Good morning world. Please indulge me as I criticize what was once great American ingenuity. At its best when television first started its potential to entertain educate and enlighten with current news events was a boon in technological innovation. The 5 PM and 11:00PM news back then was “reliable and trusted”. It was not until the early seventies before we started to make “fun” of its news story choices because of advertiser “pull”. The prime time Television shows such I Love Lucy and The Mary Tylor More Show were ahead of their time and pushed the boundaries of entertainment to its limits for family viewing. True there was censorship back then to keep moral standards in place. True they may have prevented some artistic freedom but now television has fallen into the depths of an entertainment abyss. Lewdness and shocking people for the attention of an audience seems now more the normal then necessary to help the story line move along. What brings me to diverting my culinary tales and enthralling tales of over indulgences in drinking to discuss this here? I often ate and still eat, as I even did as a child, while having the TV on. Back then it was usually Bugs Bunny, the Odd Couple or Twilight Zone. Now today it is Jeopardy, a home improvement show, the Food Network or even a Hallmark Chanel movie. I do not watch shows that are not conducive to gastronomic pleasure if I am eating. This however changed recently, as I was watching a non-decrypt TV show, perhaps even a home improvement show even called Good Bones. When assaulting my EYES and EARS was a commercial about “women pooping”. They were not discussing it in any pharmaceutical fashion but actually SITTING ON THE TOILET (in the Loo) and talking to the cameraman about “POOPING”! This is why as Sam says: “I watch NETFILX!”

I believe American Television has thus shot itself in the foot. A reference by the way that refers to soldiers or draftees who would rather shoot themselves in the foot then serve their country in the military. Therefore, if it is the intention of television station to turn more and more people away from cable and broadcast TV they are succeeding. I see more and more people watching the Hallmark Chanel probably because of this. If The Food Network and Cooking Channels start to air this commercial I would certainly have to start subjecting myself to watching old reruns of Gilligan Island and the Flying Nun on Netflix over this. I can only hope that the Hallmark Channel starts doing some old-timey variety shows to mix things up a little. Things like the Sonny and Cher Show only with Taylor Swift and some other county singer.  They literally need to add a little more variety into their family programing.

The commercials were bad enough when things like a plastic egg that makes hard boil eggs in the microwave and it sold for $20.00 were on the air. This was insulting to our intelligence as if we could not wait for a pot of water to boil! That I could at least write off as American capitalism and it was as brilliant as the Pet Rock! Hell if it earned the inventor any money, then more power to them.

What do I know? Now to have to change the channel because there are women sitting on toilets shitting! REALLY!??! I know there is a lot of stuff on television I don’t care to watch but here in New York we have OVER 300 channels. Surly I can find somthing that is not people just crying because they are NAKED and AFRAID on a desert island that they CHOOSE to be on with animals and bugs big enough that could kill then. Surly, I can find something to watch where I can sit down and eat dinner without some 90 Day Fiancé actors trying to throw small household appliances at each other because one of them cheated. Well yes, it is called the Hallmark Channel (sigh) but how many Hallmark movies can one straight man really sit through before taking up pottery making as a hobby.

I apologize for this Sunday Morning Rant but sometimes you just need to vent to feel better. I try not to do in malice or bitterness or to intentionally hurt anyone. I am unfortunately just greatly disappointed in an institution I held in such high esteem. I guess I will be watching the Disney Channel and Hallmark Channel until this commercial HOPEFULLY disappears but I also hope that one day the plastic will be cleaned up from the ocean….I am a dreamer.

As an aside, try not to be tempted by gadgets that microwave a hard boil eggs. Yes, my mother had an egg cooker (see below). That thing made perfect eggs. It was no different then using her electric stove and boiling pot water but she said it was easier for her, faster and ALWAYS made a perfectly cooked hardboiled egg. This was true. I never had a bad egg from my mother.

On that note I will let you decide, Netflix or cable TV which do you watch more often now? Oh by the way, when cable TV first started, ALL the “Cablevision” channels like the Cooking Chanel were commercial free. Granted there were only 30 channels at that time but THAT’S why you were paying for cable TV in the first place because Broadcast Television (ABC, CBS and NBC) was FREE! Just Sayin…

“And that’s the way it is.” Walter Cronkite and me signing off,

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Welcome to Monday. I hope you all had a pleasant weekend. Mine was good with the exception of having to work on a Saturday. It made the weekend go by even faster then usual. I also did NO cooking. Nope. None.  

I purchased an Italian hero Saturday night for dinner. Sam had company over and they ate dinner together. Jennifer is still not feeling well and had a few bites of my huge-a-mongo sandwich.  Between the two of us we still could not eat the whole thing.

Sam friend Ally is a lovely woman who went to culinary school before attending the same college as Sam now, so I imagine she is into food as much as I am. I could have probably talked her ear off but she was here to hang out with Sam and truth be told, probably didn’t want me talking to her about food all night. She would not be here long, so I left them pretty much alone to watch TV, talk and play some video game.

Sunday was so busy! First, I attended a BSA Scout Court of Honor. I will not bore you with all the details only to that it included Sam’s Eagle Scout ceremony. Congratulations Sam!! I am very happy and proud of you!! We had to rush out of there in the very end and attend a graduation party for our friend’s two sons. They are more like nephews to me and like Jennifer’s own sons as they were all very close when the boys were growing up. Now they are both off to college and we will miss them terribly.

I drank beer at the graduation party on an empty stomach. Then came home to eat the rest of my big sandwich with potato chips. Sam drove. Jen was feeling so badly she only ate some cheese and grapes for dinner. Sam went out to a local restaurant with his friend Ally and had Mexican food. It sounded like it was really good too. I have been there before and will have to eat there soon again and do a review in the very near future.

I feel like I am getting behind on the cookbook and recipes and will have to do some major cooking soon. The summer is winding down and work is winding up so I will run now and leave for work. Have a pleasant day! I have to get more recipes to you soon and I will!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)