! 2 2 2 0 1 1 2 , J U N E ! N E W S W E E K L Y B E A C H V E R O
jDPKTD _K9O? lTHHO6
Favorite culinary vices found at Publix I recently came across a new food-related word. It’s “ORTHOREXIA,” and it’s used to describe an upand-coming rich-folks’ psychiatric condition where a person has an unhealthy obsession with eating only healthful or correct food. The problem for these folks, naturally, is that they miss out on the fifth food group – junk food. For all my many faults, I’m fairly confident that I’m not orthorexic. To wit: let’s take a walk through my go-to grocery store, the Publix on Miracle Mile, and let me share some of my favorite culinary vices. Skyline Chili. This you’ll find in the frozen section near the corn dogs. It’s a Cincinnati-style chili, which means the meat is finely ground, and it’s seasoned with cinnamon, among other things. This stuff is not intended to eat straight. Instead, you nuke it and serve it over spaghetti, and then garnish the lot with chopped onion, grated cheddar or parmesan cheese, and all the hot sauce you want. It makes a perfect, effortless Tuesday night dinner for the kids (and me). White Mountain Bread. If the Publix bakery should be famous for anything, it is this bread – light as air, but with a wonderful chew to the crust. The stuff is such a celebration of bleached while flour that it’s even dusted with the stuff to drive home the point. Make sure you ask the staff to slice the bread for you on their machine, because there is no way you cut this stuff at home
without crushing it. Try a fresh tomato sandwich with mayo and lots of black pepper. “El Ebro” brand Galician Bean Soup. Here’s one I’ll bet you’ve never even looked at. It’s soft white beans and potatoes swimming in a dull brown sauce, studded with fatback, smoked pork and chorizo. Absolutely delicious. You’ll find it hidden in the canned goods isle. By the beans, not the soups.
NICK THOMAS
Boar’s Head Mortadella. If there is one thing that separates Publix from the high-minded organic stores such as Whole Foods, is that Publix has no compunction about selling delicious deli meats, regardless of whether they contain nitrates. And mortadella is one of the crowned princes of preserved meats. An Italian forbearer to our bologna, mortadella is a similar but more bulbous tubular meat, highlighted by chunks of white pork fat and pistachios. Exemplary. And very nice on White Mountain Bread, with a bit of Coleman’s hot mustard.
AI=<0 A@I<5 568(*, 5J**M 5M.OME P7 +*NN*OMN ."" +.C -0%2(*, >."( S(( ."" -SMM"*N S( J$T* QO$,*+ P/RR SO "*NN +%(8%2(*, 1$T* ASJT 1*+T*N+.CE ."" %SLN* J$T* &".NN QSLON P7 ."" +.C -!032(*, 4%$ONMC 4%LON+.CE *GM*T+*+ >.QQC >SLO +O$T#N LTM$" :E6R Q! <3;(*, <$K* !LN$, -*&$TT$T& .M :ERR Q! /*103(*, FSMMS!"*NN ;$!SN.N .M -OLT,% (SO PBR /08(*, F"SS+C ;.OC F.O (OS! /RERR .!DBERR Q!
/%3.;8" '3%*9$*21& 708)!& #;88%3& :*44, :603 *8( +%%9%8( '308)! 67RR 8,*.T AO$K* 3*OS F*.,%2 ?< 6B)H6 ::B9'H)9/RHR
Swanson’s Chicken Pot Pies. To me, this is the ultimate junk comfort food. I subsisted on these things in college, and I still treat myself to a few from time to time. Still just around a buck a piece, the tin pie pan has now been replaced by a high-tech, microwavable vessel, but the goopy, doughy vibe is just the same. I plop them out, still frozen, into a wide bowl, cover the works with a paper towel, and set the microwave for five minutes. Once the frost has been overcome, I stir the works together, and nuke it for another two minutes, until it is molten. A guilty delight. Publix is truly one of the things that makes living in Vero so wonderful. I’ve lived in bigger cities. I’ve had access to much more variety. But I honestly never feel short changed. The next time you walk in to Publix, drink in the scene. Is it even decent to have this much variety and quality at our fingertips? Look at the staff. Why are they so happy? The answer is simple. They are treated with respect. With over 1,000 stores, and over 140,000 employees, Forbes magazine has ranked Publix as one of the top 100 companies to work for. One big reason why is that this huge corporation is entirely employee owed. You work there, you’re an owner. Nick Thomas is a lawyer and certified family mediator. Reach him at nthomaslaw@comcast. net.
Reach the island and beyond rO8N>:J<N 5B9> >N<:S9>SC: JC :KN ZN>B qNSPK cN7<7NNHG5 SCO >NSPK N8N>5 KBFN BC :KN QS>>JN> J<GSCO, S< 7NGG S< :KB9<SCO< FB>N BC :KN FSJCGSCOl \B GNS>C FB>N, PSGG eS>:JCN mNP:NS9 :BOS5 S: "";{%)%{!;**l