by Phil Houseal | Sep 29, 2021 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
Sept 29, 2021–In the panoply of sentient life on earth, it wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t have candy bars. Or ice cream. Or sodas or pop-tarts. Breakfast cereals. Hamburgers. French fries. Coffee didn’t come to Europe until the 1500s. That means even...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 3, 2021 | All Articles, Food, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
9/8/2021–As I grow in wisdom, one thing I understand better is my Grandpa’s fascination with Archway Cookies. Archway Homestyle Cookies were a Midwest grocery store staple in the 1980s. These cookies stood out from the sleeves of hard, cookie-cutter type cookies then...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 1, 2021 | All Articles, Events, Food, Philosophy, Venue
Sept 1, 2021–One powerful and unexpected aspect of the world’s return to events, fairs, and festivals is the resurrection of the sense of smell. Corn dogs, cotton candy, grilled hunks of sausage on a stick, baked breads, and the most evocative olfactory profile of all...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 25, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
Aug 25, 2021–There is one lesson that battling a medical challenge teaches you. Sometimes the better part of valor is to do nothing. Forced inactivity is a foreign sensation for those of us who think productivity is life. If we aren’t canning tomatoes, balancing the...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 18, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
Aug 18, 2021–When Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes explained why his teams didn’t pass more, he said this: “Three things can happen on a pass play, and two of them are bad.” That is me in social situations. I have a tendency to say “the wrong thing.” At least,...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 11, 2021 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Aug 11, 2021–Are you a grammar grinch? I belong to the social media group A Way With Words. They air a fascinating podcast that explores language and writing. I always learn something. Even when I don’t want to. That’s because the group is a nest of grammar grinches....
