Musings of JR Simmang

Every once in a while, I like to wax philosophic. Today, I am trying to figure out what it means to live. Humans have an innate sense of survival. Humans don't just roll over and die. We fight for life. We fight for existence. Even they who do not live for this world still live in this world. We wake up daily, breath daily, ingest and defecate daily. We don't just die unless there is an outside influence over them whether it be old age, a weak heart, incidents and accidents, or the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." Humanity has shown a propensity for living regardless of what may challenge it. Despite desperate living conditions, humanity has survived in the harshest of climates, environmental or otherwise. The permafrosted layers of land devoid of fauna did not hinder the development of Moscow or St. Petersburg . Despite oppressively despotic heat, Lybia and Algeria were established. The cradle of life is in the middle of a desert. The Jews fled Egypt. Th...

Today is the 4th of July. Naturally, I'm going to write about Independence Day. I know, it's passe, original, and totally expected. First of all, I would like to wish everyone a splendid and safe day. I hope the fireworks are spectacular. Secondly, I would like to say that I love this country. In 1776, something happened at the First Continental Congress. John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John and Samuel Adams, and a slew of other brilliant men between the ages of 26 and 70 signed America into law. It wasn't until 1784 that America was finally ratified. We built a country based on the needs of the people. We established a currency, constructed commerce, and developed a new people: the American people. America is a country for the poor, the rich, the genius and the moppet. We are no longer a system of thirteen colonies. We are no longer a system of states. We are a country of Americans. In this, it is our duty to remember on this day the journey of this land...

There is an abundance of good people within my family and my wife's family combined. In that abundance there are numerous good cooks. My family started and sold a successful restaurant chain in Nacogdoches called The Hot Biscuit. My wife's family has traditions passed down from generation to generation that have been tweaked, augmented, simplified, and purified. That being said, my wife and I developed an improvement on an old family recipe, Calabacita. For those of you who don't read, speak, or understand Spanish, Calabacita means 'little squash.' Based on that ginormous context clue you can assume the dish has something to do with squash. Normally, the recipe calls for as many squash as you want. We traditionally add three medium sized zucchini or yellow squash for 4-6 servings. However, after digging through the veggie crisper we found that we had only 1 zucchini and 2 chayote squash. We picked up the chayote on a whim. I had heard from a Spanish friend of mine t...

I'm going to be up front with you, all five of you that have peaked in your head. This article has nothing to do with love. In fact, it has all to do with the opposite, hate. I commute more than thirty minutes to work every day, weekends excluded. I know, compared to some that's just a walk in the park. For me, I can't stand being wrapped in 1300 pounds of steel and fiberglass sitting behind another person encased in the same unless I'm in the drive- through line, which I hardly ever am. I think it all comes back to elementary school. I wanted to be the first in line. I wanted to have the responsibility of leading the pack to PE. I wanted to set the pace. I didn't like staring at the back of Kyle's head. I didn't like having to pace myself behind the other kids' heels. I want to be in front. Naturally, things change. Now, it's not so bad. I've learned that there are lines everywhere, some good and some bad. You have the lines leading up to Maria...

Here's my first post. My wife and I are consummate foodies. We eat, and we eat well. I worked for Central Market a while ago, and there I became acquainted with the kiwano, kiwi, heirloom tomatoes, russet potatoes, and whatever else you can eat raw, eat cooked, or just use as decoration. I worked as a Food Demo and then as a Foodie. Our friends are foodies, our families are foodies. Naturally, we tend to eat at places all over the fair city of Austin. That's part of the charm of this city. There is definitely no shortage of great restaurants. We were on the search for such a restaurant when we stumbled upon a little gem of an eatery named Somnio's. Right on First St., next door to Sugar Mamas (which I will highlight later), there's this little shack with limited parking, 'Somnio's' painted along the side of the building. Parking is in back, so my wife and I pull in, turn off the car and walk up the stairs opposite the handicap ramp and pull the handle to the...