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December 18, 2007
Ma Yu CHing's Bucket CHicken House
I like history. I like Chinese food. And I like Chicken. So imagine my delight today while reading the book Ancient Inventions (casting a net for stories for my next book) I read about Ma You Ching's Bucket Chicken House, supposedly the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. It allegedly opened for business in the year 1153 in the Chinese city of Kaifeng, and has never closed since.
Now I am using words like "supposedly" and "allegedly" because a quick search of the net turned up a Wikipedia entry which suggested that there is a lack of solid evidence backing up this claim. The book cites several sources, and everybody seems to agree that there have indeed been restaurants open in this time since the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) so it seems very possible.
Posted by rickbeyer at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
Op Ed Piece in Politico
The New Hampshire Primary: Was it’s “First in the Nation” status consecrated by a crusading band of constitutional angels? Or does its origin have more to do with a man named Winston Churchill?
Check out my op-ed piece “Granite doesn’t last forever” on today’s Ideas page of the new online publication The Politico.
BTW, The Politico is a multi-media publication launched in January, 2007 with the mission of covering the politics of Capitol Hill and of the presidential campaign, and the business of Washington lobbying. It has proven fabulously successful at drawing online readers and making a name for itself.
Posted by rickbeyer at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
Joy To My World
What warms the heart of an author during holiday season? To walk into a bustling Barnes and Noble (in Burlington, MA) on a Sunday and finding:
1) A pile of The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told on the under $20 table (a dozen of which have already sold at that store)
2) Eight copies of The Greatest War Stories Never Told on the octagon at the very front of the store (four of which have sold in the last week)
3) Six copies of The Greatest Stories Never Told also on the octagon at the very front of the store.
Knowing your books are out there for the public to buy a week before Christmas: Priceless
Posted by rickbeyer at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2007
Blowin' in the wind...
How much do you think the weather vane at left might be worth? It is made out of molded copper and dates back to 1910. Pick a high number, double it, then keep reading.
The Lexington Historical Society owned this weather vane for years. It used to sit upstairs at Buckman Tavern, leaning against an old bed, in the part of the house used for storage. No one paid a great deal of attention to it. I have been a part-time guide at the building for several years, and have walked by it on the way to the bathroom numberless times, usually without a second glance.
The Historical Society decided this year to “de-accession” the weathervane from it’s collection. In other words, to sell it. A very sensible decision, since it is not connected with the Society's main effort, to interpret the story of April 19,1775 through our historic houses. And the sale might generate some much need money to help fund upcoming restoration/renovation projects.
Auctioneers at the Skinner Auction House in Boston suggested that the weathervane might sell for as much as 30-50 thousand dollars.
They were wrong.
The weather vane sold at auction on November 4, 2007 for $941,000. Scuttlebut has it that the buyer was Ralph Lauren’s brother.
Wow.
(BTW, I apologize for not writing any blog entries lately, but I am back on the case and expect to be blogging a couple of times a week. Cheers!)
Posted by rickbeyer at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)