In 1798, the British Army hired German and Austrian soldiers as sharpshooters. Informed opinion at the time was that Englishmen could not be taught to shoot accurately. A dozen years later, that had all changed and British sharpshooters, armed with rifles, were considered “the best marksmen in Europe.” How did that  »  Read More

I love sandwiches. My wife says I grew up in a “sandwich culture.” She grew up in the American South where people sat down to eat full meals a lot. We did that too in New York City, where I grew up, but sandwiches were a key part of life. I’d stop by the deli on my way to my job after the school day was done and pick  »  Read More

I love hanging around musicians. I love their energy and perspectives that are different from mine. That’s why I was hanging out in a music studio on a fine summer day a few years ago while a recording session was underway. The band had been going for an hour or so when they got into a disagreement about how to play one  »  Read More

I love yogurt. The yogurt I love best is fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. For years I thought I had two choices about how to go about eating my yogurt. I could eat down through the yogurt and then eat the fruit. But I don’t like plain yogurt all that much and the syrupy “fruit” is too sweet to eat alone. That  »  Read More