An unfortunate combination of potatoes, minced meat, corn, and (sometimes) cheese creates an unfavorable Valentine Menu staple. Shepherd’s pie, as it is known, is at first glance an entirely unsavory meal. But the dish is a favorite for many, and the existence of the sheer number of variations of the dish begs the question: Who is this “Shepherd” whose pie we are eating? Also, why are we still eating it?
For starters, the “shepherd” in “shepherd’s pie” refers to the meat of the dish – lamb. The pie is widely believed to have its origins in northern Scotland and England, where large flocks of sheep were kept. The dish itself is said to have come as a result of the need for wives to create an economical and interesting way to reuse leftovers.
The variations on the dish are many, but the more notable modifications is created with a simple change of meat. Exchanging minced lamb meat for minced beef creates the shepherd’s pie’s cousin – cottage pie. Shepherd’s pie can also be made Lent-safe with Fisherman’s pie, which features – surprise! – fish.
Shepherdless pie is created by removing the meat altogether. Leave it to vegetarians to create something interesting.
But here is a question: Is Valentine’s shepherd’s pie actually made with lamb? I find that hard to believe. Thus, it may just be that Valentine has not been serving Shepherd’s pie at all, rather, they have been serving cottage pie.
Oh, the scandal!
(Sources:http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html#shepherdspie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherds%27_pie)
(Thanks to reader JT for the story idea.)
It might be hard to see this in the above picture, but that’s the new location of the Campus Center Supervisor’s office. The office is being displaced due to the construction of the Center for Community Engagement. Thus, the office is now directly opposite to where it was before.
If you are curious as to what the other side of the hall now looks like, click the jump.
Filed under: Town of Amherst
Not surprising to some, an understandable relief to others, the 2006 Water Quality Report reveals that Amherst, Massachusetts does indeed possess clean drinking water, at least by the EPA and Massachusetts standards.
Amherst College consumed 5% of the 3.322 millions of gallons of water consumed by Amherst in 2006. Compare that to the town itself, which consumed 58% of the total and the University of Massachusetts, which consumed 34% of the total. Yes, UMass is that big.
As for disturbing findings, the trihalomethane(a byproduct of chlorination) level, was measured at 78.9 ppb, which is dangerously close to the maximum contaminant level of 80 ppb. In addition, the haloacetic acid level, exceeds the maximum contaminant level but does not pose any violations.
Amid all the talk of microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides, radioactive contaminants, herbicides, and septic systems, the report also revealed that “the town has over 5000 fire hydrants.”
Never knew that.
It is not a stretch to claim that one of Valentine’s most beloved meals comes in the form a dish commonly called General Tso’s chicken. The dish is, in many respects, a godsend to disgruntled Amherst students who often lament the lackluster quality of the dining hall food. But, Val food quality aside, who exactly was General Tso?
Michael Browning at the Washington Post takes a stab at answering the ubiquitous question of who this General Tso person was, anyway.
He writes:
Not one in 10,000 knows who General Tso (most commonly pronounced “sow”) was, nor what terrible times he lived through, nor the dark massacres that distinguished his baleful, belligerent career. Setting their chopsticks aside, patting their stomachs, the satisfied diners spare scarcely a thought for General Tso, except to imagine that he must have been a great connoisseur of hot stir-fried chicken.
Browning eventually reaches the conclusion that General Tso’s chicken was invented long after the ruthless man’s death. He also ends up convinced that General Tso’s chicken is not even a product of China. Hit the link for the entire article and check out this page for what the “real” recipe for Tso’s should be.
It is a decidedly dreary fourth of July, with highs of 72, cold gusts, and threats of rain. The man driving the miniature tank seems on edge.
The Amherst 4th of July Parade staff just advised a young boy to urinate in the bushes in front of the Wilson Admissions Center, just left to where I am sitting in the grass. The boy, apparently uncomfortable with urinating so close to a strange young man with a bicycle helmet on, runs to his mother. The boy is now in the process of urinating in the bushes north of Kirby Theater.
I relocate to the front of the Alumni Gymnasium. There are electrical outlets for me to charge my camera and computer. I hear bagpipes. There is a group of people practicing their choreographed shaolin kung fu. I realize how cold it is.
A man, wearing a kilt and a huge drum is frustrated at the lack of accessible bathrooms. I offer him directions to Webster. He declines the offer and walks off. (more…)
Not surprisingly, there is not much going on at Amherst in the summer time. Still, I am often surprised to see that Amherst is not completely dead even when most of it’s students are elsewhere.
Case in point, sitting in Schwemms this afternoon, I overheard a few professors from the Computer Science/Mathematics and Physics departments discussing the issue of the practicality of merit-based scholarships, with some professors being solidly opposed to them, and other professors seeing the their advantage but expressing disappointment in their execution. I couldn’t catch the specifics of their debate, but I did notice that the conversation did shift to the whole Annapolis Group vs. U.S. News & World Report situation.
For some reason, I had assumed that professors did not pay attention to such things. That was obviously a grossly-erroneous assumption on my part.
Because Schwemms is closed on the weekends during the summer, each Friday shortly before two they leave out a tray of sweet delectables in the Keefe atrium for passer-bys to take. Considering their options are either to save the food until Monday (bad for customers’ teeth, I’m sure) or just toss it(bad for everyone who might love free cookies) this is undoubtedly the best choice.
I managed to snatch a few cookies (and a banana) before taking some pictures. Dean Haynes caught me taking the final one, which required the use of a chair. It was a slightly awkward moment but a worthwhile one in that it elicited a greeting and introduction. I soon discovered that he had missed lunch. I felt bad for him and he took a banana.
Second picture after the jump. (more…)
In the midst of the Cold War, when concerns of nuclear attack by Russia bordered on hysteria, the U.S. Strategic Air Command created a “nuclear war relocation site” on the Holyoke Mountain Range in Western Massachusetts. This 44,000 ft² bunker, built on twenty-seven acres of land,was created with the intention of giving the U.S. military a chance to strike back in the event of nuclear attack. Equipped with its own water supply and electrical system, the bunker had the ability to keep three hundred people alive for forty days.
But as concerns over nuclear holocaust lessened, and major military bases were relocated from the east coast to the Mid-West, the bunker began to lose its utility. By 1972, the SAC bunker, built to withstand all but a direct nuclear attack, was converted into a Federal Reserve storage facility.
In 1992, the Federal Reserve put the bunker up for auction. Seeing the use of the bunker as an off-site storage facility for library materials, Amherst College placed a bid and on October 7th, 1992, purchased the bunker for $510, 000. Renovations were soon underway and by 1994, the 38-room Amherst College Depository was opened.
In terms of scale, this bunker had “three times as much space as the White House and four times as much space as Mt. Vernon.” (Amherst Volume 45, Number 1, Fall 1992 “Bunker is a Bargain”)The possession of the massive storage facility enabled Amherst College to move large numbers of furniture, supplies, records and books off campus, freeing up space in the Robert Frost Memorial Library for what would eventually become the A-Level Media Center. By 2002, the remaining four colleges of the Five Colleges- Holyoke College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Hampshire College, and Smith College – also relocated many of their materials to the bunker, creating The Five College Depository.
Amherst College offers tours of the facility each year during alumni reunions. The Five College Libary Depository website offers directions here.
