Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Bats ~ Secret Ingredient Meatloaf ~ National Chop Suey Day

  

Good 51º scattered clouds morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 95º.

 

 

Picture of the Day.....funny mailbox

 

 

Interesting about bats

 

 

The primary reason is that bat wings are much weaker than birds, which means they can’t lift their body vertically like sparrows. As a result, bats need to enter the gliding position first then flap their wings to generate thrust, in much the same way of airplanes. If they want to take off from the ground, they need to run like swans swan take off, which is very clumsy. While taking off from above is rather straight forward, because they can enter the gliding position directly with the help of gravity, which enabled them to take off instantly like sparrows (very ingenious, isn’t it?). BTW, eliminating the need of running also simplified their legs, which saved much weight.

Hanging upside down is much easier than standing, because hanging is a mechanically stable position. While standing, their legs need to maintain their balance all the time, so their legs can’t be too weak. This again simplified their legs, and saved the weight. Another thing is that hanging is less energy consuming than standing. Although sounds not much, it should be noted that bats are the only flying animals that have hibernation, so saving energy is always more favorable.

 

Although hanging upside down confers many advantages, they are not without cost. Here are several cons and the ways by which bats overcome them.

Landing. Landing is not trivial for flying animals, but landing upside down is even more tricky, especially landing on the ceiling instead of landing on branches, where there is a space constraint. Yet bats came up with their own solution. Bats are unique among all flying animals as their wings are supported by four fingers plus two legs, which have 25 movable joints to control the wing shape. Such design made bats the most agile flyers ever (even taking into account the extinct pterosaurs), which enabled them to land upside down with ease, even for the largest flying foxes.

Taking a dump. Although being a little shy to talk about, pooping is a serious problem for animals that rest upside down, because it’s not funny to have those mess flowing over your body. A surprising fact is that bats are not as messy as we thought. Bats have thumbs extending out of their wings, which act as hooks to allow them to hang upright for a while, until their business is done, without worrying messing on their fur.

  So although hanging has a lot of advantages, it also comes with costs. However, the unique structure of bats makes them ideally suitable for this lifestyle, which should explain why bats are the only flyers choosing this way.

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

 

Is there a "secret ingredient" in your favorite meatloaf recipe? There is in ours! Our Secret Ingredient Meatloaf calls for one shortcut ingredient that doesn't just make life easier, but it makes the meatloaf so moist and flavorful, too! Aren't you glad we've let you in on our little secret?

 

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 cup coarsely crushed ranch-flavored tortilla chips
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, salsa, tortilla chips, 1/2 cup cheese, the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; mix well. Place in loaf pan.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until no pink remains. Sprinkle remaining cheese over meatloaf and cook another 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

 

 

Historically this date......

1958 – United States Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

 

1966 – The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

 

1970 – Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, East Los Angeles, California. Police riot kills three people, including journalist Ruben Salazar.

 

 

2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $80 billion in damage

 

 

2007 – 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident: six US cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads are flown without proper authorization from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base.

 

 

 

And births this date include...

1916 – George Montgomery, American actor (d. 2000)

Jerry and I met him once at the Pomona Fair. He was into woodworking and made some beautiful furniture. Nice man. Big/tall.

 

 

1923 – Richard Attenborough, English film director (d. 8-14)

 

 

 

1938 – Elliott Gould, American actor

 

 

 

 

1940 – James Brady, American White House Press Secretary and gun control activist (d.8-14)

 

 

1958 – Michael Jackson, American pop singer (d. 2009)

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Monday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Get your chopsticks ready!  National Chop Suey Day recognizes this American Chinese culinary cuisine each year on August 29.

Chop suey, which means assorted pieces, is a dish in American Chinese cuisine. The main ingredients include meat (chicken, fish, beef, prawns or pork) and eggs. As the meat cooks over high heat, add vegetables (usually bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery). The dish is bound in a starch-thickened sauce. Typically, rice accompanies the flavorful dish.

According to food historian Alan Davidson, chop suey is “A prime example of culinary mythology.” These food myths happen with popular foods. Illustrated below, several colorful and conflicting stories tell of chop suey’s possible origin.

Chop Suey Stories....

Some believe chop suey was invented in America by Chinese Americans. However, anthropologist E.N. Anderson finds another conclusion.  According to Anderson, the word tsap seui means miscellaneous leftovers and hails from Taishan, a district of Guangdong Province.  Many early Chinese immigrants traveled from their home in Taishan to the United States.

Another account claims Chinese American cooks who were working on the transcontinental railroad invented chop suey in the 19th century.

A prime example of culinary mythology. ~ Alan Davidson on the origin of chop suey.

One tale stemming from the Quing Dynasty connects to premier Li Hongzhang’s visit in 1896. According to the story, his chef wanted to create a meal suitable for both the Chinese and American palates. Another version of the story tells that Li wandered to a local Chinese restaurant after the hotel kitchen closed. Even though the chef was embarrassed because he had nothing prepared to offer, he made a dish for Li. Comprised of leftover scraps, the chef created the new “chop suey” dish.

Still another myth tells of an 1860s Chinese restaurant cook in San Francisco. After hours, the chef was forced to serve something to the drunken miners. He had nothing fresh to offer. However, to avoid a beating, he threw leftovers in a wok, providing a makeshift meal to the miners. The miners loved the dish, asking him for the name of the dish.  To which the chef replied, “Chopped Sui.”  

Traveling to the United States in 1903, Liang Oichao, a Guangdong native, wrote that there existed a food item called chop suey. While regularly served by Chinese restaurateurs, the local Chinese people did not eat this dish.