This past year I’ve been splitting time between my home in Eugene, Oregon and my Mom’s house in El Sobrante, California. Getting to spend time with my Mom (Bergie) and my Stepdad (Steve) has been great and it’s also allowed me to appreciate some of the wonderful trappings that come with 80+ years of two …
Author: Chefjuke
A Prank is Born
The story of a semi-epic shenanigan feud in Black Rock City As most of my friends and colleagues know, I’ve been attending the annual Burning Man event for the last 25 years. A week long arts event that takes place in the middle of a Nevada desert in “Black Rock City”, a temporary city of …
An Introduction to REAL Barbecue
Contents The Definition of The Word BarbecueThe Primary ClarificationThe Secondary ClarificationHistory of BarbecueThe Native Americans & The SpaniardsRegional TraditionsThe SoutheastThe CarolinasMemphisKansas CityTexasThe Magic & Science of BarbecueWhy not grill?Why Barbecue?The Magic NumberMORE INFORMATION The Definition of The Word Barbecue The dictionary will tell you that the noun “barbecue” has at least four meanings: A framework …
Thoughts on the future of Burning Man and the transient nature of things (circa 1996)
2019 Introduction In light of the recent announcement by Burning Man regarding their intended “Cultural Course Correction” (an endeavor I wholeheartedly support), I decided to dust off and repost a somewhat related message which I wrote to the now-defunct Burning Man email list way back in 1996 after my 3rd Burning Man. It is interesting …
Sparkling
As I turned the key in the lock and closed the deadbolt on the door to our little Emeryville bungalow, I paused. This would be the last time we would be leaving our house as “just” a couple. Just us two. If all went well, when we returned, it would be as a family…three of …
The best hamburger I ever had
The following piece I wrote about 20 years ago after a discussion began at my work about the best hamburgers in town. I’m reposting here along with a few other older writings that used to be posted to my web page. I’ve added a few corrections including the name of the proprietor of the hamburger …
Two Pennies
“I woke up this morning thinking of coins…”
Two Divergent Paths
Last November, after 23 years, 8 Months and 26 days (but who’s counting) working for the same company, in the same town, in the same organization, I was laid off from my job as a Premium Corporate Support Manager for a large computer tech company. This situation is not an uncommon occurrence in any industry, …
The Homecoming by William Henry Mackey, Jr.
This is the prologue to the book “Down Home: My Return to the Georgia Backwoods” written by my father early 1970’s. The book is an exploration of the area in rural Georgia that he grew up in and how it changed in the 50 years since he was born there, especially focusing on the history …
Death of a Cultural Hero
The cover of this week’s New York Magazine features 35 of the women who were assaulted/raped by Bill Cosby. I, like many people, was shocked last year to hear of the allegations against Bill Cosby. At first, my reaction was, as it apparently was for many, a vague disbelief. Couldn’t be. Not Bill Cosby. Not …