Book Review: The Professor and the Madman

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even wonder how an enormous work like the Oxford English Dictionary gets commissioned and completed? This is the extraordinary story of the humble beginnings of a professor and a madman who helped the professor track down the origins and the use of thousands of words that appear in the Oxfond English Dictionary.  Simon Winchester's writing is simple yet engaging. I began this book on a Monday morning when I wasn't feeling quite well and finished at 9:15 pm that night (it's 9:20 as I bang out this review). It's an easy and fascinating read.


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Oh, crap!

If you asked me what my favorite beer is, I'd have a devil of a time naming one because there are so many that I love. It's easier to name a few that I don't really care for: Busch, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Coors, Miller and Miller Lite, Rolling Rock, and Yuengling come to mind. However, I can name a beer that I absolutely and totally disliked. Here's a picture of a bottle:

I picked it up at a store that sells hundreds of varieties. It looked interesting. But it tasted and smelled horrid. The bouquet is a lot like what comes out of a bottle of Clorox bleach.  The smell is so bad that it's difficult to judge the taste of this beer on its own. It's name is Barnwood Blonde Ale and it's brewed by Crown Valley Brewing Co., in Ste. Genevieve, MO.  Avoid at all costs!

Spice up your life!

One food columnist I follow is Heidi Swanson who runs a beautiful website. She's vegetarian, she's a photographer, she writes about the interesting places she visits, and she shares some of the many creative recipes she comes up with. If any of you ever want to live off writing, this is the way to do it.

Anyways, a few days ago she wrote about a green rice with smoked paprika recipe -- I haven't tried the recipe but I was intrigued by the smoked paprika. I love things with a smoky flavor -- chipotle peppers, dark smoky whiskies, smoky cheeses, etc. Of course I had to get a tin of this paprika -- which Amazon happily carries.  I was completely and totally blown away by the superb flavor of this paprika. It's hotter than typical paprika but not really hot (not as hot as Indian dry red chili powder or even the crushed red pepper you find at the typical pizza joint) but it has a deep smoky flavor to it. I now sprinkle it on homemade pizza or sandwiches or even put it into a yogurt salad. It's simply marvelous!