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Issue 01 JANUARY 2014
News, Makers & Trends of the New South
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Issue 01 JANuary 2014
EDITORS Brent Rosen, Anna Lowder, Caroline Nabors Rosen, Harvi Sahota CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harvi Sahota DESIGN Matter www.iheartmatter.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brent Rosen, Caroline Nabors Rosen, Anna Lowder, Andrea Jean, Heather Steen, Tiffany Bell, Will Abner, Johnny Veres, Sam Wootten, Jennifer Kornegay, Scott Steen, Melissa Tsai, Tom Jean, Edwin Marty, Evans Bailey, Tina Hofer Medico, Robert Wool, Will Steineker, Elliot Knight, Mark Bowen, Christian Kerr, Rebecca Seung, David Mowery, Brian Carroll, Josh Carples, Katie Lindgren, Natilee McGruder, CarolineTaylor, Skye Borden, Katie Vega
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Harvi Sahota, Grace Photography, Josh Moates, Jon Kohn, Ryan Muirhead, Luke Lindgren, Preston Chandler ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Jay Wilkins
Made is a free, independent newspaper published monthly. Modern design, authentic voices, smart articles and curated events. VOLUME 02 • ISSUE 01 JANUARY 2014
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03 Column 04 feature: ASK A LOCAL: NEW ORLEANS + LOS ANGELES 10 feature: Greens + Peas 12 style 13 Food & DRINK 14 music 15 EAT SOUTH
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MADE is a collective of citizens celebrating the local, the authentic, and the unique. We are creatives featuring other creatives and the engaging work being produced in our city. We call attention to all fields forging new pathways in expression and innovation. We are makers who love to eat, talk, collaborate, question, party, and laugh, and we want you to take part. Thanks for reading this and supporting the artists, craftsmen, creatives, and active citizens that make a city thrive.
The Most Infuriating Sentence of 2013 WORDS BRENT ROSEN
The botanical garden project in Oak Park is the municipal equivalent of putting $20,000 worth of rims on a $10,000 car. Botanical Gardens are something to invest in when your city already has everything; they are an amenity, not a necessity. Money spent on the botanical garden is money unspent on other projects — city funds are not limitless, and a botanical garden is not cheap. You can’t just send out a jump-suited city works crew with a couple of hoses and expect to maintain anything worth visiting. You need horticulturists, scientists, dedicated full-time gardeners, and that expertise does not come cheap. I grew up in St. Louis, where we have a world-class botanical garden, and that facility’s compensation budget alone is $25,000,000. Now you may be saying, “but we aren’t trying to build the Missouri Botanical Garden (79 acres), but something on a smaller scale (9 acres) so the people of Montgomery can enjoy the benefits of a botanical garden.” So what are those benefits? The facebook page for “Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park” lists the following as its stated goals for the facility: “A destination for those traveling through Montgomery and for our citizenry, a natural science-based educational experience, a role model for environmentally-sound, sustainable horticultural practices, an important and profitable venue for events and functions, a plant-collections-based living museum, [and] a museum of Alabama outdoor art.” Those benefits sound awfully familiar. In fact, I think we already have somewhere that presents all those benefits — EAT South’s farms downtown and at Hampstead. If anyone had asked, EAT South would have gladly partnered on this project, dedicating unused acreage for a rose garden or some display of indigenous flora. Instead, we now have two projects with similar missions and similar goals fighting over limited fundraising dollars. Awesome. Yes, I am biased on this subject (see adjacent disclaimer), but that doesn’t change the fact we are building an expensive, duplicative public works project that, from the start, is not intended to be world class. So, what’s the point of doing this? I direct your attention to 2013’s most infuriating sentence, courtesy of our partner al.com’s November 7, 2013, article on the groundbreaking of the botanical garden: “Currently, Montgomery is the only city out of the four largest in the state without a botanical gardens.” There you have it — we need a botanical garden because everyone else has one. Does it make sense? Who cares. Do we have a Drummond or McWane or Harbert paying for it? Who knows. Does Montgomery have any historical connection to botanical gardens? What difference does that make. These are unimportant questions, because “botanical gardens.” While I think a botanical garden makes no sense, I agree that Oak Park should be further developed. Right now the park is best known for African-American picnics during the day and white men cruising for anonymous gay sex at night. With its prime real estate, highway access, and the interesting surrounding neighborhoods off of Mulberry St. and Highland Ave, the right project could be a major catalyst for the entire neighborhood. But the right project has to ask the right questions, and the most important question is how can Montgomery set itself apart? How can our city present something to the world you can’t get anywhere else?
One idea immediately comes to mind. Why not build the best civil rights museum in America somewhere in Oak Park? No other city has our historical legacy: from slavery to Martin Luther King, characters like Rosa Parks and George Wallace, even the recent efforts of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Other places have some of this history — Birmingham, Memphis, small towns across Mississippi — but none have it all. The Civil Rights story is Montgomery’s story, and while we have some commemorative markers, the Rosa Parks Library, and the Civil Rights Memorial near the Southern Poverty Law Center, we could fold all of that together, expand everything into a permanent collection, solicit traveling exhibitions, and create one world class museum and education center. Beyond our historical legacy, here are another few reasons this project makes sense. First, the museum would essentially touch Alabama State’s Campus. While that university is (literally) criminally mismanaged, it still has the faculty, graduate students, and mission needed to make a major civil rights museum in Montgomery an academic center for both historical scholarship and current research into civil rights issues. Next, Oak Park is in a historical, predominantly African American neighborhood, surrounded by African American businesses, and within walking distance of a number of majority African American schools. A civil rights museum could be the centerpiece of a thriving African American neighborhood in a way no botanical garden could ever be. Also, Montgomery is only a few hours from many other Southern cities (read Atlanta), and a major civil rights museum could be a major tourist draw. The money brought in from outside Montgomery will be spent not just on Mulberry Street and Highland Ave, but also in our downtown entertainment district. Finally, we are coming up on the 60th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired by Rosa Parks. Why not hire a development officer and use the time between now and 2015 to raise money across the United States? Go to Atlanta, Memphis, Charlotte, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington. Meet with leaders across the United States and let the rest of the United States pay for our museum. There is no better national fundraising hook than a civil rights museum in the home of Rosa Parks, especially if that museum will break ground on the 60th anniversary of her refusal to move to the back of the bus. Have fundraising concerts, dinners in every major Southern City, newspaper advertisements and interviews with national media. Get the word out, and the development will do itself. An effort like this will put Montgomery in the national conversation, and once you reach that status, success on every level becomes easier. Either that, or build a botanical garden — maybe the rose garden can hide the pool the city drained in 1959. It takes no leadership or vision to try and civically keep up with the Joneses, and without leadership or vision, Montgomery will continue to lurch from one half-hearted attempt at being more like somewhere else to another, never making Montgomery into “Montgomery.” A world-class, nationally renowned civil rights museum could happen here. We have all the building blocks, and this is a project we can execute better than any other city in America. We have the perfect site in Oak Park and a historic Rosa Parks anniversary to work with. This project just works. My hope for 2014 is that our city stops its infuriating attempts to be more like everywhere else, when all Montgomery needs to be successful is unashamed of itself.
JANUARY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM
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WORDS BRENT ROSEN
All places in bold below are recommended. If you want to know more, Google. ketchup, mayo, creole mustard, and Crystal hot sauce. Putting Tobasco on a Po’ Boy should cost you a night in Orleans Parish Lockup. I hope you aren’t craving an oyster Po’ Boy, because they aren’t widely available anymore About four years ago, on a trip to New Orleans, I visited my friend Alec (thanks BP). Adamick’s house in Mid-City. The cab dropped me in front, just off North * * * Broad Street, and I could see Alec had encased all of his 6 foot plus, 200 Do you like Jazz? Rap? Funk? Soul? Are you good at dancing? Bad at dancing? pound frame into a thin hammock suspended from two eyebolts, one drilled Enjoy dancing with strangers? If you answered yes to any of these questions, into his house and the other into one of the stocky columns supporting the put the Soul Rebels Brass Band on your itinerary. My first experience came in wide front porch. Kermit Ruffins poured from a small alarm clock radio, just 2002, at their Thursday dance party at Le Bon Temps Roule. A friend handed barely audible over the hammering and sawing coming from the house next me a Miller High Life -- $1 dollar on Thursday -- and we went to the back door still under renovation after Katrina. Alec rolled over as I came up the room stage/dance floor. The Soul Rebels play good high school marching band steps, spilling a little bit of his beer in the process, and careful not to dislodge music, with drummers, saxophones, trumpets, tubas and trombones, except himself from the hammock, raised his hand and said, “welcome back to the when you enclose a marching band in 400 square feet, the beat of the music Caribbean.” While I’d never thought of it before, he was right: New Orleans is replaces your pulse. They will go from an improvisational jam to a cover of not America’s most European city, and any self-respecting European would Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” to an original composition without pause, one song quickly back-track from the comparison. Instead, think of New Orleans as the segues into the next. The Soul Rebels use their horns in place of vocals, Northernmost outpost of the Caribbean. When you think about the city that harmonizing and rearranging the music, creating new compositions out of old way, the place makes a lot more sense. songs and melodies. It doesn’t matter where they are playing, just find them. * * * * * * If you asked me where to go for Po’ Boys in New Orleans, I couldn’t, in good In 2006, Alan Richman, a food critic and likely asshole, wrote an article for conscience, recommend just one place. Instead, I’d need to know what kind of GQ insulting New Orleans restaurants, wondering if they were worth saving Po’ Boy you wanted. You want fried shrimp? Go to Domilese’s. For roast beef, after Katrina. The only interesting thing about that article was the recognition you can’t do better than Parasol’s. Catfish? I’ve never had better than the catfish Po’ Boy at Parkway Tavern and Bakery; I like mine with lettuce, a bit of that the city of New Orleans, and New Orleans alone, has inspired a genre of 04
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food. You don’t go to New York to eat “New York” food, nor would you travel to Los Angeles to eat “LA” food. New Orleans, however, is probably best known for its “New Orleans” food, dishes like shrimp remoulade, trout meuniere, and crawfish etouffee, to be eaten in French Quarter restaurants like Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s, and Antoine’s. These places are tourist standby’s, but for a reason. You aren’t going for the food as much as the feel; tuxedoed staff, elegant dining rooms, all of the formality of a fine men’s club. But the elegance is pleasantly undercut, by the sassy staff who talk back, by the tired condition of the dining rooms upon closer inspection, by the copious number of martinis you’ve consumed. Conversations in these restaurants tend to rise louder and louder the longer a meal lasts. I love Galatoire’s during the day, but do it right. Take your time. Drink a lot. Wear a tie. It’s not lunch, it’s an experience. * * * Magazine Street miraculously provides something for everyone. The street has excellent cheap bars: Miss Mae’s for cheap well drinks, Balcony Bar for cheap Rolling Rock, and The Bulldog for a variety of inexpensive pitchers of craft beer. For shopping, Hemline, Billy Reid, and awesome screen printed everything from Storyville, Dirty Coast, and Defend NOLA. Magazine has two “new school” Po’ Boy shops, Mahoney’s and Traceys, along with a classic oyster dive in Casamento’s. Try out Juan’s Flying Burrito if you’re interested in a punk rock Tex-Mex burrito bar, or Monkey Hill or St. Joe’s if you’ve seen enough hustle and bustle and just want a master-crafted cocktail. If you’ve brought your dog along (and who hasn’t?), Bridge Lounge will let your dog run around off the leash throughout the bar. The street is six miles long, so don’t try and walk it all. Pick a stretch, shop around, stop for a snack and a drink, then repeat. * * * Another conversation about New Orleans restaurants currently simmering is whether newer restaurants that don’t have a “New Orleans” menu or feel are undermining New Orleans’ culture. This conversation, like any other that laments the forward march of progress, misses the point. Many of New Orleans’ newer restaurants are uniformly excellent. Domenica serves the best pizzas and pastas I’ve had in the South; Sylvain’s menu offers everything from braised beef cheeks to the “Chic-Sylvain,” a high-end take on the fast food chicken sandwich; a revamped Le Petit Grocery serves classics with flair; and there is nothing monosyllabic about the food at Pesche, Borgne, or Root. Rather than concerning yourself with whether these restaurants fit into the milieu of “New Orleans,” know that they are not only some of the best in New Orleans, but some of the best in America. * * * My senior year in college, we made a commitment: visit the French Quarter once a week. Tulanians get jaded about the French Quarter quickly, failing to look past the bright lights, loud noises, and fanny packs, preferring instead the
dark, cheap, and underage friendly spots closer to campus. But when the end is near, you start to see the Quarter with fresh eyes. You visit places like Chart House and realize there are smoky, cash-only dive bars that sell Schlitz. even in the Quarter. We learned about Coop’s a restaurant with the finest rabbit gumbo and excellent fried chicken, but where you can also play pool while you wait for a table. For more sophisticated moods, the W Hotel in the French Quarter (not the one on Canal) offers the best outdoor, courtyard drinking around. You can’t beat the burgers at Yo Mama’s or Port of Call, and if you like a late night bump-and-grind party, then Goldmine will be rocking until they run out of ingredients for flaming Dr. Pepper’s. If you’re the type that likes to wander aimlessly without destination or goal, then start at the Canal end of Royal Street, have a drink at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone to prepare for your journey, and then walk all the way down to Esplanade. Return via Chartres Street. There are antique shops, jewelry stores, book stores, boutiques, and other purveyors of miscellanea for days. Enjoy your journey. * * * New Orleans, New Orleans, you shabby bastard of a city. At the end of every trip I end up fleeing from you like a crime scene -- bloodshot eyes, splitting headache, crippling heartburn, and a nagging sense that I might not ever be the same. I’ve formed more memories in your neighborhoods than in any other place, remarkable considering how many memories never quite made it out of your morass of smoke and sin. While I’m not a “local” anymore, a large part of me will always think of you as home. I’d ask you to please show the people of Alabama a good time when they come for the Sugar Bowl next month, but I already know you have no intention of doing anything but.
I asked some friends in New Orleans to send recommendations for places to go, or a particular story about a place that was worth telling strangers. I received this from my friend Andrew Ryba, and I am extremely pleased: “The Kingpin is an excellent bar. The prices are decent, the jukebox diverse, the volume correct, the lighting just enough to make everyone look decent. The walls are mostly a tribute to hubcaps. Several years ago, the ladies’ room at the back of the bar used to be a men’s room -- or at least bordered on unisex. A painting of Satan hung on the inside of the door. It was tremendous. Bright red Satan holding up his tail, taking a shit, smoking a cigarette, a small teardrop rolling down his cheek. Bloodied toilet paper littered around him, a look of sorrow on his face. Last Mardi Gras, I was talking (ranting) to some strangers about the painting, mainly about how I missed it. At that moment someone walked by and said ‘I remember that painting,’ she then continued, ‘I remember that painting and I know where it is.’ I couldn’t believe it. ‘Come with me.’ My new soul mate walked behind the bar, got a key, then headed to a back store room. She emerged seconds later, and had the devil in her dress. ‘Show me to your car.’ We walked out the front door of the bar and to my car. She put the painting in my trunk. All I could offer her were Mardi Gras beads. She declined. ‘The thing about this painting,’ she sang, ‘is that someone tried to cover up the heroin needle that sits at his feet. But if you look close you can still see it.’ Also, Kingpin has shuffleboard and you can smoke cigarettes inside.”
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Los Angeles is really what you make of it; the city is rich in so many ways: food, art, music, shopping, nature. There’s a neighborhood for every personality. We’ve chosen Pasadena to be our first home on the West Coast. Pasadena is the home of the world famous stadium, renowned cultural attractions and educational institutions, and some of the best hotels and restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Having just moved here a few months ago with my husband and 19-month old, we already have a list of our local favorites. Copa Vida (70 S. Raymond Ave) is my favorite coffee spot in our neighborhood. This is where I’d go to satisfy my caffeine kick and get some work done on the side. If you’re not a coffee drinker, I’d take you down the street to Flour + Tea (238 S. Arroyo Pkwy). This cozy little teashop has a long list of teas that will satisfy every palate. They also serve up some delicious desserts and breads. For a quick lunch, our go-to is Lemonade (146 S. Lake Ave). The atmosphere is casual and vibrant. Their seasonal menu embraces what Southern California cuisine is all about. I never pass up the white truffle mac’n cheese. Afterwards, we love hanging out by the fire pit and the iconic British red telephone booths in the courtyard behind the restaurant. Another lunch (or
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brunch) favorite is La Grande Orange Café (260 S. Raymond Ave). If you’re going to order only one thing here (which I highly doubt), get the deviled eggs. For a low-key dinner, we’ll stop by Umami Burger (49 E. Colorado Blvd). You seriously can’t go wrong with anything from their menu. Our little one can eat a whole order of sweet potato fries by himself. Being so close to the Pacific Ocean, sushi is a must-eat here. My husband and I love going to Sushi Roku (One Colorado, 33 Miller Alley) on our date nights. If you still have room, walk over to The Coolhaus Shop (59 E. Colorado Blvd) to top the night off with an ice cream sandwich. I bet you’ve never tried some of these flavors: Guinness chip or fried chicken & waffles. If you’re visiting Pasadena with young children, Kidspace Children’s Museum (480 N. Arroyo Blvd) is a great place to burn off their energy. There are tons of hands-on activities for one-year olds and up. Old Pasadena Farmer’s Market (54 E. Holly Street; Sunday 9am-2pm) is another place we love going to as a family; it’s become a part of our weekend routine. We love walking around sampling berries while doing our weekly produce shopping.
Melissa is an architect, mom, and blogger. www.madebymelis.com
JEREMY SILVER
“If you’re planning to cheer on Auburn at the BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl in January, there’s something we have to tell you. You look like a tourist. Why? Because you’re spending all of your free time snapping pictures on the Hollywood Walk of Fame rocking burnt orange and navy blue. Swap out your football swag for some shorts--it’s 70 degrees in January!--and steer clear of the those double decker tour buses. In the spirit of rivalry, we pit some of the city’s more famous locales against our classier, lesser-known, favorites. Enjoy Los Angeles like a local with these five destinations that are #onlyinLA. 5. Santa Monica Pier vs. Manhattan Beach Pier This adorable enclave just south of LAX is packed with charming shops, delicious restaurants, beautiful beach homes and more room to breathe than it’s northern cousin. No, MB’s pier doesn’t include a Ferris wheel or “jokes for $1,” but it’s also completely devoid of huge crowds and screaming ice cream vendors interrupting your blissful beachside nap. Head to MB Post for their seared diver scallops with bacon butter. YUM. 4. In n’ Out vs. Umami Don’t get us wrong; we heart a Double Double Animal Style just as much as the next girl. But, there’s just something magical about the Umami minichain’s rich, creative concoctions tucked into buttery buns that’s crave-worthy. I mean, just look at this menu. House-made truffle cheese? Done and done. 3. Venice Boardwalk vs. Venice Canals If you’re into scenery that includes men painted silver, street musicians and the half-naked gentlemen of Muscle Beach, then by all means, brave the crowds on the moving circus that is the Boardwalk. But, if you’re looking for a saner escape with a view that’s still near water, head south to the Venice Canals. Continue your stroll through L.A.’s hippest neighborhood Abbot Kinney. 2. Sprinkles vs. Sugarfina Perhaps The Original Cupcake Bakery’s $4 red velvet cupcake is “worth” all the hype and the perpetual lines. But, why subject yourself to that madness? Stroll a few blocks down to the magical Sugarfina, which is literally on the same street. Step inside the brand new Tiffany-blue storefront, which sources gourmet candies from around the world and presents them in the most adorable packages for gift-giving--flavors like candy-coated martini olive almonds. 1. The Standard vs. The Bungalow at The Fairmont If you’re not on the list at The Standard, you’ll be standing in line for awhile, surrounded by more fake bake, 5-inch heels and plastic surgery than you ever thought possible in one space. Go hang out with real people near the ocean at The Bungalow, an indoor/ outdoor multi-room haven with multiple bars, a pool table and lots and lots of comfy seats and couches for hanging out. Do go early though as a line has been known to form on the weekends (but there are often food trucks or vendors nearby to help you pass the time!)”
“For music, I recommend Hotel Cafe which is by far the best place to see up and coming artists in LA, it’s a very intimate room, and occasionally some big names will pop up just to hang out or maybe even play a stripped down set. Room 5 on La Brea is another small room with great singer/songwriter talent coming through. For slightly bigger, louder shows there’s the Troubadour (another LA classic) which is another favorite of mine; the front bar at the Troubadour is also a great hang for a beer before or after a show. The calendars for Find out more about their company at www.facebook.com/BereketKitchen those places are already up, and good shows are or at www.bereketkitchen.com. happening around the weekend of the 10th. As far as food, for great authentic Mexican food I’d recommend Loteria in the Farmers Market at the Grove. Since you Alabama folks might be barbecue connoisseurs, I would offer up Bludsoe’s on La Brea as some of the best BBQ out here. Village Idiot on Melrose is a great pub and I definitely recommend the steak & potato pie. An old-school Hollywood place for maybe the best Italian food in the city is Dan Tana’s on Santa Monica (located right next to the Troubadour). Oh, and obviously In-and-Out for a hamburger. No question, it’s a must. If you want to hang out in bars the LA classic sports bar is Barney’s Beanery, there’s one in West Hollywood and another location in Santa Monica. For a dive bar, I like Snake Pit on Melrose, it’s not your typical LA flashy bar scene, so it’s a natural favorite of mine.” Jeremy Silver is a songwriter and producer who writes music for film, television, and commercials. @iamjeremysilver
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WORDS PRESTON WILLIAMS Good luck and plenty of money – that’s what many of us wish for as we toast good-bye to the previous year at midnight on December 31. Come lunch (or dinner, depending on how revelrous your N.Y.E.) we pile our plates with black-eyed peas, greens, and pork hoping for the promise of luck and money. Mystery and folk lore surround the tradition, and no one really knows the foundation. The only truth that matters is the one we grew up hearing. One legend dates back to the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were considered animal food and were not worthy of General Sherman’s Union troops. When the Union soldiers raided the Confederate food supplies, legend says they took everything but the peas and salted pork. The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with such meager supplies and survived the winter. Peas became a symbol of luck in the South. Black-eyed peas were also given to the slaves, as were most other traditional New Year’s foods. Let’s face it: most of the New Year’s recipes are soul food. One explanation of the superstition says that black-eyed peas were all the southern slaves had to celebrate with on the first day of January, 1863. What were they celebrating? That was the day when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. From that point on, peas were always eaten on the first day of January. How are you supposed to eat the peas? My family always argues over this. Some people believe you should cook them with a new dime or penny, or add a coin to the pot before serving. The person who receives the coin in their portion will be extra lucky. I’ve heard you should eat exactly 365 peas on New Year’s Day; if you eat any less, you’ll only be lucky for that many days. I guess on leap years, you need to eat an extra one. If you eat any more than 365 peas, it turns those extra days into bad luck. Some say you should leave one pea on your plate, to share your luck with someone else (more of the humbleness that peas seems to represent). Others say if you don’t eat every pea on your plate, your luck will be bad. Want to get rich? Here in the South, collard greens and corn bread bring the money on New Year’s Day, but it’s actually cabbage that is the king green around most of the world for New Year’s meals. Cabbage is a late crop and is available this time of year; because collard greens are a late crop too, they sub for cabbage in the South because that’s what grows here in winter. The southern tradition: each bite of greens you eat is worth $1,000 in the upcoming year. I love greens, all of them, and with as much as I ate last New Year’s, I’m surprised I’m not as rich as Creases! But I’ll try again this New Years! Today, cabbage and greens (collards and turnips) both represent “green” money in New Year’s tradition, but historically, cabbage was eaten for health benefits. Cabbage was eaten by everyone from Caesar to the Egyptians to aid in digestion and for nutrition, then later for the prevention of scurvy. The philosopher Aristotle
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ate cabbage before drinking alcohol to keep the wine “from fuddling his prudent academic head” (I wonder why we don’t eat greens on New Year’s Eve then). Modern greens are not so different from those eaten by Caesar and Aristotle. The ancient cabbage those guys ate was closer to kale than our modern cabbage. Corn bread represents pocket money or spending money. It’s another soul food we eat on New Year’s. The tradition stems from the color of the bread. Its color represented “gold” or “coin” money. Plus, it goes well with greens, peas and our next subject, pork. The South isn’t the only place that eats pork on New Year’s Day. All over the world people are using marzipan pigs to decorate their tables, partaking in pig’s feet, pork sausage, roast suckling pig or pork dumplings. Hogs and pigs have long been a symbol of prosperity and gluttony. It’s why we say someone is “being a pig” when they take more than their share. Some cultures believe that the bigger pig you eat on New Year’s, the bigger your wallet will be in the coming year. So, the “fatter” the pig, the “fatter” your wallet. While people around the world are eating pig for New Year’s, we’re the only ones who put so much faith in the jowl cut. I probably need to explain what a hog jowl is, as some Yankees have never heard of this cut of pork. It’s the “cheek” of the hog. It tastes and cooks similar to thick cut bacon. It’s a tough cut that is typically smoked and cured. Hog jowl is used to season beans and peas, or fried and eaten like bacon. Why hog jowl? The short answer is that we eat cured pork because it’s winter time. Hog jowl is a cured product which stores well for long periods. During the winter, cured pork would be readily accessible meat. How do you cook hog jowl for New Year’s? Some people only use the jowl to season their black-eyed peas and collard greens. Most in the south would say that’s not enough to make you prosperous. You also have to partake in some fried hog jowl. It’s cooked similar to bacon, but hog jowl is a bit tougher and takes a little longer to cook. Jowl typically comes in a package, sliced like thick bacon or uncut on the “rind.” Most people remove the rind, slice it and fry the slices in a skillet until brown on both sides. It’s then drained on a paper towel and served. Since it’s a cured food, it typically doesn’t need extra salt, but some like to serve it with pepper or hot sauce. It’s also been said that if you eat only black-eyed peas, and skip the pork, collard greens and the accompaniments, the luck won’t stick. They all work together or not at all. It’s a good thing the people who created these superstitions up didn’t believe luck and money came from a combination of snails, cornbread and black-eyed peas. I don’t think that would have caught on. So, before you go popping those bottles of champagne, run by your local farmer’s market and pick up a mess of your favorite greens, some jowl, and a pound or two of black-eyeds -- just don’t forget to save a coin or two for the peas.
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$294,900
3 BEDROOM 2 BATH 1,768 sq.ft conditioned approx 518 sq.ft porch / garage approx
$278,900
$309,900
The Murray A
The Adele
The Sanderson
The Maggie
3 BEDROOM 2.5 BATH 2,185 sq.ft conditioned approx 533 sq.ft porch / garage approx
4 BEDROOM 2.5 BATH 2,268 sq.ft conditioned approx 735 sq.ft porch / garage approx
1 BEDROOM 1.5 BATH 1,085 sq.ft conditioned approx
4 BEDROOM 3 BATH 2,372 sq.ft conditioned approx
$309,900
$299,900
$169,900
$314,900
Town building, design, & construction are an evolving process. The Hampstead master plan, features, floor plans, & pricing may change without notice due to a variety of considerations. Any illustrations are artist’s depictions only & may differ from completed improvements. This is not an offer to sell real estate property. Information is correct but not warranted. Void where prohibited by law. Equal Housing Opportunity. Š 2 0 14
High Style, Low Prices: What I Found at Goodwill WORDS & Photos CHANDLER HINES
David Bowie wrote a song about it. Beautiful girls have made a career out of it. Countless magazines cover it. Fashion. For me, it’s like beautiful silk stiletto couture pornography. Yup, I said it. It’s my purple silk pleated maxi skirt... with pockets! I, like most women, love shopping and collecting beautiful clothes; however, this can get a little costly. But how are we expected to keep up with the latest trends without spending all of the money our husbands don’t know we have in a separate account? That’s where I come in the picture. I collect clothes like an art collector hoards paintings, all without spending a fortune. I love finding great deals and never pay full price. At least that’s what I tell my husband. Other than shopping online, finding deals can be challenging unless you know where to go. Recently, I found some gems at our local Goodwill store. We’re talking fur coats, silk blouses, leather handbags, and metallic shoes. All for less than I care to say! It was so much fun exploring the store and its hidden treasures, and knowing that we are helping others by shopping at (and donating to) Goodwill makes it even more worthwhile. Goodwill stores are located at 900 Air Base Blvd. and 5326 Atlanta Highway. Follow Chandler’s blog at www.daretowearcsh.blogspot.com 12
MADEPAPER.COM • JANUARY 2014
Words & PHOTOS KATIE VEGA
Scott Street Deli has been high on the list of Montgomery experiences for decades. A favorite of lawyers, middle schoolers, and lifelong Montgomerians alike, everyone is attracted to the nostalgic feel and delicious sandwiches that come out of this place. We all love the nouveau-riche, swanky spots that are popping up around our city, but this humble hole is the perfect spot to grab lunch during our daily hustle in this mini concrete jungle. A former grocery store, the spot that holds the deli has been open for operation since the early 1900s. Oh, and you want to know a fun little fact? If you take a peek at the back wall, you’ll see hooks that once held the horses belonging to the old firehouse next door. That. Is. Cool. Okay, now that we’ve got the brief history lesson out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty—the thing people near and far come to see—the star of the show—the sandwich. Scott Street’s sky high sandwiches are not for the faint of heart. Whether you order the Club, the Italian, or the Frencheletta, don’t go in expecting a run-of-the-mill, over-processed, only-enough-meatfor-a-toddler sandwich. And let me give you a little advice: make sure you go on a completely empty stomach, because trust me, you are going to want to eat it all, and all is a whole lot. The glue that holds the happy family of meats together is Scott Street’s homemade bread. You do have a choice to pick between regular loaf bread and
homemade bread, but I think we all know what the obvious choice is. And don’t anticipate some fancy-shmancy bread. This is some big, hearty, American-made goodness. Could anything else handle the (what seems like) pounds of piled-high meat? I think not. While the food is obviously the most important factor, the atmosphere is also a force to be reckoned with. It’s everything you would hope an old store would be. Small, simple, and somehow amazingly beautiful—all at the same time. If the hardwood floors could talk, they would take you back to the time when eating local was the only way to eat. There was no Publix, Fresh Market, or Walmart. Just your neighborhood grocery store. Wouldn’t you love to shop in a small place, with people you know all around you, and everything you were buying was grown a mile up the road? That’s the memory I imagine when I walk into the deli. It takes me back to the good ole days—the ones that I and others in Gen X never got to experience. So if you’re looking for that experience, step inside the red door to heaven. You’ll be greeted with every ounce of friendliness. Oh, and grab a sandwich while you’re in there. Don’t think about asking “for here”—these two words don’t exist. But if you’re interested in sticking close to the source, feel free to grab a spot outside on the brick wall under the magnolia tree. You’re welcome.
JANUARY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM
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Words BRIAN CARROLL
Beck “Morning Phase” In 2012, famed Jewish Scientologist Beck released an album as sheet music, ‘Song Reader,’ as one of several passiveaggressive acts in a complex, international authenticity feud between the now-defunct Fiery Furnaces and (also now-defunct?) Radiohead. Beck makes it clear on “Wave” from his new Capitol debut ‘Morning Phase,’ that his loyalties still lie with Thom Yorke & Co. as he unabashedly re-envisions “Pyramid Song” without its pesky, brilliant fivebeat rhythm. Utilizing the same set of players as 2002’s ‘Sea Change,’ ‘Morning Phase’ was intended to be a sequel-ofsorts to that newly-re popularized album, itself technically a more focused do-over of 1998’s ‘Mutations.’ The new album was given a company-wide, mandatory listening session at Capitol to build internal buzz and features three songs recorded with Jack White in Nashville. Beck himself stated the album is an homage to late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s California-Americana, while the choppy promo singles released last year show instead that he’s been listening to the Dirty Projectors..
St. Vincent “St. Vincent” If the promotional artwork for former Sufjan Stevens guitarist Annie Clark’s new self-titled release as St. Vincent were an indication, she is either positing herself as a demigod-like Emily Dickinson on the set of Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain, a blue-blooded cast member of The Hunger Games, or the new Lady Gaga of Rock. All may be intended, but the last may actually be wishful, as the lead single “Birth in Reverse” finds her taking on a classic CBGB sound from bands like Blondie and The Pretenders in a territorial move. While her purported concept of making a dance record for a funeral is a little creepy, a lot of bands have been making money the same way recently.
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MADEPAPER.COM • JANUARY 2014
Stevie Wonder “When the World Began” and “Ten Billion Hearts” Big Stevie Wonder aims to hit hard this year with two new hip-hop influenced albums. The albums will feature experimentation with rap - his intention being to raise the vocal style to a higher (artistic) ground while establishing a new relevance with youth audiences - and traditional African rhythms, though it is unclear whether or not we will end up with one album of rap, one of African rhythms, or one of both mixed and a completely separate, more traditional Wonder album. Exciting news, nonetheless.
Against Me “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” Note: If you’re still in a pop-punk / emo-core band, a great way to keep your flagging genre in the press is to chop your willy off, deeply divide your fan base, and then let word-of-mouth reframe you as heroes by a more accepting, progressive national audience. Whether you call it selfexploitative, honest, or just plain awesome, ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ will be the band’s big transcendental moment, a final nail in the coffin of the genre that created them. But, just to be clear, no one is listening to - or asking questions about - the music, anyway.
Warpaint “Warpaint” The Chris Cunningham-enhanced L.A. four-piece puts on a long-awaited second coat this year with Flood (New Order, NIN) producing and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Natalie Imbruglia) on the mixing board. The all-girl band refuses to coast on their modelesque looks, as they’ve apparently been working harder than ever to get serious, do bong rips, and make art, having holed up in a smoke-filled cabin at Joshua Tree National Park to do communal songwriting for their self-titled sophomore LP to much consternation of vacationers.
Cibo Matto “Hotel Valentine” Here’s one we didn’t expect: Grand Royal alums Cibo Matto (Italian for “crazy food”) reuniting and releasing a new album on Valentine’s Day 2014, about fifteen years since their last release. Known primarily these days for the Michel Gondry-directed-video of ‘Sugarwater’ from their killer 1997 debut, ‘Viva La Woman,’ those were simpler times, when hip-hop was the domain of elite foreigners who commanded cocktail and spy-movie beats like a finely-groomed cabal of international breakbeat spies. Two female co-singers Yuka Honda and Miho Hitori have long been dwindling in solo career hell until this moment, unable to land a hit. Sean Lennon’s - as opposed to the Beastie Boys’ - vanity label will be doing the distribution this time around, so I guess it pays to keep in touch with your ex-boyfriend offspring of John and Yoko.
Johnny Cash “Out Among the Stars” Yet another stash of unreleased Cash recordings will emerge, this one a completed “lost” album from the 1980s. What it will sound like exactly (reports indicate we should not expect synthesizers and drum machines, as Cash was apparently fighting a losing battle against the urban-cowboy dynamics of the era in his darkest, haziest hour) is unclear, but the album - featuring a duet with Waylon Jennings - is reported not only showcase the singer’s distinctive voice in its absolute prime, but be “a beautiful record.”
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E.A.T. South encourages healthy lifestyles through education and sustainable food production in urban areas throughout the Southeast. www.eatsouth.org
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