Thank yous

[Alexei Panshin]

Thanks again to Jeanette for putting me onto The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.
It's a very readable book, and I learned a lot from it -- such as the
fact that chicken
feet are smuggled from the US, where they are underappreciated, into
China, where
they dig them a lot, especially at Chinese New Year's. I've recommended
the book
to two other people who've liked it, too.

Thanks to Dr. Rufo for pushing the scrapple question. It still looks
ugly, but as
promised, Davis Meats at the Q-Mart finally has it for sale again this
weekend.
I bought a block of it yesterday and tried it out, and I love it a lot.
I'll definitely be
buying it regularly when it's available. Cory said, "Oh, you like it,
do you? That
probably means it's bad for your diet." But I tried her on a bite, and
she liked it,
too. My second new food acquisition of the last few months, after crumpets.
We're making crumpets at home now. They're a lot of trouble, but
they're better
than the store-bought kind, and Cory likes them, too. Fewer for me, but
it means we will be making them more often. I like 'em even better than
their
bastard descendants, the English muffin.

And thanks again to Jim Gifford for putting me in touch with Robert
James. Contact
made.

Alexei Panshin

[jeanette]

I am glad you enjoyed the book. I know many people like chicken
feet--but not me.

I haven't posted for a while because I have been traveling. Almost
three weeks in London and other interesting day trips and returned
yesterday from an unexpected quick trip accompanying my daughter to New
Orleans while she attended a conference. Lots of good food--probably
none of it good for me. I will give NOLA restaurant recommendations of
anyone is interested.

I read a new "good for me" book--Tamim Ansary's DESTINY DISRUPTED, a
history of the world through Islamic eyes. I found it interesting and
it makes me wonder what we can realistically expect to happen in what
the author calls The Middle World.

I recommended John Tayman's THE COLONY--the harrowing true stories of
the exiles of Molokai, when it was new about three years ago. Being in
Louisiana brought that to mind.

Finally, new to me, science fiction authors who I have been enjoying.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I recently finished PILOT'S CHOICE and
previously read PARTNERS IN NECESSITY. Not RAH kind of worlds--but some
of his kind of characters.

Jeanette--never too many books but too little time