Michael Hinko Jr

  Find the secrets to our family's home cooking on the Hinko Family Recipes blog.       Hombre Secreto

      Downtown Madison Wisconsin, Friday, January 6 2023  

  Lake Mendota, Madison Wisconsin, December 29, 2022

 I want to plug a film: The Automat, a 2021 documentary directed by Lisa Hurwitz. Why would you want to watch a documentary about an automated cafeteria? Because it's an automated cafeteria. Also Hurwitz goes way beyond the nuts and bolts, and delves into Horn and Hardart's vision of restaurant democracy. 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, high praise. Here's a link to an interview with director Lisa Hurwitz .

  I read this Washington Post story about societal changes brought about by the 1918 flu pandemic. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/13/1918-flu-pandemic-women-science/ One change, public health education in elementary schools, reminded me of a story my dad shared with me. The public health curriculum included ways to prevent the spread of germs. Dad took the brave (foolhardy?) step of sharing this knowledge with his mother, telling her there could be germs on her cutting boards even though they looked clean. Oh, did she get angry with him.

 Yesterday I cut through campus on my way to Lake Mendota. A crowd had gathered and there was a lot of shouting. Here is what I found.   A group with a religious affiliation organized a public speaking event. One member of the crowd objected, telling them they were engaging in hate speech.   It was a heated exchange. But there was no physical violence, at least not while I was there. Later when I returned home. I chose some photos to share with others. While I was looking at the photos I noticed something a little off. Here's a closer look at that first photo.  Several members of the group with a religious affiliation seem quite relaxed, even playful. In the face of such a heated exchange, I'd expect different attitude and body language.  Here's a closer look at the objecting crowd member. It could be that he just happened upon this event, and became very much emotionally involved. But I think he looks a bit spot-on, too right for this appearance. Maybe not, i...

   Hard to believe. John T. McCutcheon puts forth a plausible explanation.

 My dad, Michael Hinko Sr, ran a solo law practice. There wasn’t a junior partner to do any of the legwork. When things needed to be done in the Loop, in downtown Chicago, it was up to him. As a young boy, Dad took me on one of these trips from his south side law office to the Loop to run a tightly packed series of legal errands. Approaching downtown, we took the ramp to Lower Wacker. I don't think you're truly a Chicagoan till you make this descent. As we weaved between the concrete pillars, he pulled the car into a dark forbidding place that was actually a parking space. Where did he learn such things. Then a walk up steps back to the world of the living. That's when the mad dash around the Loop started. He knew exactly where to head and the best twists and turns to get from one place to the next. Hard to keep up with him. His bad knee gave out once or twice, causing him to grunt as he regained his balance. We ate a very quick lunch at a very dark hole-in-the-wall sort of...

 

  Here's the recipe .

 Across the street from Capitol Square.  

 A few shots.

  A short story by Irwin Shaw  

"We are all made of stardust."  --- Paul Blomgren  

  This story has its origins in Albuquerque. One Saturday Donna and I were in our Corolla, returning from grocery shopping. About a block from our condo building a cop was standing in the street, flagging cars into a middle school parking lot. Another cop walked up to my window. He said the Albuquerque Police were working to prevent auto thefts by installing theft-proof screws on license plates. He asked if we’d like one on our plate. With auto theft being the #1 occupation in Albuquerque, it sounded like a good idea. Thieves can switch plates on a car. Then when cops are cruising and calling in a plate, the switched plate does not show as stolen. The cop installed the theft proof screw, and we returned to our home. What the cop didn’t say is that the screw isn’t just theft proof, it’s everyone proof.  When I got my Wisconsin license plates, it dawned on me that I didn’t have a way to remove this screw. I figured I’d have to take it to an auto mechanic to have it removed. Kate...

  I'm sure you're familiar with red pepper flakes, made from dried, crushed red chile pods. Most people know them as the pepper flakes they shake on their pizza slices. There are multiple variations of this product, depending on the chile pod crushed to make the flakes. I found some at our local outdoor market that had exceptional flavor without all the heat, Clarbelle Romero's Medium Chile Caribe. Perfect to add to your favorite New Mexican recipes, pizza slices, pasta dishes or any recipe that could use an extra flavor note. And I could get them anytime, just a short walk over to the market on Saturday morning. Except the last time I walked over there, the people who sold them no longer had a booth. I hadn't saved Clarabellei's contact information but I remembered that a few years back I sent a bag of the chile to my brother-in-law. I reached out to him and he still had the original bag with  the details. He sent me a photo of the bag with the label.      I ca...

 Pictured are DM & MH from the first chapter, and DM & MH from the last chapter. A 33-year story.

In 1956 my dad, Michael Hinko Sr, was a candidate for Congressional Representative, 4th District, Illinois. Below I've attached his platform. Each time I read it I think, "I'd vote for that candidate." His platform is just as valid today as it was 66 years ago.

Why two? Maybe because I am a Chicagoan, and we eat delicious food, no matter the dietary consequences. The first recipe is the creamed spinach served at the Berghoff Restaurant on Adams Street. I loved the experience of lunchtime at the Berghoff. It was particularly fun to walk through the door on a cold winter day and be greeted by the clatter and chatter and heavy plates of delicious food, including creamed spinach. Berghoff Creamed Spinach The second creamed spinach recipe is the one that was served at The Blackhawk restaurant on Wabash Avenue. My older sister, eldest sibling actually, mentioned that this creamed spinach was my dad's favorite. I don't remember it. When I recall dining at the Blackhawk I remember the theatrics of the spinning salad bowl, the insane indulgence of the waiter slathering a baked potato with as much butter and sour cream as you wanted (no limit, and my youngest sister ventured to the outer reaches of potato/butter ratios), but most of all the del...