Everything But Anchovies

WARNING: Skip this post if you don't give a crap about the history of the drinking age in New York. (Yes, when I'm in procrastinatory mode, you all suffer!) )

OK, Eric... I feel a bet comin' on...

(Man, I never would've guessed, at the time (16 years ago), that I'd someday be having one of these "geezers-in-rocking-chairs" arguments (especially in a hockey forum (hell, there wasn't even an internet then!)) over a date that was so "traumatic" to so many of us in the Class of '88...) (Cornell Hockey Tie-in: But, hey, at least we had the '86 ECAC championship a few months later to help us forget our sorrows!) )

Umm... back to the bet... A case of beer (appropriately enough) says that the age went from 19 to 21 on Dec. 1, '85 -- not on Jan. 1, '86. (I've searched the internet (I'm not too good at that sorta thing), and all I've been able to come up with is that "19-->21" happened "in 1985".

While I was fairly confident about "late '82" being the timing of the 18-to-19 jump, I will concede that, since I was only 16 at the time, I'm not totally positive about the precise date for that one (it wasn't as acutely painful as the '85 change).

One thing's for sure, however: There's no way the age went from 18 to 19 on Jan. 1, '85, because that would've meant that I became legal on my 18th birthday (in '84), and that definitely didn't happen! That's for damn sure! (If your dates were both correct, then that would mean that I became legal on 3 separate occasions!! Yikes!!)

Also, I am very sure that I was legal for exactly 6 weeks, and that that period of legality ended on Dec. 1, '85. For "evidence", I looked at my '85-'86 Cornell calendar, and, on Wed., Nov. 27, there is the following notation:

"FINAL BEER RUN... (2) 6-packs: Tuborg & Michelob"

The reason why that "final" beer run occurred 3 days sooner than on the absolutely last possible day was that I spent those final 3 days out of state (for Thanksgiving break).

The reasons why I only purchased two 6-packs are... ummm... well... 1.) How much beer can you fit in a dorm-room fridge? 2.) Hey, we all knew that, thanks to fake ID's, it would pretty much be business as usual, anyway!

And the reason why I would buy such crappy beer... well... All I can do is use the "poor student" and "ignorant youth" excuses. When I became legal again, two years later, my malt beverage purchases betrayed a more sophisticated palate (thanks, in part, to finally having some money).

Yeah... and that's all I have to say about that...

Woo-hoo!! 100th post!!

(PS -- Significant editing at 3:30pm).

Eric Hoffman wrote: "...it certainly didn't stop me from drinking. Hey that's what dorm and off-campus parties were for!!!!"

And Dino's too!

Of course... you could live in one of those states that foregoes said federal highway money and continues to have the legal age of 18.

Okay there are no states like that, but half-state Puerto Rico does it. And it has the lowest drunk driving rate in the country. Makes you think.

Yes, but what's the DRIVER rate in Puerto Rico? I have to imagine that cars per person is lower than, say, Connecticut.

Pretend John's silly quote about statistics is here.

Felix Rodriguez wrote:

Of course... you could live in one of those states that foregoes said federal highway money and continues to have the legal age of 18.

Okay there are no states like that, but half-state Puerto Rico does it. And it has the lowest drunk driving rate in the country. Makes you think.

Uhh. Then why is the drinking age 18 in New Orleans? Maybe because the loss in tourism revenue would be greater than the gains in highway funding...

You mean "87% of all statistics are made up on the spot"?

Nice one...

I was always a fan of "smoking is the leading cause of statistics".

This Plum Blossom place ... aside from being good and cheap, do you trust what you are eating?? just curious as the RPI union week-end is fast approaching and if it's as good as you say we'll likely check it out. i guess after some of the horror stories i've heard about the chinese places in college town and about cheap chinese places in general i'm a little cautious about eating it from cheap unknown restaurants. yes, maybe i'm a little anal.

Melissa, for a second there I thought you were talking about the Japanese place on Dryden, which isn't particularly good (it's about as good as Kayuga, for what that's worth) and is certainly not cheap (although it's marginally cheaper than Kayuga). Suffice it to say that I was *very* confused. . .

Actually the driver rate is higher than every state in the country. San Juan has the highest car per person rate in the world. Public transportation sucks..

> This Plum Blossom place ... aside from being good and cheap, do you trust what you are eating??

Yes. They should probably have said "inexpensive" rather than "cheap." I've had meals there that rivalled the best San Francisco or Boston can offer, for about 1/4 the price.

What the hell were they thinking with that location, though? Not just Troy, but a few miles *outside* of Troy.

Inscrutable...

Melissa, for a second there I thought you were talking about the Japanese place on Dryden, which isn't particularly good (it's about as good as Kayuga, for what that's worth) and is certainly not cheap (although it's marginally cheaper than Kayuga). Suffice it to say that I was *very* confused. . .

mmm...PlumTree, that's some good food. and it IS better than Kayuga!

I think PJ's Pancake house in Princeton is worth mentioning as a pre/post game meal ....especially if you like chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream.

I must confess being clueless about the Chariot's corn nuggets...can anyone describe what these are? I was a regular at the Chariot, but I loved the sweet dough pizza they made....is that still unchanged?

Food is excellent.

edit - never mind, it's too early in the morning to read and comprehend. This post has been deleted for the general protection of, well, everyone.

I trust it as much as I trust any other restaurant. Chinese food is hardly alone in its use of obscure and potentially troubling ingredients.

Beeeej

Take a handful of corn niblets, mix 'em together with a little water and cornstarch, and you'll have something similar to "creamed corn." Now make a little ball of about 7 or 8 niblets, dip the ball in batter, and deep fry it.

That's a corn nugget.

The pizza's still very good, but the white russians and Irish wakes are a little inconsistent from visit to visit.

Beeeej

Am I the only person who finds corn nuggets, in Beeeej's beautiful phrase, "obscure and potentially troubling"?

Greg Berge wrote:

Am I the only person who finds corn nuggets, in Beeeej's beautiful phrase, "obscure and potentially troubling"?

No, I'm with you on that one Greg. Not only are they obscure, but I don't even think they taste all that good, plus I always wind up burning myself on them.

Mmm, "obscure and potentially troubling." My favorite!

Josh, perhaps you should stick to foods you don't actually injure yourself on. Leave the corn nuggets to the rest of us.

(90 minutes to corn nuggets!)

JTW, re: Hot Truck -- Good to know. Was it everything everyone remembered this weekend? Sorry that I couldn't join you.