Sanford & Son Episode: Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe

"Sanford and Son" was a comedy series that originally aired on the NBC network from early 1972 until the spring of 1977. The show was based on a British show, called "Steptoe and Son," that began in the 1960s. This American show was set in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In those times Watts had a predominantly, but not exclusively, black population, and indeed, during its years of original episodes, the diversity of the neighborhood was shown, while giving emphasis to the area's black majority. Today, Watts is a majority Latino neighborhood. 

 

This episode first aired on NBC in January 1974. 

While a great comedy show, occasionally "Sanford and Son" had serious moments showing the love and emotional bond between Fred and Lamont, especially in this episode.  

 

Episode Cast:

 

Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford

Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford

La Wanda Page as Esther Anderson (Aunt Esther)

Whitman Mayo as Grady Wilson

Sonny Jim Gaines as Big Money Grip Matlock

Grady is very nervous when he comes to see Fred one day. After having a drink with Fred, Grady tells Fred why he stopped in. It turns out, a former friend of Fred from St. Louis, named Big Money Grip, has moved to Los Angeles so as to be closer to his son, and he claims that son is Lamont! At first, Fred thinks it's all a joke, but he sees how shaken Grady is, and then Grip comes to the door and he insists to Fred and Grady that HE is Lamont's real father. It turns out that Fred's late wife, Elizabeth, had indeed been interested in Grip before she married Fred. 

 

Later, after Grip and Grady leave, Lamont is sitting at the kitchen table trying to eat, but Fred keeps staring at him, comparing hands with him and just making a nuisance of himself. Lamont can't understand why Fred is acting this way. Fred calls Esther, Elizabeth's sister, and has her come over so he can talk with her about Elizabeth, but he doesn't tell Esther why he wants to discuss his late wife. Fred flat out asks Esther if she ever knew Elizabeth to fool around, and she tells him that "my baby sister was as pure as the driven snow" and that Fred is a "foul heathen" for even thinking anything bad about Elizabeth. Grip knocks at the door and Fred has him come in to hear what Esther has to say. First though, Grip tells Esther, "Lamont Sanford is my son," and Esther jumps up from the sofa and says, "WHAT did you say, Nigga?"* Esther tells Fred, "Why don't we both beat the hell outta him, right now?" (Note: "Sanford and Son" had a live studio audience, and this whole scene of a few minutes length brought a reaction of hysterical laughter from the audience.) 

Esther and Fred hassle and insult each other ten times a day, every day, but they are now allies against Grip. As the argument heatedly goes on, Lamont comes home. Fred tells Lamont that Grip says he is Lamont's real father, but that he and Esther say it's a lie. So, Lamont sees the whole thing boils down to him having to choose between Fred and Grip. As Lamont says, "This is heavy." Lamont has Fred sit down and in the serious and tear-jerking part of this whole scene, he tells how Fred is the only father he has ever known and how he loves him. "All my life it's been Sanford and son, and as far as I'm concerned, that's the way it's going to always be." Both Fred and Esther have to pull out handkerchiefs. Fred then tells Grip to "get the hell outta my house," but Esther tells Grip that she wants him to stop lying about her sister, because "the truth shall make you free." Grip tells them it's true and he mentions the exact address in St. Louis where Elizabeth's family lived, and he says further that he sneaked into the house one night when everyone was asleep and went to Elizabeth's room. Esther then challenges Grip to tell them which room was Elizabeth's. When Grip says it was the room off of the kitchen, Esther answers that he's lying, because "the room off the kitchen was my room." Fred tells Esther, "I think Grip was in your room," and he asks Esther, "Did anybody ever sneak into your room one night? And the truth now, because you know, the truth shall make you free." When Grip then asks Esther if she slept with big curlers in her hair, this prompts Esther to cover her ears and say, "I don't want to hear anymore of this!" She then says, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." Esther continues quoting Bible verses and she leaves shouting some "Hallelujahs!" Fred tells Grip, "At first, I was mad at you, but now, I feel sorry for you."   

 

* Needless to say, this was quite a controversial remark for commercial television in those times, as there weren't cable stations as developed years later, but Norman Lear's shows pushed the bounds of television broadcasts. I don't now remember how I reacted to this scene back then, but I'm sure there was some jaw-dropping in many homes that evening, and "Sanford & Son" was one of the most popular shows on American television, watched by millions from all races every week, including by Randy.  

 Photo is from "Sanford And Son, The Third Season" DVD set, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2003

WORD HISTORY:

Paternal (Paternity)-These closely related words are distantly related to "father," via Indo European, with "father" being a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Paternal" goes back to Indo European “phater/phter/phaeter,” which meant, "father." This gave Latin "pater," meaning "father," and it gave Latin the adjective "paternus," with the meaning "of or about a father, or of being a father." This then later became the adjective "paternalis," which went into Old French as "paternal" ("of or about a father") and this was borrowed by English circa 1400. "Paternity" was derived from the above mentioned Latin adjective "paternus" ("of or about a father"), which produced the Latin noun "paternitas" ("fatherhood," "the act and responsibilities of being a father") and its accusative case form "paternitatem," which passed to Old French as "paternité," and this was borrowed by English in the mid 1400s (? some say mid 1500s), originally as "paternite" ("state or act of being a father;" thus, "the relationship of a father to his offspring"). The most common meaning today; that is, "being fathered by a particular man" (often in "paternity test," with adjectival usage), began to become a prominent meaning circa 1870.   

French Rustic Home Fries: Pommes Persillade

This dish is most often used as a side dish. I prefer to use fresh parsley, rather than dried, especially as fresh parsley is easily available (of course, the affects of the pandemic have made the availability of many products less reliable). This is such a tasty and easy dish to make. The idea is to fry the potato pieces so that they develop a somewhat crispy outer layer that surrounds a soft and creamy inner texture. I used the term "French Rustic Home Fries" in the title, because if I used "French Fried Potatoes," readers would likely assume the potatoes to be "French fries," but these aren't really typical home fries either, because they aren't potato slices, but rather they are traditionally diced potato pieces.    

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into about 1 inch dice (keep the pieces close in size to cook evenly)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley 

1/3 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (remember, the cheese has salt)

3 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Boil the potato pieces in lightly salted water; maintain a steady boil until the potato pieces are cooked through, but NOT mushy (this is important). Drain the potatoes VERY well, so they will get a crispy layer around them. Heat the olive oil in a skillet (cast iron is good for this, but not necessary) over medium high heat; then fry the potatoes in the hot oil, turning them to brown them on all sides (that crispy outer layer will develop). The idea is to brown the outside of the potatoes, but to keep the inside soft and creamy; so, frying the potatoes does require your close attention until the potatoes are browned. Add the butter to the skillet and as it melts, add the garlic and parsley, stirring everything around for 60 to 90 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the potatoes to make sure they are all coated with the seasoned butter. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and the shredded or grated cheese. I put the cheese in the hot skillet with the potatoes (remember, the skillet is off of the heat), so that it just starts to melt and/or brown a little, but you can wait to add the cheese until you serve the potatoes.  

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sum-This word is related to "superior" and "summit," both Latin-derived words borrowed by English from Latin-based French, to "soprano," another Latin-derived word, but in this case English borrowed it from Italian, and to "summary," another Latin-derived word borrowed from that language, and it is distantly related to "over," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Sum" goes back to the Indo European root "upo," with the notion of "from under" or "from below," "to go over/above." This then provided the base of a comparative form, "uper," and from this came the extended form adjective "sup-mos," meaning "uppermost, highest, top." This gave Latin the adjective "summus" with the same basic meaning, the feminine form of which was "summa" with those same basic meanings, as well as the figurative meanings "main" and "highest rank." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "somme," which became "summe/sume" in the French spoken by the descendants of the Normans in England, and English borrowed the word in the early 1300s as "summe," with one of its primary meanings being "an amount of money," and later the meaning "the total of numbers added together," apparently dating to the Roman math system of adding numbers from the bottom of a column upward, then listing the amount at the top; thus, "the summe," taken from the Latin "summa totalis;" that is, "the sum total," with "summe" contracted to "sum." The idea of an expression like, "the sum of the article," comes from the notion of "the main point," or "the sum of important parts" of an article (book, speech, movie). The verb came from French "sommer," meaning "to add up numbers/amounts," with the French form also from Latin "summa."         

A Bunch of Baloney (Sandwiches), Part Two

The recipes and names I've given for these sandwiches are mainly my own inventions. Mortadella is also called "Italian bologna/baloney" by some.

 

Here is the link to "Part One:" https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-bunch-of-baloney-sandwiches.html

Fried Baloney Plays the Blues:

 

2 slices white or whole wheat bread

2 slices fried baloney

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons thick blue cheese dressing

1 or 2 lettuce leaves

1 large tomato slice

bread and butter pickle slices

1 or 2 teaspoons oil for frying

Note: If you'd like to make your own blue cheese dressing, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/homemade-blue-cheese-dressing.html

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the baloney and brown it on both sides. Remove the meat to one slice of bread, add 1 or 2 lettuce leaves, a large slice of tomato and some bread and butter pickle slices (also called "chips" by some). Add the blue cheese dressing to the other slice of bread and top the sandwich with it.  

The Italian Leaning Tower Mortadella Sandwich 

 

Italian bread rolls

3 or 4 slices of mortadella (folded)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon oil for frying the mortadella

thick Italian dressing

tomato slices

2 provolone cheese slices 

green Italian olives (I use Castelvetrano), halved

chopped fresh basil leaves

 

Fold the mortadella pieces, heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat, lightly brown the meat on both sides, split the rolls, drizzle dressing over one part of roll, put the browned mortadella on the roll, add the provolone slices (I fold them too), add the tomato slices, add the olive halves and basil leaves. Drizzle on a little more Italian dressing before adding the top part of the roll. Easier to eat by cutting into sections (secure sections with toothpicks)  

 

 

 

 The French Riviera Fried Baloney Sandwich

 

sausage roll

2 or 3 slices baloney

1 teaspoon oil for frying the baloney

Niçoise olives, halved

red onion, chopped

lettuce, chopped

tomato, chopped

red bell pepper, cut into thin slices/strips

2 anchovy fillets

4 or 5 teaspoons store bought French or Country French dressing, homemade Country French dressing, 2 teaspoons for bottom roll, 2 or 3 teaspoons for the top roll  

(Note: to make homemade country French dressing, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/homemade-creamy-country-french-dressing.html  )

 

Heat the oil over low heat in a large skillet; fry the baloney until lightly browned on both sides. Split the roll, if it isn't already split, and spread 1 or 2 teaspoons of dressing on the bottom part of the roll. Add the baloney slices, then add the chopped red onion, chopped lettuce, chopped tomato, red bell pepper strips and lay the anchovy fillets on top. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of the dressing to the top portion of the roll to top off the sandwich, which will require a little pressure, but be careful. 

 

 

 

Fried Baloney Breakfast Sandwich

 

2 slices toasted bread

1 or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 or 2 slices (depending upon thickness) fried baloney

1 fried egg

homes fries 

ketchup 

oil or butter for frying

Add some oil or butter to a skillet and fry the baloney until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the fried baloney to a plate. I used home fried potatoes I had already made and I only needed to heat them briefly. Remove the warmed potatoes to the plate with the baloney. Add more butter or oil (presumably it will be needed), then fry the egg. I leave the yolk runny (see photo below), but you can fry the egg until the yolk is totally cooked. Toast the bread slices, spread some mayonnaise on the bottom slice, add the baloney slices, add a layer of home fries, add some ketchup on top of the potatoes, add the egg (break the yolk and spread it around a bit, or you'll likely have yolk dripping all over you. Top with the other slice of toast.

Barbecuey Fried Baloney

 

2 slices white bread (or whole wheat)

2 or 3 slices baloney

1 teaspoon olive oil (vegetable oil, canola oil)

1 tablespoon butter

2 slices onion (tennis ball or baseball size onion, slices about 1/2 inch in thickness)

2 or 3 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce

Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the onion slices from the center of a tennis ball or baseball size onion, then cut the slices in half and separate these into half rings. Add the onion to the skillet and saute until "softening," then add the baloney slices and fry until the meat is lightly browned on both sides, and the onion is softened and browned. Remove the baloney to one slice of bread and add the barbecue sauce to the skillet with the onion and mix it in. Once heated, add the barbecue/onion mixture to the top of the baloney, top with the other bread slice and you're ready to eat. 

 

 

 

Spicy Barbecuey Fried Lebanon Baloney

 

round roll/bun

5 slices regular Lebanon baloney (or 2 or 3 somewhat thicker slices)

1 teaspoon oil (like peanut or vegetable oil)

1 tablespoon butter

2 slices onion, cut into half rings

1 clove garlic, minced

1 chili pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1 or 2 tablespoons coleslaw  

 

Add butter and oil to a large skillet over low heat. Add the meat and fry it for a couple of minutes, turning the slices once or twice (it will shrink). The oil/butter in the skillet will be somewhat darkened. Add the onion half rings and saute them until softened and browned. When the onions are about one minute from being done, add the chopped chili pepper and minced garlic. Add some barbecue sauce to the bottom of the roll/bun, then place the meat on top of that (stack the slices on the round bun/roll), spoon the onion/garlic/chili pepper mixture into the meat, then drizzle on some barbecue sauce and then add the coleslaw followed by the top of the bun/roll. Don't push down too hard, but you'll need to add a little pressure. Have the napkins close by.   

Greek Inspired Fried Baloney Sandwich

 

pita bread

2 or 3 slices of baloney, folded

1 or 2 teaspoons olive oil for frying

2 teaspoons olive oil for sandwich

chopped lettuce 

chopped red onion (raw)

grape tomatoes halved or chopped tomatoes

kalamata olives, whole or halved

little brine from the olives

crumbled feta cheese 

tzatziki*

 

Heat 1 or 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Lightly brown the folded meat on both sides. Cut the pita bread in half. Add the meat, then add whatever amounts of the various toppings, add a little sprinkle of olive brine, add some crumbled feta and then spoon on some tzatziki. 

 

* Tzatziki is sold in many supermarkets and shops, but to make your own, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/01/greek-tzatziki-turkish-cacik-sauce-dip.html   

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Bread-For a word for such an important substance, the origins of "bread" are uncertain, although there are some theories about it. One theory has it originating from Indo European "bhreuh," meaning "to boil;" thus also, "to seethe, to cook, to bubble." This would make it a relative of "brew," a word from the Germanic roots of English. Part of the idea behind the theory is that the yeast makes the dough "bubble." Another theory has "bread" going back to Indo European "bhreg," which meant "to break." The idea here is, some researchers believe the long, long ago in Old Germanic was "small piece of food, a fragment." The idea is that bread is typically broken into pieces when it is served/eaten (we even say "break bread" in English, generally giving the idea of sharing bread together), and it certainly crumbles (breaks) easily when dried. This would make it a relative of "break," a word from the Germanic roots of English. Still another has it coming from Indo European "bhreus," meaning "to crush or break up (into pieces)." This would make it related to "bruise," another word from the Germanic roots of English. There are likely other theories, but the thing is, there has never been a theory strong enough to garner the overwhelming support of researchers.    

 

What is known is, Old English had "bread," although it was not pronounced like the modern word, but rather it had a more prominent 'e' sound (bree) and a less emphasized 'ad' sound. It then did mean "piece of food, morsel, fragment," but also "bread," "perhaps" only in reference to "leavened bread." With bread being so important to human beings, eventually the word came to mean all types of the specific food made from a dough of some type of flour, typically baked, but also sometimes made in a skillet or other pan set onto a heat source. "Bread" gradually became the exclusive word used for this type of food, which by 1200 bumped the original word for this food, which was "loaf" (then spelled "hlaf"), to its meaning of "a mass portion of bread." Whatever the source of the word "bread," it came to English from Old Germanic (it had some various other spellings in the Middle Ages, like "breed" and "bred") and it is widespread in the Germanic languages: German has "Brot," Low German "Broot," West Frisian "brea," Dutch "brood," Danish and Norwegian "brød," Icelandic "brauð" (=brauth), Swedish "bröd."   

What's In A Name: Quentin, Quinton, Zelda

Quentin/Quinton-There seem to be two separate sources of these names. "Quentin" is derived from Latin "Quintinus," which was from Latin "quintus," meaning "fifth," and "Quintinus" was from the use of that word for the "fifth" son in many Roman families. One of the men with the name embraced Christianity in the 200s and he went to Gaul (now France), to Amiens, as a missionary. He was imprisoned, tortured and beheaded in 287. His name was later rendered as "Quentin" and the Normans carried the name across the English Channel to England, although the name never proved to be highly popular in England. President Teddy Roosevelt's youngest son was named "Quentin," and he was killed during World War One. The form "Quinton" supposedly goes back to Old English from the name of a town called "Queen's town" (queen was then spelled "cwene") with the name later seemingly continuing alongside "Quentin," which influenced the use of "Quinton" as a given name. 

Zelda-"Zelda" became a proper name in its own right, but it is simply the shortened form and nickname form of the English feminine name "Griselda," which came into use in the Middle Ages.

WORD HISTORY:

Witch (Wicked)-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain and its history is not easy. It "may" go back to an Old Germanic or West Germanic form "wikkjaz," for "someone who awakens the dead," but this is far from a certainty, although Low German has "wicken," meaning, "to use witchcraft," and the noun, "wikker," meaning, "one who tells of the future." Old English had "wicca," which meant, "a wizard, a man of magic," from that was derived the feminine form, "wicce," for "a sorceress, priestess of magic," with somewhat later the underlying notion of, "supernatural powers derived by a connection to evil spirits." It seems the male form was derived from a verb, "wiccian," which meant "to practice sorcery or magic," and later, the male form "wicca," along with the female derived "wicce," gave English "wicche" in the Middle Ages, and this then became "witch." There is a possible connection to modern German "weihen," which means, "to consecrate," which was once spelled "wihan/wihen," and also, "wichen." This is tied to other Germanic forms that had to do with, "be committed to something, be dedicated to;" thus also, "to be holy." Old English had the related "wig," which meant, "idol." It took some time for the various Germanic peoples, including the English, to convert to Christianity. Wicked seems to have been an adjective formed from "wicca" in late Old English as "wikk(e)," meaning "evil, bad, morally twisted," and it then became "wicke," before formation as a participle-type word, "wicked," but without being from a verb.

Jack Rose Cocktail: A "Literate" Drink

Ernest Hemingway mentions this cocktail in "The Sun Also Rises" and it was one of John Steinbeck's favorite drinks. The name combines the "jack" of applejack and "rose" from the color of the cocktail. 

Please don't let yourself be consumed by glass types for various drinks. No question about it, sometimes the glass type can make a great impression in a drink's presentation, but I wouldn't go out and buy every shape and size cocktail glass in sight. Once this cocktail is shaken or stirred, it will produce a cocktail of about 4 ounces, which means you can't use a 3 1/2 ounce glass, and I know that, after much trial and error. hahaha  I've seen this cocktail in fluted glasses and in coupe glasses, but myself, I've made it while wearing sunglasses. hahaha (Hey, you try pouring 4 ounce drinks into 3 1/2 ounce glasses, drinking your mistakes, and see what kind of remarks you make.) 

 

 

Ingredients (per drink):

 

2 1/2 ounces applejack or apple brandy

3/4 ounce lime juice (or lemon juice)

1/2 ounce grenadine

slice of lime (or lemon) for garnish + cherry

ice

shaker or other container for stirring

strainer

5 ounce glass (coupe or other)

 

Put the ice, applejack or apple brandy, lime juice (or lemon juice), and the grenadine into a cocktail shaker or other container, like a measuring glass or bowl. Shake or stir the ingredients for about 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the drink into the glass of your choice, garnish with lime slice and drop a maraschino cherry into the cocktail (this is, to my knowledge, purely my own addition, but I can't say that with 100% certainty). 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Letter-This word is related to "alliteration," "literal," "literate" and "literature," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English directly from Latin, and to "literary," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. The origin of  "letter" is more than a little uncertain, and there is a theory that connects it to Greek via Etruscan, with sound/spelling changes. I can't say it's not possible, but at this point, I'm not really accepting of all of this. What is known is, "letter" goes back to Latin "littera," which meant "a character or symbol used to represent a sound in writing;" that is, "a letter of the alphabet;" thus also, especially in the plural, "writing, document, written message (modern, 'a letter'), book/books." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "letre," meaning "character used to represent sound in writing, a message," and this later became "lettre." English borrowed the word around 1200.     

Bermuda's National Drink, Rum Swizzle

This punch-like drink is the national drink of Bermuda, although interestingly, recipes vary. It is commonly made in pitchers for multiple servings, but I've put together this recipe for one drink. The drink got its name from the "traditional" use of a swizzle stick twirled between the palms of the maker's hands to mix the drink. Originally, the "swizzle sticks" used were small twigs from the "Quararibea turbinata," a type of fragrant, flavorful tree common on many islands of the Caribbean. The tree has long been called the "Swizzlestick Tree," and from what I understand, the twig gave off some of its flavor to the drink, something that was later replaced by angostura bitters. In Bermuda the drink is still often made with a swizzle stick, but some people use a shaker or an immersion blender (stick blender) or some just stir it with a spoon. Damn, what a novel idea!     

Don't get scared or turned off when you see "simple syrup," because it is appropriately named, and it is just equal parts of sugar and water, with the water heated and the sugar stirred in and completely dissolved in the hot water, then cooled. It is a common ingredient to sweeten cocktails.

 

Ingredients (per drink): 

 

1 ounce dark rum

1 ounce golden rum

2 ounces pineapple juice

2 ounces orange juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 or 3 dashes of angostura bitters

1 1/2 tablespoons simple syrup 

cherry and/or orange slice can be used for garnish

ice

tall glass, 10 to 12 ounces

Mix all main ingredients well over just one or two ice cubes, then add more ice and garnish with a cherry or two or also with a slice of orange.

 

That is NOT an olive on the cocktail pick, that is simply a decorative piece by the manufacturer ...  

WORD HISTORY:

Ere (Erst, as in 'erstwhile')-The word "ere," primarily used as a preposition, but also as a conjunction, is closely related to "early," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Ere" goes back to Indo European "ayeri/aieri," meaning "morning, day," which then gave its Old Germanic offspring "airi" meaning "early" (comparative "airiz," meaning "earlier"), and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "ær," meaning "early, before." This then became "er," and then "ere." The Old English superlative form was "ærest," meaning "earliest, first," and it came from the Old Germanic form "airist," meaning "earliest, first, highest." Old English "ærest" then became "erst(e)" and then "erst." In the past, the forms of the word shared usage with forms of the actual word "first," but that word then came into dominant use for that meaning. In more modern times, "erst" is most common in the adverb/adjective compound "erstwhile" (adverb meaning: formerly, adjective meaning: former, onetime). Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "eher" (earlier, sooner, rather/quite), but also, the conjunction "ehe" (before), Low German has "ehr/ehrder" (earlier, sooner), West Frisian "earder, ear't" (earlier), Dutch "eer" (before, early) and comparative "eerder" (earlier). The North Germanic languages apparently do not have forms, although their ancestor, Old Norse, had "ar" (early).   

Heinrich Heine Warned The World

Heinrich Heine was one of Germany's great poets and writers. In the early 1820s Heine wrote a play, "Almansor," and that play contains the line, "Where one burns books, in the end, one will also burn people" (German: ,,Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen"). Of course, this was long before the Nazi nutcase Hitler, or his propaganda henchman Joseph Goebbels, or the other Nazi nutcases, or those who became complicit in the terrible crimes against humanity by offering support or silence to the hatred and viciousness, even though they certainly knew better. 

 

Heine's works, as well as the works of many others, like Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann, Erich Maria Remarque, Hermann Hesse, Victor Hugo, H.G. Wells, Oscar Wilde, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and many others were burned on the Berlin Opernplatz in 1933 (Opernplatz=Plaza/Square of the Opera; in reference to, the State Opera located there, which was renamed "Bebelplatz" after World War Two). Heinrich Heine was a German Jew who later converted to Christianity (Lutheranism). 

 

Public domain photo of a portrait of Heinrich Heine from Wikipedia (original portrait by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim of Germany)

WORD HISTORY: 

Nascent-This word is related to "gene," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by English via German, to "general," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin-based Old French, but with some Latin influence and reinforcement (initially borrowed in its adjectival form, then later, also borrowed from French in its noun form for a high ranking military officer), and to "nation," another Latin-derived word borrowed into English from French, and it is distantly related to "kin" and to "kind" (noun and adjective), from the Germanic roots of English. "Nascent" goes back to the Indo European root "gen(e)," which meant "to produce, to give birth, to conceive, to beget, to have offspring." This gave its Old Italic offspring "gnascor/gnaskor," meaning "to be born,"^ which then produced the altered infinitive form "nasci," "to be born," and its present participle form "nascens," meaning "being born, springing from, being produced;" thus in a figurative sense, "coming into existence," also used adjectivally. Borrowed by English as the adjective "nascent" in the mid 1620s and meaning, "being born, coming into existence, emerging." 

 

^ See "Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages" (Volume 7 of the Leiden Indo-European Etymological Series, by Michiel de Vaan, Brill (Publishing), Leiden (Netherlands), Boston (U.S.), 2008. 

Chilean Hotdogs: Completo Chileno

These large sandwiches are common fast food and street food in Chile, but they aren't truly "fast food" at home, unless you've already got everything in the refrigerator and all you have to do is toast the buns briefly and cook the hotdogs. Chileans often use homemade mayonnaise* for their "completo" (some make their own bread rolls too). These hotdogs are boiled, not grilled or fried. "Salsa Americana" is a condiment sauce or relish of onion, carrot, cucumber and seasonings often used by Chileans, especially for a "completo."** Sauerkraut is not always used, but many Chileans love it on hotdogs, although the avocado is then "supposed to be" omitted, but since both toppings are popular, many people opt for both avocado*** and sauerkraut.

 

I seldom buy mayonnaise or mustard in squeeze bottles, so I use a spoon for each, and for the salsa Americana and mashed avocado.

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 hotdogs 

4 bread rolls

1/3 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/4 cup finely chopped white onion

1 large avocado, mashed with a teaspoon or 2 of lime juice (or lemon juice) and a pinch of salt

salsa Americana (see link below for the recipe)

sauerkraut

mayonnaise (it's my understanding, Chileans don't skimp on adding mayo)

(optional) mustard

(optional) ketchup 

 

In a skillet or a pan, use enough water to completely cover the hotdogs, then bring the water to a boil; adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook the hotdogs until well heated through. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and open the hotdog buns/rolls and place them down to toast them briefly. You can certainly put the various toppings (condiments) onto the hotdogs however you choose, but I prefer to spread the bread rolls with the mashed avocado, then I add some chopped tomato and chopped onion, then some salsa Americana topped with sauerkraut, and then some mustard and ketchup, and finally the mayonnaise. Ah... you'll need some napkins. 

 

* To make your own mayonnaise, here is the link to the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/06/homemade-mayonnaise.html 

 

** For the recipe for "Salsa Americana," here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/06/chilean-salsa-americana-american-sauce.html 

 

*** A Latino acquaintance mixes his mashed avocado with lime juice, so that's what I used here, but you can certainly use lemon juice instead, but it will be a bit more tart. The thing is, if you've never used avocado, it has to have some acidic component, or it will begin to turn dark; so, either lemon, lime or vinegar can be used. When I was at my friend's house, he told me the avocado needed acid, but then he raised hell with me when his flashlight wouldn't work, and he said you don't use flashlight battery acid. That scolding was bad enough, and I won't even tell you how mad he was when his car wouldn't run; so, no, you don't use acid from your car's battery either. Damn, I wish these people would say what they mean. hahaha   

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Complete-This prefixed word means, "fulfilled, lacking nothing, finished," and the main part of the word is distantly related to "fill" and to "full," both words from the Germanic roots of English, and it is related to the main parts of "replenish" and "supply," and to "plenty," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "depletion," another Latin-derived word, but borrowed by English directly from Latin. The "com" prefix goes back to Indo European "kom" which meant, "beside, near, together," and this gave Latin both "con" and "com," with the idea of "together, with," and the "com-" and "con-" forms sometimes were reduced to "co-." The main part of the word goes back to Indo European "pel/pleh," which had the notion of "sufficient, full, enough, complete." This gave Latin "plere," meaning "to fill," and with the prefix, "complere," meaning "to fill up, to fill out, to fulfill." A participle form of the word was "completus," also used as an adjective, and from this, French had the adjective "complet," meaning "full, total." English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "compleet/complet," from some combined borrowing from Latin and French. The adjective spawned the verb "completen" circa 1400, and this then became "(to) complete," meaning "to fulfill, to make whole or full, to totally finish."  

Indian Watermelon Drink: Tarbooz ka Sharbat

"Tarbooz" in Hindi means "watermelon," Hindi "sharbat" means like "sugar sweetened drink, syrupy drink," a word that was apparently borrowed from Persian. 

 

This drink has relatively small amounts of two kinds of salt. Remember, salt is an important element, especially in hot climates such as in much of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The black salt used in this drink is also called "Indian black salt" by some, but "Himalayan black salt" is another term used. It has a sulfurous smell and taste, and don't let the name fool you, as Indian black salt tends to be more of a pink color, especially when it's ground, usually into a fine powder for use in drink or food recipes. Nowadays, it is often available in supermarkets and spice shops, but keep in mind, there are other black salts, and not all have the sulfurous taste; so, make sure you get the Indian black salt with the sulfurous taste (the amount used in the drink will not give the drink an overwhelming taste of sulfur).   

You should try to get seedless watermelon (although they usually have some small, soft white seeds). If the watermelon you buy is sweet, you'll want to watch how much sugar you use to further sweeten the drink, and accordingly, I've given a wide variance in the amount of sugar as an option in the recipe below. 

 

Ingredients (2 servings for tall glasses, 3 or 4 servings for smaller glasses):

 

4 cups watermelon, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

2 teaspoons up to 2 tablespoons white sugar (depending upon sweetness preference)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black salt (kala namak)

watermelon wedges for garnish

ice

2 tall glasses (10 to 12 ounce each)

Add the watermelon pieces, lemon juice, salt and black salt to a blender or food processor, briefly blend/process these ingredients, then use a spoon to give the mixture a taste so that you can determine how much sugar you may need. I suggest adding a couple of teaspoons of sugar to start, blend the ingredients again, then taste it again, and then go from there to either leave the drink as is (usually my preference), or to add more sugar and blend again. Add some ice to the glasses and pour the drink over the ice, stir slightly and enjoy. 

WORD HISTORY:

Spurt-This word is related to "sprout," "spit," "spew" and "spread," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "spray" meaning "droplets of liquid dispersed through the air," both verb and noun, another Germanic-derived word, but borrowed by English from Dutch (seemingly not related to "spray" meaning "a branch or bunch of flowers"). "Spurt" goes back to Indo European "sper/spre," which had the notion "strew, toss about;" thus also, "sow" (long 'o,' for "strew seeds for planting"); however, exactly how the word developed in the Germanic languages is unclear; that is, whether it came from its own Old Germanic form, or whether it developed as a variant form from what are now its relatives, but it certainly seems to have come from the basic meaning of "something projecting outward," like its relatives "sprout" ("a new plant projecting upward or outward"), "spit" ("to project liquid outward from the mouth," with figurative use such as, "the burning log spit sparks all around the campfire"), "spew" ("release liquid of some type with force outward from the mouth," although figurative use, "to release words, usually nastily and derogatorily"), etc. The Old English form was "spryttan," which meant "to spring out, to sprout," and this then became "sprytten," then "sprutten," then "spirt," where the 'r' and vowel changed places, called metathesis, which was used by some, but also "sprit," the logical continuation of the older forms. By this time it had also taken on the additional meaning "to squirt out from," but also still with the meaning "to sprout." Then (mid 1500s) the spelling became "spurt," with much more emphasis on the meaning "to squirt out from," "perhaps" influenced in both meaning and spelling/pronunciation by its German relative of the time "spürzen," meaning "to spew out, to spit." The word later also took on figurative uses as in, "The marathon runner had a final spurt of energy to make it to the finish line." German has "spritzen" (verb: "to squirt, to spurt, to splash, to inject a 'squirt' of vaccine or medication with a needle;" " noun: Spritze: "a squirt, an injection (commonly 'a shot')"). The other Germanic languages have words that are really close relatives of some of the other English words I've listed above as being relatives of "spurt;" for instance, Low German has "sprütten," meaning "to spray," but it's also likely a close relative of "spurt."

Roy Rogers Mocktail

Another "mocktail," but this time named after cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers. When I was a kid in the 1950s, Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, were popular in movies and in a television series that aired on the NBC network in those times.

 

Ingredients (per drink):

 

6 ounces coca-cola (or other cola)

1/2 ounce grenadine

(optional) squeeze of fresh lime juice from a small lime wedge (use the wedge as a garnish)

2 or 3 maraschino cherries for garnish

ice

tall glass (10 ounce glass is good)

 

Real easy ... Add some cola to the glass, then add the grenadine and stir. Now add plenty of ice, then add a squeeze of lime juice from a small lime wedge, then put the squeezed lime wedge into the glass along with 2 or 3 maraschino cherries. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sober-This compound word (actually prefixed word) goes back to Indo European "se/swe," which had the notion "away, separate, apart;" thus also, "lacking, without," and to Indo European "(h)eg" (to drink) which gave Latin the adjective "ebrius," meaning "drunk." (This makes "sober" related to "inebriate," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from that language.) Latin combined the two parts into "sobrius," which meant "not drunk ('without alcoholic drink');" thus also, "self-restrained, not given to immoderate behavior." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "sobre," meaning "not drunk, not given to drinking alcohol, modest, laid back in behavior or personality." English borrowed the word in the 1300s, initially as "sobre," but it wasn't long before that changed to "sober," where it has been for hundreds of years. The idea of not being drunk, then also, not given to immoderate behavior, led to the more direct meaning of "serious, solemn," which is still a secondary meaning to the word's primary meaning of "not drunk." A verb form also was present in the 1300s, initially with the meaning "to bring someone to a condition of calm," which by the earlier 1700s added "to have or develop a state of seriousness toward something," and by circa 1825 "to bring out of a state of drunkenness," which not many years later was paired with "up," as "sober up." (Notes: 1) English once used "undruncen" as its word for "sober," and that is a word that would still work well in modern English, although with the modernized spelling to "undrunken;" 2) Latin "sobrius," see above, had a common spoken form "subrius," that was reduced to "suber," meaning "modest, level-headed, prudent, clean from alcohol," and it was borrowed by the West Germanic languages, giving Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "syfre," meaning "modest, without blemish, spotless, pure." The English word died out, as did its relative in Low German, "subri/sufra (?)," but forms are still kicking in its Dutch relative "zuiver," meaning "pure, clean," and its German relative "sauber," meaning "clean," but also "perfect, without flaw," in some contexts, and in parts of Bavaria and Austria it can also mean "cute.")