I like to talk about things close to my heart. The Internet is one. If you know me, you can probably guess what another one is:
Food.
I like to eat.
When I worked at The Daily Star, everyone knew I could be found wherever the doughnuts were located.
It might not come quickly to mind, but the Internet and eating are very close to each other.
Way back when, before everyone had a computer, the common rationalization for buying one was so you could balance your checkbook and keep track of your recipes.
Everyone knew they were just excuses, and to this day hardly any individuals really use their computers for either of those tasks.
It's easier to let the bank do the arithmetic, and as far as recipes go, I don't know anyone who actually has a recipe database on their PC.
However, that's not to say that computers don't provide us with recipes. On the contrary, there are literally millions of recipes out there on the Internet, waiting for you to cook them for me (or whomever).
It's great. Just try it. Google for the word recipe. You'll get more than 25 million entries. It's fun just to peruse them, and I admit I do that occasionally.
I can't list everything that's out there, but in about two minutes you could find Thanksgiving recipe ideas, budget meals, vegetarian stuff, pasta recipes, plain or fancy things, chicken, Rachael Ray recipes, and on and on.
Speaking of chicken and Rachael Ray, did you know that she once visited Oneonta's own Brooks' restaurant?
Yep. I don't know which is more famous, Rachael or Brooks' chicken, but in my book it must be close.
The best thing, though, is when you're looking for something particular. You can get as fussy as you want, and I bet you'll find something that piques your interest.
For example, this spring I was passing a roadside vegetable stand, and saw a sign that advertised "horseradish root for planting or grinding."
I kind of like horseradish, so I turned around and went back and got some. I gave half to a friend who likes it, and planted the other half myself. Soon, we will be digging it up and grinding it.
I also like fish. I'm the only one in the family who does, so occasionally my friend and I get together and cook some.
So one night while I was diddling away time on the computer, I did a search on the words "recipe," "fish" and "horseradish."
This time it only came up with about 600,000 results. Looking through those, I found an interesting possibility called "Halibut with horseradish crust." I printed it out and we tried it, actually using a different kind of fish. It was really good.
I'm not naive enough to think everybody would like it, but we did.
It's the odd things that are the real finds, like horseradish and fish. Another odd one that my wife and I like is a recipe for eggplant and tomato lasagna. If you like eggplant, it's great.
Here's one last example. How about mashed buttercup squash? Doesn't sound like much, does it? It was one of my Internet finds. My wife made it, and both of us liked it enough that she decided to add it to the list of Thanksgiving table fare.
And guess what? It even has a little horseradish in it.
See, it's finding the unusual things that is the big secret here. Everybody has a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. But if you want to find something particular and different, head for the Internet.
Bruce Endries is former systems manager at The Daily Star. He can be reached by e-mail at techgp@dailystarmail.com.
