FLATTMANN FILES
June 2018
WHAT IS BARBECUE, REALLY? E xploring A merica ’ s F avorite C uisine “Quality Is No Accident”
2 OF THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CAR ACCIDENT CLAIMS #1 You don’t have to file a lawsuit to pursue a claim: A majority of the time, car accident claims can be settled with the insurance company without filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, a car accident victim has one year to resolve their claim before they would have to file a lawsuit. Just because you file a claim doesn’t mean you are filing a lawsuit. #2 The other person’s insurance will not pay your medical bills directly to providers: Right after an accident, the insurance company will try to collect as much information about your injuries as possible and will ask you to sign a blank health record authorization. They make it sound like they will pay your providers directly. They will not and are not legally required to do so. Instead, their goal is to pay you the least amount possible, as fast as possible, without considering your future health and without compensating you for additional damages allowed by law. Find out a lot more in our free book: The Essential Guide to Car Accident Claims in Louisiana. FROM THE DESK OF Grady Flattmann
If you’re like most Americans, you probably refer to your summer cookouts as barbecues. Despite this common shorthand, slapping some burgers and dogs on a scorching- hot grill doesn’t resemble actual barbecue at all. What “true” barbecue means varies from region to region, but at its core, barbecue is about cooking meat slowly over woodsmoke. Celebrated food author Michael Pollan explores the origin of this American cuisine in his book, “Cooked.” After years of research and hundreds of meals, he favors the definition of barbecue provided to him by an Alabama pitmaster named Sy Erskine: “The mystic communion of fire, smoke, and meat in the total absence of water.” When you begin researching different styles of barbecue, however, you realize that nearly everything else surrounding barbecue is a matter of debate. Barbecue, like the country that created it, is influenced by multiple nations and cultures. It exists in various forms across the country, particularly in the South, its spiritual homeland. Wherever you go, you’ll find pitmasters and eaters arguing over the merits of beef versus pork, vinegar versus tomato, and many other characteristics. While it would take countless hours to become a barbecue expert, familiarizing yourself with the major styles will certainly make you the voice of wisdom at your next summer get-together. NORTH CAROLINA Perhaps the most stringent school of barbecue is found in eastern North Carolina. Here, barbecue does not so much describe a style of cooking as it does one particular item: a slow-smoked, chopped whole hog, seasoned with a sauce of vinegar and pepper. The pork here is not pulled, and it contains none of the sweeter, tomato-based sauces you’ll find on grocery store shelves. The traditional side is a finely chopped coleslaw.
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The Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC, is perhaps America’s most famous restaurant serving this uber-traditional style of barbecue, but its pitmaster, Sam Jones, is not the type to venerate one style of cooking above all others. “I believe there’s a place for all types of barbecues,” he says. Even with such an inclusive mindset, don’t expect beef brisket to show up on his menus anytime soon. TEXAS In the Lone Star State, on the other hand, beef predominates pork, and brisket is the most iconic cut. Central Texas barbecue is primal and unabashedly smoky. It owes its heritage in part to German meat markets of the 1800s, but it’s a creation all its own. Sauce is often frowned upon here, as it obscures the flavor of the smoke. Dry rub is the only addition to the potent mixture of fire, wood, smoke, and meat. As the rub caramelizes, it creates a crust, known as bark, around the meat. In addition to brisket, you’ll also find beef sausage and short ribs on traditional Texas
barbecue menus. These are humble cuts, widely available and inexpensive. The magic results come from a combination of technique and time. Aaron Franklin, proprietor of Austin’s legendary Franklin Barbecue, writes, “The fact that in Texas barbecue you’re taking one of the worst pieces of the animal and converting it into one of the best is a miracle itself.” representation of what most people think of as barbecue. Pork ribs and pulled pork are the stars here. Memphis is also the birthplace of the tomato-based barbecue sauces you’re probably familiar with. That sauce covers pulled pork shoulder and is also slathered on “wet” ribs. “Dry” ribs, as you might expect, feature only a dry rub of salt, sugar, and spices. OTHER REGIONS There are far more regional specialties and characteristics than we have space to cover here, but a few dishes and techniques are TENNESSEE Memphis-style is the closest
worthy of a brief mention. In St. Louis, the deckle or point of the brisket is smoked longer than the rest, creating burnt ends. South Carolina pitmasters are fond of a mustard-based sauce known as “Carolina gold.” For eaters with more adventurous palates, Kentucky barbecue, which often features mutton, is worth trying. At its heart, barbecue reflects the nation that created it. It’s diverse, creative, and simultaneously humble and sophisticated. While American barbecue is fundamentally its own thing, you can find cuisines from every corner of the globe that take advantage of the unique deliciousness of smoked meat. If you’re curious about the ways people from Korea to Denmark are making this ancient method of cooking their own, check out the “BBQ” episode of “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix. No matter which style you believe reigns supreme, barbecue is the perfect food for summer.
Hone In on Honey Nature’s W der Sweetener
Honey is a wonderful all-natural sweetener. Despite being sweet, it comes with actual health benefits — something you can’t say about other types of sugar. But some honeys are better than others, so it’s important to buy the right kind. Raw honey may help your body heal itself more effectively. One study in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine pointed to raw manuka honey as an effective way to speed up the time it takes wounds to heal while also reducing risk of infection. Simply apply manuka honey to a wound and let it do the rest. One of the best types of honey you can buy is raw, unfiltered, local honey. While it isn’t known to decrease the healing time of wounds, it can reduce symptoms related to allergies. Raw honey contains trace amounts of pollen, as well as other allergens from grasses and weeds.
Local honey contains many of the pollens and allergens you would normally breathe in on an average day. The pollens in local honey are just enough to kick your immune system into gear. As a form of immunotherapy, raw, local honey helps your body become acclimated to those allergens. But these three points — raw, unfiltered, and local — are crucial. When honey is processed and filtered, it loses practically all of its allergy-fighting power and becomes an ordinary sweetener. Most experts advise finding honey that was produced as close to your home as possible, preferably within 20 miles. The closer, the better. Keep in mind that it can take several weeks before you feel results. Of course, you won’t find a more delicious way to combat allergies.
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The Best Time to Book a Flight
Save Big on Airfare With This Simple Rule
In case you haven’t noticed, traveling is expensive. It can feel like you’re signing away your soul when you sit down to plan a vacation. But when it comes to flights, there’s good news: They’re getting cheaper! According to a 2017 report published by online travel company ODIGEO, long-distance trips across Europe fell 7 percent last year. Luckily, the same trend is reflected in North American airlines as they engage in a price war to woo a growing base of ultrafrugal travelers. Still, a $600 summer flight to Honolulu isn’t exactly pocket change. What’s worse, flight prices are slippery; CheapAir.com’s 2017 Annual Airfare Study determined that the fares for any given trip go up or down an average of 71 times, about $33 each shift. When you purchase your flight is nearly as important as where you’re going. But how do you choose a booking window that will maximize your savings? According to the CheapAir.com study, in which they evaluated 921 million airfares, the best time to book is 21–105 days in advance of your flight, on average. If you want to get even more specific, try to book 55–75 days out, and book on a Sunday. Many travelers swear by Tuesday and Wednesday bookings, but as Condé Nast Traveler reports, Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation
say that Sunday is the way to go, based on data from billions of flights. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the cheapest days to actually fly, though. The CheapAir.com study also pinpoints the absolute best windows for specific seasons: 54 days for winter trips, 75 days for spring, 76 days for summer, and 45 days for fall. Of course, these are averages, but if you stick to these rules and check fares regularly on sites like Kayak.com, SkyScanner.com, Momondo.com, and on the handy app Hopper, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting close to the best price possible.
Take a Break!
Father’s Day
CHILI LIME CHICKEN WINGS Ingredients
• 1 lime, halved • Extra-virgin olive oil • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • Chopped cilantro for garnish
• 4 pounds chicken wings • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened • 1 1/4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste • 1/4 cup honey • 1/4 cup soy sauce
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. Rinse wings under cold water and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes or until skin becomes crisp and brown. 3. Blend butter, red curry paste, honey, and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl. 4. Toss wings in butter mixture. Squeeze lime juice on top, transfer to serving plate, and garnish with cilantro.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Grady PAGE 1 The Great Barbecue Debate PAGE 1 A Natural Sweetener With Real Health Benefits PAGE 2 Cut Down on Flight Costs WithThis Simple Rule PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Father’s Day Chili Lime ChickenWings PAGE 3 What’s All the Fuss About Blue Light? PAGE 4
THE HAZARDS OF BLUE LIGHT How to Protect Your Eyes and Minimize Exposure
Youmay have beenwarned about blue light and its impending threat to your eyes. It comes fromyour computer screen, your phone, and even from the sun. Why is this formof light harmful, and how can you keep your eyes safe?
IS BLUE LIGHT A NEW THING? Blue light occurs in nature and is nothing new. However, because many electronics emit blue light, it’s more of an issue now than it was just 10 years ago. Backlit LED screens emit strong blue light waves, so our use of devices like cellphones, tablets, and flat- screen TVs means we are exposed to more blue light than ever before. WHY ARE EYE DOCTORS WORRIED? Blue light isn’t inherently bad — it’s found in sunlight and lightbulbs — but our increased exposure to it might be. Our eyes are pretty good at blocking UV rays but not so good at blocking blue light. Blue light has a higher energy output than other forms of light, so instead of being filtered by the corneas and lenses, almost all of it reaches the more sensitive retinas.
The high energy output of blue light and our eyes’ inability to protect the retinas from it appears to cause damage similar to macular degeneration, an eye disease mostly affecting people over 65 that can lead to blindness. These similarities to macular degeneration have scientists worried that our increased exposure to blue light could lead to more cases of it. HOW CAN YOU MINIMIZE EXPOSURE? Many computers and electronic devices have a “night shift” option built into them. Enabling this feature will dim the screen and lower the amount of blue light that your device emits. There are also removable filters you can put on your computer screen. Brands like RetinaShield/Tech Armor and Eyesafe are designed to limit the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to.
To avoid eye strain, talk to your eye doctor about blue light glasses. These tinted glasses, which come in prescription and nonprescription versions, reduce the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes. Remember, blue light itself is just a natural form of light and isn’t inherently bad. During the day, it can even be beneficial to get some natural blue light from sunshine —while wearing sunglasses, of course. But it’s also a good idea to take precautions to protect your eyes from artificial blue light, especially if your work environment and hobbies expose you to it frequently.
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