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Apparently, Carl Paladino was in town

By Howard B. Owens

The New York Times has a picture of Carl Paladino in Batavia, at the old courthouse yesterday. Nobody notified us of his appearance.

bud prevost

He came to Batavia specifically to see the "garbage bag" lady from Cuomo's visit. I guess since Carl isn't a real politician, he didn't have his people arrange a photo op. Good for him. He still doesn't have my vote, but he gained some respect.

Nov 2, 2010, 7:05am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

It would have made a good picture.

Also, I'm sure there were Republicans grousing about the fact I wasn't there -- "he covered Cuomo, but not Paladino."

So I wanted to make sure everybody knew, the reason I wasn't there is because nobody told me.

Nov 2, 2010, 7:35am Permalink
bud prevost

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't believe the Genesee County GOP endorsed Paladino. They probably figured if the local party didn't endorse him, no one in genesee County will vote for him. And you know what sucks? There are going to be more than a few people that WON'T vote for him because the party says so. It amazes me how stupid people can be. And that's bi-partisan stupid. It happens in both big parties.

Nov 2, 2010, 7:44am Permalink
Dennis Jay

That being the case, Howard, it is even more sad that some people WILL vote for him just because the party endorsed him.

When it comes to voting, people have lost critical thinking skills, have become lazy and vote based on endorsements and tv ads. Pretty scary.

Nov 2, 2010, 8:04am Permalink
Chris Charvella

A couple other things I'm noticing about the pictures of this visit.

Where are all the women for Paladino? Looks like sexism and comments about powerful women being someone's 'little girl' don't get you very far with the female voters out here.

That's Legislator Jay Grasso and one of LeRoy's illustrious garbage-bag wearing election inspectors talking with Carl in the Times photo. Grasso didn't have a Paladino sign in his yard, but he didn't miss an opportunity to glad hand New York's craziest candidate ever. Based on Grasso's rather odd behavior in the past, even on this website, I can't help but think that he and Kinky Carl are peas in a pod.

Nov 2, 2010, 11:01am Permalink
Tara Pariso

I did wonder, Howard, but not because of which side we were standing on. And for those who think nobody and especially no women will vote Paladino...you are very wrong. I was there yesterday and proud to be. The lack of announcement was disappointing, I know many who would have joined me if they'd known he was there.

Nov 2, 2010, 12:23pm Permalink
Mike Swiatowy

Apparently someone told the Batavia Daily about Carl being in town Howard??? Because they covered it!!!! I see this "News" site is a little lopsided because of personal views.

Nov 2, 2010, 12:24pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

I never knew that this part of NY State was known as the "Sauerkraut Capital of the World". Onions maybe. Anybody else ever hear that one before???

Nov 2, 2010, 12:43pm Permalink
Billie Owens

Yes, Dave, cabbage is a big crop here, although I don't know about New York state being the sauerkraut capital of the world. But in Ontario County, in the Town of Shortsville, it was their claim to fame.

Every year, they held the much-anticipated Sauerkraut Festival and the ladies at the bakery in the Surfine Food Mart would make a gargantuan chocolate sauerkraut cake for the festivities. (This sounds odd, even gross, but it's really an old-time recipe that tastes nothing like fermented cabbage. The kraut -- chopped fine, rinsed well, patted dry -- just adds moistness and texture.)

They had a Kraut Queen, or Cabbage Queen, can't remember which, and the whole shebang.

But eventually, the residents got sick of the rank stench of cabbage crops backing up to their backdoors, some of which invariably was left to rot in the fields.

This created a black fly infestation every year, which they battled with mixed results. The bulk of the crop was hauled away to another place in upstate NY to actually be processed and fermented into sauerkraut.

I believe they ended the Sauerkraut Festival when the cabbage farmer there got fed up with hollering about his product and sold his land. That was around 2007-08.

I think Minnesota is another big cabbage producer.

I order Frank's Kraut Juice from Ohio, which is the only seller of 100 percent kraut juice that I can find. Tasty stuff when nice and cold.

By the way, the undisputed Garlic Capital of the World is in Gilroy, Calif. A little place in the San Joaquin (wah-keen) Valley. It's a big deal. Probably no one whines about the crop because the stinky delight is not grown near neighborhoods. They have recipe contests and offer all manner of garlicky foods, including ice cream. I haven't been to it, but it's famous.

Nov 2, 2010, 1:02pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

Kraut Juice...sounds to me like something they'd have used as an eating challenge on Fear Factor, but everyone has their own tastes and I'm not very brave when it comes to food.

Nov 2, 2010, 1:12pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

I know cabbage is a big crop around here Billie, they may have even made sauerkraut in Oakfield back in the Curtis Burns days, I don't remember. I just never heard this area referred to as The Sauerkraut Capital of the World, as the comment on the NYT stated. Never had Kraut juice. I love sauerkraut with bratwurst or kielbasa, one of my favorites.

Nov 2, 2010, 1:16pm Permalink
Billie Owens

Yes, kraut juice is undoubtedly an acquired taste. I am adventuous regarding food, but not in a Fear Factor kind of way. Can't stand to even watch that show.

Both times I ate something everybody warned me about, they were right, it was awful. Some people learn the hard way. One was haggis, eaten at an authentic country inn in Scotland, which didn't make it taste any better, if that's even possible. The other was at an authentic Mexican food place in Old Town, San Diego, where I had menudo. It's a soup made from beef tripe that's smells like rotten cow hooves.

I do like some Southern things I ate growing up, like pickled pigs feet, turnips and greens seasoned with fatback, and white, sugarless corn bread and buttermilk. Chitlins are something I've never tried, nor would I care to.

Nov 2, 2010, 1:33pm Permalink
George Richardson

Dave, I know for a fact that Curtis Burns made Sauerkraut in 1974 because I drove the forklift that put rolling dumpster loads of cabbage on the deal that dumped it into the cookers. Normally I worked warehousing canned vegetables but one night someone called in sick in the Kraut Barn. Outside it was thirty degrees and crisp, inside it was 110 degrees and steamy plus the smell was very intense. I loved it though, I wish it had been for more than one night. A lot of people worked those cookers and everyone stayed busy all of the time.
Billie, you have to try Menudo again. The first time I had it I nearly gagged and stayed with the broth and hominy. Now I eat it like popcorn with extra butter and salt. About once a month. It cures hangovers because it induces sleep.

Nov 2, 2010, 2:05pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

OMG I havent heard anyone refer to white sugarless cornbread in forever. My grandmother used to make that and I loved it. MMmmmmmm Thanks for dragging up that memory Billie....now off to the internet to find a recipie and see if I can start making it again. I'll let you know if I am successful Billie ;)

Nov 2, 2010, 2:03pm Permalink
George Richardson

"It's a soup made from beef tripe that's smells like rotten cow hooves." That may be true in Old Town, San Diego but on the East side of Austin, Menudo smells like heaven and leaves you with a noticable narcotic stupor due to the thickening of your blood. Dario's on East 6th is the best Menudo in the world, to me. But, there are lots of other good ones in every part of town. The weird stuff in Menudo is cut up, well cleaned cooked intestines and interior surface textures vary considerably. I love the way it looks, but I am addicted to the way it tastes. Try it again and again until you like it, like filterless cigarettes and black coffee with raw oysters.

Nov 2, 2010, 2:22pm Permalink
Mike Swiatowy

How does it not make sense Howard? I stated that the Batavia Daily Newspaper did a story on Paladino being in town, so obviously people knew he was going to be here!!! You just chose not to do a story on it because you didnt think it was "news".
A grass fire on the Corner of Akron Rd. and Marble Rd. in Indian Falls got a bigger article than a Succesfull business man from WNY running for Governor of NY State!!!! Tell me that makes sense Howard!!!!

Nov 2, 2010, 2:58pm Permalink
kevin kretschmer

Chris - women make up about 1/3 of the group in the NY Times photo close to 1/2 in the Daily News pic. How many need to be present before they count in your equation?

Billie - the Phelps Sauerkraut Festival still goes on every year, and continues to grow. We went on 08/05 and had another great time.

Nov 2, 2010, 3:59pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Mike, your logic doesn't follow. Just because "people knew" or just because somebody at the Daily found out, doesn't mean I knew.

Explain to me how I can know something that nobody tells me about?

Do you honestly believe that if I knew Carl Paladino was in town I'd ignore it? Really? And then post about it anyway? Don't you realize how crazy that sounds?

Nov 2, 2010, 4:03pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

Anyone who doesn't recognize the significance of the region's cabbage crop has spent too much time on city streets. ...Nevermind that Genesee County's premiere rock band is "Savage Cabbage"! Ya'll should stop over at the Stumble Inn and seek council with some cabbage-heads...

Nov 2, 2010, 4:17pm Permalink
Gabor Deutsch

Too bad I missed him. Since he is not a politician I would have loved to take him to South Beach for a few $2.00 Coronas and talk about some real issues !

Nov 2, 2010, 4:17pm Permalink
Billie Owens

George, maybe someday I'll give menudo another try, if I can get beyond the smell. Plain hominy, with butter, salt and pepper, was often on our table growing up, as a dinner side dish, like grits in the morning. We loved it when we had fried liver mush with the grits, eggs, and sour (clabbered) milk biscuits. I think fried liver mush is like scrapple, but I've never had scrapple. Down South, liver mush comes in firm square loaves, which you slice and fry, with grease of course. The Southerners love to fry stuff.

Nov 2, 2010, 7:41pm Permalink
Marjorie Behl

Apparently religious beliefs are not his strong suit. He says his views on abortion and gay people are the result of his religious beliefs....I wonder if his religion says anything about, adultery...having a child out of wedlock while your still married? Don't think I will be attending his church.

Nov 2, 2010, 8:05pm Permalink
Billie Owens

George, I adore oysters, raw, fried or in oyster stew. I used to drink black coffee, for probably 20 years, then switched to coffee with sugar and cream.

Kyle, the only real way to make true Southern cornbread is to pour the batter into a cast iron skillet that has been pre-heated in the oven. Pour the batter into the smokin' hot skillet and bake it. The result is a nicely browned crust on the sides and bottom. Pieces are sliced like wedges of pie and slit in the middle to put butter inside.

One of my favorite dinners consisted of: greens and turnips, served in a soup bowl so you could put some vinegar on it -- a must! (Or try rice vinegar with hot red pepper seeds), pinto beans seasoned with fatback, sliced ripe tomatoes with salt and pepper, whole stalks of green onions, cornbread and buttermilk. It was permissible to crumble some of your cornbread into the buttermilk and eat it with a long spoon.

This is country-style eating.

Banana pudding with nilla wafers maybe for dessert. Or sit out on the porch and make hand-cranked peach ice cream or have watermelon, which was cut longways in gigantic quarters and you just plunged in.

Nov 2, 2010, 8:06pm Permalink
Marjorie Behl

I love the Batavian. How can we get from Paladino in town to sauerkraut and recipes all in one little conversation.....I love it. But anyway you put it...i don't like sauerkraut or Paladino but love the cornbread.

Nov 2, 2010, 8:11pm Permalink
Angela Penkszyk

Almost seems relevant to the discussion, not the topic it started with though: I went to Central Tractor last night and a manager handed the cashier a flyer to start asking for donations for 4-H. The cashier then said, "What's 4-H?" and my husband replied, "You're not from around here, are you?" "No, I'm not" he said.

Nov 3, 2010, 4:35pm Permalink

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