Seattle, WA

Brick over at Nutrition Frenzy just published a great article on 4 Simple Ways to Superpower Your Salads.

Firstly, that got me to thinking about this wonderful Pear & Fennel Slaw my partner started making recently that is just out of this world. I took at look at Brick’s criteria and found that it meets them all quite nicely.

Secondly, it got me thinking about the expression, “Salad Days”, so of course I had to look up that expression. That, my friends, is the danger of the internet. You start down one path and the next thing you know, your entire day has disappeared. On the other hand, you usually end up a little more knowledgeable than you started out. At least that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!

Salad Days, for those of you who are curious, refers to a youthful time in your life, often colored by inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion. Ohhh, la la! The phrase was coined by none other than the greatest writer of the English language, William Shakespeare in the tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra in 1606. Cleopatra gives a speech at the end of Act One in which she expresses regret over her youthful indiscretions with Julius Caesar:

“…My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood…”

According to Wikipedia, “The metaphor comes from Cleopatra’s use of the word ‘green’—meaning someone youthful, inexperienced, or immature. The probable allusion is to certain leafy plants (such as dandelions) that are edible when young and tender.”

Getting back to the Pear & Fennel Slaw. A friend had given me a sack full of pears from his garden. My partner knew we had fennel in the vegetable drawer so he cleverly looked up recipes that combined these two ingredients. The recipe he found turned out awesome and worked well with firm, but ripe, pears. It was spicy, tangy and just downright yummy. Give it a try:

Pear & Fennel Slaw

~Makes 2 cups

Dressing:
1/4cup white wine vinegar
1/4cup granulated sugar
1/4teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4teaspoon Kosher Salt
Tiny pinch cayenne pepper

Slaw:

1 medium fennel bulb, julienned
3 small just-ripe pears, slightly firm, peeled and julienned
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all dressing ingredients into a saucepan. Bring dressing to a boil and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool thoroughly.

Gently combine fennel and pears in a medium bowl. Toss with cooled dressing, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 150 Calories, 1 g Protein, 39 g Carbohydrates, 0 Total Fat, 0 Cholesterol, 160 mg Sodium, 5 g Fiber. Calories from fat: 0 percent.

I’m sure that Brick could provide us with more information on the health benefits of pears and fennel but I believe that both are rich in Vitamin C and fiber.

And now I am going to stop before I get caught up in the history of fennel. Danger, Will Robinson!

It was 40 years ago this week that the Seattle SuperSonics played their first regular season game on October 13th, 1967, in San Francisco. They lost that game as well as the next but eight days later, on October 21st, they had their first taste of victory winning 117-110 over the San Diego Rockets. That victory was short lived, however, as they proceeded to lose 11 of their next 12 games. Although it wasn’t the most auspicious start, Seattle fans weren’t bothered. They were just happy that the NBA had seen fit to award them with a franchise.

The SuperSonics got their name from the supersonic transport - a prototype super fast jet then under contract by Boeing. Happily, the Sonics, as they became known, had greater success than Boeing’s jet.

The Sonics first superstar player was Lenny Wilkens who played on the team from 68-72 when he was traded off the team. In 1973 the Sonics got a new coach in basketball legend, Bill Russell who took them all the way to their first playoffs. In 1977, Lenny Wilkens returned, this time as their coach. Lenny helped skyrocket the Sonics with an NBA Championship in 1979 garnering Seattle it’s first major pro sports trophy since 1917!

In 1983 the franchise was sold and for the next 20 years the team saw a series of up and downs which drove franchise owner, Barry Ackerly to threaten to move the team. The Seattle Coliseum, home of the Sonics, had grown dilapidated and in need of repair. In fact it was so bad that in 1993 the Coliseum’s leaky roof led to a “rain out”, the only game in NBA history to be called for rain! Somewhat appropriate for Seattle, don’t you think? The City ponied up and transformed the Coliseum into Key Arena. Most notable during that timeframe was the back to back trips to the NBA finals in 78 & 79.

In 1996 the Sonics made it to the Championships but eventually lost to Chicago. In 2001 the Sonics were sold again, this time to an investment group led by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. The new franchise owners demanded the City underwrite a costly expansion and renovation to Key Arena. The City resisted and the owners threatened to sell or move and sell they did, to an Oklahoma investment group led by billionaire Clay Bennett. With the City’s continued disinterest in upgrading Key Arena, the new owners began looking outside the City and decided on Renton as the site for the new King County Event Center. Mr. Bennett has stated that he plans to relocate the team to Oklahoma if a suitable arena is not provided by the City by the end of this month. The Sonics, however, have a lease agreement with the City of Seattle and Key Arena until 2010 and the City voted 8-0 to prevent an early termination of that lease.

The Sonics surprised many people in 2004/05 by winning 52 games and taking the organization’s sixth division title. In 2007 they were awarded the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft, their highest draft position to date.

Somehow I don’t think the team would be quite the same in Oklahoma! Calling them the Sonics in Oklahoma where Sonic drive-through restaurants are prevalent would be the first oddity.

While the SuperSonic’s celebrated their 40th anniversary last year, this year is the official anniversary. Happy Anniversary, Seattle SuperSonics!

For more sports (and someone who might actually know what they’re talking about, check out Kieran over at the All Sports Report!

Seattle, SuperSonics, Sonics, Basketball, 40th, Anniversary, Key Arena, Sports, Coliseum, Oklahoma, Starbucks