Central Market site chosen for downtown Cleveland, Mule Trekking comes to Cleveland

As all of us civic minded souls realize , within the web of any city worth it's salt in the world a vibrant central market exists. Cleveland , Ohio had in it's downtown design such an area for over two hundred years , until it was spirited away in a shady election fueled by the ignorant local fish wrap propaganda mill , da p.d. , and replaced by a faux intimate baseball stadium and indoor sports arena. All over the world , markets similar to the late Cleveland Central Market are being celebrated and given the dignity that they deserve. See Mimi Sheraton's New York Times article of November 18, 2007 " Markets as both Feast and Spectacle" , for an idea of the reverence and acclaim that public markets are in receipt of throughout the civilized world today. A tiny public space exists today between the corporate arena and corporate baseball stadium , comprised of a bench illustrated with some art works that commemorate the Central Market. A small insignificant homage to a rather large piece of Cleveland history. The powers that ran Cleveland into the current sad state of affairs that it is today from their cozy suburban digs , did not like the colorful Central Market , and made it their dire business to first run into the ground and then finish off by choosing it's grounds as the site for their corporate welfare plans involving publicly financed sports stadiums. Our loss as citizens , turned into a major gain for the vested powers that be , and those they serve. The Central Market and it's vendors were shipped east to George Forbes Glenville neighborhood , and existed in a diminished form at a new location at East 105Th and Saint Clair Avenue until closing for good in 2007.... Time has come to build a new Central Market in downtown Cleveland , Ohio. A legal end run was committed in the haste to destroy the old Central Market , and build the stadiums. Part of the land that the current baseball stadium is built upon had been donated in perpetuity as a site for a public market by it's previous owners who donated this space to the City of Cleveland with this proviso. Some foot gazing , gee whizzing , and shuffling of papers done , with the result being the ignorance of the benefactors wishes for a permanent Central Market in downtown Cleveland near the intersection of Carnegie and Ontario Streets. It seems that today in the year 2008 , just such a parcel of unused land exists in a triangular fashion at that very intersection of Carnegie and Ontario Streets. Perfect for a small Central Market to serve the burgeoning aesthetic tastes of new downtown citizens , chuckle loudly here, and the visitors to the baseball stadium alike.Just imagine the healthy alternatives of fresh fruits and vegetables that could be carried into the baseball stadium by the sack full , to augment the current slew of greasy meats and nacho cheese dishes served currently to the customers indulging in our National Game. Not to mention the ultimate end usage of these perishable fruits and vegetables in case the home team receives a bad call from an umpire , or a visiting teams player becomes obstreperous. Fresh barrel roasted truly hot peanuts , a variety of smoked meats , and fresh cheeses would be available as well. The honorable city of Baltimore , Maryland has six public markets that are City run and managed , and prove an integral part of the old world charm that graces that City. These markets are dotted throughout Baltimore and are open six days per week. A larger privately run market the historic Lexington market exists in downtown Baltimore and is the comparative size of our West Side Market. The Lexington Market has a great number of prepared food stands as well If you visit the Lexington Market be certain to visit the J.W. Faidley Seafood Company , faidleyscrabcakes.com, and sample their stupendous homemade lump crab cakes. One taste of this crab cake and you will be spoiled for life when ordering a similar knock off in any other City. The proof is in the crab cakes simple fresh preparation using Maryland shore blue crab backfin meat , and Faidley's does it best. Faidley's for local raw oysters as well. Just ask my pal Slipsy JR , who is a first class gourmand and trencherman of some repute. Visit the Baltimore Public Markets Internet home page at bpmarkets/markets.html , for a better view of these proud facilities and a glimpse of what could be in a truly , sic , progressive , Cleveland.....And what could possibly be more awarding than a nice vacation to Cleveland , Ohio and the opportunity to take your family mule - trekking around our fair city ? I have heard from a reliable source that the currently vacant East Ninth Street Pier , former home of the ultra fabulous Captain Frank's Seafood Restaurant, will be developed as a state of the arts stable building for a herd of mules to be used in our tourist trade sometime in early 2009. Some arguement is being tossed about by the adjoining tourist activities , rock and roll hall of fame , and Cleveland oranges football stadium. Seems that they are fighting over the scraps left over from the mule stalls. As if they do not have enough of their own! Mule trekking is quite the international rage , and acknowledged as a great family tourism event , why should we be denied of such a progressive activity here on the south shore of Lake Erie? Currently the mule trekking stable plans are tied into the potential jet boat pavilion and customs house planned to house the water ferry to Canada, and we will avail you of more information concerning these exciting downtown tourist attractions as it becomes available to us. Mule trekking routes are in their nascent planning stages , with routes to historic League Park via Superior Avenue and Payne Avenue onto Chinatown slated as a logical first choice. Future plans include 20 mule team wagons for the longer journey to University Circle , and our cultural institutions on Cleveland's east side , including a luxurious hay and straw station planned for the corner of East 18th and Superior. For more information concerning current mule trekking events visit www.muletrekking.com. Oh boy I can't wait for the mules to return to the street level in Cleveland , and crawl down from those lofty peaks they currently occupy. Book Selling Time! All this talk about mules , crabs ,and Baltimore , maketh me hungry. We offer today a copy of a famous cook book entitled MARYLAND'S WAY , The Hammond Harwood House Cook Book. A bargain at $5.90 , exactly .90 more than it was sold for when published in 1963. I will throw in my recipe for crab cakes for free. The first and most difficult task for cooking up qualitry crab cakes is to locate native blue crab meat these days. Living in Cleveland , Ohio presents a problem , so if you know any person travelling to our East Coast who can procur a few pounds please have them pick you up a pound or two of lump backfin meat , or claw meat if the lump is not available. The current one pound cans of fresh crab meat are rather oxymoronic in that they originate from southeast Asia , and are pasturized for safety purpouse , and lack any real flavor. When I resided in North Carolina thirty years ago , we would often take our crab traps , wire trap baskets with a long piece of rope attached , and find a piece of costal water and trap our own blue crabs for dinner. A fairly easy way of fetching your dinner> Using a mullet ,or other cheap fish attached to the traps bottom with fish line , merely drop the trap into the water , where the trap opens , wait for a crab[ s] to scurry and crawl into the trap and pull the rope up , closing the wire basket around the crabs. Heave ho , repeat process until a basket is filled, boil water with crab seasoning and a little vinegar , cook a few minutes and go to work with nut pick and hands , bib around your neck of course. Cold beverage optional but recommended. Natty Bo was our fave back in the day. Lets get back to the crab cakes at hand. I have found Asian markets to carry fresh blue crabs when they are in season , and it is work , but picking over three or four pounds of blue steamed crabs will provide a pound or so of meat for cakes , if you can stay focused on the task at hand , and not eat the catch prior to the cakes.Recipe on! Take a pound of native crab meat and combine it with a shot of Worcestershire sauce , salt and pepper , paprika , and dry mustard , old bay seasoning , to taste and a few slices of torn and lightly oven toasted commercial soft white bread that you have removed the crusts from and soaked in a quarter cup of whole cream or half and half. Combine all of these ingredients along with some melted butter and a small dab of commercial mayonnaise in a mixing bowl , and form by hand lightly into cakes. You should have mostly crab meat and spices staring back at you , not the dry bread crumb cakes that you are familiar with at your local restaurant. Take these cakes and place one or two to a low pie tin , and after dotting with a bit more butter place under your pre heated broiler for a maximum of two minutes or less.By using buttermilk or whole cream instead of the ubiquitous egg , you are able to taste more of the crab in the crab cake , not the egg flavor that requires frying the cake. If you have steamed and picked the crabs yourself , the meat is already prepared , so reheating it in cake form is merely introducing the crab meat to its natural friends butter and cream and spices. It has been a good many years since I have visited Baltimore , Maryland and the Chesapeake shore , yet I have amazing fond memories of this old and wise American country. Reading Shirley Povich baseball and sports columns in The Washington Post , spoiled me for life in that department. So di the great flavors of Baltimore, Maryland. Life provides kind moments , and it was not that many years ago , perhaps twelve or so, when a stunningly beautiful fair young woman wandered into this Book store and within the course of conversation mentioned that she was native to the Chesapeake shore . She also mentioned that her Father was an oysters man , and that by my description were the very oysters that I had purchased in previous trips to Baltimore at Faidley's market. How could I tell , you might ask? The oysters that this Maryland gentleman sold were tonged out by his very hands in ages old fashion and were the last to be received at Faidley's put up fresh in glass mason jars. Wouldn't you know it , but later that spring she returned bearing a glass jar that her Father had tonged the very day and sent her back to Cleveland with to give me as a present. I about broke into tears for the beauty of that moment , and it is that very sort of human kindness that now seems so rare and distant in this modern Internet age. Those very oysters came from this man's private beds , and he made for me the greatest of all gifts. Wild food , hand harvested , and no more process than sliding them into a cool glass jar , and sending them my way with his strikingly petite and gorgeous daughter. That my friends is life at it's best , and a true story to boot!

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Boxing day 2007

And the streets of downtown Cleveland are as empty as those in Nagasaki Japan after the explosion of the atomic bomb sixty two years ago. No people are visible in either direction the length of East Ninth Street at eleven a.m. This traditional post Christmas holiday was always an exiting and busy day filled with commerce , folks visiting downtown Cleveland for a day of shopping and adventures. No more people visit this moribund, has been , forlorn place of emptiness and sorrow downtown Cleveland , Ohio today..... So nobody shows up for work the day after a holiday. Hmmm? The evil elves still collect the parking meters , and all of the homeless people are still working the edges of this sick hick town. ...Time was , and not so many years ago. Six to be exact , when we still could open our doors to an eager and grateful book loving public and not be insulted with the large sucking noise of this anal cavity evacuating that is empty downtown Cleveland this boxing day. Thank you politicians and civic players for helping create this loud annoying emptiness. Your pockets are lined , and we have empty streets to show for your larcenous efforts.........The little fat twerp from the make believe historic district office waddled out of his SUV at about noon , more likely than not just taking yet another air. For sake of familiarity we will refer to him as Mister Jablon Gutlessman . This character Gutlessman's nickname , as so many Clevelander's is "ski", in this case due to his love of the downhill winter sport of skiing. I can only figure that those employed in such an odious and distinctly pedantic career such as our companion Gutlessman , must take in great gulps of hot air as to possess the means to expel the digested hot air as propaganda or some form of mediocre press activity such as public relations..... This particular bird brain is so much a tool for the interests he does bidding for that he has forgot or misplaced whatever ethical and aesthetic senses he was once , if ever at all , in possession of while in his youth. Now middle aged , fat from rich food , pock marked from bouts with booze and beer , this lumpy form of distasteful human flesh , travels to the local ymca for a steam and clean , then off to play tag with the secretary and phone tag with everyone else save his handler.......... This twerp Gutlessman would get on his knees and beg if need be to gain approval of his corporate boss and political handler.....This same moron years before had walked about bragging about the great job and services he provided in renovating buildings in these supposed historic districts. Meanwhile the cranes disposed of plenty of the historic buildings that the district was to have contained by it's original plan designated by Laurence Halprin. Who in this clueless City is even aware of the Halprin plan ? The Halprin plan called for the renovation and preservation of the Historic central Market District , not it's slaughter and replacement with subsidized sports facility and a corporate welfare program to boot!... Gutlessman's pants were often covered with white stains from rich food stuffs and who knows what else.Yet another cruel joke played out upon the historic structures that once comprised an actual vibrant market district in downtown Cleveland , Ohio. Let us destroy this district and then refer to it as historic , who that is citizen in this poverty ridden , underpowered place will notice? Thus Gutlessman's work was done , and the stench of this political mess sold as wealth instead of the malodorous insider trading and crimes that in reality it will someday be noted as such when examined objectively years from now. Noted as a bleak period of local history for Cleveland, Ohio.....My childhood friend Lady O , appears this boxing day , requesting the usual kisses and the overall royal treatment. I am momentarily tempted to refer her to the historic district headquarters and the boot licker Gutlessman that represents the vested interests.... I bite my tongue instead.....Lady O has brought along her royal mutt , and we proceed to romp about the final digs of the former Leibing and Case remains located down the block.....We cross and arrive. " They Remained , Others Fled". My autobiography. Moses Cleaveland new what was up when he fled these parts shortly after his arrival here to survey the swamp in 1796 .Moses blew this rancid swamp off , and headed back East to civilization...... The Erie headstones are mostly kicked down now . The level of abuse now evident at all City cemeteries is criminal in it's neglect. Yet the corporate interests downtown still are on welfare , and collecting like a Las Vegas slot machine jackpot ringing it's bells and spitting cash while paying off.......The bush that Slipsy Junior and I buried the hawk is torn up now , and a naked splotch of soil stands in place of the bright flowering bushes foot print that once filled this garden space.....Lady O reads aloud a soliloquy of sorts concerning the lame and vacant nature of the surrounding streets , and notes the piles of automobile glass from the kicked in windows of those who believed in the notion of " free parking ' as advertised on the adjoining cemetery streets signage. Two hour free. Automobile glass replacement and hassles fixing up car . priceless. Priceless that is for the crooked parking lot gangs that stiff and bully the sappy visitors of this ill begotten place..... One more reason to flee , without thought of returning. Having sent for reinforcements , Joc O Sot's here for the long haul.....Lady O would make a grand companion for the historic district tool Mister Jablon Gutlessman. Always ready for the costumed spotlight , Lady O would float along to the tripe that passes for society in this flea bitten backwater burg. Say perhaps a simulcast of the induction of the rock n' roll hall of fame shenanigans , complete with ordinary catered food stuffs not even still in existence on more worldly menus. Qualifying here as hip and entertaining. Bacon wrapped shrimp , frozen egg rolls , spinach dip and the like. In these parts , hot mustard or wasabi are reserved for the ballparks and banquets only. The likes of Jablon Gutlessman could treat Lady O to a lively evening of the local coiffed up rock n' roll a list of local losers at play , which is actually no list at all , and as for play thank the heavens for Viagra and Geritol cocktails served at these cheezy events.....It is with great mystery I question the pride exhibited by da pd , and the local politicos in having the rock n' roll hall of fame gang host another , what do they call it?, er draft party?, gee whiz they had it here way back in 1997 , I should remember ? Oh yeah' . "Induction ceremonies". Almost forgot! So did the folks from New York City who would rather cross the river to some armpit new jersey town , than consider visiting the likes of this boondocks poisoned place of Cleveland , Ohio. You see New Yorkers and the music biz peoples have been voting with their feet for the last decade. Avoiding Cleveland , Ohio as a viable destination for obvious reasons. And we are supposed to be happy that the New York crowd will now visit here every three years , "or so" , to hold an induction ceremony? Give us our Lake front back and move that moth ridden leaky clothes closet , the rock n' roll hall of fame , out of this town already! And while we are on the subject of aesthetics , would someone explain to me what business John Melon Cougarhead has being inducted into the likes of the rrhf? I truly do appreciate the inclusion of Leonard Cohen , but Mister Cohen , the bard from Montreal, in my book would have been in the first group admitted , well ahead of most who proceeded him , and certainly not tainted by his entrance with the likes of John Melon Cougarhead ! A true independent sophisticated City would have told the New York rock and roll gang to kiss the City of Cleveland's ass and take a hike with your insipid clothes closet sometime ago. There is always hope that leadership will emerge and the sycophantic chorus of non native money changers tossed from our Lake Erie shores ! Book Selling Time ! Seeing that the New York City rock and roll mob avoids us in a physical nature , perhaps they will be kindness enough among them to purchase this perfect post Christmas Boxing Day gift. SHEPP'S NEW YORK CITY ILLUSTRATED , published in 1894 . This large and heavily illustrated volume is a perfect gift for any person with an interest in New York City history , and serves as a great photographic documentation of this truly American city near the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Plenty of people on those Gotham streets. Life , light , splendor. Opposite found here in muttsville , Ohio in 2007. We can hope and pray , though somehow I have a feeling this rancid place has yet to hit bottom. Stay tuned.Best wishes to all of our family and their friends this Holiday season. Thanks again to Kim and his great Family. The second shnecken arrived just after the last crumbs of the first were consumed. Remember kids , Moses Cleaveland left here after less than one year , and they even named the joint after him!

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Christmas past, Christmas present

Three major department stores still opened their door's daily downtown in downtown Cleveland in 1980. We had earlier positioned our book store on East Ninth Street near the corner of Huron Road , within a quick walk of Public Square, home of May Company and Higbee's, and Playhouse Square which was home to the flagship Halle's Department Store. All three of these king sized multiple floored department stores served as " anchor stores" for downtown shoppers. Many of us small retailers hoped to complement these diverse retail giants offerings , by merit of displaying for sale our unique specialties, and in turn found some success in the crowds of shopper's drawn downtown to the big three department stores..... Our early years as booksellers required us to reinvest our receipts into expanding our inventory in classic mom and pop fashion. We did not shop often at the downtown department stores , save the holiday season for family gifts , preferring thrift stores and estate sales for our personal needs. Fresh food and groceries were purchased at the near bye Central Market , and a number of small ethnic groceries that were neighbors in the Central Market district. Life was simple .The USA was in a period of economic downturn in the early 1980's , and I remember the meager sales of those early years as we worked hard to establish our business. Frugal and prudent decisions made then ultimately paid off in increased trade and expansion into and through the 1990's. Success was enjoyed , hard work rewarded.............Holidays downtown were an enjoyable season until the closing of the three department stores , and the destruction of the Central Market district . The Central Market was replaced with two larger than scale sports stadiums and in turn attracted the cheap drunken crowds who now barf and lunge about downtown in place of the retail shoppers.......Though we closed our book stores doors a few years ago to the public due to the inclement retail conditions due to the poor planning of downtown we retain great memories of all the many holiday seasons that we were open and the fine customer base we served prior to the retreat of downtown into the drunk zone that it is today. We also remain in our now crowded digs of all these many years , without much hope in ever seeing a true revival of any activity here that resembles Christmas past. We ship a fair amount of books around the world every week. Some outsiders would say that is great and peachy keen , though it does not come close to the function of hand selling books to eager clients. This business of retail book selling downtown is not possible in any event due to the time management and size constraints placed upon us while we service our internet / mail order book business. Receipts are tougher to lash together into profit these days , and it would be nice to have a retail option downtown and increase our sales , though no reasonable space is available to us at this time. The formula of " cheap rent" as a bottom line requisite is a very real consideration for any party engaged in the buying and selling of used items such as books and antiques. Rents are no longer " cheap" downtown , and thus no new retail activity is found around these parts today. All the hot air and ballyhoo pitchmen and development big shots that paint downtown as an up and coming place of business seem to forget that a start up retail business needs affordable rent, or the ability to purchase a building and invest as incentive . No incentives are given to the smaller interested concerns , so downtown Cleveland remains void of new retail start ups save the greasy food and cheap booze variety that resemble the hellish drunken and debauched vision of " Potterville" as portrayed in Frank Capra's ultimate Christmas film It's A Wonderful Life"...... Crime downtown is another concern. To the naive visitor attracted to the "free" ,two hour parking down the block near the Erie Street Cemetery , remeber you get what you pay for. Plenty of those attracted to this free parking get their automobile window glass kicked out , and the salable contents of their automobile swiped , or their car stolen. And this is merely property crime. Plenty of homicides occur downtown as well. As do assaults , rapes , and armed robberies. Do not take my word for it , just monitor the television news or inquire via the hard statistics gathered by the United States Government. If you want a pretty and cleaned up fictional tale that downplays the true crime statistics downtown inquire with one of the downtown boosterism organizations that have sprouted up like warts in these parts. Professional liars telling prospective clients convenient and professional lies...... And do not forget the scam known as daily or event parking downtown. Downtown Cleveland's physical footprint is largely comprised of surface parking lots , and the bandits that run them are not opposed to charging whatever the market will bear to the rural or suburban visitor that might be in need of parking their automobile. Twenty to twenty five dollars per vehicle seems the going rate these days for any event of consequence downtown , whether near Playhouse Square or for some sports shindig. Only the minor league hockey games get a cheaper rate , due only to low attendance.Many of these parking lot " opperators" collect the customers monies and then depart , leaving all safety concerns to the party they collected parking funds from. Easily the largest single negative influence in downtown Cleveland in need for correction is the scam known as surface parking. The ugly surface parking lot must be reformed or go away all together before any positive retail growth can occur ! ..... We derive some joy now from keeping a small stack of childrens books near our front door , and " gifting" some of these volumes to potential visitor's to our book store that we have to turn away. Always asking parents permission , we prefer to give a children's book to a young visitor , and see the actual appreciation of receiving a book as a gift. Most of us as youngsters learned to read via some form of children's book , and it is nice to know that this is one tradition the internet has yet to interfere with. This simple exercise never seems to fail to produce a smile on the child's face , and I hope that someday we will find larger quarters and be able to open a retail space once again. Right now , the corporate interests have taken over most of what was once a vibrant interesting downtown Cleveland , replacing it with fewer , though more odious , and certainly more expensive choices ground level. I remember an early Christmas eve thirty odd years ago just after opening our book store , walking a few blocks to the Italian food store near the Central market at East Fourth Street and Huron , which is now an empty lot, and being so grateful to have sold enough books earlier in the day to purchase the meager gifts of dried fruits , cheeses , salamis , bagged pistachio nuts , imported confections, and jugs of wine to provide as gifts to friends and family. Did not have much time or funds to provide with , so this unique food store was both business neighbor and a friendly down to earth place to shop. Barrels of olives adorned the entrance , and the rich odors of ripe cheese , cured meats , and fragrant herbs gave this humble merchants space a quiet dignity that is lost in the marketing mania of today's business world downtown. These places and events are but memories today , and I can only hope for a complete meltdown of the current sad circus that is downtown today , so that from the rubble might rise again a spirit of a saner future. Book Selling Time! Only one downtown Cleveland Department store really sticks out in my mind as worthy of a book treatment of it's history , and you can purchase a copy of Christpher Wood's HALLE'S MEMOIRS OF A FAMILY DEPARTMENT STORE from us for a great Christmas gift. Wood's large and illustrted history traces the Halle retail concern from it's inception as a furrier near Public Square in the late nineteenth century to it's sale to Marshall Field's and eventual closing in 1982. Seems just like yesterday! Best wishes to my Family , John and Kim

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Bus Ride!

James Robert is out of money again , seems the notes that he is entitled to from our Federal Government never seem to stretch out the month. Last evening with the north west wind cutting knife like up and down Cleveland , Ohio avenues. James Robert spent his evening enjoying not an evenings sleep bedded down , instead James found himself taking a " bus ride!" . Ashamed to say that our house cat slept warmer and ate better than James last evening. Caught up with James today at the chili parlor , and was able to shift enough notes his way to ensure him cover until Uncle Sam's eagle flies past and drops some script in his account to help him survive.......What could the local buncha swells that administrate the Downtown Cleveland Alliance , been thinking of when they started there , " Don't Give When It Can't Help" campaign to discourage citizens from giving money to the homeless , and contribute the money to DCA instead? In typical feckless political fashion , The Downtown Cleveland Alliance managed to spend five thousand dollars on this campaign designed to discourage panhandling , while receiving just one hundred dollars in response to their anti human campaign. Who would have guessed that with such negative copy emphasising " Don't give" , people noticed and didn't give. No surprises here ! That five thousand dollar sum could sure go along way towards providing folk like James Robert a little ease from the pains of living on our city streets! I know , these downtrodden human beings that do not smell so sweet , and have the look about them of living under a bridge offend the white table cloth patrons that the downtown interests would prefer as representative of it 's new privileged downtown. Wake up and smell the vomit left on downtown sidewalks by the sports fans that hunker around these parts acting the fool on any game day. Spend more time and effort discouraging the drunken displays of the well fed suburban knuckleheads that flock here to do their damage and depart , instead of depriving some of the unfortunate humans down on their luck a few dollars ............... Not difficult to notice the street level storefront vacancies that abound in shoddy downtown Cleveland today. If real estate is so precious why does so much go unused? Speculation! Reminds me of the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem that begins " Water , water everywhere , not a drop to drink". From the Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner. Nobody buying. Nobody renting either. The bottom has yet to fall out of the current real estate market here , and before it does , some of these speculative types should take heed. When the corporate ghouls that have occupied our downtown hotels and buildings cut their losses and hit the exits , what appears to be speculative gold will turn a darker shade of brown on your plate and in your greedy hands!.................Book selling Time! If you look around the park across from the West Side Market , located at West 25th street and Lorain Avenue , you will often see men and women milling about or sitting on benches , either waiting for busses or perhaps your spare change left over from a day's shopping at the West Side Market across the street. Men like james Robert sit here , sometimes talking to themselves , or perhaps just passing time and wondering how their lot in life came to pass? Remember them! The West Side Market is the poor cousin d of Cleveland's former Central market , and the one remaining City run public market in Cleveland , Ohio. An old friend named Paul Bova who sold quality fruit at the Central Market used to admonish those unfortunate enough to shop for fruit and vegetables at the West Side Market by muttering the statement that the produce vendors at the West Side Market " Are undertakers, Mark, undertakers! " , referring to the near dead or past prime produce sold there. Not always , but often the truth. A few old time West Side Market quality merchants remain outdoors , The Calabrese family still does a fine job of selecting and selling fruits. " Caveat emptor" ,is the operative phrase here . Inside you will fare much better , with a great selection of meats , fish , cheese , bakery , and the like. If you desire a read concerning this Market's fabled history , we suggest Joanne Lewis TO MARKET , TO MARKET. Thanks to John and Kim , and my family.

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Cleveland's political vegetables

Hero's have changed mightly since my youth's passage. Presently the two mature adult Afro - American men dressed in cast off clothing , pushing an appropriated supermarket cart past my doorway at two a.m. while in search for cast off aluminum can's qualify.Whatever sustains them against a bitter November's weather proves to me the true grit and spirit in our eternal quest for survival far more than any professional athlete's endeavors possibly could. A bunch of hapless men and a few women live the year around huddled in the confines of near bye Erie Street Cemetery. Hammocks slung over tree limbs during the summer months , building makeshift tented structures with building materials under bridges during colder months. These nomadic folks are survivors. Television clowns posing as such brave creatures while playing a reality game" , fall short. The former would consider eating insects as means for survival , the later for amusement and profit. Combining a homeless tribe of American citizens and a culinary reality show could be in the works? A morbid reality culinary big game three ring circus replete with contestants hunting , gathering , and ...... ? I suppose you can can fill in the blanks concerning this fictitious matter. Sadly , a morbid success would occur , and a new window into the narcissistic American " foodie " movement unfold as well. My current cooking heroes are the men and women that serve those less fortunate by donating their most precious resource , time , in volunteering in a soup kitchen. The real culinary art is to make fresh ingredients of a common or utility nature sing with flavor and feed a multitude . Stews , soups , chowders , salads , grains , tubers , thick with fresh vegetables , rudimentary proteins ,and the occasional sharp edge provided via very fresh spices the trick. . Fresh ingredients and scratch preparation the operative words. This form of work , given freely by those that have to those who do not , a great gift for all involved. Like those two men pushing the scrap metal gathering grocery cart up and down city streets until they gather enough for the scrap dealer. Real survivor's in today's America might live under freeway bridges on the edge of your downtown area. Thirty years ago Cleveland , Ohio had a terrible bitter cold winter , that barely saw any above freezing weather from early December through April 1978. That June of 1978 in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium , I witnessed snow in the air while attending a Indians game. Point is that it remained cold for quite sometime that spring. That same winter a number of homeless men had taken up residence in a abandoned multiple level parking structure on East Second Street between High Street and Huron Avenue , in the Historic Central Market district. These men had built human nests a few stories above the street and within the airborne spaces designed for the automobiles . Imagine a honey comb of multiple colored cloth American male human beings wrapped in cardboard boxes and attempting to survive such a brutal sub zero streak of weather with winds that drove the temperature into double digit " chill factor " territory. We stayed awake most evenings playing cards and drinking in the apartment above the Italian food store next to the homeless men in their parking lot suspended above the food store. I was always amazed by the resilience of these true " survivors" , and how they were able to still function after spending a night in a cardboard cocoon? One cold evening we were interrupted from our games with the loud wail of fire sirens. Seems that one of these men had built a fire for warmth and it got a little out of hand and caught a citizen's attention. Pretty weird on the eyes at three a.m. People that work long and hard at providing children with stability and education in the face of poverty and social ills of life in contemporary urban America are my heroes as well. Athletes and entertainment figures who give back to the world via a charitable pipeline to those with less on their plates are heroes as well. By the way , after the winter of 1978 I moved to North Carolina swearing off the absurd graven politics and darker nature of Cleveland , Ohio. Not to mention the rather frigid gulag winter's. Sworn never to return to Cleveland , Ohio again . Weather passed , and I returned to Cleveland in time for most of the 1980's , hoping against hope that a multi cultural progressive renaissance might occur. It never did. Hey Cookman! Here is a great way to clean out your vegatable drawer and feed a crew of hungry bipeds. In a large cast iron or non stick skillet over medium low heat shake in some olive oil or other fat. Add in this order the following combination of vegatables , chopped onions , peeled and chopped garlics and shallots , green , yellow , and red peppers , chopped , peeled , seeded , and devained. Any variatle squashes , members of the cabbage family , and whatever other non tuborous vegetable matter in your icebox. Season with fresh and dried herbs , including a large palm full of smoked parika , a shot of commercial hot sauce , and whatever flavor you personally find simpactico! Turn down the heat to low , cover , and simmer , turning occasionaly until done to your taste. Serve with a fresh loaf of crusty bread , pasta , or any starch of your choosing. Yes , you can add tomatoes in season or out , and a simple green salad is also a fine complement to this simple meal. Cleveland's Central Market district was a great asset to downtown, drawing customer's from both sides of the city drawn to it's fresh meats , fish , groceries , and especially quality fruits and produce. The Central Market served as a citizen freindly historic and festive public food market site downtown for over one hundred years until being dismantled for the short sited construction of the non historic district that is called today " gateway". Gateway is an example of corporate welfare that occured in the construction of the non descript " cookie cutter" baseball stadium called " Jacob's Field " for the Cleveland Indians , and the indoor sports facility " Gund Arena" for the Cleveland Cavalier's basketball interests. Ignoring an expensive 1970's urban plan executed for the City of Cleveland by Lawrence Halprin , which recommended preserving and embracing the Central Market District as a new urban residential area , the cabal of career corrupt politicians , and usual suspects in the media created enough ballyhoo and blather to pass a countywide tax by less than one half of a percentage in favor of establishing a sin tax to pay for these corporate sports facilities at the expense of the historic Central Market District. Less than one half of a percent! A recall should have been an immediate event , though when your media is merely the propaganda wing of government , you gets what you gets. In this case the citzens of Cleveland , who voted against the tax , lost valuable property now assigned to corporate professional sports interests got screwed mightly. This single political debacle has left downtown Cleveland the ghoulish creepy ghost town that it is now most days and evenings of a calendar year. A renevated public or municipal market with historic cache such as Cleveland's Central Market the dream of a contemporary City planner anywere in the world today. Destroying the Central Market District yet another Cleveland , Ohio mistake on a grand and profound level. The very wooden pear crates that hold the books inside the confines of Old Erie Street Bookstore are from the graces of a few kind freinds at the Central Market , and in choosing the location of this bookstore in 1980 much was based on the potential of a renovated Central Market District. Fast forward to 2007 , this booksotore is closed to the public due to lack of economic street level retail activity. Booze , cheap beer , and vomit are found in these parts instead. My old hero's the homeless men and women who lived and survived around the Central Market were polite and corteous compared to the coarse well fed drunken bums who gravitate around here currently. Bookselling Time! All this blather concerning vegetables , and not even a politician in sight. A scarce compendious tome is JANE GRIGSON"S VEGETABLE BOOK. If you are to own one volume on the subject of vegetables this would be a fine choice. Smartly researched and penned , this delightful volume won the prized 1978 Glenfidich Writer of the Year Award in England.

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