Gujarati Potato Curry (Batata nu Shaak)

While a common worldwide source of food today, potatoes came from the New World, more specifically from South America. The Spanish took them to Europe, where it took time for the potato to catch on and spread around the world, including to India (helped a lot by the Portuguese), when it still included what are now modern Pakistan and Bangladesh. This is a potato dish from Gujarat, one of India's western states. You can adjust the heat level: if you like spicy hot food, try this version before you increase the heat level, as it has plenty of heat, but if you like "some" heat, but not a lot, just use 1 dried chili and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If you don't really like heat, just use 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, which should just provide a bare "kick" to the dish. The people of the Indian Subcontinent tend to eat their food with a pretty high level of heat. They then balance that heat, often times, with yogurt dishes to cool down their palates. Even though potatoes are starchy, rice is often served with this curry.

Asafoetida is a powdered spice pretty common to the cooking of the Indian Subcontinent and other parts of southern Asia. It is "typically" available in a jar with an opening in the lid to dispense the spice, and there is an airtight lid that closes off the opening to contain the smell. It is also called "hing." Asafoetida is known for its bad smell, but its mellow taste when cooked. When I was a kid, some people still used what were called "asafidity bags" to protect their children from various illnesses, mainly colds and influenza. The bag was worn on a string around the neck, and it contained various foul smelling ingredients, including garlic and asafoetida, which was available from drugstores in those times. It was all superstition from the Middle Ages, and my family didn't believe in it. My people believed an eye of a newt and the toe of a frog would cure you; otherwise, your days were numbered. Ah, or was that your days were numbered because of the eye of a newt and the toe of a frog? Hm...

Tamarind (see Word History, below) is a reddish brown spice from the fruit of the tree of that name. It is another common spice on the Indian subcontinent and in southern Asia and Africa. It is usually tart in taste.     

Ingredients:

2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 dried red chilies (or you can use fresh chilies, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
good pinch of asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup (or more) water
2 teaspoon tamarind paste
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, aka coriander

Heat oil over medium heat, then add the mustard seeds. After about 30 seconds, add the dried chilies, cook a few  seconds, then add the asafoetida and turmeric, stir, and then add the cubed potatoes immediately, stir well to coat. Add the coriander, cayenne, cumin, salt, stir to mix well throughout the potatoes. Add the water, stir again. Cover and cook, removing the cover to stir to prevent sticking, and to add a little more water, if necessary. Cook until potatoes are tender. Stir in tamarind paste and brown sugar. Add the chopped cilantro. Serve with rice. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Tamarind-This is a compound word for a type of tree and its fruit used in some medicines and to flavor food and sauces. It goes back to some Semitic word which produced Arabic "tamr," meaning "date;" that is, "fruit of the date palm." The ultimate origin of the second part is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Sanskrit "sindhu," which meant, "river, flowing water," which was picked up by Persian as transliterated "hind," which produced transliterated "Hindus" for the name of the Indus River. Greek borrowed the river name as "Indos," and called the region of the river, "India," which was borrowed by Latin. English borrowed the word (circa 1200???) as "Indea," later changed to "India." The compound form was translated by Latin in the Middle East from transliterated Arabic "tamr hindi" as "tamarindus," which was passed on to Latin-based French as "tamarinde," which was borrowed by English in the early 13th Century. The word literally means, "date of India."

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 2 of 4

What the people of the Indian subcontinent call "buttermilk," is not exactly the same as in much of the rest of the world. It is yogurt that has much of the butterfat removed by churning or by filtering yogurt through cheesecloth or muslin, so it is low fat. About the black salt called for in the one recipe, there are a couple types of black salt you might find in large supermarkets, spice stores or, certainly, in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores: one is truly black in color, which often comes from Hawaii. The Hawaiian black salt I have is in small pieces that are about half the size of caraway seeds. I put whatever amount I want on a completely dry paper towel or napkin, then I fold the towel over and smack it with a meat mallet. I also have the type from the Indian Subcontinent, which is already in powdered form, with some larger pieces of salt mixed in. It is like a pink or light purple color. Black salt has a sulfur smell to it. Chaat masala is a blend of ground spices, including black salt, available in some supermarkets, but definitely available in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores. Ground curry leaves are not the same thing as "curry powder." They are used in South Asian cooking, especially in southern India and in Sri Lanka. The leaves are typically heated before use. They are not easily found, although areas with southern Indian or Sri Lankan communities are likely to have them. You may find the ground leaves much easier. They are used as a spice. By the way, "curry powder" is a spice blend of various and numerous spices. There is no set recipe, as the choice of spices to be included is a matter of  personal preference. 

Excellent hot weather drink, but good any time of year.

Salted Buttermilk/Chaas-This drink is more common in the north. You can do this in either of two ways: use 1 cup of low fat buttermilk, then add a scant tablespoon of thick yogurt. OR, you can use 1/4 cup thick yogurt mixed with 3/4 cup cold water. You can adjust the measurements somewhat to make the drink to the thickness you wish. The people of the Indian subcontinent "tend" to drink this more on the thinner side.

Ingredients, besides the liquid component:

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon powered black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin + small pinch for garnishing
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
small ice cubes or crushed ice
1 to 2 mint leaves, torn

Put the liquid component into a blender. Add the black salt, the 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and the chaat masala. Blend briefly until the drink is a bit foamy/frothy. Pour over some ice cubes in a glass, sprinkle a pinch of ground cumin on top, as well as the torn mint leaves.

Buttermilk of Southern India/Neer Mor-As with the first recipe, choose your liquid component. Then, for the other ingredients:

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 serrano chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon ground curry leaves 

Put liquid component, ginger, lemon juice chili pepper, salt, cilantro, and chaat masala into a blender. Heat oil and then add mustard seeds until they begin to "pop." Add mustard seed/oil to blender. Blend about 30 seconds.

WORD HISTORY:
Carp-This is the noun for the fish (the verb is from a different source). "Carp" is from the Goths, whose Gothic language is classified as East Germanic, the last elements of which died out in the 1700s in the Crimea. Gothic had "karpa" for the name of the fish. Latin borrowed the word as "carpa" which it passed on to Latin-based Old French as "carpe." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1300s, with the Latin form seemingly gaining a foothold, but then heavily reinforced by French.

Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo, Kachumber)

No matter what term you use for this refreshing salad, also referred to as a relish on the Indian subcontinent, it's good and easy to make. Cumin seeds are available in the spice section of many supermarkets, or certainly in Indian/Pakistani food shops. They look like caraway seeds. "Pico de Gallo" means "beak of a rooster."

For Indian/Pakistani style salad (Kachumber) (for 4 servings):

2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup white or red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 fresh hot chili pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seed, roasted
(optional) 1/4 cup of chopped cucumber 

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, shake the pan a little to move the seeds around, and roast for no more than 1 minute. In a bowl, add the tomato, onion, chili pepper, cilantro and salt (and cucumber, if using). Mix together, then drizzle the lemon juice over the mixture and sprinkle on the cumin seeds. Good as a side dish, or as a light lunch with some bread.

For Mexican style "Salsa Fresca/Pico de Gallo/Salsa Mexicana" (about 4 servings)

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup white or red onion, chopped
1 chopped serrano or jalapeno chili pepper (for less heat, remove seeds)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of one lime
2/3 teaspoon salt

Simply mix the ingredients together.  

Indian style Kachumber with "roti," a common thin flatbread of the Indian subcontinent

WORD HISTORY:
Savvy-This word, distantly related to "savor" (British English spelling: "savour"), goes back to Indo European "seph," which had the notion of, "to taste, to use the sense of taste, to discern flavor;"; thus also, "to make sense of, to be aware of, to have knowledge, to be wise." This gave Latin "sapere," meaning, "to have taste of, to taste, to understand, to know, to be wise." This gave Spanish "saber," meaning, "to know, to know how, to taste," one of the forms of which, "sabe," was borrowed by English in the late 1700s, with the incorrect pronunciation of "savvy," with that pronunciation almost certainly reinforced over time by Caribbean French "savez."    

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 1 of 4

A "lassi" * is a yogurt based drink of the Indian Subcontinent, seemingly developed in the Punjab region, a region of northern India and eastern Pakistan, but the drink spread to other parts of the subcontinent. The hot climate is ideal for these refreshing drinks, which often have ice cubes added to chill them well. There are several varieties, with the most basic being "Salted Lassi." The lassi goes well back in history, as long ago as 500 to 1000 BC, or perhaps even longer. Today, blenders or stick blenders are often used to give a lassi some froth. I'm going to do this as a multi-part article, with a couple of different recipes in each part. Besides being good, and being good for you, lassis are easy to make. There is also the use of yogurt based buttermilk on the Indian subcontinent, with "neer mor" being a spiced buttermilk drink of southern India, with "Chaas" being the term used more in the north, including in Pakistan and as "ghol" in the Bengali region of India and Bangladesh.

Salt(ed) Lassi-3/4 cup plain thick yogurt (Indian or Greek), 1/4 cup cold water, 1/3 teaspoon salt, a good pinch of ground cumin. Ice cubes for serving. Put the yogurt, the water, the salt and the cumin into a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds. There should be a nice foam topping. Pour over ice cubes in a glass.

* Usually pronounced in English like the name of the famous dog, "Lassie," but in Hindi and Urdu, it has a short "a," as in "father," and emphasis is on the second part of the word, as if, "lah-SEE." Hindi and Urdu are Indo European languages from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European. They are related to English, but further down the family tree. 

Saffron Lassi: This is a much richer drink: 3/4 cup plain thick yogurt (Indian or Greek style), 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, a good pinch of saffron strands soaked in two tablespoons of warm milk, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 or 2 tablespoons heavy cream, tablespoon crushed pistachios, 3 or 4 raisins, couple of ice cubes. Add the yogurt, milk, cardamom, saffron milk, honey and salt to a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds. Pour over a couple of ice cubes in a glass. Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream on top, then sprinkle on the pistachios and raisins. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Pistachio-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Persian "pisteh," which was the name for the nut and for the tree. This was borrowed by Greek as transliterated "pistakion" ("pistake" for the tree), which was borrowed by Latin as "pistacium" ("pistachio nut"), which was passed onto Italian as "pistacchio," which was borrowed by French from Italian as "pistace," in the 1300s. English borrowed the word from French circa 1500, but then about one hundred years later English borrowed the Italian form, with the minor spelling adjustment to "pistachio," and this form prevailed.

It's About Coalitions, Not Purity, Part Forty-Nine

On election day 2008, financially battered Americans, fearful that the nation, and the world, might be entering into a new era of economic depression, sent a very clear message, as Barack Obama won the presidency and Democrats made gains in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives. Barack Obama won about 53% of the popular vote to John McCain's 45 3/4%, but in the Electoral College, Obama won 365 votes to McCain's 173. Various exit polls showed Obama did well among many demographic groups, with Senator McCain, in major categories, only winning voters 65 and over by a single digit margin, and in the broader category of white voters, he won by about 10 points.*   

In the U.S. Senate, a strong Democratic tide prevailed as the Democrats gained eight seats, although one of those seats, in Minnesota, was not a definite gain until several months later, as the race was so close.** In the House of Representatives, twelve Republican members of the House retired prior to the election and all twelve seats were won by Democrats, as Democrats gained 21 seats overall and increased their majority. 

When Barack Obama took office in January 2009, the racist and bigoted segment among white voters, many of whom seemingly shifted over to the Republicans from the Democrats,*** helped to form a floor of support under the GOP and to offer a resistance to Obama, and often to Democrats, in general. Certainly not all opponents of Obama were (or are) racists or bigots, but a certain element "joined" the Tea Party, where they could "hide out," in my opinion, criticize the "black Muslim guy" in the White House, as some viewed Obama, but still claim, "I'm not a racist, I just care about deficits, freedom, the price of tea and can't we go back to 1773?" The Tea Party was not truly a political party, but rather a conservative-libertarian political movement that became an activist wing, and thus, an important part of the Republican Party coalition. The Tea Party members waved teabags and some wore colonial and early American garb, which gives you some idea of the century they likely preferred to modern times. Of course, they also just as likely forgot about the drawbacks of the 1700s, like no Internet... well, that might not be a good example. Now in 2017, you barely hear the name "Tea Party" anymore, as the racist elements have now come out more into the open by marching with the Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups, as we now have a president who sees some "good people" in these groups. For about 4 or 5 years, beginning in 2009, the Tea Party was highly visible and it proved to be troublesome for both Democrats and for the more traditional Republicans. If there was much "organization" to the Tea Party, it was represented by the financial support of the Koch political organization and former member of Congress, Dick Armey. Traditional Republicans need to look at the Kochs and Armey for their support and courting of the disruptive forces to oppose Obama, but which then helped to bring Donald Trump and company to take over the Republican Party, a force which now threatens the very nation; however, this was not done without the inadvertent help of Democrats. Next... Economic stimulus, Wall Street bankers and Obama administers health care to the GOP and helps it back to its feet...  

* The demographic exit polls I looked over were all similar, with minor differences in some categories, but in no case did I see major discrepancies that showed, for example, McCain winning by a few points in a particular category in most polls, but with another poll or two showing Obama as winning that category. One of the close categories was for "men," where "essentially" Obama and McCain split the vote, although some polls showed a slight tilt to one candidate or the other.

** Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania, a Republican, switched to the Democratic Party in the spring of 2009 (the new Senate was first seated in January of 2009). In the late summer of 2009, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a Democrat, died. A temporary Democratic replacement was named, until a special election produced a Republican election victory in early 2010.

*** I told a little about one of these "converts" in Part 48 of this series. Here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part.html     

WORD HISTORY:
Garb-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain. It is related to "gear," a word from Germanic. "Garb" goes back to the Old Germanic verb, "garwijanan," which meant, "to prepare, to make ready;" thus also the more specific, "to equip (make ready) for battle." This produced Germanic "garwa," meaning, "ready, finished." The verb also produced Germanic "garwi," a noun for, "clothing, military wear (gear, equipment)." This was borrowed by Italian from one of the Old High German dialects of the Alps region, which had, "garawe," meaning, "mode of dress, adorned attire." The Italian form, "garbo," meaning, "stylishness, elegance," seemingly from the notion of "well adorned (well prepared) form of attire." This was borrowed by French as "garbe" ("graceful appearance/bearing"), and this was borrowed by English in the second half of the 1500s, and the shift in meaning to, "type or mode of dress/attire," came in the 1600s. It is related to German "gerben" (to prepare hides for wear or use by tanning), Low German "garven" (same meaning as German). Other related forms in the Germanic languages came to mean "to make;" thus also, "to do," from the original notion of "to make ready, to prepare." Its relationship to "gear" goes back to the same Old Germanic form and the forms that generally meant "equipment, military arms, clothing," which later broadened a good deal in the English meaning to, "saddles, harnesses for horses and pack animals," then also, "parts for ships," and "mechanical parts for machinery," as well as, "equipment to do various activities, like fishing and physical sports."   

Indian Potato Salad (Batata Nu Raita)

This is a "raita" from the Indian "Gujarat" region, in western India. A "raita" on the Indian subcontinent is a salad or side dish of yogurt with other ingredients mixed in. I did a cucumber raita article awhile ago: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/03/raita-to-cool-heat-of-spicy-indian.html

We Americans use the terms "yogurt," for the bacteria thickened dairy product, and "cilantro," for the herb; that is, the leaves of the coriander plant, similar in looks to parsley (they are related). British English often uses "curd" and "green coriander," or sometimes just "coriander" for these terms, respectively. Americans use "coriander" for the spice from the plant; that is, the seeds and the ground seeds. British usage naturally became part of the Indian English of the Indian subcontinent. One time, decades ago, a German friend of mine, Manfred, managed a small hotel in downtown Frankfurt, near the train station. An Indian man was staying at the hotel and he asked Manfred, who was pretty good with English, if the hotel had "curd." Well, Frankfurt was in the American Zone, and there were Americans everywhere, including thousands of American troops back then (the Cold War era). Manfred knew American English. Hahahaha! Hey, why am I laughing? When he asked me what "curd" meant, I didn't know what the hell it meant either! I thought it meant cottage cheese! Manfred had to get out his dictionary. I've never forgotten that. By the way, German uses "Joghurt" for the word, pronounced very similarly to English (but kind of like 'yo-gore-t'), as the "J" is pronounced like English "y" (all German nouns are capitalized; thus, "J").

Ingredients:

2 or 3 potatoes, about 12 ounces, total (see instructions, below)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 2/3 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne)
1 1/4 cup plain thick yogurt
1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro (green coriander)

Add the yogurt to a serving bowl and let it warm toward room temperature while you prepare the potatoes. Wash the potatoes, then poke them a couple of times with a knife. Microwave the potatoes in their skins until they are cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes (or they can be microwaved well in advance), then peel them and cut them into bite sized pieces. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds or ground cumin first, and then add the potatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, mix briefly. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and turning the potatoes, then empty the potato mixture, oil and all, into the yogurt. Gently mix the potatoes into the yogurt to coat them. Sprinkle the cilantro on top.

WORD HISTORY:
Draft/Draught-"Draft" is simply a spelling variation of "draught." This word, closely related to "draw" and "drag," goes back to Indo European "dhragh," which had the notion of "to pull." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "dragan(an)," with the same meaning. This produced the Old Germanic spin off "drahtis/drahtiz," which meant "carrying, bearing, pulling." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "draeht," with the "pulling" meaning. This later became "draught" (the "gh" was pronounced back then) and the word took on a variety of meanings over time related in some way to the notion of "pulling": "pulling" (especially for animals; thus "draught animals"), designing by drawing (that is; "dragging a writing instrument across paper or other surface"), air being "drawn" in through an opening (as in, "Close the door, there's a draught/draft in here."), beer "drawn" from a keg, money "drawn" from an account, people "drawn" in to perform a task (including in American English "military conscription"). The spelling "draft" began to increase as the pronunciation of the word changed with the "gh" gradually taking on an "f" sound. Its closest other Germanic relatives include German "Tracht" (wearing apparel, uniform, now commonly 'traditional old-style regional costume;' that is, clothing is something we "bear," "carry" on us), Low German "Dracht" (same meaning as standard German), Dutch "dracht" (apparel, wear (the noun, as in, "winter wear"), pregnancy ["bearing/carrying" a child, West Frisian has the related "drachtich" and German has "trächtig"], and also the same meaning as German; that is, "traditional costume," Danish "dragt" (costume, apparel), Swedish "dräkt" (apparel, costume), Norwegian "drakt" (costume, but word not commonly used?). I could not find a form in Icelandic and "apparently" West Frisian still only uses the "drachtich" form for "pregnant."

Indian/Pakistani Lamb Biriyani

Often recipes from the Indian Subcontinent have a fairly long list of ingredients, but the food from there has many great spices included, so please don't be intimidated, as much of it likely will be 1 teaspoon of this, and 1/2 teaspoon of that. "Biriyani," also often spelled as "biryani," has been common within India's Muslim population. In 1947, Pakistan was separated from India, as a Muslim majority nation, and in 1971, Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan, separated from Pakistan as an independent nation. Biriyani is a rice based dish often cooked for celebrations, and it is also made with chicken, as well as with fish by some. A common accompaniment is "raita," a yogurt based dish. *

Ingredients:

For the rice:

2 cups basmati rice
3 1/4 cups water (or whatever amount your brand's instructions call for)
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
"good pinch" saffron threads or 2/3 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons warm water to soak the saffron
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons sliced blanched almonds
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped 

For the lamb:

1 pound lamb, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil + 1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cardamom  
1 large jalapeno or serrano chili pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons plain yogurt, thinned with about 2 tablespoons water

Follow the instructions on whatever brand of rice you use (believe it or not, there can be minor variations, between brands, or recipes). The basmati type of rice is overwhelmingly the most common type of rice used on the Indian subcontinent. The instructions will "typically" say to soak the basmati rice for some period of time in water, often with the water being changed a few to several times. Whatever method you use, cook the rice, with the teaspoon of salt in the water (the amount of water can vary somewhat by rice brand instructions). Drain the rice well. Soak the saffron in the warm water for about 30 minutes. Boil the eggs, then peel them. In a sauce pan, melt the butter, add the oil and then add the onion. Cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown lightly. Add the grated ginger and the cardamom. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the water, the salt, the saffron/water, the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Cook until liquid just simmers. Turn the heat to low or very low, stir in the rice and cover with a lid. Cook per the instructions of your rice brand, usually about 20 to 25 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the rice, then add the sliced almonds.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, add the oil and melt the butter. Brown the lamb on all sides, remove the lamb from the skillet. Add the garlic and chili pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds only. Add the lamb pieces to a slow cooker, then add the heated oil, garlic and chili pepper, then add the black pepper, cumin, coriander and cardamom. Cook on "high" for one hour, then set the heat to "low" and cook until the meat is very tender, "about" 3 or 4 hours. After an hour of cooking on "low," stir in the thinned yogurt.

Serve a layer of rice with the lamb on top. Garnish each serving with some chopped egg.

* This is the link to my article about "raita:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/03/raita-to-cool-heat-of-spicy-indian.html

WORD HISTORY: 
Cube-The "assumption" is, "cube" is of Indo European origin, being passed from an Indo European root to Lydian, an ancient Indo European language in what is modern Turkey. Lydian seems to have died out around 100 BC. The Lydian form was a transliterated "kybos," which was the name of a game played with dice. This was borrowed by Greek as "kýbos," with the meaning, "square, die/dice, cube." Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "cubus," meaning, "die/dice, mass, lump, cube." This was passed to Latin-based Old French as "cube," and meaning, "a six-sided square shaped form." This was borrowed by English in the 1500s, likely from Latin, but altered in spelling by the French form. With Latin being the language of the Christian Church for so long, and with French being a Latin-based language, it is often difficult to tell whether certain words were borrowed from Latin or from French. There is a similar situation in English with some words of Germanic origin. Old English vocabulary was overwhelmingly Germanic, then Old Norse, another Germanic language, was brought to part of England by what were often collectively called "Danes," although not all were from Denmark. Many words were naturally very similar, and it is difficult to determine at times, if some of our modern words trace back to Old English itself, or to the similar forms brought in by Old Norse.    

McHale's Navy Joins The Air Force, Hilarious!

"McHale's Navy Joins The Air Force" is absolutely hilarious. If you have never seen this movie, please do so. This 1965 movie, filled with slapstick and filmed in color, was based on the television series "McHale's Navy" (which was in black and white) and was simply like an extended episode of the show, except that it focused on the show's Ensign Parker, played by suburban Cleveland native Tim Conway,* and Captain Wallace Binghamton, played by Youngstown, Ohio native Joe Flynn. When the television series was in the planning, there is no question the producer wanted a name star for the show, and Ernest Borgnine was that star. Borgnine was an Academy Award winner in 1955 for his performance in the movie, "Marty." Borgnine, who served in the U.S. Navy for about a decade, including during World War Two, was cast as Lt. Commander Quinton McHale, the commander of PT 73.** Once the series started, the public latched onto Tim Conway and Joe Flynn, both of whom became well known stars because of the show, overshadowing Ernest Borgnine's role as the PT boat's skipper. "McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force" simply demonstrates that fact, as Borgnine is totally absent from the movie. Borgnine was busy doing a part in another movie, but he also claimed that McHale's Navy producer, Edward Montagne, didn't want to pay him to do the movie, to hold down costs. In the movie, McHale is said to be away, and that Ensign Parker is in charge of the boat and crew.

Like the then ongoing television series, the movie is set in the South Pacific during World War Two. Binghamton has the PT 73 take him to a military conference in Australia, and the crew sees the chance to go to Australia as an opportunity to party. Binghamton, however, confines the crew to their PT boat while he attends the conference, and he sends the Naval Regulations quoting Parker to copy those regulations 100 times. With Binghamton gone and Parker below deck, the crew makes a deal with the crew of a Russian freighter docked next to them, so they can go into town and party. They swap uniforms with the Russians and off they go into town. The Russians get Ensign Parker drunk, dressed in a Russian navy uniform and take him into town. The problem is, two Russian NKVD agents (secret police), are looking to arrest any Russian AWOL*** military personnel. One of the PT 73's crew finds Parker and helps him elude the NKVD agents. They end up in the locker room of an athletic center for officers, where, unknown to them, Lieutenant Harkness (played by Ted Bessell, who later played the boyfriend of Marlo Thomas in the series, "That Girl"), the son of an American Army Air Force general (played by Tom Tully),**** is preparing to go see his father. The crew member ditches Parker's Russian uniform and dresses him in the uniform of the general's son, who left his uniform hanging on his locker while he showered and shaved. When the lieutenant wants to report the theft of his uniform to the front desk, he first puts on the Russian naval uniform to make himself decent. The NKVD agents nab him with the help of Captain Binghamton, who is also using the facility to clean up, and the agents take the lieutenant to the Russian ship, which will be leaving to go back to Vladivostok, Russia. Too late, Binghamton, accompanied by his aide, Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter, played by Bob Hastings (he later played bar owner "Kelsey" on "All in the Family"), finds the name of Lieutenant Harkness on a toiletry kit, and he knows he has helped to turn the general's son over to the Russians, and that he needs to find him.

In the meantime, Parker, still feeling no pain from his drinking bout with the Russians, comes up missing. When Binghamton returns to the PT 73, he finds the Russian ship, with Lieutenant Harkness aboard, has already sailed. He plans to catch up to the Russians to get the lieutenant back, but just then, General Harkness shows up looking for his son, but he finds that Binghamton has not yet left Australia for the Army Air base, where he had been ordered during the military conference. The general orders him to leave immediately, so Binghamton has to abandon the trip to free Lieutenant Harkness from the Russian ship. When Binghamton, Carpenter and the PT 73 arrive at the air base, Binghamton is picked up to be taken to the base office, but the driver also tells him he is to stop to pick up Lieutenant Harkness, who just flew in, and who will be Binghamton's liaison officer. Off of one of the planes comes Parker, still in the lieutenant's uniform and sick with a hangover. The plane's pilot assumes Parker is Lieutenant Harkness, and when a colonel, the base commander pulls up, Binghamton introduces Parker as the lieutenant. The colonel, who has never met Harkness, proceeds to tell "Harkness" he has been promoted to captain.

Parker may be dressed as Captain Harkness, but he's still bungling Ensign Parker, and when he is given his barrack's and room numbers, he gets the numbers mixed up and and he ends up in the women's barracks! In an absolutely hysterically funny scene, when one of the women sees him, she screams, "Man in the barracks," bringing Parker to yell the same thing! The women come running from their rooms, but Parker finally gets away, although not without first saying, "If my mother ever finds out...." Outside the barracks he immediately gets into another problem with one of the WACs (WAC=Women's Army Corps), who almost runs over him in her jeep. The two go to the air base control tower to deliver some papers, but the officer there thinks the two are on a romantic escapade, so he leaves them alone. Parker accidentally sets off the alarm siren, sending fighter planes into the night sky. It turns out, the planes intercept a Japanese air attack, and Parker...ah, I mean, Harkness, is promoted to major! While all of this is going on, the real Harkness has jumped overboard from the Russian ship and made it to an island, where he steals a boat from some angry natives. 

Binghamton sends Carpenter back to the PT 73 to get it underway in finding the Russian ship. Next, Parker must take a flight simulator test in a trainer and Binghamton goes with him. While the two are inside the trainer, a crew shows up to transport the trainer elsewhere for repairs, so they load it onto a truck and off it goes. The rough road causes the trainer to fall off of the truck and into the ocean. Parker and Binghamton are stunned to find they are no longer in the base training facility, bringing Binghamton to keep saying, "Link trainers can't fly." The two head back to the base and to the base hospital, where they see General Harkness! Binghamton hides in a closet and Parker dashes into a room, where he disguises himself as a nurse. Binghamton ends up falling out of the closet and the doctor asks the nearby "nurse" (actually Parker) to help. Parker accidentally injects both the doctor and Binghamton with a strong sedative, knocking them out. Parker changes back into the uniform of Harkness and heads back to PT 73, but a driver shows up to take him to a waiting plane. It turns out, the base commander is going to send him to see his dad, the general, on another island, but Major Harkness will act as the cargo plane's navigator, a task for which Parker has absolutely no clue. Binghamton catches up to Parker as he boards the cargo plane and here we go. A jeep is strapped in as part of the cargo being transported.

During the flight, the pilot periodically asks for the plane's course, and Parker makes up a number, bringing the pilot to adjust the plane by making some sharp turns, which causes some of the cargo to break loose and rip off the exit door. Another sharp course change sets the jeep to rolling around and Parker gets into the driver's seat to try to use the brakes. Binghamton climbs into the passenger seat, but the jeep's momentum carries it out the door, and leaves it suspended by rope underneath the plane. Parker starts blowing the horn and the pilot looks out the window and then tells the co-pilot that there is a jeep trying to pass them. Dingy Parker even uses hand signals to indicate turns.***** When Parker and Binghamton look down at the Pacific, they see the Japanese fleet. As the plane heads in for a landing, it passes over the real Major Harness, who is paddling along in the native boat. The American military commanders are all conferring about the whereabouts of the Japanese ships, which they have not been able to locate. As the plane sweeps in, the rope lets go and the jeep falls in through the roof of the conference room. Parker tells General Harness about the Japanese fleet and the orders are given to strike. Into the conference room comes Major Harness, all grimy from his ordeal, only to be scoffed at by his father, who thinks his son has been out partying.

The scene shifts to Washington DC, some time later, where President Roosevelt is about to honor Parker for providing the information about the Japanese fleet. Parker gets credit, because he was the navigator of the plane! As Binghamton fumes about Parker's honor, Parker is asked to say a few words to test the microphones. He imitates the voice of President Roosevelt, using FDR's common opening, "My friends..." Binghamton goes berserk, as he thinks Parker has now been made president of the United States.

* Tim Conway's real first name was Thomas/Tom, but there was already an actor by that name, so he chose "Tim" for his professional name. By the way, for you movie experts, "Tom Conway" was the stage name of Thomas/Tom Sanders, the brother of well known actor George Sanders, and yes, the real family name was Sanders.

** PT=Patrol Torpedo

*** AWOL=away without leave

**** The Air Force was part of the US Army in those times.

***** Back in perhaps the late 1970s or early 1980s, this movie was on when my mother was visiting me. My mother was not really much for slapstick kind of comedy, but when that jeep was suspended under the plane and Parker kept honking the horn and using hand signals, she laughed as hard as I had ever seen her laugh. 

Photo is of the 2016 Shout! Factory DVD with both McHale's Navy movies

WORD HISTORY:
Deep/Depth-This word, distantly related to "dip," and commonly used as an adjective, as a noun (also rendered in noun form, in the expanded forms "deepness" and "depth"), and as an adverb, usually as "deeply," goes back to Indo European "dheub," which meant, "deep, hollow." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "deupaz," meaning, "deep," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "deop," with the meaning "deep," but with a number of figurative meanings, like, "earnest," "mysterious" and "stern." The noun form was also "deop," meaning, "deepness, depth." This then became "dep(e)," before the modern form. Forms in the other Germanic relatives: German has the adjective "tief"  (deep, also the adverbial "deeply"), the nouns "(das) Tief" (weather terminology "a low"), "(die) Tiefe" ("depth, deepness"); Low German Saxon "deep" (adjective) and "Deep" (noun); Dutch "diep" (adjective/adverb), "diepte" ^^ (noun: depth/deepness); West Frisian "djip" (adjective), "djipte" ^^ (noun: depth, deepness); Danish has "dyb" (adjective) and "dyb/dybde"^^ (noun: depth, deepness); Norwegian has "dyp" (adjective) and "dybde"^^ (noun: deep, deepness); Icelandic has "djúpur" (adjective) and "dýpt" (noun: depth, deepness); Swedish has "djup" (adjective) and "djup" (noun: depth, deepness), but they also have "djuphet,"^^ which now seems to be somewhat antiquated.  

^ Long ago many of the high Germanic dialects underwent a "sound shift," where the "d" in many other Germanic dialects often became "t" and "p" often became "f;" thus, modern standard German, which grew from middle high German dialects, "tief."

^^ Technically, these forms correspond to English "depth," which is why they have the "te," "de" and "het" endings (German also once had "Tiefte"="depth"), just as English has "dep" + "th," for "depth" (it was actually spelled "depthe," previously). The English suffixes "-th" and "-t," and the "te," "de" and "het" suffixes in other Germanic languages, comes from Old Germanic "itho," which came from Indo European "ita."

German Kloppschinken: Encrusted Ham

This dish is from the German region of Mecklenburg, which borders on the Baltic Sea (German: "Ostsee;" that is, "East Sea"). Mecklenburg is part of the German state of "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," with the latter literally being "Fore Pommerania;" that is, "forward part of Pomerania," but often rendered as, "West(ern) Pommerania," in English. About 900 years ago, "Pomerania" was populated ("perhaps" sparsely so?) by Slavic people, who later "mixed" with the incoming Germans, who then took control of the area, with many of the Slavic elements thus losing their Slavic identity, although in the eastern part (near Poland), Slavic dialects and identity persisted. Pomerania is located along a stretch of coast of the Baltic Sea and during the period of Napoleon, the western part was under Swedish rule, with the larger part being part of the (then) German state of Prussia. After World War Two, most of Pomerania was ceded to the newly reformed Poland, with the exception of Vorpommern. The area fell within the Soviet occupation zone, and thus, it became part of the German Democratic Republic, most commonly called "East Germany" in Britain and the U.S. The Germans who settled there 900 years ago were Low German speakers; thus, the area remained so until the last century or two, as standard German was taught in schools, although Low German continued to be frequently spoken in every day life there until more recent times, and the number of inhabitants who are actually fluent in Low German has declined. So the "Klopp" part of name of the dish for this article is actually Low German, but it is "Klopfschinken" in standard German; that is, "knock or tap ham" (the German verb "klopfen" means "to knock, to tap, to rap") from the notion of "knocking or tapping on the crust to break it to get to the ham." Low German "Klopp" and standard German "Klopfen" are related to English "clap," as these words initially developed from the idea of the sound produced, rather than the action; thus the usage, "clap of thunder" (as a noun).

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked ham, cut into 4 slices (1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick)
1 cup milk (more if needed)
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs (not panko style)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
oil or clarified butter for frying
1 tablespoon oil (for batter)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak the ham slices in milk for about 2 hours. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Combine the other ingredients, except oil or clarified butter, into a thick batter. Pat ham slices dry and dip into the thick batter, coat well all over. Fry ham slices on both sides until golden brown. When tapping the ham with a fork or spoon, there should be a sound similar to the sound of tapping a loaf of freshly baked bread.   

Mustard greens are delicious, with a horseradish flavor, especially when uncooked. They are available in many produce sections of supermarkets, often sold in bags with the large stems already removed and with the mustard greens chopped, or you can also buy mustard greens in individual bunches that you must trim and chop yourself (this is what I buy). My grandmother used spinach for a similar dish (she used no chili pepper).

Braised Mustard Greens

2 pounds mustard greens, trimmed from any big stems
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeño chili, chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a heavy bottom skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and fry about two minutes, then add the garlic and the chili pepper. Cook until the onion softens a good deal. Add the beef stock, then about a minute later, add the sugar, then the vinegar. Stir well. Add the mustard greens, which will cook down. Season with salt and pepper and stir. When the greens cook down, remove the skillet from the heat. I prefer the greens themselves to cook only a couple of minutes; just until they cook down, but still have a little "life" in them.

"Kloppschinken" with braised mustard greens

WORD HISTORY: 
Shank-This word goes back to Indo European "skeng," which had the notion of "crooked, bent." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "skankon," which continued the general meaning, but also developed the more specific meaning "leg," from the notion of "the part that bends." In some Germanic dialects the meaning "awry, askew" developed from the "crooked, bent" idea. The Old Germanic form gave Old English "sceanca," which meant "leg." This later became "shanke," before the modern form, and the meaning tended to be applied to the "upper part of the leg." Related forms in other Germanic languages are: German "Schenkel" = thigh, leg;^ Dutch "schenkel" =knuckle, leg; West Frisian "shonk" =leg; Low German "Schanke" (now archaic); Icelandic "shakkur" ="mistaken, awry;" ^^ Norwegian "skank" =shank, calf of leg; I could not find a modern word in Swedish or Danish.

^ Typically modern German uses "Oberschenkel" (literally translated into English as "over /upper shank") for "upper leg," and "Unterschenkel" (literally "under shank") for "lower leg," but "Schenkel" is still in use. "Schinken," the German word for "ham," developed from the same Germanic form that produced English "shank" and German "Schenkel;" so, "the meat from the 'Schenkel'. "

^^ Old Norse, the forerunner of Icelandic, had "skakkr," with similar meaning, and it "may" have originally been "skankr," but the "n" sound died out.

Adobo Seasoning

Adobo means different things in different Latino (Spanish) influenced cultures. Often is it a type of Puerto Rican/Latino seasoned salt, and it is very commonly used in Puerto Rico to season meats and for fried plantain chips. In Mexico, however, the term is also used for a sauce usually made from a mixture of chili peppers, spices and some liquid component. It is often used as a marinade. If you've bought chipotle peppers in the can, they are usually packed in adobo sauce. This easy recipe is for the dry, seasoned salt type. The are many variations and I've actually seen a recipe with NO salt.  

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon well crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika (Spanish paprika) 
(For a sort of, "Mexican style," add 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin)
If you like a little "heat," use hot paprika, or add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Spanish paprika is naturally used in many Latino cultures. It has a nice smoky flavor.

Add all ingredients to a jar/container with a lid. Shake the container until the ingredients are well mixed. Always give the container a shake before adding the adobo to any recipe.

WORD HISTORY:
Season/Seasoning-"Season" is distantly related to both "seed" and "sow" ("toss or scatter seed"), both original English words from its Germanic roots. It goes back to Indo European "seh," which meant, "to sow, to seed." This gave Latin "serere," meaning "to sow (seed)," one of whose participle forms produced the noun "satio" ("a sowing"), the accusative form of which "sationem" gave Old French, a Latin-based language, the noun, "seison" (later, "saison"), meaning, "the time of the year for sowing." This was borrowed into English in the late 1200s, likely from what was the Norman French form, "sesoun," but with the broadened meaning, "a particular time of the year," including later, "a time of year for specific events or activities;" thus, "baseball season," "boating season," "picnic(ing) season." The verb form of "season" came from Old French "assaisonner," the basic meaning of which was, "to ripen," but with the secondary development of, "the addition of ripened seeds (spices) to enhance the flavor of foods;" thus, also the noun, "seasoning."       

The Former Confederacy & Modern American Politics, Part Seventeen

Ronald Reagan began his second term in January 1985.

A scandal broke in late 1986, dubbed "Iran-Contra," because of its connection to Iran and to the Contras of Nicaragua. The scandal is complicated, but it essentially involved the U.S. selling arms to Iran, which was in a brutal, very bloody war with neighboring Iraq; then, some of the "proceeds" of that sale going to support anti-communist forces, called the "Contras," in Nicaragua.* The problems were these: Iran had been a bitter enemy of the U.S. since 1979 and the beginning of the ordeal for the American hostages being held in Iran. Sanctions against Iran were then put in place, which included an arms embargo. The U.S. openly supported Iran's enemy, Iraq, in the war between those two countries, but Iran desperately needed U.S. weapons to fight Iraq. There were also American hostages being held by an Iranian supported group in Lebanon. So the U.S. sold weapons to Iran, and some of the American hostages in Lebanon were released, although other Americans were then taken hostage. The process continued, but the price for weapons to Iran increased, with the extra money diverted to help the Contras in Nicaragua, something that was against American law. Eventually the deal with Iran became public, which badly damaged Reagan, whose poll numbers took a big hit until the 1988 election campaign and Reagan's pending departure from office lifted his numbers again.

The midterm election in 1986 saw Democrats gain a total of 8 Senate seats, as they defeated 6 Republican incumbents who had won election, at least partially, on the strength of Reagan's first term win in 1980. In the former Confederate states, Democrats captured Republican seats in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. In the House of Representatives, the overall results were less dramatic, as Democrats gained only 5 seats nationally, and with the changes in former Confederate states being: 1 Republican seat gained in Louisiana, making that state's delegation 5 Democrats and 3 Republicans; in Mississippi a 1 seat gain by Democrats, making the delegation 4 Democrats and 1 Republican; a 2 seat gain by Democrats in North Carolina, making the delegation 8 Democrats and 3 Republicans; a 1 seat Democratic gain in South Carolina, making the delegation 4 Democrats and 2 Republicans; and a 1 seat gain by Democrats in Virginia, making its delegation 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats. In governorships, Republicans replaced Democrats in Alabama, Texas, South Carolina and Florida (where former Democrat turned Republican, Bob Martinez won), but in Tennessee, a Democrat replaced a Republican as governor.

* For a little more on the "Iran-Contra" scandal, this is the link to an article I did in October 2012:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/10/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part_7635.html

WORD HISTORY:
Cove-This word, UNRELATED to the similar word "cave," "seems" to go back to an Indo European form "geuba," with the notion of "pit, hollow;" thus, "a hole in the ground." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "kubon," with the meaning "den;" that is, "hollowed out living area in the ground or hillside for animals," but also with the "hollow, pit" meaning by itself. The "den" meaning then broadened to include "hut." This gave Old English "cofa," meaning, "den, closet, room." "Cofa" then became "cove," with the "e" pronounced "eh," before the modern pronunciation. The meaning, "small opening along a coastline, a small bay," didn't develop until the mid 1500s. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German "Koben," meaning, "hutch, pigpen, animal stall," but also, "hollow;" Low German Saxon "Kaven," meaning, "animal stall;" Dutch "koof," meaning, "cove;" West Frisian "kouwe," meaning, "cage;" Icelandic "kofi," meaning, "hut." 

It's About Coalitions, Not Purity, Part Forty-Eight

The Chickens Come Home To Roost, But It's Too Hot In The Hen House ... The Financial Meltdown, Part 5

While the nominations and political party conventions took place, Americans continued to endure record high oil and gasoline prices, along with the news of mounting numbers of foreclosures in the housing market. Believe it or not (offered sarcastically), some people better versed in economics actually began to ask questions in print and on television, as to "who" was absorbing the losses on what was becoming a staggering number of foreclosures. Put simply, if I loaned you the money to buy your house, and then you can't meet the payments, "it ain't Aunt Mary in Tuscaloosa" who is losing the money, it's me! So those in the know about the financial system began focusing on the banks, and then on the whole system in the mortgage industry, which was very complex, and thus beyond the scope of this article. It turned out, the system was rotten with bad mortgages, as many individuals, government entities and businesses had invested in mortgages. DAMN! Aunt Mary in Tuscaloosa did lose money! She held investments in a bank and an insurance company.

In mid September 2008, Lehman Brothers, a large Wall Street investment bank in business for more than 150 years, was next to suffer the consequences of irresponsible capitalism. After serious declines in its stock price and announced layoffs of personnel, clients abandoned the bank in droves, withdrawing their money and assets almost instantly. The bank announced it would file for bankruptcy, and the DOW dropped 500 points in one day, with further staggering losses to follow. The Fed did not intervene, thus giving the "free marketers" their wish. With Lehman's collapse, the situation became so serious, the Bush administration, that bulwark of "free market capitalism," having oft essentially said to American economic problems, "we can't do anything about anything, because its a free market economy," announced, along with the support of the Fed, that they needed a special fund of $700 billion (with a "b") to shore up the financial system or that the country faced a new DEPRESSION. Fear spread, as the extent of the mortgage crapola became more obvious, and that it was not just limited to a couple of financial institutions. Further, the greed and corruption had many accomplices throughout the "free market" system. You can't regulate 'em, or it ain't freedom (excuse me, third grade English teachers). The thing was, getting anywhere near accurate information of the financial condition of many institutions was difficult, because they were fearful of releasing how bad their individual situations truly were, or of seeking help from the Federal Reserve,* as that could bring about what had happened to Lehman Brothers, a fast collapse, as customers withdrew their money in just hours.

On the political front, the McCain campaign, struggling with its ties to the unpopularity of President George W. Bush, and with increasing discontent over the war in Iraq and high gasoline prices, now faced an even bigger challenge, as some Democrats, independents, and probably even some Republicans, even though at least some, likely harboring some bigotry toward Barack Obama over his racial background and/or his atypical name, overcame those feelings out of fear for their own well being and decided to support Obama. There were, however, opposite reactions, as some longtime Democrats, unable to overcome their bigotry, or outright racism, chose to support McCain. At the time, a guy I knew, a life long Democrat, so full of hatred toward black Americans, backed McCain. He turned against Democrats with a vengeance. I'm not certain of this, but I believe since that time, he became a Republican. So the coalitions were jumbled a bit, but with Obama and Democrats benefiting more than McCain and Republicans; at least, in the overall political situation, although not in specific states or certain local communities. The 2008 election showed our good side and our bad side, simultaneously, as many Americans rose above race and bigotry, but the election, and Obama's background, aroused some of the basest fears and hatreds in other Americans. 

John McCain has long had a "maverick streak," and an admiration for former progressive (for his times) Republican, President Teddy Roosevelt. In a country increasingly divided over politics, often driven, in my opinion, by radio and television personalities promoting division over unity, candidate John McCain in October 2008 told supporters at a rally, one of whom had commented that he was "scared" of an Obama presidency, and another who had claimed Obama was "an Arab," with all the racism and bigotry that was meant to convey to Americans about terrorists, that Obama "is a decent man," and that, "you don't have to be scared of him being president," and further, "he's not (an Arab.") ** I guess I'm showing my own cynicism, but I was PLEASANTLY stunned to see McCain rise above the nastiness of politics and choose to stand up for his opponent.

The stock markets plunged and so did the price of oil, even after we had been told what an oil "shortage" there was; thus, justifying the surge in price to $140 to $150 a barrel. Within weeks the price had plummeted to about $30 a barrel. Ah, see Sir Walter Scott quote in note *, below.

Next, the results of Election 2008 ...

* The reason financial institutions feared going to the Federal Reserve, was that it would then be an admission of financial trouble, and while in "normal times," logic by investors and customers might not have sparked a stock selloff and customer withdrawals, as the institution was getting help to stabilize, with the tense situation in late 2008, logic was something not in supply, as lack of transparency over financial matters had made EVERYONE distrustful, including distrust between banks and other financial institutions. "O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." (quoted from Sir Walter Scott, and technically it was/is "practise" in British English) 

** McCain was not acting as if being an Arab were something to be ashamed of, but rather, he was simply pointing out the error stated by the lady. There were rumors circulating about Obama not being an American and about him being a secret Muslim (again, stoking fears by Americans of terrorism) and that he was associating with terrorists.  

WORD HISTORY:
Plunge-Like its relative "plumb" (also, "plumber"), the origins of this word are uncertain, although some believe it is from a non Indo European language in the Mediterranean area, as both Latin and Greek have forms of the word. It traces back to Latin "plumbum," which meant "lead" (the metal). This produced the Latin verb, "plumbicare," which meant, "to throw/toss lead," "seemingly" in reference to "tossing lead weighted fishing nets or lines into the water." Old French, a Latin-based language, took the word as "plongier," meaning, "to dive or sink into water." English borrowed the word, as "plungen," in the second half of the 1300s, almost certainly under the influence of the Norman spelling, or what came to be the Norman spelling, "plungier." ^ Also by that time, the meaning had broadened beyond "diving or sinking into water," to more figurative senses, like, "diving into work or into a particular task;" also, "to commit to some idea or cause." The noun was derived from the verb, with the meaning, "a dive into water," or, "an unexpected forceful fall downward" ("I tripped and plunged down the hillside").    

^ It is unclear to me whether "plungier" was the spelling brought to England by the Normans. It's important to remember, the Norman dialect differed somewhat from the French of Paris or other parts of France, so spelling and pronunciation variations were common. 

Smothered Steak/Swiss Steak

"Smothered Steak," is a traditional part of the cuisine of the American South, "apparently" having been brought there by colonists from England, where the term is also used. In other parts of the U.S. it is known as "Swiss Steak," which has nothing to do with "Swiss cheese, Swiss army knives, Swiss chard, Swiss bank accounts or Swiss chocolate." In fact, it has nothing to do with Switzerland or with the cuisine of that country. The story is, this term "Swiss" comes from the tenderizing pounding process used for the steak (which was/is called "swissing"), which came from tougher, less expensive cuts of beef. There are variations on the recipe, with some using a heavy proportion of tomatoes, and others using less tomatoes and making the sauce into more of an actual gravy, as I've done here. If you'd like the sauce to be more "tomato-y," you could use a half cup of canned diced tomato, with the juice.    

Ingredients:

2 pounds round steak, sliced into serving pieces, then pounded to about a 1/2 inch thin
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (your favorite brand)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced or chopped button mushrooms
1 cup sliced or chopped baby bella mushrooms
5 tablespoons olive oil (don't be afraid to use more oil, if needed)
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned. If canned, you can drain or use the juice, your choice.
1/2 teaspoon savory
2 to 3 tablespoons flour mixed with 3 to 4 tablespoons water

Mix the flour, black pepper and seasoned salt together on a plate. Dredge the pieces of steak in seasoned flour, then place each piece between plastic wrap, and, using a meat mallet or edge of a plate, pound it thinner. The point is to pound the seasoned flour into the steak, while tenderizing the steak at the same time. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. If you use an oven safe skillet, it will be one less thing to wash later. Anyway, brown the seasoned and tenderized steak pieces in batches. Heat the oven to 350 F. To the skillet, if using, or to a baking dish, add the onion, the mushrooms, the tomatoes, the savory, the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix. Add the browned steak pieces and cover the skillet or dish. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 F and bake about another 90 minutes, or until the steak pieces are very tender. Remove from the oven. If using the skillet, place the steak pieces on a separate plate and put the skillet on a burner at medium heat. It should quickly bubble, then gradually stir in the flour/water mixture until the gravy/sauce reaches the desired thickness. I'm a mashed potatoes guy, but many often serve it with buttered noodles.

I had mine with mashed potatoes, carrots and cottage cheese.

WORD HISTORY:
Smother-This word, distantly related to "smolder" and "smell," "seems" to go back to an Indo European "smur/smul," likely variants of some unknown Indo European root. There are other Indo European relatives to the word outside of Germanic. The notion lying behind the meaning seemingly has to do with "heat, fire, burn," and the results of such; that is, "smoke coming from," and, "smoke covering someone or something." From the Indo European came an Old Germanic offspring like, "smuronan," which meant, "to choke or to choke to death from smoke," which only remained in West Germanic, which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "smorian," which meant, "to choke, to suffocate." Its third person singular was "smoraþ" (=smorath), which produced the noun "smorther," meaning "heavy or thick smoke;" that is, "smoke so thick as to choke a person." Later the verb became "smortheren," before the word contracted to "smoth(e)ren," and then to "smother." The word also took on the cooking meaning, "to cover and cook slowly," sometimes rendered as "smoren," perhaps by influence of the same spelling in the related Low German, Dutch and Flemish words. Relatives of "smother" in the other Germanic languages: German has "schmoren," meaning, "to braise, to cook meat slowly in a covered pan with liquid," but this was borrowed from Low German in the 1600s. In German it also has the figurative meaning, "to stew," as in the English expression, "to stew in one's own juices;" that is, "to worry over and fret about the consequences of one's own deeds." Further, it means, "to swelter in hot weather." Low German "smoren/smorten," meaning, "to choke;" Dutch "smoren" (to choke, but also the cooking usage "braise").

The Former Confederacy & Modern American Politics, Part Sixteen

In 1983-84, the economy gradually began to recover from the severe recession, and with far less inflation. The Federal Reserve continued to lower interest rates. The tax cuts and increased military spending boosted the economy, in what was a classic tale of "Keynsian economics," something conservatives, including Reagan, had railed AGAINST. The budget deficit soared. In the meantime, Soviet leaders had an outbreak of "colds," the reason given by Soviet spokesmen to answer for their leaders not being seen in public. The thing was, the leaders then died: Leonid Brezhnev died November 1982, Yuri Andropov died February1984, Konstantin Chernenko died in March 1985. 

As the election of 1984 approached, Reagan's position had strengthened considerably, and he faced no real challenge within the Republican Party for his reelection bid. On the Democratic side, Senator Ted Kennedy's decision not to run for president left the party scrambling for a high profile nominee to face Reagan, with former Vice President and former Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale being the most prominent. Ohio Senator, and former astronaut, John Glenn,* Colorado Senator Gary Hart and civil rights and populist activist Jesse Jackson (born in South Carolina, but living in Illinois), all were seen as other high profile candidates, with Jackson being especially noteworthy in the South and border states, where the vast majority of black Americans lived. With Jackson being only the second  black American to pursue a nationwide campaign for president (Shirley Chisholm was first), and with his civil rights activism, black Americans were a natural constituency for him. John Glenn's candidacy never really materialized, as he did not win even one primary, and he left the race in March. Hart battled later into the primaries, while Jackson had a self inflicted wound by referring to New York City as "Hymietown," an offensive remark to start with, but compounded by the fact that Jackson was so closely identified with civil rights and fairness. In the former Confederate states, Jackson won in Louisiana, and garnered about a quarter of the Democratic vote in Tennessee and North Carolina, while also winning the vote in border area Washington DC, then taking a quarter of the vote in border state Maryland.** In the end, Mondale won the nomination and he selected New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as the first female major party nominee for vice president. On the Republican side, Reagan faced no major opponents from within the GOP and he and George H.W. Bush were easily renominated.

A couple of important political events in former Confederate states: Democratic Congressman Phil Gramm of Texas changed to become a Republican, and shortly thereafter ran for a U.S. Senate seat in that state. In Florida, Mayor of Tampa, Bob Martinez also changed to the Republican Party, he later was elected governor of Florida. In the 1970s, former Democratic governor of Texas and former Secretary of the Treasury under Richard Nixon, John Connally, switched to the Republican Party.

During the 1984 presidential campaign, there were 2 presidential debates scheduled, the first in Louisville, Kentucky, and the second in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as one vice presidential debate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reagan's age of 73 was an issue in the campaign and it was highly evident in the first debate, as Reagan, who, ten years later, told the public he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, had a debate performance that magnified the President's age, as the President seemed hesitant, uncertain and even confused. There are videos of the debate available on YouTube, as seeing and hearing the debate are far better than reading a transcript, which cannot convey Reagan's uneasiness that night. In the second debate, Reagan was much more stable, including the lighthearted quips he had come to be known for, including about his age: "I will not exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." It was line that Reagan obviously had practiced and was waiting to deliver, as it really did not directly answer the panel member's question, but even Mondale laughed.

The overall verdict came on election day, as Reagan romped to a landslide win, carrying all but Mondale's home state of Minnesota, which was very close, and Washington DC. Reagan won 525 electoral votes to just 13 for Mondale, and won the popular vote by about 59% to 40 1/2%. Reagan carried all of the former Confederate states by substantial margins, generally by getting 60% to 65% of the vote in all of those states. Across the country, and especially in the former Confederacy, Reagan garnered many Democratic votes from what were termed, "Reagan Democrats."

In the Senate, in spite of Reagan's landslide victory, Republicans lost two seats, including one in Tennessee, where future vice president, Al Gore, won by a big margin. In Texas, Phil Gramm, who had recently switched to the Republican Party, won the Senate race to keep the seat in Republican hands. In the House of Representatives, Republicans made overall gains, and the delegations from the former Confederate states were: Alabama, unchanged, 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans; Arkansas saw Democrats gain one seat, making the delegation 3 Democrats and 1 Republican; Florida, 12 Democrats and 7 Republicans; Georgia saw a gain of one seat for Republicans to 8 Democrats and 2 Republicans; Louisiana remained 6 Democrats and 2 Republicans; Mississippi remained 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans; North Carolina saw Republicans gain three seats, making the delegation 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans; South Carolina remained 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans; Tennessee remained the same with 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans; in Texas Republicans gained, making the delegation 17 Democrats and 10 Republicans; Virginia remained 6 Republicans and 4 Democrats. In change of controlling party in governors, Republicans won the governorship in North Carolina.      

* John Glenn was the first American astronaut to orbit Earth.

** It should be noted, not all states had primaries, and not all primaries were truly about delegates, but simply contests, often dubbed "beauty contests," that did not directly award delegates to candidates based upon their percentage of the vote. I say "directly," because, at least in theory, a good percentage of the popular vote in a state could sway state convention delegates to perhaps vote for that candidate, as some states held (some still do) conventions to apportion delegates for the national political party conventions. 

WORD HISTORY:
Pore-English has two words of this spelling, but this is the noun for "hole or opening, usually in the skin, and occurring naturally." This word, distantly related to "port" (a borrowing by English, meaning "gate, entrance"), and to "fare" (a native English word from its Germanic roots), goes back to Indo European "per," which had the notion of "pass to, pass over;" thus also, "lead to." This gave transliterated Greek "poros," meaning, "an opening for passage, a passageway, a way to proceed;" thus, a secondary meaning, "opening through the skin." This was borrowed by Latin as, "porus," with the "opening or hole in the skin" meaning. This was passed to Old French as "pore," with the same meaning and English borrowed the word, likely with reinforcement from Latin in the latter part of the 1300s, although the it may have been the other way around, with French being the reinforcing element to a borrowing from Latin.