feb16thcowsizesteak

The reason that my title has run on words is that, I cannot separate them. When I write more than two words that are separated...they disappear and crazy numbers come up and fill the entire space???? I have no idea why.....
Today was presidents day.....and we did have more than the average amount of people who up....BROWSING....I guess it is better than if the place was a ghost town....yep, plenty of people...and we did make a few sales, but......no commemsurate with the number of people that were here. ALl the people from SAT and SUNDAY who were going to go home and measure.......well, they are still measuring. None of them returned or even called. I guess its a sign of the times.....
Then about 5 in the afternoon, my freind Elliot and an entourage entered...and they browsed....and even bought a few things..and as tradition would have it...After browsing and spending money....what is the thing antique delaers do...YEP...GO OUT TO EAT!!!! I had told Elliot about EL CID's......so, we went to the home of the tripple loster and the steaks big enough to eat YOU>>>>> I dont think they belived me....the first sign of how big things were...was when the waiter brought out the Shrimp COCKTAIL....Now you have heard of collosal shrimp...an oxymoron....yes, so have I but these things......must have been 6 inches...the size of lobster tails....and there were four of them.....which must have weighed a pound........
When two waiters brought out our dinners.....I wish I had brought my camera to shoot the expression of everyones face. The prime ribs were a foot long and 4or 5 inches thick.........Elliot and Jerry shareed a Sirloin, which they just barely finishes, and the other two, whose names I already forgot....shared a prime rib.....and I had no one to share my prime rib with at the restuarant.....but...BUDDYDOG had a feast on two bones laden with plent of meat...and that wasnt mine....the two guys...whose name escapes me.....gave me their bones....(they took half of it home as well)....and BUDDYDOG will have my bones tomorrow...and I will still have enough prime rib for one or two meals.... Now since I am sort of doing the Atkins diet, I didnt eat the veggies or the potaotes. I did have the salad with blue cheese....and a coffee con leche to finish the meal.....and a great cup of coffee it was.
The laughing at the table really rocked. The double entandres (double means) went from dirty to absolutley filthy....and one of the two guys.... was outrageously hilarious...in words and expressions and body language... He was very animated, and althought he was not drinking.....nor had he been, did sound drunk..which added to the hilarity. He told stories about one of their freinds the not so famous DIVINE, who was the drag queen pig who starred in JOHN WATERS "Pink Flamingos" a cult movie of 30 years ago.....and who actually made it into a legimate movie HAIR SPRAY and then dropped dead the day after it opened(so the story goes).
We discussed other outrageous NEW YORK CITY antique dealers that we both happened to know...and laughed and gossiped...... NYC 30 years ago, was so outrageous...so unihibited.....so decadent..so wonderful....and we are survivors..here to tell the tales....laugh the laughs, and cry the cries....and tell the stories of the Viet Nam era, the pre aids era, the sexual revolution, the Hippies days, the long hair and funky clothes, free love, and the days where anything went....and the attitude was eat drink and be merry for tomorrow is another day to party.....the party that everyone thought would never end. "Those were the days my friend,,,,we thought would never end"...as the song went. I remember when the song came out....ALAN Seidman and I were in EUROPE.....in HOlland about 1966....we were in a bar ...a huge disco....and that song came on, for it was very popular in Europe before it came to the USA>...The place rocked.. Everyone sang along and danced along.....and ALAN got drunk...he ordered Ginger ALE because he didnt drink...but in EUROPE...Ginger ALE, is ALE...a beer, flavored with GINGER and very strong... he downed it so fast,m he didnt realized it contained booze....so he laughed and giggled and we sang.......but my ability to project myself into the futher....gave me tears in my eyes that night...I was in my early 20's, but for that moment,,,,I became the person I am now...sentimental looking back on the very moment I was expericning for the first time...and I was sad....when ONLY should have been feeling joy....but I sapped out of it... The D.O>K> was the name of the bar....in a basement... a block long, walls and ceilings were brick, and it was very warm, and quaint.....and wonderfu.
The next day....we went with someone I met at the bar.....and his dog..BOOFKA....all over the city, a personalized tour..of Amsterdam...and we hit the antique stores(of course) HANS Becker...said he was a communist....and didnt approve of selling and reselling things for a profit....HMMMMMMM 5 years ago, I traced Hans Beck down, 40 years later.....he was a multi millionair who had opened an antique store soon after he met me......He took in a partner who was an older person with money......now you can fast forward the story.. The older partner died and left HANS a builidng worth millions, and it housed an antique indoor MALL for antiques......whose rentals HANS collects to this day........
A VERY FABULOUS NEW SOUP RECIPE...."SWEET AND SOUR AISAN GUMBO"
I am not sure that is the proper name for it, becuase it contains other elements as well.....but whats in a name...its all in the taste....Now remember I am starting my new soup crazy with the liquid left over from cooking Buddy's daily ration of chicken...well, really I cook it every other day.....
Add to the chicken soup: one large green plantain cut in 1/4 slices, one large sweet potoatoe, hand full of celery leaves, tow large onions, one large red(or green)pepper) one small chili or jalepeno(optional unless you like it hot) one can of corn kernals (drain the juice unless you like it a little sweet) a hand full of washed cilantro leaves, teaspoon celery seens, teaspn tumeric, 6 cloves of garlicone chopped up one inch sq piece of sliced fresh ginger,one cup or more of sliced up okra,.....1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,..and creaole seasoning to taste.and let that all cook for about an hour on very low heat...when finished...correct the seasoning...with salt, pepper ,garlic.
Serve in bowls and ad a teasoon of heated roasted sesame oil and half to whole
teaspoon of rice or other vingear to the soup..stir and enjoy....
OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS.... YOU CAN AD POTOTOE, DICED TOMATOE, CUT UP CELERY ,PARSNIP, ALMOST ANY VEGTABLE EXCEPT BEETS. WATER CHESTNUTS.. BEAN SPROUTS.... ON AND ON..AND EVEN OTHER FLAVORS..TO MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING DIFFERNT. CURRY, TARRAGON...ETC.
ADD TOFU.....SHRIMP, OR ANY FISH OR MEAT... YOU CAN TAKE THIS BASIC RECIPE AND MAKE IT INTO A HUNDRED DIFFERENT ONES...BY ADDING AND SUBTRACTING....ADD WONTONS, OR ANY OTHER DUMPLINGS,.....
TOMORROW......OR NEST TIME, MY MOTHERS SWEET AND SOUR STRING BEAN SOUP