MLB and NFL/AFL Players Who Gave Their Lives While Serving in Wars

      Currently it's Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S., with the actual holiday being in two days.  Therefore, today I thought I'd recognize the men who served in the military, and died during wartime, who also played Major League Baseball or in the NFL or AFL (the latter was absorbed into the NFL beginning in 1970, and its champions from 1966-69 played the NFL champs in what became known as the Super Bowl).  I've included many of their playing statistics, too.  As you'll see, this list covers all deaths--on the battlefield, later from wounds incurred by battles, accidents, and illnesses while on military bases.  I hope all Americans remember soldiers like these this weekend especially, and respect their sacrifices.  RIP.

Major League Baseball:  (With one exception, I'm not including guys who played in the minor leagues, or independent leagues.  Because if I did, this list would include hundreds of names.  But if you're interested, several online sites do have these.)

World War I:

1)   Robert G. (Bun)Troy.  Troy was a Sergeant, and was shot during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and died from his wounds on October 7, 1918.  On the field he played briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 1912, as a pitcher.  He pitched in and started one game, going 6 and 2/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, and 1 strikeout.  His record was 0-1, with a 5.40 ERA, an adjusted ERA of 65, and a 0.0 WAR.  He also went 0 for 2 at the plate.

2)   Ralph E. Sharman.  Corporal Sharman died on May 24, 1918 from drowning during a training exercise at Camp Sheridan, Alabama.  He played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1917 as an outfielder.  He appeared in 13 games, and accumulated 43 plate appearances, 37 at bats, 2 runs, 11 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 0 home runs, 2 rbi, 3 walks, and 1 stolen base.  His overall "slash" (batting average/on base percentage/slugging average) was .297/.366/.405, his adjusted batting average was 138, and his WAR was 0.3.

3)   Newton S. Halliday.  Halliday died of tuberculosis while stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois on April 6, 1918.  His rank was Captain.  He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1916.  In his 1 game he played 4 innings in the field as a first baseman, and had 3 putouts, 1 assist, and 0 errors.  At the plate he was 0 for 1.  His overall WAR was 0.0.

4)   Eddie L. Grant.  Captain Grant also died in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, on October 5, 1918.  He had the longest baseball career of anyone on this list, playing from 1905-15, for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, and Cleveland Indians as a third baseman/shortstop/second baseman.  Grant played in 990 games in his 10 year career, accumulating 3762 plate appearances, 3385 at bats, 399 runs, 844 hits, 79 doubles, 30 triples, 5 home runs, 277 rbi, 153 stolen bases, and 233 walks.  His slash was .249/.300/.295, his adjusted batting average was 78, and his WAR was 4.5.  He also played in the 1913 World Series with the New York Giants, going 0 for 1, and scoring 1 run in 2 games, although the Giants lost to the Philadelphia Athletics.

5)   Harry M. Glenn.  Private Glenn died of pneumonia contracted at the Signal Corps' Aviation Mechanics School in St. Paul Minnesota on October 12, 1918.  In MLB he played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1915 as a catcher and pinch hitter.  In 6 games he had 19 plate appearances, 16 at bats, 1 run, 5 hits, 0 extra base hits, 1 rbi, and 3 walks.  His slash was .313/.421/.313, his adjusted batting average was 123, and his WAR was -0.2.

6)   LaVerne A. Chappell.  Lieutenant Chappell caught influenza while with the San Francisco Army Medical Corps in July of 1918, and died on November 18, 1918.  He played for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Braves in his 5 year career from 1913-17, as an outfielder and pinch hitter.  He played in 109 games, had 339 plate appearances, 305 at bats, 27 runs, 69 hits, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 26 rbi, 25 walks, and 9 stolen bases.  He slashed .226/.289/.269, and his adjusted batting average was 67.  His overall WAR was -0.5.

7)   Harry E. Chapman.  Lieutenant Chapman also died of illness, reportedly from influenza-induced pneumonia, while in Nevada, Missouri, on October 21, 1918.  Sports-wise, he was a catcher and pinch hitter from 1912-16 with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns, and the St. Louis franchise in the brief (1914-15) Federal League, a MLB competitor.  Overall, Chapman played in 147 games, and had 460 plate appearances, 404 at bats, 38 runs, 80 hits, 8 doubles, 5 triples, 1 homer, 44 rbi, 37 walks, and 7 steals.  His lifetime slash was .198/.269/.250, his career adjusted batting average was 49, and his WAR was -1.4.

8)   Alexander Thomson Burr.  Burr, also a lieutenant, died in a plane crash in Cazaux, France, on October 12, 1918.  His major league baseball career was much like Moonlight Graham's, whom folks may remember from the "Field of Dreams" movie, when Graham's real life story was somewhat fictionalized.  Burr played in 1 game for the New York Yankees in 1914, and played 2 innings in the field as a center fielder.  He had no chances or putouts, and did not get any plate appearances, at bats, etc.  Obviously his WAR was 0.0.

World War II:

1)  Harry M. (Mark) O'Neill.  First Lieutenant O'Neill died on Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945.  On the field he also had a Moonlight Graham-esque career, playing in 1 game for the 1939 Philadelphia Athletics as a catcher.  He played 1 inning in the field, and accumulated no chances, putouts, errors, etc.  And he did not have any plate appearances or at bats.  Therefore, like Lt. Burr, his lifetime WAR was 0.0.

2)   Elmer Gedeon.  Captain Gedeon was killed in a bomber flight on April 20, 1945 near Esquerdes, France.  He also played for the 1939 Washington Senators, as a center fielder/right fielder.  In 5 games he had 17 plate appearances, 15 at bats, 1 run, 3 hits, 0 extra base hits, 1 rbi, 2 walks, and 0 steals.  His career totals were .200/.294/.200, an adjusted batting average of 33, and a -0.1 WAR.

3)  Charlie A. Frye.  Private Frye died of an illness while in Hickory, North Carolina, on May 25, 1945.  His playing career was as a pitcher and pinch hitter for the 1940 Philadelphia Phillies.  On the mound he pitched in 15 games, with 5 starts, 50 and a third innings, 58 hits, 32 runs, 26 earned runs, 26 walks, 18 strike outs, a 0-6 won loss record, a 4.65 ERA, and an adjusted ERA of 84.  At the plate, including 4 games as a pinch hitter, he had 19 plate appearances, 19 at bats, 1 run, 5 hits, 1 homer, 2 rbi, and a slash of .263//263/.421, and an adjusted batting average of 90.  His combined WAR was 0.0.

Korean War:

1)   Robert O. Neighbors.  Major Neighbors, a pilot, was shot down on August 8, 1952, with his body never recovered.  He played for the 1939 St. Louis Browns as a shortstop and pinch runner.  In 7 games, he accumulated 11 plate appearances, 11 at bats, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 rbi, and a slash of .182/.182/.455, an adjusted batting average of 56, and a WAR of 0.0.

Honorable Mention--William E. Stearns served in the Civil War as a 12 year old (!), and later fought in Puerto Rico in the Spanish American War in 1898.  He contracted an illness there, and died later that year at home in Washington, D.C.  He played as an outfielder and pitcher for teams in the National Association.  This league wasn't considered on par with the National League, but it was arguably the equivalent of a high minor league. 

National Football League and American Football League:

(You may notice a complete lack of NFL players who served, and died in World War I.  There's a good reason for this--the NFL began in 1920, or two years after World War I ended.)  Also, keep in mind that statistics for defensive positions in particular were lacking before about the 1980's.

World War II:

1)   Al Blozis.  Second Lieutenant Blozis died on January 31,1945 in the Vosges Mountains in France.  On the field he played offensive tackle for the New York Giants from 1942-44.  In all he played in 23 games, all starts.  Obviously even now there aren't many statistics kept for offensive lineman, and it was even more so back in the 1940's.  However, Blozis did catch one pass for 15 yards in the regular season, and caught 1 for 8 yards in a 1943 playoff game.    He also scored a non-offensive touchdown of unlisted means.  He was clearly well respected though--he was a Pro Bowler in 1942, and made the First Team All-Pro Team in 1943.  And was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-1940's Team as well.

2)   Chet Wetterlund.  Lieutenant Wetterlund died in a plane crash off the New Jersey coast on September 5, 1944.  In the NFL he played one season, 1942, for the Detroit Lions as a tailback/defensive back.  He appeared in 6 games, and started 3.  He completed 13 of 44 passes (29.5%) for 230 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, for a passer rating of 9.3.  He rushed for 6 yards on 23 carries, for a 0.3 average.  He punted 11 times, for a 40.8 yard average.  On special teams he returned 3 punts for 26 yards (8.7 yard average), and 5 kickoffs for 89 yards (17.8 yard average).  Finally, on defense he intercepted 1 pass for 0 yards.

3)    Andrew Jackson Lummus, Jr..  Lieutenant Lummus died on March 8, 1945, at Iwo Jima.  He played end for the New York Giants in 1941.  He played in 9 games, with 0 starts.  He caught 1 pass for 5 yards.

4)   Len Supulski.  Lieutenant Supulski died in a plane crash during a training flight near Kearny, Nebraska, on August 31, 1943.  He played end with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1942.  He appeared in 9 games, with 0 starts.  He caught 8 passes for 149 yards (18.6 yard average), and 1 touchdown.  He rushed for 1 yard on 1 attempt.  On defense he intercepted 1 pass for 5 yards.

5)    Howard (Smiley) Johnson.  Captain Johnson died on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945.  On the field he played guard and linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1940-41.  He appeared in 22 games, with 1 start.  He intercepted 1 pass for 10 yards.  He also appeared in a playoff game in 1941.

6)   Don Wemple.  Lieutenant Wemple died in a transport plane crash in India on June 23, 1943.  He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941 (yes, for a time there was an NFL team with the same name as the MLB team), as an end.  He appeared in 11 games, with 0 starts.  He caught 2 passes for 37 yards (18.5 average), and 1 touchdown.  

7)   Keith Birlem.  Major Birlem was a pilot, and died during a plane crash in Polebrook, in the U.K, on May 7, 1943.  He played for the Washington Redskins in 1939 as a back/end.  He played in 9 games, with 3 starts.  He caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 yard average), with 0 touchdowns.

8)    Charles Behan.  Lieutenant Behan was a Marine who died in Okinawa, Japan on May 18, 1945.  He was awarded a Navy Cross.  Otherwise, he played for the Detroit Lions in 1942, as an end.  Behan played in 9 games, with 0 starts.  He caught 4 passes for 63 yards (15.8 yard average), and 0 touchdowns.

9)   Michael Martin (Nick) Basca.  Corporal Basca died on November 11, 1944, when his tank was hit by an anti-tank round in Obreck, France.  He played halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941.  He played in 11 games, with 0 starts.  He completed 0 of 4 passes, with 1 interception.  He rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries (2.9 yard average), and 1 touchdown.  He caught 2 passes for 45 yards (22.5 yard average).  On special teams, he returned 1 punt for 8 yards, 1 kickoff for 22 yards, went 9-9 on extra point tries, 1-2 on field goal attempts, and punted 10 times for 348 yards (34.8 yard average).  On defense for intercepted 3 passes for 27 yards.

10)   Ruey Young Bussey.  Lieutenant Bussey died on January 7, 1945 at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines.  In 1941 he played his sole season in the NFL, with the Chicago Bears, as a quarterback.  He played in 10 games, with 0 starts.  Overall he complete 13 of 40 passes (32.5%), for 353 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, for a rating of 74.3.  He also rushed 13 times for -27 yards, and 0 touchdowns.  On defense he intercepted 2 passes for 5 yards.  On special teams he punted twice for 74 yards (37.0 yard average) and returned 1 punt for 40 yards.  He also was part of the Bears' 1941 title winning team.  In the Championship Game he rushed 1 time for -2 yards, and completed 1 pass for 8 yards.  As a title winner he also was named a Pro Bowler.

11)    Alex Ketzko.  Sergeant Ketzko died in France on December 23, 1944.  On the field he played with the Detroit Lions in 1943, as a tackle.  He appeared in 9 games, starting 3.

12)   Edwin Bernard Kahn.  Lieutenant Kahn died on February 17, 1943 in Leyte in the Philippines.  He played for the Boston/Washington Redskins from 1935-37 as a guard.  Kahn played in 24 games, starting 11.  He scored 1 touchdown on a fumble return.  He also was part of the 1937 title winning team.

13)   Walter (Waddy) Young.  Captain Young died in a plane crash in Tokyo, Japan, on January 9, 1945.  He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939-40, as an end.  He started 15 of 22 total games.  Overall Young caught 15 passes for 185 yards (12.3 yard average), and 0 touchdowns.  He also rushed 1 time for 1 yard.

14)   Ed Doyle.  Captain Doyle died in French Morocco on November 8, 1942 from sniper fire.  He played for the Frankford Yellowjackets and Pottsville Maroons from 1924-25, playing end.  The only stat I could find was that he scored 3 receiving touchdowns.  (Stats from that era are notoriously lacking.)

15)   J.W. (Grassy) Hinton.  Lieutenant Colonel Hinton died in a plane crash over Halmahera Island in Indonesia on December 10, 1944.  On the field he played tailback and quarterback for the 1932 Staten Island Stapletons.  He started 6 of 12 total games.  He rushed 19 times for 64 yards (3.4 yard average) and 1 touchdown, and caught 4 passes for 69 yards (17.3 yard average), and 0 touchdowns.  He also completed 5 of 19 passes (26.3%) for 46 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a passer rating of 0.0.

16)    William Lee Kizzire.  Captain Kizzire was shot down on Wewak, New Guinea sometime in November of 1943 (records are somewhat vague).  He played fullback for the 1937 Detroit Lions.  All told he played in 7 games (0 starts), and rushed 7 times for 20 yards (2.9 yard average), and 0 touchdowns.

17)   Jim Mooney.  Corporal Mooney was shot by a sniper in France, and died on August 12, 1944.  He played in the NFL from 1930-31 and 1933-35, with a variety of teams, some which are long defunct.  Specifically the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Newark Tornadoes, and Chicago Cardinals, playing end, tackle, and guard.  He appeared in 48 games, and started 37.  He caught 9 passes for 83 yards (9.2 yard average) and 0 touchdowns.  He rushed 5 times for 20 yards (4.0 yard average) and 0 touchdowns.  He also completed 4 of 6 passes for 27 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a passer rating of 76.4.  On special teams he kicked 2 extra points, and in addition he scored 1 safety.  Mooney was named 2nd team All Pro in 1930.

18)   Gus Sonnenberg.  Sonnenberg died of leukemia, while serving at Bethesda, Maryland on September 12, 1944.  He played tackle, fullback, and tailback in the NFL, in 1923, 1925-28, and 1930, with the Buffalo Americans, Columbus Tigers, Detroit Panthers, and Providence Steam Rollers.  All told he started 56 of 61 games.  He kicked 18 field goals, and 33 extra points.  He also rushed for 1 touchdown.  Sonnenberg was named First Team All Pro from 1925-27, and played on the 1928 NFL champion Steam Roller squad.  Finally, Sonnenberg was probably best known as a heavyweight pro wrestler.

(Note--Chuck Braidwood played in the NFL, and died during World War II, while serving in the Red Cross.  Since this organization is separate from the military, I didn't include him.  Also, some sources claim that Bob Mackert and Frank Maher qualify for this list, but others disputed this.)

Vietnam:

1)   Bob Kalsu.   First Lieutenant Kalsu died in action at Thua Thien, Vietnam, on July 21, 1970.  He played as a guard for the Buffalo Bills (then in the AFL) in 1968.  He played in 14 games, with 9 starts.  Since he was a more modern player, he has an Approximate Value stat, or AV, of 3.

2)   Don Steinbrunner.  Major Steinbrunner died on July 28, 1967, in Kontum, Vietnam.  He played for the Cleveland Browns in 1953 as a tackle.  He competed in 8 games, starting 3.  He returned 1 kickoff for 23 yards.  He also played in the title game that year, although the Browns lost.

Afghanistan:

1)   Pat Tillman.  Tillman, who was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain, died in Sperah, Afghanistan, on April 22, 2004.  (It was actually an unusually ugly situation, as it was revealed later that he was killed by "friendly fire" but the military tried to cover this up.)  Tillman played strong safety/free safety/defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998-2001.  In 4 years he appeared in 60 games, with 39 starts.  He intercepted 3 passes for 37 yards, forced 3 fumbles, and recovered 3 fumbles.  He recorded 276 solo tackles, and 98 assisted tackles, for a total of 374, with 2.5 sacks.   On special teams, Tillman returned 3 kickoffs for 23 yards (7.7 yard average).  On offense he rushed 1 time for 4 yards.  His career AV was 15.

    

 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Swiss Granola

      I've probably consumed way more granola in my life than the average person.  Mostly because of my former career as a field archaeologist.  Granola, in bar form, made for an easy and portable breakfast and lunch.  Even more so because I could carefully unwrap the bars on one end, and didn't have to touch the food itself, which was beneficial when I was shoveling out historic outhouses or exhuming graves without access to soap and water at lunchtime.  Sometimes I would eat bars that were only granola-ish, like Power Bars or Clif Bars, but you get the idea.  However, I'd never had granola from Switzerland in general, or from the Avalanche brand in particular.  I sampled their original flavor, and the coconut, quinoa, and chocolate kind.

     What constitutes granola is a little vague.  It's typically made using rolled oats, nuts, and honey, but other ingredients are commonly added as well.  Such as various other grains, fruit, and sometimes other sweeteners such as brown sugar.  The way in which granola is eaten can vary, too.  Sometimes it's in bar form, like how I usually had it, but sometimes the granola is loose, and is put in a bowl with milk as a breakfast-type cereal, or mixed into yogurts, pastries, or ice cream.

     Granola was invented in 1863 by an American, Dr. James Caleb Jackson, at his sanitarium (which in those days usually meant a health spa) in Dansville, New York.  Jackson had some distinctive views about health, some of which were arguably sound, and others which were, to put it mildly, incorrect and even harmful.  For examples of the latter, Jackson was against the use of all drugs for medical purposes, and thought that masturbation was incredibly dangerous.  Shortly after this culinary invention, it was ripped off by someone else.  Specifically, John Harvey Kellogg made a food that was startling similar to granola, and even called by the same name.  Then when Kellogg changed the name to avoid legal issues, he did so in the most minimal way possible, by changing one letter!  (His was "granula," not "granola".)  Somehow this worked, so I guess copyright laws were quite different back then.  But the similarities don't end there--Kellogg also ran a health spa, and also had some weird, extreme, and wrong views about health.  Kellogg was so opposed to masturbation that his "treatments" included genital tortures, to discourage boys and girls from partaking.  But he was against sexual activity of any kind, even between married couples, for the purposes of procreation.  Although he was married for a long time, Kellogg reportedly died a virgin at 92!  He also had ugly racial and ethnic views, as he was a staunch eugenicist.  Kellogg's less strict and crazy brother William Keith Kellogg ran the cereal company, which still exists to this day, unlike Jackson's granola.  Over in Europe, in Switzerland in fact, another doctor with strange views developed his own version of granola.  Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner's granola used only uncooked grains and fruit, as he thought humans should eat only raw foods.  His take on it was named muesli, also referred to as museli.  Despite these doctors' efforts, granola waned in popularity in the ensuing decades.  But in the 1960's countercultural types revived it.  Wavy Gravy pushed it at Woodstock, and Layton Gentry was nicknamed  "Johnny Granola-Seed" for his promotion of it.

     It happened again.  The official company website for Avalanche was identified as potentially hazardous by my computer, so I didn't consult it.  And I couldn't find much of anything about it from other online sites.  So, about all I can tell you is that it's made in the Swiss village of Sachseln.  This town of about 5,000 boasts two famous features.  It's the geographic center of Switzerland, and it's the former home of (and possibly the birthplace?) of Switzerland's only, and patron saint--Nicholas of Flue (also rendered Niklaus von Flue, and Brother Klaus).  And his wife, Dorothea Wyss.  That's right, Nicholas spent much of his life as a soldier, farmer, husband, and father of 10, before answering the call of religious devotion as a semi-hermit.  Allegedly he survived for 19 years solely on a diet of Eucharist.  (This sounds like a wild exaggeration to me, since that substance doesn't have many necessary nutrients, such as Vitamin C, but that's the story.)

Avalanche Swiss granola, original flavor:  This was loose granola, meaning it was messy to eat.  The main ingredients were oats, wheat, rye, rice, corn, barley, coconut, almonds, hazelnuts, salt, sugar, and oils.  Plain it was pretty mediocre for a granola.  But in a bowl with milk, as a cereal, it was much improved.  The milk really went well with the granola.  Nicely crunchy, and with a good level of sweetness--enough to improve the taste, but not overly cloying.  So I wouldn't particularly recommend it as a snack, plain, but as a cereal with milk it was quite good.

Avalanche Swiss granola--coconut, quinoa, and chocolate flavor:  Bigger lumps than the original kind, but looked like typical loose granola, aside from the chocolate chunk additions.  My opinion of it was pretty much identical to the original, too--it wasn't that special plain, but it was tasty as a breakfast cereal.  Crunchy again, and the chocolate improved things, as it usually does.  And to be fair, the photo on the back of the boxes shows it in a bowl with milk, so clearly that's the recommended way to eat it.

     Finally, I was rather amused to see a modern respected nutritionist, Jayne Hurley, criticize granola.  She was quoted as saying it's "basically cookies masquerading as a health food."  Avalanche's addition of chocolate to one of their granolas kind of supports her claim.  Also, after reading about the food's progenitors, it would be  refreshing change to learn about a granola inventor who wasn't a sex-negative quack.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Saint Andre Cheese

      Last week I went to a supermarket which was both familiar and unfamiliar to me.  It was a different ShopRite grocery, or, the same store that is my local one, only located about 20 minutes away instead of 8-10 minutes away.  It was a bit weird too--the store stocked many or most of the same products, but there were some differences.  And the store itself was laid out in a different manner, so I didn't know where many aisles and sections were, despite it looking basically the same. To be overly dramatic, it was the grocery version of one of those stories where someone or something is possessed by aliens or demons--it appeared the same, only significant aspects were "off."  Anyway, long story short, I got some new fodder for this type of blog post.  Today it's Saint Andre cheese, from France.

     Given Europe's long history of cheese making, I kind of expected that this cheese would be hundreds, or even over a thousand years old, made by monks or something.  But this was incorrect--Saint Andre is only about 50 years old.  It was first made by the Soulie cheese factory in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in the Aveyron department of the Occitanie region of Southern France.  I said a slightly vague age, since it was reportedly invented in the late 1960's or early 1970's.  The cheese itself is made from cow's milk, and is only aged for about a month.  It also grows a powdery skin or rind, which is edible.  St. Andre is a "triple creme" cheese, as extra creams of both thick and sour, and whipped and sweet are added during the manufacturing process.  This results in a cheese with a very large fat content of 75%.  This fat content is so high that it can adversely affect the taste of some common cheese pairings, such as many white wines.  So it's advised to eat Saint Andre with crusty baguettes, light beers, or champagne for the best results.  Many folks who try it compare its flavor to brie.  And like many other soft cheeses, Saint Andre has a brief shelf life--it should be completely consumed about two days after opening the package.

     The Saint Andre cheese I bought was made by the Savencia Fromage & Dairy.  This company owns many cheese brands, and operates out of several countries around the world, including the U.S.  I had at least one of their other brands before--see my post about goat cheeses with weird things stuck in them on August 19, 2017 for more information.  Savencia is a late (2015) name change, and the company began in Illoud (Eastern France) in 1956.  The label for Saint Andre sometimes has "1974" printed on it, so that's evidently when they started making this cheese type.  The Saint Andre brand is part of the French Cheese Corner by Haute Fromagerie section of Savencia.  The cheese itself is made in Pace, in Normandy.  Pace is tiny--only a population of 368 in 2016!  Normandy seems to be a hotbed for Saint Andre production, as the town of Vire is also known for this particular cheese type.

Savencia Fromage & Dairy, Haute Fromagerie Saint Andre cheese:  Had a pale yellowish-white color, and a slight pleasant odor.  The rind was greyish white, and powdery in texture.  Cheese itself was very soft--I could have probably eaten it with a plastic spoon if I'd wanted to.  Flavor was mild, smooth, and creamy.  Not much tartness.  Reminded me very much of brie.  So, all in all it was delicious.  Not only was it easy to finish it, it would have been difficult not to finish it in one serving, at least to a gluttonous cheese fan such as myself.  The rind was okay, too--kind of tangier and dryer.  I give this one my strongest possible recommendation.  Unless you really hate soft cheeses like brie, I can't imagine anyone not liking Saint Andre cheese.  The only downside was its price, as it was $6.40 for a .32 pound amount, or $19.99 per pound.  And with its fat content being so high, I'm guessing it's probably a bad idea to eat it like every day.  But if you're like me you'll want to!

     Oh, and if you're curious, the only Saint Andre I could locate online was St. Andre Bessette (1845-1937).  He was canonized in 2010.  He's also the first saint who was living in Canada after its 1867 Confederation.

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Night of the Living Dead" (1968)

      About six months ago I did a post which had some incredibly detailed trivia questions about John Carpenter's version of "The Thing" (see my post on November 7, 2020).  Today I'd like to do the same with another horror classic, George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," the original, 1968 version. Don't feel bad if you don't know most or even any of these, since they're very tough.  I doubt anyone could answer all of these unless they've seen the movie like 100 times, and/or have a eidetic (photographic) memory.  And it probably goes without saying, but there are obviously some spoilers in these questions.  The questions are mostly tied to the order in which they're revealed in the film, too.  The answers are at the end, in case you want to write down or remember your guesses.

1)   What time of day is it when Johnny and Barbra arrive at the cemetery?

2)   What day of the week is it when they arrive?

3)   What time of the year is it?  As in, what month, and what part of that month?

4)   How long a drive is it, one way, from Johnny and Barbra's house to the cemetery?

5)   How many of the undead do we see Ben "kill" (i.e. completely destroy)?

6)   The filmmakers seem to take care to not show brand names as much as possible.  But some snuck in.  For example, we see one in the drawer when Ben is searching for nails.  What is it?

7)   The audience briefly sees a calendar in the farmhouse.  What month and year does it show?

8)   At what business establishment did Ben get the truck he was driving?

The next batch of questions are based on information revealed during the radio and then television news broadcasts.

9)   Three city mayors are quoted as saying the National Guard may be called out soon to deal with the outbreak.  Which cities are these?

10)  Approximately what fraction of the U.S. is being affected by the outbreak?

11)  A police chief is quoted on the radio broadcast giving people safety advice.  Who is he, and where is he a police chief?

12)  According to the broadcast, the outbreak started two days before when a family of seven was found slaughtered.  Where was this?

13)  No zombies/ghouls have been noted west of the Mississippi River with one exception.  What is it?

14)  Where is the first place that a doctor reveals that the murderous attackers are consuming their victims?

15)  A sheriff then quickly confirms that the attackers are eating their victims.  Where is he from?

16)  What brand of radio are the people in the farmhouse listening to?

17)  What station number is it tuned to?

18)  What brand of television is the group watching at the farmhouse?

19)  What is the first thing we see a living dead person eat?

20)  Some scientists theorize that the outbreak occurs from the radiation brought back by a probe to Venus.  What is the name of this satellite?

21)  Which rescue station (flashed on the television screen) is closest to the farmhouse, and about how far away is it, in miles?

22)  Who are the only members of the group who are from the local area?

23)  What brand name is featured on a box carried by both Tom and then Harry?

24)  Reporter Bill Cardille (actor used his real name) works for what television station?

25)  What is the name of the sheriff leading the search and destroy mission?

26) How many undead does this sheriff say his team has already killed?

27)  What station owns the helicopter seen in the movie?

28)  What is the name of the posse member who shoots Ben?

29)  What make and model is the rifle that Ben uses in the movie?

30)  What is the make and model of the firearm that the posse member uses to kill Ben?

31)  What is the year, make, and model of car that Johnny drives?

32)  True or False:  There is no nudity in this movie.

33)  True or False:  No one refers to the undead as "zombies" in the film.

34)  During the scene in Washington, D.C., one of the doctors, and one of the reporters are named.  Who are they?

35)  Later another scientist is interviewed.  What is his or her name?

36)  There are four instances seen when a zombie uses a tool.  Describe all four.

                                                       Answers

1)   8:00 pm.

2)   Sunday.

3)  Barbra and Johnny talk about it being the first day of daylight savings, when they lose an hour, meaning it's in the spring.  Since the movie strongly appears to be set in the late 1960's, that would make it in late April.

4)  3 hours, according to Johnny.

5)   6 total.  3 with a crowbar during his first moments in the farmhouse.  Another one with the rifle after the Coopers, Tom, and Judy come up from the basement.  And finally the reanimated corpses of Harry and Helen Cooper, again with rifle bullets.

6)   A box for Lipton's orange pekoe & pekoe tea bags.

7)   December of 1966.

8)   Beekman's Diner, located down the road, according to Ben.

9)   Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Miami.  Also several unidentified governors of unnamed states.

10)  The eastern third of the U.S.

11)  Chief TK Dunbar of Camden, North Carolina.  Which is a real community.

12)  Near Gulfport, Louisiana.  Which is fictitious, although there is a Gulfport in nearby Mississippi.

13)  Southeast Texas, including the Houston and Galveston areas.

14)  Cumberland, Maryland.

15)  He's from Butler County, Pennsylvania.

16)  A Zenith.  According to radio enthusiasts online, a 1939 model 7S363, a very popular model.

17)  This one's not definite.  But the needle appears to be on 110, and simultaneously on 15 or so.  From what I've seen online, the 110 probably corresponds to AM station 1100, and the 15 to a shortwave radio station.  FM didn't get common until the 1960's, and the model is clearly from the late 1930's.  Given the apparent distance of the signal, it's probably AM 1100 or so.

18)  A Motorola.  Again, tech enthusiasts claim more specifically that it's a 1952 Motorola 17T5E

19)  A butterfly or moth, taken off a tree by a female zombie, played by the woman who did most of the makeup effects and played Helen Cooper, Marilyn Eastman.

20)  Explorer.  (Kind of a generic name, isn't it?)

21)  Willard, which is fictional.  However, most of the other rescue stations are real towns in Western Pennsylvania, and one in Ohio.   It's about 17 miles away from the farmhouse.

22)  Tom and Judy are the only locals.  

23)  Ball's Mason Jars, used to make the Molotov cocktails.

24)  WIIC TV 11, out of Pittsburgh.  Which is also the real station Cardille worked for.

25)  Sheriff Conan McClellan.  Although someone calls him "Gus" at one point, so I guess that's a nickname.

26)  19.  Although this total is quickly added to right after this statement.

27)  KQV.  Once again, this was a real radio station, out of Pittsburgh, and their actual helicopter.

28)  Vince.  Played by Vince Survinski, who was also the movie's production manager.

29)  Gun enthusiasts confirm it's a Winchester Model 1894.  Which normally shoots 30-30 rounds.  One online source says the box of ammo that's briefly seen is for Remington, Kleanbore 32 rounds, so maybe that's what Ben actually used.

30)  It's an Ithaca Model 37 shotgun.  Which surprised me, since it didn't appear to be firing a shotgun shell.  Some shotguns can fire solid slugs, so presumably that's what he used.

31)  It's a 1967 Pontiac LeMans.  Owned by Russ Streiner's ("Johnny") real life mother.

32)  False.  A nude female zombie is briefly shown--you can see her from behind, and topless.  You also see several male zombie that are topless, if that counts.

33)  True.  The undead are referred to as "those things," "monsters," and mostly, "ghouls."  I may be misremembering, but I don't think they were called "zombies" in a Romero "Dead" film until 2005's "Land of the Dead," the 4th entry.

34)  Reporter Don Quinn, and Dr. Keller.

35)  He's Dr. Grimes, from NASA.

36)  The first zombie seen (Bill Hinzman), uses a rock to break the car window while Barbra is trying to escape.  Then an unidentified zombie picks up a chair or table leg (possibly the torch Ben used earlier, now not on fire) and uses it as a club to break into the farmhouse near the end.  Another zombie throws a rock or brick to break a window in the farmhouse right after this.  Finally, zombie Karen Cooper uses a larger trowel to kill her mother, Helen.

     Hope this was a fun trip down memory lane for everyone.  And yes, I realize that this quiz is really for obsessive fans.  If you're interested in yet more information on "Night of the Living Dead," including photographs and movie stills, you can look at my Evans City Cemetery tour post on October 28, 2013.  

 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Cleveland Sauerkraut, Including a Version of Kimchi

      About a month ago, while striding through the refrigerated section at Shop-Rite, I saw something new--Cleveland Krauts.  One in particular caught my eye, as it billed itself as a Cleveland-style of kimchi.  Kimchi, of course, is the traditional Korean fermented cabbage dish (see one of my very earliest blog posts, July 23, 2012 for more information).  Anyway, I was intrigued, and picked up the kimchi approximation, and the caraway seed flavored one.

     Sauerkraut is one of the older, and one of the more ubiquitous dishes in the world.  Which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.  In the long centuries and millennia of no refrigeration, a food that could keep for months at a time was incredibly valuable.  Especially one that was nutritious.  It's thought that the Chinese first made it, perhaps as long as 2500 years ago.  They then introduced it to Europe, who took to it in earnest.  Now pretty much every European nation has a type of it, sometimes using their own ingredients, and often with a distinctive name.  But, in general, sauerkraut is made by fermenting cabbage, and occasionally adding carrots, caraway seeds, peppers, and beets, and sometimes even sweeter fruit like apples and cranberries.  How it's consumed varies too--it can be eaten hot or cold, as a side dish, or in soups and stews, or stuffed into pierogis, or as a condiment, such as on hot dogs or sausages.  Nutritionally it's a good source of beneficial gut bacteria, and has a decent amount of Vitamin C.  Famous explorer Captain James Cook utilized sauerkraut on his long ocean voyages, since it kept for months, and prevented his crews from contracting scurvy.  There are a couple of downsides to eating it, though--it is high in sodium, and it can cause flatuence.

     Cleveland Kitchen started out as Cleveland Kraut, back in 2013.  In, obviously, Cleveland, Ohio, in the U.S.A.  The founders were brothers Drew and Mac Anderson, and their friend Luke Visnic.  Their other brother Luke was also involved in some capacity as well.  Like many or even most of the companies whose wares I report on, Cleveland Kitchen is very focused on being healthy and environmentally responsible.  The company eschews GMOs and gluten, and their stuff is appropriate for vegans, and for those who follow the Keto, paleo, and Whole 30 diet regimens.  (The latter one was new to me.  Basically adherents cut out alcohol, grains, dairy, added sugars, potato chips/crisps, French fries, and most legumes.  And you omit these over 30 days, hence the name.)  The company website proclaims that their manufacturing process is energy efficient, and they use recyclables and renewables as much as possible.  Also, Cleveland Kitchen uses locally grown ingredients.  (I realize I'm immature, but it's gotten to the point that I almost like it when companies don't express a care for ecology, or imagined health benefits and such.  A sick part of me wants just once to read that a business only cares about making money, and nothing else.)  Alternate sauerkraut flavors include beet red, whiskey dill, curry, roasted garlic, and....kimchi.  That's right--the notation on the bag I bought was a bit misleading.  It said that this one (named Gnar Gnar for unexplained reasons) was their take on kimchi.  But in the past couple of months Cleveland Kitchen introduced a kind called kimchi.  So I guess there are two versions of this traditional Korean dish, with the newer one being "kimchi-ier," I guess.  While we're on kimchi, the Cleveland Kitchen guys did try to make their version(s) of it authentic--they got their friend Heejung Gumbs, a Korean-American chef at the Korea House Restaurant (also in Cleveland), to help them craft their kimchi-style sauerkrauts.

Cleveland Kitchen, Classic Caraway kraut:  Looks like regular sauerkraut, as it's yellow shredded cabbage with seeds.  Its texture was more crunchy than the soft sauerkraut I'm used to.  Very vinegary.  Tried plain it was just okay.  However, it was good on a (meatless) hamburger and bun.  Those flavors mixed together nicely.

Cleveland Kitchen, Gnar Gnar, kimchi-style kraut:  Was similar in appearance to the other one, only with visible green pepper chunks, and no caraway seeds, obviously.  Same type of texture.  Very spicy, as one would expect.  Decent approximation of kimchi, I suppose.  Better than the caraway kind.  Once again, I had this plain, and then on a vegetarian burger.  Plain it was alright, but it was quite tasty on the burger.  The spice was a little overpowering plain, but mixed with the bun and burger it was toned down, in a pleasant way.

     I should mention that I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut in general.  Throughout my life, I've neither loved it, nor loathed it.  I'd eat it when offered, but I wasn't nuts for it or anything.  So, if you are really into sauerkraut, you might like the Cleveland Kitchen offerings.  For example, a friend of mine from Iowa (hi Laura/Blaster), said that when growing up her siblings loved sauerkraut so much that they would sneak it from the fermenting containers in the basement as a treat, instead of scarfing down cookies or candy, like kids in my neck of the woods.  But since I can take sauerkraut or leave it, I don't plan to buy this one again.  And their version of kimchi wasn't terrible or anything, but not quite as good as the more authentic ones I've had.  (Alas, I can't recall the brand names from the store-bought kimchi I've had over the years.)