The Whole Book Experience

Once upon a time beer was my life. For a while it was the forbidden fruit that helped an awkward under-aged teen feel less awkward and even talk to girls. It also made me occasionally miss the driveway when (irresponsibly) driving home. As I became more and more of a “foodie”, it joined other “foods” I loved in that my interests shifted more to the qualities of the ingredients and the diversity of styles over the quantity of bland ice-cold American pilsner wannabes I could drink. I became a home brewer of beer in the 3.2% beer wastelands of Salt Lake City where I went to University in the ‘80s. I eagerly sought out the craft brewers that began to spring up shortly thereafter in beer meccas like Seattle. I studied brewing techniques and subscribed to Zymurgy magazine where I regularly read columns by the likes of Michael Jackson and other beer lovers. It turned out that beer, as simple as it is, has a lot more to it than that tingly feeling and ability to help me chat up the ladies. Beer, like so many foods, is also quite interesting to read about. Continue reading →

Civil Disobedience. Just the title of Thoreau’s essay makes me grin and almost rub my hands together in mischievous delight. I’ve always believed that everyone practices some form of civil disobedience in their lives. For some, it’s the daily wink-wink type of disobedience like disregarding the speed limit, having a couple cocktails before driving home, or running a stop sign. All of these and many others are condoned in some fashion by non-enforcement of existing laws or by economic interests at odds with common sense. And, for the most part, we seem to be ok with these forms of disobedience until someone gets hurt. Indeed, this form of disobedience is not really done as an agitation for change but more for personal convenience. For others, civil disobedience is a weapon for change, a refusal to conform, a protest against war, or an action relating to some other moral issue deeply felt by an individual or individuals. Continue reading →