Every Tuesday late into the night and then very early Wednesday I check my work e-mail over and over again to see if Multmedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger, Wing, Crab Ball and Tiramisu Expert John Lindner has sent me a Shallow Thought.

This morning I was saddened by this brief e-mail:

Reason I didn't post a timely shallow thought: Slept all night on left side, woke up with only right brain functionality.To make up for it, I'll force myself to compose a food haiku.

Well, folks, it was worth the wait. John came up with the following brilliant effort.

Your contribution to this Shallow Thought Wednesday can be:

a) Discuss the evocative allusions and underlying meaning(s) of John's haiku; or

b) See if you can top it with your own food haiku.

Just as a reminder, a haiku is a Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.

Here's John's: ... 

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

I like to think that this Shallow Thought Wednesday was inspired by my trip last week to Tennessee. (After all, the first Cracker Barrel opened in Lebanon, Tenn.)

Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger, Wing and Crab Ball Expert John Lindner has the most unusual friends. ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
                    

I woke up this morning to find The Sun's remote e-mail system down and so no Shallow Thought from Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger, Wings, Crab Balls and Tiramisu Expert John Lindner. I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE TO DO MY OWN WORK THIS MORNING.

The only thing I had for you was last night's takeout pizza from Crust, the worse pizza in the universe. What sick mind could conceive of a vegetable pizza that had on top of the standard tomato sauce and mozzarella the following ingredients: sliced tomatoes, artichoke heart leaves, corn kernels, raw slices of old mushrooms and diced raw onion? Gack.

There's a blackboard in the kitchen here with all our restaurant choices on it. Crust has just been crossed off by me.

Anyway, just now the remote mail came back up, so I have John's Shallow Thought for you after all: ... 

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
                    

I personally felt the world was coming to an end when I heard about the tomato scare. But clearly not everyone agrees with me that a summer without tomatoes would be a summer not worth living through.

Namely Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger, Wings and Crab Ball Expert John Lindner. Notice he isn't our Resident Fruits and Vegetables Expert.

Anyway, here's his take on the whole crisis: ... 

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
                    

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
                    

Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger, Wings and Gas Station Food Expert John Lindner continually surprises me. First of all, he's convinced he had cholera last week when he missed his deadline. I find that unlikely. My guess is too much gas station sushi, as you know.

In any case, in this week's edition of Shallow Thought Wednesday, he dips into the paranormal: ... 

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
                    

Learn something new every day. Each week I poke fun at Mr. Lindner as our Resident Cheeseburger and Wings Expert; and when I read his story today I learn that he's

...not devoid of culinary cred. As a one-time food editor, I've tasted greatness from the hands of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Anne Willan and other foodie dignitaries.

Anyway, Mr. Lindner has now roused himself from his pastoral torpor to submit the following. It's particularly dear to my heart because faithful readers will remember that I suffer from a terminal case of food envy. ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

Bad news. Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger and Wings Expert John Lindner seems to have disappeared. I've checked my e-mail eagerly every couple of hours, but I haven't heard from him this week.

That means there is no Shallow Thought Wednesday -- although conceivably he could be away thinking Deep Thoughts, and being back at The Sun tomorrow will bring him to his senses and lower his I.Q. a few dozen points.

Or he may have died an untimely death from eating too much gas station sushi.

Anyway, I know you're disappointed, so I'm going to share his response when I forwarded an e-mail from someone complaining in an even-more-snobby-than-usual way about my reviewing chains.

Here's what John sent me back: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (62)
                    

Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger and Wing Expert John Lindner has sent me a Shallow Thought that's a bit shorter than usual. That's because he's been a busy man making videos to go with the filling station fare story he's writing for the food editor, not me. (I'm not bitter, oh no.) He told me it was his wife's birthday this weekend, and she got to spend it dining at WaWa, the Bel Air Chevron, and, of course, the ever popular Royal Farms, to name a few highlights. 

I asked what he did to make up for that, buy her diamond earrings? Something about as expensive, he told me: a DeWalt DW920 heavy duty cordless electric screwdriver/drill with a FireStorm bit accessory pack. This is not a joke.

As an added bonus, he attached an Arlen Ness chrome console plate to her 1997 Harley Davidson Road King.

"Sort of jewelry for her motorcycle," is how John described it.

Bonnie, you are one lucky woman.

Anyway, here's John's Shallow Thought: ... 

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
                    

OK, boys and girls. I'm sitting here at my desk with my Starbucks tall decaf nonfat latte, extra hot and extra foam, in hand.

It's in a china mug that looks just like a paper Starbucks coffee container, logo and all, only with a handle, which cost me $7.95, and I get 10 cents off every time I use it for my coffee, so in only 75 more visits I'll have it paid for and I keep a running tally in my pocket calendar of how many times I've saved a dime, you know, making four vertical lines and then a diagonal. Is there a name for that? Of course, I've spilled a lot of coffee in the car's cupholder because it doesn't have a lid, but it's well worth it. Saving the planet. One paper Starbucks container at a time.

Anyway, what should I be reading while I sip my tall decaf nonfat latte, extra hot and extra foam, from my special Starbucks special mug ooohhh aren't you jealous but this from Multimedia Editor, Resident Cheeseburger and Wing Expert and Coffee Peasant John Lindner: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
                    

I'm getting a little worried.

Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger and Wings Expert John Lindner, who is our Shallow Thought Wednesday guest blogger, is developing literary aspirations.

I knew being a regular contributor/poster on Dining@Large could do wonderful things for you, but I'm not sure about the best-selling author part. I'm thinking maybe he should keep his day job.

Anyway, here's what he's working on: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

It's Shallow Thought Wednesday again. Although on this blog, one could argue that every day is shallow thought day.

As faithful readers know, on Wednesdays (until he gets bored) Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger and Wings Expert John Lindner comes up with a topic that the rest of us can take off from.

I think you'll welcome this opportunity, because I know you can do better: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
                    

Multimedia Editor and Resident Cheeseburger and Chicken Wing Expert John Lindner has again graced us with his Wednesday morning insights: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
                    

Multi-Media Editor and Resident Cheeseburger Expert John Lindner has been at it again. Yesterday he sent me a list of things he did and didn't do before he got sucked into Dining@Large. I'm proud to have had a hand in his transformation, but I think much of the credit goes to you, faithful readers and posters.

This is the second week in a row that John has sent me fodder for Shallow Thought Wednesday. I'm tempted to create a Shallow Thought Wednesday category (see list on the right), but I'm afraid he'll run out of shallow thoughts.

Here we go:...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)