JULY 2020
IWFS Great Weekend
IN CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA PART 3: FRIDAY, 10/18/2019 AM UNTIL LUNCH ALSO INSIDE • “Is There a Cure for the Common Hangover? • Blast from the Past • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
LETTER FROM THE
PRESIDENT
Dear fellow wine enthusiast,
The past three months have been very different for us on a local and global level to say the least. The Board and I want to express our sincere regards to those that have suffered from or been affected by COVID-19. To those of you that serve and work in the medical field, thank you very much for your efforts and devotion to our community. We were not been able to hold events for April or May, but it was great to see many of our members at the Cascio’s June event. The turnout was great, the food and wine were fantastic but most of all the fellowship was even better. Special thanks to Tom Murnan and Lowell Wilhite for spending time and energy to organize the two events that were cancelled/postponed.
With the news of Governor Ricketts further opening the State as of June 22nd we can all look forward to the future events on which your Board has worked very hard in order to make them very special, starting with the July 9th event at Flemings. Although we will be setting a new pricing precedent with this event, I am glad to say that it sold out in a matter of hours. We will try and do our best in the future as to not have limitations for events but this one was organized when restrictions were still in place. Rest assured the Board will develop more events of this caliber soon. Thank you for your continued support and patience during the last three month and I look forward to seeing you all at our future events. Sincerely,
Mark Stokes On the Cover: Cannon at Fort Sumter outside Charleston, SC. Photo by Wayne Markus.
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” — Thomas Jefferson From The Best of the Cockle Bur compiled and edited by Harry B Otis, 3rd President 1973-19
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
CORNER
EDITOR’S
W
ell, as of June 22nd, Nebraska has allowed restaurants and bars to mostly resume business. They are not bound by the 50% occupancy rule and you can belly up to the bar. However, they must still observe the 6 foot between tables rule, which still hurts smaller venues. Restaurant staff will continue to wear masks, but patrons do not have to enter the establishment wearing a mask. We are making progress of getting back to normal. Next month we will get back to providing coverage on our events, so we are still missing a typical Event Report feature in this gazette. In its place, I thought it would be fun to review what we know about hangovers. You know, the bane of alcohol drinkers. Considering we have had millennia to study the potential cures for excess alcohol consumption, we in effect know very little that can be identified and proven. I am sure this is because the human body is a complex mechanism, and when it goes out of whack, finding the true culprit is difficult, let alone discovering the remedy. So I guess I am telling you, I did not find a scientifically breakthrough cure for a hangover, but it is fun to read about it anyway, despite our lack of certainty.
We continue with Part three of Wayne Markus narrative on the Charleston Great Weekend. This account focuses on the morning activities, which include a visit to a World War II aircraft carrier, and stopping by to see the historic Fort Sumter, where the first battle of the Civil War was fought on April 12, 1861. Enjoy the summer! We have already passed the summer's solstice, and are working our way to the shortest sunlight day of the year, December 21st. Now that is a depressing thought. Skol!
Tom Murnan
July 2020 ¡ Page 3
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
Is There a Cure for the Common Hangover? BY TOM MURNAN
H
angovers have been around ever since man discovered that pressed grape juice could become an ambrosial drink that made them happy for a few hours, letting them forget their troubles, only to give them a pounding headache by the time they got home. Given that there have been several millennium since that happy discovery of wine, no one has come up with a fool proof and 100% effective way to deal with the party’s aftermath. Sure, one way to avoid a hangover is abstinence, but let’s face it: that’s a non-starter. It ain’t going to happen. No way. The hangover crowd are not abstainers. We do know that if you drink a lot of water between alcohol, this can lessen the after effects. But that partially depends on what you are drinking. The alcohol in wine is pretty tame when you compare it to Vodka. Somehow I just can’t see Russian Cossacks, who are challenging each other to Vodka drinking duels, would drink water between slugging that other clear, odorless substance down like it was...well...water. There are commercially available hangover concoctions. I’ve never heard anyone saying they work all that well. There seems to be a lot of national lore about different foods that have reputations of taming hangovers. New Orleans has a tradition that YAKAMEIN is a good morning after dish, supposedly brought to the area by Chinese railroad workers in the 19th Century. Basically a noodle and beef soup, with plenty of beef broth, the active ingre-
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dient seems to be soy sauce with Cajun spices in the broth. The Germans believe in KATERFRUHSTUCK (hangover breakfast), which could contain almost anything, but in practice it could involve eating picked herring with cornichons & pickled onions. Doesn’t sound appetizing to me, but the Germans swear by it. After a night of whisky, the Scots also swear by IRN-BRU, originally named Iron Brew and invented in 1909. This is an orange colored, carbonated, sweet, soda, with trace amounts of alcohol, that tastes like bubble gum. It also has a small amount of quinine. Hey, maybe they could use this as a substitute for hydroxychloroquine, but I digress. The Scots say it gives you a jolt for everything from a hangover to jet lag. There are some practical things you can do the next morning, but these are all after the fact responses...after you have spent the night carousing and are three sheets to the wind. Page 4 · 2020 ·
Have another drink, otherwise known as the HAIR OF THE DOG option. There’s not a lot of science supporting what seems to have a permanent place in hangover lore, but there is some evidence. Methanol is present in small amounts in many alcoholic beverages. Combined with the alcohol that is in the drink, the body processes the methanol into formaldehyde, which is not bodily friendly. You remember formaldehyde from your high school biology classes, right? Those frogs you had to dissect were preserved in formaldehyde, which is toxic. So, the same stuff that pickled that frog is now coursing through your body, albeit in smaller quantities. Drinking more alcohol disrupts the body’s formation of formaldehyde, reducing hangover symptoms. That’s the theory of how it works anyway.
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Eat breakfast, a good breakfast with carbohydrates, not just junk food. When you skip eating, your blood sugar drops, opening the door to hangover symptoms like weakness, nausea and fatigue. Excessive drinking throws off the chemical balance in your body, increasing the acidity inside your body. Eating a healthy breakfast restores the minerals and vitamins removed by alcohol.
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You could try some supplements that have undergone research and the scientific method and have some promise. These include Red Ginseng; Ginger; Prickly Pear extract; Eleuthro, or Siberian ginseng; Borage Oil that comes from the pressed seeds of the starflower; and Vitamin B6, to name just a few.
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
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Drink plenty of water. Alcohol during your partying caused dehydration, doubling down on your hangover symptoms where you are the loser. It is more important to drink H2O while you are drinking alcoholic beverages than waiting to do it the next morning, but it also helps to reduce such symptoms as headaches, dizziness, fatigue and thirst the day after. If you don’t hydrate while consuming alcohol, do it the next morning. Better late than never.
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Don’t drink drinks with Congeners. Congeners are toxic chemical by-products made during the production of alcoholic beverages. Congeners compete with alcohol when the body is breaking up these compounds, thus slowing the cleansing process down. Drinks with high amounts of congeners are thought to increase hangover symptoms. These include red wine; dark beer; Bourbon; whisky and whiskey; Cognac and Armagnac; and tequila. Low congener drinks are light or colorless, and include light colored beer; rum; gin and vodka, with vodka and light colored beer having almost no congeners at all. So as a general, easy to remember rule: dark colored drinks = high congeners, while clear to light colored drinks = low congeners. Sugary drinks also seem to increase hangover symptoms, especially if you add a flavored syrup to your vodka.
So the bottom line is that although we can put a man on the moon, we know little about eliminating the common hangover (just like we can’t seem to eliminate the common cold). Drinking responsibly is probably your best course if you want to avoid a hangover, because it might take science another 5,000 years to come up with a viable hangover elimination product. Maybe hangovers is God’s way to keep us humble. After all, if there was no consequence of overdrinking, we might be inebriated all the time. Sources: https://www.healthline.com/ nutrition/best-hangover-cures#The-bottom-line ; Booze Busters by Emily Heil Omaha World Herald 1/11/2020; https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congener_(beverages) ; https://www.health.harvard.edu/ staying-healthy/7-steps-to-cure-yourhangover-and-ginkgo-biloba-whats-theverdict.
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Get plenty of sleep. While sleep deprivation is not considered a cause of hangovers, adequate sleep helps you manage your hangover. Plus, you are blissfully unaware of all your symptoms, provided you can actually get to sleep. Alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle, so a hangover may be a form of sleep deprivation.
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Taking a pain reliever might reduce headache symptoms. Aspirin and ibuprofen (e.g., Motrin) are acceptable, but not an acetaminophen like Tylenol. Alcohol with acetaminophen gives off toxins to the liver. Thus no Tylenol. July 2020 · Page 5
New Orleans Yakamein
One version of Katerfruhstuck
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IWFS GREAT WEEKEND IN CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA
Part 3 // Friday 10/18/2019 a.m. until lunch
STORY & PHOTOS BY WAYNE MARKUS
July 2020 · Page 7
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
F
riday October 18, we went to Patriot Point and toured the USS Yorktown. A small group of us had a private guide in Steve Ellefson who served on the USS Ranger, one of four Forrestal-class super carriers.
The USS Yorktown is one of 24 Essexclass aircraft carriers. Originally named the USS Bon Homme Richard she was commissioned as USS Yorktown (CV-10) on April 15th, 1943. The first Yorktown carrier was sunk at the Battle of Midway in 1942. She had 150,000 shaft horsepower output providing a maximum speed of 33 knots an operational range of approximately 20,000 nautical miles. In WWII she participated in strikes and air cover in the Pacific against Japanese positions at Marcus Island, Wake Island, Abemama, Makin, Tarawa, Truk Atoll, Saipan and partook in the Battle of Philippine Sea, the invasion of Okinawa and in raids on the Japanese mainland, including Tokyo. Yorktown comprised a portion of the Allies’ "show of strength" entering Tokyo Bay on September 16, 1945. The vessel was modernized with new weaponry, an angled deck, and jet aircraft to become a "CVA" attack carrier. She did not partake in combat service during the Korean Conflict. In September of 1957, she was reclassified as an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) carrier. In 1964, she was deployed for service in the Vietnam War providing ASW as well as general support and took part in rescues of downed airmen. Her final tour in the conflict was on June 16, 1968.
The USS Yorktown was in the motion picture "Tora! Tora! Tora!" She was the recovery vessel for the Apollo 8 space capsule. USS Yorktown was decommissioned on June 27th, 1970 and donated to the Patriot's Point Development Authority of Charleston, South Carolina as a floating museum. In 1986, she received a National Historic Landmark status. Fort Sumter National Historic Park is on an island in Charleston Harbor. The boat ride from Patriot Point provided a unique view under the bow of the USS Yorktown. The temperature at sea was at least 10 degrees cooler than on shore and a windbreaker was useful. Fort Sumter is a sea fort planned after the War of 1812 and constructed in 1829 to protect Charleston. It was named after Revolutionary War hero General Thomas Sumter who was from Charleston. On April 12, 1861 it was attacked by the Confederate artillery under General P. G. T. Beauregard in the first Battle of Fort Sumter, beginning the American Civil War. On September 8, 1863 Union Rear Admiral John Dahlgren unsuccessfully attempted to retake the fort in the Second Battle of Fort Sumter, but was unexpectedly met by over 300 Confederate infantry. Union forces on nearby Morris Island continued bombarding Fort Sumter, but the Confederates maintained control until February 1865 when Union General William T. Sherman captured Charleston and the Confederates evacuated. Fort Sumter was rebuilt and used as a coastal defense through WWII. In 1948 it was turned over to the National Park Service as a National Historic Site. Park Service
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employees were very informative. There was an interesting display and discussion of cannons by a Park Service employee. Park Service employees were stationed around the Fort telling interesting stories. Lunch at Stella in the Warren Room was very Southern and Lowcountry. There was an antipasto, cheese, and charcuterie plate on arrival. The initial three table bites included: Southern Tomato Pies comprised of slow-roasted plum tomatoes, caramelized onion and cheddar cheese in a phyllo tart; Fried Green Tomatoes with sweet red onion bacon jam; and Buttermilk Biscuits with apple butter or whipped cream. There was an interesting discussion among the ladies from Texas about the authenticity of the biscuits, apparently regional differences. Next came a Lowcountry salad of chopped romaine, mixed greens, carrots, tomatoes, bacon, and toasted almonds with green goddess dressing. The main course was mosaic shrimp and grits made of stone ground grits topped with Andouille sausage, garlic, onions, peppers and shrimp topped with smoked gouda cream sauce. It also included a tasty Maque Choux which is a southern Louisiana amalgam of French Creole and Native American browned and slow cooked corn-based dish with other vegetables, in this case okra, shishito peppers, and bacon lardons. Also served was Southern fried collard greens with seasoned ham. Dessert was a chocolate pecan pie tart with whipped cream. The wines were a French Henry Fessy Gamay Noir 2016 and Washington State Eroica Riesling 2017. The afternoon was free time. Some went to The Citadel Dress Parade.
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society A publication of the Council Bluffs Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
July 2020 · Page 9
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A publication of the Council Bluffs Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
Mark Your Calendars! JULY
09 STAG
Venue: Flemings Prime Steakhouse 100 point vs. 90+ point wine tasting Producers: Mark Stokes and Mike Wilke
AUG.
23
COUPLES
Third Annual Festa Italiana by the Pool Catered by Chef Leo Fascianella Dr. Gary Moore’s Lake House Producers: Mike Wilke
SEP. TBA OCT
11
COUPLES
49th Formal Dinner Tablas Creek & Château Beaucastel: Kissing Cousins? Producers: Tom Murnan & John Klemke
HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
JULY 2020 Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas. Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.
THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.
PR E SI DENT: Mark Stokes............................................................... mark_stokes@aig.com
V ICE PR E SI DENT / SECR ETA RY: Dave Thrasher.................... dave@supportworks.com
TR EASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................................ zanol@cox.net
W I N E CELLA R M ASTER: Duke Matz....................................... dmatz@darland.com M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Joe Goldstein.............................. goldie2@cox.net
B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : Derek Burdeny Joe Goldstein Steve Hipple
Todd Lemke
John Matthews Duke Matz
Tom Murnan
Tad Singer
Mark Stokes
Dave Thrasher
Mike Wilke Les Zanotti
Lowell Wilhite
KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Mark Stokes, 402-679-7317 or via email at mark_stokes@aig.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEMBERS WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Like us on FACEBOOK (IWFSOmaha): facebook.com/IWFSOmaha and follow us on TWITTER (IWFSOmaha): twitter.com/IWFSOmaha
All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisers’ products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.