June 11, 2011 – Frozen Desserts

This is the time of the year when we are reminded that San Francisco is a different place. In a different country called America it is hot and summery. Friends and family there start complaining about the heat. They are either are incredulous, annoyed or both when we casually mention putting the heat on here n San Francisco. Our summer rule is never leave the house without layers, lots of layers.

For all those folks cooking away in America, it’s time for something summery like a frozen dessert. The manual from a 1950’s Coldstar Refrigerator has all sorts of recipes for “delicious” frozen treats. Every desert seems to involve jello. Snow pudding calls for gelatin, sugar, and beaten egg whites. One of these days, when I am feeling particularly ambitious, I’ll have to host a dinner party only using vintage, 1950’s recipes.

May 31, 2011 – The Pinto

There are various ways to mark the passage of time. One sure way is when something that was completely un-cool becomes old enough for us to start using terms like vintage, retro and classic. When something is old enough that it finally becomes cool is significant marker of time’s passage.

With that in mind, let’s introduce the “new” design for the 1979 Ford Pinto! It’s features included the new “gas tank shield,” mileage of 32 mpg and an affordable price. It could be had for $3,787 back in 1979. That would be about $13,500 in 2011 dollars.

When you consider that a Prius goes for about $23,000, you can see that the Pinto was quite the bargain for it’s day and the mileage wasn’t all that bad. I mention the Prius, because I secretly think it was modeled after the Pinto. If you looked online and bought yourself a surviving, used, classic Pinto today, you would look cool. Perhaps a Prius will be cool in 2045. But in 2011 the Prius seems to be the car of choice for the self righteous, vegan who rolls through stop signs. As any pedestrian in San Francisco knows, beware the Prius!

So, if I were to consider car ownership, it would have to be a cool car. Enough time has past that I’d think about a Pinto. Get it refurbished, new paint job, polish the chrome and check on that gas tank shield. A good stereo playing the Partridge Family and the Carpenters and I’d be ready to head out on a road trip. As the TV ads said, “Pinto, a little carefree car to put a little kick in your life.”

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In a weird coincidence, NPR did a story on the Pinto today.

March 3, 2011 – Banana Seat

I had a different idea for a piece in mind for today. Then I came across this sample of naugahyde. Blue glitter naugahyde to be more specific. What sort of fabulous cow must have produced this stuff? I’ve been saving it for a future project for a few years. It’s a sentimental thing – my first bike had a blue glitter naugahyde banana seat. The bike is long gone. Even if the bike still sat in some basement on the East Coast, I’d have the good sense not to ride it anymore. I know some folks think that it’s hip and cool to ride old, little kid bikes. For me, it’s just kind of silly. As silly as if I tried to fit my size 13 feet into an old pair of size 7 keds. It’s not going to happen. But I do have to say, the first time around, the banana seat was cool.