The Rebel Palate

Howdy, Rebels! It's been almost a year, and I feel like it's finally time to ask YOU, THE PEOPLE how I can improve The Rebel Palate. Those who fill out this ten-question survey will be the most SEXY BEAUTIFUL Rebels on the Internet and earn my eternal gratitude. You know, whatever value that has to you. Stay sexy!

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Maple by Galgox (Googie on YouTube)!) In New England, maple trees are everywhere. We know them mostly for their sap that’s boiled down into delicious syrup, but they give us other things, too. Yes, other than wood. In fall they drop their helicopter seeds, and in spring they drop red or green blossoms (depending on the species). Spring is also when the seeds grow into little tree sprouts. Recently, I’ve figured out how to take advantage of this. The blossoms can be made into tea and the sprouts can be made into… cooked sprouts. This is a short one. I’m still trying to figure out the Average Joe Rule I talked about in January . Health and safety disclaimer: I highly recommend you wash anything you find in or on the ground. I mean, I’m pretty sure you do that anyway.  Also, I only think these are edible because I’ve eaten them and not died. Eat unfamiliar foods at your own discretion. MAPLE BLOSSOM TEA If you want maple blossoms, now’s the ti

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Stray Cat Strut by The Stray Cats!) Howdy, rebels. I've said it before: if you want to sell me something, put a wacky cartoon on the label. Lately, though, I've figured out cartooniness isn't the whole picture. Not every cartoon design works on me, especially ones like this: The Cookie Crisp wolf reeks of the vaguely Disney- or Tex Avery-like designs from the 90s with no real style. It's like someone put all the good stuff in a frying pan and let the real essence boil off, leaving a chewy, bland substance. Sure, it's recognizable, especially with the big purple nose, but even Little Bites' blueberry muffins had that. There are some parts I like about the Cookie Crisp wolf, like how the ears are drawn a little differently than other styles, or the cel shading (AKA no shading) on this recent version. But it has no identity.

(Click here to jump to today's recommended song, Gene Vincent's cover of Unchained Melody!) It's Valentine's Day, rebels! Even though I didn't post this in December like I wanted to, Valentine's Day is an equally opportune time to talk about making cookies. Last year, I got this Mirro "Cooky" Press for my birthday, because someone needed to get rid of it and thought I'd want it. And why not? It's food-related, it's old, and it's obscure. I wasn't sure how old it was at first, so I did some minor digging. Using The Internet Archive's handy-dandy "search within text" function (which I used in this post ), I found documents containing "Mirro Cooky Press" from as far back as 1949. A book called Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles says it's from the "1940s-1950s", and since it came out in the final year of the 40s... let's just call it 50s.

Welcome to the rabbit hole.                                                                                                                       (Click here to jump to the recommended song, Jesus Lover of My Soul by Brigham Young University Choir!) In August of 2021, I went to a fancy cheese shop and ordered from the ever-intimidating "big girl counter" for the very first time. I didn't know what I wanted, so I ended up with four ounces of Appenzeller, some Gruyere with black truffles in it, and a cast-iron mouse I named Tony Squeak. The Appenzeller took some- sorry, a lot of getting used to. It smelled like cat pee and feet with a hint of jasmine. It's kind of a miracle that humans smell that and think, "edible". But then I got used to it. And boy, did I ever. I went from hating the rind, the smelliest part with all the mold on it, to actively seeking it out whenever I got myself a slice. You'd have to experience it

(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