58 thoughts on “November 20, 2014: Cindy Lightballoon”

1. Hey, Minnesotans, (and expats) now that the holidays are here, time to start making that great annual tradition, the Grape Salad.

   1. Paper of Record? Heh.

      I find Linda Holmes annoying, but I'll side with her on this one.

      1. They gave South Dakota pear kuchen. It's hardly "a staple of the state’s Thanksgiving tables", but at least kuchen, in various flavors, is something a lot of folks eat in South Dakota.

   2. I enjoyed the response from Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl on her blog.

      1. I imagine the Grapegate hotel is quite nice, maybe not as nice as the Pointergate or Gamergate hotels, though...

         I feel like the bigger issue here is not the grape salad, but the wild rice and mushrooms.

         1. There's a riot goin' on. This cannot stand, man.

            1. From the Book of Faces comments:

               Jenna Rosenberg: By the way, Times staffers, don't mistake the mild mannered comments below as gentle disagreement. What you are witnessing here with each additional post is simmering rage and contempt Minnesota-style. As news of this misrepresentation travels from one corner of the state to another, I predict many many more comments. (I am going to enjoy reading the comments as they come in.)

   3. I've had grape salad.

      North Dakota scores big with lefse, a staple at pretty much every Thanksgiving dinner I've ever been at. I've also made lefse, ya.

      1. I haven't had grape salad. But secondy second the Lefse in ND.

         Deep fried turkey in peanut oil should have been somewhere on there. Yum.

         1. Since we're on the subject, what are the dishes/traditions of the nation (WGOM nation that is) that evokes thanksgiving?

            For me it was always 2 turkeys (one roasted one smoked), cookie salad, kuchen, and raisin rice. Oh and a church basement in Jud.

            1. For me it's mashed rutabagas. When I was a kid I got a taste for rutabagas because my grandmother made me eat them (along with turkey hearts). Now I am one of the few people in the family who loves them. Funny thing is that she wasn't the Polish spouse in her marriage and had a very strained relationship with her Polish mother-in-law.

               Lefse and a pickle tray were staples at holiday meals with Pa's family, but I can't claim any Scandinavian heritage. I just love both of those things and miss them now that I don't get them much anymore. I should ask my sister to make some since she has the lefse iron.

               1. Cheesy potatoes were the thing in my family. There was always at least three variations at every Thanksgiving at my grandma's house.

               2. My parents and Aunt and Uncle have a long running gag about tricking the other duo into taking a can of rutabagas home. So I'm rutabaga adverse because conditioning. I have no idea what they taste like.

                  Hearts and gizzards are staples in the stuffing I grew up with.

                  1. Grams ate the hearts & gizzards on their own. I think the picky eaters like Gramps would have not appreciated their appearance in the stuffing, so Grams figured she and I could just enjoy them together. Worked for me!

                     My in-laws have requested my stuffing's presence on the table for several years now. I make it with sourdough, parsnips, apples, fried sage, and both hot & mild Italian sausage. I guess it's become one of their holiday staples, which I think is neat.

                     1. Your stuffing sounds like one I would eat.

                  2. Rutabagas are tasty. Essential for my italian veg stew and for New England Boiled Dinner. Also good as one component in a mash. And I always include it in my pav bhaji.

            2. I don't think we've ever had a unique, personal thing. The number and variety of pies at my grandmother's maybe. Otherwise it's all standards, with a few extra dishes or small variations from year to year.

            3. I don't really remember our traditional Thanksgiving, since it's been 30 years ago since I was "home" (I'm sure of lefse), but our traditional fare here has always included green bean casserole (Durkee onions, of course), dinner crescents, and both pumpkin and deep dish apple pies.

               And if some one ask you, "Pumpkin or apple?" the correct reply is always, "Yes, please!"

            4. My uncle always brings smoked Lake Superior whitefish or lake trout ... sometimes SE MN rainbow trout (and a good bottle of whiskey - Irish or Scotch).
               My wife makes her grandfather's candied sweet potatoes.
               Turkey prepared in one way or another (my recent contribution has been brined & smoked).
               My mother hosts her entire extended family, so there's a ton of other provisions. My favorite desert that mom makes every year is Death By Chocolate.

               1. My favorite desert is definitely the Mojave. 😉

                  1. heh. I was sitting here thinking, "Hmm, Mojave dessert ... I wonder what that's made of."

                     1. A rusty scrap metal crust, filled with sand, scorpions, and sidewinders. Baked, then covered with meth sprinkles.

            5. Cornbread stuffing. My Okie grandmothers both made it, my mom made it, my aunts all made it, and now I make it. Same recipe for at least 3 generations, maybe more. It's the one dish my picky, picky Younger Daughter craves during the holidays, so I'm pretty sure someday she'll assume the mantle.

      2. Every cook in my family makes lefse, and my mom taught my wife how to do so as well. I can't imagine Thanksgiving without it.

         1. I might need to try my hand at lefse.

            1. You should. Much like beer making, it's trivially easy to do, but relatively difficult to do well.

         2. I miss lefse. Can't ever find it out here.

   4. I'm loving this whole thing. See, I work for a company based in New York City, though most employees aren't in NY. So the NY bias is always a topic of conversation. Enjoyable quotes from today's reading:

      So please understand: The New York Times has examined the entire state of Minnesota and said, 'You know what evokes your state? A bowl of grapes mixed with sour cream, covered with sugar, and heated up, and then chilled again. That's you. That's how you are.' After this, I imagine them laughing, high-fiving, and refilling a glass of chardonnay. We all have our preconceptions, after all.

      Another:

      A little advice for anyone making a 50-state map that touches on regional culture: Read every entry you have and think to yourself, 'Am I basing this on actual information, or am I basing this on something droll I read in The New Yorker?'

      Another:

      J'accuse! This is not from a Minnesota heiress. Pecans = the south, grapes = California, even sour cream is more likely from Wisconsin than Minnesota. I'm going to guess this is from an heiress from the fabled land of Mindianapolis, who rides through the land on a silver chariot pulled by golden weasels.

   5. I think half of the people here have already heard my jokes on various social media platforms.
      Gist: I've had Grape Salad at most MN Thanksgivings, typically in "Grapeless" adaptation.

2. Neil Allen is a finalist for pitching coach along with Carl Willis. Allen has been a minor league pitching coach for the Rays for a number of years.

   1. Interesting. Of those named to the staff or as candidates, only Eddie Guardado played with Molitor. I expected a couple of former teammates from the Brewers, Blue Jays, or Twins would be on his staff - makes me wonder how much input he's getting in the process.

      1. I would be more concerned if they were all former teammates since I would wonder if he was getting the best coaches instead of his buddies.

         1. The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know.

            What concerns me more is that the Twins, who have proven themselves to be stubbornly out of step with most trends related to analysis and player development, are stacking the deck with candidates in line with their organiztional philosophy because they have a rookie manager. (We do not know the extent of Molitor's latitude to shape his coaching staff, which is worrisome since the front office has not changed.) I don't know that's the case, but at this point I see no reason to give the organization any benefit of the doubt at this point.

            1. Its also possible that Glen Taylor has bought the team, but is keeping it a secret.

               1. HA!

            2. I understand the concern, but I don't know that the fact someone once played for the Twins means he agrees with everything the Twins have done in the recent past. Carl Willis has been a pitching coach outside the Twins organization for quite a while, and seems to be fairly well regarded. As far as I can tell, Guardado's only coaching experience is as a special instructor during spring training, so I have no idea what he'd do as a bullpen coach (and I'm not all that clear on what a bullpen coach does anyway). Again, I understand the concern, but I'm willing to wait and see a) who the Twins actually hire and b) how they do.

               1. This is what I was thinking as well.

                  1. Plus, he'll help with the Spanish speaking players. Wait, Stockton, CA?? D'oh!

               2. and I'm not all that clear on what a bullpen coach does anyway

                  Bullpen Phone: Rrrrrrrnnnnnggggg
                  Guardado: This here the bullpen
                  Willis: Hey Eddie, Nolasco's getting shelled again, why don't you get Duensing and Swarzach up and ready.
                  Guardado: You got it Skip!
                  Willis: This is Carl Willis, not Molly
                  Gauardado: Got it Skip!

   2. I'm with Carl.

3. Good for you Spooky! Philosofette and I recently burned through the first three seasons again. It was awesome.

   1. Speaking of re- watching shows with Ms. Lightballoon, I just went and plowed through Party Down again. Most excellent.

      1. Somehow, I still am only about eight episodes into that.

4. Is anyone else listening to serial? I'm like an addict.

   1. This came up over at CdL today. Melissa, Sarah Wreisner and Jonathon Pope are all obsessed.

   2. I'm hoping they get enough money this week to rethink skipping next week's show.

5. As expected, Craig Ferguson's first comments last night were the awkwardness of performing in St. Louis with his particular name. Yes, Josh Robert Thompson and Secretariat were also there. Mrs. Runner and I had a great night out, including splitting a Chicago Style across the street at Pi.

   1. I've heard good things about Pi, so I should probably check it out.

      1. I definitely prefer the cornmeal crusts.

6. I took the day off, it's the first time I've scheduled a mid-week day off in a long time. I need to do this more often.

7. Ben Lindbergh at Grantland charted the longest transaction tree for all 30 MLB teams

   1. Trade trees! I wonder how much work he put in for that.

8. tldr; but LOL. Seriously, LOL.

   1. as my old Traveler's team coach used to say, "Can't score if you don't shoot."

      1. O.M.G.

         Just as bad as you imagined	SelectShow
         "People say I am all about more money, but it's not like that," Anthony says. "It's about having the appearance of someone with success."

         1. EVEN BETTER

            SelectShow

            So early in 2013, as Anthony entered the last year of his contract with the Knicks, he began thinking not only about his next contract but about the future that awaits him after he stops playing. He studied other athletes -- David Beckham, Andre Agassi, John Elway, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson -- whose postcareer brands he admired and called some to seek advice. "How can I control my own reputation? How can my influence outlast my career?" he asked. Anthony says they all told him the same thing: Find one thing you're passionate about and start building on that now. Anthony had always been passionate about money -- not just the cash itself but the luxuries it afforded him and the ways in which it signified success. He'd grown up with none of it, first in a housing project in Brooklyn and later in Baltimore, where his mother worked as a housekeeper and received food stamps. As a 14-year-old, he was held up at gunpoint for $20 and decided he would take his chances and run rather than hand over the cash. "The Pharmacy" was how some referred to his neighborhood, because the only people who had money dealt drugs. "I could have gone that way," Anthony says. "Some friends did. But I started seeing that maybe with basketball I could make more money than they did."

            This thing reads like satire.

            1. I could not make it nearly as far as you guys did.

            2. That's a little sad.

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