My sister had a business partner in her restaurant for a number of years, who, to protect his identity, I’ll call him Tattoo. He was a vegetarian — I know, I know, but you can’t argue with crazy. Tattoo didn’t just avoid eating meat, he was grossed out by it…
One of my first “grown up” summer jobs was as a cook. Started out with seafood, moved to grill. I was about 19 years old, and I fucked up more burgers than I can count. I blamed it on the waitrons, of course, but it was all me, baby, because…
As a young man, the subtleties of pulled pork were lost on me. Technique, patience, care: pointless wastes of time to my still immature, I-want-it-fast mind. “Grab the pork,” I thought, “and pull it. It’s not rocket science.”With maturity, though, came understanding. And a world of unimagined pleasures. The explosion…
My mother’s storied Jeannie’s Weenie Supremies guaranteed the hot dog a permanent place of honor in our fridge when I was growing up. The Supremies consisted of a hot dog, split and stuffed with cheddar cheese and wrapped in bacon. My father also had an unnatural love affair with a…
