Eight Feet Deep

Bloggers Note: Since I am going to write this ridiculous blog no matter what then perhaps I can sometimes bestow upon my unsuspecting public a little knowledge that may (or may not)do them good. With that in mind I hereby introduce the first of a new EFD feature called “Meaty Mondays” in which I will review some restaurant or other eatery where I grabbed an eat during the previous week. Just because it is “Meaty” doesn’t mean that it is entirely dedicated to carnivorous pursuits. But you can pretty well bet your ass that I won’t be spending a lot of time reviewing Vegan hangouts either. Just a fair warning because hell hath no fury like a bunch of disappointed vegans. Which brings me to today’s Meat: The soul of College Street in Beaumont, Texas, Richard’s Cafe. Hit it Richard!

If you can sit in a half-dark old eatery and hear a Zydeco version of “Poppa Was a Rolling Stone” while you chow down on oxtail or ribs or pork chops then you either have to be sitting in the little joint just off to the side of St. Peter’s Way Station or else you’re in Richard’s Cafe at 2510 College St. in Beaumont, Texas.

There is nothing fancy about Richard’s ‘cept the food and it is fancy as in elegant down home soul. The wall has a weird flower mural with a lighthouse, the tables and chairs look like they were brought in sometime after the Great Flood but as long as there is something hot there under the steam table then you won’t worry about it anyway.

Richard’s got the baddest pork chops in town and that usually is my pick but today I felt a little adventurous and opted for the ribs. They are done up in a bright red sauce that makes you want to rub it all in your face and hands and hair if you have a face hands and hair, or even if you don’t. And tender? Sho’ nuff they’re tender. I also went with the dirty rice which is stout and I can’t quite still make out the deciding flavor but I know what I like and I like it. You can’t go wrong with cabbage and greens as well, especially when you got your pepper sauce and a few little chunks of cornbread. All of which is then ready to be washed down with a glass of tea about the size of the Sears Tower on the Windy City’s skyline.

There is just no getting around it. You got your soul food and then you got Richard’s soul food and Richard will win every time.

I don’t know what the hours are because it said “5 ’till” on the door, so we can take that to mean … 5 till something. Okay, here is the price primer today:

Arm — $10 or so. No second mortgage required.

Leg — $10-$50. Hey bro can you spare an extra Hamilton?

Arm & a Leg — >$50. Uh, can you hook this chain around that there ATM for me? Thank you, thank you very much.

Richard’s Cafe
2510 College St.
Beaumont, TX
(409)835-7063
Price:

Since I have nothing better to do today I should not feel bad that I spent most of the afternoon listening to the various, wonderful tunes on Los Lobos’ Web site. So I am not feeling bad. Quite the contrary. I feel very uplifted that I sat for a couple of hours listening to songs off “Will The Wolf Survive,” “By the Light of the Moon,” and “Kiko” as well as “The Town and the City” and even “Acoustic En Vivo.”

Listening to Los Lobos songs is a little like taking a crash course in musical history. There is absolutely no doubt that this little band from East L.A. is first and foremost a rock and roll band. But they throw in the kitchen sink of styles and genre — jazz, blues, Tex-Mex, Cajun, various Latino styles and perhaps some types of music yet to be invented.

If there are regrets of mine they would include not having listened to enough Los Lobos, such as “Kiko” which is kind of like an East L.A. “Dark Side of the Moon.” Today was the first time I listened to “Kiko.” And I have to say it pretty much knocked my zapatos y calcetines off. There are definitely worst ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

It is, sadly, predictable that something so putrid as the news the CIA destroyed video tapes on which questionable interrogation tactics could be found has surfaced. It is just one more instance of just how morally bankrupt is our current presidential administration. I would not expect the CIA under a George Orwellian W. Bush government to leave evidence lying around that might put some top governmental officials in the crosshairs of international war crimes tribunals. Hey, haven’t you heard? 9/11 is our excuse to act morally reprehensible in front of the rest of the world while we preach our perfection of democracy, with the littlest “d” possible. It’s a good thing that a lot of people who live in this country, such as myself, actually love our country. Because if we didn’t feel like this nation wasn’t worth saving we would be facing probably days much darker than those of the mid-19th century. Are matters really that serious facing our nation and its future place in the world? You bet your ass they are. And the quicker people start figuring that out and getting sick of the kind of crap we are letting the Bush regime get away with the faster we can once again be a nation that can truly hold up its head and make our world neighbors enviable instead of disgusted.

MITT

ROMNEY

BRIGHAM YOUNG

Mitt Romney’s speech at Aggieland USA this morning was hardly a JFK moment. But if I had it to do over again I sure would have liked to have been Mitt Romney’s dentist. I mean, does he have great teeth or what? And that hair. He out-hairs Rick Perry.

At least nine people are dead after a man opened fire in an Omaha, Neb., mall today. Included among the dead was the gunman.

While this is certainly sad and somewhat shocking to most people it is even more shocking that incidents of such nature don’t occur more often. A high body count can take place anywhere a high number of targets happen to gather. I’m not saying that to be callous or certainly not trying to be funny but rather I am stating a fact. And, especially during the Christmas season, people’s nerves are all on jagged edges and they may occasionally fall over those edges. You never know when someone is going to snap and if he or she has a gun when that break happens, then Katy bar the door. Or rather, Katy hide behind the door.

Having spent three days in the VA hospital last week plus hearing of this latest mass shooting raises a thought I have had time and again. It is that I am amazed more people don’t go over the edge and shoot up their local VA hospital or clinic. You have people — both patients and workers — who may have serious mental health issues and veterans who are VA patients may sometime get treated like the worst piece of s**t on your shoe in such facilities. Perhaps the fact that most VA facilities now have armed police may act as a deterrent but I kind of doubt that would deter someone who really wanted to light up the place.

I hope my biggest hopes that nothing of that sort happens at a VA hospital or clinic. But some of the smart asses or worthless states of matter who occasionally get jobs at the VA may just piss off the wrong person one of these days and the news will be all over it and people will say: “We didn’t see this coming!” Well, yes, you really should have seen this coming but I don’t care to be the one to say “I told you so.”