Thursday, 3/9

Well, that was...interesting. And apparently successful, too. Wanna see?

“The Greasier the Spoon” did indeed have its planetary premiere last night, and as I wrote yesterday I had no idea at all as to how it would go over. But, it seems to have gone over quite well, based on the smiles from the people watching it and all the nice comments and stories that were shared with me afterward. I've been working on this on & off for the past three years, and it really is gratifying to see that all that work has paid off, and made an impact on people.

That makes it all worthwhile.

As I mentioned last week I now have a nice chunk of time in which I don't have to do anything out of the ordinary. I mean, I still have my daily radio thing and one of my weekly TV things, but I don't have a big Kaufman show or a big documentary deadline staring my in the face.

I'm still not quite sure how to handle that feeling. I mean, do I dive right into my “Burn Baby Burn—the Infernos of Downtown Marquette” walking tour? Do I maybe start work on another season of those “Pieces of the Past” video shorts? Or do I do something I've rarely done (and, in all honesty, may be incapable of actually doing)--taking a little time off and just relaxing?

That would be a unique way of dealing with this opportunity, wouldn't it?

Thankfully, that's not a decision I have to make right away...if even at all. For now, I can just bask in the glow of the premiere last night, happy that it worked the way I wanted it to, and even happier that it brought out a smile or two, something that's in rare supply for a lot of people these days.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 3/8

Today's the day the rest of the world gets to see it.

On and off for over two years now I've been compiling interviews and footage for “The Greasier the Spoon”, figuring that one day I'd put it in a form where I'd be able to share it with everyone. Well, that day has arrived, and now I'm actually interested to see if it's lived up to the hype.

I sure hope it has.

I've shown it to a couple of people already, just to get their opinion on whether or not I've accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. From them it sounds like I have, and I sure hope they're right. I wanted to capture not just a dry history but the feelings that people who've owned restaurants and people that have enjoyed them have for their favorite establishments. I think I have, but as we all know I'm the worst judge of what people may like and what they may not.

We, however, will find out tonight.

I'm actually excited to share it with people, especially those who've said that they're looking forward to seeing the project. I was lucky enough to interview some amazing people in Marquette restaurant history, and (somehow) I've managed to dig up some pictures and other visuals that I don't think anyone's been able to see for decades. And, of course, to make it a true Jim Koski ™ history experience I've included several gags and bizarre references, as well.

I hope that makes the whole package enjoyable for anyone who watches it. And we'll find out shortly after 6:30 tonight if that is indeed the case.

Keep your fingers crossed.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 3/7

Since I have a couple of last-minute things I need to take care of prior to tomorrow's planetary premiere of “The Greasier the Spoon”, how about if I give you an exclusive sneak peak of something that appears in tomorrow's Mining Journal? You'll get to read it a day before anyone else, and I'll get to take care of one or two things that need to be taken care of to make sure the word is spread about tomorrow.

Oh, tomorrow. That should be quite interesting. More on that, well, tomorrow!

(jim@wmqt.com)

*****

The Exotic Food

By Jim Koski

Marquette Regional History Center

These days, when you can get them at restaurants or food trucks, get them to go, or get them delivered, it’s hard to imagine a world in which pizza is not one of the UP’s favorite foods.

Yet when Marquette’s first pizza places opened, they were considered the most exotic of establishments at which to eat.

In the 1950s, the only way most people had ever even heard of pizza was as something you bought in a box–a Chef Boyardee box, to be specific. The company, which had produced K-rations for the US army during World War II, used the same concept to introduce Americans to the dish, including all the needed ingredients in a single box.

So when plans were announced for Marquette’s first pizza-only establishment, public reaction ranged from exclamations of joy to “Pizza? What’s pizza?”

The latter reaction, though, soon changed.

Bimbo’s Pizza was a joint venture between two investors from Ann Arbor and a Marquette couple, Clark & Katherine Lambros. The latter two had been working at The Coffee Cup, a downtown restaurant owned by Katherine’s mother, when they decided to strike out on their own. The couple bought the other two investors out, and Bimbo’s became one of the favorite places for Marquette teenagers to hang out.

Shortly thereafter, Marquette’s second pizza place opened up. Bill & Carol Leydon started a place that was mostly take-out called The Pizzarena in a building on Hewitt Avenue just off the corner of Fourth. Just as with Bimbo's, the exotic dish they served–pizza–took the city by storm. Unlike Bimbo’s, though, most of their product was either picked up or delivered.

That led the Leydons to decide to move and open a bigger location, where more people could sit down and eat. In October of 1966 the new Pizzarena was opened at the corner of Presque Isle and Fair, right across from NMU’s Kaye Hall and a rather hungry population of college students.

Pizzarena menu, early 1970s.  Courtesy Marquette Regional History Center

By the 1970s the pizza business had grown by leaps & bounds, and both original establishments found themselves changing. Bimbo’s added a liquor license and a regular menu, changing its name to Vango’s in the process. It is still going strong more than 60 years after it opened.

The Pizzarena, meanwhile, stayed open at its Presque Isle location for over 20 years before finally closing. By then, Marquette had over a dozen places where residents could enjoy a pie or slice, either from franchise restaurants (Marquette’s first Domino’s take out location opened on Third Street in the mid 1970s) or locally owned establishments (ranging from Italian restaurants to a place like Nebbo’s, which was located above the legendary Andy’s Bar in downtown Marquette).

These days, pizza is a food staple, available everywhere. But back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it’s hard to overstate just how exotic the cuisine was, especially in the growing restaurant scene developing at the time in Marquette.

-

The history of restaurants in Marquette–not just pizza places–will be the subject of a documentary debuting tonight at the Marquette Regional History Center. “The Greasier the Spoon” talks to restaurant owners and food fans to look back at some of the famous–and infamous–dining places from the past 174 years. The screening gets underway at 630; the show will also be available for purchase as a download (with bonus features) beginning Wednesday night.

To find out more about “The Greasier the Spoon”, contact the History Center at (906) 226-3571 or visit www.marquettehistory.org.

Monday, 3/6

 If you squint hard enough, you can almost believe it's Spring.

Hope you had a great weekend.  The weather actually didn't suck up here, as it has the past ten or so days, so Loraine suggested that we take our cameras out Saturday just to see what we could see.  When she went running that morning she had noticed weird chunks of ice floating on our still-unfrozen lake, so she wanted to take pictures of them.

Which I did.

Loraine calls it "saucer ice", because it looks like a saucer you might have when you're a kid and you want to go sledding.  And while the lake itself isn't frozen, you still do get to see the icy power that winter has over it.

Now, here's something I would never do, despite the fact that I spend my summers playing on it, and that's tempting the icy power of Lake Superior by going for a stroll on the breakwater--

Once again, just let me say--kids, don't try that at home!

Elsewhere, we saw a few landmarks...

Because it was sunny and above freezing and in Marquette, we saw someone running through the snow in shorts...

We also saw another favored location for some of the homeless we discussed last week--

And I just had fun playing with my camera, something I've not had the chance to do a lot of recently--

Good thing we got our and enjoyed the sun, too, as the next few days promise either rain or snow or rain and snow.  Or, as we refer to it around here, March.

Yay, he says sarcastically.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 3/3

Could it actually be done? Really?

Last night I wrote out a bunch of credits, brought a couple of files together, and rendered (a video term) what should be the final master of “The Greasier the Spoon”. I'll check it out over the weekend, just to make sure I didn't miss anything, and then bring it over to the History Center Monday, a whole two days before its public debut.

Now what will I do with every single second of my spare time?

8-)

It is actually a bit strange; I've been working on this almost non-stop for a month and a half, and then suddenly realized last night that I had nothing more to do. I don't know how it snuck up on me; you'd think I would have been paying attention to something like that. But, maybe, “MacArthur Park” was occupying too much space in my brain and I just didn't realize it.

Wouldn't be the first time THAT happened.

I've been writing in here about just how many things I've had to tackle since the beginning of the year; now that this is done, I really don't have much to do for a couple of months. Oh, sure, I have my weekly TV gig on 19 News and whatever I have to do for radio, but with “High School Bowl” finished for the season and my next History Center adventure not until the beginning of July (a walking tour entitled “Burn Baby Burn: the Infernos of Downtown Marquette”). I might actually have time to, I dunno, breathe

I'm not quite sure how to handle that. So, if you would, send kind thoughts my way. I'm thinking I might need them.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. Me? I'm thinking I might have to discover what to do with those few new spare hours in my life!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 3/2

If you had to pay residuals for the music stuck in your head, Jimmy Webb would own me right now.

As you may know, I have a problem (and right now, you indulge your snarky side and say, either out loud or quietly to yourself, “just ONE problem”?). That problem is this—I get a song stuck in my head, and it just won't leave. I can listen to other songs to try and cleanse my musical palate, but it doesn't work. That original song stays stuck there. I can even listen to it forty or fifty times in an attempt to get sick of it, but that doesn't seem to work, either.

I'm just stuck with a song on auto-repeat running through my brain until, for some mysterious reason, it stops.

I guess I'm just special that way.

The song that's been running through my head for about a week now? Well, it's written by the aforementioned Mr Webb and it's one of those over the top disco tunes that most people would be embarrassed to admit they like but that I, for some reason, tolerate. That over-the-top disco tune, written by Jimmy Webb, that's been lodged in my brain for over a week now?

Donna Summer's version of “MacArthur Park”.

That's right; a song that's widely regarded as one of the strangest (if not worst) ever written has taken over with little remains of my intellect. I don't know how and I don't know why; all I know is that it won't leave. I've actually awoken in the middle of the night with those stupid synth drums going “boom” in my brain, and I wish I knew a way to stop it.

Unfortunately, I don't, and I just have to wait this out.

Seeing as how misery loves company, wanna stick it in your head, too? That's okay; you can thank me later.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com), hoping one day to be “MacArthur Park” free)

Wednesday, 3/1

I see what you're doing there, sugar. And I'm not gonna let you get away with it.

I had to make cookies last night, and I got to open a brand-new package of sugar. As I was doing so I noticed two things, one being that, much like flour, paper containers really are not the best way to store things like sugar.

The other? Well, it was something printed on said paper container--

Yup. They're trying to make sugar sound healthy by saying it's fat-free. I mean...technically it's true, much in the same way cyanide could market itself as being “gluten-free”, but that doesn't make it any better for you.

Really, sugar, it doesn't.

Now, I have nothing at all against sugar. I use it each and every time I bake, and even, on occasion, when I cook. It's not evil (like, say, cyanide), and as long as you're aware of its calorie content you should be fine. But to simply ignore that fact and call yourself “fat-free” is a little...cynical, at best, and downright misleading at worst. I mean, I'm hoping there won't be any people out there who look at the label and think “hey—no fat. I can eat as much as I want”.

But I've also been on the Internet recently. I'm well aware of just how stupid people can be when they want.

In the end, I know it doesn't matter. Sugar can label itself as “fat free” because, well, it is. They're not lying. Sugar is just as fat free as cardboard, gasoline, plywood, and cyanide. So if you're baking something and run out of sugar, don't worry.

You can always substitute one of those other ingredients I just mentioned. After all, just like sugar, they're also “fat-free”.

(jim@wmqt.com), who would hope that everyone reading this knows that last line is just a joke and in no way a suggestion that you substitute plywood for sugar. Yet, I have been on the Internet recently, and know just how stupid people can be when they want, so...

DON'T USE ANY OF THOSE INGREDIENTS AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR SUGAR!)