Squid Mixes: Chanticleer

A Chanticleer combines gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg whites.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  The word chanticleer means rooster, often referring specifically to the rooster character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.  The drink was invented at New York's Waldorf-Astoria to celebrate the 1910 opening of Edmond Rostand's play Chantecler.  

I have a new toy in my mixing arsenal: Fee Foam.  It's essentially a synthetic egg white substitute, handy since the real thing has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.  Plus, Fee Foam avoids allergic reactions, not to mention the current salmonella outbreak.  I learned about the stuff from our niece, of all people, who works in a restaurant.  Basically, you add 4-6 drops in lieu of an egg white before shaking.  From what I've seen so far, the foam is not as impressive as what you get with the real thing.  But the advantages are undeniable so I'm happy to play around with it.

Wife and child (over 21) agreed that the result tasted like melted sorbet - a bit on the sweet side but good.

My main association with the word chanticleer is the men's vocal group - the best in the world.  Enjoy:

Star Trek: Ferengi Love Songs

Episode: "Ferengi Love Songs"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 20

Original Air Date: April 21, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Quark is depressed.  His bar is closed due to a space vole infestation.  His enterprises are limited due to the revocation of his Ferengi business license.  Plus, his annoying brother Rom is getting married!  What's a guy to do?  At Rom's suggestion, he goes home to Mom on Ferenginar.  He really should have called ahead to let her know.  He stumbles upon his mother's own love affair... with the Grand Negus!

While it's ostensibly an episode about the two brothers, "Ferengi Love Songs" ultimately centers around the role of women in Ferengi society.  As established in "Family Business," the boys' mother Ishka is a financial genius.  Unfortunately, this fact has become a liability as Ferengi females are forbidden to be involved in business, one of many restrictions on their lives.  There's another problem now, though.  The Negus's memory is failing with age and Ishka's behind-the-scenes advice has become essential.

Meanwhile, in Rom's case, he wants Leeta to sign a pre-nup.  Understandably, she objects and it would seem the wedding is off.  Rom is relatively progressive as Ferengi males go but he has trust issues lingering from his first marriage.  He has to decide if he's willing to compromise in order to be with the woman he loves.

The story certainly has icky moments but to their credit, the writers lean into the discomfort rather than dancing around it.  These are important areas of growth for several essential characters.  

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Cecily Adams played the role of Ishka.  She is the second actor to play the part and this is her first of five appearances.  Adams was born in New York City, February 6, 1958.  She graduated from UC-Irvine.

Other television credits include Just Shoot Me!, Murphy Brown and Party of Five.  Adams was also a successful casting director, primarily for television.  Her highest profile job in that capacity was for That '70s Show.  

Adams passed away in 2004.  A non-smoker, she died of lung cancer.

On the Road: DC, August 2026

I visited my parents again in DC this past week - the second time this summer.

My parents have lived in the city since the late '90s.  It's their home.  It has never quite felt like my home.  I grew up in the Maryland suburbs.  It really isn't so far and yet I haven't actually traveled out that way so much over the years.  But one day last week, I went all in: 25,000 steps for the day.  I walked around my old high school, my childhood home and beyond.

It occurred to me that part of the intimacy I feel for the places of my youth is a direct result of having spent so many years exploring it on foot.  My body knows exactly how steep a particular hill is, for instance.  The muscle memory is set firmly in my quads.  While I had driven through our old neighborhood a few times over the years, this was my first time in ages engaging with it as a pedestrian.  It felt right.

The biggest change is the newly constructed Metro line that goes right under my old street:

I did plenty of wandering in northwest DC on other days, taking in the National Cathedral,

Malcolm X Park (also know as Meridian Hill Park depending whom you ask), where I saw two different people blasting gospel music

and the unique atmosphere of Adams Morgan, well encapsulated by this store front:

Star Trek: Ties of Blood and Water

Episode: "Ties of Blood and Water"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 19

Original Air Date: April 14, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Major Kira invites Tekeny Ghamor to the station in order to provide intel on the Cardassians.  Back in Season 3's "Second Skin," Kira learned that a Cardassian operative, Iliana, who looked an awful lot like her had been sent undercover to infiltrate the Bajoran resistance.  Ghamor was Iliana's father.  In the midst of confusion and heartbreak, Kira and Ghamor formed a genuine, loving bond.  Ghamor is no fan of the current Cardassian regime and is happy to help bring them down.  To complicate matters for all involved, he's dying.  Meanwhile, Dukat is demanding that Ghamor be extradited.  

Without question, "Second Skin" is one of the very best DS9 episodes and well-deserving of a sequel.  In all honesty, I would have preferred a continuation of the Iliana story but what we got instead is plenty interesting in its own right.  Ghamor's death dredges up Kira's regrets about her own father's passing.  The two tales are linked by the fear of dying alone and, of course, the accompanying remorse of the survivors.  Confronting death and aging has been an important recurring theme with Trek from the beginning - clearly important topics for creator Gene Roddenberry.  

"Ties of Blood and Water" adds rich complexity to the character of Kira Nerys who already had plenty.  She must find forgiveness in her heart for Ghamor regarding his role in the occupation while also coming to terms with the grief she feels in losing him.  Powerful stuff.

Acting Notes

via West Wing Wiki

William Lucking played the role of Furel, one of Kira's comrades during the Resistance.  Furel passed away in his first appearance, "The Darkness and the Light."  In "Ties of Blood and Water," he appears in the flashback to Kira's father's death.  This is the actor's second of three Trek appearances.  

Lucking was born in Vicksburg, Michigan, June 17, 1941.  He graduated from UCLA and the Pasadena Playhouse.  He co-founded the Santa Paula Theater Center in 1986 and served as its artistic director for five years.

Films include The Magnificent Seven Ride!, The Rundown and Erin Brockovich.  On television, Lucking had starring roles on Outlaws and Sons of Anarchy and a recurring role on The A-Team.  Guest credits include M*A*S*H, The Greatest American Hero and The West Wing.

Lucking passed away in 2021.

On the Road: Pennsylvania 2026

As I have mentioned many times before (most recently here), my family has a cabin in the woods in central Pennsylvania.  It is part of a summer community that has enriched all of our lives for over 40 years.  This year's trip was unusual for many reasons, starting with the fact that I was on my own in the cabin.  For various reasons, neither my parents, my wife nor my child could make the trip this time.  So, it was just me.

A tornado hit the community for the first time just a few days before I arrived.  Didn't know Pennsylvania was prone to tornadoes, did you?  Well, they are unusual but not unprecedented.  Even so, the 2026 total so far is already twice the annual average.  Climate change is real, folks.  Fortunately, no one in our community was hurt and only one cabin took serious damage.  The impact on the forest, though, was dramatic.  Many trees were topped, felled and entirely uprooted.  The woods will recover, of course.  The human trauma might have more long-term impact.  Our safe haven suddenly feels considerably less so.

Our place was fine - at least regarding storm damage.  However, after 40 years without serious mouse problems, the little fuckers got in this winter and made quite a mess.  So, unfortunately, I had to devote way too much of time to cleaning it all up.

Even with all of that, it was still nice to be there, and quite enjoyable on my own.  I'm an introvert in the extreme so quality time to myself is always welcome.  Even in the midst of cleaning out all the mouse poop, I was reminded of why the place is still so important to me.  For a variety of reasons, mostly geographical, I did not grow up feeling close to my extended family.  I like them but I haven't really spent much time with them.  Rather than hauling off to Ohio, Nebraska, Texas or wherever the clan resides, we spent our summers in the Pennsylvania woods.  My spiritual cousins are there.  That's what makes the 9+ hour drive worth it.

Star Trek: Before and After

Episode: "Before and After"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 21

Original Air Date: April 9, 1997

via Memory Alpha

The story begins six years in Voyager's future.  Kes is on her death bed.  From there, she experiences a series of flashbacks, living her life in reverse.  We get to know the family she had with Tom Paris and the tragic ends met by some of her shipmates.  Eventually, all is made right.  We - and Kes - return to the "correct" timeline.  And the eternally wise Tuvok reminds everyone that the future Kes experienced is only one possible outcome.

"Before and After" is a popular choice for best of lists for the series.  Because of my bias against time travel narratives - not to mention Voyager's tendency to go to that well far too often - I'm not putting it there.  However, there's no denying it's a lovely character story for Kes and we're running out of those fast.  

In my favorite scene, Kes assures her daughter Linnis that Linnis herself will be a good mother because Kes knows the child will turn out fine.  Because of the way the timeline is messing with her, Kes has actually only known Linnis for a few minutes but she still knows the right thing to say.  Star Trek treats such effortless empathy like a superpower and maybe it is.  Wherever the gift comes from, the moment shows Kes at her best - indeed, the Deanna Troi legacy at its best.  Seven of Nine is about to bring tremendous breadth and depth to the narrative but when Kes leaves, Voyager will lose a lot of heart.

Acting Notes

via Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Wikia

Jessica Collins (Linnis) was born Jessica Lynn Capogna in Schenectady, New York, April 1, 1971.  She was the runner-up in the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1988.  She studied acting at the Royal National Theatre Studio in London and the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles.

Collins is best known for her television work.  She has had starring roles on Loving, The Young and the Restless and Tru Calling.  She won a Daytime Emmy for Y&R.  Guest appearances include Beverly Hills 90210, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Grey's Anatomy.  Films include Beautiful, Catch Me If You Can and Live!

Squid Eats: Palmer Lane Maple

Creemee is Vermont's term for soft serve ice cream.  Our state's twist (pun intended) on the concept is higher butterfat content and, of course, the most famous flavor is maple.  Palmer Lane Maple in Jericho is our local shop.

The Palmers started out as a retail store, with a wide assortment of products from the family's own maple operation: maple candy, maple sugar and, of course, loads of maple syrup, all grades.  Business really took off, though, when they started selling creemees during the warmer months.  They've won Seven Days's Daysie award for Best Creemee in Chittenden County the past four years in a row.