It seemed like a good idea at the time, taking the kids winter camping for their dad’s birthday. I figured he would really appreciate waking up in the woods on his special day. All wrapped up: Six layers of clothing, and nine-month-old Wyatt Hinker might be a happy winter camper. Photo by Bettina Freese He […]
Year: 2009
Showing 2290-2310 of 2958 results
Pimento cheese, please
Pimento cheese—also known as p.c., Carolina caviar and Southern paté—is a truly Southern food. Those of us who grew up here can’t imagine a church picnic, afternoon tea, political rally or lunch-counter menu without sandwiches loaded with the mixture of grated cheese, mayonnaise and sweet peppers. Southern style: The Admiral’s pimento cheese appetizer, which includes […]
Wave a hanky for Cranky
I have been intending to write this note for a very long time, probably years. When I read Cranky Hanke’s words in the Asheville Film Festival program—something to the effect of “when I went from being a fan who wrote nasty letters to critics to being a critic who receives nasty letters from fans”—I knew […]
Keeping abreast
The current brouhaha over public breastfeeding is amazing; I thought we settled this controversy decades ago. Breast milk is the healthiest choice—designed by nature for an infant to get the necessary nutrients—and something we should be encouraging anytime, anywhere. While breastfeeding, mothers should carefully consider what they will feed their children in the future. It’s […]
Rights and more rights
I began reading with interest the recent letter concerning the breastfeeding incident at Denny’s, until the writer began to list the virtues of breastfeeding the infant and the benefits of bonding and nutrition [“Milk of Human Kindness,” Feb. 25]. In no way do I want to negate the benefits of breastfeeding, but I feel that […]
U-R the answer
All right, folks: I have been a member of URTV since its physical beginning. I have labeled cables to become a member and submitted the first series, Attica Cherry—The Anti-Show, and produced over 40 hours of programming at URTV’s studio A. On a personal level, I have watched the progression of events unfold with the […]
Put your shoulder to the MAIN wheel
Due to the recent loss of seven members, the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN) will need new members on its Board of Directors. MAIN is a nonprofit community network using integrated media technologies to expand the local public sphere and to support: • participatory democracy • citizen access to media • independent journalism • local […]
Snowbird
Small Bites
Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack: The secret to surviving the recession isn’t selling something people want: It’s peddling what they need. Think sex, drugs and blazing-hot chicken. Photo by Jonathan Welch “It’s literally one of those addictive things,” Rocky Lindsley, owner of the brand new Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack in Arden, says of his signature dish. […]
A sticky subject
Asheville is not quite as car-obsessed as Baltimore, my childhood home, where it always seemed like people were trying so hard to have the pimpest ride, right down to their eight-ball stick shift. And for whatever reason, I seem to have escaped the car obsession. I do understand why teenagers love them (escape from your […]
Could you be a bit more specific, please?
A casual visitor or newly arrived resident to Asheville/WNC could get pretty turned around (if not turned off) when reading listings in Mountain Xpress regarding events going on around town. In the Feb. 18 issue’s Weekly Picks section, for example, the Sunday pick told us that the “Asheville Mardi Gras Parade starts … in front […]
Bibles, constitutions and marriages
How can someone amend the North Carolina Constitution to include discrimination? The N.C. Constitution is meant to protect people’s rights, not take them away. A group of evangelists and some elected officials want an amendment to our state constitution, banning same-sex marriage. There is already a discriminating law forbidding same-sex couples from getting married—why add […]
It’s never too early
Given the difficult economic times we’re facing in the near future, I’ve got to say I was glad to learn that Cecil Bothwell is running for Asheville City Council. He’s the kind of practical problem-solver we need right now in our city government. I’ve known Cecil for several years, having met him through my work […]
Forest City and Spindale deserve MX
I would think that listening to your thousands of customers and potential advertisers in the Forest City/Spindale market would be something you would take to heart as it pertains to the distribution of Mountain Xpress [“Come Back, MX,” Feb. 18]. Steve Neely and his wife, Carol, are savvy small-business owners who have the pulse of […]
Tethering is no solution
The tragic attack on a 7-year-old boy in Jackson County brings a chance to underscore other factors that may create danger to children. Tethering dogs is not only an infliction of pain and suffering to the animal, but it also endangers other animals and humans as well. Chained dogs are more likely than their free-roaming […]
SoundTrack: Rosbach’s Ode to Winter
Singer/songwriter Eliza Rosbach recently performed for an intimate crowd at BoBo Gallery, marking the beginning of a new female-dominated singer/songwriters gathering to be held on the first Wednesday of every month. These showcases will be hosted by Rosbach and will feature various guest artists. “Yay, female vocal musicians,” cheered Rosbach at the show. “If you […]
Forget paying taxes
I think, with the government giving so much of our money to AIG and the banks and other greedy large and irresponsible companies, that we should just stop paying our taxes. They may put us in jail for doing so, but then we would at least have housing and food and electricity—which many of us […]
Flash dance
The well-traveled Kitty Boniske hasn’t been to Africa yet, but she acknowledges the cultural challenges facing the partnership between Asheville and Osogbo, Nigeria. “One of the things we tend to do is project our assumptions on other cultures,” notes the woman who helped launch Asheville’s sister cities program about 20 years ago. Dancing queens: Osogbo […]
Full-circle Maya
Sister city initiatives are all about forging connections and recognizing what a small world we live in. That’s clearly the case with one of Asheville’s newest sister cities: Valladolid in southern Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The circle begins in Barnardsville, where retired National Geographic Society archaeologist George Stuart lives. Distinguished visitor: Vallalodid, Mexico, officials honored Barnardsville […]
From Russia with love
If you think it’s easy to set up a sister city program, talk to Kitty Boniske. “Vladikavkaz was our third try,” the longtime Asheville Sister Cities volunteer recalls. Two other Russian cities—Klintsy and Kislovotz—just didn’t pan out. Snowy cathedral: The major religions in Asheville’s first Sister City, Vladikavkaz, are Russian Orthodox and Islam. Photo courtesy […]
It’s all Greek
Dennis Hodgson likes to eat and drink coffee at the old Eckerd’s lunch counter in north Asheville, and that’s why Asheville’s fourth sister city is Karpenisi and not some other Greek town, says his wife, Barbara Hodgson. Dennis is a former president of the Asheville Sister Cities board, among other civic service, and one day, […]