The Rebel Palate

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Comu si Beddra by Angelo Daddelli & i Picciotti!) Ciao, ribelli. Gangster media is a staple of American pop culture. Everybody knows about The Sopranos, The Godfather and Goodfellas. Sometimes we sympathize with Mob characters or fantasize about being in their shoes. They have just about every status symbol- money, power, and ways of showing their money and power. Plus people have a morbid fascination with crime. But at the end of the day, we don't want to catch ourselves thinking we like the Mafia. In real life, they're real trouble. And forget about joining them- even the movies can tell you it's not a good idea. The victims are real, but in Sicily, they're taking a stand. Addiopizzo (or "Goodbye Pizzo"), is a nonprofit organization based in Sicily. They have a travel service and an online store . They partner with local businesses that refuse to pay the pizzo, or...

Happy New Year, rebels. I've gotta admit something to you all. I don't think I've been terribly honest the few months I've worked on this blog. I didn't lie in any of my posts. Intentionally, at least. I like to believe all the information I share is accurate or otherwise accounted for (hence the constant "don't take my word for this, but..." disclaimers). I've been lying to myself , if anything. THE REALITY CHECK I intended The Rebel Palate's schedule to work for people with "real jobs". Initially I wanted one post every Monday and Thursday. Monday was to give people an extra hit of dopamine to get through the week, and Thursday was to keep them sane while waiting for Friday.  I always post at 1:37 pm, because I wanted it to be sometime in the middle of the day, and 1:37 in 24-hour time is 13:37. Add that to the "Ways I Pretend I'm Older Than I Actually Am" list. I think I was only semi-consistent during The Month of Th...

I have a love-hate relationship with marketing gimmicks, which sheds some light on how my brain works.   (Click here to jump to the recommended song, Santa Claus is Back in Town by Elvis Presley!) Howdy rebels. This is one of many times of year when we're bombarded by cheesy, tacky and sometimes slimy advertising. As a rebel, I don’t like corporate tomfoolery. I don’t like it when companies try to make you want something you never thought to buy. Especially when it’s supposed to “solve” an incredibly minor inconvenience that affects all humans for simply existing. I see things like this every time I walk into a store. Especially the “aisle of shame” at Aldi and pretty much all of Walmart. Unnecessary products with some “revolutionary new feature” that’s meant to make it better or easier or some other “er”. Honestly I hate the implication that someone’s actually buying those things instead of living their everyday lives th...

It's officially December, but not everybody likes Christmas tunes. That doesn't mean you can't listen to winter music! Here's my ten cents in eight songs. Happy December, Rebels. Do you hate Christmas songs, or know someone who does? Are you throwing a religiously inclusive holiday party? Here are eight songs you can play for Christmas that technically don’t mention Christmas. I can imagine there are many lists like these, so I’ve given myself some rules: 1. I must write at least 100 words about each entry. Super meta, but if there’s nothing to say I won’t try to say it. This prevents me from throwing up a bunch of links and calling it a day, and means I have to get creative in both my descriptions and song choices. 2. If they’re non-lyrical, they shouldn’t be covers of lyrical Christmas songs or belong in a Christmas-themed setting. For example, Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Carol of The Bells is instrumental, but a cover of a song with Christmas lyrics. Cocoa from ...

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...