Time To Reload!

Time to reload the fountain pen. These photos aren’t the greatest, and I apologize in advance to my friends who are into fountain pens in a big way. (Their photographs are professional quality.) Anyway, I wanted to give a brief glimpse of the process by which ink is drawn into the pen, especially for my readers who asked about my writing habits.

You start out with the ink, in this case it is from Mont Blanc and comes in this cleverly shaped bottle.

The bottle allows you to keep more ink on the well side so that you can always immerse the nib in enough ink to draw it into the pen. The end of the pen turns. By turning it, you move a plunger inside the body of the pen. Before getting into the ink, the plunger is screwed down so that it is closest to the nib end of the pen. The next step:

Note the introduction of the paper towels beneath the well. This is for emergency purposes only, such as when your cat decides to get nosy. The pen is lowered into the well until the nib is completely surrounded by ink. Then the back of the pen is turned in the opposite direction, which causes the plunger to retract, thereby drawing ink into the pen. One more time, the end is turned, this time to force a few drops out. Then the pen is turned with the nib up and the end is turned for the last time to draw a bit of air in. After wiping off any excess ink, you’re ready to write.

To some this may seem like a ridiculous procedure that has long been replaced by the convenience of ball point devices. All I can say is, “To each his own.” I write with these pens all day, day after day. They work perfectly, with less drag than any other I’ve tried. Therefore, until something comes along that’s better, I’ll stick with this. What’s your favorite writing implement? Let me know.

As you can see from the last photo, I’m working on Under A Blue Flag, which is the sequel to An Island Away. Writing a sequel is an opportunity to continue with characters that have room to grow. At the same time, the plot has more twists and turns to iron out. Where did Captain Beck go? What’s going to happen to Hernán? What about Charlie and Luz? These questions and more will be answered. Similarly, I’ve outlined a book titled In Dangerous Company, that in story time comes between An Island Away and Under A Blue Flag. It focuses in on just a few characters and the specifics of their adventures.

Writing is never a linear process for me. I’ll bounce back and forth from one story to another or one section of a single story to another. Stitching it all together is a challenge, sometimes better performed by an editor than the author. We’ll get into that later.

So, I have plenty of material to work with. Time to get back to work.

Published in: on June 25, 2008 at 8:26 pm  Comments (1)  
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The Best Philadelphia Cheesesteak

This post actually continues where the one about the best roast pork sandwich left off. As mentioned previously, John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia is the oracle of the griddle, the mecca of artery mashing food. And so, we come to THE BEST PHILADELPHIA CHEESESTEAK, and again, bar none, John’s produces it. Don’t even entertain the idea of going to those other joints you’ve seen on the Travel Channel or some other half-baked joint written up in a lame journal of culinary culpitude.

Here it is, in all it’s glory:

This is a better photo than the one I had from the pork sandwich. (Rest assured, that pork sandwich is drop dead good and just as loaded as the one above. Trust me and my heart surgeon. I am not kidding.) Notice the fullness, the lean beef, the melted-in provolone. Is this thing just the greatest or what? Yeah, I put some sauce on it, too. There’s hot peppers and fried onions integrated into the mix while on the grill. The flavor permeates the first layer of that handsome roll. The crust stands firm, yielding the subtlety of sesame seeds on the outside and meaty freshness on the inside.

Here’s a closer shot:

I mowed this down one bite at a time. My wife, to my astonishment, managed to finish one of her own. Impressive. However, no one beats my cousin. He was working with me on the pier one day and we came here for lunch. He ate two (yeah, that’s double, dos, a two-fer) on that day. This was something to behold and he nearly blacked out. The guy knows what he likes and likes what he knows.

Anyway, always enjoy your cheesesteak with ICE COLD Coca-Cola. Everything is better that way.

Published in: on June 25, 2008 at 12:49 pm  Comments (4)  
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The Best Roast Pork Sandwich

If you want the best roast pork sandwich (bar none and I’ve had them all over the world) you have to go to John’s Roast Pork at the corner of Snyder Ave and Weccacoe Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. I was introduced to this place in 1991 by my pal who worked on the river long before I did. He said, “Let’s get some real food.” He wasn’t kiddding. This place is on a wedge of land that used to be the edge of a massive railyard, part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This yard served the Port of Philadelphia (and was immediately adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Greenwich Yard). The B&O is gone, as is the Pennsy, but John’s remains. Here’s a first look:

Now, don’t get to thinking about Philly Cheesesteaks. I’ll get to them in another post, and yes, John’s makes the absolute best cheesesteak (again, bar none, and I’ve had them all over the world, too, thank you very much). Sticking with the roast pork… you’ll be glad to know that the Bucci family, which owns this place, roasts the pork Italian style. It takes hours. Then, in the morning, they slice it, leave it in pans of the natural juices, and by ten thirty AM, the line starts to form. By eleven or so, a hungry customer has to wait over half an hour. And when the bread runs out, that’s it. Go early or go hungry! Here’s a photo of the beast:

Some of you might be thinking that it doesn’t look like much. First off, that bread is the seeded kind (on the side leaning away) with a strong enough crust to hold in the juices but soft enough to be easy chewing. The bread alone is a masterpiece. Inside you have the roast pork, provolone cheese, and hot peppers. I would have more photos but people in this part of Philadelphia think you’re weird when you take pictures of your food and they’re probably right. I was hungry, too, very hungry. This sandwich stood no chance against that. Anyway, the pork is never dry. Every bite is a flavor explosion without being overpowering. All the subtlety is there. And the thing is so filling, you don’t eat until the next day.

Here’s a photo of Vonda Bucci and I. It was Vonda and her husband John who started this place as a wooden shack that served the railroaders and others in this area back in the 1930’s.

These days Mrs. Bucci works with her son John, Jr., who right now is battling some tough health issues, but he’ll be back. For more than half a century this family has been feeding us and we’re always grateful. Of course, I have pre-paid my open heart surgery that will come sooner or later from eating like this. By the way, that fork in my pocket is to pick up anything that might fall out of the sandwich in the process of demolition. Don’t forget, the best roast pork sandwich in the world is that much better when consumed with an ICE-COLD Coca-Cola.

When next you’re in Philadelphia and you have a hankering for one huge meal, try John’s. Forgot those other places that are famous for various reasons. John’s is the real deal. The New York Times and Gourmet Magazine, among other publications wrote the place up, which is another reason for the huge crowds in the last several years. That aggravates us regulars a little, but we have to make room for the rest of the hungry world. It’s only right. They should not be denied a taste of the best. ENJOY!

Published in: on June 24, 2008 at 9:22 pm  Comments (5)  
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Another Beach

Here’s a look at another beach, this one in Margate, New Jersey, USA. The surf was calm, the weather hot, and plenty of people took advantage of both.

In the distance, you can see the Atlantic City casinos. It’s true, they weren’t built by the winners.

I used to pass by here when I worked aboard tugboats. Using binoculars we would scan the beaches for the prettiest sights. But, we were too far from shore for a decent view. Funny thing is, despite spending six months a year in Aruba, I’m not much of a beach person. A quick dip in the ocean is enough for me.

That said, I’ll never forget the thrill of seeing someone on the beach reading my novel, An Island Away. I wanted to stop by and ask, “Do you like it?” And, “Did you get to the part where….?” That would have been rude and shameless so I left them to their privacy and (hopefully) enjoyment.

Feedback from readers is something I truly appreciate. For the most part, a book is written away from the reader, and yet it is for the reader. If the author doesn’t hear the reader’s commentary, he never knows if he successfully conveyed the messages he set out to. Therefore, don’t hesitate to comment. A book is a dialog between the author and the reader, it just takes place through a different medium.

Published in: on June 24, 2008 at 12:06 pm  Comments (2)  
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