FREE WHITEWATER

Animals, Weather

Ice Cream Eating Woodchuck

by  • 

You may understandably have some disappointment with Punxsutawney Phil’s forecasting ability this year (over 81% of FW poll respondents said he was criminally liable for bad forecasting).

Well, groundhogs and woodchucks are the same animal (Marmota monax), and you might want to see how contrite this groundhog/woodchuck is about his erroneous prediction from February.

He’s so upset, he’s having… ice cream.

Cats, Poll

Friday Catblogging & Poll: Elegant or Evil Glint?

by  • 

Over at the Daily Mail, there’s a story about a Romanian cat show, with 200 cats in competition.  (See, “Their beauty must be on the inside! Some of the world’s most miserable looking cats enter competition to find most attractive feline (though at least one of them was adorable!”).

Needless to say, it’s hardly a ringing endorsement of the cats, many of whom where Sphynx cats. Consider how the Daily Mail captions one of the contestants:

MailOnlineCatShow

What do you think? Is this cat really “Frightening: A Sphynx cat with bat-like ears and an evil glint in its narrowed eyes”? I’m going with elegant (I think he looks very sharp, actually), but what do you think?


Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 4.12.13

by  • 

Good morning.

Whitewater’s week ends with a cloudy & rainy day, with a high of forty-three.

On this day in 1861, the Civil War begins:

The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter inSouth Carolina‘s Charleston Bay. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection.”

Google-a-Day is designed to encourage web searches, and today’s very particular history question is an example: “At the time of signing, what was the title of the man who is the first of the two names in the name of the 1901 treaty that nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty?”

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 4.11.13

by  • 

Good morning.

Thursday brings morning rain, with a high of forty-two.

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets this afternoon at 4:30 PM.

On this day in 1814, Napoleon is exiled to Elba, the first of two places of exile for the French autocrat:

…Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba….

In 1812, thinking that Russia was plotting an alliance with England, Napoleon launched an invasion against the Russians that eventually ended with his troops retreating from Moscow and much of Europe uniting against him. In 1814, Napoleon’s broken forces gave up and Napoleon offered to step down in favor of his son. When this offer was rejected, he abdicated and was sent to Elba.

In March 1815, he escaped his island exile and returned to Paris, where he regained supporters and reclaimed his emperor title, Napoleon I, in a period known as the Hundred Days. However, in June 1815, he was defeated at the bloody Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon’s defeat ultimately signaled the end of France’s domination of Europe. He abdicated for a second time and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, where he lived out the rest of his days. He died at age 52 on May 5, 1821, possibly from stomach cancer, although some theories contend he was poisoned.

On 4.11.1965, Palm Sunday, devastating tornadoes:

1965 – Palm Sunday Tornadoes Ravage Midwest

On this date six tornadoes, part of the “Palm Sunday” outbreak, ripped across Southern Wisconsin, causing 3 deaths and 65 injuries. The outbreak of 51 tornadoes was responsible for 260 deaths and over $200 million in damages throughout the states of Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. [Source:National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office]

Google-a-Day asks a question about English history: “Which of Mary Stuart’s conspirators devised the plot to murder her cousin who, at the time, occupied the throne of England?”

 

Food, Restaurant, Review

Restaurant Review: Cozumel

by  • 


View Larger Map

Whitewater has more than one Mexican restaurant, and when there are at least two, there’s bound to be a question of which is authentic, genuine, somehow true to Mexican cuisine, etc. It’s not the only question, though: a necessary, preliminary question is whether the restaurant serves enjoyable fare. Ask that initial question, and you’ll get an answer that truly does matter.

Cozumel, located in a small strip mall on Whitewater’s west side, is a good choice for Mexican cuisine in Whitewater. The food is enjoyable, the décor festive and happy, and the staff attentive, all at reasonable prices. (Cozumel has more than one location; this review derives from three visits to the Whitewater location on Main Street. I’d not review a large chain; this review is of a small local establishment, with two sister restaurants.)

I’m no admirer of a strip-mall aesthetic, but the match between location, design, and patrons is a choice among many people, and not one critic. There are limited locations in a small town; look past the entrance and good things may (and in this case do) await.
The tables and chairs display colorful carvings of parrots, and other animals, in sunny landscapes. It’s not subtle, but it is happy. Oddly disarming, really: sit for a bit, while having some chips and a Modelo Especial (a pilsner-style lager), and the atmosphere beguiles. The service is attentive, arriving at table quickly and visiting at convenient intervals during the meal.

Writing about what makes a good dish in a review of Karina’s, I observed an easy truth:

…what’s an entrée, what’s a principal dish? One might say that it’s a collection of ingredients. Under this thinking, a beef burrito might be the combination of beef, garlic, cumin, hot sauce, lettuce, tortillas, cheese, salsa (itself the combination of several ingredients), etc.

That’s true, of course, but it’s only part of what makes ingredients a dish.

Bronze is an alloy, of copper and tin, for example, but it’s only an alloy when of certain proportions, and when mixed together in a particular way. Sitting the elements next to each other isn’t enough.

Whitewater’s Cozumel succeeds because the dishes served are a proper whole, the ingredients mixed to form an enjoyable, single result. Spices and sauces are a full part of the dish, not merely a constituent element ostracized on one side of the plate, or on top of vegetables or accompanying ingredients. The result at Cozumel is flavorful throughout, tender throughout, with the right balance between different textures.

Cozumel has a large menu, with lunch and dinner choices from among seafood, poultry, beef or steak. Vegetarians will find good options, too (about six designated as such on the menu, with two choices of salads also wholly vegetarian, I’d say).

Among my favorites, and those of my dining companions: Milanesa (thinly sliced, grilled steak), Salad Cozumel (grilled chicken over romaine, red peppers, tomatoes), and Pollo Verde (grilled chicken with melted cheese and avocado sauce).

On my last visit a requested dish was unavailable from the kitchen; I did not encounter a similar situation on my other visits. In any event, everything served was properly prepared, with ample selections on offer.

Recommended. Go and have a good time, leaving others’ pretensions behind.

Enjoy.

LOCATION: 1139 W Main St Whitewater, Whitewater, WI 53190 (262) 472-0131. See, Google Map and directions embedded at the beginning of this review.

OPEN: Mon-Sat, 11 AM – 10 PM and Sun, 12 PM – 9 PM.

PRICES: Main dish and a drink for about $15.

RESERVATIONS: Unnecessary.

DRINKS: Tea, coffee, soda, Mexican beer, mixed drinks.

SOUND: Moderate level, from happy, chatty patrons.

SERVICE: Agreeably attentive.

VISITS: Three (lunch, two dinners).

RATING: Recommended.

GoldStarGoldStarGoldStar

RATING SCALE: From one to four stars, representing the full experience of food, atmosphere, service, and pricing.

INDEPENDENCE: This review is delivered without financial or other connection to the establishment or its owner. The dining experience was that of an ordinary patron, without notice to the staff or requests for special consideration.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 4.10.13

by  • 

Good morning.

We have a rainy day with a high of forty-one.

The Tech Park Board is scheduled to meet at 8 AM this morning.

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes a major-league player with the Brooklyn Dodgers:

Jackie Robinson, 28-year-old infielder, yesterday became the first Negro to achieve major-league baseball status in modern times. His contract was purchased from the Montreal Royals of the International League by the Dodgers and he will be in Brooklyn uniform at Ebbets Field today, when the Brooks oppose the Yankees in the first of three exhibition games over the week-end.

A native of Georgia, Robinson won fame in baseball, football, basketball and track at the University of California at Los Angeles before entering the armed service as a private. He emerged a lieutenant in 1945 and in October of that year was signed to a Montreal contract. Robinson’s performances in the International League, which he led in batting last season with an average of .349, prompted President Branch Rickey of the Dodgers to promote Jackie.

On imagines it’s not easy to be the president of France, and yet it’s tragically harder to be his camel:

Google-a-Day asks a weather & geography question: “What region of the U.S. was the focus of ice-breaking operations by the U.S. Coastguard in 2011?”