The Big N’ Tasteless Burger Is Retired

In 2002, I recognized McDonald’s Big N’ Tasty as the Most Inappropriately-named Sandwich On The Planet.Those close to me know that my one and only sampling of that stack of bread and goo resulted in my 114 month abstention from eating McDonald’s products. It is with great joy I read McDonalds removes the Big N' Tasty from its menu in America on January 1, 2011.

Why the racket about a sandwich? On on cool day in Feb, 2002, I was piloting a busload of youngstersen route to Gatlinburg for a youth rally.We phoned the group from Nashville with whom we were to rendezvous and determined they had stopped for lunch at exit 287 in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Hey, I can save money, too!

Claire is not the only thrifty one around. For example, I just scored a free -- yes, free -- 235 oz Mucho Mango Arizona Iced Tea at CVS. Oh, yeah, I had to buy one to get one free. And I may have let a decimal slip. It was 23.5 oz.

SALSA

Salsa

1 gal. chopped tomatoes

4 chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 bell peppers, chopped

4 - 6 jalapenos, chopped (can be seeded)

1/4 c. salt

1/2 c. vinegar

1 sm can tomato paste (optional) I do this to thicken the salsa.

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Heat and boil for 20 - 30 minutes. Put into heated jars and seal.

Fun with Northwest Airlines - Chapter 2

A couple of years ago, I posted some thoughts on the demise of the last recognizable remnant of our Southern Airways -- Northwest Airlines - and included a travel tale. Of all my redtail experiences, the one that follows is the cream of the crop.

If you've read that previous post, you're aware that in the summer of 2000, my consulting job required that I commute to Saginaw, Michigan, from Nashville on a weekly basis.

I have never understood why outbound trips are never as complex as those when one is returning home, but it appears to be an unwritten natural law. Regardless, on this Friday evening, I found myself waiting out yet another summer weather delay in Detroit. The word was, our airplane was due in from Lansing, Michigan, but had not yet arrived. An hour passed, then another, and eventually we boarded flight 1742 (I think) to Nashville.

A couple of bags of peanuts later, I and my fellow passengers sprinted up the bridge in Nashville to retrieve our luggage and, uh-oh -- not a single bag matched up to the travelers on that flight. Hmm. Oh, well, I was on my return trip home and it was not such a big deal. The “lost luggage” office was just a few steps away and I joined a line midway amongst 50 or so of us.