~~Jose Andrés MiniBar in Washington D.C.~~

all photographs by Wilbur M. Reeling & Nikon 5400

..."stop putting FOAM on my food!"...

Jose Andrés MiniBar is not a

"BIG BOY ON THE CULINARY PLAYGROUND"

... more like a BULLi !

CLICK PHOTOS FOR FULL VIEW

below: PASSION FRUIT "TEQUILA SUNRISE"

below: Ernie Nagy, Chef & owner of the waterfront

"Tidewater Restaurant" in Havre de Grace, Maryland

with my daughter Honor at the MiniBar

"molecular gastronomy"

FANTASTIC FOOD & CERTAINLY A "bib gourmand"

. . . BUT A MICHELIN 3 STAR PRICE?
-- for 3 of us $697 on Visa, plus $9o for cash gratuities --

MiniBar tasting menu

My favorite TV food line is from Desperate Housewives when BRIE'S SON asked her when she was going to stop serving CUISINE and start serving some FOOD? -lol-

... with MiniBar TV STAR Executive Chef Katsuya Fukushima.

Chef Katsuya's parents have retired to Havre de Grace, MarylandIt is certainly a MAJOR stretch to pay $697 & a separate cash $90 tip for 3 people to eat a "molecular gastronomy" dinner in a place that resembled a twenty year old tacky threadbare Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant. We had a never ending stream of Hors d' oeuvres ~ Mezze ~ Tapas or what seemed like a never ending ‘Amuse-Bouché ’... but we did it at what was thought to be the first class José Andrés MiniBar. WHAT A SHOCK!

below: chefs of Café Atlántico in the open kitchen

below: "molecular gastronomy" Chef Michael Turner & CURRIED CHICKEN WINGS

below: OLIVE OIL BON BON

above: "molecular gastronomy" Chef Michael Turner was playing the MiniBar part all evening of "hated Chef Marcel" from Bravo TV's big hit show Top Chef, but ... "BEST F@*&# ing Manly Man, live-beating Cobra heart eating, CHEF IN THE WORLD & Real TV Star & Real Chef Anthony "Tony" Bourdain" said of Marcel in Bravo’s Top Chef TV --"Marcel Vigneron’s self-love is as garish and repellent as his winged hairdo"

below: "molecular gastronomy" Chef Ryan Moore was our winner "Ilan" and FAV of the MiniBar 3-ring event, ... says NY Times of Bravo’s Top Chef TV SHOW WINNER, "Ilan", Only in contrast to Marcel does Ilan Hall seem humble and winsome. Don’t be duped. In this season’s first episode he flatly declared, ..."I want to be famous"...below: BAGELS & LOX ..."stop putting FOAM on my food!"...

Chef Katsuya Fukushima & Chef Ernie's tee-shirt poke fun at .."FOAM"..

below: (front) TUMBLEWEED OF BEET & APPLE CRISPS
APPLE CRISPS

below: MARACUYA - MARSHMALLOW - PIÑA COLADA

In 2003 MiniBar was given a 3 star review from the Washington Post’s Dining Guide but downgraded in 2006 and is now down to 2 and a fraction stars out of a possible 4.
In a 3 STAR MICHELIN you need literal perfection every time, not some times. A restaurant is rated for food, wine, service and ambience. But, expect to pay at least $200 per person, usually a lot more for a complete 3 STAR MICHELIN dinner.

below: MATCHBALL

below: THAI DESSERT
below: "SUN DRIED" TOMATO SALAD
below: ZUCCHINI IN TEXTURES
below: DECONSTRUCTED GLASS OF WHITE WINE (partially eaten)
DECONSTRUCTED GLASS OF WHITE WINE (11 flavors on gilee)
below: SALMON-PINEAPPLE "RAVIOLI" WITH CRISPY QUINOA
below: COTTON CANDY FOIE GRAS
below: "CORNBREAD"
below: SMOKED OYSTER AND APPLES
below: CORN ON THE COB
below: EGG 63* WITH CAVIAR

below: PISTACHIO-BEETS AND MIXED BERRIES

below: "PHILLY CHEESESTEAK"

below: NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

below: CAESAR SALAD

below: JAPANESE BABY PEACHES WITH YOGURT

below: BREADED CIGALA WITH SEA ASPARAGUS

PERHAPS MiniBar is trying to attain a level below 1 STAR MICHELIN ("bib gourmand") but I still think it’s a major stretch to rate it as a MICHELIN bib gourmand. To get that you need 40 percent of the overall score to food, 30 percent to wine and 15 & 15 percent each to service and ambiance.

~40% FOOD: -- no way José -- Both MiniBar owner and Chef José Andrés and Executive Chef Katsuya Fukushima, were trained at the 3 STAR MICHELIN Restaurant "elBulli" in Roses Spain under it’s owner & 3 star Chef Ferran Adriá. The thesis of elBulli Cuisine #2 is ..."The use of top quality products and technical knowledge to prepare them properly"... BUT WE WERE SERVED truffles from Oregon not Perigord or even Piedmond d' Alba, Osetra Caviar from Uruguay (I think Costco sells it), WAGYU beef, well done Sirloin.
~30% WINE: -- no way José -- 2 of the whites were served warm and I thought a red that I had to drink was bad. I would have trashed it ... but no one ever asked!
~15% SERVICE: -- no way José -- our wait-person, Pablo, left empty wine and water glasses and never even one time asked if everything was okay. He must have slipped home for a while when I wanted a cold replacement for my warm white wine or the bad red. A bigger bother to me was that he did not replace the soiled and used utensils even after being asked over&over after the 4th & 5th course.
~15% AMBIANCE: -- no way José -- the place looked worn, dismal and tired over-all, sort of threadbare like a 20 year old Chi-Chi’s that has never been re-decorated. The wrapped copper bar (was a leftover 6 seat Sushi Bar) looked as though it had not been cleaned or polished for weeks & weeks. It was covered with lots of dark stains. Lots of wine glass and watermark stains, big and little stains and it was scratched and dented. When I asked why it was not cleaned and polished I was told Chef Andrés liked the "RUSTIC LOOK". I thought it just looked dirty. Also, a lot of the service items and in particular the wine glasses and utensils looked very tired and very cheap. I was told they were purchased at Wallymart – no shit, no lie, Wal-Mart (and I think that’s where the pretend Riedel wine glasses came from by the looks of ‘em).

Compared to what? After thinking about my credentials to write these ‘NOT SO GOOD’ things, I have to say that I have eaten in more than twenty different 3 STAR MICHELIN Restaurants and many like Taillevent, Le Bernarin (while Gilbert Le Coze was Chef), Jöel Robuchon, La Tour d’Argent and Plaza Athenee in Paris, dozens of times. There’s also Monte Carlo’s 3 star Louis XV, and the Negresso in Nice during the film festival in France plus many others. I just cannot imagine the 3 STAR MICHELIN Chef Thomas Keller allowing this in one of his restaurants.

This entire meal had no UMAMI, (deliciousness, triggering a sensation of craving) as if it was missing the thread to hold it all together. When I left, far from quenched or satiated, I cannot think of a single "molecular gastronomy" food that I’m yearning to return to eat again, even had the surroundings been like a 3 star Louis XV .

All this "fuzz, foams, bubbles, smoke & mirrors" will end for us when "Sam & Sue’s Sip and Bite Restaurant" find a way to serve you foam on your scrambled eggs and bacon.

Thinking about the UMAMI factor while writing this -- I actually drove to South Philly and had the best one. A Pat's "KING OF STEAK" wit Cheez Whiz, load 'a Rib Eye, lil fried onion on a FRESHLY BAKED ITALIAN LOAF for just $7.00 (plus about $30 in gas)

The funny thing is for all you non-gourmet types is the BEST PHILLY SUB is not Geno's or Pat's wit Whiz ... it's a TONY LUKE'S ROAST PORK wit BROCCOLI ROBE.

--LOL --

PS --Tuesday May 8th, 9:30PM
....mmmmmm..... Boy! I have had more phone calls, letters and eMAILS saying they were so sorry that things were such a let down at MiniBar that I feel a need to respond.

It wasn't a let down at all -- it was really fun and great learning something new from Chef Ryan Moore and speaking with Chef Katsuya Fukushima and poking fun at ..."foam"... and "molecular gastronomy" in general. We even asked Chef Katsuya Fukushima to be our guest for dinner at my home or Chef Ernie’s restaurant when he next visits his parents in Havre de Grace.

We had a great time (fantastic even) and the food & preparation was 99 on a scale of 100. We are all happy to have gone. I picked up the tab and didn't blink a thimble of "molecular tear juice." –lol-- It was my pleasure. It just was not 1st class.

~~ MARYLAND JUMBO STEAMED CRABS ~~

NIKON 5400 photography Wilbur M. Reeling

~~JUMBO JIMMY CRAB LOVERS~~

IT'S FINALLY HERE ... IF YOU CAN FIND A FEW MINUTES,

AND YOU ARE READY FOR STEAMED CRABS

A LA "MY" MARYLAND STYLE!

CLICK PHOTOS FOR FULL VIEW

above: my extra happy buddy Mr. Art & a 10"er . . .

JUMBO JIMMY! Hard to find & equally as expensive

. . . more Jimmy's at near 10" point to point

above: a dozen dead soldiers - dipped in melted crab butter or dipped in vinegar with dill pickles but usually with summer ripe tomatoes rubbed across the top of the spicy shell served with hot steamed corn on the cob

above: at my house, a cold IMPORTED HEINE

(no wine with steamed crabs)

hot melted crab dip`n butter, sweet Maryland corn & ripe tomatoes

just off the vine. Some like slaw & hot fresh bread & butter

and after, some soft 'half melted' Ben & Jerry's

above: CRABS & BEST FRIENDS

... on the Eastern`Show of Maryland and a few

"JUMBO JIMMY'S!" -- wa can I getcha Hon! ...
& ... more Jumbo Jimmy's

as always ... Old Mr. Art being a fool

... the mess you have after

~ 8" ... your knife is your ruler!

... a typical Eastern 'Show' CRAB SHACK on the water



... another ice cold bucket of brews

I love Maryland and most of the people that live here too. . . but there are a few things.

In particular, I love JUMBO MARYLAND CRABS (males are called Jimmy) during the summer and soft shells in the Spring, followed up next with tender sweet summer corn and dark red & yellow ripe tomatoes still warm and just off the vine.

If you get a red ripe tomato in Maryland by the 4th of July you are considered a local tomato wizard.

Baltimore also has a good reputation for some of the best micro brews & imported beer bars around (Max's Beer Bar in Fells Point, Baltimore has over 200 fresh drafts and imported bottles) and there’s where the 'crab & beer' problem starts.

You see with crabs you just swill any old beer as long as it's ice cold and in a pitcher.
GOOD BEER JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO GO WITH STEAMED CRABS. -- just cold beer.

The problem with living in the ..."sticks"... on Maryland's Eastern Shore is fitting in -- Hon!

Especially, if you are from the/any Big City, because most around here, deservedly, have and an inferiority complex.

If you want something different you'd better not say a word. Just go with what 'they' are having and shut-up.

Locals drink their 'lite' beer directly from the can or bottle (NO GLASSES HERE) and I actually was asked to leave a dive bar for asking for a glass to drink my beer from -- it's just not permitted. The owner said ..."I'll pay your tab, just don't ever come back here again!"... and he was serious.

The other problem is that the red-neck crabbers that won't sell you the biggest crabs if they find out you've been buying from their competition down the road a piece.

There's not much you can do but bite your own lip ‘til it bleeds and not say a word if you want their JUMBOS to keep on coming all season.

The best way to fit in is that you need to begin with a really dirty baseball cap & a new, all chrome plated, Harley-Hog. Then you need a $50,000.00, 8-MPG, 4X4 'FULL SIZE EXTRA CAB American made pick'em-up truck to drive ... whilst he’s drinking a luke warm can of American brewed lite beer and chain smoking an American Marlboro or a Fat Doobee-Ziggy-zAGGY-Butt on the way to get more of that "delicious" (snick) tasteless lite warm beer.

If you got all that happening all you need now is a stinking big 'ole wet-dog off the crab boat and your "Easy Rider Gun Rack" in the back window --- so, here we go again folks

. . . ANOTHER SUMMER SEASON FOR MY SEARCHING OUT THE BEST OF MARYLAND'S JUMBO JIMMY STEAMED CRABS.

BYE! 4-NOW

~~ AN EVENING of MARYLAND FOOD & LIBATION ~~

photography by Wilbur M. Reeling

CLICK PHOTOS FOR FULL VIEW

MENU
~~ Mes Bons Amis ~~

food and libation

GLACÉ BLUEPOINT OYSTERS NIPPONESE

GHEE SAUTEED FOIE GRAS ~ SIX BAKED sauce Verte BLUEPOINT OYSTERS

BIBB Du Puis SocietÁ Roqufort SALAD ~ RÉMY COGNAC CLASSIC CRAB SOUFFLE

SORBET PÊCHE ~ PRIME BEEF Chantilly créme fraîche horseradish

PAPILLON CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER CUSTARD RUM CAKE

MENU

the Reeling family of Perryville, Maryland

request your presence for an evening of food and libation

KATSKOVA MOSCOW ~ åRussian VODKA CONGELÉ MARTINI
Anchovy stuffed Manzanilla olives
IMPORTED FRENCH Le Chateaulain CAMEMBERT
& RARE NOIR OLIVE TAPENADE
on Ned's Ciabatta

GLACÉ BLUEPOINT OYSTERS NIPPONESE
Chateau de Chasseloir Muscadet sevre et SUR LIE
Szechuan lemon grass & Tres Citrus - Thai Tahini CoConut

Imperial Papaya and Black Bean
Ginger Sesame Tarator - 5 Spice Hoisin & Radish - Watercress & Herb
Tomatillo & Tamari - Tomato Wasabi Horseradish

~Warm Poached Kaffir Lime Creme with Crisp Oyster Cracker ~

GHEE SAUTEED FOIE GRAS

Sauterne Fruit Chutney
Chateau d' Aydie PACHERENC DU VIC BILH

SIX BAKED BLUEPOINT OYSTERS
sauce Verte de amor a la Honor

BIBB SALAD
Walnut, Pear & Du Puis SocietÁ Roqufort

RÉMY COGNAC CLASSIC CRAB SOUFFLE
sans caper per "orders" Honor

SORBET PÊCHE

PRIME BEEF PAPILLON
Chantilly créme fraîche horseradish
Cháteauneuf-du-Pape
DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR
Marrakesh Turnips - Portabella Mushroom - White Asparagus

Black Afghan Carrot with dill - Belgian Endive - Parsnip - Jerusalem Artichoke

Pesto & Parma Stuffed Tomato - Stuffed Këssler Nippon Eggplant

Baby Creamer Potato

Leeks a la créme - Anise Stars & Fennel

CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER CUSTARD RUM CAKE
Alexandre Cognac Le Grande Õu

Espresso ˜ Cappuccino

~~ Mes Bons Amis ~~

~ALSO A MOLECULAR GASTRONOMIC TREAT~

all photography by Wilbur M. Reeling

MARYLAND SUBMARINES
... also a Nautical Vessel !

OK, we're out on the boat bobbing like a cork on a fishing line and we are all greased up so now we decide that we're hungry.

Mmmmm -- What to do? There are two definite schools of thought here to quench that ravenous hunger.

One camp wants to have the food on board. And that's me. Give me a great ice cold, mouthwatering, freshly sliced cool and sweet fruit salad with lots of pineapple, summer peaches, delicious pears, apples, plenty of different sweet delicate berries and Maryland's Eastern Shore melons.

OH BOY-YEAH!! ... But NO!! they say to cold fruit & melons ... and no even to a Delmonte can-‘o-fruit!

OK, or ... maybe a big heaping 'massive pile of pasta salad' with some crisp veggies & dip or nice plump 10 count steamed jumbo shrimp with the Original Maryland Old Bay spices.

NOPE AGAIN ... now the war starts here because we all have our opinions.

When I surveyed some boaters recently, they actually agreed on something. It was the notion of there being two camps for food on a boat. Either eat in a restaurant or eat on board?

I was very surprised to find how many boaters like to have their salami and cheese already in a wrapper called a Sub Roll. About 80% of the boaters I talked to said they wanted to take cold cut Italian Subs on board with them for when the "munchies" arrive. The other guys don't want any food on their boat. ("It makes a mess and you get food crumbs" - GOD forbid!)

For the rest of us there is the fact that we may be a "sub-culture."

The rest of the country may clamor for po' boys and hoagies, grinders, heroes or torpedoes, but I know what really constitutes an awesome gigantic Maryland "Sub" sandwich, and what raises the Sub above those pretenders and what makes it of semi gastronomic nobility.

The original Italian specialty Sub combination features Genoa salami, soppressata, capicolla, prosciutto from Italy, pistachio-studded mortadella, fresh mozzarella or sharp provolone cheese, hot or sweet peppers in an olive tapenade, some olive oil vinaigrette and herbs like basil, parsley and oregano.

The sub is a sandwich of strong tasting cured Italian meats. These are layered into a forearm's length of fresh crusty bread, often with a few slices of Italian cheese and a condiment or two atop them. It is made by Italians, most often, in a family run store and is usually served wrapped-up in paper to eat outside somewhere, preferably on your boat.

It is a meal in a tubular Submarine form and has working class origins. It is said that the Italian sandwich, was first made in New York in the late 19th century, at the Petrucci's Restaurant at 488 Ninth Avenue. The Italian sandwich was mainly served to southern Italian manual laborers who wanted a taste of home — a big one.

~INGREDIENTS IN A MARYLAND SUB~

Panini --bread - Everything begins with the bread. It should be crisp and crusty, not soft and doughy, with a pronounced yeasty flavor. The best bread to use is a good crusty Italian baguette cut in half. If the place has good bread, it's time to look closely at the cold-cut case.

Affettato -- sliced cured meats - Look for high-quality, Genoa salami, capicolla or soppressata, prosciutto di Parma, imported mortadella studded with pistachio nuts too. -- what you want in an Italian Submarine is the taste of home-cured meats.

Formaggio -- cheese - When it comes to mozzarella in subs, you should get it only as a wonderful creamy mozzarella. When it is cut into to make a sub, it's so fresh it spurts some milk. The aged Italian provolone called piccante is a fabulous cheese, but it is so sharp it should be used sparingly.

Dressings & condiments -- can make a huge difference on a sub, but they cannot redeem a bad one. Sliced summer perfectly vine-ripened tomatoes. Fresh basil, can make a sandwich into a work of art. Roasted peppers and olive tapenade can also make a fine addition and just a drizzle of olive oil vinaigrette.

~~"molecular gastronomy"~~

the 130 degree steak!

Dr. Herve This says "good"

... but I'm not so sure.

photography by Wilbur M. Reeling

Although it doesn't look it (in the pix) the center was a perfect-pink-130 degree m.r. pinkish perfection ... served with new Russian fingerings w/Kerry Irish Butter & Spring time creme'd spinach and French bread for lunch today.

I did some of my best work on this molecular gastronomy Wing-Tip from Brooks Bros., but I couldn't save it from itself.

The best we got was a Birkenstock from the "Scratch & Dent"!

.... there is just no way to make a $3 a lb. Round Steak become a $25 a lb. Filet, no matter what Dr. Herve This says. You need to start out with a FILET.

No matter what you do to it, shoe leather is shoe leather -- sows ear v. silk purse, you get the picture.

I did the prep and cooking exactly as Dr. Herve prescribed to save this patient but it was all in vein.

Proper mix & marinate time and temperature, exactly 130 degrees (+or-) 2 degrees the whole time it soaked and .59.999 seconds of extra high heat on each side to finish up.

Still thought it was a wing-tip in disguise.

So much for that idea. ---

~ CHESAPEAKE BAY SOFT SHELL CRABS ~

CHESAPEAKE BAY SOFT SHELL CRABS ARE HERE!

all photography by Wilbur M. Reeling

CLICK PHOTOS FOR FULL VIEW

bove: A BOX OF "HOTEL" SOFT SHELLS READY TO SHIP
above: THE EMPTY CRAB SHELLS AFTER THEY'VE SLOUGHED

below: THE DARKER LARGER CRAB IS IN 5" of WATER COMING OUT OF THE SHELL OF THE LIGHTER COLORED SMALLER CRAB

above: A BOX OF BAY "WHALES"
In just a few days (April 1st) it will be soft shell crab season on the Chesapeake Bay. It's that time of year everyone waits for with bated breath. When it gets a little warmer in the Spring the local crabbers start their SOFT SHELL CRAB SEASON when the crabs shed their shell, become soft and get bigger. They actually come out of their old shell nearly 40% larger as a new soft crab and as tender & soft as a new born baby's butt.

Eastern Shore soft crabber, Andrea Jacquette, starts her season as soon as possible after the April 1st season's beginning. At first there are few molting crabs but as the weather warms up the number multiplies and stays pretty constant until the early fall when it closes for the season. Once the season is in full swing, Ms. Jacquette gets little sleep as she needs to remove the soft crab every 2 hours or the crab will harden or be eaten by the hard crab. That's 6 whole months worth of getting out of a warm bed and a sound sleep every 2 hours to check the soft crabs.

SOFT SHELL SIZES -- MEASURED FROM THE SHELL'S POINT TO POINT

3 ½" hotel size, is the smallest and in it's first year of life

4 ½" prime size

5 ½" jumbo size

6 ½" whale size

7 ½" slab size and anything larger also. These can be 2 or 3 or more years old.

Last year a very rare occurrence happened when some soft shells were monsters. They were just over 10 incher's, slab size, and were sloughed out in the molt stage and became the biggest of the season.

Stages for hard shells to become soft shells are called by the crabbing professionals as GREEN PEELERS or ready to peel. A pro can look at the under side of the crab and on a finn and see a fuzz-furry area that is changing color. They start out as a green peeler, then the color changes to a black peeler, white, pink and finally red peeler before it becomes a "dead-ripe."

Their next stage is called a buster (as it's busting out of the shell) and within an hour or two it is a new SOFT SHELL CRAB. When it comes out of it's old shell it is about 40% bigger than it was previously in the old shell. At this stage of just coming out it is as soft as room temperature butter. If it's not taken out of the water it will become a paper shell (a very undesirable chewy and leathery-tuffish-membrane forms as the shell starts turning hard again) and the final soft crab term is when it's a SNOT! -- mmmmmmmmm a SNOT! -- Yup.

That means that it'snot soft anymore and s'not hard yet either -- LOL --

a ‘lil real Eastern Show' of Maryland Crabber's lingo~

. . . a.k. Hon!

~MARYLAND de HEN~

all photographs by Wilbur M. Reeling & Nikon 5400
~MARYLAND de HEN~

ORGANIC, GRASS FED FREE RANGE de HEN @ $1.65lb

... but not "molecular gastronomy"Recently my friend Chuck, at http://chuckeats.com/, blogged a $40.00 S.F. chicken tale.

I think the Farmer's Market chicken fellows are charging you for killing the famous S.F. “Screaming Eagle” at the price you are paying. At that $40.00 price tag they should throw in eating it at the French Laundry and have Keller himself hand-feed it to you. Now come on, mmmmm, it's still just a chicken!!

They're selling a bill-a-goods to you poor San Fran Rubes.

You 'Boys' out there in the West must be nuts to pay that! I think you guys in S.F. are getting the old Navy pick-up-the-soap in the shower deal with those Chicken Farmer's prices!! Only a rube fresh off the boat would be shelling out that kind of money for any kind of hen. IT'S JUST A CHICKEN- come on now ... it didn't come STUFFED with PERIGORD TRUFFLES did it?

above: This is a pix of a hen that I recently prepared for the famous gourmet, Mr. Art Bocutti, in Ragged Point, Maryland just a few minutes drive from Camebridge.

We have a couple of beautiful bucolic farms in the area here in Maryland but my favorite for free-range chicken has become this little ORGANICLY GROWN & GRASS FED "de HEN" from a local Mennonite farmer.

BELIEVE IT WHEN I SAY …"$1.65 per pound and killed & dressed out the day you order it"… and as to the stuffing in Maryland, we like a type called 'select' plump, Chesapeake Bay Blue Point Oyster Stuffing, with a bread dressing , some pine nuts, white wine, Fleur De Sel , fresh cracked Penja Pearl of Cameroon Peppercorns and a touch of fresh herbs. I add the Chop Tank River Oysters from my friend's company, "SOFT & SALTY CRABS 'n OYSTERS" outside of Camebridge, Maryland. I use the very best of everything including the stuffing bread from Ned's Breads in Baltimore and I prefer the Ned's 'Ciabatta' because it's as good as the best of your S.F. sourdough types. (w/out the sour part) Serve 'er up with a bottle of cheap $8.00 Chateau de Chasseloir Muscadet sevre et SUR LIE -- it's like being in Mennonite Maryland Heaven and I'm a Daoist-Chicken-Quintessencetist!

- LOL -