A writer's Random ramblings
In many communities across Maryland, a hungry traveler can find sustenance at the Greene Turtle. Featuring dishes indigenous to the state, it satisfies the stomach and soul. From lunchtime to late-night Happy Hour, one can find items for any appetite.
Following a recent trip to the eye doctor, my younger daughter and I found ourselves in that situation. Right up the street from the Greene Turtle and looking for a simple dinner, we stopped in. Luckily for us, Happy Hour was on, saving us some money. After 2 appetizers, a pint of beer for me, and a large strawberry lemonade for her, our tab came to $20.50. This took any but 3 of the appetizers to half price, excellent with their generous portions on many dishes. The updated menu made it easier for us to navigate our way to food and drink satisfying to adults and youngsters alike. The menu now operates as a book, rather than folding out several times as it did in the past. Happy Hour drinks even appear in a spiral bound book to the side of the table, spelling out in more detail what comes for what price. On this trip, my daughter and I batted around the appetizer menu, eventually deciding upon the Turtle Tenders and Loaded Tater Tots. These balanced each other out in terms of amounts, with leftovers of the Tater Tots coming home in a take-out box. Five Tenders come in a conical paper-lined container with a choice of five sauces for dipping, although they will provide one sauce per person if asked. The chicken comes out well-breaded in a light but crunchy way, an almost tempura-style batter fried to golden-brown perfection. The tater tots came in a surprisingly large pie plate type container. These also arrived fried to perfection, in a single layer around the pan. The Greene Turtle generously tops the tots with cheese sauce, freshly prepared and cut bacon, sour cream, and green onions. These would make a great side for any of the offerings on the menu, regular or appetizer. My daughter’s strawberry lemonade, generously garnished with strawberries, and my pint of Shell Raiser (proprietary to the establishment) IPA style beer rounded out our meal. At 4:30 in the afternoon, this hit the spot for both of us, as we sought a smaller sized meal due to the hot weather outside. She even came home with enough tots and lemonade for an evening snack a few hours later. Thus, from the hospitality upon entering to time to pay the bill, the Greene Turtle fits the bill. Native to or travelling through Maryland, one can find amazing dishes for fair prices here. This makes the establishment well worth the stop in any community throughout the state. Adults and children alike can find anything from a simple meal made of appetizers on a hot day to a full 3 course meal at the Greene Turtle. It fits families, neighbors, and work groups on any given day.
0 Comments
Society often tries to make everything equal for everyone. Does this mean only in terms of ability, or do we also need to think on other levels? Many times, a student’s sex, gender, or economic circumstances get in the way. Right when the young should be exploring their interests, costs of those activities or other societal barriers exclude them.
Sports have made significant progress in the sex and gender area recently. First, Title IX brought in equivalent sports for girls in many cases. Ladies learn softball while boys do baseball, and both sexes play basketball, soccer, tennis, gymnastics, and lacrosse in many areas. Girls get mentioned in the newspaper for assisting football teams in the place-kicker department while men often help out with cheerleading, at least in college. Both sexes play instruments formerly thought of as “belonging to” the other in marching bands. In these cases, the only time to separate the sexes would be when size disparities would bring more injury upon some participants. Schools made great strides in keeping education equal. Often, they offer economic assistance with exams for those students on local free lunch programs. Why not offer some type of help for youngsters of this category on other things? Some marching bands have booster organizations help those who can’t foot the bill. In other cases, community members or coaches do this. Logic seems to dictate here that the students identified by the teacher or coach supervising a given activity as needing that help be allowed to fundraise for their portion. This would alleviate schools and teachers from having to jump in, but allow more kids to participate. After all, in many places, large percentages of the student population receive free lunches. Only the coaches of the activities these students choose need to be privy to who they are. In some places, students receive reduced price meals if the family does not qualify for free ones. These families need to pay a portion of the bill for their children to participate in activities. How much is fair? Make the percentage proportional to what they pay for school meals. Have the child do fundraising activities for the rest. Whether saved for percentages or total bills of music, drama, sports, or other clubs, the money raised by the child in the community needs to benefit him or her as well as the group. Those students with many hobbies and interests especially need this help to overcome economic hurdles so they can decide what field of employment calls them to the future. Thus, using the funds a student raises or has family contribute first for his/her fees brings more fairness than using it in a group first way. Every student deserves a fair shot at trying possibly different activities each year to find interests and passions. Cost need not be today’s barrier, as sex and gender used to be. Helping our students find themselves in these ways generates a stronger society in the long run, one with less job dissatisfaction and more people knowing themselves at a younger age. |
AuthorStuff about me: Archives
June 2020
Categories |