You Just Knew It Would Happen Again

Here's another reason that the legal profession has its well-earned reputation:

A Glen Cove woman has filed a $10-million claim against Starbucks, alleging she was badly burned by coffee that leaked from the container.

On the morning of May 5, Janine Arslanian bought coffee from Starbucks at 5 School Street in Glen Cove, according to court papers initially filed in October in the State Supreme Court and later moved to federal court in Central Islip. The suit says that as Arslanian received the cup, coffee "leaked and flowed from the container on the bare right hand and arm ... causing her to sustain severe burns" and suffer "permanent injury and scarring." The suit describes the injury as "extensive and gross second and third degree burns to her right hand and arm."

So order a friggin Frappucino next time. This kind of crap really makes me sick. There are just some clients that you should turn away at the door. I have this kind of argument with my partners all of the time. It's too bad that if you spill coffee on yourself at home that there's no one to sue.

File under The Legal Profession.

7:30:40 PM    Go ahead, make my day  []  trackback []  

My Son, The Chef

My son (16 years old, high school junior) is making dinner for his girlfriend (college freshman) tonight. No, he's not making Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. He's making Veal Marsala à la Joe Dogs, from The Mafia Cookbook. I've heard of dress-to-impress but this is cook-to-impress.

I didn't cook for a woman until I was into my late 20's. In fact, until then anything other than cooking a steak on the grill was utterly foreign to me. I was living in Brooklyn Heights at the time after just having graduated from law school. My sister felt sorry for me after seeing that my idea of a good meal after work was boiling some rice and throwing some Hormel Chili on top of it. So she bought me Pierre Franey's book The 60 Minute Gourmet (the first and at the time only volume). I must admit that it sat on the shelf for a few months gathering dust until I got good and desperate. I remember the first dish I made was Chicken Florentine. I set out all of the ingredients ahead of time, all chopped, sliced and in order. Then, miracles of miracles, I found out that what I made was indeed delicious.

After that, I didn't turn back. I've become a pretty fair chef 20 years later and can whip up alot of different dishes just on instinct. But I'll always have my sister to thank for buying me that cookbook. I'm on my second copy now. My ex kept my original out of spite. For me, cooking is a great release after the frustrations of working all day long in the law's grave. There's nothing like turning out a great meal for your wife on New Year's Eve and then seeing that certain look in her eyes after.

That veal was the first thing I ever cooked for my wife. I hope he's got some leftovers.

File under Stuff That Don't Fit Anywhere Else.

6:55:18 PM    Go ahead, make my day  []  trackback []