Bacon Dad, Bacon

The Des Moines Register Iowa Life section today features an article entitled, Bacon Memories. Mmmm. I'm not one who covets bacon all the time - but I do enjoy it occasionally. Paul is cooking some up  in the cast iron skillet as I type this.

The Blue Ribbon Bacon festival will be held next Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Am I attending? No. Tickets for that event go like hotcakes...and bacon. They're sold out in scant minutes. Only people who truly love bacon deserve to attend. Not me.

But (strike up the Wayback machine) I do have my own Bacon Memories. Breakfast at the Bullock house as the little Bullfrogs grew up held a great deal of variety. Some of it included bacon, especially when Dad was home on weekends. He liked cereal too though - puffed rice. Ick.  I don't know anyone else who ever liked that stuff. Bets and I preferred Capn' Crunch and Count Chocula. Sugar!

We had interesting breakfast apparatuses at our house - special little cups with stems for soft-boiled eggs. Dad liked those eggs a lot. Mom mostly ate toast and smoked, whilst doing the NYT Crossword puzzle. We also had spoons for sectioning grapefruit - wedge-shaped.

Mom probably fried bacon in a pan originally, but I remember her trying oven frying. Then she got the microwave and that was the next big deal. Mom liked bacon crispy - so that didn't last. And just like with any food, Mom could make that bacon crunch lustily.

My next bacon memories are from college - ski trips. Guys gotta have their bacon. The year we mashed 20+ into the Breckenridge condo, Paul, Mike Huston and Fred Behr had a contest to see who could eat the most French Toast. Guys were in charge of cooking breakfast. They each ate over 10 pieces plus bacon of course. For the first couple ski runs, when on the lifts, Fred leaned out over the side when he coughed in case anything solid decided to come out...

Paul with Joyce Huston - lots of coffee went with bacon in Ridgeland





Camping always makes food smell and taste better. Why is that? We camped at Mike Huston's folk's place for the first 10+ years after college over the 4th of July to tube the Apple River. Clark and Joyce Huston worked for Oscar Mayer - Bingo! Pile on the bacon. Boy was that good. There was no running water there so we'd heat up the wash water on the fire afterwards - penance for the meaty bliss.


I'm not sure where Amy was in this pic.
 

Headwaters of the Mississippi

In 1991, Behrs, Wilts and Goldsmiths decided to lease a cabin "up north" in Bemidji, MN in June. We beat the season prices that way. It was a rustic cabin - the walls didn't go to the ceiling - even for the bedrooms. Of course the Behr kids were morning sleepers. Jaime Wilt was a wee one. Our children. Not so much. Little Juddy was 2 1/2 years old. He needed his own dome of silence. (Amy must have slept in). He created my most vivid bacon memory that week.

Of course Jud woke up bright and early - as the rest of us tried to sleep in. Paul offered to get up with him, but it was chilly out. So they couldn't go outside. Paul decided to start cooking breakfast - bacon. Jud marched around the kitchen chanting loudly, "Bacon Dad, Bacon" over and over. Paul tried to quiet him to no avail.

Needless to say, it was an early bacon morning for everyone. Good thing they were all good sports (right Vic?). Ever since that day, the word bacon brings that chant back to me. Later, through his teen years Jud claimed not to like bacon. Today he's back on the stuff though - no chanting.

I like thick bacon - a bit chewy. Dream BLT - great toasted bread, summer tomato, meaty bacon with good mayo or similar tasty sauce. Paul and I discovered Des Moines Bacon Company at the Farmer's Market. Hmm no website. Looks like they need AEG Design Company to help them do a website.

I don't like bacon on everything - like most sandwiches. It overpowers the other flavors. And bacon beer is just icky! Where do you stand on bacon? (insert Oscar Mayer whistle sound)

Audience Participation - favorite song lines

Do you have lines of certain songs that you Love, Love, Love?

I heard Bob Seger's "Night Moves" on my way to the Farmer's Market this morning. When he sang "In the sweet summertime, summertime." I thought about how that line in that song is IT for me. and there are two other songs I can think of quickly that have lines that I simply love. I'm sure there are more, but I'd have to put my thinking cap on...and that's not what this is about.

The other two are:
Head East: "Never Been Any Reason" is the song. The line "Have you ever been lonely?" It's followed by "Do you have any fun?" which I like too.

This band has a Leslie/Paul memory. The only time I ever saw this band was the first time Mom and Dad met Paul Goldsmith. He was playing on a men's softball team - for Minsky's Pizza the summer before our senior year. That was the summer we began dating. Fred Behr was on the team too, and Vic and I were groupies. The team played in a tourney in Harlan, Iowa - where for some reason they were able to book Head East to play at a community celebration.

I was attracted to the cute buns in those tight baseball pants...

In between games I drove everyone to Atlantic - it was very hot out. We swam at Sunnyside pool where I was a former lifeguard. Then we stopped at my folks place to change and have some food. That night we saw Head East. To answer Head East's question - yes - we had some fun!

and

My all time fave dancing song - all my homies and close family members) know this is true.
B-52's (the original group had a member from - you'd never guess it - Creston): "Love Shack" It's a simple line but gets repeated a lot - "Bang Bang - on the door baby". I like it because you get to do the knock on the door dance move...

Am I the only one that does this? Or do you, dear readers have favorite song lines?

Go Soap!

I remember when my old pal Freddie Behr was just a youngster in the security biz at Iowa State University, he did a gig at Hilton Coliseum for the Amway Convention. He reported later that the huge group did chants like "Go Soap!" We laughed about it, and talked about the fact that Amway must be some kind of cult like Jim Jones's group.

I thought about that this week as I joined Costco (I mentioned this before, I know). We're in the cult! It costs $55 to join, which has always seemed like a lot. But when I saw the liquor prices, I decided we would save at least that much each year. Alkie cruds or thrifty...you make the call.

After I paid for the membership, I took my first walk through as a full fledged cultist, um I mean member. I picked up some decent vodka.

Martinis take a lot ya know. Plus I got what Cindo calls a "Big Girl" bottle of chardonnay. I took a photo of a big 'ol stack a Black Velvet. That's Iowa's fave whiskey ya'll. Donnie told me so. I sent him this pic.

Donnie's dream....

 I did buy some food too, so don't get the wrong idea. And a lamp for Jud's room. So there! I just didn't take pics of that stuff. Do you think people thought I was strange taking pics of the liquor at my new cult clubhouse?

It was date day for the Goldschmidts. Paul and I met for lunch - hitting City Bakery, a restaurant in the East Village between Grand and Locust on 5th Street. He had a sannie and homemade chips and I got the side salad - it's a perfect size with vinaigrette. After work, we were both in the mood for a drink - so I took him to Maverick. That's the new Sports Bar my new DB (Diamond Brooke) friends introduced me to. We had nachos and dirty martinis.

Then we stopped at the cult to pick up liquor for the weekend party we're attending in Creston. I got Fess Parker Chardonnay! Man I loved that guy as Danl Boone.

Can't wait to see my homegirls. And Odie is getting her nails trimmed and her anal glands expressed at Creston Vet Clinic - how fun will that be?? Then she's staying at Lila and Bill's puppy spa - they're so excited to see her, which warms my heart. Looking forward to it!