New Name

Please click the link to go to Mental Gumbo, the new name for my blog. 

http://mentalgumbo.wordpress.com

Alice In Chains VS Pearl Jam

Alice In Chains has released a new album this week.  The first new studio album since the Death of Layne Staley.  I had the pleasure of seeing the band with the new singer, William Duval, a few years ago at Bayfest.  I was blown away.  I was really skeptical about the band with a new frontman, but Duval fit the bill.  Not only does he sing the old Staley parts well, but he has good stage presence.  Let’s also not forget that Jerry Cantrell was a large part of the guitar and vocals of AIC, and he hasn’t gone anywhere. 

 

HEY.  Guess what?  Pearl Jam is also releasing a new album.  Now this situation is entirely different from Alice In Chains, because Pearl Jam has continued to put out albums over the past decade.  However, most of them weren’t worth buying.  I didn’t think so, anyway.  Having heard a clip from one song on the new one, I think this one might be ‘sponge-worthy’.  Brendan O’Brien produced it, and he has done some fine albums, including VS and Vitology from Pearl Jam, and The Battle of Los Angeles from Rage Against the Machine.  The clip I heard sounded like the harder, VS-era Pearl Jam.  Of course, the rest of the album could be crap.  I think I’m going to take a chance on this one, though. 

These will be the first two albums I’ve purchased in a long time.  I used to have a two album a week habit.  Buying new albums from these two acts really takes me back.  I feel like I’m supposed to be scoring a bag of weed and taking a road trip with some friends when I get these.  I guess I can still take the road trip.  I’ll post some reviews soon.

Into the Wild

I watched this movie today, and it ripped me apart inside.  I’d like to watch it again, but I’m afraid of the consequences.  I can see where going off the grid would provide ultimate freedom.  I can also see how the beauty of the land can provide the soul with badly needed nourishment.  God knows mine could use some food.  I researched the real Chris Mccandless, pictured above.  While the true story is a little different from the movie, it is no less dramatic.  I’ve often thought it would be great to work with my hands on a farm and not have responsibilities that today’s society tells us are important.  One thing about that, though.  Loneliness can be worse than the rat race.  The combination of both is almost unbearable.  Chris found this to be true at the end.  I wish he had made it.

 ”Happiness only real when shared.”   – Chris Mccandless

End of NIN

So Nine Inch Nails has played the last show of the last ever tour.  I just read this on the official site, www.nin.com.  The final tour consisted of a bunch of shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and one in Toronto.  Really?  What happened to New Orleans, Trent?  I know you sold your house here, but did something happen that made you hate the city or its people?  I hope not.  Trent Reznor lived in NoLa and had a recording studio in the city for years.  Nothing Records produced some fine albums, if you ask me. The first Marilyn Manson album is a masterpiece of production and atmosphere.  I used to see Trent and the Manson boys in the Blue Crystal, a goth bar on Decatur Street.  Every NIN show I saw in the city was sold out, or it seemed like it.  I can only hope that there is one more surprise show left in the Big Easy.  I hope you’re listening, Mr. Reznor.  I look forward to hearing what you do in the future.

Taco Love

Anyone that really knows me knows I have an affinity for tacos.  I like all kinds of tacos:  crunchy, soft, ground beef, shredded beef, steak, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, bean, and probably a few things I haven’t tried.  I like corn tortillas, both the crunchy Taco Bell americanized style and the authentic mexican style.  They each have their place in the taco world.  I don’t like flour tortillas for tacos as much, but depending on the filler, they also have their place. 

I took a trip recently, and stopped for lunch in a small town in Alabama, near the beach.  The sign only had two words, “Mexican Tacos.”  That was enough for me to investigate, and it was lunch time after all.  The taco shop was in a strip mall containing five or six businesses.  I walked in and looked around.  The place was small, more like a sandwich shop than restaurant, which is what I was hoping. 

Finding a stack of menus on the counter, I opened one and noticed it was all in Spanish.  This was a good clue I’d get authentic tacos for lunch.  On the menu were asada (beef), lengua (beef tongue), pollo (chicken), tripa (tripe), pescado (fish).  Luckily, I knew enough of the language to know what all of these were and what I wanted to order.

A girl came from the back to the counter and I spoke to her, asking about the tacos.  It was apparent after a few seconds that she did not speak much English.  There were three or four people working in there, and none spoke much English.  With her limited English and my limited Spanish, I managed to order two beef tacos and one fish taco.

I don’t know how it happened, but at some point after ordering, the girl asked me (by pointing at things) if I wanted salsa and other condiments.  She didn’t know what I said yes to, so she invited me back to fix my tacos the way I wanted them.  I was hesitant, but then a man carrying a big slab of beef ribs in a vacuum-sealed bag affirmed that I should go back there by pointing and shaking his head.

So I made my way to the kitchen and proceeded to make my tacos even more delicious with salsa roja, salsa verde, cilantro, lime wedges, pico, chopped onions, some sort of fiery jalapeno puree, and sliced radishes.  I took my order to go and stopped to eat at a picnic table by the Gulf of Mexico. 

I’m sure I don’t have to say that the tacos were great.  I think the tortillas and salsa were homemade.  The beef and fish were both hot and full of flavor.  I left this place with some good food and a story to tell.  I have to wonder, do many people go there that do not speak Spanish?  Do they just let everybody go in the kitchen if they don’t know what they want on the taco?  I’d like to think this was just a strange moment where imperfect scenarios come together and create a perfect moment.

Start Shopping

What is the mental grocery store?  Good question.  The phrase just popped in my head as I was trying to think of a title for this blog.  I like the way it sounds, and the images it conjures in my head.  It may change later, but for now I’m sticking with it. 

I think this blog will be pretty varied in subject matter.  There are certain topics where I have opinions, but I’d like to find out what other people think.  I can discuss this with friends, but I need strangers’ inputs as well.  There are reasons we are friends with certain people, including common opinions on certain issues.  So I need to see what individuals outside of my circle think.  Some topics will be heavy, some topics will be light.  Let’s remember to be civil.  It seems people can’t have conversations about serious topics anymore without angry.  Let’s just have good debates and maybe we can come close to an understanding of each side.

Also, the food theme of ‘mental grocery store’ is somewhat important.  I love food (a little too much according to my scale), and I want to share my favorites with you, and have you do the same with me.

That’s all for now.  Let me know what you think.