Hello folks,
My first post and and on the horns of dilemma. I have ordered an Alba Low D. Stacey won’t send it until this Friday. I am also itching for an alto G and I believe I will save 10£ if I order them together. If I order them together, I will be eating burritos for a month. Should I suffer the culinary deprivation for the sensory nirvana?
BTW, I am 62, live in the Texas Hill Country, a former piper, a present guitarist and was raised by dogs. Best.
Depends. What kind of dogs?
CD…
Being 62 myself, and having been raised by wolves, I think I’m reasonable in saying that eating burritos for a month will afford you the, er, wind to wail away on your new Albas.
I play lows…but not Albas…and they’re a gas! hoo boy…
Burritos ain’t bad, why, I once ate nothing else for an entire summer. Apart from a nonexistent social life, no bad results. 
Get the whistles dog.
Aren’t you going to be eating burritos for a month anyway? You certainly are not going to spend your money on Texas BBQ or that greasy, gristly, amorphous mass of agglutinization that Texans call chili, are you?
Get the whistles.
Well said mate. Irish Wolf Hounds of course. So are you saying that my wife will like me all the better for my windy humour and squawking whistles. And she thought she was safe when I sold the Marshall and Les Paul.
I bet you put BEANS in what you call chili! Blasphemy!!!
Buy them both. Then get out on the streets and do some busking!
i myself was raised by dolphins---------------and being from the US of A-----------and that the pound is currancy hoseing US-------------i would save myself the 20.00$- go for it
It depends upon what kind of chili I am making. If I am making northern boy chili (what you would call “vegetable soup”), I do, but if I am making Wick Fowler style chili, whether from scratch or from Wick’s fine 2-Alarm kit, I forgo the beans, unless I am making it for children or invalids.
(Yes, I do know who Wick Fowler is, and if more Texas chili were made the Wick Fowler way, the world would be a better place. If I remember correctly, Wick says the beans are optional, but I think many Texans leave the beans out because they fear the beans will mask the delicate flavor and texture of the gristle.)
Gristle – rhymes with whistle, which you should get.
Some spouses unaccountably prefer the wind…beany or not…to the delightful racket of the whistler’s learning curve. I say, what are a few battered nerve-endings between old friends? (That being said, I tend to whistle out of earshot…)
Thank you friends for your humour and encouragement. You remind me of my piping buddies.
Back when I was playing whistles (about 9 years ago), I had a Burke Pro ALuminium low D and a Session D. I thought they were very nice quality but a bit tame. I was also playing pipes with the band at the time and probably going deaf. My thinking is the that Albas might be a little more strident
Anyone have experience with the Alba low D or alto G? Yes, I have done a search and found some info. Thanks.
Burritos are good. Get the whistles.
I’m sure I knew this in my reckless youth, but the non-drug-and-alcohol-soaked mind of middle age can’t call it up. What’s the difference between Texas chili and other chili? (I’m not talking some of the unique chilis like New Mexico or Cincinnati.) I presume Texas chili is heavy on the beef, but is there anything else? Cumin, veggies, tabasco peppers, anything like that?
Hello,
Texas Chili has no beans. The way I make involves these basic ingredients: 4 pounds of sirloin steak (sometimes I’ll use venison); 20 habenero peppers; 10 pablano peppers; 20 chipolte peppers; 2 chopped onions; 10 minced garlic cloves; oregano; cumino, salt; olive oil and masa flour. I cube the meat and sear in a hot cast iron skillet. I soak the peppers, then puree and then simmer for awhile. When the peppers have combined into a thick sauce, I add the spices, onions and garlic. Then I add the meat and simmer for a few hours. I’ll add the masa flour if I need to thicken. This will definitely make the top of your head sweat but should not cause respiratory failure.
That’s about it. Of course there are many variations; but this recipe is pretty representative. Best.
Ramen noodles if necessary but go for the G. It is a great little whistle.
Ron
An indication of CDog’s good, pure and true heart.
You can make chili in any number of ways – You can do it CDog’s style (note the absence of tomatoes and beans), you can do it gonzo’s northern boy chili with tomatoes and beans, or you can open up a package of Wick Fowler’s fine 2-Alarm Chili kit and follow the instructions.
But fer gawd’s sake, use good meat.
If you are using cubed meat, use something that’s half-assed edible to start with, like taht sirloin, and not those cheap hunks of cow ass that sell for a buck a pound in the nether regions of the meat case.
If you are using ground meat, get the good, lean 96-4 instead of the pink suet in the 5 pound chub in the freezer section at Walmart. Tha chub stuff is about half grease, the other half being a sordid mixture of pulverized cow rectums, pig scrotums and duck lips.
You start with good meat, you are halfway there. Now then, good meat calls for good seasonings. Don’t use “chili seasoning”; it’s got salt and pepper and msg and fiberglass and all kinds of adulterants. Either use real chilis like CDog does or seek out some good chili powder. (Here’s a hint: it will not come in a can.)
There are some unfortunate, benighted souls in the faraway corners of hell who do not use cumin in their chili. These are the same kind of people who would put cocoa in chili. They are also liars; their feet stink and they beat their cats.
And finally – the masa does nice stuff. Those who haven’t tried it are missing out on something.
I certainly agree about the cumin. There must be cumin. Plenty of it. If it doesn’t smell like an armpit, you don’t have chili.
I’ll have to try the masa. Tell me more.
Get some Wick Fowler’s 2-Alarm and follow the directions on the package. It uses a little packet of masa. You can decide whether you like it without having to buy a lifetime supply of masa, which is what a 5-pound sack would be.
You’ll also get a pretty decent pot of chili, but it will be very different from Minnesota chili.
I’m ambidextrous, both in handedness and chili. If I’m cooking for many, I do chili in three parts – one is meat, chiles (lots of 'em, mostly habs), bouillon, beer, and cumin and herbs. Best cooked a long time, or cooked a couple of hours and then aged in the fridge. The second is veggie – onions, peppers, chiles, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and herbs. The third is beans with herbs and chili spices. I know vegetarians and people who don’t eat beans.
I’ve tried my hand at some of the unusual chilis. My Cincinnati chili didn’t turn out anything like Skyline, but the little kids I made it for (the spaghetti was cut up) liked it.
Since I’m without a kitchen for a month and entertaining (including a vegetarian) this weekend, I might be doing chili.
Or grilled pizza.