Author Archives: rkcunningham

June 8, 2018

Songs about William McKinley

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Remember President William McKinley? Maybe you discussed the Dingley Tariff just the other day. Actually, most people remember McKinley because an anarchist shot him in the early months of his second term in office. His passing opened the door for Theodore Roosevelt. Countless hours of public television … Continue reading →

February 28, 2018

In search of Lincoln’s hand

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The Railsplitter always remains newsworthy. Perhaps you remember the recent Lincoln-related crime wave in Kankakee, Illinois, where a thief or thieves took a plaster sculpture of Abraham Lincoln’ hand. Let’s go to local reaction, as reported in the January 3, 2016 … Continue reading →

February 26, 2018

County Fairground Soup: Ken Albala shares his recipe

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County Fairground Soup I love when serendipity, season, and whim dictate the contents of a recipe. A cooking demo for a farm-to-table event and whatever happened to be available at the vegetable stands one hot day in July prompted this … Continue reading →

February 21, 2018

Duck Soup Noodles: Ken Albala shares his recipe

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Penang, Malaysia: Duck Soup Noodles This state’s major city, Georgetown, was founded by the British in 1786 as a trading center. Consequently, it attracted influences from not only throughout the Pacific but India and the rest of the world as … Continue reading →

February 19, 2018

Meet the UI Press: The secret garden of praise

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Meet the UI Press is a semi-regular feature that delves into issues affecting academic publishing, writing, education, and related topics.  Blurb. It sounds like an onomatopoeia for a noise made by infant humans. In publishing, though, the blurb—i.e. a quote on the cover … Continue reading →

February 14, 2018

Pulled noodles: a how-to with Ken Albala

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The noodle, properly pulled, can take a soup from “good” to “that meal your friends talk about ten years later.” Called “the ultimate noodle” by Ken Albala, and he would know, the pulled noodle inspires artistry even before the cooking … Continue reading →

February 7, 2018

Shirataki, the strangest noodle: Ken Albala shares his recipe

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This is the strangest noodle I have ever made, and doing it from scratch is more like an alchemical experiment than an exercise in cooking. Among everything in this book, this is one recipe where the procedure and measurements really … Continue reading →

February 5, 2018

In praise of suckers and P. T. Barnum

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We are now three years and one day removed from this unforgettable event: Diaper-Wearing Service Kangaroo Kicked Out of Wisconsin McDonald’s You know who else liked kangaroos? P.T. Barnum. You know who publishes his every-word-guaranteed-to-be-true* autobiography? The University of Illinois … Continue reading →

January 24, 2018

Homemade rice noodles: a how-to with Ken Albala

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The perfect rice noodle… it is El Dorado and the City of Z, and those questing for it wonder, “Will my journey ever end?” Let Ken Albala be your great and powerful Oz—a real one, not a fake twisting the dials on … Continue reading →

January 22, 2018

Making noodle soup: a how-to with Ken Albala

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If you live in the hemisphere currently undergoing winter, you know that few foods offer the sanctuary of satisfaction to be found in a bowl of great noodle soup. Ken Albala wants to get you out of packets, cans, and … Continue reading →