Ask the Profussor – Deep Winter (pt. 1)

When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.

– Phil Connors, Groundhog Day (1993)

The situation isn’t as dire as I had feared in the fall. The creeping dread of the impending winter never materialized into anything nearly as dark and sinister as I suspected. And we have clearly turned a corner since now it is no longer pitch black at five o’clock in the afternoon.

Still, the fatigue of the season is starting to wear on me. A trip to Florida would be nice right around now, but everyone goes to Florida in February and I hate crowds. Instead, I’ll head south to see one of my oldest Florida friends in D.C. You know him as ADS. This will be book-ended with a couple of pit stops in Philadelphia to hopefully spread some cousinly love.

In the meantime, there is the business of the everyday to contend with. Over the course of the past three weeks, there have been some great questions. And dammit, today is the day you are going to get some answers. Because that’s what I do, provided you use a question mark when asking them.

Thank you yet again for your continued participation, and for even just coming here to see what I’ve written. I hope you are excited about the pop quiz that’s coming. But for now, and without any further ado, it’s time for your questions.

James is looking for some data.
Can someone point me in the direction of some nice nerdy scientific studies that discuss the effects of GM crops on people or animals?

Here is a dangerous argument: science has its limits. We used to think asbestos was perfectly safe. My mom had x-rays taken of her feet at the shoe store. Today we look back on those things and know better.

Science continually expands our knowledge of the world and universe around us, which is valuable. But science isn’t a soothsayer, it cannot predict for a black swan. And the unexpected is a certainty. Given these concerns tinkering around with things like our food supply and the intricate and delicate webs of ecosystems may not be the best idea.

Granted, if there were a vast heap of scientific evidence that backed the notion that GMOs are unsafe for human consumption, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

The big question for me is whether the risk is worth the reward. And anyone who argues that GMO crops pose no risk at all is trying to sell you a bill of goods. That said, if you want geeky maybe you take this 53-page report from the Union of Concerned Scientists out for a spin and tell me what you think.

When it came to starter scotches Doc asked about one specific blended malt.
What about Famous Grouse? Anyone have any thoughts?

Well, my main man F. Paul Pacult prefers the 12-year to the 10 and the 18. Doc was also correct in his assessment that two of the malts in the blend are indeed The Macallan and Highland Park. I have no idea how many malts are included in the blend, nor what percentage is made up of these two big names.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had the Grouse, but it would seem to be a bottle that is at a good intersection of price and quality for a blended Scotch. Although in this sector of the market I’ve had my eyes on Jon, Mark and Robbo’s The Rich Spicy One, Douglas XO, and Teacher’s Highland Cream.

Sarah M. lobbied for a favored burger joint.
Have you done Juicy Burger before? Bacon + bleu cheese is outstanding.

Oh, yes. I’ve done Juicy Burger before. And with the help of Mr. Sunshine I was even able to finally order one that was cooked medium rare. The trick is to ask for a burger between pink and red.

In my youth, I was very fond of bacon and blue cheese on burgers. It’s a mighty combination. But as I’ve gotten older and more ingredient-focused, I really want my burgers to be a celebration of beef. These days if the beef isn’t worthy of celebrating, I have little interest in dressing it up.

So yes, I do enjoy a Juicy Burger on occasion. I might go there more often if they were better at seasoning their meat.

KB @ Home-Baked Happiness was picking up what I was putting down.
Makes me think of Stewie’s — so even if the pot is full, they’re still burning the coffee?

Yes. Yes they are. Think of burnt coffee as cooked coffee. The more heat you apply to the brewed liquid, and the longer it sits upon a heating element, the worse it is going to taste. And the word for that off taste is burnt. There is a difference between burning the coffee and scorching the pot. Granted, scorching the pot is even worse than cooking the coffee. But neither makes for a pleasurable drink.

irisira was surprised to learn that I’m married to a doctor.
Since your wife has her PhD, doesn’t that make her DR. Fussy? Though that doesn’t work as well with “The Profusser,” I suppose.

The truth comes out. So, here is another truth. I write a lot of this blog for my own amusement. It’s filled with all kinds of private jokes. The Profusser was one of them. I liked to think of Mrs. Fussy and me as the professor and the profusser. The notion and the alliteration made me smile, and I also thought fit nicely with my writing style, so I went with it.

Mrs. Fussy isn’t terribly formal, and prefers Mrs. to Dr., at least in this context. Part of that I think has to do with her respect for the medical profession, or perhaps it’s a fear that people will start coming up to her in public and showing off their rashes.

erik_ellestad may have missed one salient fact.
How far are you from SF? I forget.

About 2,951 miles. Go ahead and rub it in.

G-LO is full of questions about wings.
1) So where did you get these wings in Philly?
2) Moriarity’s on the corner of Walnut and Camac?
3) Why is it that the smell of fried chicken wings is so intoxicating?

1) I really don’t remember. It could have been at The Blarney Stone on Sansom and 39^th.
2) It was definitely not Moriarty’s.
3) Because chicken is good.

Bob W. may be just about the best husband on the planet.
The missus and I have been together for nearly two decades now and, whenever we have wings together, I still give her free range over the flats. She tells people I prefer the drumette but, truth be told, she’s just so darn happy with her pile of flats — who am I to deny her wing nirvana?

And she doesn’t even know.