June 22, 2004
O Fado do Campion
I am trying to do too many things this morning: two CD reviews, weekly orchid care, bullfight report, a marketing project under a tight deadline, a trip to Sacramento, three canti of Purgatorio to study, and an update on the Campion situation.
First: the bullfight report will have to wait until tonight. For the few of you clamoring for it, you can wait (big bulls, mixed quality, Cesar was tossed, but avoided goring). For this post the only thing that matters about the bullfight is that the main topic was discussed on a pleasant hillside above the Campo Grande bullring in Pico dos Padres on a warm evening of the longest day of the year. It is a pity that JXrXd (name modified to protect the guilty), who was sent back to the food stands, brought back Coors (dreaded Colorado swill) instead of Budweiser (the King of Beers), but I wasn't the one who had to climb back up to the hill with beer, so I shouldn't complain (not that that has stopped me before).
Digression: Come on, beer snobs, I dare you to try to tell me that Budweiser is inferior and that "once you have a microbrew you will understand." Just try to out-snob me on any matter of food or drink. I dare you.
But back the topic at hand: It seems that word is getting around that Prof. Cordova is calling for a boycott of Ignatius Press. For a clarification of that, please read his comments in the "On Campion" post. He is very reasonable in his approach, and I think I have to concur (which is difficult for me: I tend towards scorched earth politics and favor the old "send the commies to the stadium" approach).
The use of the term "boycott" was my unfortunate mistake. Around the East Bay we boycott things at the drop of a hat (or the refusal to drop all contacts with the oppressive fascist government of... no, wait, I don't boycott those).
I have been told that the term "boycott" goes back to the squabbles between the Picts/Angles/Celts in those little barbarian islands off of France. As a matter of Catlick solidarity, I, of course, half-heartedly endorse the Norman/Celts of Ireland (not to mention a sympathy towards red hair), but frankly, can't see what the to-do is about. We are talking about islands that are barely suitable for habitation. Whatever happened to real rivalry, like Firenze v. Pisa? I know where I stand on that one (facing East with two figs raised).
So I will retract any suggestion or hint that one should "boycott" Ignatius Press. Let the term rest with the dirt-punks of Berkeley and Irish tenant farmers.
I will probably buy an Ignatius Press book or two in the future. I will just hold my nose while doing it. I am not a fan of cults (other than my own. At ease, Gentlemen. Nothing to see. Move along. Believe! Obey! Fight!), and the Guadalupe Associates seem to be acting rather cultlike. We are to believe that they suddenly discovered that founding a college was not fiscally responsible? I am curious as to when they realized this as a group, because they had to have known back when the timing would have been better, or were they waiting for word from Number One, who now has a new toy and sees the old toy as competition for resources?
Basically, from what I am seeing, the Guadalupe Associates have not been acting like adults. I know a few of these folks (although they probably will not admit it in public these days, and I can hardly blame them), and they are intelligent folks. They produce fantastic books. I assume that some of them can read a financial statement. What prevented them from taking action when the students had time to make plans, the faculty time to look for jobs in the fall, etc.? Were they hoping that Number One was going to pull something out of his biretta? Is the Cult of Joe a Cargo Cult?
They talk about the focus of their apostolate, but of all the things they have wasted money on (inept stock market trades, radio, etc.), they really do not have much of a track record of sticking to their knitting. They have managed to keep going even with a history of frivolous spending, so why didn't they do the honorable thing, postpone a few pet projects and honor their commitments?
More later, but a note here to the good folks of Ignatius Press/Guadalupe Associates: what happens when Old Joe, SJ decides that you, too, are yesterday's toy?
Posted by erik at June 22, 2004 10:41 AM | TrackBackStephen,
No, because they are different beers. I don't pretend to understand the thinking of the Missouri Krauts (remember, to me it is just one big blur between Lake Tahoe and the Hudson River), so I really don't get why they stole another name. I guess it is part of that great inferiority complex known as Mittel Amerika, where nothing local can be seen as good, so it needs to take on a hifalutin' European name, only to invite comparisons. Naturally, the comparison does not favor the domestic product.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at June 23, 2004 2:25 PMErik,
As a former resident of Belgium, I too am no stickler on the Reinheitsgebot, although I still draw the line at hefe-rice. I assume you've stood Bud next to its continental namesake?
Posted by: stephen at June 23, 2004 11:39 AMMary,
I have seen it at the liquor store in the Cannery. I would also try Coit Liquor on Columbus. If you ever are in Sacramento, Corti Brothers has an incredible selection and stocks it regularly. If you are in Santa Cruz, try Shopper's Corner on Soquel and Branciforte.
It is easy to make, however, and a lot cheaper. Get some cheap grappa and steep chamomile blossoms in it for a month, then filter (or better yet, fine), sweeten with simple syrup, bottle and age three months. Yum. Cheap(er).
Speaking of Corti Brothers, all Northern California foodies, especially those who like interesting and unusual liquor, should make a pilgrimage to the store at least once a year. I also recommend going to the Espanol Restaurant accross the street for minestrone and fried chicken. Chances are you will run into my relatives, too.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at June 23, 2004 10:40 AMStephen,
Reinheitsgebot is fine and all, but it is not the final word on beer. For one thing, it excludes hefeweizen as well as Lambic (or Belgian beer in general). To expect all beer to taste like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (of which I had three last night) is like expecting all white wines to be like Puligny Montrachet.
Montrachets are magnificent wines, but there are things that I would not serve them with (or at least would prefer something else). Likewise, there are times when Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is just too heavy, too flavorful, and you want a beer that is lighter (and I am NOT talking about that abomination called Light or Lite Beer)yet well-balanced, and I go for Budweiser every time.
An example is if you are serving caviar. Skip the fantasy of champagne, as that is nothing more than anti-culinary fancy. Avoid the Russian preference for chilled vodka, as that ices the taste buds and makes eating expensive ostruga silly. You want something that is all up-front: a crisp, well-balanced burst of beeriness with not too much hoppiness and as little a finish as possible. That leaves Budweiser or one of the Japanese so-called dry beers.
If you serve Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, the finish will linger way too long, crushing the delicate caviar. Whatever you do, avoid Dutch or Dutch style beer (that includes Chinese and southeast Asian beers) with caviar, as it just doesn't go.
As to the other Sierra Nevada products, you must remember that I am right now sitting in my parents' house, which is less than an hour away from the brewery. I have had all of their special beers, including the Reinheitsgebot-violatin' Barleywine style Ale. They are all fantastic.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at June 23, 2004 10:33 AMDigression: Come on, beer snobs, I dare you to try to tell me that Budweiser is inferior and that "once you have a microbrew you will understand." Just try to out-snob me on any matter of food or drink. I dare you.
Okay, I'll, um, bite? Bud is beer the way batter-coated frozen french fries are a fresh vegetable.
Read the label. Rice. Adjuncts. Lowers the cost, but what about taste? It may quench your thirst, but shouldn't beer do more than that? Shouldn't it taste like beer, like hops amd malt? It's a scandal a proud German like you would turn his back on the Reinheitsgebot.
Drink what you like. Maybe Bud is better than Coors. I've got better things to do with my liver than find out. When in the US, there's no substitute for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and if you want a real treat, try their Celebration Ale over vanilla ice cream.
I won't try to out-snob you, and I'll definitely defer on the topic of eggplant parmigiana, but I just cringe at the Budweiser thing. Then again, some of us are still waiting for your defense of McDonalds...
Posted by: stephen at June 23, 2004 5:54 AMhi erik,
do you know where in the bay area i could find some chamomile grappa? i had some in seattle recently. it is awesome.
thanks,
mary