Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Research, vol. 6

help help help help help.

THIS is where research takes me. Got oink?

15 comments:

Tony Rugare said...

I'll probably never eat some sausage and peppers without thinking about that article. Glad the pigs are allowed to relax before their horrific journey. I've never tried chicken sausage but I understand that chickens fare no better than pigs. Is there such a food as vegetarian sausage? So much for research.

Erin O'Brien said...

UGH.

I know. I guess it's time to get makin' with the Boca Burgers, Tony.

jonas said...

Yes, there is veggie sausage. Not sure about the kind good for sandwiches, but fake breakfast sausages are fine...its all about the spices used: taste basically the same as pork sausages.

Boca, at one point, was owned by the company that owns Phillip Morris (Altria). Ironic, no? But Altria has somewhat recently sold off its Kraft Foods limb, and that's where Boca was. So, if you care who you're paying to eat, it might be worth looking into.

There are much better "fake" burgers out there. Morningstar Farms has a decent line of alternatives.

(This is the kind of knowledge one acquires living with a vegetarian and thus eating as one about 85% of the time).

Erin O'Brien said...

This thread is hella easier than the one below it!

Paul said...

This is why my mother and sister are Vegan.

And yes, there are such things as veggie sausages, but I don't think they're very good.

However, my mom has made some all-vegan meals that are spectacular; it just depends on how much time you're willing to invest in preparation.

philbilly said...

I've (swear to God) just finished a design for a two person hot tub that will fit in my modest abode. The main vessel is a hog scalding tank. Writing this post, I just got the pun.

philbilly said...

Tony, in the 60's, the hippie food stores sold "notdogs", tofu hot dogs.
Wicked bad horrible. And yet tasteless, go figure.

Erin O'Brien said...

In college, the Pizza Man used "soysage" on his pizzas.

I always got plain cheese!

Alan states said...

Just WHAT are you researching? Black pudding is very good, I must confess, but there is no meat where the processing is not gross, inhumane (animals not withstanding) and enough to make you sick.

Rory L. Aronsky said...

So THAT'S how I get my bacon and pork chops. Good to know. ;)

Glass Houses said...

As long as I don't have to be present when this goes on, I'm okay.

When I was eight I went to a pig roast. I watched the eyes fall out of the skull and into the flames.

Ick.

Zen Wizard said...

Just do your best on this assignment and if you really knock it out of the park, maybe we will let you interview Billy Bob Thornton on the back of his tourbus the next time he is in town.

Sincerely,
Mr. Bigshot Editor
The Cleveland Whatchamacalit

Glass Houses said...

I'd like to ask you for some advice, EOB.

I'm in the process of researching an article on drag performers for an underground paper that will debut in June. I have set up interviews with several drag kings and queens, but I'm not sure how to go about additional research. I want to avoid Wiki, and any other sites I have found seem to be more advertisement than how and why people are attracted to this as a performance art. Any suggestions??

Thanks in advance!

Erin O'Brien said...

This research item was for my book. The article ended up contributing to one sentence, which I might end up deleting.

Glass Houses, that's how research is. You do 20 pounds of research for one pound of copy. Your interviews are a great way to start. As you begin to shape your copy, you'll quickly see where you need additional info.

The library is a good place to start, particularly for this topic. There are droves of published books on it. Librarians are very very helpful. They never cease to amaze me. Even if you have no idea where to start, they will.

For online sources, I guess you just have to know what to trust and I'm afraid that's taken me years. Of course, old-school accredited news sources are good: NYT, New Yorker, Washington Post, etc. I wouldn't hesitate to quote Salon.com.

Good luck with the article. It sounds like a fun fun topic!

Rory L. Aronsky said...

Thanks for the indirect advice, Erin. I'm embarking on writing my first book, or at least half of it, since I'm a co-author with a good friend and fellow film critic. Being that the book is guaranteed to be published since this is the second in said friend's contract with a publishing company that specializes in old-Hollywood biographies and other books about movies and television, any advice that can be had is a great pillow to use to ride into this new adventure.