Real Food Farm Market in Belair Edison Today

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Apparently we’re very late to the party on this one, but what can you do? It’s better to find out about some amazing open secret like Real Food Farm a little late than never, don’t you agree?

It’s no secret at all that Baltimore is among the cities on the leading edge of urban agriculture in the US, and since its establishment last year Real Food Farm has been at the epicenter of Charm City’s urban ag movement. Their stated goal is to produce no less than 10% of all the food consumed in Baltimore City. It’s a lofty aspiration, to be sure, but who’s going to say they can’t? You? Certainly not us.

 

A lot more productive than playing Farmville on Facebook, don't you think?

 

There are a lot of buzzwords flying around the food scene’s lexicon lately, but of all of these catchy terms like organic, sustainable, and biodynamic, none of them will be more important in the coming years than this one: local.

And you literally can’t get any more local than RFF, which grows all of its produce on a plot right here in Clifton Park, along with a little help from the Civic Works and some Baltimore City school students.

In our humble opinion though, where RFF goes really right is in their market schedule. The Chop does not generally favor waking up weekend mornings at the crack of dawn to buy vegetables. And if you miss that damn Waverly Market on Saturday, you have to wait a whole week for it to come around again.

As you can see above, RFF markets are from 5-7 in the evening, which is much more convenient, and there are not less than three market days each week, all of which are convenient to residents of North Baltimore.

So we’re going to head over to Belair Edison today and sustain a little agriculture. Maybe even find some good ingredients for vegan chili, since it’s getting to be that time of year.

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Real Food Farm markets take place Mondays at Belair Rd. and Erdman, Wednesdays at Kirk Ave. and Abbotston, and Fridays at Montebello Elementary (next to the lake). See real-food-farm.org for more information.

How to Wear a Tie Casually

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Baltimore is a great city for neckwear. It’s a town that loves its scarves, and they seem to increase in popularity every year. At the same time, the men of Baltimore are not so precious, effete and pretentious that we ever fell for the keffiyeh (shown here, on the left), or, God forbid, the ascot.

But today we want to talk about the simple straight necktie, which should be more of a pleasure than a chore to wear.

The Chop recently procured a new pair of jeans, and with the skies sunny, the winds calm and just a hint of Fall brisk in the air, it’s been the perfect excuse break out the casual ties for mixing with denim.

A: Warhol is cooler than You. B: Steal his look. It's foolproof and works on anyone.

For the sartorially savvy, there may be a tie for every occasion. Where the foppish man might own a closet full of ties for the office, ties for the club, ties for sporting, parties, dinners, etc, the rest of us will have to make due with a handful of more versatile staples which can pull double or even triple duty. So how do you know which ties will be a good fit for both a Monday meeting and a casual Friday, with happy hour? More importantly, how do you know which tie to buy when She’s dragging you down the mall concourse and demanding you to smarten up? Simple: You follow the rules.

Rule 1: Stay away from the silk. Matte is better than shiny. Always. You can wear most ties with suits, but most ties you (probably) own can’t be worn without suits. Go for something wool, cotton, linen, whatever. As long as you don’t need sunglasses to look at it. You can even get away with polyester or rayon, if everything else is in order.

Rule 2: Not too fat, not too thin. Fat ties are for bankers. Skinny ties are a great way to look like an asshole if you don’t know what you’re doing. Get out a ruler and make sure your tie is between 2.75″ and 3.125″ at its widest.

Rule 3: Less is more. Go for a solid color or a very subtle pattern. something like pin dots, pinstripes, or something so tight it resembles a solid from a distance is a safe bet. If it catches your eye among a collection of other ties, its going to be too loud and people will stare. This is not the idea.

Rule 4: Wear the right shirt. The right shirt is usually about the right collar. Button down collars are inherently casual, and are a safe bet. Spread collars are no good. Most regular collars will do, but if you can remove the collar stays, do.

Rule 5: Length. Fun or formal, your tie should end just above your belt. There should be enough of a little end to tuck into the tag.

Rule 6:Loosen up, tighten up. Undo your top button, but wear your tie just tightly enough that it holds the collar together at the neck.

Rule 7: Look at Warhol. He’s 60, but that would work just as well on a 16 year old, or anyone in between. The jacket is unassuming cool at its best, and serves to dress down the shirt and tie, both of which are classic and well sewn, and would look as much at home inside an Italian suit as they do inside this thrift-chic jacket.

Perfect.

Die Hacken Geht Oktoberfest!

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Hey Chop, are you going to Oktoberfest at the Fairgrounds today? Of course we are. Don’t be dumb. We’ve been sweating and swearing in the goddamn desert for the last 3 months, drinking naught but mere element and dreaming of beer and fall weather. There is no way under the sun we’d miss this.

Oh. Are you going to go there by light rail? Certainly! That thing is only good for going to 3 places anyway… the airport, the stadium, and the fairgrounds. When the order of the day is nothing but revelry and rabble-rousing, designated driving is out of the question. Besides, any jackass can sing off key polkas at the top of his lungs in a car. We plan to do it on the train, where you can get a really pukka singalong going if you do it right.

Das ist eine riesige Hündin.

Cool. Do you think you might check out the wife carrying competition? What’s the matter with you!?!?! Wife carrying is our favorite sport ever! Even more than demolition derby and midget wrestling! We don’t even care if it’s not actually German. you’re damn right we’re going to watch it, and maybe even bet on it.

Wait a minute. This is a lot of day drinking. It runs from noon ’til six. What’s up for the rest of the night?
 Well, the last time we did any German drinking we stuffed ourselves silly with kraut and beets and cheeses and dumplings and of course, beer. We’re planning on shoving anything we can get our hands on into our greedy, dirty maw, and if history is any indication we’re probably going to flopped out on the bed in a bloated, bleary stupor by about 7 or 7:30. The rest of the night is reserved for watching playoff baseball, eating Tums by the dozen, and enjoying the empty house while Roommate is in NYC for the weekend.

Kind of sounds like you’re a sad old man.

Yeah. Probably am.

And you’re okay with that?

Yep.

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Tim Barry, Josh Small @ the Ottobar Tonight

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When Tim Barry played with Drag the River at Fletcher’s on Memorial Day Weekend of 2008, it was easily the best show in the history of that venue, and one of the best Baltimore shows of the decade. This is no hyperbole. The crowd consisted entirely of a who’s-who of local record collectors, musicians, indie media critics and other such arbiters of taste, and these two acts did not disappoint.

Even the most aloof and elite of scene types made no bones about being in a full on transport of musical reverie. It sort of felt like Christmas in the Rockefeller house in there. That’s how happy and excited everyone was.

Rivanna+Junction

For fans of stuff like Lucero, the Gaslight Anthem, and Paul Westerburg, the former Avail frontman, along with Suburban Home labelmate and sometimes collaborator Josh Small should definitely be worth sneaking out of work early for. And you might have to do just that, since their show at the Ottobar tonight is a happy hour set in the upstairs bar, very acoustic and intimate-like.

After all, there’s nothing better than some low-down, southern-fried songs about drinking heavily to start off the first full weekend back in town.

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Ottobar is at 2549 N. Howard St. Doors at 6, Show at 6:30. $10, all ages.

Cheers! The Culture of Drink in Early Maryland @ Homewood Museum

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If you know the Chop at all, you know that we’re the type to take our drinking very, very seriously. Of course, we strongly believe in drinking responsibly, but to us ‘drinking responsibly’ doesn’t just mean taking a cab or laying off the Jaeger shots… it means drinking the right way.

So, we’re trying to buy a dining room group at the moment. This is a task which has so far required no shortage of time and effort in straining our eyes to look online and driving to and fro from store to store to deal with salesmen and parse the differences between “cherry” and “cherry satin”. It will undoubtedly require yet more effort in painting, wallpapering, and possibly even installing new lighting. This is not to mention considerable expense.

A drawing room at 1515 Linden Avenue in Reservoir Hill, 1886. Photo courtesy MD Historical Society.

But you may ask, “Chop, you’re a single bachelor. Most of your meals consist of Midnight Snacks on the couch. What do you need with a fancy-schmancy table?” Well, you’re right. The table and chairs are mostly an afterthought. What we’re actually shopping for, and what will be the true centerpiece of the room, is the bar.

It’s well known that our grandfathers were better drinkers than we are. The Chop’s own grandfathers are a case in point. Do you think they ever drank beer from “aluminum bottles”, or asked if their wine was “bio-dynamic”, or mixed anything with Red Bull? Of course not. They learned to drink in World War II.

But what about our grandfathers’ grandfathers? The landed gentry and patriarchs of the Old Line State? How did they drink? For they are the ones we should be emulating if we really want to do it right. Cask Madeira, Terrapin Stew and 20 year rye? Yes, please.

This is why, before we rebuild our bar this Fall, we’re going to stroll over to the Homewood Museum and have a look at their exhibit Cheers! The Culture of Drink in Early Maryland.

The exhibition is on view as part of the regular Homewood tour, and focuses on how the Carrolls and other early families procured, stored, served and sipped their wines and whiskies.

While we’re at it, we might even come back tomorrow for the Museum’s Historic Home Brews talk and tasting featuring Baltimore native and Stillwater Ales founder Brian Strumke as part of the 2010 Baltimore Beer Week. If you can’t make it down to the Museum of Industry for the Official Opening Tap Ceremony you can still taste some of the best beer in Maryland right here at Homewood, just in time for Friday happy hour.

Cheers.

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Tapping ceremony and home brews tasting require advance registration. See bbweek.com for more information on all beer week events. The Culture of Drink exhibit runs from Sep. 16 until Nov. 28 2010 from 11am-4pm Tue-Fri and 12-4 Sat & Sun.