The Perfect Bar Snack cont.

Again, this will be short, but have to keep the streak alive. Finishing...

You have to love a munchie that comes with its own eating utensil. The leg part is a perfect mini little drumstick. While devouring a plate of wings, one can imagine feasting as a medieval lord, throwing the bones of the meal to your pure bred hunting hounds.

"Ah serving wench, bring me more meat and another tankard of yon mead!" (Depending on the bar, this attitude today will ensure your order takes forever or you will be wearing your order.)

But there are also wing snobs that only want one joint, usually the drumstick. Now most places will try to offer an equal amount of each joint. Since the wing has two edible, we really can't the inedible tip (apologies to anyone grinding the tip and using as powered chicken flavoring), restaurants must try to sell equal numbers of the joints, so they are not stuck with inventory. At T. Applechiligan's, we had to give up portion the wing orders in bags and just have two inserts of each joint.

I don't mind the second joint (it's actually the middle one if we want to get technical, but we already stated the tip is worthless [no—That's what she said—comments]). The wing snobs will complain that it's too much work for not enough meat (none of the above comments!) but I find the extra work slows me down enough so I can enjoy the wings. Otherwise, I'm inhaling them like a car wash vacuum going after loose change.

Making the perfect wing requires a deep fryer. All the healthy alternatives you can do at home don't cut it. They can come close, grilling produces a nice texture, but the fryer gets all crevices of the skin nice and crispy. So you are really forced to go out, if you want a really great wing. On the up side, any place selling wings will also have the adult beverage of your choice available. Now the perfect drink...

The Perfect Bar Snack

Chicken wings are the perfect bar food. I had an order for an early dinner and it's 9pm (going to get this posted by midnight, so it will count!) and I could down another right now. Especially watching the Giants.

The wing has always been my favorite part of the chicken. When, as an adult, I discovered that one could order a whole plate JUST of the wings AND get a beer, I was in heaven, well, actually a bar. But a bar and chicken wings make the perfect appetizer.

First, the traditional hot wings require something to wash them down, most will prefer a cold beer. But being a bar, allows more variation in the adult beverage choices. But you don't have to coat them in hot sauce, any flavored sauce works, hell, even plain they're little bits of fired chicken bliss.

You have to love a munchie that comes with its own little eating utensil...

I'm about to lose power, so I'm posting this incomplete entry to make the midnight deadline.  

M-254725-P.H. RICHERT

OK, two in a row! This probably won’t be too long (though I’ve been known to ramble, once I get going.) I will also use a visual aid, a jpeg of the letter that is the inspiration for the post.

This letter is from the Richert Family Collection, a fancy name for all the correspondence that was never thrown out, just passed on to surviving relatives. Most families might have a piece of furniture or another tangible item from previous generations, but we are lucky to have a substantial amount of family correspondence. Unfortunately, the 19th century stuff is mostly in handwritten Old German script and might as well be a CIA code.

But this letter is later and type written. Really just an average day piece of mail answering a query by my great-grandfather. But, it is 85 years old and answers a question that would be asked today. Why did you raise my rates?

Business being business, the answer was simple. You made a claim against the policy. Something you would hear today. Change the date and the amount and this letter could have been sent yesterday. And those are two of the aspects of the letter that I find so fascinating.

The age of the letter is really nothing special. Obviously, many business models that exist today, have their roots going back centuries. Finding a letter less than a hundred years old duplicating a modern practice (rather, proving that what they do today, they did years ago) shouldn’t be a surprise.

But I think it is a great reminder, especially when there is a familial connection. This a snapshot into history, made more real because the players are related and you can put yourself in their place ─ my grandfather wrecked the family car and my great-grandfather’s insurance went up.

The amount is humorous and also a great lesson in inflation. I can’t think of anyone today filing a claim for $21.75, no matter WHAT their deductible policy. Hell, that’s not even enough to cover dinner at T. Applechiligan’s.

Clearly, in 1931, it was enough to make a claim and have the insurance company raise your rates as a result. We often hear about the cost of an apple or what one made in a day. Expenses, and unplanned expenses are also a great insight into inflation and the cost of living in past years.

The letter also shows how we’ve been complaining about our insurance rates for years.

Let's get my ass back on the wagon!

I am really furious at myself. I was going strong and totally fell off the blog writing wagon in February. I had some many "perfect" days to restart and I managed to talk myself out of each one. Today will be short and far more self-flagellating than I originally intended.

I deserve to be beat up for any short little bit would have sufficed to keep positive momentum. How does every streak every start?  By two and more in a row. But first, you have to have to complete the FIRST one.

And just posting SOMETHING counts. Anything. Just keep the streak going. Hell a picture and a freaking caption are better than nothing. In fact, some visuals wouldn't hurt things in general.

First step—consistent posts. Then, some thoughtful, insight, humorous, but above all, readable posts.

See? Short and sweet.