Most Americans depend on faraway countries for their fuel; Paul Michalke depends on Quang Deli in Minneapolis. Michalke, a cheery and energetic man who publishes trade-show directories, siphons used cooking oil from a dumpster in the alley behind Quang’s, a popular Vietnamese restaurant on Nicollet Avenue. Later, in his garage in South Minneapolis, he converts … Read more
From a Twin Cities perspective, Duluth’s alternative music and arts scene briefly flashed across our consciousness for a while around the turn of the century. Seemingly all at once, there was a great compilation CD (Duluth Does Dylan), a breakout band (Low), and a feisty, well-written alterna-rag (the Ripsaw). There were big stories in Twin … Read more
“Why?” is the one question that no longer matters in Hollywood, ignored by marketing-oriented studios that need not think beyond “when,” “who,” and “what.” The answer to “when” is simple enough: Formulaic romances get released in the spring, loud blockbusters in the summer, light-hearted comedies in the autumn, and award-hopefuls in the winter. “Who” is … Read more
It’s early June, and the house going up near Cedar Lake is still weeks from being completed. Already, however, its roof needs replacing. The new roof has just been dropped off at the construction site: It consists of metal-encased foam panels bundled into large, rectangular plastic-bound packages—kind of like a giant, shrink-wrapped twenty-four-pack of Kleenex … Read more
In the heady days of summer, it is particularly easy to gaze out the office window and dream the Raspberry Dream. In the Raspberry Dream, you walk to your raspberry patch in the warm morning sunshine. The dewy grass brushes your lightly tanned skin as thrushes and cedar waxwings herald your arrival. The encumbered bushes … Read more
Is St. Paul Irish? Mostly not—there is an embarrassment of Lutherans and Germans—but that doesn’t stop the city from promoting a credible St. Paddy’s Day parade. Since the capitol city pulls off this stunt each March without a hitch, why shouldn’t it also decide, now and again, to become the seat of the defunct Austro-Hungarian … Read more
Finally, I’ve discovered Shannon Olson, local author of the novel/memoirs Welcome to My Planet and Children of God Go Bowling, and I’m in love. I am in love because she’s hilarious, because meeting her and hearing her read her work inspired me to write about ugly, touchy subjects in my last column (which always scares … Read more
Unlike previous generations, who must have been chronically dehydrated by comparison, many young people today feel a need to carry around their own personal water supply clipped to a backpack or a shoulder bag. They often use a brightly colored plastic bottle with a screw-on cap known by its ungraceful brand name: Nalgene. These bottles … Read more
The north is the same wherever it might be.—Sigurd Olson, Listening Point Soon after I was born, my grandparents bought a cabin on a small lake in the Arrowhead, not far from my hometown of Two Harbors. My parents, in turn, took over the property after my grandfather died a few years later. With two … Read more
I got a call from an old girlfriend recently, and we agreed to meet for lunch. It had been a good relationship and an amicable parting. Catching up for old time’s sake seemed like a fun idea—each of us was curious about how the other had turned out after all these years. If there is … Read more