Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and congratulations Joe Mauer, AL MVP.

Go Twins.

I Can't Help Myself

Okay, I know, no more banging on the Knicks. But when the New York Daily News starts printing jokes about them, well, I felt compelled to share one with you.

How many Knicks does it take to change a tire?

Just one, unless it is a blow-out, then the whole team contributes.

Hey, I didn't make it up.

Oh, the Knicks passed on The Answer. Now, of course, everyone is second guessing that decision. Just two days ago, though, everyone was saying what a mistake it would have been to get Iverson. You just can't win. One thing, Iverson would have put a few more fannies in the seats.

I wonder how many people will show up for this afternoon's game against the Nets. If they were playing in Madison Square Garden it would be announced as a sell-out even if the place was half empty. It is kind of fun to watch how they manipulate the camera angles to avoid showing empty seats.

Making a Muffaletta New Orleans style sandwich (they serve many) and some Glogg for an indoor tailgate party tomorrow. Maybe Rice Krispy squares too, if I feel ambitious.

One thing about this afternoon's Knicks/Nets game, someone does have to win.

Did you hear about the new Knicks cologne? You splash it on and the other guy scores.

It's Inevitable

With basketball's biggest headcase, Starbury, out of the game, isn't it inevitable that the Knicks will make a play for the biggest one still in the game?

Let's all put our hands together and welcome Allen Iverson.

Okay, nothing official yet, but, if I was a betting man...

Redskins Safe

Phew, the Washington Redskins can keep their name:

"Supreme Court declines to take Redskins' naming case Native American activists had claimed that team's nickname is so offensive that it does not deserve trademark protection."

I wonder if they will go after Redskin Peanuts now.

Hey, I know, I promised not to go on about the Knicks anymore, but I had to laugh at a New York Daily News article that referred to the New York Zombies. I guess with Curry returning to "action" that might be appropriate. Curry kind of moves like a zombie, and not one of those fast ones, either. Kind of a "Night Of The Living Dead" type of movement. Actually, with his history of injuries, Curry is kind of like the zombie who falls into the sugar mill in "White Zombie," one of the best zombie movies ever made.

Too Hard On The Knicks??

There are some of my readers who think that I am, perhaps, a bit too hard on the Knicks. Well, with last night's loss to the Warriors the Knicks now have the worst start in franchise history. That is right, never in the history of the Knicks have they started out 1 and 9. Oh, and did I tell you that the Jazz will get the Knicks 2010 first round draft pick? Think about that, Isiah and company gave up the Knicks 2010 first round draft pick, among other things, for a guy who isn't even playing in the NBA anymore; the self-proclaimed "best point guard in the game," Mr. Starbury.

A small consolation is that Isiah Thomas is already getting booed at FIU and there were chants of "Fire Isiah!" after they lost their opener to Monmouth 99 to 70.

As a bonus, a couple of Stephon Marbury quotes:

"I'm telling you what it is: I know I'm the best point guard in the NBA. I don't need anybody else to tell me that."

"Don't get me wrong -- I love Jason Kidd. He's a great point guard," Marbury said. "(But) how am I comparing myself to him when I think I'm the best point guard to play basketball? That doesn't make any sense. I mean, how can I sit here and compare myself to somebody if I already think I'm the best?"

Oh yeah, he made those comments in January, 2005 - that year the Knicks went 33 and 49. Still, that was better than the next year when they were an incredible 23 and 59. Imagine that, and with the best point guard in the game on the team. Oh, yeah, and after improving to a merely miserable 33 - 49 season we managed to have the same 23 and 59 record the next season. And all with the same self-proclaimed best point guard to play basketball.

Did I tell you that those two 23 - 59 seasons were the worst two seasons in Knick's history? At least up until this year.

Okay, I am over it now, really, I am.

Fans Must Wake Up???

According to Rex Ryan, head coach of the Jets, the fans need to wake up and cheer louder to help their team win. That's right, we need to be prideful because this the fan's football team. The fact that they are 1 and 4 over their last 5 games should have nothing to do with a certain lack of enthusiasm. Personal seating licenses and the promise of higher ticket prices should have nothing to do with fan loyalty.

Anyway, I decided to submit a Letter to the Editor of the New York Daily News which published several articles and a back page headline about Ryan's ravings. I thought I would share it with you.

Dear Editor,

Jets coach Ryan says fans must wake up in order to save the Jets season? Give me a break. I have been going to Jets games and cheering them on since back when they played at Shea Stadium. We had a regular tailgate group that went to all the games. Then the Jets limited the parking so our group could no longer tailgate together. Then they wanted to hit me with a $15,000 a seat PSL fee and said they would raise my ticket prices from $80 a game to $140 a game. Guess what, I no longer go to Jets games and am no longer a die-hard fan.

Funny how Jets management wants you to cheer the team when what you really want to do is scream in frustration, not only at their poor play, but also at their poor management decisions and total disregard for their fans. This is one fan who did wake up.

And don't even get me started on the Knicks. I used to have season tickets for them as well. Don't get me wrong, I don't abandon a team just because they have a bad year or two. But when teams seem to have a total disregard for their fans ($15,000 for the right to buy tickets) or their management seems to be totally imcompetent (the Jazz will get the Knicks first round draft pick this year, thank you Isiah, we really needed Starbury) then I will walk away.

Ah, it is a chilly, overcast, damp day so a good rant kind of heats up the blood. If the letter actually gets published, unlikely, I will be sure to let you know.

Yummy Pork Parts

Monday, it being a nice sunny and fairly warm day, the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I decided to do somthing a little bit different. We went to the Chinatown in Queens. Usually we go to the one in Manhattan that we can walk to, if we are feeling ambitious. To get to the one in Queens is a bit more of a trip involving a couple of subways. First a train to Grand Central, then a switch to the train out to Flushing, Queens.

We were a bit disappointed, this being the first time either of us had been there. It is, supposedly, bigger than the one in Manhattan, but it is not nearly as picturesque. Much more of a commercial looking area with a heavy Asian influence. I guess that is because it is newer and doesn't have all of the neat little nooks and crannies like the older one in Manhattan.

Anyway, we didn't stay too long, just took a little walk around and stopped at kind of a neat place for lunch.

Chao Zhou Restaurant


There is nothing very fancy about Chao Zhou Restaurant, kind of a cafeteria look to it. But it was doing a nice little business and, always a plus, almost everyone in there was Chinese. It looked like a place where a lot of the people who worked in the area stopped for lunch.

The Usual Crowd


The prices were very reasonable, a lot of $5 lunch specials, things like bitter melon over rice with your choice of beef, chicken, shrimp or sliced pork and garlic leaf with preserved meat over rice. Things that the Mysterious Chinese Woman said were typical peasant food. They also had the usual stuff like sweet and sour pork and quite a few fried noodle and rice noodle dishes.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman had a healthy looking bowl of noodles with vegetables of some kind.

Eating Healthy


Needless to say, my attention was caught by a less healthy choice. I mean, How can you pass up a plate of pork parts that includes ears, snout, tongue, and intestines.

Yummy Yummy Pork Parts


You know you ordered good when the waitress asks you if you are sure and then gives a glance at the Mysterious Chinese Woman to see if it really is okay.

I was thinking maybe I would get kind of a pork parts stew, but this was more like cold cuts. In fact I often get the ears like they serve here when I go to an Asian market in New Jersey. The ears from the market are prepared with a chili paste, though, so they are much hotter. They make for a nice chewy snack and go good with beer.

The pork parts were served with several slices of pickled carrots and some kind of a large white vegetable, a chinese radish, I think, also sliced and pickled. They were quite good and really went well with the pork parts. They did cover up the dish a bit, so here is a bit of better shot.

Pork Parts Uncovered


Pork Tongue On Tongue


If you are a bit adventurous I would certainly recommend a visit to Chao Zhou. You could also order those pork parts sauteed with ginger and scallions. Or you could try the sauteed pig heart with peppers in a black bean sauce or, perhaps, the pig intestine with preserved vegetables in a noodle soup. And how could you not want to stop in for one of their breakfast specials, pork and jelly fish congee, only $3.95.

Actually, except for the congee, kind of a rice porridge, I like most of this stuff. If this place wasn't so far away I would go back fairly often. I will have to check for a place in Manhattan that serves similar fare. I am sure there are a few.