Nicole had the splendid idea to usher in 2021 a little further with a big Overeem breakfast: Rose Maddox Fried Potatoes, cheesy scrambled eggs (50% cheese, 50% eggs), thick-cut Burger’s bacon (my responsibility, plus I like to hover over it), and some slices of “illegimate” French bread, toasted and plant-based-buttered (yeah, I said it). That held us over until dinner, when we enjoyed some poblano-laced Texas chili Nicole made with a great mix my brother Brian and sister-in-law Myra put in our stockings. All of our spoons were dirty, so we just used Frito Scoops. What kind of meat did we use? Meatless Farm brand plant-based protein (I said it again!). I know it’s hugely bourgeois (and cruel–those adjectives are intertwined) to go on about food, but dang it, in a pandemic, that’s where the domestic spotlight shines quite frequently. And it’s not like we’re fartin’ through silk. Maybe in tomorrow’s entry you’ll learn whether I found a good way to cook cheese-curd and jalapeño-stuffed “real meat” hot links!
The evening was nice. In Netflix’s The Life Ahead, Sophia Loren competed with the Bari city- and seascapes for most golden, and Ibrahima Gueye and Abril Zamora were not far behind. We dug a fascinating TrueSouth episode focusing on the small but magnetic town of Brownsville, Tennessee–when it’s finally ok, we’re going–and we watched a ’77 SNL episode with Milton Berle and Ornette Coleman (those were the days).
Streaming for Strivers:
Evolving early Hag–one classic original, two killer Lefty covers, a nice choice by a young artist named Dolly, and a pretty great bunch of musicians.
The Overeem Farewell Tour: Dispatches from the Public School Trenches 