Hello Stranger

Okay, so my family and I found ourselves at Wheaton Village recently.  For those of you who do not know what Wheaton Village is, it is a tourist spot in Millville, NJ that has a glass museum and a main street with shops.  Wheaton’s used to be a big glass company in Millville – hence Millville’s nickname, “Glasstown”. 

So, we were wondering along, and found ourselves in the paperweight shop.  There are some amazing and expensive things to see in there – being the “paperweight shop”, most of them are paperweights.  One paperweight caught my eye and reminded me of a viral video that went nova earlier in the year.  Without thinking, I announced to my family and anyone else within listening distance – in this case it was a man in his sixties and the lady who was working in the shop, “This one reminds me of that meme with the naked man!”

The very moment the words slipped from my lips, my brain kicked in with the ‘Say, you shouldn’t say that out loud’ warning.  It was far too late.  “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” I announced to the quintessence.  It was then that I started to giggle.  Then I began to laugh.  Then the pitch of my laughter escalated that way it always does when I’m about to roll on the floor, snotting, & weeping with gut wrenching laughter. 

“Here he goes,” I heard a member of my family say.  “You should get out of here before you knock something over,” said another.

So, I told you that so I could ask you this; don’t these two compliment each other?  First is the picture of the paperweight and, second – is a picture from the stop motion animation short film, “Hi Stranger”. 

The paperweight.

"Hi Stranger."

Here is a link to the short film. "Hi Stranger"  Enjoy. 

I must remember my 'inside voice'.  Alas, that whole, "inner monologue thing" eludes me.

Project Thanksgiving

I am a blessed man, Gentle Reader.  I’m no Warren Buffet or Donald Trump but in the battle between “wants” and “needs”, the Lord has provided.  I am not rolling in money and I have no gold ingots stashed away yet the lights are still on and my children are fed.  With the molehills in my life that I can turn into mountains I can still recognize – just by keeping my eyes open and looking around me that my “problems”, when seen in comparison to others are not as mountainous as they appear to be.

“May you live in interesting times…” is often quoted as being a curse more often than being a blessing.  It’s a double-edged statement; it cuts both ways.  These are most certainly, “interesting times.”  There is a lot of need out there and Thanksgiving, Christmas and the rest of the Holidays are on deck and waiting to pounce. 

Enter Project Thanksgiving.  This is the brainchild of a friend of mine, Mr. Alex Kaganzev and it is sponsored by the Salvation Army.  Project Thanksgiving is a local turkey drive that provides turkeys to families in the Cumberland County area.  This is a grassroots sort of movement and it is currently for people in the Cumberland County area (Millville, Bridgeton, & Vineland).  Just like an avalanche begins with one too many snowflakes Project Thanksgiving has been gaining momentum and growing too.  As you may have guessed, yes, they could use your help.

“What can I do?”

On Saturday, November 19^th, bring a frozen turkey or a donation to ANY of the four local ShopRite supermarkets in Vineland, Millville, or Bridgeton between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  That’s it.  That’s pretty painless and it has the direct effect of helping someone out.  Not too shabby, I’d say. 

But wait – there’s more!  The Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Vineland has thrown their hat into the ring too.  If you bring a turkey or a $20.00 (or greater) donation between November 10^th and the 19^th you will be given a coupon for 15% off of your next meal at the Cosmo; again, not too shabby.

Chances are you’ve earned a frozen bird or two with your ‘super-saver’ card.  If you happen to have a spare turkey, please consider making room in your freezer and donating it to Project Thanksgiving this year.  These are interesting times – perhaps we can help making these times a little less complicated.

Sincerely,

Evil Chicken

Hello SAIGON & Happy New Year

This particular blog entry is about two things that I have a bit of experience with - food and celebrating.

First, let’s talk food. Mother Hen and I had the pleasure of dining at SAIGON a new Vietnamese restaurant that has sprung up in Millville at Union Lake Crossing Shopping Center (close to the Target and right next to the Philly Pretzel Factory) at 2180 North 2nd Street, Millville, NJ 08332. Unlike the American invented “Chinese” take out food that we are so accustom to the food at SAIGON is the real deal – true Vietnamese cooking. I did not have all that much experience with Vietnamese cooking but our meals were simply awesome. To give you some idea about just why you should try them out I am reprinting the back of their menu…

Vietnamese fragrant and exotic: a deliciously simple cuisine. Rich in history, Vietnamese cuisine is one of the jewels of South East Asia. The style of cooking, which has evolved over many centuries, is a wonderful blend of Chinese and South East Asian spices, flavors, and techniques, fused with ingredients and traditions of classic French food. Vietnamese food is lighter and more refreshing than Thai food, using crisp, uncooked vegetables, subtle seasonings, raw herbs, and unique flavor combinations. Often described as textural with fresh, sharp flavors, it is also more tropical and fragrant than Chinese food.

Saigon Restaurant will take you on a culinary tour of discovery, exploring the history, culture, and traditions of the Vietnamese people, the evolution of their cuisines, and the dishes that have become synonymous with the country itself.

The Saigon Restaurant menu has more than 80 dishes, from National Beef Noodle Soup, Saigon Spring Rolls, Shrimp on Sugar Cane, Chicken Wrap Salad and many more which will give you the opportunity to taste Vietnamese Cuisine from our own specialty kitchen.

There you have it. We started with Spring Rolls and Dumplings, which were the best I’ve ever tasted, and then it was onto the main course. Mother Hen had the Vietnamese Steak and I had the Shrimp Clay Pot. The flavors were simply amazing. We ended the meal by sharing a Green Tea Ice Cream, which really capped off the whole dining experience. I briefly jumped off of my Atkins Low Carb bandwagon and it was worth each and every extra carbohydrate that I consumed.

So if you have a taste for something exotic you should try SAIGON. Remember that it is light, fresh cooking and not your run of the mill Chinese place. The chef is an artisan and not a short order cook. I don’t think that you will be disappointed.


Secondly, let’s talk celebration – Happy New Year; it is the Year of the Ox today! Depending on which scholar you choose to believe it is the year 4707, 4706, or 4646. Here is what Wikipedia, my favoritie second brain, has to say on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_new_year.

So Gong hei fat choi (congratulations and be prosperous) in this New Year, Gentle Reader. Gong hei fat choi.

Calling All Shutter Bugs

While poking around at things on the internet with a sharp stick I came across this: http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20090117/NEWS01/90116015, a Winter Photo Contest sponsored by the Millville Recreation Department.

Here is what you need to know as per the article:

Millville Recreation Department will accept entries for its annual winter photo contest through Feb. 22. Photographers, of all ages and skill levels, are asked to show the best depiction of winter in the Holly City. Millville residency is not required to enter.

Photos can range from 4 by 6 inches to 8 by 12 inches. Black and white or color is acceptable. Finished photographs may be mailed to Millville Recreation, P.O. Box 609, Millville, NJ 08332 or dropped off at the recreation office, 416 S. 15th St., Millville.

The rules are as follows:

- Photos must be a person, place or object in Millville.

- The name of photographer, age category, address, phone and place of photo must be on the back of the photo.

- One entry per person.

- The title of picture must be displayed on front of photo.

Age groups are: 7 to 12, 13 to 17, 18 to 61 and 62 and older.

First-, second- and third-place ribbons will be given awarded in each category. Also, one grand prize winner will be awarded. Winners will be announced at the City Commission meeting in March.

For more information, call (856) 825-7000, ext. 7392.

So there you have it. The next time you bundle up and head on down to the Arts District in Millville bring your camera.

Go Speed Racer, Go!

Apart from watching Speed Racer as a kid I have never understood the allure of auto racing. It all seemed like guys with thick accents (Scottish or Southern USofA) driving in circles; accelerate, turn, repeat. Where’s the sport in that? I asked myself. What you need to broadcast on ESPN is getting onto 295 from 42 – now THERE is a challenge. I just didn’t get it.

And then there was Indianapolis. I was a part of a group of people who went to Indianapolis a few months back. We had a few hours to kill before our plane back to Philadelphia so we went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If you are a racing fan it is Mecca, if you are not a fan then this is where you go to ask yourself “Why am I not a fan?” The sheer history of the place is something to sink ones teeth into alone. The Hall of Fame Museum was well worth the $3.00 admission. In it’s halls you will find hundreds of cars and motorcycles from teams that had won at “The Brickyard” on display. I took several shots of an old Indian motorcycle since my dad had one and I still remember the stories that he told me about driving on bright moonlit nights with the wind in his face and the stars suspended above. There is a certain amount of romance with the road that goes into racing that I never really saw before. What really aided me in my quest to understand what the big deal was with racing was taking the bus tour around the track. I had the unbridled pleasure experiencing this with a true fan of racing who was a member of my group. He lit up at each turn. “I can’t believe I’m here at the brick line.” He said. “A lot of milk has been spilled right here.”

“Really?” I asked wondering if lactating cattle were raced here like everything else.

“Yes. When you win a race the winner gets to drink ice cold milk.” He explained.

“Oh.”

We were at pole position, The Pylon, where they run the Indy 500 – there have been 92 runnings of the race thus far. Ninety-two. According to my favorite second brain (Wikipedia) there is a seating capacity of 257,325 permanent seats plus temporary infield seating to make a grand total of about 400,000! That’s a lot of race fans. Henry Ford used to test drive cars on this track before selling them to the public. It opened in 1909 and it was originally made of bricks. The Brick Yard is the starting line and, yes, it is literally a yard of original bricks from the speedway. My friend explained to me the science, strategy, and talent behind both Indy and NASCAR racing; that combined with his exuberance had me glued to everything around us. It was magic and he was the wizard. I ate it up.

Enter today. Today another friend of mine gave me some passes to the “Wheels and Warbirds” Vintage Airshow and Races at NJMP. NJMP stands for the New Jersey Motorsports Park (see: http://www.njmotorsportspark.com/ for the gory details). I’ve wanted to check this out ever since it opened. It just so happened today was my/our chance to do so. And that’s just what happened; the five of us schlepped out to Millville and saw fast vehicles in the air and on the track. I’ve always been a sucker for WWII aircraft. We came late and missed the air show but we saw a lot of planes in the sky including several P-47s and at least one P-51. The Thunderbolt Raceway is named after the P-47 since the Millville Airport was home to a squadron of them during the war. BTW if you are from the area and have not checked out the Millville Army Air Field Museum, do so. Here they are online: http://p47millville.org/. If you have an interest in history and/or aviation you’ve got to go.

Thunderbolt Raceway is something to see. I don’t know what regular pricing is but watching the races and being a part of the excitement is worth the trip. The go-carts look like a lot of fun and I really dug the bridge over the track. From what I understand they have been voted the “Best Track in the Tri-state Area”. By whom this honor was bestowed I don’t know but I do know that you will have a good time.

Here’s to the races.

The "Open Artistic Studio Tour"

What’s that?

Good question – I didn’t know about it until lunchtime today. Basically on Saturday, October 13, from 11 – 6 PM over 30 local (to the Cumberland County area of New Jersey) artists are going to be opening their studios to the general public (you and me). I met one of the artists today, a lady named Meed Barnett who gave me the info and I though that I’d post it for anyone who may be interested. It would be a nice way to spend a Saturday and it would have that whole “Third Friday” vibe. Third Friday is a celebration in – of all places, downtown Millville, of artists and musicians. The local businesses stay open and it’s a worthwhile time to visit. There's a lot happening down there.

One of those businesses is Bogart’s Books. I couldn’t recommend Bogart’s Books & Coffee Shop (formally Wind Chimes Bookstore) higher. Great coffee, characters and all the used books you could ever want. For the record: Evil Chicken’s favorite bookstore in the known universe.

But I digress…

For more information on the Open Artistic Studio Tour check out this… http://openstudiotours.org/. Navigation is a little wonky but you’ll get the information if you’re persistent.

It should be fun. I’ll see you there. I’ll be the one with the Bogart’s coffee in my hand.