Biscuits &
Gravy
Betty and I had a lovely Birthday dinner tonight. She wanted to go out for dinner even though I
just opened one of my last 2 bottles of Le Cuvier 2002 Zinfandel. We love the full body, big boysenberry notes
and hints of anise, the giant bouquet and the 16.82% alcohol content that is
typical of Le Cuvier Zins. Like all Le
Cuvier wines, this Zinfandel was aged in neutral oak barrels for 3 years and
has been resting in the bottle for the last 11 years. After discussing numerous dining options
from Italian to Mexican, I asked Betty to choose and Hungary Hunter was
it. Cool, I just cut a coupon from the
paper on Sunday. No, it was not the
senior discount or early bird special.
Neither of us had been to the Hungary Hunter for quite some
time. Dinner was nice, what can I say; Hungary
Hunter is a quality chain restaurant.
Since this is a food blog I should say that if you want a quality meal
and a nice atmosphere, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. Dinner salads are nice and fresh and made at
the table to your order with your choice of goodies. We had prime rib and baby back ribs. Both were high quality, cooked fine and
seasoned well. The mud pie is a gigantic
gooey ice cream bomb loaded with whipped cream with a thick crunchy chocolate
cookie crust.
On the way home with the left overs, via Rosedale Hwy, I
pointed out; there is the new Pep Boys where I got my flat tire fixed on
Sunday. The guy there wore a name tag, “Jack”,
and he had a mustache just like the Pep Boy on the sign. I
commented: “Home of Manny, Moe and
Jack. And you are Jack. Looking at the sign, I asked, “Where is your
cigar?” He smiled in good humor.
Betty asked, what used to be there? “I think it was that Texaco Food Mart that
closed. It was known years ago for their
great steaks on Fridays.” And I started
laughing. That’s one of my favorite stories. Remember Brad our old neighbor? He worked at the Belridge gas plant where I
sold filters for 24 years. Quality
filtration is critical for efficient gas processing. I provided the Pall filters for the gas plant
and co-generation plant for 24 years. The
gas from the field needs to have liquid and particulate contaminants removed to
keep the compressors and plant processes clean.
Glycol dehydration needs filtration and the Cogen fuel gas and high
purity water required filters. The
higher the efficiency of the filtration, the less maintenance was required and
fewer problems the plant experienced.
Brad and Julio were plant operators. Brad, my old neighbor was a big 6 ‘5” guy about
my age and was a perfectionist and a very picky eater. He would not eat anything spicy, nothing international
or unusual. His yard was always neat and
his garage was always clean. I notice
those things about my neighbors. Julio
was a little older and a big heavy guy. And
he was a food critic as well as a filter service critic. He had me running out there anytime he
thought there was something wrong with my filters or needed to place an
order. Almost every order was an
emergency. Being single, he had most of his
meals at restaurants and was really picky.
He would complain if things were not just right and he did not hesitate
to send food back. Brad and Julio were frequently
arguing and teasing each other. Julio couldn't wait to tell me about the time
they stopped for breakfast at the Texaco Food Mart on Rosedale Highway one
morning on the way to work. Brad and
Julio were both eating biscuits & gravy at the counter and Brad was chewing
on something a little too long when he pulled a used band aide out of his mouth. He got
totally grossed out and sick to his stomach when he realized what it was. They both started yelling, gagging and heaving
and Julio ran to the refrigerator case and grabbed the biggest bottle of
Mountain Dew he could find and started chugging. I guess it was his big chance to get a
Mountain Dew and have an excuse not to pay for it. They had some heated complaints to the cook
and cashier.
For years afterwards I would ask them if they have had any
biscuits & gravy lately. Julio would
always laugh and retell the whole story and Brad would hold his stomach with
both hands, shake his head and moan like he was going to be sick again. Julio was a dedicated company man and a hard
worker. I really earned his respect when
I put on my coveralls and helped him change filters in the middle of the day in
July with it was 105 degrees out. The
filter vessel was 4 feet in diameter and 12 feet tall and closing & opening
the valves and vessel closure and changing the 96 filters was the job of a full
crew.
Julio always looked forward to retirement. He had it all planned out: his saving; his
house all paid off. He just wanted to
sit in his easy chair and relax, he said. He never got a chance to enjoy retirement
though. I was really sad when he had a heart attack
and died one day at work. Today being my
58th birthday, I think about stuff like that.
