Wierd...

When was the last time you bought a mattress (we’ll get to the real point of this in a bit)? In our case it would be measured in years. Unless you build a new house, add a room or something I don’t think you change mattresses routinely. Is it just me, or have you noticed the amount of commercials on TV, usually touting a “buy one, get two” approach or some idiot women screaming about discounts? I don’t get it..

So yesterday I was on a Feeder mission (based on a tip from a reader), and went into our “new” shopping center (like we need another, eh?) that contains Kohl’s, Dicks Sporting, and the (now open) Buffalo Wings and Beer establishment. Right now there are a lot of vacant store fronts

But, besides the big boys (and the Bison place) that are open, do you know what else has newly opened?

I don’t get it….. Anyway, the real subject of all this is the little sign in the window to the left of the bedding emporium:

Come to find out, although it isn’t a “chain” per se, there is another slice over in Callaway. It seems that besides mattress stores, there is a bottomless market for Pizza joints. Maybe liquor stores falls in that category as well. I am not sure why this is. Have a drink, eat a slice, and plop into bed?… Maybe Pepperoni’s is trying to fill the perceived void left by the shuttering of CiCi’s. And of course they supply that other nebulous American staple: “Subs”. We’ll see, oh and of course they are “Coming Soon”

As is another place across the lot from the sleep store

I am not entirely sure what this is telling me: Golden Chicken AND Japanese Grill (which, as noted, is “coming soon” - I wonder if you can print a sign/banner these days without that slogan). Readers will remember I am not especially “up” on Asian Cuisine.. Is there a genre of “Golden Chicken”? and what, pray tell, is a Japanese Grill?. One that is made in Japan? Of course the easy thought is another of those sit around the hot plate and watch things get chopped and knives flipped. We’ll see. So, that is four, count ‘em, four new places that are “Coming Soon” within maybe a half mile of each other. I don’t get it.

Holiday Cheer

And yesterday I did the season’s first “open house” crawl. As most folks around here know, around the holidays, a lot of the larger contractor outfits host annual “open houses” for customers, friends, employees and the like. Food is put out in a conference room, some sort of liquid refreshment is provided, and people gather, graze, and gab. This tradition has been going on a long time, and there are legendary stories about the “old days”. But now, there are no back rooms, and it’s just kind of a fun time. As I probably mention every year, besides the attraction of the above, the Feeder is interested in finding little culinary gems among the trays of catered crab balls, stuffed ham, crab dip, cheese trays, and so forth. It used to be that the employees supplied most of the food, but as business grows and attendance increases, a reliance on caterers has become more common.

My first stop was at SAIC (previously Eagan-McCallister) in their new digs out by restaurant row. I wanted to look inside plus see what they had to offer. It is a pretty normal functional engineering, base supporting, customer oriented building. A lobby with (normally) a receptionist, and halls branching off that. Just to the right of the lobby is the main conference room, and this is where the “stuff’ was. Tables along the walls, a center island which contained the beverages (wines and beers, including good old Fat Tire). On one side was six crock pots, five of which were devoted to meatballs of some variety, and the other the time honored “weenies in BBQ” sauce. I sampled all, and well, they were kind of ordinary. No particular spice, just hamburger balls in sauce. Most were bland. Other items were catered (I THINK Bailey's) chicken bits, the stuffed ham (always pretty good), some dip, and crab balls. The only things I could believe were homemade (besides the meatballs) were on the dessert buffet where I think home cooked cookies and brownies could be found.

I was more hopeful at the second stop, Wyle, as there was more variety with such items as fried chicken, spare ribs, sliced beef, and some interesting little crab Rangoon (I think) purses. Most were in those aluminum “tubs” but some were plated. I was ready to give them the nod until I looked at the little tongs with the crab thingies. It read: Quality Street. Oh, well. I should hasten to add here, that there is nothing wrong with that, local caterers do a good job, the food is good, and I understand why they are used. It’s just that with the holidays, finding something actually homemade where somebody actually took time to think, assemble, and cook something to share is more heartwarming than the tubs of stuff… I will say the wines at Wyle took first place.

Not sure if I will find out/get to others, but keep your eyes and ears open.  'tis the season were pretty often you are

DFD

ps, i'm overwhelmed with stuff to do this weekend...but in selfish interest of early Maryland History, you might want to consider (yes, short notice)

THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR AND ST. MARY’S CITY

Student Exhibit Opening & Lecture; Historic St. Mary’s City Visitor Center December 9, 5-7 p.m;  The evening will open with a lecture by HSMC chief archaeologist Timothy Riordan at 5:30 p.m.  Dr. Riordan, author of a book about the War’s long reach to St. Mary’s called The Plundering Time, will set context for the exhibit.

DHTHYL