Saturday, May 24, 2008

THE FINALE (Without Epilogue)




"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Gang aft agley."



-Robert Burns



After walking all day in Salem, MA the last thing I really wanted to do was go out to dinner for another big meal. I could have gone back to the hotel, and curled up for the night without any problems, but we had reservations for 7 PM, and Keely had her heart set on eating out. (Thank you again Mr. Burns!)

Our dinner plans on Saturday took us to Beverly, about 10 minutes north of Salem. We stopped at a beach, and I walked in the Atlantic. I figure you can’t go to the east coast without trying to freeze some part of your body off.

Dinner was at Robert Reid’s “Organic Garden Café”. Several years ago I drove from a Peace March in Providence, RI to eat at the Café. It was my first experience eating out at a real raw restaurant.



The food was as good as I remembered it to be. There are a few cooked items on the menu like steamed rice, or a regular tortilla, that can be substituted instead of the raw soaked wild rice, raw nori, or a leaf wrap. Keely had a raspberry lime “Ricky” to drink that was great, and the apple crumble dessert was really tasty. For our main courses I had the Veggie Burger Plate with raw onion rings (top picture) and Keely had the Sampler.




If you don’t want to make the trek into North Boston, make sure you make reservations for the Organic Garden Café in Beverly, Ma. when you're in the New England region.

I had planned on leaving the hotel around 11 AM on Sunday, and eating at “The Grasshopper Vegan Restaurant” in Allston, MA, but we were too close to Salem. Keely hadn’t gotten to spend time in the old graveyard, so we checked out and headed back into town.



To make a long story short, Keely got her pictures, I discovered that a crypt isn’t that uncomfortable to stretch out on in the sun for a short nap, and we got lost again trying to get to lunch in Allston.

The problem with Sunday lunch was that we had to drive again through downtown Boston. I’d like to know who the hell decided that it was a good idea to put on and off ramps in the middle of a tunnel. I mean really! That’s like putting ramps in the middle of a bridge over Boston Harbor. (I’m sure they’re probably there too, but our route didn’t take us there.)

Once we found the proper highway, and a parking spot, we had our last meal in the Boston area at “The Grasshopper Vegan Restaurant”. The Grasshopper isn’t raw, but it is vegan, and it is Vietnamese. As you should know by now, I won’t give up Vietnamese food whenever given the opportunity to imbibe. The servings were so big that we thought we were sitting in a restaurant in HaNoi.




Of all our meals this was the least expensive. We had “Chicken Fingers” (top picture) and BBQ “Pork” on lettuce as appetizers.



I had the “Spicy Curry Vegi-Squid with Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, and Lemon Grass” (top picture). Keely had “Sautéed Spinach with Garlic” with spinach that was piled at least six inches deep on a huge platter. Needless to say we had more than enough for dinner.




I ordered the “Vegetarian Nori Rolls” to go. These were a wonderful surprise. Instead of using rice, they used rice noodles. The nori rolls were a lot lighter, and easier on the palate. I plan to try the same thing using raw Kelp Noodles!

If you’re a vegan, or not 100% raw, “The Grasshopper” is a really great alternative in Allston, MA.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. I collapsed at the Courtyard by Marriott on Sunday night in Moosic, PA. We spent some time on Monday replacing the headlight that decided to die on us during Sunday’s drive, and finally arrived home at about 10 PM Monday night.



The total mileage was 1674 miles in 5 days. I didn’t think that my ass could be any flatter, but it is. My one regret is taking a wrong turn, and having to merge on to the Ft. Pitt Bridge at the height of rush hour in Pittsburgh on Monday night.

But, all in all, it was a trip we both needed, and deserved.

To those of you that had to huddle in your cellars in Central Ohio with the tornado sirens blaring, just remember that it was sunny and 65 in Salem on Sunday, May 11, 2008.

A special thanks to Katie, Kara and Murmur for watching Clyde and Dove Cakes. They've grown to love you as much as we do.

Of course we need to thank Dr. Laura Skaates, DC too for getting us ready on Wednesday before we left, and putting us back together when we returned to Westerville after a long drive. What would we do without her, and the rest of her staff! (Thank you for recommending another massage too!)

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

KEELY'S SALEM FANTASY COMES TRUE! (Part III of IV. I Changed My Mind!)


After wallowing at Grezzo on Friday night I honestly didn't want to do much for a couple of days. I was happy. I was feeling sated and could have curled up in the sun like a Cobra, and let my body digest a fantastic meal for at least a day before heading back to Westerville.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one in the car. Least you forget, Keely was with me, and as the beaches of the South China Sea and the Buddhist Temples of Central Viet Nam might pull at my heart ... Salem calls Keely like a swallow returning to Capistrano.

So, off we go in search of the official Witch of Massachusetts, Laurie Cabot.

If you haven't heard of Laurie, you're not a crazed Halloween fanatic like my wife. I have bats hanging from the fireplace tools in the living room. Elves peak out from the railing leading to the second floor. Our bedroom looks like a horror house (but that's another issue!)

I doubt that there's a reader that hasn't heard of the Salem Witch Trials. Sometimes I think that what happened in Salem isn't much different than what "W" has tried to do to the Gay and Lesbian Community in the U.S., without the hangings...wait a minute....

Moving on before I get myself into even more trouble.

Our hotel in Danvers was even closer to Salem than Grezzo. After about 15 minutes we found a free parking lot just off the main street, and went in search of our first "Wiccan" shop.

A lot of people hear the words "Wiccan" or "Witch" and immediately think of Satanism. Thank you Hollywood and the holy rollers of America for spreading this misconception. In my opinion Witches, and those who practice Wicca were the founders of what is now called the Green Movement in America.

Wiccan's are people who believe that we share the planet with the planet. All life is connected, and we are stewards.

Witches don't do harm, not even to themselves. They can be found in all walks of life. Who knows, you might even work for a Witch (be nice now!).

We didn't start out looking for Ms. Cabot's shop, "The Cat, The Crow, and The Crown", but followed Keely's usual pattern of visiting every nook and cranny of each shop, while I hunted either a bookstore, a coffee shop, or a nice sunny spot where I could "people watch".

I got lucky and found a great little coffee shop called the Gulu-Gulu Cafe that serves wonderful coffees and beer. What more can a man ask for? I sat reveling in a huge cup of flavored coffee, listening to some really off-the-wall music, relaxing in an eclectic atmosphere....and then the cell phone rang.

We continued on our journey in search of the Official Salem Witch, hopping from shop to shop. My next stop was a book store where everything was 50% off, and books were literally stacked to the ceiling. I'm not kidding. I think I heard books go flying at least 5 times while I was there, and I know that two of the avalanches were due to me!

We finally made it to the wharf shops where "The Cat, The Crow, and The Crown", is located sometime around 12:30 PM or so. In my usual fashion, I had seen everything I wanted to see in about 10 minutes, while Keely hadn't finished the first shelf of goodies. So I went outside and found another bench to sit on and smell the sea air. I didn't realize at the time, but there was a method to her madness.

Like a Komodo Dragon in search of a meal, Keely was waiting to meet Laurie Cabot. She knew that Laurie was giving a reading and should be done on the hour. My wife, who hates to talk on the phone, became a paparazzo out to get a picture of Mariah Carey's wedding!

At about 15 minutes after the hour my cell phone rang, and Keely asked me to come back into the store to take her picture with the Official Salem Witch, Laurie Cabot. My quiet wife, had just spent the last 15 minutes with Ms. Cabot, and got her to agree to a picture with her, despite signs all over the store which said "NO CAMERAS OR VIDEOS". Will wonders never cease!

Our trip might have ended at that point but we still had two restaurants we had planned on eating at. The first was the "Organic Garden Cafe" in Beverly, MA. This is probably the oldest raw restaurant on the East Coast that I know of, and "Grasshopper Restaurant", a cooked, but vegan, Vietnamese restaurant in Allston, MA. (You should know how we are about Vietnamese food by now!

I could rush through these meals, and the last three days of this trip, but I've changed my mind.

Stay tuned for Part IV of IV. I promise there's only four parts to this series...maybe...who knows....

Watch for "THE FINALE (Without Epilogue)" coming this weekend!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

FIVE STAR RAW (Part II of III)


It is now about 6:30 PM on Friday, May 9, 2008. After several months of planning we are on the last leg of the reason we went to Boston.

We've battled traffic, and the near insanity of east coast drivers. I've decided that the only difference between driving in Boston and Saigon is that instead of all the motorcycles in Saigon, the people in Boston drive cars. Both are just as crazy, in my opinion.

The rain is light but steady. I've dropped Keely off at the restaurant on Prince St. She’s going to run in and ask them where I should park as I weave in and out of traffic. She calls me on the cell phone and tells me to hurry because she's standing in the middle of a parking spot along the street holding me a spot.

The streets around the restaurant are just about wide enough that you can stand in the middle and touch the brownstones on both sides with your arms spread. Parking is at a premium. This is old north Boston. It is an area filled with neighborhood bars, restaurants, and ethnic bakeries that have stood for literally hundreds of years. It is an area of history. I can feel the lives as I drive the narrow streets.

Hurrying back to the spot that Keely is protecting with her body, I see the sign above her head that says "resident parking only, permit required". I imagine taking a cab to bail our car out of the Boston impound lot somewhere in another state, and wind up in a lot four blocks north of the restaurant. Keely has my rain coat.

But we have finally made it to:


Grezzo? You mean you haven't heard of Alissa Cohen's new restaurant at 69 Prince Street in Boston? My heart goes out to you. If you haven't heard of Alissa Cohen, or her new restaurant, you are in a drug induced coma, and under the control of aliens from the planet Rombulus that is circling a star 500 light years from earth.

Alissa has one of the top raw foods recipe books you'll ever find. The only thing she's done that is better is to open Grezzo.

Grezzo opens at 5 PM. It is small, seating only about thirty people. But Grezzo, like her owner Alissa, is full of energy, vitality, love, and creativity.

The staff is outstanding. They couldn't have made us feel more welcome. It was like sitting down in someone's home. But unlike a home, I would highly recommend making reservations. Ours were made the first day reservations were accepted.

The menu changes on a weekly basis. Alissa, and the staff at Grezzo, are committed to providing the highest quality, fresh organic foods available.

I had pretty much decided weeks ago what I was looking for, and unfortunately, I wasn't in top form after two days of driving. Keely, after being able to miss massive portions of the audio book we were listening to because she kept falling asleep, was primed, and ordered the Chef's Tasting for $59.00.

The first course was soup, and it was wonderful.

The soup on the menu was Sweet potato and pink grapefruit soup with red chili, and Thai basil, or Sweet white corn with jicama, avocado and cayenne. Both soups were $8 each. With the Chef's Tasting, you get both soups. Like with any raw food, the flavors were a riot and exploded in your mouth.

Unfortunately we had a problem keeping our mouths closed. We were hooked.

Course two was the appetizer. Oh, it just keeps getting better.

The chef's sampler gives you both appetizers. I had already decided that I had to order an appetizer and wasn't about to share with Keely.

Keely's first appetizer was the Gnocchi carbonara. This was a wonderful dish of house-made dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with crispy eggplant and pea shoots. It is listed on the menu at $11 a plate. I've never had the cooked version, and after sampling this one, have no wish to eat it unless I eat it at Grezzo's.

Remembering my dead flesh eating and drunken nights at Ohio State University in the mid 70's when we'd slink off to White Castle for a 25 cent burger, known at 3 AM on a Saturday morning as a "slider" ( aka "rat burger", and "kangaroo meat", normally to be regurgitated an hour later in the most unpleasant of manners) I had to go for a Grezzo Slider.

I cried, and considered offering my body to the chef for the recipe.

The slider was messy. I picked one of them up with both hands, and the tomato and raw blue cheese, slid into my beard, and back onto the plate (not my lap for a change). I wanted to crawl up on the table and just roll in whatevah I wasn't able to lick off the plate.

Keely got one slider with her Chef's Tasting, while I got two for $12. We almost came to blows. I felt like a caveman protecting his kill. There was no way I was sharing. It was fortunate that the plate couldn't soak up any of the slider, or it would have been history.

Alissa stopped by our table several times to talk to us despite the restaurant being packed. She is a wonderful person. She told us that the idea behind Grezzo was to show people that raw foods didn't mean you couldn't eat like a gourmet. Raw foods wasn't just a plate of greens, a smoothie, and some nuts. Raw foods can be as gourmet as you want it to be.

Then one day a friend of hers was sitting at the bar, and pointed out that at every other restaurant in the area he could order a great salad, but in the one raw vegan restaurant in the area, there wasn't a salad on the menu!

Keely had the house salad which was soft baby lettuce with house-made cheese, croutons and green goddess vinaigrette and was listed on the menu as $11, but was included in the Chef's Tasting. Thank you to Alissa's friend!


As we were waiting on our main courses, Alissa showed up with a plate we hadn't ordered. "Here, I want you to try the papaya steak, its my favorite!"

Keely and I looked at each other in disbelief. We weren't expecting this at all, and neither one of us really like papaya. But what could we do? Here was the owner who cared enough to share her favorite dish with us. We couldn't say no!

We looked at the dish and thought something was wrong. This papaya dish which was served with creamy dill vermicelli with marinated cucumber and olive salad, and was listed on the menu at $21, looked like a piece of salmon crusted with star anise. It was even ribbed to look like a piece of cooked salmon with the flesh starting to flake.

We approached it with caution, took a bite, and looked at each other with amazement. It wasn't salmon, and it tasted nothing like the papaya we had prepared at home. It was wonderful, and gave us a new appreciation of a fruit we had turned our nose up at in the past. Oh Alissa, we thank you for caring enough to force our palates and eyes open to the wonderful papaya prepared by a real chef!

I'm getting tired at this point. I'm full, I'm sated, I want to curl up in a corner and fall asleep. I feel like a Roman General who has eaten his way to the top of Mt. Olympus, but we still have two courses to navigate.

Keely ordered the Native tomato ravioli with house-made Boursin, micro mint, Italian parsley and truffle which was listed on the menu as $21. Of course the entree was part of the Chef's Tasting. This was a wonderfully light version. It was satisfying, but not overpowering. It was a work of art and included a great raw Italian bread stick.

Being on the East Coast, I had to go for a dish that reminded me of the Atlantic Ocean, so I ordered the "Land and Sea" for $23.


I have read several reviews of Grezzo online. There was one uncomplimentary review that complained that the servings were too small. I can only believe that this in"duh"vidual was used to bellying up to the local buffet and spending hours at a time seeing how many plates that they could devour for their money. Whoever you are, I'm sure your cardiac surgeon will be happy with their new sports car.

When the "Land and Sea" was placed in front of me, I asked for a box before I picked up my fork. I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish it. The "Land and Sea" is a very earthy dish made of lobster mushrooms, yellow oyster mushrooms and hedgehog mushrooms, smooth ricotta, dulse and kelp . It demands your attention as it towers above the plate with a wonderful salad of greens and mushrooms to the side.

This dish draws you to the very brink of creation. You taste the sea, and the earth. The Chef has created a dish the gives pleasure to the senses and fills you with wonder as to why anyone would ever want this dish to be cooked.

I think it was at this point that Alissa stopped by the table again, and I told her I was considering just titling this blog as "Burp!". In some cultures the belch is the best compliment you can give your host.

And then there was dessert.

I don't think there is a person who practices a raw foods diet that hasn't tried to make ice cream. If you think you've done a great job, like I have in the past, accept the fact that you're a failure at making this dessert. I'm ready to admit my failings after eating at Grezzo.

We decided that we wanted two desserts, but couldn't eat much more. So we ordered the "Rich Brownie Sundae for $11, and asked for the cheesecake to go.

Every time I make raw ice cream it is chunky. It lacks the creamy consistency of a dairy product. The house-made gelato, with chocolate truffle sauce, and brazil nut crumble, was unbelievable. It was rich and creamy, and tasted just like a high end dairy product.

The entire evening felt like we were there for only 30-45 minutes. It was almost three hours. We were both in shock.

I hope that everyone gets the chance to visit Grezzo. Alissa Cohen is a wonderful host, and has an absolutely fantastic restaurant. I tipped more than 30% of the final tab. You might be shocked when I tell you that the bill for the two of us, with tip, was $165.00, but consider that in 1978 I ate at what was considered a five star restaurant, and paid $125.00 just for myself. Grezzo outshines that experience by a million fold! As Keely said “The meal was more than worth the cost of the gas!”

If you can’t make it to Grezzo, do yourself a favor, and buy Alissa’s book “Living On Live Food”. You can get both her book, and companion DVD on her website at: http://www.alissacohen.com/ or by ordering them through your local independent bookstore (our recipe book is now autographed!).

As we walked back to the car and proceeded to get lost for more than an hour in downtown



Boston, trying to find MA-1 north, I kept asking over and over: “Can I PLEASE have the Slider recipe? I promise I won’t tell!” (I can beg worse than any two year old, and I have fifty more years of practice than they've got!) Maybe there's a New York Butterfly....

For reservations at Grezzo call: 1.857.362.7288

You can find them on the web at: http://www.grezzorestaurant.com/

All I can do is say, “BURP!”

Don’t forget to watch for the last installment of our raw trip to Boston: “Keely’s Salem Fantasy Comes True”.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

IT'S ALIVE! (Part I of III)

I bet you've been wondering why I've been so quiet? I've been on vacation.

Several months ago we heard of the opening of a new restaurant in Boston, and decided that it was time for a road trip. When we originally made the decision, the profit mongers on Wall St. and the oil privateers weren't fully encroached in the rape of the American public, so gas wasn't as bad as it was when we left Westerville, OH on Thursday May 8, 2008. But once our plans were made, the threat of McCain actually being elected couldn't have kept me home (although I didn't sleep as well as I could have during the trip).

I guess I could have told you that we were going to be on vacation, but there is that little issue of home security while you're gone. Remember, never put anything on the web that you don't want everyone in the world to know about.

I've been racking what little brain I have available these days as to how to tell you about our trip. I was going to call this blog "Burp!" to begin with, then I decided on "Five Star Raw". I'm going to use "Five Star Raw" but that will be Part II of what I've decided will be a three part report on our trip. Part III will be "Keely's Salem Fantasy Comes True!". (No, it has nothing to do with "Elmo's Bras and Girdles". Take a shower please!)

While the purpose of the trip was to eat at a "raw gourmet" restaurant in Boston (don't worry, I'll give you the name here in a moment), the trip was more than just food. Most of our friends were shocked when they found out we were going to drive instead of fly, but while at times instant gratification is nice, I believe you miss so much of the world by not traveling by land whenever possible.

I was pleased when we left home at 7:10 AM. I think leaving within 30 minutes of our scheduled time is a first for anyone in my family. I remember going on vacation with my grandparents in the 60's. If the plan was to leave by 8 AM, we were lucky to be gone by noon. My grandmother was part donkey. You literally needed to light a stick of dynamite under her tail, or hang a Perfect Manhattan from a stick to get her to move faster than a snail on speed.

For most of the trip we relied on Mapquest. Mapquest has actually gotten a lot better than it used to be. I remember there was a time when it would tell you to turn left when you really should turn right. I'm not going to blame Mapquest for any mistakes made while driving around Boston. I'm a firm believer that the interstate system within 100 miles of Boston was designed by the famous Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, but more on that in Part III.

Don't plan your travel time around Mapquest. The service still sucks in its predictions of the time your trip will actually take. I did better with tea leaves. I'd plan on at least three extra hours, then the recommended "Mapquest" time for any trip. We drove 477 miles our first day, and arrived at the Fairfield in Scranton by 6:15 PM. Just under 500 miles in 11 hours isn't too shabby, and I got to see Detroit kick the Stars' collective asses. (I'm still betting on Pittsburgh in 5!)

The Fairfield was as nice as any Fairfield, and I've stayed in a number of them. Trish checked us in, and couldn't have been nicer, or more professional.

The next leg of our trip was from Scranton, PA to our hotel north of Boston in Danvers, MA. We stopped at "The Promised Land" to fill the car up with "liquid gold". Why they called it "The Promised Land Fuel Stop" I'll never know. I really can't understand how they intend to sell much gas when all the windows have signs that say "No Parking"! How can I fill the tank if I can't park and fill up the tank?

We stayed at the Townsend Suites in Danvers, MA, which is another Marriott property. Some of the Townsends tend to be a little run down, but this one was in great shape! Our hotel was only 16 miles north of the restaurant, and a straight shot south on MA 1. Easy right?

Remember what I wrote earlier? Nothing is easy when driving in Boston....

Make sure to watch for Part II: "Five Star Raw" or "Who's That Lady?"

Wait a minute. Did you really think that I'd tell you the name of the restaurant? I'm not that nice! If I had to drive almost 800 miles to eat dinner on Friday night, you're going to have to wait 48 hours for the answer. Let's see if you can figure it out from this picture of the sidewalk in front of the door.

Not a good enough hint? OK, then I'll give you one more chance. See if you can figure it out from this picture. Ask yourself: "Who's that Lady" with Keely?


If you don't know who Keely is, I'm not about to tell you!

Stay tuned!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

And Now for Something Completely Different

I'm going to wax nostalgic this weekend, and step back to a day when laptops meant something you placed a TV dinner on, and cell phones didn't exist. There were cars, but gas was less than fifty cents a gallon. Let's all step back to 1977.

Some of you might only know of this year through history books. I pity you. It was a fun time to be alive. I was attending Otterbein College, after being too wasted to remember most of my time at Ohio State University.

I invited the woman I was dating back then to go with me to Cleveland to see the World Series of Rock at the Cleveland Stadium. Cleveland Stadium has since been torn down, and replaced with Jacobs field.

To quote Wikipedia: "The World Series of Rock was known not only for its arena rock spectacle, but was also notorious for the rowdiness, rampant drug use and drunkenness of the crowd. One concertgoer fell through a hole in the backstop net while sliding down it and landed on the concrete of the lower grandstand, suffering a fractured spine. The Cleveland Free Clinic maintained tents on site staffed with volunteers."

Yes, the World Series of Rock was like heaven on Earth for any 21 year old.

I'm not sure which event we actually attended. I remember that the drink of choice was anything you could sneak in the stadium in your hip flask, and the drug of choice was marijuana. All you had to do is sit long enough and a joint would be passed to you every few minutes.

I remember a group of women who were sitting in the upper part of the stadium holding a sign up to the group on stage that said "Show us your Tits". The rockers yelled, "Show us yours first and we'll show you ours!" The women showed theirs, the rockers showed theirs, and a fun time was held by all!

I'm only guessing, but I think was saw, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, the J. Geils Band, and Derringer. I was only there for the crowd, and to...well, you know....

Friday night Keely and I stepped back more than forty years to the mid 1960's. We went to a local ballroom and saw "The Neighborhood Boys", "The Gas Pump Jockeys", "Hurricane Johnny and the Stormfront" and most importantly the "Dantes"!

I'm surprised at the number of people that I know who are coming out of the closet and letting it be known that they used to play in a band. I didn't know for the longest time that a friend of mine was a member of the band "The Ohio Express". You might remember "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (I got Love in my Tummy)". I'd known Tim Corwin for probably 20 years before I learned of his past.

Keely used to work for Valerie Hayden. Keely found out that Valerie's husband was the lead singer for "The Dantes"! So, when we found out they were going to be playing a reunion concert, we had to go!

The music was great, but I must admit I'm going to have to start therapy. I'd never seen so many people in their late 50's and 60's trying to subtract 40 years or more off their lives! It was truly a sight to behold!

Just to give you an idea. Remember in 1977 the drink of choice was anything in a hip flask and the drug of choice was marijuana. Last night people were drinking "lite" beers, and the drug of choice was "Geritol".

The sign being held up wasn't "Show Us Your Tits", it was just one word "Midol". Why Midol I have no idea, but one woman pointed out that there probably wasn't any one in the crowd that needed Midol. Now if it was "Prevedia" or some other menopause drug....

I decided that I was going to have to call a therapist this next week, when the overweight man in his mid 50's, wearing shorts, a "Jethro Tull" t-shirt, and dark socks, shook his ass in my face.

Oh, and I can't forget the other guy in his 50's who showed up with what looked like a really bad blond toupee, wearing a "bright blue, seersucker, zoot suit"..... I really need help.

Now don't get yourself upset. I wasn't the only one laughing at everyone. The group standing at the railing next to us were trying to figure out if there was anyone there under fifty! Of course Keely had to raise her hand...SHOWOFF!

The night was meant to be fun. It was a night to step back and relive those days of fun in the sun, trying to make it in the back seat of a '56 Chevy, when the local drug store had a soda counter where everyone gathered after school. It was a chance to remember chanting "Hell No We Won't Go", and sneaking out after your parents went to bed.

It was a great night to escape, release, and remember...

Its just too damn bad that those same people have lost their will to stand up to the establishment today, and yell at people in Washington, "HELL, NO, OUR KIDS WON'T GO!". At one time they had the courage to demand an accounting of our President. At one time they had the courage to force a man from office who had a higher approval rating than Bush has today!

OK, if you really must know, while I was out to impress that day clear back in 1977, it didn't work...