Blame Game

The logic escapes me. Not surprising, but some days are worse than others.

I read a recent news article in my local neighborhood paper (yes, an actual newspaper) with the headline, "Dog bites woman, and is euthanized." Since this is my neighborhood paper, I decide to read further to find out if there was a dog on the loose and I didn't know about it.

It turns out the 2-year-old, 91-pound Akita had to be put down because it bit a woman in the nose and lips when she bent down to pet the dog.. The woman was treated for several days at Shock Trauma for her injuries.

The report said the dog had to be euthanized to check for rabies. Fortunately, the test came back negative.

In reading the story further, it turns out the woman who was injured was repeatedly warned not to pet the dog. Let me repeat: the woman who was injured was repeatedly warned not to pet the dog.

So, the woman gets bit and the dog gets killed -- all because the woman did something she was repeatedly told not to do. You can't see it, but my hackles are rising at the lunacy of the woman's actions.

In a small sense, I also think some of the blame for the dog's death has to fall on the owner's shoulders. Perhaps if the dog was up-to-date on its rabies shots, the animal wouldn't have to be destroyed to find out if the pet had the disease.

The onus and majority of the responsibility of this death lies in the lap of the injured woman. I feel bad that she got hurt, but I feel worse that her actions caused the euthanization of a family pet.

To me, this is akin to someone picking up a bottle of cleaner with the words, "POISON. Do Not Ingest," and then suing the cleaner company because the person drank it.

As I said, the logic escapes me. Unfortunately, a dog's life was lost in the process.

I can't stop shaking my head over this. Grrrr. And since I'm in a bad mood, why does a container of pure orange juice cost more than the same size container of some soft drink? Is the cost of growing something naturally more than mixing up a bunch of chemical to create a caramel-colored goo? In this day and age of healthy eating, how screwed up is this? "'Sowwy' doesn't make up for the fact that we had to reside in the unicorn stables for 36 days!"

Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.

Meat On Bone

Ok. I didn't mean to, but apparently I am not alone in my search for good ribs.

I will say that what is good for me may not be good for you. There are so many different flavors, spices and sauces out there to cater to each and every set of taste buds.

Having said that, dive into the BBQ sauce with me!

I will not speak of ribs from "family restaurants" like Chili's, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's and others of their ilk. It isn't that their ribs are terrible -- it is just that they don't really barbecue with smoke and flame in their own establishment. If they do, then they really are pathetic.

In the Baltimore-Washington area, there are four legitimate restaurants that call themselves rib places where I have partaken of charred meat on bone. Each has its own quality, but there is delineation between each.

The Corner Stable in Cockeysville only gets 1 "bone" out of 4 from me. The ribs lack a certain uniqueness in their flavor. They aren't bad -- they just don't fill me with longing to come back for more. I visited a couple of times and there was no continuity of flavor with the meat or their sauces. Call me weird (and many do), but I like knowing what I'm going to get when I go to a specialty restaurant.

Red, Hot and Blue in Laurel gets 2 1/2 "bones" in a fine effort. The meat is good, flavorful and abundant. I like the spices they use on the rack and they do a fairly good job of charring up the meat on the bone. My biggest gripe with them is the sauces. None of them really light up my taste buds and they all taste about the same. Am I a "sauce snob?" Probably.

Famous Dave's is new to my culinary party. I've been there twice and will probably go back for more. I'm going to give them 3 "bones," but they are conditional because the sample is small. The baby back ribs were okay, but the full ribs were so much better. Good char on the meat and lots of spice in the rub. And the sauces -- wow! Five different sauces and each had their own characteristic flavor. My favorite was the Devil's Spit sauce -- a nice spicy sauce with just a bit of heat. If you like "side dishes with your frozen waffles" (sorry, South Park reference), the baked beans were very tasty, but the cornbread lacked sweetness that I prefer in my cornbread.

My winner with 3 1/2 "bones" is Andy Nelson's in Hunt Valley. It looks like a little shack along the side of York Road, but it actually is housed in two separate buildings -- just follow your nose. The meat is plentiful and just falls off the bone -- a good test for a rib place. The sauce is very flavorful, but they just put too much on sometimes (my only drawback). And the ribs are fresh, because you can smell them constantly as the turnover is quick. The service is great and the atmosphere is what you expect from rib place. I can polish off a full rack and feel quite satisfied for several hours. A real winner in my opinion (your mileage may vary).

Two other quick mentions: Wayne's Bar-B-Que had the best cornbread -- other than my mom's -- that I've ever had. Wayne sold his place and quit the business. There is also a place in Georgetown (I can't think of the name -- help me!) that specialized in meat on bone. I went there once and it was pretty good. They had, I think, 8 or 9 different sauces, so the selection was good. But like I said, I only went there once. ROAD TRIP!!!

These are my choices. They are based solely on my impressions and taste buds. It is not my intention to diss anyone's favorite restaurant, but I would love to hear who you think makes the best ribs in the area. Not only will we pass along our favs, but hopefully, we'll all find new places to eat.

And if by chance we do come to a consensus, we should all get together for a rib feast. Who can bring the wet-naps?

Food is the great divider, but also brings people together. Ribs are like chili -- everyone has an opinion and everyone's opinion varies. There is plenty to go around, so don't hog (bad pun) all the good ribs for yourself. And if you find another "specialty" restaurant -- one that emphasizes a certain food or style -- be sure to share with your TEA friends. "Turn your insides out to the outside/Turn the outside in to the inside/Trade your outside in for the inside."

Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.

To Do Or To Just Think?

Is it better to want to do good, or perform the act of doing good?

Can you do good without meaning to? And does it count as much unless the intent is there?

Intent plays such a big part in many aspects of life. Parents are encouraging their children to "do your best." Athletes are lauded for giving 110 percent even if they don't win.

In our court system, intent is key in doling out punishment, and even charges are decided by what the alleged criminal's intent was. For example, if I intend to hit someone with my car, it is completely different than if I didn't intend to, but accidentally, create the same injury.

Conversely, if I try to help someone who is down and out by giving them money, but they use it to buy drugs or alcohol, am I really doing good -- even though my intent was to help them? So many different paths and how can we tell which to take?

Irish writer and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, "It's always with the best intentions that the worst work is done." Does that mean that unless I actually perform the act that I'm not doing good?

Another quote that makes the rounds often is "The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention." By this, good actions are always more important than any plan to do good, but can you do one without the other?

I feel like you can do either or both. Karma, in my view, is a fluid river, and to keep it going in the right direction, good intentions and actions are needed. There shouldn't be one exclusively, but you can't do enough to put you on the plus side on the ledger of life.

Show Me

A quick aside, we were discussing concealed weapons and I questioned the intelligence of having a concealed weapon.

I mean, if I want to carry a gun for protection and I have it concealed, a mugger will still try to assault me. But if I'm carrying it out in the open, he knows what I have and will probably shy away.

Make all concealed weapons illegal and start handing out holsters. I'm not saying we need to go back to the Wild West, but we don't hide our nuclear weapons, which are supposed to be deterrents from other countries attacking us.

I don't like guns, so I'm not carrying one -- even if it is legal. And I'm certainly not moving to Texas where carrying one unconcealed is legal. Nothing against Texas -- I love BBQ! Speaking of BBQ, I'm on a mission to find the best restaurant ribs. What a yummy quest -- anyone want to join me? "You can see the shadows wandering off somewhere/They won't make it home/But they don't really care."

Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.