Thoughts From the Dirty City

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain

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Subhead – my attempt at a book review – I have never been any good at these.

**unrelated side note**
I like to read, and would like to read more often than I currently do. Problem is I tend to forget books immediately after finishing them (unless I was madly in love with said book – that almost never happens). So, I’m going to start occasionally reviewing the books I read and liked. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep it quick and to the point.

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I picked up this book because it has been floating around my dad’s book stacks for forever. Well, mainly for that reason. But also because I saw the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” and was reminded that I am a total girl when I cried like a baby. If you hated that movie you are a heartless monster. Right, anyway, about this book….

Title: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (also published under the title Coming Attractions)

Author: Fanny Flagg

I’m not entirely sure where the Miracle Man comes into play in this story as there are many men, but very few miracles. Well, one, but the man involved in that sub plot had little to do with the overall story, and surely wasn’t deserving of a title role. In any case, when I say there were a lot of men, there are, but not in that sense (buncha pervs, the lot of you). While the narrator is a girl, the book is awesomely romantically drama free. There are almost no moments of heartbreak over cheating men, or bad choices in love. Okay, there is one. But it’s a coming of age book in many ways, and that is kind of a right of passage.

I take that back. The mother/father relationship is a constant thorn in my side in this book. It’s there, and romantically tragic and constant. But it seems more a motivator for moving the story along than attempting to tug at the heartstrings.  I think a lot of that comes from the fact that the narrator is so naive to what is happening. So yeah…romantic drama…there but not really a driving force in the book.

Right, that is what it wasn’t. See, told ya. I have no idea how to review a book.

The story of Daisy Fay is told through her diary beginning just after her 11^th birthday and ending just after graduation. It’s the story of surviving in a broken home, surrounded by a lot of drama, very little of it the main characters.

It’s the story of imperfect people, living an imperfect life in a not so perfect world with not so perfect circumstances. But despite all that, the stories namesake is genuinely upbeat and optimistic.

What is memorable about this book:
There are real tragedies in this story, but overall the book is generally uplifting. Not so much surviving and finding a way to carry on as much as it is about just moving forward. Always seeing the humor in the situation and always willing to move on to what is just out of sight. There is very little dwelling on the negative in this book.

Another side note (I like sides)
I’ve read one other of Flagg’s books (don’t remember which one – argh) and remembered one thing that seems to be a common thread in much of her writing. The deep south during the 50’s (about) crop up a lot in her writing. So much so that it almost becomes a separate character. Personally, I find it a bit tedious and unnecessary. But maybe that is because I’m a yank and just don’t understand. Either way – it’s fully present in this tale as well.

I don’t like rating books, or awarding stars. Overall, I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t the greatest book in the world, but I wouldn’t warn people against it or anything.

On a somewhat completely unrelated note: every time I bring up the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, or Fannie Flagg for that matter, I am stricken with the notion that I need to watch the movie Beaches again. I have no idea why this happens….I blame my mother.

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Being born and raised in Akron, Ohio, the birth place of the cheeseburger (or so some say) I feel it is my obligation to breakdown what I know of the local burger fare. Not that I have tried every burger in town. Not even close. But I think I’ve hit most of the major ones. There is one or two that are still on my list…but for now, this is where I stand on burgers.

For me there are two basic types of burgers out there: the fast food variety, and the genuine “hey this is meat!” variety. Not that I think the more meaty is necessarily better. It’s just different. Both can be great or tragic depending. I’m not going to get into the specifics of what makes a burger great, go visit one of the magillion hipster foodie blogs out there if that is your bag. I will say there are a few key factors: bun, meat and cheese. That is all. Everything else is gratis. And gratis is great, especially in the form of saltyness.

Now then, I’ll start with the fancy foodie variety burgers. There are a BUNCH of these out there now. It seems like every restaurant in the universe has discovered if you put a fried egg on a burger you can charge ten bucks for it a la cart. With this in mind, I’m only going to talk about two such establishments here.

The first is the very popular and highly hipster friendly B-Spot.
Décor -  Nice and shiny. The only weirdness came from the fact that it was directly tied into the mall. It gave the one wall a very “food court friendly” vibe that wasn’t rockin in any other part of the establishment.

Food – I’m going to give it a full on “meh.” With a bonus thumbs up for a pickle bar. Man, I do love me some pickles.

Granted, I only ate there once. But in my defense I ordered a burger with salami on it and the salami was cold. WTF is that?! You don’t put cold meat on a burger, it’s just mean.

I also had the chips. They were good but the dip was way too salty. I love salt. I’ve been known to eat just salt as a side dish. And this was a tad salty, even for me. So be warned.

Drink – I skipped the adult beverages, but they do serve up milkshakes loaded with booze. How do you not love that?! (Personally – I like a few drinks and no desert, but that’s me) The beer menu was impressive, but they served the Beast in a can and charged more than a dollar for it. Fucking hipsters.

Second up is Pub Bricco.
This is an Akron (Cuyahoga Valley area) joint and sort of sister spot to the downtown Bricco. Personally, I liked it better than its more polished downtown counterpoint. But again, that’s me. I’m a jeans and t-shirt, beer in a can kind of bitch.

Décor – I ate outside so this isn’t a concrete opinion. I really only saw the joint as we walked through. The inside seemed nice, with a very modern, but laid back feel.
The patio was nice, with a view of the Valley and some street. I could tell it was set up to be super decked out at night. There were all kinds of funky lights strung up all over the place.
So yeah, the decor….it was okay. Nothing massively memorable aside from being nice.

Food – Yum city here folks. The menu is set up a bit different. You pick your protein (beef, chicken or salmon.) Then you pick the way it is served up.
I got a burger with a fried egg on a bagel. I thought the fried egg on a bagel would be a big mess and impossible to eat, but it was AMAZING. The egg smashed just right soaking into the bagel and not pouring all down my arm. And the chewy, salty meaty combo was delicious.

Drink – the martini gods of yesteryear are still doling out their blessings. Pomegranate Cosmopolitan. It was a bit on the sweet side, but seriously tasty. I know cause I had a few, just to be certain. (I know martini’s stopped being trendy forever ago. I don’t care. They are good and they take the edge off a long day of bitching. Sometimes baby needs a real drink.)

I know there are a million other ways and places to have a trendy burger – those are just the two I have taken notice of. If there are others that are better, please do tell!

But leaving it at that would be doing the burger world a serious injustice. Because as good as the trendy towers of beef may be, they don’t really resonate what most people are talking about when they say they want a burger. Most people are talking about the extra cheesy, extra salty, semi squished variety that is generally ordered from the inside of your car.

Mmmmmm. Take out.

Don’t even attempt to get on your holy horse and say “ew gross I would never.” Cause you do, and you like it.  Maybe not McD’s or Burger King, and that’s understandable. But there is at least one fast food joint out there that has your number. For me, it’s Swensons. All. The. Way.

Aside from the wide variety of tasty fried side orders (mushrooms, zucchini, and onion rings…oh my) they also have a mix and match milk shake menu! But even without all that, Swenson’s will always own the Burger world of my heart for one reason, the galley boy. Loaded with bbq and tarter sauce and god only knows what, the galley boy is the messiest and the most delicious double patty on the planet.

There is one other, larger, and much less interesting category of burger joint: every diner and eatery on the planet. There are too many to think about, let alone list. But I do feel a need to mention one. The Winder Pub is an Akron icon.

I have been going there for years. It isn’t the kind of place you brag about. It’s basically a beat up old dive bar. But the burgers are seriously good eats, and the prices are just insane. (Two people can eat and drink till they can barely move and spend less than $40.) However, any time I happen to mention the spot, everyone in Akron knows what I’m talking about. When you go, I recommend the Rocket Burger. It’s loaded with salami (heated up and made crispy – thank you) and banana pepper and all kinds of yummy spicy goodness. And while your there, you might as well have a couple pints of Labatt and some wings. Cause that is how you roll at the Windsor Pub.

So, what am I leaving out? What burger out there in the NEO area MUST I try?

PS

I’ve heard Dilly’s blows Swenson’s outta the water, but I’ve yet to try it so I can’t really say. Though I admit I am very doubtful.

Also – Menches. I know. It’s on the list.

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September 30, 2009 12:00 am

to

September 8, 2010 12:00 am

Very much looking forward to the McQueen show!!

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