ODDS AND ENDS

It's time for me to talk about some matters of great concern.  To whom?  Why, me. of course!

WHO ME?

To celebrate the Chinese Year of the Tiger, my nephew, Michael sent my daughter, Diane a case of "HOO-MEE Chow Mein mix.  Diane shared a couple of packages with me.

HOO-MEE is made by a company in Fall River that knows what kind of Chinese food the people in Southeastern Massachusetts love, and I believe it is a different item than that which is "native" to any other location in the United States.

(Chow mein is a bastardized form of an authentic dish called, in Mandarin "ch'ao mien" or "stir-fried noodles".)

HOO-MEE food packages contain lots of crispy noodles and a gravy maker.  Other items are usually added to the noodle mixture.  Diane reminded me that her mother would add hamburger or chicken, chopped onions and celery.  Diane likes to add stir-fry vegetables.

Growing up in the 1940's, students in New Bedford, Massachusetts spent a split day of school. Most of the mothers were working full-time to contribute to the war effort and could not be home to provide a home-cooked dinner for their kids at noon-time.

Instead, most mothers would give their children thirty-five cents each for them to use at Charlie Wong's Restaurant.  For that price, they could get a giant helping of chow mein atop a slice of white bread, accompanied by a six-ounce coke.

We kids loved it!

I cooked a package yesterday and even without additives it tasted good and reminded me of my hometown.

JUSTICE FOR ALL?

Rachel Maddow stirred my juices yesterday when she reported on this situation.

She said that the only so-called "fraud" found in the last Presidential election was by four or five men who attempted to register some dead relatives to vote.  One person was jailed for two days; the rest received probation.

However, a formerly convicted felon was arrested when she attempted to register to vote.  I believe that former felons are not allowed to vote, but she had a note from her probation officer saying that she could legally register.

In spite of that documentation, a judge slapped her with a six-year jail term.  How is that for "equal justice under the law."

Two days probation or two days in jail versus six years in the "slammer?"

(I may have a bit of this story wrong, but I doubt it.)

THE GOLDEN AGE

Marguerite Loucks Dye wrote many old-age-related humorous poems in her A Smile, A Chuckle, or a Loud Guffaw. Here are a couple that I like:

Helpful Harry

A just-married elderly couple checked in

To a lavish hotel their first night.

The bridegroom went into the bathroom and stayed

While the bride primped in bed, feeling high as a kite.

When her husband emerged from the bathroom at last

"Are you alright, my dear?" she did coo

"I did all my chores, then brushed my teeth,

and while I was at it, I brushed yours, too."

You want to sit where?

An usher pointed out a couple he'd seated

"I know they are new to our church," he did tease.

"Cuz when I asked where they'd prefer to sit,

They answered, 'In non-smoking, please.'"

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