friday feast: alice and arlo

~ jama

“Don’t be intimidated by foreign cookery. Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.” ~ Alice May Brock

Photo of Alice by Howell Conant, Source: NPR.org.

During the holidays, I like listening to Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.”

The “Thanksgiving dinner that couldn’t be beat” makes me happy, along with Officer Obie, the Group W bench, and of course, those “twenty-seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us.”

Dang fine example of the talkin’ blues, a classic 60’s counterculture, anti-war/anti-draft satirical ballad that still rings true 42 years after its release. I’ve been lucky enough to hear Arlo sing it in person a couple of times, and admit to having a crush on him when I was sixteen. Sigh. I wore out the A-Side of my album (some of the best 18-minute interludes I’ve ever had). When the movie came out with Arlo starring in it, I really really wanted to become a hippie, celebrate Thanksgiving with all those people, and help dump the garbage.

But this year, with my interest curiosity obsession with restaurants, I’ve been wondering about Alice. Hers was/is the most famous “restaurant” in pop culture and she’s a beloved 60’s hippie icon. But where is she now and what has she been up to?

Church in Great Barrington, MA, where Alice once lived with her husband Ray, and where the Thanksgiving dinners of the song took place (Now the Guthrie Center.)

Lucky for me, I found a wonderful, in-depth interview from 2007 conducted by Alan Chartock, President and CEO of WAMC/Northest Public Radio. Alice, an artist who currently owns a studio and gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts, lays it all out on the line. She opened the restaurant at her mother’s suggestion, mainly to “give yourself something to do in the afternoon,” to have a creative outlet. She had no chef training or any experience running a restaurant. She’s the perfect example of “learn as you go,” a free spirit who remained open to possibilities, and who, above all, didn’t forget the importance of having fun.

Alice’s restaurant (“Back Room Rest”) in Stockbridge, MA, was open from April 1967 to April 1968. It’s now Theresa’s Stockbridge Café.

What she lacked in business acumen she made up for with good cooking, treating people well, and making every meal a memorable experience with her uncanny ability to improvise. “Just because you only have four chairs, six plates, and three cups is no reason why you can’t invite twelve people to dinner. There are lots of things you can use besides plates. For instance: hub caps lined with tinfoil . . . ”

She once served an entire dinner featuring only sweet potatoes; another time, concocted Cream of Salt and Pepper Soup at the very last minute, when she suddenly remembered she had to feed 40 people for lunch.

“Soup is any kind of food cooked in enough liquid to make eating it impossible with a fork.”

 

In 1969 she published her own cookbook, which features lots of quirky wisdom, common sense tips about feeding people you love, original drawings, and photos from the movie. “Arlo doesn’t eat spinach. He doesn’t even look at it. Here’s how I fixed it to turn him on . . .”

 

Today’s menu features Arlo’s poem, “Mooses Come Walking,” first published as a picture book in 1995 with Alice’s illustrations, and two of Alice’s recipes, perfect comfort food to stave off the chill and restore your spirits in the holiday rush. Like Alice, we don’t stand on ceremony here, so if you’ve got a hub cap handy, or prefer to eat your chili in a muffin tin, go for it. As Alice said,”A container is a container. Just because it held shoes last week doesn’t mean it can’t hold shrimp salad this week.” See why I love her?

First, the Mooses, animated, with Arlo narrating:

ALICE’S FAMOUS CHILI
(makes 6-8 servings)

 

In half an inch of oil or bacon fat, sauté until soft: 3 chopped onions, 3 chopped green peppers, and 3 large cloves of finely chopped garlic. In another pan brown 1 or 2 pounds of chopped beef. Drain the fat from the beef and add the beef to the onions and peppers (or add the onions and peppers to the beef). Now add 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste, and 2 to 8 tablespoons of chili powder. (You can always add more chili powder later, so start off easy.) Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, a sprinkling of salt, pepper and paprika, 2 bay leaves, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of basil and a pinch of cayenne or some hot chili sauce. Simmer all this for at least half an hour until it is good and thick. Then add 1 or 2 cans of kidney beans.

Serve this on rice and top it with some chopped raw onions.

—————————————————-

THELMA’S CORN PUDDING
(serves 4)

 

This is really like a soufflé, very light and creamy. I have a feeling that you could add some finely chopped ham to it, but you’d better ask Thelma.

2 eggs, beaten up
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 cup of milk
1/2 stick of butter (melted)
1 12-oz can of corn
Salt and pepper

Mix up all of the ingredients and pour them into a baking dish. Cook at 325° until firm — 30 to 45 minutes.

*Note: This was my first time making corn pudding, and it’s custard-buttery and truly delish! Thelma = Alice’s ex mother-in-law.

—————————————————-

ENCORE

♥ Full “Alice’s Restaurant” lyrics here, and Thanksgiving scene video from the movie is here. If you’re in the mood for the whole massacree, check out Arlo’s live performance at the Guthrie Center (2005).

♥ NPR interview with Arlo talking about the story behind the song is here.

♥ Audio interview with Alice and Alan Chartock is here. Bookmark it for later since it’s long, but well worth listening to. Put it on while wrapping gifts or baking cookies ☺.

♥ Visit Alice Brock’s official website to see more of her artwork (available for puchase).

 

♥ Arlo’s official website is always fun to visit. Love his personal updates.

♥ More Alice wisdom: “If you worry about your weight: Don’t.” “Cabbage: Don’t turn your nose up.” “Don’t ever wear a white dress when cooking beets.” “For me there is something very satisfying about making a pot of soup; it makes me feel life is really very simple and secure.”

 

The Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted today by the lovely Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader.


“Walk right in, it’s around the back,
Just a half-a-mile from the railroad track.
You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.”

Copyright © 2009 Jama Rattigan of jama rattigan’s alphabet soup. All rights reserved.

68 thoughts on “friday feast: alice and arlo”

  3. FLASHBACK Time!!!!
    WOW! What a treat!
    I haven’t listened to that album in I don’t know how many Thanksgivings!
    Great stuff, here! I think we went to that restaurant—not Alice’s—but the latter one on one of Rockwell trips.
    But leave it to Jama’s Internet Soup Kitchen for all these interesting foods for thought, feasts for poor eyes and tasty tidbits!
    Man, I’m stuffed! But I’ll be back for seconds!

    Like

  4. FLASHBACK Time!!!!
    WOW! What a treat!
    I haven’t listened to that album in I don’t know how many Thanksgivings!
    Great stuff, here! I think we went to that restaurant—not Alice’s—but the latter one on one of Rockwell trips.
    But leave it to Jama’s Internet Soup Kitchen for all these interesting foods for thought, feasts for poor eyes and tasty tidbits!
    Man, I’m stuffed! But I’ll be back for seconds!

    Like

  7. Re: FLASHBACK Time!!!!
    Flashbacks make the best meals :).
    I’ve been to Stockbridge a couple of times, but didn’t remember to look for the restaurant. What a shrine it still is! Have you checked out Alice’s painted rocks (website)? I like her idea of leaving them in various places for others to find.

    Like

  8. Re: FLASHBACK Time!!!!
    Flashbacks make the best meals :).
    I’ve been to Stockbridge a couple of times, but didn’t remember to look for the restaurant. What a shrine it still is! Have you checked out Alice’s painted rocks (website)? I like her idea of leaving them in various places for others to find.

    Like

  11. Well, now I’ve gotta hear “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.”
    I am pretty sure my brother once met
    Arlo and briefly, briefly studied under him.
    Jules
    7-Imp

    Like

  12. Well, now I’ve gotta hear “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.”
    I am pretty sure my brother once met
    Arlo and briefly, briefly studied under him.
    Jules
    7-Imp

    Like

  19. Oh, Alice’s style of cooking/serving sounds like my husband’s way of throwing a party. 🙂
    And I admit to having a crush on Arlo at Forty-plus! 🙂

    Like

  20. Oh, Alice’s style of cooking/serving sounds like my husband’s way of throwing a party. 🙂
    And I admit to having a crush on Arlo at Forty-plus! 🙂

    Like

  21. Oh I love this! Alice’s Restaurant is one of my favorite parts of T-day. The public radio station plays it on Thanksgiving and I always look forward to listening to it while cooking. I missed it this year. I confess I’ve never seen the movie so I really appreciate all these links. Arlo rocks!

    Like

  22. Oh I love this! Alice’s Restaurant is one of my favorite parts of T-day. The public radio station plays it on Thanksgiving and I always look forward to listening to it while cooking. I missed it this year. I confess I’ve never seen the movie so I really appreciate all these links. Arlo rocks!

    Like

  27. Alice’s Restauant
    Love this post… Shared it with my soon-to-be 17 year old son. You see I introduced him to “Alice’s Restaurant” this summer. I gave him a brief history lesson on the draft,and we listened to it in the car. He loved it. Now he shares it with his friends. Came in last week saying how he heard it on the radio. It has always made me laugh and it is still soooo funny.

    Like

  28. Alice’s Restauant
    Love this post… Shared it with my soon-to-be 17 year old son. You see I introduced him to “Alice’s Restaurant” this summer. I gave him a brief history lesson on the draft,and we listened to it in the car. He loved it. Now he shares it with his friends. Came in last week saying how he heard it on the radio. It has always made me laugh and it is still soooo funny.

    Like

  29. Re: Alice’s Restauant
    I like that you introduced “Alice’s Restaurant” to your son! Good choice, and perfect with a lesson on the draft. 🙂 It’s amazing how it’s still funny after hearing it a gazillion times.

    Like

  30. Re: Alice’s Restauant
    I like that you introduced “Alice’s Restaurant” to your son! Good choice, and perfect with a lesson on the draft. 🙂 It’s amazing how it’s still funny after hearing it a gazillion times.

    Like

  39. Wow, Jama. What riches you’ve found for us!
    My favorite line: There are lots of things you can use besides plates. For instance: hub caps lined with tinfoil
    Now that’s improvisation!

    Like

  40. Wow, Jama. What riches you’ve found for us!
    My favorite line: There are lots of things you can use besides plates. For instance: hub caps lined with tinfoil
    Now that’s improvisation!

    Like

  41. “Don’t wear a white dress when cooking beets.” How about a white apron? Then it could have pretty purple-red swirls on it.
    This post makes me want to make chili. Or maybe it’s the snow. Have you eaten the chili at Jammin’ Javas? Really, really yummy.

    Like

  42. “Don’t wear a white dress when cooking beets.” How about a white apron? Then it could have pretty purple-red swirls on it.
    This post makes me want to make chili. Or maybe it’s the snow. Have you eaten the chili at Jammin’ Javas? Really, really yummy.

    Like

  43. That’s one of my favorite lines, too. Since most cars these days don’t have hub caps, we’re going to have to be even more inventive when it comes to improvising. 🙂

    Like

  44. That’s one of my favorite lines, too. Since most cars these days don’t have hub caps, we’re going to have to be even more inventive when it comes to improvising. 🙂

    Like

  45. I did think of you when she mentioned beets!! I thought, well, Sara probably doesn’t wear white in the kitchen . . . but a swirly apron? That would work! Thanks for the tip, haven’t had the Jammin’ Javas chili. Looks like I’ve got more blog homework . . . :).

    Like

  46. I did think of you when she mentioned beets!! I thought, well, Sara probably doesn’t wear white in the kitchen . . . but a swirly apron? That would work! Thanks for the tip, haven’t had the Jammin’ Javas chili. Looks like I’ve got more blog homework . . . :).

    Like

  49. Oh, thanks so much for a Saturday morning stroll through memories of Arlo and Alice!
    I hope you don’t mind if I friended you–Susan sent me on over…and I’m so glad she did.

    Like

  50. Oh, thanks so much for a Saturday morning stroll through memories of Arlo and Alice!
    I hope you don’t mind if I friended you–Susan sent me on over…and I’m so glad she did.

    Like

  57. Elaine M.
    I’ve been soooooo out of the blogging loop lately–for a number of reasons.
    I hope you enjoyed a grand Thanksgiving. We had a lovely food-filled holiday with family.
    I enjoyed reading your post…brought back memories of the “old days.”

    Like

  58. Elaine M.
    I’ve been soooooo out of the blogging loop lately–for a number of reasons.
    I hope you enjoyed a grand Thanksgiving. We had a lovely food-filled holiday with family.
    I enjoyed reading your post…brought back memories of the “old days.”

    Like

  66. Pingback: sides, salads, veggies and appetizers archive « Jama's Alphabet Soup
  67. Pingback: main dish archive « Jama's Alphabet Soup
  68. Pingback: soup recipe archive « Jama's Alphabet Soup

Comments are closed.