Thursday, February 21, 2008
DIY Pups, Part 2
| Since yesterday's attempt at Chili Cheese Pups was a total let down, I simply had to try and redeem myself. So here's my second version. We must put Lunchables behind us and move on. While I was at the store buying the lunchables I happened to see something else in the prepackaged meat case:  The difference between the lunchables and these new dogs was that the lunchables gave you buns. Dry, cold, hard, tasteless buns, but at least you got some. I had no brilliant ideas so I decided I'd just use regular buns and cut them in half.  I think my first real mistake was that I kept with the Lunchables method of heating the dogs up. Place dog in bun, then in the microwave. I opted not to waste 4 paper towels this time and just decided they'd have to tough it out in the nuclear storm. In hindsight, I feel that these will never reach true Chili Pup quality as long as a microwave is involved. The dogs need to be boiled (or steamed?) and the buns need to be steamed, just like the real thing. Then you wont have dry buns. Dry hot dog buns I mean. You may still have dry buns, but that's a medical condition and you should consult your doctor for an ointment or something.  A bit more subtle was the bun to dog ratio. Since these were full side hot dog buns I think they may have more bread than is required. Perhaps I need to carve out a small slice from the middle of the bun prior to assembly? I am quite certain I will have to go back to Krystal and inspect some pups very closely soon. I also need to test the mini cheese hot dogs, just to see how they are. Now that I feel confident in my goal of recreating a chili pup, the final step is a Corn Pup. Of "The Big Four" the corn pup is my least favorite. But it deserves a shot. I have seen they sell frozen mini corn dogs at the store, but they don't have a stick. Obviously I could just shove a stick in them and push forward, but I think I may attempt to actually make real corn dogs from scratch. Alton Brown has a corn dog recipe but in typical AB fashion his goal is perfect taste, no matter what. By the time I got done prepping the ingredients, I believe my taste for corn pups would have passed. No, there must be an easier way. And I will find it. (Yes that's my obligatory dog joke.)  |
Labels: Cheese, Chili, Pups, Recipe
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
DIY Pups, Part 1
Recently I had a hankering for some Chili Cheese Pups. Sadly, I'm stuck in Burgatory and can't drive down the street and grab some. Slowly the desire kept growing until I could stand it no longer. I decided that if I couldn't go GET some pups I'd simply have to MAKE some pups. In today's post I will be showing you how NOT to do it. Tomorrow I'll show you a better (though still not perfect) way to pup yourself up at home. Let's start with a quick survey. I remember the early days of Lunchables when all you got was like 3 or 4 crackers, and 3 or 4 round slices of cheese and ham. I think they also included a napkin. How thoughtful. I always knew over the years they'd really "beefed up" the product line (pun intended) but I never paid much attention. Who knew they had tacos, hamburgers, and hot dogs? You'll notice in the box above there is a tiny TINY window thru which you can see the "product." Well sort of. It's not until you get it home and rip it open you realize what you've gotten yourself into:  I unpack and unwrap everything and do my best at Mise en place. It is really quite amazing how much they can squeeze into that little box. I was waiting for a circus full of clowns to come cartwheeling out at some point.  FUN TO EAT...NO NEED TO HEAT!: Place Hot Dogs in Buns; top with Ketchup and Mustard. Enjoy! TO HEAT & EAT: Place Hot Dogs in Buns; wrap each in a paper towel. Microwave 3 hot dogs on HIGH 25 sec.; let stand 30 sec. Top with Ketchup and Mustard. NOTE: Hot dogs will be HOT.For starters, the idea of eating these things cold make me almost hurl immediately. Second, I had to pause for a moment and try and figure out if they had a 4 year old type this up. CAN WE Get A Referee's RULING on the abuse Of The shift KEY? Wrap EACH dog in a paper towel? It's not enough to have the big clunky waste of the cardboard box AND the plastic container, AND the shrink wrap for the buns, AND the the Capri Sun, AND the smaller packets, now I had to also waste a few paper towels? Obviously Oscar doesn't care about the environment much. Knowing that "Ketchup and Mustard" wouldn't be enough, I had planned ahead. I had a small onion diced very fine, a can of chili (no beans) warming on the stove, and shredded cheddar cheese at the ready. I dutifully wrapped my dogs and nuked my dogs.    I also got a free pack of "Mystery Flavor" Air Heads candy. It's still sitting on the counter. Mystery Flavor foods always make me a bit nervous. What if it tastes like butt? I mean I was in a fraternity. I've seen plenty of "Guess what this tastes like" stunts in my lifetime. I also wonder if "the new guy" was working in the flavoring portion of the production line, and the boss wasn't supervising very closely. The new guy says "Oops!" and suddenly they're selling "Mystery Flavor" Airheads. What other industry can get away with this? Come on down to Big Ed's Cars where you can buy a Mystery Car for $22,000! After you buy it and drive it you can try and guess what it is! If you guess right, congrats! If you guess wrong, who cares, cause you still own it either way! Bottom line: Put the lunchables back on the shelf! If your kids are pestering you for Lunchables Hot Dogs, you may want to put them in counseling. Or send them to school with a bag full of dirt. It's got to be better tasting. (and more nutritious!) Come back tomorrow for an imporved version of Do It Yourself Chili Cheese Pups.  |
Labels: Cheese, Chili, Onions, Pups
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Chocolate Cherries and pups on the beach
Yesterday's mission was to go get a Chocolate Cover Cherry Milkquake. I swapped out the CD in the changer in the truck, grabbed some reading materials (chapter 3 from my programming and logic textbook) and headed south. Two hours later I had arrived at Krystal in Murrell's Inlet, SC. I was starving. I went with the old standard, a #1 with cheese, but decided to go for the chili cheese fries, due to the HUGE sign on the front of the store telling me to. I was worried I hadn't saved enough room, but I summoned my inner Kobayashi and went back to the counter: Chocolate Cherry Milkquake and two chili cheese pups. To go! After a brief phone call from Courtney, she had given me an idea. You don't get that close to the beach and not go. So I loaded back into the truck and rolled up the street to Atlantic Ave, that goes directly to Garden City beach. Grabbed my food at made my way out to the sand. The law says you can't have dogs on the beach off leash. You know what I say to that?  Bite Me! In reality, it wasn't the beach cops I was concerned about. That picture is perhaps one of the toughest I have ever had to take. As I "set up" the shot, I look up to see:   With my seagull adventure behind me, I grabbed my MilkQuake and returned to my truck to enjoy it in peace.  |
Friday, February 15, 2008
Breaking Booty News!
| You may have heard the news this morning (I hate TMZ.com) that former NFL Quarterback and current Fox Sportscaster, Josh Booty, was arrested for DUI and then tazed during booking. Who is Josh Booty, you ask? Who cares! There is really only one question that needs an answer. When it's time for his trial, will Judge Wapner ask Rusty the bailiff, While we're at it, who knew Judge Wapner now lived in Athens, GA?!? I smell a road trip! How's this for fun: Me, Judge Wapner, and a sackfull of Krystals. He can rule in favor of delicious and sentence me to lunch! Anyway, enough of the booty banter. Today I will be road tripping back to Murrell's Inlet once again. Top priority is to get my hands on the new Chocolate Covered Cherry MilkQuake. While I am back in Krystal Kountry, I will of course have to grab a pile of Krystals, perhaps some pups, and maybe a Chik or two. And fries, glorious fries. In anticipation of this feast, I have not eaten breakfast, nor will I eat anything until I arrive at Krystal. I will be leaving in about an hour, so I can hopefully avoid the lunch rush and the insane Myrtle Beach Friday rush hour. This will of course be my first fresh Krystals since I officially put "Krystal Thursdays" on hiatus back on January 3rd. Today will be a glorious day. Small steamy burgers, long drive down the coast, chocolate cherry Milkquake. Somebody taze me so I'll know I'm not dreaming! (But please move that table, first!) |
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine's Day Tips
| Yes, today is Valentine's Day. The day that the greeting card and candy companies conspired together on. Sadly, the internet and "e-cards" have destroyed the greeting card industry, and so now we are left to be pummeled by electronic greetings from people we don't even know. As a guy, I can sympathize with the other men out there who are always faced with the Valentine's Dilemma: In previous years, I might have suggested you tell her that instead of crummy old diamonds you got her fresh Krystals. Sadly you're likely to spend the rest of the evening trying to convince her that diamonds are "so 1900's" and that Krystals are the new diamond. For those looking for the more passionate approach, I might suggest a quick mid-afternoon phone call telling her that you have a steamy evening planned. Again, sadly, you'll spend the rest of your evening trying to explain that you meant a steamy sack full of Krystals. No, my friends, the old approaches to injecting a little steamy Krystal goodness into your Valentine's Day were simply destined to create another Valentine's Day Massacre. It was time for something new, something sweet, something delicious. And Krystal has done it!  Sadly, due to my work schedule (noon to 8pm, today) and my location in Burgatory, I will be unable to enjoy one of these new MilkQuakes today. I think this means I will be road tripping back into South Carolina this weekend for one. And a mess of Cheese Krystals, chili cheese fries, pups, chicks, oh my! Is it lunch time yet?!? For those who choose not to participate in the "Valentine's Scam" Krystal has you covered, too.   |
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Chihuahua!
| I have an idea for Krystal for this year's Cinco de Mayo celebration. But as usual I need to build up to it. (And no it has NOTHING to do with Mayonnaise!) Recently I was over at Trolly Stop getting myself a few hot dogs. (Isn't it sad that my blog post is about the only real online ad for Trolly Stop?) If they are willing to make such insane hot dogs as mayo and melted cheese, then you'd think they'd have figure this one out. I decided to go with a Mexican themed dog: all beef frank, salsa, onions, melted cheese, and jalapenos. I dubbed it "The Chihuahua" after everyone's favorite dog. The Mexican dog with a lot of attitude that will bite you when you least expect it. It also sounds like the sound I make after eating an especially hot jalapeno: Ai Chi Wah Wah! (How exactly do you spell that?!?)  So perhaps this year Krystal can really do Cinco up right. They already have the dogs, the cheese, and the onions. They usually have the jalapenos. All they need is some salsa and there they go! And even if Krystal doesn't offer this Mexi-dog you can make them yourself. Just buy a pack of dogs to go. (Get it? Pack of Dogs?) They'll even put them in a nice carry bag, like Paris Hilton's dog Tinkerbell. And when people ask what's in the bag you can tell them in your worst Paris impression, "It's hot!" |
Labels: Cheese, Chili, Onions, Pups
Friday, January 04, 2008
No Más
| After 18 years of Krystal Thursdays, what would one get on their final official Krystal Thursday. I had almost 2 hours to think about that while I drove down. My poor planning resulted in me hitting Myrtle Beach at 5pm. Rush hour, idiot drivers, and multiple car wrecks made the final 10 miles last forever. For a brief moment I wondered if the Krystal Gods were trying to get me to turn back and reconsider. In reality I didn't need 2 hours to decide what I would have. I didn't need 2 minutes. The decision was one of the easiest ever: Normally I celebrate special occasions by adding Bacon to my cheese Krystals, so that was a given. But then there's the ultra rare delicacy known only to the few people who really know Krystal: the Chili Cheese Krystal. In fact I still remember a debate I had with a manager in Macon over if you could actually add chili to a Krystal. I am not sure he believed me when I told him you can add chili to anything at Krystal. As I turned the corner to pull into the Murrell's Inlet Krystal there in bright shiny glorious color was a sign proclaiming that it was essentially Chili-time! (Can't Touch This!) It was another sign. Chili Cheese Krystals would be mine. I walked in, took a slow deep breath, and firmly placed my order:
 This is what $12.09 can get you   I sat there, staring at the remains scattered across the tray. Spent Krystal shells scattered across the battlefield of my dinner. Barely a crumb from the steamy bread to show what had happened here. The only one who knew of the significance of what had happened was me, and me alone. Which is really how it should be. While I have shared Krystal Thursday with many people over the years, when it gets right down to it, most of the 18 years were a solitary journey. It all started alone, and it is fitting that it ended alone. But I couldn't simply toss it all in the trash and walk away. There had been one last Krystal Kreation I had been thinking of for months, but unable to try due to geography. I decided it was now or never. I walked to the counter and asked the girl if we could get a little creative. Apparently these words signaled to the manager that she might need to get involved so she stepped up to the counter to take my order: "To make the Strawberry Milkquake, you start with vanilla then pour strawberries on top, right?" "Yes, sir, that's right." "Can we do the same thing, but start with a chocolate Milkquake instead?" "That sounds great!" There was never a pause, no hesitation, no complaints. I think she felt that great feeling of excitement and discovery that I felt. She rang it up and jumped right to it. This is why I love Krystal. The cashier came back to the counter and mentioned that she was shocked she'd never thought of it before. We then got to talking of other great things you can do at Krystal. I mentioned the Apple Pie in the Vanilla Milkquake and she said she'd already done that and loved it. She said she'd tried it in all 3 flavors of Milkquake and apparently chocolate is good too. If only I had 3 more stomachs, but sadly I am not a camel. I only had room for mine:  As I said yesterday, I do not know how the end of Krystal Thursdays will impact this blog. I certainly have a lot of Krystal topics left untouched. I have, as a friend once called it, a "Krystal Kloset full of Krystal Krap" that I haven't even mentioned yet. But for right now, for the first time in almost 2 decades, I don't have a unreasonable craving for Krystals. I am happy, and I am satisfied. And when it gets right down to it, isn't that really all we need out of life? I know personally, that the past few years of my life have been missing one or the other. |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Pups
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Beach Assault!
| As I sit here this evening enjoying my tasty defrosted bits of Krystal joy, I can't help but wonder,"Does the Krystal in Murrells Inlet (just south of Myrtle Beach, SC) have the new Chiks and Chik calendar?" That questions haunts me like the 2 bags of leftover Halloween candy in the living room. We just passed midterm at school. No, I do not mean we just got a passing grade on the mid-term exam. Grading was stressful, though I suspect not as stressful as taking the test was for some of my sudents. What better way to blow off a bunch of stress than a road trip followed by heaping helpings of Krystal Deliciousness? This weekend (probably tomorrow) I will launch my first (of many) Krystal beach assaults. Planning is key, as in all beach assaults (D-day, Iwo Jima, Grenada). While not a great military target, I will still assault Myrtle Beach with the gusto only a rabid starving Krystal fan can! I want to be sure to try the new saucy chiks, so it is of utmost importance that I be there during regular lunch hours. However, there's rumors of a breakfast Chik as well, so I should also try and be there during breakfast hours as well. The "Magik Minute" at Krystal is 10:30 am, so I will try and aim to arrive at roughly 10:15am, in time for a tasty breakfast. I'll bring some books with me for some leisure reading. Perhaps even some reading on the beach if the weather's reasonable. I may hit the mall right around the corner from Krystal. But once lunch time rolls around It's back to Krystal for more chiks. Perhaps a couple of pups while Im there, and of course some Krystals for the road. With the roughly 2:15 drive from here to there, I need to be leaving about 8 tomorrow morning. And no breakfast before hitting the road either. Need to save as much room as possible for the hot delicious FRESH wonders to be had. Oh yes. They will be mine! |
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Old McDonald
Old MacDonald had a farm,If you've been coming to Krystal Adventure for a while then you already know how much I love chicks, chiks, and chix. I mean what's not to love about em. Soft and warm, fun and playful. Some are sweet, some are spicy. When you're not around em you can't help thinkin about em. Oh yes, I am absolutely crazy about them. And while it may appear that all's quiet on the Krystal front, they have not been phoneing it in up in Chattanooga. Now, it appears Krystal went cruising for Chiks (and chicks). I do believe I am jealous of Krystal. Sadly, my usually cure for jealousy, a chili cheese pup, is at least 2 hours away. So I must suffer, all alone, in burgatory. Without a chik or a chick to drive away the sadness. But enough of that. Yes folks that's right, Krystal has gona Chik crazy! In an email blast just this week there were several announcements. You may have noticed over on Krystal.com our usual WebChiks have been replaced. The new web chik is blonder and appears to be quite a bit perkier. (Neither of those statements are to be taken as an insult!) It seems our new WebChik is only the tip of the ice berg. Krystal has now announced  The 2008 Krystal Chik Calendar  Sadly, none of the Chiks appear to have the dream of moving to Wilmington. Perhaps if they knew that the largest movie studio east of California was in Wilmington, that might change things? I drive past Screen Gems Studios every day on my way to work. Dawson's Creek or One Tree Hill ring a bell? I did say previously that due to scheduling problems (and georgraphy) I wouldn't be able to make the Square Off World Chapionship in Chattanooga on Oct 28th. However, if I find out that the Calendar Chiks will be there, I may have to throw caution (and common sense) to the wind and make a run for it. After all, last year I got to meet the original Krystal WebChiks and well as Krystal Kitty at last year's Square Off Finals. That many Krystal Chicks in one location may be unavoidable! While I may be unsuccessful in trying to bring home one of the Krystal Calendar Chicks, there are three new Chiks I can bring home!  I am unsure if these will be in addition to or instead of the original Saucy Chiks (Buffalo, Honey Mustard, Barbecue). You also can have Breakfast Chiks with the new Sausage Gravy Chik biscuit. Despite the fact my freezer is still well stocked with Krystals, I think I may have to take a trip south to Murrell's Inlet soon. Chiks do not survive the freezing and thawing very well. Timing will be essential so I can do both breakfast and lunch and get as many Chiks as I can. While I am in Myrtle Beach I may see if I can cruize the beach and pick up some Chicks too. I can test out my theory that you can pick up a truck load of Chiks if you first pick up a sack full of Chiks. I do actually already have a Krystal Calendar. I was given a Krystal calendar by Penny back about 1999 or so. While it was not full of sexy chiks, it was quite an entertaining calendar anyway. Lots of Krystal coupons, trivia, and fun..I'd show you a picture of it, but it is currently still packed in an unmarked box in a closet. One day I'll manage to dig it out, I hope. I'd like to take a moment to ask you to keep Penny in your prayers right now. I just recently learned that the reason I missed her while I was back in Mid-Ga was that she's run into a bit of a health problem and was in the hospital. They have figured out what the problem is, but she's got a bit of a fight on her hands. Though I am 400 miles away, I am always there with ya, Penny! Penny's known about my Thursday thing for a long time and finds it quite amusing. Penny also worked at a Krystal at one point. Ah the secrets she could probably tell! |
Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Pups, Recipe, Wilmington
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Lets get Square at the Fair!
| In case you haven't been paying attention, the Krystal Square Off qualifying tour has been going for a while and there's been some amazing results so far. Much like last year, Humble Bob is putting up amazing numbers, and last weekend in Atlanta, Pat Bertoletti blew the previous qualifier record away with 85 Krystals, the third highest total ever. (And if you hurry, Brian, there's a great picture of Pat with Krystal Kitty on the Square Off Web Page.) I have decided that tomorrow will be the official "unofficial Wilmington, NC Krystal Square Off Qualifier" hosted by me at an undisclosed location in my kitchen. I do realize that I have an unfair advantage given that:
Next weekend happens to be "Fall Break" where I work. It coincides with the Azalea Festival here in Wilmington. "Fall Break" means "Friday off" but since I always get Friday off, it's not that special. However I will be taking advantage of the long weekend to get out of here once again. It's going to be a big weekend. The same weekend, the Square Off will be returning to Perry, Georgia, and the Georgia National Fair. The first set of dates posted on the Square Off site listed the 5th (Fri) to the 7th (Sun) as the dates, but like last year they have added Thursday the 4th in, too. At first I felt I could make it, barely, if I left immediately after work on Thursday. But since then I have been scheduled for a class on that Thursday afternoon that wont be done until 4pm. Yes, college profs have to take classes too. If you work in the medical or heath care field, you know all about "HIPPA." In fact if you GO to a doctor or dentist you should know about HIPPA. (And no that's not a large aquatic mammal in snazzy clothes.) Well for schools, we have FERPA. Basically FERPA says we can't share educational records with anyone except the student without the student's prior written permission. So mommy and daddy cannot call me and ask what junior made on the test. Well I suppose they CAN call and ask, but I will tell them to ask junior. FERPA is lawsuit sort of stuff, so I can't skip class. (And skipping class is a bad bad thing, kiddies!) So with that said, I will probably be leaving right at 4 on Thursday and with the 7 hour drive I will arrive super late at night. But not too late for a late night Thursday Krystal run!! Friday the Square Off doesn't start until 5pm, so I will spend the morning in Macon and Warner Robins visiting with friends. Krystal Sunrisers for breakfast, I think. (If you'll be available during the day on Friday and want to catch up with me, email me.) I will certainly be stopping by my Krystal on Vineville Ave to see Bernida and the gang. I have a new recipe I want to try out, and where better to give it a swing? Wanna come have Krystals with me for Friday's lunch? Email me! Friday evening, it's to the fair. See the Krystal folks, Kenny, Brad, Kitty, Keith, etc. I also hope to eat some burgers and get another t-shirt, even though I look rather horrid in yellow. (If you call me "Big Bird" or "School Bus" I'll kick you in the knee.) Saturday, while the fair and Square Off are in full force in Perry, I'll be heading down to Vienna (after a Krystal Scrambler for breakfast) for the Big Pig Jig, and an ATO alumni event. Brotherhood and Barbecue. Can it get any better? Well sure it can! That's why I'll be bringing my own barbecue sauce! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! After the Pig Jig I might hit the fair again, or go visit with more friends in the area. Sunday morning I hope to sleep in, but not so long I miss the Deluxe Breakfast at Krystal! Then I head back to the fair for the Regional Square Off Finals at 4pm. Then it's back on the road to Wilmington, with a stop in Pooler, GA, to restock my Krystal supply and stuff some chili pups and chiks down my throat. While I was planning this road trip, I had hoped to stay up near Macon. But I reconsidered after I read this article yesterday: View Larger Map Given recent events, I believe I will be stayin in Byron, GA this trip. It's a nice central location between Perry, Vienna, and Macon. Plus I'll be smelling distance away from a Krystal and Hotlanta Wings (great wings and the a great Philly Cheesesteak). The reason to go through all this trouble? Well sadly, the Square Off Finals this year are on a Sunday. I teach class at 9am on Monday. Throw in the 8 or 9 hour drive between Chattanooga and Wilmington, and the fact the Square Off will end at 5pm, and I think you see my problem. I will be there in spirit, and I will be glued to my TV, but sadly, I will not be there in person. Were you counting how many time I'll be eating at Krystals on my trip? Can you tell I'm missing FRESH, hot, small, square burgers? Oh it's gonna be a good trip. Except for the South Carolina part. |
Labels: ATO, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Pups, Recipe, Scrambler, Warner Robins, Wilmington
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wagons Ho!!
| This will be my last post before the move. As soon as I am done with this short post I disassemble the computer for transport. My folks arrived yesterday afternoon and we went up Krystal for a late lunch. Yummy! (4 cheese Krystals, 2 chiks, and fries for me, "plenty" of Krystals for my father and Chili Cheese Pups for my mother). Today will be a busy day, including hopefully a breakfast run to Krystal. Perhaps to introduce my father to the Scrambler. We get the truck at 3 and load up, we're at a hotel in macon tonight. Tomorrow bright and early, we roll out of Macon. Instead of going through Augusta, we're going to go down to Savannah and then up. It's all interstate that way and easier to drive in a big truck. The "Burgatory Border" that way is the Krystal in Pooler, GA. So I'll grab a 24 Krystal Steamer pack there to last me til the end of July, when I'll return to GA for the Emily's Toybox concert in Brunswick. So until probably Monday when my internet gets hooked up, I bid you wonderful days, and I will see you again from the Krystal Adventures forward outpost in Burgatory, NC.
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Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Pups, Scrambler
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Art and Kamels
| This *may* be my last post for a few days. My parents arrive tomorrow afternoon we go get the truck and the packing will kick into high gear then. I am sure the desk my computer sits on will be one of the first items to go, so Goliath will be taken apart to be transported to NC and reassembled there. I might have time to crank out on quick post tomorrow. I am sure you're hungry for some Krystal Koincidences before I hit the road. Have I got a doozy for you tonight. You'll recall my recent post about my visit with Jen to Eric and Brian's studio for First Friday. I also explained that I have an utter lack of artistic talent. I don't know anything about art. (I only learned one thing in my Art History class and somehow you can't ever seem to work "Classical Contrapposto" into a conversation. While Jen and I were looking around Eric was describing some drawings of a pipe organ he'd seen in Italy. That led quicky into him asking her if she'd ever heard of our fraternity brother, Art. As soon as anyone mentions pipe organs you know someone will bring up Art. You see Art has a family business of building and repairing pipe organs. The first time you hear it you think it is such an odd business to be in, but then, once you see his work you understand completely. It's really quite amazing stuff. His company did the work on the pipe organ in Newton Hall at Mercer several years back. I am sure you are wondering how I can recall such an obscure conversation I wasn't even involved in. Well, yesterday about 5pm I am busy packing when the phone rings. Expecting it to be my parents I quickly grab the phone, "Hello?" The voice on the other end was not either of my parents and it startled me for a moment: "Hey Jason! This is Art!" Thinking this was some bizarre practical joke, I played along, "Hey Art, how are things?" Art then explained that he was driving around as he usually does. Apparently he puts almost 80,000 miles in a year for his business. No that is not a typo. All that driving he get bored on occasion so he starts randomly calling old friends and yesterday I won the jackpot. We talked for about 30 minutes on all manner of things, including how lucky it was that he actually caught me as my phone will stop working in 5 days. He had questions on what I was up to, who else I'd seen or talked to lately (and oddly enough up until last Friday the answer would have been almost no one). Art gave me his company's web address (I wont post it here without his permission, but trust me if you have or want a pipe organ, or need repairs, I got a connection, just let me know!) I promised to get in touch with him once I arrived in NC and perhaps sometime in the next year or so he'd get up to NC and we could go hit the outer banks. Here's two more coincidences: I had just 2 days ago, while packing, found my "Outer Banks" visitors guide I've had for years but never been able to use. Also, the last class I taught on the base has a short section on the Wright Brothers and their first flight at Kill Devil Hills on the outer banks (not Kitty Hawk and everyone apparently believes). Once I got off the phone I immediately called Eric. Just to confirm I wasn't in the middle of some bizarre fraternal nightmare. But Eric agreed with me that as always strange things are afoot when it comes to our brotherhood. And its just one more sign that things are headed in the right direction for me. Eric is headed out of town for a little while, so it was our last chance to really talk before I move. He has roots in North Carolina, so that just one more thing we have in common. He asked if I'd been eating at Krystal every meal and I said I hadn't. In fact I was almost sick of them. Since Brian wasn't going to be able to make my Krystal Party, we went to Krystal on July 4th and had some. The next day at work was my last full day, so to give me a send off, they brought in a bunch of Krystals. And I do mean a bunch:  Eric then remarked I needed to be stocking up on my Krystals now cause it may be a while til I get some fresh ones. He said something to the effect of "filling up the hump." It was then clear to me. I am transforming from the Krystal Kid to the Krystal Kamel. Once a month I shal stuff my hump full of Krystals to help me survive in Burgatory until the next Krystal Oasis when I can refill. I am the Krystal KamelYou may recall a year ago, I stupidly came up with the phrase "I'd Walk A Mile For A Krystal." I did, in fact walk a mile, and it almost killed me. However perhap if we took the standard Camel logo and made the hump square like a Krystal, and changed the wording, it would make a rather funny logo. So there's my idea, now run with it! Email Me your submissions and we'll see what we get! PS-Almost no one knows this, but Art was the first ATO I ever talked to. And it was before I even stepped foot on Mercer's campus as a young wet behind the ears freshman. The summer before I started college I got a phone call. I was at work (selling seafood) so my parents took the message. It was Art, who was "Rush Chairman" for ATO that year. he was inviting me to come down to Mercer for a summer "pre-rush" party. That sort of event was common back then but strictly forbidden by rush rules these days. My parents, of course, said no-way. So I never gave it much mind. Until rush started in the fall and I met Art first hand. The rest is history. So I guess I better stop saying I don't know anything about Art. I've known Art for over 18 years now! And Art calls me on occasion. In fact, I think Art's great! |
Labels: ATO, Cheese, Chili, Mercer, Pups
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Dancin' and Cryin' and the Life of Brian
(This one's for you, Pop!) By popular demand, I present to you: Because she LOVES Krystal, of course! But wait...    "Please don't take my daddy's store away!"   The best part is when you're done, there's still plenty of MilkQuake left! While this may cure my sadness for a while, Brian is still without a lunch time Krystal and that is just a tragedy. So let's stop making little girls cry and put a Krystal back in Milledgeville, NOW! (And a new one in Wilmington, NC would be nice while you're at it, Hint Hint!) |
Labels: Chiks, Pups, Wilmington
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Scrambled Dog with Cheese
| Yesterday's title may have been a bit confusing. Something about "illiterates?" Here's the problem. I was reading the paper online. (why pay for delivery if they put it online for free?) One article I ran across made me almost lose my lunch. Here's the link but as you read it I am sure you'll wonder what the problem is. Well that's just it. When the article was first posted the first paragraph (completely different from the current first paragraph) had 2 grammar mistakes and one typo. Now I have no grounds to speak on typos. I have grown way too dependant on Spellcheck, and since Blogger doesn't have spell check, you wind up suffering for it. But on the other hand, I am unpaid. The write for that article is from the AP. I'd wager he's got a college degree in journalism and gets paid a lot of money. The fact he would write something that bad without proofreading is almost as shocking as his editors letting it make it to the web. What got me hung up was I had started my blog post from work, and by the time I got home to finish the post, the article online had been changed. Not corrected or fixed, but completely changed. In the old days there used to be programs where you could donate newspapers to schools so kids could learn to read. Now I think that might be a bad idea. Unless you plan to let them grade the newspapers. Sort of like a word find: "grammar error find." Anyway, Brian called me out after my post yesterday saying I had neglected to add cheese to my Krystal Scrambled Pup. In all honesty, my Nu-Way scrambled dogs come without cheese so I am happy to have scrambled pups sans cheese. BUT, just to show you I am no chump, here's the pictures I didn't post yesterday. First of all here's my Nu Way Scrambled dog how I like them. I throw my fries on top and add catsup, for that extra chili frysort of thing. I also leave off the oyster crackers.    And of course, I add Catsup, too:  I encourage you to experiment. Play with your food! Lets see what you can come up with. I have not yet tried to put chili cheese fries on chili cheese pups and then pour a small bowl of chili on top. So far my large intestine has used its veto power on that creation. But you feel free to try it. While you're busy playing with your food, I am going to be busy trying new stuff. |
Monday, July 02, 2007
Illiterates and Scrambled Pups
| H&H is a tasty place to eat if you're in the mood for a "Meat and Three." As is The Bear's Den so named because it is a block down College St. from my Alma Mater, Mercer University whose mascot is the Bears. But if you want a real Macon tradition, you can't ignore Nu-Way Weiners. Nu-Way started in Macon a LONG time ago and has several stores scattered around Middle Georgia. They make a great breakfast to order, but they are most famous for their hot dogs. They have a 2 hot dog special which is a quick and easy lunch.   I personally perosnally order a small fry with it, and dump them on top for instant chili fries, and a healthy dose of catsup rounds it all out. We'll get to that eventually. The important thing is that there are lots of variations on what a Scrambled Dog is. Check here under the "Georgia, United States" section. It didn't take long, or many chili pups for me to realize that I could make my very own Krystal Scrambled Pups. And heck Krystal already had everything I needed. Just order the 3 Pups combo (I left off the mustard and onions and went chili only, but again you can be your own Sarge and do what you think is best!) Be sure to get the chili instead of the fries.     |
Labels: Chili, Macon, Mercer, Onions, Pups, Recipe
