Join Me For Linner or Dunch

I was having my nails done the other day, and the TV in the nail salon was tuned to some silly talk show I had never seen before.  The panel was talking about linner (meal served between lunch and dinner)or dunch (another word for linner, meaning, meal served between lunch and dinner), typically around 3-5pm.  What a great marketing tool by the restaurants.  Three o'clock is a dead time in a restaurant.  Lunch service is over, and there's a little quiet time before the dinner rush.  Not anymore.

Many are saying that linner may become the new brunch.  It really appeals to me.  I'm up early, having an early breakfast, usually an early lunch. and between 3-4pm I'm ready for dinner.  It's probably much better to eat a large meal in the late afternoon, anyway.  Working people, especially those with young families, could have a big meal right after the work day, then go home and enjoy the family.  It sounds like a great idea to me.  The only problem I see is that it might interfere with Happy Hour, a mainstay in American dining, that typically runs from 4-6pm.

So now we have the following dining choices:  Continental breakfast for those that just want coffee and toast in the early morning, breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner or dunch, happy hour, early bird dinner, regular dinner and late night dinner.  So many choices.  What will you choose?  Breakfast, lunch and dinner, or breakfast, lunch and linner?

How Hard Do College Professors Work?

I was recently in our clubhouse, waiting for a movie to start, and overheard a conversation that several people were involved in.  One of the men, a very opinionated one, felt that college professors were overpaid.  After all, he said, "They have TA's to teach their classes and they only work a few hours a week."  I had to go home and see if this was true, and of course, it's not.

College professors put in long hours, especially if they are seeking tenure and work in a research oriented top tier university.  If they are teaching, say, accounting, to freshmen and sophomores  and that's all they're doing, well, they probably don't work more than a 30 hour week.  Other professors, in any field, that are working towards tenure, could put in more than 50 hours a week.  Why?  First, all professors have office hours, and must be present during those hours.  TA's are not a substitute for a full professor.  The professor must plan lectures, and in a changing field, may have to plan all the time.  TA's will teach sections, but the professor does the lecturing.  The professor is also responsible for writing.  He or she must publish papers in the field of study on a regular basis.  Professors are also involved in committee meetings and community service.  They need to attend conferences, and they need to be involved in research.  Yes, they may have TA's to grade papers, which sometimes takes many hours, but they need to supervise grad and PHD students, which could take a lot of time.

Depending on the institution, college professors are not highly paid.  They are, however, doing what they love, helping students, contributing to research in their field, and getting respect for their work.  I feel like telling the loud mouth who was spouting off about the "free ride" that college professors have, to get his facts before he makes such statements.  Professors are helping to create the next generation of great Americans who will contribute to our society in a positive way.

Deliman: A Nostalgic Look At The Past

If you live in the San Diego area like I do, you're always looking for a good Jewish deli, and longing for your favorite deli from your hometown.  When I was growing up in L.A., it was either Junior's (our local Westwood deli, now gone), or Nate n' Al's in Beverly Hills.  Both offered mature women waitresses who would schmooze with you, and probably knew you by name.  They made the deli experience something you wanted to enjoy again and again.  The food, of course, was fantastic.  Great rye bread, delicious sliced meats like pastrami, salami and corned beef, well done pickles, and all kinds of fish salads to die for, were the mainstays of the Jewish deli.

The Jewish deli has its roots in New York.  In the 1840's, German Jews who settled on the lower east side of New York, opened delis.  Later, around the 1880's, Russian, Latvian and Polish Jews arrived, and introduced their own brand of the deli.  In the movie Deliman, the early years of of New York Delis was beautifully portrayed, using black and white pictures from that time.  By 1931, there were thousands of delis in America, but currently there are only 150 Jewish delis in operation.  Part of this is because of the high cost of meat, the primary food source of delis.  In the early part of the 20th century, Hebrew National would give credit to many entrepreneurs, to help them get their deli started.  At one time there was a deli on every corner of the lower east side.

One thing I noticed in the movie Deliman, was that all the owners (now second or third generation families) were passionate about what they did.  They loved the food, the customers, and their employees.  They treated everyone like family.  Every major city still has  a deli, and in New York, more delis have survived than anywhere else.  Stage Deli, Carnegie, Wolfies, Rialto, Katz's and Lindy's are just some of the many delis that made New York THE place for deli food.

The movie Deliman gave the viewer  a look at the history of the American deli, and made me hungry for a good deli in San Diego.  Anyone want to open a restaurant?

Have You Tried Goat Yoga?

When I first heard about goat yoga, I scratched my head and wondered, "What will they think of next?"  When I saw the video, I thought it looked very cool.  After all, I love yoga, and I love goats.  That's a perfect combination.  I do not yet know anyone who has actually taken a class.  I gave my daughter-in-law, Deborah a gift certificate for a class for her birthday, but I haven't yet heard how she liked it.  I don't think you can go to the class expecting an intense yoga experience.  I think it's more about the goats.  They climb on you, nuzzle you, and stretch out with you at the end of the class.

The goat yoga craze is sweeping the nation.  At any place with a small farm, you might find goat yoga today.  In fact, there was a team on the new Amazing Race that taught goat yoga.  I think the owners have found it's a good way to market their farm products, either milk, lotion, or soap.  Whatever the reason for its' popularity, it's something new that people want to try, at least once.  We're all looking for new experiences.  Attending a goat yoga class is definitely something unique.

Want To Go Glamping?

You may not have heard of glamping before now, but it's all the rage in travel.  Think of nature meeting modern luxury.  Experience the untamed wild and completely unique parts of the world without sacrificing creature comforts.  In fact, some of these glamping locations are so luxurious you won't believe it.  Glamping vacations can run from $150 per night to $2000 per night for acomodations.  For those of you who have experienced luxury tent hotels in Africa, glamping is similar, but often more luxurious.

Glamping may take place in a luxurious designed Airstream trailer, or a tent, or a tree house, cabin, or lean to.  The key to all of these is luxury.  Most locations are outside the city.  You may find glamping sites set up throughout the world:  Montana, Sonoma, Los Angeles, Big Sur, Florida, Texas, and on just about any continent on the planet.  Next time you or your children or grandchildren are looking for a unique experience, have them look into a glamping vacation.  You'll be surprised at how elaborate a tent can be! 

Are All Olympic Competitors Athletes?

I was listening to a sports talk station in the car the other day (Ron's choice of station, not mine)  and was shocked to hear that the program moderator did not  consider Shaun White an athlete.  He called him an acrobat, and he would include ice skaters in the same category. I went to the dictionary to look up the definition of "athlete."   An athlete, according to Webster, is "a person trained in exercise, sports or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina."  How could Shaun White not be considered an athlete?  From the call in listeners, they seemed split on whether snowboarding tricks or ice skating tricks were athletic!  My personal opinion is that the jumps and spins done by snowboarders and skaters are more athletic than  just about any other sport.  They take tremendous strength, timing, stamina and agility.  Many call in listeners were comparing the agility sports to basketball, and LeBron James.  Yes, LeBron is an incredible athlete, strong, great stamina and great agility.  He probably would have been good at any sport he chose.  I think Shaun White might also have been great at whatever sport he had chosen.

The radio moderator kept saying that Federer was one of the greatest athletes because he was good at tennis and soccer.  Had Shaun White chosen soccer or golf or tennis, he probably would have excelled at any of those, too.  Becoming a great athlete is much more than natural ability.  It is determination, hard work and a strong work ethic.  No one makes it to the Olympics without these traits.

Actually, if you think about it, it's much more likely that after 6 months of training that Shaun White would be better at tennis than Federer would be at flips and twists on the skateboard after the same amount of training.  The jumpers and spinners in all sports show so much body control it's hard to see how anyone could not call them athletes  Enjoy the rest of the Olympics.

 

Try Panca For Great Peruvian Food

In a strip mall on Coast Highway in Oceanside, right next to a laundromat, is a real restaurant find.  It's Panca, a moderately priced Peruvian restaurant you will want to return to, again and again.

I took my lunch bunch group there for a real lunch time feast, for the grand total of $14 per person.  We had appetizers, two main courses, a sandwich and two desserts. The first thing you need to know about Peruvian food is that it is not spicy.  It is flavorful, but not spicy.  I have included pictures of most of our dishes in this blog, so you can get an idea of the size of the portions.  Everything is big.  Panca is well known for their rotisserie chicken, but we did not order that.  Instead, we had the following: We began with scallops wonton, a crispy wonton topped with a scallop, sauce, lettuce and mango.  Next, we ordered two traditional entree, lomo saltado, thin sliced beef cooked with soy, vegetables, and tossed with french fries and aji de gallina, chicken pieces in a creamy sauce made from parmesean and cream, served with peppers and poured over potatoes.  I love this dish.  We also ordered a chicharron sandwich, slow cooked pork, salsa, sweet potato slices and creamy mayo on a cibatta roll.  For dessert we had alfajar, a traditional Peruvian dessert.  It is two shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Last but not least, we ordered chocolate mousse.

Peruvian food seems to be IN right now.  We have Q'ero in Encinitas and Casa de Q'ero in Cardiff.  We also have Sammy Ladeki's new restaurant in Liberty Station, and soon another Sammy Ladeki Peruvian restaurant in Carlsbad.  Sammy's has closed there, and will reopen as a Peruvian restaurant.

Panca is casual, small, no reservations, and little ambience.  However, the food is delicious, and there's so much variety.  When you're along the coast in Oceanside, try Panca.  For those of you who remember where the original Beach Break Cafe was, that's where you will find Panca.