(Willow Restaurant corn and ricotta pancakes with shredded Edwards Blue Ribbon country ham.)

A pal overseas asked me to comment on the notion of civility in the context of modern American life. I know what he is getting at. The talking heads have been all over the civility thing. They appear to be in general consensus on a key point: even if the slaughter of innocents in Tucson the other day was perpetrated by a nihilist and certifiable whack-job, it is talk radio that is responsible.
 
I am puzzled by that contention, but I have long become accustomed to a state of bewilderment about public discourse. The rhetoric on both sides of the spectrum has been a bit severe for my taste for a long time. The President accused the GOP of hostage taking, and has used that tired line about bringing a gun to a knife fight with them several times. Enough. you know?

I imagine the imagery he uses is due to the natural fear the Dems have of being recognized as effete, which of course they are. For the Republicans, there is no problem with the display of their Neanderthal origins.
 
Based on recent DNA sequencing from human remains found in Siberia, it appears that the slope-fore-headed proto-humans actually hooked up with certain Cro-Magnons in the not-so-distant past, based on the DNA sequencing, so it is perfectly understandable that they are still with us, and possibly voting.
 
Undoubtedly voting.
 
But I digress. I propose that everybody but down their shooting irons and abandon the phony martial imagery for a while. There are enough real battles with certifiable Bad Guys who deserve swift transition to paradise that I think we can cool things down without losing any of the vigor of the body politic. Maybe use romantic imagery instead, if we need to channel the passion.
 
I think steamy would be preferable to military metaphors. I will let you follow some of the ways that would transform the tone of the debate. Of course, I doubt of the Neanderthals would approve and the effete would probably get too flowery to follow with any precision.
 
Direct is better. Earthy is good. I get the feeling that what the talking heads want is for people to not feel so strongly about what has been going on.
 
The Economy went in the crapper, everyone panicked, and we got health care reform. I am still mystified by that one. Not angry, I hasten to add. Just mystified.
 
Personally, I feel such an outpouring of LOVE for the investment banking community that I would happily join my fellow citizens in carrying torches and pitchforks to Wall Street. I think that is an agricultural analogy, which is another approach we could try to tone down the martial rhetoric.
 
When I find myself slipping into overheated rhetoric, I try to channel my energy into something productive, unlike our politicians. I saw Tracy O’Grady the legendary chef at Willow last night when she popped out of the kitchen and appeared at the end of the bar.
 
She is a bundle of energy, her rich red hair gathered in a businesslike ponytail and her starched white smock. She is a sort of culinary force-of-nature. She goes to the local farmer’s markets daily in order to ensure the freshest and most natural ingredients go into the recipes that grace her tables. Based on what is in season, she provides printed recipes to the farmers that they can pass out with their produce.
 
Left-overs wind up at the Maitre D’s  station inside the restaurant side of the bar. I picked up the latest, since I have been hankering for something some comfort morning food against the storms of winter and society.
 
Corn and ricotta pancakes really hit the spot, particularly with shaved Virginia country ham, a couple sunny-side up eggs and tomato juice.
 
I include the tomato juice only because I have not been able to identify a decent breakfast chardonnay. I think that discovery might be a solid start to a more respectful civil discourse.
 
Willow Corn and Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked fresh Clarendon Farmer’s Market corn
1 1/2 cups Eastern Market ricotta cheese
2 farm fresh eggs
2 tablespoons Kerrygold melted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Filippo Berra Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying
 
Directions:

Pulse all ingredients in your processor except the corn and chives in food processor. Consider adding Vitamin V to your tomato juice. Remove mix from machine and add corn and chives. Stir to combine. Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Lightly salt and serve warm, garnished with shaved Edwards Blue Ribbon or Grand Champion ham (www.virginiatraditions.com) and a couple sunny-side up country eggs. Beats the hell out of toast, and is a civil way to start the day.
 
Copyright 2011 Vic Socotra
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