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Street Food

Street food has an indelible emotional impact on our memories. I shared some photos of my recent trip to New York, in particular photos of street food vendors (some of which are included in this post) with family and friends. I got several nice notes back in which they recounted early memories of street food in New York. One friend said that some of his earliest memories involve his grandmother buying roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes from vendors for them to munch on while spending an afternoon in mid-town Manhattan. Another, my sister, told me that her earliest memory of anything was of eating a hot dog with sauerkraut on it from a street vendor in New York. I have a similar memory of eating a sauerkraut dog on a New York street corner as a child.

Intense memories. And not just from childhood. From a recent trip to Asia, I still have almost photographically detailed mental images of street vendors and their food. From my youth, I can still taste the salted boiled peanuts I would look forward to buying when we visited our Mississippi relatives. So, it’s no surprise, when trying to think what I could blog about on my NYC trip, that I chose the street food that’s available on almost every corner.

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Halal Food Carts

The overwhelming majority of vendors sell halal food. The term, halal, has, as that Wikipedia article describes, various meanings. In brief, in the USA, it means the dietary laws followed by Muslims which are similar to, but not the same as–or interchangeable with–Jewish kosher dietary practices. Every major city on the planet, New York, London, Paris, etc., has numerous halal restaurants. I’m not Muslim, so the spiritual significance of the dietary practices are of only background interest to me. For me, it’s the taste, and halal tastes great.

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Every time I’ve had halal food, in a restaurant or from a street vendor, the person serving me always eagerly asks, “Do you like it?!” It seems to be of genuine importance to them that someone who is not Muslim enjoys this food. And, I’ve had a similar experience with every culture’s food I’ve eaten: Native American dishes, food from a large number of different Asian nationalities, various African cuisines, the amazing number of different Mexican, South and Central American culinary traditions, Indian/Pakistani styles, and the different European cuisines (which have an huge variety all their own). Each time the purveyor of foods was intensely interested to know if I, who am not a member of their culture, enjoyed their food. Each time it was easy to answer Yes. Each time they were pleased and answered with a huge grin. Remember “ping pong diplomacy”? Maybe falafel diplomacy would be even more successful.

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The halal street food menus were primarily a choice between chicken or lamb or a mix of the two. The meat was served either on a soft pita bread–a la a Greek gyro–or over yellow rice with lettuce. Some of the stands served a sausage which, of course, must have been something other than pork. I wished I’d thought to ask their composition at the time, but I didn’t. If someone knows, please comment. Whether one has the chicken, the lamb, a mix, and on bread or over yellow rice and lettuce, one also has a choice of white sauce (again, like on a Greek gyro) or a really hot red sauce, or both. It’s a full and very satisfying meal, and eaten sitting on a bustling street corner in Manhattan, a special treat.

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Fruit and Juice Stands

The fresh fruit stands are something that we desperately need here. Imagine a typical scorcher day here and being able to stop for a second and bite into a juicy peach, or a toss back a handful of blueberries. I realize that Tampabay area made the street vendor hall of fame a few years back with our hot dog stands manned (wrong word) by models in t-back thong swimsuits. Nevertheless…we could do with some fresh fruit stands.

I’m not sure if there’s any connection to the fruit juice stands in NYC, but halal dietary laws forbid the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The only predominately Muslim nation I’ve visited is Malaysia. There, as well as on Malaysian Airlines which I was fortunate to travel, a wide variety of fresh fruit juices were always available, I suspect, because of the dietary restrictions. Malaysia also has a sizable minority which is Buddhist, for whom the consumption of alcohol is considered less than ideal. Regardless of the reason, it would be delightful if the world had more fresh fruit and juice stands.

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I get a kick out of watching the endless variety of people and their different attire standing in line: locals blue jeans and t-shirts, tourists with cameras, business men and women dressed for success, some men in baseball caps, some women with scarves, big purses, little purses, high heels, flip-flops, work boots, wing tips, designer fashion, off the rack…all standing in line. There’s something almost philosophical about queuing up. It dramatizes our common humanity: ultimately, we all have to humbly stand in line. (That’s a good thing, not a bad thing.)

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Hot Dogs and Knishes

Of course, the archetypical, hot dog cart still is omnipresent on New York street corners. Kosher dogs, of course. And, knishes (”knish” is pronounced “ka-NISH,” rhymes with “dish”). Knishes are kosher stuffed pastries, sort of like our empanadas here in the Tampabay.

Another allure of street food is its sense of carefree freedom…from the vendor’s point of view. Some of us want to run away and join the circus. Others want to run away and have a hot dog stand. I actually knew such a person. He even went so far as to buy a stand which, as I remember, never left storage until another friend of his used it to try out the fantasy. It wasn’t as carefree as either person had hoped, and nowhere near as lucrative as they’d projected. It was hard, hot, exhausting work with a sometimes difficult general public. Last I knew, the stand was back in storage.

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Jamaican Jerk

There’s a couple more things I’d like to try next time I get to go to New York. One is to try this Jamaican jerked food stand. But, also I want to see if I can find some other nationalities of street food. I didn’t make it to Chinatown this time, but I don’t remember ever seeing any Asian street food there. There must be some, somewhere in the city. Same for Indian/Pakistani street food. Is there any? I think I saw a Russian or perhaps Turkish street food vendor down in the lower east side, but I didn’t have the chance to determine for sure. Next time…! If anyone knows where to find other types of street food in NYC, please let us know.

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Bagel and Donuts

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I avoided the bagel and donuts stands because of all the starches, but others–why is it always the thin people?!–were busy filling up on them. The donuts and pretzels and bagels all looked very fresh. I wonder where they’re made, what the supply chain is for the various foods for all these stands. Obviously, the street food stand itself is just the tip of an iceberg of logistics and preparation that makes it possible. The friend I was with wondered, too, about the pecking order for stands and what rules governed the various positions. It would seem that some people had to move from time to time, getting to share key locations, whereas some people never had to move…a complex web of unknown dynamics.

Setting Up and Moving Around

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From time to time, a stand would be closed up and moved, just a few feet, exchanging places with another stand. Sometimes a stand would be closed up and taken away entirely. Once, I saw three in a row, being dragged by hand into location from some warehouse. I never saw a stand being pulled by a car or truck, although there were some stands with built-in propulsion. One company seemed to service most of the stands with halal supplies. The following little 30 second video I cobbled together from a series of still shots I took as a vendor went about his morning chore of setting up his stand. It was fun to watch, although I think I might have annoyed him, considering a gesture of impatience he finally made. Nevertheless, he let me continue.

Open Until the Wee Hours

It seemed that some shops stayed open until late, late, late at night. One in particular, near the Avenue of the Americas, one that always had long lines anyway, would have an even longer one late at night. For sure, the emotional tone surrounding the food carts and the streets themselves change after dark. There was a blog theme I admired during the Beijing Olympics which limited itself to shots of Beijing after dark–a lovely idea. Since each city has its own unique personality after dark, I may try applying that idea to St. Pete some day. For sure, the emotions you see in these after dark street food scenes are different than the sunny smiles of the pictures that opened this article.

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There’s something about the body languages in the final shot (below) that reminds me of Edward Hooper’s “Nighthawks.” I guess it’s because the “Nighthawks” involves food, late at night, isolation within a teeming metropolis, and expressive body language. It was late (well…late for me) at night when I took that picture, after emerging from a subway while walking back from the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) where we watched the city transform from day, through dusk, into night–in itself, an emotive display.

During this trip, I got to see Hooper’s “Gas” at MOMA. I haven’t been to NYC very often. Every time I go, I go determined to make it to the Metropolitan. I never make it past MOMA. My only consolation is that I’m assured I’ll never see all of the Metropolitan in one lifetime anyway (sort of like the British Museum which is cosmic in its vastness).

A friend who has been to New York often suggests that a good motto when visiting that city is to tell yourself, “I’ll do that next time.”

Next time…I’m getting a knish.

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TOTEM BY MISSISSIPPI ARTIST, JOHNNY KNIGHT
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Roots

A while back there was a post about my Mississippi Cuzn Donna and another post about my Mississippi Cuzn Don’s Mississippi Greens recipe. There’s other Gulf Coast cousins, too, and in due time we’ll hear more about them including their blue grass and photography, but today, we’re going to hear from Cuzn Don again, with his recipes for Hoe Cakes and Hush Puppies. The recipes are related, but not exactly the same. Cuzn Don’s words will be in red italics. My comments and explanations will be in normal type.

There are many cultural roots in every region of the United States. Traditionally, the three biggest in the South, have been the Native Americans, the European settlers, and the African-American slaves. The European culinary influences, especially in New Orleans, are French and Spanish. The African culinary traditions the slaves brought with them from their home countries became the backbone of what, today, we call “Southern Cooking.” I don’t think it exists any more, but at one time there was a restaurant in Atlanta that had entrees based on actual antebellum (before the war) slave recipes. One I remember well was a pork chop with a peanut butter and cayenne pepper sauce—an unexpected combination and delicious. As important as the European and African influences on Southern cuisine are, however, it’s important to not forget the culinary influences of the Native American cultures.

Far too many people are not aware of how thoroughly the Native Americans populated the South prior to the genocidal policies that drove them from their lands. Today, there is only one federally recognized Native-American nation in Mississippi; see Choctaw.org and Native American Nations. But there were once many more; see Native languages, Indian Tribes in MS and Native Mississippi.

With that background, let’s turn to Cuzn Don as he begins his discussion of Hoe Cakes.

DRY INGREDIENTS ASSEMBLED
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Hoe Cakes

Originally, Native Americans cooked these on hot rocks in an open fire. They were first called “Ash cakes.” Later settlers from Europe adopted the recipe but it was from the slaves returning from the fields that the “Hoe Cakes” got its name. They would sometimes take the handles out of their hoes, clean and use the flat top as a griddle or stand over the hot coals with their hoes straight up..Their hoes were larger than the ones we use today. This is one of oldest recipes handed down that I know of, also the cheapest to make.

Early Recipes

• stone ground corn (Cornmeal)
• dash of salt
• add boiling water, stir into mush and make a patty
• small amount of fat for frying

The following recipe, “Southern Mississippi Hoe Cakes,” is the one I made for photos for this post. I followed Cuzn Don’s directions closely, but substituted some, perhaps non-traditional, ingredients. Hopefully, though, my substitutions aren’t as great a heresy as when northerners make their rice with sugar.

For the milk, I used buttermilk; for the cheese, I used gorgonzola; for the crumbled meat, I used Tennessee Pride HOT sausage–reserving the grease in the pan for cooking the hoe cakes; for the cajun seasoning, I used plain ol’ Crystal hot sauce; for both types of flour, I used self rising flours; I left out the egg since I am a Mississippi Gulf Coast Jones (although I live a bit farther south).

The smell was overwhelmingly good. My pan is only large enough to cook three at a time. So, it took every bit of self-discipline (not my long suit anyway) to not eat “just one” before taking a picture of the total results on a plate. I’ve bought the peanut oil to make the deep fried kind, but I’ll wait a couple months before I attempt those.

COOKING UP SOME HOT SAUSAGE
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Southern Mississippi Hoe Cakes

I believe this is an early recipe for today’s Southern “Hush Puppies”. Still cheaper to make and just as good or better. There may be others who may disagree but it has the same ingredients as today’s Southern “Hush Puppies”. I was told in my younger days that “Hush Puppies” got it name by giving the leftovers to the hunting dogs to keep them from barking. I am sure that they didn’t have a bag of “Ole Roy” or “Gravy Train” dog food from the store in the 1800’s.

My Jones kinfolks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast still use the term of “Hoe Cakes” with the recipe below but without an egg (family tradition).

(small portion my way)

• 1 cup of yellow cornmeal
• 1 egg beaten
• dash of Cajun seasoning
• milk
• small amount of grated cheese (your favorite)
• 1/3 cup of flour(optional)
• small amount of oil for griddle or pan

Mix all the dry ingredients and beaten egg then add milk a little at a time while stirring to get to a stage similar to a pancake batter. I make them about 4″ diameter or smaller. Cook on medium heat without mashing them down. If you would like, add meat such as left over hamburger meat. Break up a small portion of the meat and make your batter a little thicker so that it will hold around the meat.

The taste is great and my grandchildren love them .

If Native American cuisine interests you, there are a large number of Native American Food blogs on the Internet. Here is one with an Algonquian recipe for hoe cakes.

EVERYTHING TOGETHER MIXED IN A BOWL
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Johnny Knight

Before we return to Cuzn Don’s recipes, just a quick break to talk a bit about Cuzn Don’s own background and one of his influences, Johnny Knight. Johnny Knight was an adult mentor to Don and Don’s late brother, Larry, when they were growing up. Johnny Knight was an artist of Native-American descent who was loved by his community of Mendenhall, Mississippi. The totem pictured at the top of this post is his creation. Another project, preserved to this day by members of the community is his Tree House. A quick look at that link will convince you that he was a real talent and very original. Imagine being youngsters brought up in the water-hole-swimming, river-fishing, back-country-hunting, skin-and-cook-your-own-food Mississippi culture of the 50s.

This was back when the brands of coke (the generic term used in the South for what we northerners called “soda”) were Red Rock, Mr. Cola and Grappette, RC Cola (that one can still be found), creme and strawberry sodas and Orange Crush. It was back when bottle caps had cork on the inside and you would poke holes in the cap with an ice pick and shake the bottle to make a fizzy drink that lasted longer. (For a nifty page about fruit sodas, check out The Soda Gallery.)

Anyway…back in those days, Johnny Knight would take Cuzn Don and Cuzn Larry out hunting with nothing but their shotguns and he’d only take a bow and arrows. He taught them not only survival skills, but also respect for the land and its wildlife, not letting them hunt anything they couldn’t prepare and eat themselves. Small wonder Cuzn Don has become so active in Mississippi conservation efforts…and in cooking his own food.

COOKING IN A PAN
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Southern Mississippi Hush Puppies

(Deep Fried)

Deep fried hush puppies are usually made when frying fish and potatoes and cooked outdoors. Most good cooks will use peanut oil. This has a higher smoke point and like olive oil, a lot healthier for you.

Hush puppies are cooked first and you want plenty because they will disappear quickly while you are cooking the fish . You also may have to slap a few hands. If cooked right, they will simply melt in your mouth. I use a paper bag lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.

• 3 cups of yellow cornmeal
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped bell pepper or hot pepper
• salt
• cajun seasoning (I use 4or 5 dashes here or more)
• milk

Mix all dry ingredients and beaten eggs and add milk and stir. You want the the batter to be just thick enough to stick to a tablespoon holding it upside down. I always taste to make sure I have what I want at this point.

If you don’t have a deep fryer, you need a least one inch of oil in your pan so the hush puppies won’t hit the bottom and you can flip them over. They will float to the top.

When the oil is hot take the table spoon and dip about 1/2 of a spoonful of batter and gently push it until it drops into the hot oil. Keep spoon very close to oil so you don’t spatter. Cook until golden brown and flip over. Takes no more than a minute to cook. Over cook these and you will have to give it to your dog.”Hush Puppy” Enjoy!

READY TO EAT
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Cuzn Don’s “puppy”

Cuzn Don’s “puppy” that every so often he needs to “hush” is a purebred bloodhound named Major T. Beauregard (or “Major” for short) after the Confederate military man, Major P. G. T. Beauregard. One of Major’s grandfathers is out of the line of Beauregard Jr. on Hee Haw; Major’s father was the tracking bloodhound of the Mississippi Simpson county Sheriff…so he’s definitely from good stock. Cuzn Don proclaims that “Major is a damn mess!” At first, the only thing he’d been able to track was himself: he sniffed all around the woods and came back to where he started. Don says he’d like to train him to be quiet on posted land and bark at the deer instead of the reverse which is the case now. But, the grandkids like to run around and hide and Major can track them, so that’s good.

One last thing: Cuzn Don stresses that when you cook fried hushpuppies, first cook the hushpuppies, then cook your fish in the same oil. Don’t cook any more hushpuppies in that same oil after you cook the fish unless you cook some french fries in it first. Cooking the french fries in the oil will clean the grease of burnt specks of cornmeal in the oil. What you don’t dip out, will stick to the french fries. After cooking the french fries, you can cook more hushpuppies in the same grease and/or save it for use later in a coffee can, although Cuzn Don allows he wouldn’t reuse it for frying chicken.

Try ‘em. They’re really not at all difficult to make. But you’ll have to be quick if you want to taste some yourself; the grandkids and the dog are assured to gobble them all up. One more warning: I’d told myself I’d only eat a couple and then freeze the rest for another time. Didn’t happen…yet. I’m now past a “couple” and still eating. I do hope I have some left to freeze.

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THE RIVER STRONG, D’LO MISSISSIPPI
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The Inkwatu Store

At the bottom of each post are a series of links to various sub-pages of this blog site. One is Store. In the “real” world, I’m a musician. There are now MP3s of some of my music available through Amazon.com. If you click on the Inkwatu Store link, you’ll find links to the proper Amazon.com pages. It is possible to purchase these selections as an “album” of MP3s or as individual tracks. What I like, particularly, about AmazonMP3’s presentation is that you can hear a sample of any track you want–just click on the little button just to the left of each selection.

Here’s what’s available now, listed as you’ll see it on the Inkwatu Store link. Whenever I’m able to expand the selections, I’ll post another announcement.

I’m the composer of all the music as well as the performer/producer. Hope you find something you enjoy in the store. If you’re a musician yourself, sheet music for all the above selections will be soon be available through the store. Can mugs and t-shirts be far behind?!

Emerging neighborhoods, artists, & businesses

Our nation’s forefathers–don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a political rant!–were very concerned about what they termed the “tyranny of the majority.” (Wiki: “The phrase originated with Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America (1835, 1840) and was further popularized by John Stuart Mill…Federalist Papers frequently refer to the concept…“)

It’s this well-grounded fear of our founding fathers that finds voice in the wag who says, “democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for supper.” This is indeed one of the hazards of a democracy, which is why we have a republic instead of a pure democracy. In a republic, ideally, a small group of elected representatives can make more considered, non-partisan decisions that protect the interests of minorities than a pure democracy might make.

Similarly, when it comes to business, what is most dangerous is the “tyranny of the big.” The restaurants and bookstores I write about are not Denny’s or Borders. I try to foster the small and independent because I believe they are what’s interesting and are what create the real social and economic health of the community.

.It is absolutely true that Denny’s and Borders have their place. So too, Amazon–I buy and sell on Amazon a lot. But the good thing about ‘”Big” (their standardization, their safety, their volume and scope) is also the bad thing about “Big” (same ol’-same ol’, not edgy at all, no obscure or highly specialized items).

I lived for a short while in New Orleans and have always visited there whenever I can. There may be a few Starbucks in New Orleans, but almost no one goes. Instead, they go to locally owned CC’s, or a PJ’s (which is my preference of the two), a locally owned brand of coffee that’s been around for 30 years, thanks to locals who support their own. But PG’s isn’t the only local coffee scene in New Orleans; there’s any number from the well-known tourist destination, Cafe Du Monde, through the Neutral Ground Coffee House, on to my favorite haunt many a morning, Rue de la Course.

If you’re interested in more information on New Orleans coffee houses, there’s an excellent blog just on coffee in New Orleans that’s a real delight: New Orleans Coffee Culture. For those of you who don’t know what the term, “Neutral Ground,” means (as referred to in the name of the shop mentioned above), it’s the median in the middle of the street in New Orleans. There are different theories as to the origin of the term. One is that it was where the duels were held back in the early days. Another, quoting here from The Big Easy Dictionary, is that “Legend has it that the neutral ground got its name from early New Orleans when the French and Spanish could do business between sections of the city standing on the ‘neutral ground.’”

Now, before we transition back to Tampa, let’s do a little pulling-together of concepts right now. When we go to enjoy New Orleans coffee, do we go to a Starbucks? No! We go to the small, the independent, something with character and history. Left unchecked, without the leavening of the small and independent, the Big can destroy history, independence, beauty, and character. It almost always siphons off capital from the local economy. Therefore…

Cafe Hey

…let’s support our own. A good example is a tiny coffee shop/snackery in Tampa a friend took me to several weeks ago: Cafe Hey (1540 N. Franklin Ave., Tampa, FL 33602; 813-221-5150). It is co-owned by S. Cheong Choi and Anne and Christopher Vela (Chris is a young, local architect). Here’s an article about the three co-owners that gives insight into their motivation and history together at Plant High School.

A good article on the cafe, similar to the West Tampa blog I linked to in my NoHo Bistro post, is this one in the Tampa Heights blog. Tampa Heights is a section of Tampa that has gone, almost overnight, from once undesirable to, now, almost unaffordable. It has absolutely great dwellings and a location that is prime for a post-gasoline world. It is within short, easy cycling distance from downtown and has an attractive view of the city skyline and the river. This article talks about the various establishments who have taken the chance on opening in Tampa Heights.

Cafe Hey is one of these small independently and locally owned commercial endeavors that are key to making the Tampa Heights community thrive. The Cafe, itself, supports “local” in that it serves coffee from Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters in Gainesville and Tampa’s Naviera Coffee Mills. Locally grown talent is nurtured, as well, in Cafe Hey’s Open Mic Night, every Thursday.

The whole New Urbanism concept (or at least the application of it I prefer, which applies the principles to existing areas, avoiding outlying green areas) is that of many, self-sufficient, walkable, small “towns” (neighborhoods) within the larger city.

Keeping these small business afloat by giving them our custom ^(3a) is what will make this transition to the new lifestyle work. If you still drive to work, rather than take the easy way out of hitting a drive-through, quickly park and run in to Cafe Hey to get your breakfast coffee or light lunch. Or, maybe go there on a weekend (they’re open on Saturday and Sunday, as well as Tuesday through Friday–for details on hours see this Yelp listing).

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TS Fay is past and, as it turned out, Tampabay survived without being touched at all. Others weren’t so fortunate: there was much flooding on the east coast and at least 6 died as of the writing of this post. There really is no such thing as an insignificant tropical storm. Many thanks to Lucy for her two guest posts (Part 1 and Part 2) while I prepared for a storm that, fortunately, never hit here. I’m back to take up the pen again for Inkwatu. Here is today’s post…

The personality of a place

The two cities—St. Petersburg and Tampa–facing each other across Tampa Bay have always had very different personalities. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a city has a personality. Exactly “how” it happens, I haven’t a clue. I’m not even sure what branch of study concerns itself with such things…sociology maybe? Geography? Regardless, it’s true that cities have their own unique character and like any person, have their own character traits. Part of St. Petersburg’s is its locally owned, independent bookstores.

In an earlier post, I profiled Haslam’s, that is definitely a great place and, justifiably, bills itself as “Florida’s Largest New & Used Bookstore” But bigger isn’t better, it’s just different. There are other independent bookstores in St. Pete that, just like cities and people, have their own character. One, that has been a favorite of mine for many, many years, is Lighthouse Books (1735 First Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33713; 727-822-3278; Florida & Caribbean History, Literature of the South, Rare & Unusual).

One almost creeps into Lighthouse Books like a spelunker rather than walking upright, since the tiny house is so crammed with books. It resembles a cave more than anything else with bookshelves cantilevered above your head. Lighthouse’s tag line (”Rare & Unusual) is well earned. At their stall at last year’s Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association Annual Book Fair, I was able to find several books I enjoyed as a child: old pot-boiler flying ace novels published during WWII that probably nurtured my current love of action fiction. The Annual Book Fair, which is held in the St. Pete Coliseum, is NOT to be missed. It, and other events held at the Coliseum, such as Floridiana retro exhibits, are inexpensive and fun, the kind of events that’ll entertain you for a full day.

The Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association Member List is a terrific resource for finding independent bookstores throughout Florida; this list of “Indie” Store Links gives listings from all 50 states. More info on local independent book dealers can be found at Tampa Book Buzz.

More than one kind of “used book”

Incunabula

I’ll be reporting more fully on Lighthouse Books and other St. Pete independent bookstores in later posts. Today, I want to showcase another St. Pete independent bookstore that is a St. Pete institution: Wilson’s Bookworld (2394 9th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33704; 727-896-3700‎).

If you take a peek at the above Florida Booksellers listing (Wilson’s doesn’t have their own home on the web), you’ll notice their tag line is “Used & Rare, General, Incunabula.” Now…what the heck is incunabula?! I have a pretty good vocabulary, but I had to look that one up. I’m glad I did because I, mistakenly, thought I had remembered that it had something to do with witches and warlocks!

I was confusing incunabula, with “Incubus” (a demon that has sex with people in their sleep).

Wikipedia’s first few words about “incunabula” (what Wilson’s sells—no evil spirits at Wilson’s, I guarantee!) is very concise and understandable: “An incunabulum is a book, single sheet, or image that was printed — not handwritten — before the year 1501 in Europe. These are very rare and valuable items.”

Their tag line definitely gives an accurate picture once you know what incunabula means…just imagine a bookstore with used books that range from comic books and romance novels to manuscripts from the 16th century! That’s Wilson’s.

The ABE Books page for Wilson’s gives a link to Griffon’s Medieval Manuscripts, “Affordable Renaissance Art for the Discriminating Individual.” Dr. Griffon and Jeff Morris have been working together for the past decade. Morris is Director of Incunabula & Early Printing for Griffon’s. Two years he was also put in charge of Indentures (hand written medieval legal documents mostly dealing with land). Mondays & Tuesdays he can be found at his desk at Griffon’s pouring over old tomes. Within the incunabula community he’s been Internationally published (The Ship of Fools To 1500 ISBN #1-57898-523-4) and was the closing speaker for the International Incunabula Symposium held at the special collections library at USF last year. Click on the following Amazon graphic link to purchase a copy of The Ship Of Fools To 1500.

Comic Books…er, I mean graphic novels

I wasn’t exaggerating about Wilson’s carrying comic books. Haslam’s has them too, all finely packaged in plastic, but the Wilson’s collection, while it includes pricier items, also carries opportunities for the collector of more modest means. One reviewer on The Master List has the following review about Wilson’s comic book collection: “They sell new comics and have a subscription service but what is wonderful about Wilson’s is that most of the back issues in their back issue bins are $1.00! They also have a huge pile of quarter books you can sort through.”

Jack Kerouac and St. Pete

When researching for a post oddball things turn up. Usually, those tidbits are just things that I fritter away time following down the rabbit warrens of the Internet! Sometimes, though, those items relate in some oblique way. So it was that I discovered, in my research for this post (yes…bloggers actually research, they don’t just improvise off the top of their heads), that St. Pete was the final residence of Jack Kerouac! (This was in the context of looking up Florida authors—there are so many Florida authors, that topic deserves a blog all of its own!)

Kerouac’s home is still here–seems like someplace worth looking up some afternoon, just to say you did. Do check out Google Books, on page 37 of Pop Culture Florida by James P. Goss (Pineapple Press Inc, 2000; ISBN 1561641995, 9781561641994; 162 pages)—available for purchase at the Amazon graphic link above or here: Pop Culture Florida.

It has an entire, very intriguing chapter on Jack Kerouac’s final days here, entitled “Martyred in St. Petersburg.” Ornery to the end, he was a real presence in St. Pete’s literary/artistic milieu and, considering a number of people I know, today, in that milieu I would say he maybe cast the mold for generations to come.

Goss’ book is described on the cover as “A behind-the-scenes look at some of the people and events that have played a part in the pop history of the Sunshine State from 1945 to the present; A factual, fun, sometimes funny overview of high-living movers and shakers, lowly scam artists and criminals, and just plain colorful folks; Discover little-known facts about some of Florida’s most famous residents, visitors, and events.”

I confess to more than a bit of covetousness about this very nice little book. I hope to do the same thing some day with Inkwatu posts, edited into a St. Pete book. Goss’ book is definitely in the tradition to which I aspire. (I figure mine wouldn’t be grand enough to be a “coffee table book,” but it might qualify as a “dashboard book,” what locals leave in their cars to help them find a good place to eat.)

Jeff Morris, owner, Wilson’s Bookworld

Another tidbit to surface in my research for this post came about in stages. The owner is listed as Jeff Morris. Searching for that name, I found this Creative Loafing article than mentions a Jeff Morris who is both a photographer and owner of Wilson’s Bookworld. So, I went a-hunting for St. Pete photographers named Jeff Morris and came up with a beautiful website called Graven Images Photography. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I queried Mr. Morris of Graven Images if he is the same Jeff Morris who owns Wilson’s Bookworld.

I was delighted to discover he is. He gave me a bit of history that’s not available online: his mom founded Wilson’s back in 71. He worked there part time since its inception and full time when he got out of High School in 75. He bought her out in 88 and has had Graven Images since 2000.

I urge you to explore his photography site. He’s a real photographer (not just a point-and-shoot guy like me). All the photos are beautiful. Some have a sense of humor (this one for instance) and some are mysterious (like this one). It’s tough to limit myself to just a couple examples—there are too many good ones.

A cozy store in a cozy city

Before leaving this post on Wilson’s just a couple observations about the store itself. It is COMFORTABLE! It has the real easy-chair environment that Borders and B&N imitate (but whose interior designer-purchased chairs are always taken by some annoying person talking business on a cell phone). It has all the various genres covered, including some hard-to-find used books within those genres. On the front windows and along the porte-cochere are hand drawn images of a fantasy world inspired “book world.”

Wilson’s is located in a part of old St. Pete called Woodlawn which has its own unique historical interest and character. Next door—actually sharing the same building as Wilson’s—is Memory Lane Antique Mall (2392 MLK–9th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33704). Across the street is an aging three-meal-a-day restaurant (the kind where you can get fried liver and mashed potatoes) with faux Baroque angels painted on the ceiling (Dave’s Restaurant, 2339 9th St N., St Petersburg, FL 33704; 727-895-6057). Dave’s has a nice collection of framed, old St. Pete photos.

Neighborhoods! Sidewalks. Little shops in close proximity. Incunabula…or is it Incubi? A human configured urban life that permits “making a day of it.” The St. Pete we love.

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Isn’t that the way the old radio mystery serials and soap box operas used to begin? Well, in our last episode, Hurricane Party (Part 1), I said I hoped that you would be understanding and let me re-print two posts from my sister’s blog, Lava to Lilikoi. This way I can keep to my twice-weekly Inkwatu post schedule but yet handle the preparations and eventualities of being smack dab in the path of tropical storm Fay…due here the evening of the 19th. Since both these “emergency posts” are being prepared early and pre-scheduled for automatic publication, I hope they’re not being published posthumously!

“Stay tuned for next week’s episode to see if our wiley Inkwatu blogger managed to survive on chianti, pork rinds, and guacamole!”

Seriously, things should be OK and all will be back to normal by next Wednesday’s post of Inkwatu. Thanks for your patience and understanding. In the meantime, I know you’ll enjoy more from Lucy Lee with this second of two posts from her blog, Lava to Lilikoi. See you next week!

Taking Time For An Update

I’m just a baby in blogging years, but here I am at Post #16 – sweet sixteen! I think it’s time to do a brief update on my progress. If you look back at my previous posts, you’ll have something to reference when I talk about certain plants and animals.

Chickens: A few loud cackles a couple mornings ago informed me that eggs were finally being laid. The girls are doing their job, and I had the first eggs for lunch that day. They are small, but I had read that might be the case with the first few eggs. I had just started integrating layer pellets into their food this past week, and the nesting boxes were ready for them.

I had also read that it might be necessary to put fake eggs in the nesting area to let them know the exact purpose of the nesting box and material. They don’t have a lot of places to hide eggs in their run, but I didn’t want to have to crawl in there to rescue eggs.

So far, most of what I gather are small brown eggs from the Rhode Island Reds, but one of the Araucana had found her way into the nesting box by this afternoon. In this picture, you can see the difference between the brown eggs and a light one that I think is from an Araucana. Their eggs can be all shades and colors.

Water Tank: I’ve been able to maintain a fair amount of water this year. Last year, I ended up buying 4,000 gallons (a water tanker full) by this time of year. The year before that, I had to buy two loads (8,000 gallons). A few threatening hurricanes have blown a couple of residual rains our way. If we haven’t had a heavy rain, we’ve at least had misty days.

I still have 50” of water in the tank, which is wonderful! Also, with the rains, I haven’t had to water my plants, which helps to conserve my supply. I keep the chlorine and pH at the proper levels. I had the tank vacuumed toward the end of June. This was the first vacuuming of algae off the bottom of the tank since I moved in two years ago.

I learned a trick from friends about how to put bicarbonate of soda in the tank. I’d been pouring it in around the edge, but they dump an entire twelve-pound bag of soda into an old pillowcase, tie it up with a line, and toss it into the tank. Gradually, it seeps out into the water and gets mixed in to keep the pH between 6.8 and 7.0.

I have a net filter where the water runs into the tank from gutters on both the house and the shed. There has been a fair amount of debris caught in the nets lately, which goes into my compost pile.

Garden: I have a fresh crop of beets coming up. I couldn’t wait, so I bought fresh beets at the Na`alehu Farmer’s Market last week, along with more corn.

My Japanese pumpkin (kabocha) is growing, but no matter how many seeds I put out, only the one vine has really done anything so far. It’s bearing, however, and has plenty of blooms on it.

The Hawaiian Pepper seeds I’ve put out aren’t doing anything yet, but the pepper plants I bought at the nursery are producing nice little peppers. They are hard to see here – hidden by the leaves and blending into the fig in the background.

I have a few figs getting ripe, enough for a one-person snack.

The herbs that burned back from the sulfur dioxide in the vog have started to come back and fill out.

At one point, the rosemary spread out over a three-foot area. The sulfur dioxide got to it and here is what’s left after cutting back the dead portion. I hope it regains strength and vigor.

I know most people would love to keep their mint from spreading so far out and completely taking over their garden, but I feel very lucky to have this little patch growing. I wonder how mint will taste with those word I may have to eat someday?

The coffee trees are about a third or less of what they should be by now, but at least they continue to put out new leaves. If I’m lucky, they might make it enough for me to brew at least one pot of coffee someday.

All my triangle palms have new shoots and are looking fairly healthy, in spite of the bad air. I have to add iron to them periodically.

I have several small triangle palms on my front steps ready to go in the ground. I’ve been lining my driveway with triangles.

Most of my protea have been totally lost, although I have a couple of banksias that are still growing. You can see that this one has a little of the sulfur burn on it.

The Barbados Lily has put out lots of healthy leaves. You can computer this to the picture taken 4 weeks ago.

The peanuts are growing! You can see a couple of tiny yellow blooms hidden among the leaves. In the Deep South, where I spent many years of life, and where my father grew up, we called them “goobers.” There was the “goober” man who walked the streets selling his peanuts, calling out “Goooooobers! Goooobers for sale!” That also reminds some of us of the peanut vendor at baseball games. I grew up loving the St. Louis Cardinals as a kid.

The lilikoi (passion fruit) is sending out feelers, reaching for the fishing line I’ve put on the side of the shed.

I get impatient, however. It feels like everything should be growing at a much faster pace. Any soil or “pig dirt” I put on my plants just sifts down into the cracks between the lava rocks. I add more, it rains (or I water), and I lose that much more. It’s a slow process, but certainly a learning experience.

In spite of the hard mix of sulfur dioxide and unforgiving lava, some things seem to get more beautiful by the day. These pink plumeria were just small cuttings this last spring. I’ve put them out all over to provide a bit of color - a sweet smell to end this post.

Back to normal next week

Thank you, Lucy! And, thank you all for welcoming Lucy and her guest posts while I deal with the necessities of preparing for tropical storm Fay. We’ve learned here that you take the baby storms as seriously as the big, bad ones. We’ve also learned that all storms are capricious–you can never fully predict their direction. Inkwatu will be back to its usual self next Wednesday. See you then…!

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Part of living on southern coastal waters is living with tropical storms and hurricanes. The best part is that you can see them coming and have time to prepare. I’m prepared: yesterday I bought three big square plastic containers of drinking water, today I went and bought eight bottles of Chianti–that and the pork rinds and guacamole should tide me over…me and whoever else comes over to get in out of the rain. Since things are a little hectic right now, for this post and the next one, with her permission of course, I’m reprinting two of my favorite posts from my sister’s blog.

I think you will enjoy these two guest posts. Not only is Lucy Lee my only sibling and closest and most long-standing friend, she’s a terrific and very interesting person. She’s a professor of psychology living on the side of a volcano in Hawaii trying to farm on top of solid lava–hence, the name of her blog, “Lava to Lilikoi.” (Lilikoi is Passion Fruit.)

Inkwatu will be back to “normal” by next Wednesday. By then, TS Fay should be history and I’ll be able to focus on writing more Inkwatu blogs. In the meantime, please welcome Lucy. All the pictures below are Lucy’s and the narrator (the first person, “I”) is also her. I hope you have a minute to check out her web site and blog (see above); I’m very fond of Lucy Lee and of her blog.

This Little Piggy…

In several of my posts, I’ve referred to what I call my “pig dirt.” It is given to me by friends who have a piggery nearby. I knew it was rich and produced good veggies for me, but had never gone to see the source.

A couple weeks ago, I went with Dane and Terry Shibuya to their pig farm, mauka of Na`alehu. For the benefit of my readers who do not live in Hawai`i, we talk about the location of anything up the mountain from where we are as mauka. Everything that is below us toward the sea is makai.

So we drove mauka a short distance over a dirt road from Na`alehu to “Masazo’s Pig Farm.” Masazo was Dane’s grandfather who originally owned the land that has been handed down through three generations, with a fourth generation in waiting.

I was warned about the smell, but I honestly wasn’t bothered by it. It’s the smell of good manure that will become wonderful “pig dirt” for my raised beds.

My limited experience with pigs was with two of my children who raised pigs for the 4-H club. Their dad and I were community leaders of one of the local 4-H clubs in California. Even with only two pigs on our small farmette, I learned a fair amount about pigs. Here Mark and Inga are training their pigs to walk with a tap of the cane.

By the time the pigs got to the state fair for showing and judging, they were in prime condition, ready for market. I never knew pigs could be so smart! Here is Inga in her 4-H uniform showing her freshly cleaned, greased and powdered pig.

At Masazo’s, I watched as Dane and his daughter went about the business of “slopping” the pigs and preparing the stalls for the next step in creating my “pig dirt.”

There are two lines of stalls with a large “ditch” between them. The stalls slope toward the middle so that Dane can push all the manure into the ditch with his Bobcat. The gathered manure is then carried out to a yard area where it will be spread out to dry.

There are special stalls for the farrowing (birthing), to protect the babies and keep them cleaner. The mother can accidentally roll over her babies and smother them.

The completed product has no smell whatsoever, and it’s what I have piled up in my side area here. He told me there was no soil mixed in with it, other than a little that might get scraped up in the process of gathering it. They suggested that I can mix it with a little garden soil and/or a bit of cinder, or even use it as it is.

Any gardener needs to know about N-P-K. N (Nitrogen) is necessary for the rich, dark green vegetation that grows above ground. P (Phosphorus) is the element that produces strong roots plus any fruits or flowers. K (Potassium or Potash) helps to prevent water loss due to dry weather and cold air, thereby keeping strong plants.

Depending on your purpose, the ratio of these three elements will vary. For instance, if you want a rich lawn, you’ll look for a fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen. If you want more flowers and fruits, then you want high Phosphorus.

According to nutritional standards set by the government, the highest rate this kind of manure can get is a “3” and this manure has passed with a “3” in all three categories. No wonder my plants do well with the “pig dirt!”

Another regulation I wasn’t aware of is that wild pigs are not allowed to breed with domesticated pigs. The Masazo pigs are protected from any wild pigs getting to them.

After having four children (at separate times), I can sympathize with the Mama Pigs (sows) who have large litters of piglets. It takes three months, three weeks, and three days from conception to birth.

The babies are weaned after about five or six weeks. Three days after weaning, the sow is ready for breeding again and can produce two and a half litters per year.

Even though the sow looks too lean for breeding again, Dane said the skinny sow makes the best babies, “just like a skinny wahine makes better babies,” he said.

One of Terry’s friends will be going into my freezer soon! It might be more difficult to cook them, after seeing them at Masazo’s, but I think I can force myself!

Many mahalos, Terry and Dane! You really know how to show a girl a good time.

Thank you, Lucy

Hope you all enjoyed this reprint from Lucy Lee’s Lava to Lilikoi while I’m off dealing with preparations for TS Fay. Saturday’s post will be another reprint from Lava to Lilikoi, then I’ll return to Inkwatu a week from today.

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click here for larger image

Do you remember Cuzn Don and his Mississippi Greens and Hillbilly Rabbits? Well, there’s a Cuzn Donna, too! It’s true. I’m not making this up. And, I’m real proud of her. She’s the veterinary technician at the Jackson, Mississippi, Zoo. It’s more than just a job for her; these animals are her loved ones. She has even nursed some back to health in her own home.

I got to visit Cuzn Donna last year for the first time since she was a toddler. The picture that leads this post is of my daddy and his family–my Mississippi kinfolk. The tall handsome young man on the right is my daddy. The little girl in the middle is Cuzn Don’s mamma. The boy between my daddy and Cuzn Don’s mamma (Aunt Esther) is Uncle Joe. And, the little barefoot boy sitting on the fence is Uncle Sammy, and Cuzn Donna’s daddy. (I’m told having one pant leg rolled up slightly higher than the other so they’re slightly askew, as his are, was the fashion for boys in those days.)

Something about that picture pretty well expresses the “real me.” My guess is Cuzn Don and Cuzn Donna feel the same way. (That photo is courtesy of Cuzn Don’s fantastic collection of family photos.)

So it was that Cuzn Donna loaded me into the zoo golf cart and gave me a personalized tour of the Jackson Zoo. One of the first things you see is a miniature stone castle that has become an identifying icon for the affection the residents of Jackson feel for their zoo. The zoo itself dates back to 1916 and the Lilliputian castle was built by the WPA during the depression. The city has a first-rate article on the history of the zoo—I hope you a have minute to read it; it’s very informative (but also interesting…sometimes those things don’t always go together).

The Jackson Zoo, like many zoos of its age has grown in its zoological philosophy. It has recently been converting the exhibits from the older caged style to natural habitat environments. It may have completed that transition by now.

At the time Cuzn Donna took me around there were, as you can see in the photos, lingering effects from Katrina, even that far north (trees down, etc.). Mississippi and Louisiana still have not recovered from the effects of that disaster. Laternlight, run by the Presentation Sisters of New Orleans, does yeoman work in feeding and clothing the destitute of New Orleans–a population much increased by Katrina. Much still remains to be done; especially along the Gulf Coast. A friend and I plan on visiting the Lanternlight mission later this year and, along the way, seeing firsthand what remains to be done along the coast. (Yup, I’ll take pictures.)

The Jackson Zoo is an AZA accredited zoo. The AZA site gives a lot of information about the current standards of animal care for zoos and aquariums. Meeting those standards is a requirement for accreditation by the AZA. Zoos like those in San Diego, San Francisco, and St. Louis, were at the forefront in the transition to natural habitat animal environments. A day at the zoo is one of the least expensive but yet most fun and educational things a family (or singles!) can do. I’ve planned a post on the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa. An acquaintance is a docent there, so hopefully I can arrange an up-close view for us of the Lowery Park Zoo’s considerable modernization.

One of the close-up views of the Jackson Zoo Cuzn Donna gave me was of the veterinary facilities which are all Cuzn Donna’s domain. The critter pictured below was one of her recovering patients that day. His face pretty well expresses how it feels to be feeling poorly, doesn’t it!

Stay tuned for more from my Mississippi kinfolk. Cuzn Don is promising me a recipe for ultra-light hush-puppies—a necessary and perfect accompaniment to any true southern meal. You can be sure I’ll share the recipe with you and pictures of the finished product…if I can keep from eating them before the pictures get taken.

click here for 800×600 Flickr slideshow of all photos in this post

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The St. Petersburg’s Mind-Body-Spirit Scene

Natural, or alternative, medicine and related movements have long been a part of St. Petersburg’s scene. In this, I include alternative spiritual and dietary philosophies. In fact, there is quite a bit of overlap amongst those three areas, which is why the St. Petersburg Body, Mind, Spirit Directory is so aptly named. It’s subtitled, “Conscious Living , Holistic Health , Natural Healing , Spirituality and Green Resources.”

Listed are resources as mainstream as massage and chiropractic medicine through acupuncture and various traditional Asian medicines on to more decidedly more alternative practices such as homeopathy. Even more speculative and controversial therapies are here, too.

Everyone has their own comfort level with all of these and, although I am interested in the others, I have my own favorites which are pretty much limited to massage and acupuncture and, to a certain extent, healthy eating. For my massage, I go to Classical Medicine of St. Petersburg. For my health food, I go to Rollin’ Oats (2842 9th St N, St Petersburg, FL; 727-821-6825).

Organic Produce

A recovering pizza-holic, I’ve actually come to enjoy veggies in other circumstances than atop dough, smothered in cheese and tomato sauce (although I will occasionally lapse and have them that way). I attribute that conversion to a health wake-up call about 10 years ago. Health awareness is something all of us share, but perhaps, older folks more than the young. Since its inception, St. Pete has been a retirement destination so it’s not surprising that it has also been, for so long, a leader in the mind-body-spirit movement. If you’ve ever seen the genuinely funny movie, The Road To Wellville, starring Dana Carvey, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack, and Anthony Hopkins, which pokes fun at the health and diet movement that spawned the invention of breakfast cereals in the very beginning of 20th century America, you’ll see what I see when I drive down the streets of my neighborhood that is peppered with various alternative health establishments.

The abundance of fresh organic produce at Rollin’ Oats is one of the best reasons to shop there. Organic food isn’t a marketing gimmick. It’s federally regulated and, I believe, is the route to food production that would be best for our bodies and for the earth. No, I don’t buy and eat only organic food. I wish I could and did, but, as with many things in life, it’s an ideal I recognize as being very worthwhile but will probably not attain in this lifetime. It’s just that “I’m not there yet,” 100%. But, it’s gratifying to see that even Publix carries organic food now—proof that often the “alternative” becomes mainstream.

Gourmet Health Foods

Now, I’m sure you’ve picked up a bit of an attitude on my part about “health.” I confess: I used to be one of those who was convinced that those who frequent health-food stores usually looked the least healthy. As I say, I no longer hold those views and my own brush with mortality was my inspiration to change them. But still, a vestige of my rebellious self remains in that I recognize that Rollin’ Oats is MY kind of health-food store: it carries a huge selection of imported beers, wines and cheeses!

Another civilized feature that I enjoy about Rollin’ Oats is their collection of magazines. I’ve never seen so many mind-body-spirit magazines in one spot. Even if I can’t be completely pure, I can read about those who are.

Bulk Foods and Natural Products

In addition to my favorite health foods (beer, cheese, and wine), their large selection of quality organic produce, and their deli prepared meals (more on that in a bit), Rollin’ Oats carries a large selection of bulk foods.

Of course, at one time, ALL foods, everywhere, were only sold in bulk. Then came the “advance” of packaging! Of course, there’s an upside to packaging, such as preserving of foods, possibility of transportation, prevention of contamination, etc. but there’s a definite downside too: just witness our planet’s landfills. (Have you ever gone to a garbage dump? It’s an illuminating experience that everyone should do at least once in their life.) Fortunately, things have gone full circle again and, as with alternative medicines, what was once uncommon has become mainstream. Now, even big chain groceries such as Sweetbay and Publix have bulk foods…my favorite perhaps being bulk olives since they usually now present at least six different types, not just canned green or black. An entire national chain, Whole Foods Market, capitalizes on the desire of the public for healthier foods and saner packaging.

The little places, like Rollin’ Oats, were there first, though, so I prefer to frequent them. So it was that yesterday, I stopped in to replenish my supply of Dr. Bronner’s All-One-God-Faith Peppermint 18-in-1 Pure Castile Hemp Oil Soap.

Now, Dr. Bronner’s is simply the best soap there is. And, Dr. Bronner himself was ever bit as eccentric as Post and Kellogg of “Road to Wellville” fame. There’s even a fascinating documentary about Dr. Bronner, “Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox”. Check out the free YouTube video of the trailer. The full DVD is available to purchase from this Amazon link: Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox DVD - A Human Story About a Socially Responsible Company.

Quiet Dining

As I mentioned earlier, the Rollin’ Oats deli has freshly prepared meals that can be purchased and taken home or eaten right there on the premises. In a back room, accessed through an attractive, quiet wooden outdoor area, is a dining room where you can tuck into your healthy, organic meal. The food is good and the recipes and selections quite varied. Of course, they have numerous vegetarian dishes.

Please hop over and take a look at the full-sized Flikr slideshow of Rollin’ Oats photos. I’ve finally sprung for a new camera, a Canon PowerShot A650 IS, and I’ve been uploading all past and current blog photos to Flikr, arranged in “sets” (by the blog) and “collections” (by location: St. Petersburg, Tampa, Atlanta, Hawaii, Mississippi, etc.). If you don’t feel like fooling with going over to Flickr, please do click this link to check out one close up of some of the fresh organic fruit at Rollin’ Oats…it’ll make you hungry.

I think it’s time for a snack!

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