Anderson County is home to the small towns of Clinton, Norris, Oak Ridge, Rocky Top, and Oliver Springs. Many communities in this area were originally developed by the government as an experiment in urban planning and to support employees of ongoing confidential and/or industrial projects. Nowadays, the secret is out, but the history remains just…
Just today, I learned that Maryville (mumbled locally as “Murrahvull”) College was founded by abolitionist Isaac L. Anderson and that the city has a rich history in anti-slavery movements. The Society of Friends presence was strong in the area beginning in the 19th century, and one of their core values is opposition to slavery. This…
In Kodak, Tennessee right off exit 402 is a 416-acre state park; a birdwatcher’s paradise where over 200 different bird species have been spotted. The park offers around eight miles of hiking trails and hosts sporadic educational events. Dogs on leads are welcome, bikes are permitted on some trails, and the park has plans to…
Presented with a request for Caribbean food, I could not pass on an opportunity to insert this scene from one of my favourite films in the subsequent blog entry. #beetlejuice Caribbean Cabbage Slaw I made this one on the fly with shredded cabbage, carrots, green onions, tarragon leaves (fresh not dried), mango, radishes, and…
I went to the Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Highland Games at the Maryville College campus for the first time ever. Despite three layers of sunscreen, I was baked to the core by an unforgiving sun and am struggling to regain energy, but every minute was justified. The SMSF began in 1981 and changed locations…
Before I tell you about the cheesy dream boat I made, I’d like to share this intense performance art song by The Shin (a Georgian band, as opposed to The Shins) that incorporates moves from “Thriller” and something called dabbing long before it became an ordeal. There is also a tall-dark-and-handsome singing an ode to…
Cakes are the centerpieces of every great party. They are eaten at birthdays, weddings, arrivals, and departures. Cakes serve as vessels for artistic expression and to announce proclamations to the world. They are awaited with colossal expectations and greeted with impatient lust, often celebrated just as equally as the people or event they are made for.…
We chose Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts for our dinner party theme last night, which included an entire leg of pork, baby octopi, mutant mushrooms, “mandrake” fries, and a Deathly Hallows pie with a sign made of mushrooms. Bellatrix, Professor Lupin, and Harry all made an appearance. To make my savoury Deathly Hallows pie, I…
Asheville has always been on the back burner for me. I first went when I was 18 for some of the niche nightlife events, and I met a large community of fascinating people. Mostly I knew the city at night and as a hub for shared subcultural interests. I spent a remarkable amount of time…
For Saint Patrick’s Day I made Colcannon, an Irish dish of cabbage, potatoes, and a whiskey sauce. Simple, quick, and classic comfort food that can be served as a celebratory meal in its own right, and before or after a night out drinking. I serve mine like a little volcano- a mound of mash with…
Back in my most beloved city, München, the first thing I wanted was to visit the Viktualienmarkt. It is my tradition to buy strawberries at the VM regardless of the season, just a simple and sweet thing I look forward to. My friend DH and I went to München’s city center and I showed him some…
The Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles both sit high in the mountains over the village of Hohenschwangau in Southern Bavaria near the Austrian border. Neuschwanstein is also known by the rest of the world as the Disney Sleeping Beauty castle. Look familiar? Designed by and built for “Mad” King Ludwig II in the 1880s, the castle was…
