There is no clock on my business

Well, the jakes is occupied. It will be for some time.

I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world as it is is vexing enough.

I heard he has true grit.

Who wants to talk food?

Whatever you do don't bring up the topic of food in my presence unless you really want to talk about food. Once I get started it's hard for me to stop. I'm always looking for new information about nutrition, health, cooking, and anything else food related. The current state of our food is a topic that is very near to my heart, and it is often that I ruminate over things that most people may not even consider.

My journey into food began around the year 2001 with the book Eat Drink and Be Healthy. Besides re-learning what I'd heard as a child when my dad started Sugar Busters: eat a balanced diet, mostly vegetables, lean forms of protein, eat whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. I also learned about sugar and fat, and it was the first time I'd ever heard of a trans fat.

From that point on my life was changed. Trans fats mesmerized me. It was a secret that no one cared to know about, and the topic was rarely discussed, and very quickly dismissed. But the words "partially hydrogenated soybean oil" would leap out at me on every list of ingredient. It was unavoidable. How can you know that something is that horrible for your body and just ignore it? The stream of products containing the ingredients seemed overwhelmingly ubiquitous.

One thing I still remember to this day, is an article about trans fat in Europe. When the EU learned the dangers of the fats it passed a law banning the substance. When the news reached the US our industry leaders did not press to ban the substance, but hired PR teams and attorneys to get the industry message out. Since then I've felt that I've been deceived. The companies that are trying to save pennies on the dollar, I get it. But what about the government's duty to protect and inform our citizens? These questions, and more, opened up a Pandora's box of information. Since then we've had the food pyramid changed a few times and the threat of obesity has grown ever more dangerous.

So, you wanna talk food?

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shades they know they shall never sit in"

According to the Internet it's a Greek Proverb.

The Vintage Garden Kitchen

The Vintage Garden Kitchen is one of those places that could easily fly below the radar. I'm not sure where I heard about it, but I've known about the VGK for quite a while now. It has a very robust website, but there was always an air of mystique surrounding this business. I remember calling and leaving messages but never received a returned telephone call. This week I made a diligent effort to find out what this place is all about. Now I'm hooked.

There are a few things about VGK that make it unique. First, it is not a restaurant but a "soup to go" establishment. It offers limited delivery to certain zip codes. The location is a little out of the way, on Labarre south of Airline Highway across the railroad tracks. There is a big sign that says "We Make Soups" which points in to a fenced off parking lot. The soup can be picked up between 8am-4pm Monday through Friday. The pick-up is located in a nondescript building that looks more like an office building than a soup vendor. The staff is very nice and enthusiastic. Not to mention the menu is filled with many different options including meat and vegetarian friendly.

The soup is sold in pint and quart sized mason jars. If you keep the jar and return it you get a punch card. For every 10 returned jars you receive a free pint of soup. I decided on the Moroccan Chickpea Stew, the Fiery Shitake Mushroom and Barley, and the Rustic Vegetable and Bean. It didn't take long to finish off a jar of soup, and the remaining soup will likely be eaten within a few days. The VGK grows most of its ingredients on its organic farm. What it doesn't grow it obtains from local producers.Another great aspect of the VGK is it that it is partnered or working closely with Arc of Greater New Orleans which is a 501(C)(3) organization. Arc is dedicated to the empowerment of adults and children with intellectual disabilities and supplies labor to the VGK for farming and producing the soups.

In my opinion the VGK gets a high score for several reasons. First, the soups are absolutely delicious, seasoned to perfection, and prepared with fresh, hearty vegetables. Another plus, the ingredients are mostly organic which makes me feel better about eating it, and which means VGK is dedicated to sustainable practices and outputting the highest quality of foods. Additionally, its cooperation with Arc of Greater New Orleans is a great way of empowering those with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, the VGK is not only producing great soups but it is doing it through positive social impact and change. A little out of the way, but well worth it.

Downton Abbey

After taking note of the online buzz regarding Downton Abbey (available on Netflix Instant Watch) I decided to give it a whirl. Admittingly, it isn't a show I would normally watch. However my wife is an avid lover of British Literature, the Elizabethan era, and the United Kingdom as a whole. Additionally, our upcoming travel plans include a trip to London, England. My past experience with TV shows is hit or miss. Some shows immediately draw me in (Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Eastbound & Down, etc. etc.) while other shows take a while to steep (Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother). However there is also a category of TV shows that are very popular, and I feel that I should like them (Ancient Aliens, Madmen, Walking Dead, The Tudors) but it just doesn't pan out.

My first impression was that Downton Abbey would be a dry period piece with too many characters and plot lines that quickly transcend my attention span. However, I made a good faith effort to watch the entire first episode uninterrupted, without picking up my iPhone or going on the internet. Turning on the subtitles was a big help, since the dialect could make it quite difficult to understand at times. As it turns out, the show proved me wrong and captivated me within the first twenty minutes. The variety of characters and the plot was entertaining, and the cinematography is absolutely stunning. With TV series I tend to get oversaturated and grow tired of it if I try to watch too many at once. We have decided to watch the show in moderation and only together, while paying complete attention. PBS has done a stellar job with this show, and I am grateful that Netflix has picked it up. I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes in season 1 and I hope season 2 is a success as well.

If you don't have Netflix and you don't mind watching TV on your computer you can watch the show for free on the PBS website.

100% certainty.

One thing that always intrigues me is cross examination. As a lawyer I can't stand trials. It's not the stress of preparing for trial, because every single case must be assumed to go to litigation. But it's the mental games that you begin to play with yourself. Rather than thinking about everything that I have done, I tend to think about every detail that I haven't thought of yet. I wander if the other side is holding cards that have yet to be dealt. But anyway, enough about my anxieties and back to cross examination. One thing that I personally find as very effective in cross examination is asking the witness if they are 100% certain of X. I think it is rare that anyone can say anything with 100% certainty, so inevitably you can raise at least a modicum of doubt. I think this trick works well in front of a jury, since they are (should) be hanging on every word. A judge has seen it a thousand times over again so he wouldn't be impressed. But I will tell you this with 100% certainty, no one is ever 100% certain of anything:)