered. I asked if the biscuits were homemade and they were not, so I ordered toast. However the nice lady waiting on me brought me a biscuit anyway to try out. I guess she could tell I was famished. Well, the toast was the choice to go with. While the biscuit was edible, it didn’t have any wow factor to it. There are other breakfast plates available and of course there is an al-a-Carte menu as well.

Let’s talk Lunch, as I have been there before for lunch. They serve salads ($6.36-$6.95), Burgers ($5.65-$6.65), Steaks (that vary in price) and a really good rotating menu of Lunch Specials ($7.35) that includes 2 Meat/3 veggies/Bread and Beverage. My favorite though, the Ribeye Sandwich. That’s right, an honest to goodness hand cut 5oz Ribeye, cooked to order and nestled between two halves of a soft bun. It’s just the right amount of beef on the right amount of bread. In other words that thing hangs off both sides and you better get your fork ready. Also they have a business card and on the back if you buy 5 Lunch Specials, the 6th one is on them.

They serve breakfast from 8am until 10am. Lunch is served from 10:30am until 2pm. The lunch crowd is much larger and a short wait may be in order, however it’s well worth that wait. Next time you are in the area, give them a try.

Guru Grade – Over all they get a 91 out of 100 points on the scorecard. The parking lot could use some work, but that may not be their entire fault since it is the Montgomery Stockyards Facility. The building is old, sort of smells like a Stockyard but not in the restaurant. During lunch you’re most likely to hit a wait time for a table to clear, but when it does the staff is quick to turn it around. All in all, great hidden gem on the south side of Montgomery. You may even want to buy a cow while you are there.

The We2 Food Guru Gets to Work

Hello and allow me to introduce myself, well sort of. I am The Wetumpka Food Guru. I am stepping up to Thad’s call for a food critic in the River Region to sample our local cuisine and report back to you, his readers. So my loyalty will rest with you, his readers, and not to any local establishment.

To give you some background on me, I have been in the River Region for 41 years. While I am not a trained Chef, I have been exposed to some culinary creations that are phenomenal. While I do not work in the restaurant industry, I am currently a Certified Food Safety Manager through Experior, in good standing.

The criteria that will be used will be the same for every restaurant that is visited. What you will see is a washed version of the visit with a narrative to explain how the experience went. We’re going to grade the building, the food, the service and the value. We want to see clean places, tasty food at a good value and service service service. I have always said that I can stay home and cook almost anything I want, when I go out, I want to be taken care of. For the record, I tip that way too. I do not tip on some arbitrary percentage, I tip based on the service that I and those with me receive.

The only criterion that Thad has charged me with is that these places be in the River Region, that they be examined fairly and truthfully, without coming across as mean spirited. Check that Thad, I hope that in time you and your readers will come to rely on the results of these visits.

I want everyone to check Thad’s blogs for at least one review a week from the River Region. Also, if you want to suggest that I subject one of your favorite haunts to the rigid rigors of my pallet, drop me a note atWe2FoodGuru@elmore.rr.com or follow us on Facebook at The Wetumpka Food Guru, remember to click the “Like” button.

City Council Dog Chases, Catches Own Tail

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  Here is the rundown from tonight's, September 19th, Wetumpka City Council meeting as copied from the Facebook page for this blog that Steve Pribulick was kind enough to write for us.
  
  I found myself with the opportunity to attend a Wetumpka City Council Meeting, something I haven’t done in a long time. Now that I sit here typing, I remember why I stopped going. Dealing with the items that seem to cause heartburn with one or more Council members.
  
  First of all I found some common ground with a Councilman tonight. The discussion was about the fencing, or the lack there of around the City Cemetery. Councilman Washington, after a more than lengthy session of reciting all of the different numbers before him, settled on wanting to replace the fencing with chain link fence at some $17k. In addition to the barrage of 200 or sets of figures, we also had to hear that tired song and dance about how his district is ALWAYS left out of things. This is where I found common ground with Councilman Hammock and I am certainly man enough to tell him and anyone else who cares to read about it. He doesn’t want to spend that money, on that fence. He would rather wait and spend more money on a heavier, more decorative fence. I couldn’t agree more!! Spend about 3 times as much and end up with a fence that will outlast all of the Council members that are voting on it. Now THAT’S good stewardship of the people’s money. Two thumbs up Councilman Hammock.

  22 minutes ago ·  ·  1 person
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  Steve Pribulick Next was the 2011-12 budget. All was good except for an amendment that explained that moving forward, employees who wished to sell back vacation time to the City could only sell back a total 80 hours per year, and only after that had taken 40 in that year. Sounded pretty simple to me, prevents City employees from dumping large amounts of vacation time for cash, not a bad plan if there are no other rules in place. Councilman Washington however could not wrap his head around this one. In fact he seemed a little incensed that employees are allowed to accrue vacation time from one year to the next in the first place. However at the end of his very long speech and trying to grasp the numbers, he finished with saying that employees should be allowed to accrue vacation time year to year. What? Now he is arguing with himself! Yes they can, no they can’t, yes they can – I was getting rather dizzy myself.

  22 minutes ago ·  ·  1 person
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  Steve Pribulick Then came a beautification project alone North Bridge Street to out past the City Cemetery. Again, on the surface I am thinking “hey, great idea, new trees, shrubs, flowers/ then a few years new heavy duty fencing around the Cemetery should look great”. Then Councilman Washington spoke up. (There seems to be a theme here doesn’t there?) He asked the Mayor if this was in his District. Oh my God, even I know it is and don’t live there. In fact someone should have told him to look at the District map in front of him on the easel to check for himself. Now we all know this is just his way of grandstanding to set up the next question. But to someone in the audience that is new to the ‘game’, he looks like an idiot for not knowing if something is located in his district. Turns out after another long trip to get to his point, he was mad because this beautification was going to take place in his district. Dude, they are handing you a Shovel Ready Project, now there is a term were all tired of. It’s paid for by someone else, it’s planned by someone else, and its being performed by someone else; where I come from this is called a slam dunk!! Just sit back and take credit for voting to approve to spend someone else’s money to beautify your district. Who cares you weren’t consulted; take the credit on a freebee for once. Oh and remember, this is after the meeting opened with his district ALWAYS getting skipped when it’s time to spend the money.

  22 minutes ago ·  ·  1 person
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  Steve Pribulick This item didn’t really cause a lot of fuss, lots of questions from Washington, but I know firsthand where he was headed and I was actually glad someone was asking about it. It’s a drainage project that deals with a drain pipe gone bad. Speaking from experience with this City, they better make sure on this one so more questions may need to have been asked. Don’t believe me, ask them who owns 706 Tallassee Street and why.

  22 minutes ago ·  ·  1 person
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  Steve Pribulick Last two items dealt with hiring. Councilman Jones suggest that the Mayor and Police Chief be allowed to work out the details on hiring, which means lifting some kind of hiring freeze that we will come back to. What a novel idea, the department head and Mayor who both control the hiring in other cities like ours, working together to work out a personnel issue. Nope, this time it was Councilwoman Holt and not Councilman Washington. I think even he was tired at this point. We were treated to a very good reason not to lift a hiring freeze that dealt with the economy, lack of money, and so on. All of this was right before she and the others decided to run the ‘end around’ and vote to hire two Police Officers anyway, without touching the hiring freeze. Wait, it’s like when Councilman Washington was arguing with himself about letting people accrue vacation year to year and then not allowing him to. We keep the hiring freeze in place because the economy is in the dumper leading to no money to pay people, but we hire them anyway. Just when I thought I understood this meeting. The last item was to fix putting the cart before the horse thing. A department head promised a job to someone, without the Mayor being involved, and now they have to scramble to fix things. Wait; here is a perfect example of why the Mayor should be out from under a hiring freeze, to keep stuff like this from happening. Basically the council is telling the Department Heads and Mayor, you’re not smart enough to hire people and you have to jump through our hoops first.

  21 minutes ago ·  ·  1 person
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  Steve Pribulick Final thought. Is this Council imposed hiring freeze correct to start with? Someone smarter than I will have to answer this one. I was always taught in my Government classes that Council is like the Legislature; it controls the money that the Mayor (like the Governor or President) wants to use to fund things like projects and people. So in essence if the Council or Legislature wants to freeze hiring, they de-fund or not fund a request. Unless my education was wrong all of those years, the Mayor and Department Heads have the reign of running the day to day business of Government, and the council thumbs up or thumbs down the money for it. Personnel and Project Managing isn’t their bailiwick. Someone help with this one?