The Rebel Palate

Turns out acorns aren't just for squirrels. They're for humans, too- and they tase pretty darn good in biscotti. Weird, natural AND obscure! (Click here to jump to the recommended song, Brains by Aurelio Voltaire!) Howdy, rebels! Sorry for the embarrassingly short post on Thursday . I must take full responsibility for the crappy way I handled it. I didn't think the subject matter would be an absolute nothing sandwich, and I'd already "promised" to write something about maple syrup being out-of-season . So yes, apologies. Can't say it'll never happen again because I'm in the Early Installment Weirdness phase. I'm sure one day I'll regret 11 out of 10 of these posts. Anyway! Every fall I used to make acorn bread. My family hated it, but they were too nice to say so and ignored it instead, making me (read: our chickens) eat the rest. My dad said it "tasted honest", which I take as a compliment, but ...

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Bone Wagon by Peter McConnell!) Dandelions! You may hate them, but add spices and you've got yourself a nice cup of tea that's perfect for fall. Read this to find out how! Howdy, rebels! We're well into October. The leaves are changing into beautiful, warm colors, the air is crisp and my white girl instinct has been activated. I'm not a fan of pumpkin spice lattes, or any lattes for that matter, but this is the time when my cravings for chai-analogous spices kick in. It just so happens that I make a dandelion root tea using such spices! Let me show you how. First, a word of warning: Dandelion sap is a natural form of latex, so use dandelions at your own risk. I advise against using it if you're allergic to latex. If you're not sure, you may want to rub a broken stem on an inconspicuous area of your skin. You really should ask your doctor, though. I don't want to be responsible if you break out into a rash or g...

I've been confused about this for four years: WHY is maple syrup a fall flavor?! It's harvested in early spring! Well, I SORT of get an answer. (Click here to jump to the recommended song, Minnie The Moocher by Cab Calloway!) Howdy, rebels! Today I set out to answer a question nobody asked. In 2017, I noticed sudden mentions of maple syrup as a fall flavor. This confused the crap outta me. "But maple syrup is for early spring! Why is it a fall thing all of a sudden?" I asked. Now that this blog exists, I set out to find the answer, which turned out to be a lot of answers. Mostly guesses. We'll get to that. Prior to any research, I assumed it was something to do with location and availability. Since maple syrup is high in sugar, it keeps well and is available year-round. Perhaps leaf peepers come up here and buy maple syrup in fall, then associate the flavor with the season. I'm not satisfied with that answer...

It's October, and you know what that means: time to celebrate all things wacky, wild, and WEIRD! No tricks- this is gonna be a treat! (Click here to jump to the recommended song, the Moville Mysteries Theme Song by Jonathan Evans and George Tevlin!)    Howdy, Rebels!   It's October, and you know what that means: Spooky time! It's time to kick off The Month Of The Weird!  WHAT IS "THE WEIRD"?    "The Weird" is the name I've given to all things B-horror. Think Boris Karloff movies, horror pulp novels, weird monster art- anything campy, occult-themed and just plain WEIRD!   Though not a subculture in itself, The Weird often runs alongside rebellious subcultures like rockabilly, psychobilly and goth. And during October, I'm all about that. Here are some visual examples to give you the general vibe:   Photo credit: 3btheaterposterarchive.wordpress.com Photo credit: wwcomics.com   Photo credit: Mike Nelson ...