Steak tartare. Raw beef on rye. Cannibal sandwiches. Anyone?

I grew up eating this. Both sides of the family. Not sure if it's a Wisconsin thing, a Midwest thing, a German thing...it's a "thing", whatever it is. I love it. Lots don't.

Most people shirk at eating raw meat 'cause they're afraid of bacteria (or they've never tried it). But if you use ground lean meat (90% actual beef) and don't have a weakened immune system or a chronic illness, the chances of getting E. coli or salmonella are nil. I've been eating it since I was a child and I've never gotten sick.

And if you're still repulsed at the notion of eating raw beef...chill, people do it all over the world - Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Syria and Turkey.

Funny how people wolf down salmon and sushi but continue to turn their nose up at raw beef. How gosh.

Read more!

Raw beef on rye. Mmmmm.

Or "steak tartare" or "cannibal food"...depending on where you live. Mostly a Christmas holiday treat, this delicacy has been popular with the Ircink's and Datka's (my mother's family) since before my parent's were born. Not sure if it's a Wisconsin thing or a Midwest thing or a German thing (I know it's a popular dish with Jews and Asians). Whatever it is, the "thing" is tasty. You have to use fat-free ground round or ground sirloin. Spread it on rye slice, salt and add a slice of onion and you're set.

When I lived in Iowa we had to bring a dish to pass for a Christmas party at work. I brought in a couple pounds of meat, onions, rye bread and salt. Everyone looked at the the spread like I was nuts.

Except the German guy from Chicago. We both feasted. And I've never gotten sick from eating raw beef. Ever.

Read more!

Minneapolis!

(Above) My friend, Heather, and I at The Local, a most excellent Irish bar in downtown Minneapolis.

Minneapolis! Home of Prince. Tied with Seattle as the most literate city in the U.S. Home of the former American Wrestling Associaton (Verne Gagne, the High Flyers, The Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, Baron Von Raschke - which I used to watch every week), the "Twin Cities" (along with St. Paul), Mall of America, Land of 10,000 Lakes (Wisconsin, by the way, has over 14,000), Charles M. Schulz, The Andrews Sisters, Bob Dylan, Tiny Tim; politicians Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Eugene McCarthy; actors Eddie Albert, Richard Dean Anderson, Josh Hartnett and Jessica Lange, producers Michael Todd and the Coen Brothers, and burlesque dancer Lili St. Cyr; George Dayton's business grew into Target Corporation, John S. Pillsbury co-founded Pillsbury Company, Richard Sears co-founded Sears, Rose Totino created Totino's frozen pizza, candy makers Franklin and Forrest Mars founded Mars, Incorporated.

Am I rambling? Sorry. Oh...and part-time home of my friend from Cedar Rapids, Heather. Almost forgot. I wanted to experience a Minnesota Vikings' game IN Minnesota and WITH Vikings' fans. Heather was staying in town for a bit so I made the 6-hour trek from Milwaukee and cheered Brett Favre and the Vikes on to a 27-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. And, of course, Heather gave me a tour of the city. Click on READ MORE! for my shots of the weekend.

Mary Tyler Moore from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" . I shoulda thrown my hat in the air but Heather said no.

The Foshay Tower, now the W Minneapolis - The Foshay hotel, was modeled after the Washington Monument and was originally built in 1929. $10 for a gin and tonic. Pricey for a drink I never really appreciated. But the hotel was very nice - so Heather and I sat in front of the fireplace and sucked down on G&T's and admired our surroundings.

Hell's Kitchen in d.t. Minneapolis. "Damn good food!" (their tagline). Great ambiance. Helluva marketing scheme. Wonderful art and excellent food. I had the Ham and Pear Crisp (featured in Jane and Michael Stern’s Road Food Sandwiches cookbook as one of the best sandwiches in America). Shaved, slow-roasted smoked pit ham, poached pears, melted Swiss and Fontina cheese on spicy-sweet buttered grilled sourdough bread. $11.75. I woulda paid double. Check out their website.

All sorts of interesting artwork adorn the interior of Hell's Kitchen. I emailed the restaurant in the hopes they could tell me the name of the artist but I haven't heard back.

"When pigs fly" metal artwork.

Interior of The Local where Heather and I cheered the Vikings to a victory over Detroit. Awesome bar. All the interior wood work was made in Ireland. Dave, the manager, bought me a pint. Unheard of in Irish circles. SLAN!

A kissing booth/lounge area at The Local.

To my surprise, The Local had a picture of The Local Bar in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperay, where I stayed for 7 days while in Ireland this past September. Many a Guinness I tipped back there. SLAN! to Thomas, Gavin and Amanda at The Local Bar! And SLAN! to Minneapolis!

Read more!

Due North Outdoors. My new favorite outdoors show.

For the outdoors...nature...aspect of the show. Check out the Due North Outdoors website. You can also check out Laura Schara's website here. Funny...never seen fisherman that look quite like this. Must be fishing in the wrong holes.

Read more!

Origami No. 19. Big fish don't mean shit.

"You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn’t mean you’ve won
‘Cause a long may come
A bigger one"

Lyrics to Coldplay's "Lost!". I'm not a fan, per-se. But I enjoy some of their songs. Heard this song in a coffeehouse today. Made me think.

Made me think about my home. Wisconsin. Waterford, specifically. And my family and friends there. And my theater friends in Iowa. And my friends in Illinois and Minnesota and Indiana. Arizona. And those I cherish here in California. LA. Tinseltown. Hollyweird.

It's about keeping everything in check. Knowing who you are and realizing that the world doesn't revolve around you. Tough order in a town like Hollywood where it IS all about the stars. It's about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about adapting, but keeping your own skin close by - just in case you need a reality check. It's about a lot of things. Mainly, it's about you being you.

It's also about sticking to your guns, something the actor Gary Sinise told me (in a letter). It's about having an opinion no matter what others tell you. It's about having convictions and being real and not taking shit.

ABOVE: A picture of a picture in a picture frame. Me as Tom Wingfield on stage at Theatre Cedar Rapids in Tennessee William's, "The Glass Menagerie" (1995). Took it when I was home for Christmas in 2007. Ovation winner for Best Actor in a Play that year. Big fish.

Appropriate song for Hollywood. Everybody here is a rock star. Eveyone's a wannabe. Everybody's somebody. And they don't all love you. Is that a bad thing? I guess it depends on the person you are on the inside. There's nothing wrong with wanting success. To be somebody. We all wanna "slay the beast", a poignant phrase coined by my musician buddy, Nick Perkins, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Most of us have our own agenda. Our nut to crack. Our rice bowl (dated racist term but fits).

Funny, as I'm writing this the Violent Femmes' song, "Gone Daddy Gone", popped on the radio. It appeared on their debut album in 1982. They're from Madison, Wisconsin. They were huge while I was attending college in the 80's. Big fish? Maybe.

Then again, aren't we all big fish in some small way? Just watch where you swim.

Read more!