Hi Ben,

When he was younger (he didn't say how young), he worked as a
projectionist in a movie theater that showed movies not suitable for children. ...

Ha! It sounds like his honorific was used affectionately and with
good humor.

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He
served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher,
movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring
at age 62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply
store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a
number of health issues over the years, some stemming from being a
smoker in his younger days but lived a very full life.

How about you, yourself. Did you ever have a humorous nickname, and
if you did, is it something you would be willing to share?

No, never had anything of note and I strongly dislike/discourage the use
of a diminuative (i,e,y) with my name. Gave our older daughter a name
not suitable for using the diminuative with, younger daughter's name
could have had one but we always used the proper name.

A fishing pole is a good cat toy--tie something to the end of the line, cast and reel in. I've a friend that owned several cats and they all enjoyed chasing whatever was at the end of the line.

We have something like that in the closet here. Today i should dig it
out and show our cat a good time. :-)

Watch the kitten come out! I sent my sister some kitty toys I'd made;
she e-mailed me that he is enjoying them.

for Steve's birthday so we bought a roll at Wegman's. As good as Wegman's is for a lot of things, their pumpkin roll doesn't measure up to my home made one. (G)

I would generally prefer home made over store bought, but honestly,
any dessert that gets served to me is a good dessert. I made this
fruit salad a few days ago and was happy with it:

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is it
easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I don't know
of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Title: Fruit Chaat
Categories: Dessert, Fruit salad, Pakistani
Yield: 6 Servings

2 Honeycrisp apples; diced 1"
6 Guavas; diced 1"
2 Pomegranates; seeds only
2 Bananas; sliced crosswise 1"
1 Orange; juice of
1 tb Fine sugar; up to 2 tb
Salt & pepper; to taste *
1 1/2 ts Chaat masala

* Use with restraint since chaat masala is already salty.

Throw chopped fruit in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and
chaat masala. Stir, taste, adjust.

Squeeze the juice of the orange on the salad, and stir to coat.

Sprinkle sugar, and stir to coat again.

Taste, and adjust.

Recipe by Maryam Jillani

Recipe FROM: <https://www.pakistaneats.com/recipes/fruit-chaat/>

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... A mind stretched by new ideas can never go back to its original size.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Sun Jan 18 2026 04:39 pm

Hi Ruth,

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher, movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring at age
62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a number of health issues over the years, some stemming from being a smoker in his younger days but lived a very full life.

I knew about UDD being in the Navy, being a truck driver, a newspaper publisher, and working in his retirement at AutoZone. I did not know about
his history as a movie theater projectionist.

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is it easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I don't know
of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Chaat Masala literally translates to Snack Spice. For best results, make
your own. I used some that my mother made. Here are recipes:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 4 Tablespoon

1 tb Coriander seeds
1 tb Cumin seeds
1 tb Black peppercorns
1 tb Dry mango powder
1/2 tb Fennel seeds
1/2 tb Black salt
1/2 tb Table salt
2 Dried red chiles -OR-
2 ts Chili flakes

Preparation time: 5 minutes

This homemade chaat masala powder is a quick spice mix that adds a
perfect balance of tang, heat, and saltiness to Indian street food,
fruits, and snacks. Made with simple pantry spices, it's fresh,
aromatic, and far better than store-bought versions!

Add all ingredients to a spice or coffee grinder and blend until fine
and smooth.

Pour into a clean, airtight jar and keep in a cool, dry spot.

Recipe by Famidha Ashraf

Recipe FROM: <https://butfirstchai.com/homemade-chaat-masala-recipe/>

See also: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaat_masala>

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 1 Batch

1 tb Cumin seeds
1 ts Coriander seeds
1/2 ts Fennel seeds
1/2 ts Dried mint
2 ts Black salt (kala namak)
1 tb Mango (amchoor) powder
1/2 ts Black pepper;
- preferably whole
1 ts Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 ts Ginger powder

Roast cumin, coriander, and fennel one after another in a pan until
they turn slightly more brown.

Combine roasted seeds with other spices and grind to a fine powder in
a spice grinder or something similar.

Notes:

This recipe is supposed to include asafoetida powder, but I didn't
have any, so I may update it at a later date.

Roasting the seeds is always better, but it will work with pre-ground
spices as well.

Recipe FROM:
<gopher://lumidify.org/0/recipes/spice_mixes/chaat_masala.md>

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala (Hot & Tangy Indian Spice Blend)
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 3 /4 cups

1/4 c Coriander seeds
1/4 c Cumin seeds
5 Whole dried red kashmiri
- chillies; up to 6,
- remove stems,
- adjust to taste
1/2 ts Ajwain (carrom) seeds;
- scant
1 tb Whole black peppercorns
1 sm Green cardamom
1 sm Clove
1 Cinnamon stick (1/4")
2 1/2 tb Amchoor (dry mango powder)
1/4 ts Citric acid powder; scant
1 ts Kashmiri chilli powder or
- paprika
1/2 ts Kala namak (black salt);
- available in indian stores
- (optional)
2 Dried mint leaves; up to 3
2 tb Salt; or to taste

Use newly bought spices for this recipe. If the spices are more than 6
months old, the blend will come out bitter.

In a dry skillet, lightly dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds,
whole chillies, ajwain, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon
stick. Dry roast each spice one at a time, separately, on low heat.
Do not let the spices turn brown. Let cool completely.

Put the roasted spices along with other items into dry coffee grinder
or spice grinder and blitz to a fine powder.

Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/
homemade-chaat-masala-recipe.txt>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher, movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring at age
62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a number of

I knew about UDD being in the Navy, being a truck driver, a newspaper publisher, and working in his retirement at AutoZone. I did not know about his history as a movie theater projectionist.

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into
Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a
Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer
used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience
with one of them. (G)

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is

it RH> easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I
don't know RH> of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Chaat Masala literally translates to Snack Spice. For best results,
make your own. I used some that my mother made. Here are recipes:

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 4 Tablespoon

Title: Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 1 Batch

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala (Hot & Tangy Indian Spice Blend)
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 3 /4 cups

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a
few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for
butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It
was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Computers run on smoke. They stop when it leaks out.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Tue Jan 20 2026 12:36 pm

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience with one of them. (G)

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never touched an Amiga, but i played arcade cames loaded from cassette tape on a VIC-20. Also, a friend handed down a Commodore 128 to me, which i gave to another friend. I kind of wish i had held onto the Commodore 128 because i think its dual-CPU architecture is technically interesting.

My Dad was a computer professional all his adult career, and that VIC-20
was the first home computer he ever owned. The one that William Shatner
hawked on TV. Dad told me later that he was pretty excited to get a
computer of his very own. He and Mom worked together to make a video game about logging trees. She made the graphics and he wrote the code.

Did UDD ever tell you what he ended up doing with those C=64's? I knew
someone who used an obsolete computer in their kitchen for recipes.

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

I like to leave the chiles whole so that people can pick them out and self-adjust the heat level. Not that this applies to Chaat Masala.

Yesterday my cousin took me to a place where i got bok choy and snap peas
that were a little past date. I planned to make fake Chinese food using spaghetti noodles, but Mom dug out some actual Chinese noodles from the cupboard. I julienned carrots, onions, washed & sliced the bok choy, and trimmed & halved the snap peas cross-wise. I sauteed the carrots and
onions together in a large wok-like frying pan. Then i added the
remaining vegetables, garlic, ginger paste, and 6 whole arbol chiles. I
boiled the noodles for 2-1/2 minutes, drained them, and turned them into
the frying pan. Later i added Braggs aminos, sesame oil, and walnuts. It turned out well and everyone ate seconds.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Creole Pork Sausage
Categories: Cajun, Sausages
Yield: 18 Servings

4 lb Lean fresh pork, butt, or
- shoulder
2 lb Fresh pork fat
2 c Onion; finely minced
1 1/2 tb Garlic; finely minced
1 1/2 ts Cayenne
1/2 ts Chili powder
1 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
8 ts Salt
2 ts Red pepper; freshly ground
2 ts Dried thyme leaves; crushed
5 tb Parsley; finely chopped
3 Bay leaves; finely crushed
1/2 ts Allspice
sm Sausage casing (9')
- (optional)

This Creole pork sausage is an old local favorite dating back to the
19th Century, but isn't as easy to find as it once was. It would seem
to have come to Louisiana with the Spanish, and was adapted to local
custom and ingredients; the term is similar to the Spanish chorizo.
It's great with white or red beans, and good for breakfast too, with
eggs!

Cut the pork at fatback into small pieces. Mix together and run once
through the coarse disc of a meat grinder, into a large bowl. Add the
seasonings and mix thoroughly until the stuffing is very smooth and
well-blended.

Make into patties, and use within three days or freeze.

Also, you can stuff the chaurice into casings; make each sausage
about 6" in length.

Recipe by Chef John Folse, Gumbo Pages

Posted by: Ed P <[email protected]>

Recipe FROM: <news:10i7lgt$2eau2$[email protected]>,
<news:rec.food.cooking/1579104>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never

He was also a fan of Formula 1 racing. I tried to get him interested in IndyCar but he'd have none of it. ;)

Mike
---
* BgNet 1.0b12
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (1:2320/195)

Hi Ben,

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience with one of

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never touched an Amiga, but i played arcade cames loaded from cassette tape on a VIC-20. Also, a friend handed down a Commodore 128 to me,
which i gave to another friend. I kind of wish i had held onto the Commodore 128 because i think its dual-CPU architecture is technically interesting.

We used the C=64 for 10 years. My dad started out with a Texas
Instruments computer, I forget what model, but he was quite impressed
with what the C=64 could do. Not enough to buy one tho. (G) Our younger daughter wasn't quite 4 when we got it her dad typed in a number of
learning programs that she enjoyed, going to progressively harder ones
as she grew older.

My Dad was a computer professional all his adult career, and that
VIC-20 was the first home computer he ever owned. The one that BC>

William Shatner hawked on TV. Dad told me later that he was pretty BC>
excited to get a BC> computer of his very own. He and Mom worked
together to make a video BC> game about logging trees. She made the
graphics and he wrote the BC> code.

My dad got into doing computer services (payroll, bookkeeping, etc) for
others (in a town of about 800) after he lost his newspaper (editor,
small town weekly) job, just short of turning 60. He wanted to do
something the right way; boss said "do it this way". Dad said "I quit"
just before boss said "you're fired". Townsfolk stood behind Dad; he
stood firm in his position. No pension out of it but between his
business for 20 years, mom working as a librarian (school first,then
town) and retirement from that, they did well. IIRC, they were done
paying college tuition for us kids before he lost the newspaper job.

Did UDD ever tell you what he ended up doing with those C=64's? I
knew someone who used an obsolete computer in their kitchen for BC>

recipes.

I really don't remember; he may have but it's been long enough ago that
it's well out of my memory.

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

I like to leave the chiles whole so that people can pick them out and self-adjust the heat level. Not that this applies to Chaat Masala.

I'll take them either way. From what the weather forecasters are saying,
the heat of them will be appreciated in the next week or so. Starting
tomorrow night, we're in for snow, sleet and freezing rain for about 24
hours, then really cold temperatures for another 10 days or so. I made
up a pan of baked oatmeal today for quick, hot breakfasts--slice off a
section, add a bit of milk and put it in the microwave (as long as the
power stays on) for a minute or so, then enjoy.

Yesterday my cousin took me to a place where i got bok choy and snap
peas that were a little past date. I planned to make fake Chinese
food using spaghetti noodles, but Mom dug out some actual Chinese
noodles from the cupboard. I julienned carrots, onions, washed &
sliced the bok choy, and trimmed & halved the snap peas cross-wise. I sauteed the carrots and
onions together in a large wok-like frying pan. Then i added the remaining vegetables, garlic, ginger paste, and 6 whole arbol chiles.
I boiled the noodles for 2-1/2 minutes, drained them, and turned them
into the frying pan. Later i added Braggs aminos, sesame oil, and
walnuts. It turned out well and everyone ate seconds.

Sounds good to me. Steve found some goat meat in the freezer last night;
I'm going to put it in a crock pot with some peppers, onions, and
tomatoes for an easy sorta chili tomorrow.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Generic, non-offensive, non-funny tagline... boring, eh?

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Hi Ben,

My dad got into doing computer services (payroll, bookkeeping, etc) for others (in a town of about 800) after he lost his newspaper (editor, small position. No pension out of it but between his business for 20 years, mom working as a librarian (school first,then town) and retirement from that,

Interesting, so both UDD and your Dad had experience publishing.

Dad had quite a bit of publishing work (work published) since he was a
stringer for high school sports while he was in high school, in the
ship's office (he was the captain's talker on one ship) during WWII,
then summer breaks in college working for newspapers. He also worked in
the office of the lumber yard where his dad worked; I remember him
telling us that his mom wanted him to quit school and work full time for $.15/hour--this was around 1935. He went back to high school, first in
his family to graduate and go to college (on the GI Bill).

OTOH, Mom went to college right out of high school, then got married and started raising the kids. When she took the school library position, she
was told by the state that she had to get certified and her Master's
degree within 5 years. State said "you can't do it; you're married with children" but she proved then wrong and did it, earning all A's and B's.

Publishing, bookkeeping, and library work all strike me as social

in BC> nature, though a lot of the actual work is "behind the scenes"
so to BC> say. BC> It sounds like your Dad did bookkeeping on that
Texas Instruments BC> computer? Did either of your parents ever "take
you to work" with BC> them? If so, what do you remember that being
like?

I helped my mom some in the school library but by the time she retired
from that and took the town library job, I was married, had my own
family and lived too far away to help on a regular basis. Did go with
her to work a couple of times when visiting home (same with Dad when he
started his computer business) but was more of a chance to visit with
locals who came in while I was there.

Sounds good to me. Steve found some goat meat in the freezer last night; I'm going to put it in a crock pot with some peppers, onions, and tomatoes for an easy sorta chili tomorrow.

Do i recall correctly that "sorta" cuisine means improvising with
what's on hand?

Basically, yes. I pulled out the baby crock pot, put the meat, a cut up
onion, a can of tomatoes, and a couple of small cans worth (subdivided
large can) of diced chili peppers in it, let it cook on low all day.
For supper, I cooked some spiral pasta and we served the "chili" over
that. Steve spiced him up a bit with chipotle powder but it was good as
is for a cold day.

We've had sleet, snow and freezing rain today, good day to stay inside.
I'm just going to heat a slice of ham, some blue Hubbard squash (found
in the freezer) and make Israeli couscous for supper.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... A truly wise person knows that he knows not.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)