by Richard May on April 27, 2012
One of the fascinations of reading Charles Dickens is the great expectation that some homeless kid will eventually connect with some secret benefactor and all will be made right. Frankly, I doubt that things were “made right” any more frequently during the times of Dickens then happens today. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic that dreams can come true and virtue will be rewarded.
My conviction was recently justified when I learned that fast-food giant McDonald’s had adopted the London 2012’s Olympic mascots, “Wenlock and Mandeville.” While there are any number of critics who suggest that the mascots for the London Olympics are the worst in history, I think this is a marriage made in heaven. Only McDonald’s – that signature icon of the fast-food culture in America – could embrace these stoned mascots that resemble plastic toys manufactured in China that appear to have been overexposed to lethal doses of radiation in a Disney laboratory.
Mind you, many of the Olympic athletes are blood-doping, using human growth hormones, steroids, and quite possibly the juice imbibed by these bizarre mascots. Wenlock and Mandeville may simply be representative of the synthetic athletes currently manufactured in most countries. It is sad, but lest we forget, the Olympics is just big business. Personally, I think Pippa in her white bridesmaid dress would have attracted more eyeballs.
So, grab a coke and a big Mac and enjoy the show. I’ll be reading the adventures of Pip and Miss Havisham.
by Richard May on April 11, 2012
Vince Lombardi Time Magazine Cover
It’s easy to become hostile and aggressive for Americans since we have been brought up to respect “winners” and dismiss “losers.” Subtlety, ambiguity and shades of grey are not terms that come to mind when discussing politics with most Americans. Generalizing – and this is a very bad and lazy thing to do - I suspect that most Americans would buy into Vince Lombardi’s famous phrase “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Like many people , I listen to the news in the hope that I will become more knowledgeable of some of the “big” issues facing our political leaders. Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that listening to the news can be hazardous to your health and, most certainly, to your sense of well-being. I suppose things came to a head when newscasters were handicapping the presidential election by focusing on changes in the unemployment rate. Specifically, if the unemployment rate falls it is “good” for President Obama’s reelection chances and “good” for the Republicans if the unemployment rate goes up.
While selling “winners” and “losers” may make it easier for the American public to digest the news along with their pizza and Coca Cola, it seems bizarre to me that the misery of others (i.e. the unemployed) should be seen as “good” or “bad” news for any political candidate or political party.
A similar discussion is now shaping up over the issue of taxation and already the “talking heads” of the media and many political leaders are shaping the discussion to satisfy their own reelection chances. Specifically, the discussion is over tax rates and tax revenue. It is fashionable to argue that the rich should pay more in taxes and the Democrats will argue that we should increase the tax rates. The Republicans argue that if you decrease the tax rate, you will actually increase tax revenue. Now this discussion is not really relevant for most Americans, since 54% pay no Federal Income Tax.
For the other 46%, I suspect that the discussion is somewhat more meaningful, but hardly important. There is a huge difference between discussing 
“tax rates” (more specifically “marginal tax rates”) and tax revenue. If increasing the marginal tax rate would generate more tax revenue for the Federal government, then I think this might lead to a meaningful discussion. Unfortunately, Milton Friedman showed long ago (1950-1960s) that over history changes in the marginal tax rate have had no material impact on the level of tax revenue raised by the government as a percentage of gross domestic product. In other words, discussing “tax rates” as a tool to raise tax revenue is just plain silly and deceitful. I wish the Talking Heads would just wake up and tell the truth for a change. It is clear that our tax code is a matter of political expediency and not public good.
As I do not expect the dumbing-down of the American electorate to end any time soon, I have decided to turn-off the news and tune-in to WQXR Radio, which is our classical music station. Mozart may have been unfaithful to his wife, but his music still rings true.
by Richard May on April 8, 2012
In order to quell the outlandish behavior of the paparazzi, I have reluctantly agreed to share one of the dishes that will be served this Easter: Jamie Oliver’s Overnight Slow-Roasted Pork. (Note to Langston: I prefer roasted rabbit and prunes, but in deference to granddaughter Corinne, we are giving the Easter Bunny a pass this year). I assume that hard-core Gourmay readers have already prepared my favorite Easter biscuits which have been featured twice on Gourmay: Sedgemoor Easter Biscuits.
Jamie Oliver's Slow Roasted Pork
Like many of Jamie’s inspired recipes, this recipe uses very few ingredients and it is almost impossible to overcook. When something cooks this long, the flavors tend to meld together to make something quite rich and extraordinary. Jaime’s Slow Roasted Pork is a recipe that will have your guests queuing for seconds.
This year, my accomplished sous chef, Dan “Pit Bull” Broderick will have the honor of preparing Jamie’s Miss Piggy, while simultaneously managing five Fantasy Baseball Teams from his iPhone. We know that this recipe is quite forgiving, but Thérèse is concerned that Pit Bull might opt to drink the bottle of white wine rather than add it to the pork during the last hour of cooking. We certainly hope not!
Now, Jamie’s recipe for Overnight Slow-Roasted Pork is from his cookbook Cook with Jamie, but is reproduced all over the internet. The recipe below is from Dish.com and is re-printed in its entirety.
Jamie Oliver’s Overnight Slow-Roasted Pork
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon(s) fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon(s) sea or rock salt
- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bulb(s) garlic, cloves unpeeled and roughly smashed
- 1 bunch(es) fresh thyme
- 1 piece(s) (11- to 13-pound) pork shoulder on the bone, preferably free-range or organic, skin scored
- Olive oil
- 750 milliliter(s) white wine
- 1 pint(s) chicken or vegetable stock
Directions
- Preheat your oven to maximum.
- Smash the fennel seeds with the salt in a pestle and mortar until fine.
- Put the roughly chopped vegetables, garlic, and thyme sprigs into a large roasting pan.
- Pat the pork shoulder with olive oil and sit it on top of the vegetables. Now massage all the smashed fennel seeds into the skin of the pork, making sure you push them right into all the scores to maximize the flavor.
- Put the pork in your preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until it’s beginning to color, then turn your oven down to 250 degrees F and cook the pork for 9 to 12 hours, until the meat is soft and sticky and you can pull it apart easily with a fork.
- Tip all the wine into the roasting tray and let it cook for another hour to give you a perfect sauce.
- Once the pork is out of the oven, let it rest for half an hour before removing it to a large board. Brush off any excess salt from the meat, then mash up the veg in the pan using a potato masher. Add the stock to the roasting pan, put it on the heat, and boil until you have a lovely, intensely-flavored gravy (you can thicken it with a little sieved flour if you like). The pork is great served with some good cranberry beans, braised greens, your roast veg mash, and tasty sauce.
Enjoy and Happy Easter to all!
