7 Things Americans Think About British Culture

Funny stuff that Americans think about the Brits.

1. Britain is full of critics that have very strong opinions. Usually the item/meal/play/film is the best yet or the worst to date. We regard the British as a very binary culture of critics.

2. Ian Botham was the best Cricketer of all time. Better than Sachin Tendulkar, and even Sir Don Bradman. Ian was the best all around player, batter and bowler alike.

3. When a Brit says 'sorry' s/he is really apologizing for the atrocities committed by the crown on native populations across the globe in the name of empire.

4. Baked beans on any dish makes it a breakfast food.

5. There is a pasty shop on every corner.

6.  The British arbitrarily add "u's" to words to match their pronunciation.

7. The American pronunciation of common words is too old fashioned. We are working on it.
Here is Johnathan Cecil reading a bit of PG Wodehouse.

Awkward Manifesto: Point Vav

This is a warning to all persons, who, through madness or boredom would turn to the hyper-driven world or Irony. If you have ever sat at a table with some really cool people, not trophy winning, green peace lovin', story eyed, save Darfur, going to free Mumia (is he still alive?), free trade, existential, Dreadlocked, going to rot in a pile of his/her own snark 'hipster.' No, I mean people the type of person who spent five months on a novel hopped up on some root they found in their back yard, burning cigaretts and buying Kit Reynolds's on Shabbat just to keep the tension under control and after five days of the most vicious nap they have ever had, they wake up to find their apartment spotless except for a pile of papers the resemble their novel with a metal sign in relief lettering reading "Not Fit-Now Quit" and a ק year old biography of Henry Clay next to it. You look at those people who know what Irony is and say, should I do this? They will shoot back a look that will burn your shoes to your socks, and you will have your answer. 

Paul Jacqueson, Premiere Cru, Gresigny, Rully, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France, 2007

1st taste: A lot of musk on the nose and front palate that blew off. Finishes with whip cream and sticks around.

1 hour: Perfume on the nose. The musk is gone completely leaving a nice round mouth feel.

2 hours: Strong perfume with a lighter milk finish that lasts. Still good.

3 hours: The floral nose is dying off and the minerality in the finish is more pronounced at this point. Different notes are beginning to muddle.

4 hours: Last glass held steady from the 3 hour mark.

This wine started as a cube on the palate. Little by little it dented the box, rounding itself off over time. No where close a perfect sphere but it could roll down a slope with minimal coaxing. 

Bubble, Napa and Austria Sunday

It was a cold march day when I brought over a Bozy and O'Shaughnessy to Eric's Sunday lunch. You may be asking, "Matt, who are those people?" I would respond, "Those aren't people you, mouth-breathing dolt! Naw, I'm just busting your hump, the first one is a Champagne and the other one is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon." Thanks for not getting too upset over that rhetorical device. Anywho, this was a great set of wines. The third wine was a Blaufrankish varietal from the Southern Austrian region of Carnuntum. Before I get into what that last sentence meant let's talk about the first two guys.

I have talked about a few different wines that are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon. Those wines would have been from Bordeaux, which are (usually) a blend of Cab, Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot. The last two are mainly used for color and texture. The 2009 O'Shaughnessy, however, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, there is no other grape used in it. One can taste the difference. Usually I shy away from Big American Red Wines, in this case I couldn't stay away. For such a young wine, one would expect a brash and big tannin (that stuff that makes your mouth dry, like in tea). That really wasn't the case. Yes, it had the big American berry, but only a little bit of anise. What impressed me the most was the finish, which lasted at least 30-50 second. Decant this for a while, maybe 3hrs in the mean time drink some Champagne.

O'Shaughnessy, Howell Mountian Vineyard, Napa Valley, Califonia, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009.

ABV: 14.8%
Cases Made: Sub 2500
Average Price: $--

That O'Shaughnessy was too good a wine not to talk about, in fact, it made me think twice about Napa Reds. Don't worry that was the most expensive one of the day. The next one is from a little town called Bozy in Champagne, France. Yes, I am not making that up, look at the label. I am so happy, and astounded that this wine made it's way from Bozy to East Lansing. Barnaut is a Recoltant Manipulants (RM) or Single Producer Sparkling Wine from Champagne. As of this moment, there are three types of production methods in Champagne; Negotiated Producer (Negociant Manipulant (NM)), Cooperative Producer (CM) and Single Producer (RM). An NM house makes its wine from grapes purchased from growers around Champagne. A CM producer is just what it sounds like, a Co-op, growers with stake in the company that share in the profits. Finally, an RM owns it's own vineyards and makes it's own wine. There are wide and ongoing debates about the merits and quality of wine from each production method.
Enough background, if I am wrong then some one tell me, all I could taste was Chardonnay with only a little bit of Pinot Noir. Just a great round mouth feel and swirling effervescence.

ABV: 12%
Cases Made:?
List Price: $40

What do you say about a wine that you know nothing about and spent the last two hours researching wines that you actually knew? Well check out the WIKI page on the grape Blaufrankisch. Got it? Good, yeah this was a fun and interesting wine, it tasted similar if only grittier than Pinot Noir. That only means that it reminded me of the grape, not it's end result. It has it's own distinct taste and mouth feel, almost like a Gamay and an Pinot and something else I cant put my finger on. Was spicy enough to hold up against Beef stew and carrots.

ABV: 13%
Cases Made: NO IDEA
List Price:$27




O.K. that's a wrap or Old Kinderhook as Bradly Cooper tells us in "Silver Linings Playbook" (I added the wrapping portion). 

Au Bon Climat, Rincon and Rosemary's Vineyard, Arroyo Grande Valley, Sonoma County, California, Pinot Noir,1994.

California 1994

2 Pac and Notorious Big have begun their fatal feud outside of Quad Studios in November of '94. At the same time while folks where mispronouncing Jim Clendenen's last name he was vintning his Rincon and Rosemary's Vineyard Pinot Noir. Upon its completion, a bottle was placed into storage and eventually purchased by someone. 

This wine doesn't feel as old as all that. I mean really, it tastes like an '06 or even an '09 of Cali Pinot. It has a weight and depth that transitions very well from the front to the back of the palate. The only low point, that isn't that low is in the second mid palate, if you know what I'm talking about. I sure don't. Fruit forward and a great tang of acidity. 

ABV: 13,5%

Cases Made: 300

Release Price: $40 

Purchase Price: $35 

Clos Margalaine, Bordeux, Medoc, Margaux, 2005

Ended up decanting for 4hrs these are the notes we took down: 

1-1:30
After some time the anise fades and the oak grows. Juicy and generous on the blackberry. Tasting a black olive. 

2-3hr
Still a tastes like a New World Red but now the anise has soffened to make this wine recognizable as a Margaux. 

4hr
A little biter, oak has calmed down and the gravel (sand and rock) is beginning to shine. There is almost a peach flavor and I am still getting that fun black olive. 

This wine longs to move out to California, but decided to stick around and help the family. 

A great wine at a great price. 2005 is not ready to drink yet but as the second wine of a great small producer, this is another must get. Make this is your first "expensive wine"

ABV: 13%
Cases Made: Few
List Price: $31

Nicolas Feuillatte, Palmes d'Or, Champagne, France, 1999.

My goodness, this is outstanding. I get it, I finally get Champagne.  Folks usually think, "Don't taste it; drink up." When celebrating and drinking Champagne. I counter; "take your time, savor, enjoy the yeast and the overripe apple." Really, this  Champagne (!) has crisp texture I have not yet to experienced in an A Chouilly, and keeping a round mouth feel.

 The delicacy of the wine shows through the  effervescence, displaying a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg.When you think about nutmeg think about the texture on your palette of nutmeg.

I hope that you have a chance to try this wine, if you don't I feel sorry for you and your life. If you have no ambition to taste it then there is only more sorrow.

ABV 12%
Release Price: $135
Retail Price (Ebay, prob. stolen Ed. '17): $77

2005 L. Mawby, Mille, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, USA, Sparkling Chardonnay. With Poached Pear set in Creme Brulee.

If you are going to add the poached pear in a deeper ramikin make sure to add about 10-20 min on top of the cooking time.

Crème Brûlée
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons sanding sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and arrange the ramekins on a large rimmed baking sheet. 
2. In a medium saucepan over moderately high heat, combine the heavy cream, 1/2 of the sugar, the vanilla bean seeds and pod, and the salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. While the cream is heating, combine the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and whisk to combine. Gradually add about 1/3 of the hot cream to the yolks, whisking constantly, then add the remaining hot cream and stir to fully combine. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container. Carefully ladle or pour the custard into the ramekins, filling them to the rim.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and carefully pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the edges have set but the center still jiggles when the ramekin is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on a rack for 30 minutes then wrap individually and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 
6. To serve: Sprinkle the top of each custard with a thin even layer of sanding sugar, using about 1 tablespoon per ramekin. Use a kitchen blowtorch or the broiler to evenly melt and caramelize the sugar. Serve immediately. 

Adapted from Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America
August 2012
by Chef Dianne Rossmando

Poached Pears:
Followed David Liebowitz's guide to poach pears and used Seckel pears. 

Herb and Brine Braised Chicken on the Grill.

I like beer and I like chicken. I like to drink beer whilst I grill chicken. When they say, "Stuff a can in it;" I say, "I will keep it in my hand, thank you for the suggestion." Now how does one grill a chicken whilst keeping his (my) hand full, of beer?

 I thought turkey, I thought butter, I thought herbs. A lot of people these days (and those days) are brining their turkeys for Turkeyday. So, I took out sugar and water in the brine and added canola oil and white wine. The oil helps conduct the heat and break down the mussel, as does the alcohol and sugar in the wine.

1 bottle of white table wine 

Canola Oil

1 3/4 sticks of butter 

3 or 4 sprigs of rosemary 

3 or 4 sprigs of thyme 

3 or 4 sprigs of sage

Pepper 

Kosher Salt 

Tin foil

Hardwood chips (for smoking)

1, one gallon ziplock bag.

An old 2-3" deep cooking pan that you don't care about. (10"x10") 

Cook: 2-3 hr

Prep: 10 min 

Fridge:8-12 hr.  

Cut the 3/4 of butter in to three pieces lengthwise and put two on the inside of the chicken. Now insert the herbs with one strip of butter on top. Now we brine! 

To brine the chicken, place the bird in the ziplock bag and fill it to about half way on the chicken with canola oil. Pour in the wine until it covers the chicken and put 1/2 of a cup of salt on the top of all of it. Mix it around, put it in a bowl and place it in the fridge over night. 

Take the chicken out of the fridge and place it in your pan. Pour in as much of the liquid from the bag as is comfortable to transport. Boldly sprinkle kosher salt and cracked pepper over the top.  Cover with tinfoil. 

To roast on the grill you need to take out the cooking griddle and place it aside. We will be be using the top rack exclusively. 

Usually I would grill with hardwood but down here a cubic foot of wood is $6 and it would cost about $12 for heat. In its place we can use wood chips. Get some tinfoil, about 1 foot, fold it. Place the chips in the center and fold in the sides to make a pocket.Set it aside. Get your charcoal going, about a quarter of what you are going to use.

Once the fire goes out on the charcoal, put the wood chips on the outside of the pile.  Place the pan on the top rack and close the lid on the grill. 

Every 15-20 min open the lid, remove the tinfoil and brush the drippings on the chicken. If you think that the grill is getting to hot, open the lid let some of the heat dissipate and the coal to burn off a bit. The problem is that this will heat the charcoal even more, being exposed to that oxygen and all. If you can, try to prop the lid open so all that smoke stays near the chicken and not in the air. 

After a while the drippings will boil out of the pan, use your stick of butter and rub it over the skin to keep the outside moist. After a 1 1/2 hours check the temp in the thigh, continue to do so every other time you braise bird. If you have kept the grill around 300 degrees, you should be outside for about 3 hours. 

Unless you put a rack inside your pan, the back meat and wings will be unusable. The wings are going to be really salty and the back meat may be shredded. If you use a rack the pan will be more difficult to transport from kitchen to grill safely. 

In retrospect I would have put two chickens on the grill or four Cornish game hens. (Pictures forthcoming)

Post-Ironic Devotional: Parenting Advice From a Single Childless Male

It is wonderful that you always want to be close to your baby, however, when it is time to do the dishes, it is a good idea to put your child back in his/her crib. 


I know it's difficult enough to hold a dish with wet soapy hands. I imagine it would be much harder to keep a good grip on a baby in the same condition.  

Ricotta-Herb Stuffed Cornish Game Hen.

If you are away from home on Thanksgiving and need a quick, cheep and easy way to impress a small dinner party, then why not do it with a small chicken? Adapted to use game hens instead of chicken; I have simplified the instructions just in case you are making more than two game hens.

I just picked up a small food chopper at Shopko for about $10, it makes a quick job of mincing and chopping without the cleanup of a large food processor.

For 2 Cornish Game Hens:

Stuffing

4 garlic cloves
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
Leaves from 5 sprigs of oregano (chopped)
1/2 cup, ricotta cheese
1/4 cup, shredded hard cheese (if you don't know what to pick just go with Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Mince the garlic and roast in small frying pan with olive oil until golden brown or the smell of garlic permeates the kitchen. Then add the chopped herbs to the pan and fry until broken down. Spoon pan contents with the cheese mixture add salt and pepper and, um, well...mix.

Preparing the Hen

Cut a triangle from the shoulders to the middle of the breast to remove the wishbone, or just cut down the middle of the breast to open up the game hen. Turn over and lay flat, either with shears or the sharpest knife you have in your kitchen remove the backbone. Do not remove the hipbone. Just bring up the skin from the hen and open up a pocket on either side with your fingers before adding the stuffing.

Cooking

Quarter up the stuffing and go to town. Put as much stuffing in as you can fit into the game hen. Then lay the hens flat on an oiled baking sheet large enough to fit both hens. Sprinkle oil, salt and pepper over the hens. Cover with tin foil. Place into a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 1 hr (I get the thigh up to 175).

Serve over a small portion of rice or risotto. If you do not enjoy this dish then you have either no soul or sense of taste.

Be mindful of the smaller rib bones while you are eating.

Black Up: Shabazz Places (2011)

Few hip-hop albums require the capacity for an appreciation of experimental psychedelia the way that 'Black Up' requires it. Let me rephrase that, this is the only hip-hop album that demands the listener to find the beat on his own.

This may be the moment that hip-hop has gone post-rap, post-Diddy, post-Master-P. One can hear the black-futurism of Detroit's Techno hemorrhaging through every hard-bop inspired beat.

The track 'Free Press and Curl' opens like many Animal Collective songs weaves through Afrika Bambaataa/Rusko,
and ends somewhere in experimental hip-hop-dubstep
land. Don't think that all of these vague and esoteric musical comparisons
render 'Black Up' un-listenable, quite an opposite effect occurs.

Just as John Zorn's The Circle Maker: Issachar holds
 that Jazz Swing with a string quartet referencing Arabic,
Klezmer and Jewish melodies, Shabazz Places manages
experimental music while maintaining that Hip-Hop Beat.
It's that Hip-Hop beat that continues from the last measure
to the next bar, that pulls at your muscles like the ___teer
behind Punch and Judy.

There are other groups preforming simalar work, but they usually lay
rapping over a dub-step beat (Zed's Dead and Omar Linx). Shabazz creates
a full song, one belonging to another, vocalization isn't just story telling it keeps the beat
and is subject to any modification by the rest of the group as is called for.

Listen to the whole album:

Unemployment Fish Soup

Whenever I become unemployed I like to make this variation on a simple Sicilian soup with all of the stuff that I had when I was employed and times were plentiful.

When you are picking out fish for this soup you have two choices. One, thaw out whatever you have in your freezer. Two, buy whatever is on sale at the supermarket. I chose the second option and came back with Perch and Shark. Perch is great because you don't have to worry about cutting it up too much, just quarter it. Shark is cool because it's shark and we don't usually find that fish in the Upper Peninsula. (The shark was not a good idea, the perch was perfect, but the shark was too chewy)

-3/8 cup of olive oil (6 tablespoons)
-2 medium onions (chopped)
-2 large cloves of garlic
-1/2 large carrot (chopped)
-2/3 and only 2/3 cup of parsley (chopped)
-2 garden tomatoes (chopped)
-1 cup of cold water
-1 cup white wine (dry)
-2 lbs. of mixed fish fillets cut into large chunks

All ingredients are approximate to what you will actually use.

In a large pot saute the onions, garlic and carrot in the olive oil until onions are close to being golden. Add the parsley and cook for a few minutes, then do the same with the tomatoes. Put fish in and cook for about three minutes. Pour the wine until it half covers everything and top with water.

I ate mine with a hard roll and pared it with a cheap '08 Torrontes.

David and Matt Talk About T.V.

6:19 PM 

David: matty

6:21 PM Matt: dizzy d

6:22 PM If I have to watch one more ad on the internet I'm going to shoot myself

6:23 PM David: yeah i tried watching hulu earlier

  it sucks

 Matt: Not in the head or anything

  fatal

 David: friends with benefits is a terrible tv show

  but i like the cast

  so i sat through episode 1

 Matt: how was it?

 David: it was pretty bad

6:24 PM Matt: that sucks

 David: very typical sitcom

 Matt: Louie is on tonight

 David: nice!

 Matt: that is not a typical sitcom

 David: that's a great show

  that's one of my faves right now

6:25 PM Matt: It makes me really happy

  just that it exists, and it being awesome is an added bonus

  how would you explain it?

  I am having a really hard time explaining it to people

6:26 PM David: give a brilliant bitter comedian a tv show where he has total creative control -- writes, directs, acts, edits, composes for

  and with no oversight

  so sometimes its not even funny, it's just him trying things

6:27 PM Matt: yeah! the subway episode

  the whole episode was a set up for him blowing an opportunity to get laid

6:28 PM and just the subway bit was awesome

  and funny

  What do you think of Wilfred?

6:31 PM oh and here is that Kid Sister song I've been into:

  

6:33 PM 

Simple Trout

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle olive oil in a cake pan and place your trout filet in the center. Then sprinkle flake salt and herbes de provence on the fish and place:
Sage
Thyme
Baby carrots
Sliced shallots
Whole peppercorns
and
Juniper berries
Around the filet and bake for 30 or so odd minutes.

I just picked up some steelhead trout and will be cooking that up shortly, we will have to see how it turns out. 

Matt and David Talk about "Community."

David: i want to do a back to back community and spaced thing sometime
yeah
well
i wouldn't know
i haven't watched community in forever either
last i saw chevy chase had taken some strange turns
which didn't make sense
but whatever
it's community
Matt: yeah, it's not high art
Matt: I guess for a sitcom it should at least be considered such.
David: wellll...
Matt: yes?
David: i've told you my issue with community before, right?
wherein most of it feels like things happen because they have to happen to make it conform to a plot, not because it makes any sense
too much time thinking about how "tv shows work" and not enough paying attention to what's actually going on
ya know?
Matt: yeah I do but it is still fun.
Sent at 11:24 AM on Wednesday
David: absolutely
i like it a lot
but i wish the writers spent less time forcing characters through situations, and more time letting the characters guide it
Sent at 11:27 AM on Wednesday
Matt: On the other side of that we have Seinfeld, a decent enough show, but still not as good, in my opinion, as community
each show is an event
Sent at 11:28 AM on Wednesday
Matt: rather than people just doing things. It's a hyper reality.
like all art
but not exactly in the same way
David: sure
but it strains between the situations and the people
and i think the strain is too much at times
we analyzed it enough?
Matt: yep time to post it

Post-Ironic Devotional: Collective Nouns

Ever look at a group of things, birds or mammals or fish, are at a loss for what to call that grouping of individual things and up resorting to the term "set." So next time you encounter a group of the following list of things or are so bored in a social setting that you start thinking about oddities in the English language and are bold enough to interrupt the conversation about some inane t.v. program you have never seen but seems to be keeping the interest of the girl/guy you have been talking to half the night better than anything you said. So, it might just be time to jump ship and what better way to tell a girl/guy that you are no longer interested in trying than with a good list of collective nouns:

Crows - Everyone knows a group of crows is called a murder, so let someone else say it
Owls-A parliament of owls
Ravens - An unkindness of ravens
Hummingbirds, Goldfinches, Finches, Magpies can all be called a charm.
Nightingales - A watch of nightingales
Sparrows - A host of sparrows
Seagulls - A cloud of seagulls  
Bears - A sloth/sleuth of bears
Cheetahs - A coalition of cheetahs
Mice - A mischief of mice
Swine/Hogs/Pigs - A dolt of swine (domesticated) or a sounder of hogs (wild)
Polar Bears - An aurora of Polar bears  
Unicorns - A blessing of unicorns
Bass - A fleet of bass
Trout - A hover of trout
Hermits - An observance of Hermits
Hunters - A blast of hunters
Metallurgists - An amalgamation of metallurgists 
Birthers- An annoyance of birthers
Clerks - A school of clerks

The Adventures of Cr. X, Part VI

The name of Dirty Mic’s bastard of a child has been lost to time in memoriam or that everyone has been calling him Dirty Mic the Second for so long that no one remembers.  Dirty Mic II was a slick son of a bitch. He was a part of the new drunk generation, who only got drunk during lunch and after work. These ‘hipsters’ (named so for their hip-flasks), would get all hopped up on ‘Energy Meal’ during lunch and complete more work than anyone else on the farm and not even have to sleep one off. Eventually hipsters found out that by buying their regulator real booze, they would often receive a raise and a promotion.  It was this crowd that was around while X began working, but he tried to do things the old fashioned way, which brought him neither respect nor pity. 

The Adventures of Cr. X, Part V

Five years after the launch of Thirsty Meal, the first Dirty Mic is dead. A hooker in Kansas City took too much angel dust on an empty stomach and had an adverse reaction.  Her killing spree took her to Dirty Mic’s compound where she poisoned his heart, with a knife. Worse could not have happened to a better man, well accept Frank Lloyd Wright. As the company rules dictated the body of our hero was dumped off a pier on the south side of the river, the same way the original Dirty Mic was buried. The passing of Dirty Mic the First immediately sparked a power vacuum at Chickorp.

Everyone and his son had a cocktail napkin written by Dirty Mic the first giving its bearer the company if anything should go wrong. Since most of the companies official documents where written on cocktail napkins, it was company policy to accept any bar paper as a legally binding contract. Dirty Mic’s snobby jerk of a son brought in a will on a real piece of paper, ruining the tournament for everyone. 

The Adventures of Cr. X, Part IV

After a long hour at the office, the first Dirty Mic and Mr. Moneybags were sitting in the company bar discussing growth markets for their products. When the conversation turned to new product-lines, Dirty Mic dropped the egg he was trying to balance on his nose into his drink. The egg broke on the rim of the glass, the yoke sliding into his whiskey.  Mr. Moneybags said, “I will give you 300 shares of preferred stock in Apple if you drink that!” Dirty Mic couldn’t pass up such an amazing deal, so he picked up his glass, toasted Dionysius and drank up. As the chick that would never be slid down his throat Aries struck him with the idea to enhance grain alcohol with chicken protein. Thus the “Thirsty Meal” was begotten.

Soon the drink was put into production and it caught on like a fire and a Christmas tree.  The stores couldn’t keep it in stock. Soon cantinas popped up across the nation that sold only Thirsty Meal products.  By replacing whiskey with grain alcohol and artificial flavorings, the popularity of Thirsty Meal became so vast that Chicorp that curb stomped Coke-a-Cola, sucker punched Red Bull and Bantu style hacked off Starbucks limbs. Water Chicorp’s only rival, but they thought it best to leave that alone. How can you get drunk if you never rid your hangover?

The slogan, “No one is truly drunk if there is a single person sober,” created uproar in the media that sparked a movement called the TEA Party (Temperance against Evil Alcohol). The organization is still around today, but gets little coverage since Dirty Mic took Rupert Murdoch on a one of his famous Kansas City benders.  The removal of the first major opposition to alcohol wasn’t the end of Chicorp’s problems, it was merely the beginning.