Showing posts with label mike moroski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mike moroski. Show all posts

THE SNACKIST: THE DURANT



CincyWhimsy is starting a new weekend segment: The Snackist.
Inspired by my friend who has a knack for whipping up simple, delicious snacks using random ingredients available in any household: Mike Moroski will be penning the articles as a guest contributor, and on occassion, I may share a favorite recipe too. Another bonus: following the recipe, Moroski will be chronicling his thoughts in a chapter series entitled: Foodie & Loathing, a nod to Hunter S. Thompson's book about experiencing the American Dream. Or in this case, the American Dream of snacking.

If you try our recipes, be sure to share your photo on the CincyWhimsy Facebook page and tag #TheSnackist on Twitter and Instagram. 
 
Do you have ideas for The Snackist? Leave a comment below!
 
 

The Durant

Named in honor of a former student at Purcell Marian High School, The Durant was created by a young lady who used to only eat the aforementioned snack for lunch (sometimes she just ate Frank’s Red Hot – even when she had other food.  She loved Frank’s).  It was only a matter of time before I, too, began eating my Doritos in a similar fashion.  I have perfected The Durant and am proud to share it with you – and to spread my student’s legacy to Snackists around the world.


 
Ingredients:
  • About an inch of crumblies left in the bottom of a bag of Doritos (for best results, the bag should be of the “Family Size” variety)
  • Frank’s Red Hot. It has to be Frank’s. Not that knock off junk, Tobasco, and definitely not sriracha

Tools:
  • 1 pair of scissors
  • 2 working hands with opposable thumbs (this becomes important later)
  • 1 spoon

Directions:
  1. Cut off all of the excess packaging from your Doritos bag. Leave about 3 inches on the bag per 1 inch portion of crumblies.
  2. With truncated Doritos bag in one hand, pick up bottle of Frank’s Red Hot in other hand. Pour a liberal (not politically) amount of Frank’s into the truncated bag of Doritos. Thoroughly cover the crumblies until you can no longer see them. Return Frank's Red Hot to the 'fridge.
  3. Pinch the bag closed, curl your palms below the bag, and begin to massage the Frank’s into the crumblies so the sauce is thoroughly mixed with the chips.
  4. Open bag to make sure the Frank’s Red Hot has been equally distributed. Pick up your spoon in your dominant hand.  Use the spoon to eat your Durant.  Eat until finished.

WARNING: This recipe will tempt you to throw out 75% of your Doritos when you buy a new bag simply so you can create The Durant.  Do NOT waste your Doritos. There are starving children in Africa, yes, but also in Cincinnati (50% of our kids are poor).





Foodie & Loathing, Ch. 1:

I am not a “Foodie.” I have never been a “Foodie,” nor do I plan on ever becoming one. In my honest opinion, I feel that a Frisch’s Big Boy combo meal, salad bar, and sweet tea is the best meal in America. Therefore, I have asked others to refer to me as a “Snackist,” a term with which I am far more comfortable than “foodie.”

Foodie & Loathing is an homage, perhaps, to my favorite journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, or maybe my reaction to the Dark Side of the Foodie Movement – those Foodies who define self-worth by being able to afford to eat out all the time and write about it.  I’m not sure; it’s one of the two.  

Unlike most Foodie blogs, my Snackist column will be written in the vein of the serial novel, a la Charles Dickens.  (Fun fact – Pip was a Snackist.  It is but one of the reasons that Estella teased him.)

Until next time, snack well, snack often, and snack creatively.

CINCINNATI STREETCAR VEHICLE REVEAL

The City of Cincinnati hosted a public reveal of the vehicle design renderings and color scheme of the much-anticipated streetcar. Mayor Mallory welcomed the crowd of over 100 supporters who packed into the Christian Moerlein Brewery. The color scheme was selected by a group of 20 community members who provided a recommendation based on aesthetics, fade resistance, and being easy to maintain. Mayor Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney then made the final decision.

Yes, Mayor Mallory's tie matches the light orange streetcar.

With standing room only, over 100 supporters packed into Christian Moerlein Brewery for the announcement.



While preliminary images may have hinted at the streetcar being red or light green, the official colors are white and light orange with accents of dark gray and black. A shade of orange was selected to pay tribute to the 1951 Cincinnati Street Railway streetcar, which was colored dark orange and cream. Inside, the sleek light grey walls are accented with stainless steel railings and hand straps. An inviting azure covers the seats, noted in the rail color palette booklet as Capri Blue. Side panel walls accent the interior with a matching light orange color.




In addition to learning about the colors, technical details about the vehicle design were shared. Cincinnati will have five streetcars, each with a 154 person capacity and 32 seats. Six seats fold up to make room for strollers, wheelchairs, and bicycles. The Cincinnati Streetcar is the first streetcar in the United States to be designed with curb level boarding at every stop, making it the most accessible in the nation. Curb level boarding means easy access for people with wheelchairs, visual impairments, walkers, or other mobility issues. Unlike a bus, they can enter the streetcar independently without the driver having to stop to assist them. Curb level boarding is also helpful for people with strollers, young children, or luggage.


Rendering of the streetcar on Main Street


Representatives from CAF USA, who will be manufacturing the vehicles, spoke at the event expressing great pride and excitement about building Cincinnati's streetcar as their flagship project. In gratitude, they gave away backpacks and pens to the crowd. The final assembly will take place in Elmira, New York in Summer 2014, with the first vehicle arriving in March 2015.



Representatives from CAF USA









In lieu of the upcoming Mayoral and City Council election, all pro-streetcar candidates were also in attendance for the announcement: Roxanne Qualls (Mayoral) as well as Mike Moroski, Yvette Simpson, Wendell Young, Laure Quinlivan, Michelle Dillingham, Chris Seelbach and Shawn Butler (City Council).


Mayoral candidate Roxanne Qualls receives a roar of applause at the event


City Council Candidate Mike Moroski talks with David Dawson, Co-Chair of Cincinnatians for Progress



Councilmember Laure Quinlivan talks with representatives from CAF USA





URBAN CAMPOUT

The evening before the first day of early voting for the November 5th Election, Cincinnati City Council Candidates grabbed their blankets and spent the night camping out in front of the Board of Elections, Downtown at 9th and Broadway. The event was coordinated by first-time candidate Mike Moroski, with his team providing snacks, a tent, and even a reclining lawn chair.



In addition to a smorgasboard of snacks, campers enjoyed pizza from Cafe Italia and coffee from the 24-hour Starbucks, both inside the nearby casino. On Broadway, a drinkery across the street, provided restroom access through the middle of the night. Of course, there were many other alternative camping traditions, such as roasting s'mores by candlelight and closing with a bedtime story about the legendary 1855 Mayoral Election in Cincinnati.






Citizens and other candidates stopped by throughout the night, which started at 10:00PM. Most of the activity, of course, was early on with most staying for a few hours and departing around midnight. Many settled in to stay longer, heading home around 3:00AM to rest before work. Come sunrise, Moroski and six of his friends remained, lining up first to cast their ballots.