Childhood memories are never far away. A New York Times article triggered (caused me to remember) one of mine recently. The article – about Ava Drug in Ava, Missouri – brought back memories of the corner drug store and, especially, its soda fountain.

Years ago, before stores become more specialized, the corner drug store (many were on a corner near the center of town) was a fixture (something that’s always present) in most American towns. In many towns they were a popular gathering place (a place for people to get together), much like a British pub, or public house. People met at the corner drug store to get a sandwich, enjoy a milk shake or soda, pick up a prescription, and buy a magazine, some candy, a small gift, or greeting card to give someone on their birthday.

The heart (most important or central part) of the corner drug store was the soda fountain (a machine that serves bubbly drinks, or the restaurant area in a store with a soda fountain machine). Some were very simple; others were ornate (highly decorated), often with a large wall mirror framed (surrounded) by dark wood. All of them had a bar (counter, a long narrow area for serving food or drinks) – similar to the one in the photo above – with stools (a seat with no back or arm) for customers to sit on. Usually there were a few tables and chairs for small groups of customers.

My cousin and I often hung out (spent time together) at the corner drug store where he lived. We enjoyed sitting on the stools at the bar. Deciding what to eat or drink was always a challenge (difficult)! The soda fountain offered ice cream cones and sundaes (ice cream, in a cup, covered by a flavored syrup like chocolate), and shakes (milk, ice cream, and flavored syrup mixed together). The menu (list of available food) also included a variety of drinks – sodas, like Coke; flavored sodas, like cherry Coke; and phosphates, a mixture of carbonated (bubbly) water and flavored syrup. While we waited for the soda jerk (old word for a person who worked at the soda fountain) to prepare our food or drinks, we’d often spin (turn around and around rapidly) around on the stools.

The corner drug store isn’t exactly making a comeback (returning to popularity). But there are some, like Ava Drug and Fair Oaks Pharmacy & Soda Fountain in Pasadena, California, that are trying to keep the tradition alive. Fair Oaks opened as the South Pasadena Pharmacy in 1915; Ava Drug first opened in 1950. Both have been restored (returned) to their original decor (the way the inside of a building is decorated). At Ava Drug you can even get an ice cream cone for the original 1950 price – 5 cents! Take a minute to visit the Fair Oaks web site – it’s fun!

If you ever come to the U.S., see if you can find a corner drug store. And if you can, stop and check out (visit) the soda fountain. Get yourself a cherry Coke or chocolate milk shake or … okay, you decide.

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English, where you’ll find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Photo by cobalt12 used under CC license.

You’ve probably seen it, usually after something exciting has happened, especially if you watch American sports. Two players approach (move toward) each other, raise their hands simultaneously (at the same time), and, when they are close enough, slap (hit with the flat part of the hand) their hands together. It’s called the high five.

So who started the high five? When? Where? The low five, with the hands down, goes back to World War II among African American servicemen (men in the military). But, according to a recent article in ESPN The Magazine, no one is sure about the high five. However, there are a couple of interesting possibilities.

The first story gives credit (says he did it) to Glen Burke, a Los Angeles Dodger baseball player, for inventing the high five.  Supposedly (many people believe) it happened in front of 46,000 screaming fans (someone who likes a sport very much) at Dodger stadium in 1977. Here’s how ESPN writer Jon Mooallem tells the story:

It was the last day of the regular season, and Dodgers left fielder Dusty Baker had just gone deep (hit the ball out of the stadium, a home run)…. It was Baker’s 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four sluggers (baseball players who hit the ball a long way) — Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith — with at least 30 homers each. It was a wild, triumphant (full of pride, pleasure) moment and a good omen (sign of what will happen in the future) as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust (moved suddenly) his hand enthusiastically (with excitement) over his head to greet his friend…. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked (hit) it. “His hand was up in the air, and he was arching (bending) way back,” says Baker, now 62…. “So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.”

The second story credits Wiley Brown and Derek Smith, University of Louisville basketball players with inventing the high five. At a University of Louisville Cardinal (the team name) basketball practice during the 1978-79 season, Brown went to give a plain (ordinary) old low five to his teammate. Out of nowhere (suddenly, without warning), Smith looked Brown in the eye and said, “No. Up high.”

The Cardinal players were tall and used their jumping ability to defeat other teams. So “when Smith raised his hand, it clicked (made sense) for Brown,” writes Mooallem. “I thought,” said Brown, “yeah, why are we staying down low? We jump so high.”

So who did invent the high five? I don’t know. And no one else can be sure they know. In both stories it appears (looks like) to have happened spontaneously (without thinking or preparation).

If you’d like to learn how to do the high five properly, here’s a short, funny video about high five etiquette (rules for proper behavior).

*Gimme five = give me five; used when you want someone to give you a high five.

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English, where you’ll find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Photo by  johnwiechecki used under Creative Commons license.

Okay, so you don’t work out (exercise) as much as you should. Perhaps your exercise routine (habits; things you do regularly) are getting a little stale (dull; boring; old).  Are you ready for the latest, greatest approaches to keeping in shape (being fit and healthy)?  Here they are:

• Piloxing – This is a combination of Pilates and boxing. Pilates is a popular way of conditioning (getting your body in shape) that uses various exercises and equipment. Boxing is when two people hit each other in the face to get the other person to fall down. It’s a perfect combination! You practice hitting other people in the face to release (let go of) your anger, and you lose weight at the same time. What’s not to like?
• Anti-Gravity Yoga – This is a sort of like upside-down yoga. Spiderman does this all the time, so it isn’t really new.
• Powerstrike – Did you ever see one of those Japanese samurai movies, where there was a strong warrior (fighter) with a big sword? Instead of a sword, imagine holding a wooden stick and swinging it around like you were a real samurai (see the photo). That’s basically what this is.
• Soul-Cycle – You sit on a special bicycle (a spinning bicycle) and exercise your arms at the same time. I don’t know why it is called soul cycling, however.
• Beer Balancing – With this one, you drink several bottles of beer, then try to put them on the top of your head, without falling down.  It’s great for your neck muscles!

Okay, so I made up (invented) Beer Balancing, but the rest are real.  Now get exercising!

~Jeff

Photo credit: Samurai with Sword (1860), Wikipedia PD

I am a terrible cook. If I tell you I’m going to cook dinner for you, run the other way. You have been warned (told about the danger).

When I was growing up, my mother did all of the cooking in our house.  Her children’s job, according to my mother, was to study and practice, and hers was to feed us.  I thought that that was a great arrangement (plan) until I left home.  Then, I really learned to appreciate my mother, especially when I had to fend for myself (take care of myself).

To this day, I still don’t know how to cook very well.  Although I plan most things in my life, when it comes to cooking, I like to fly by the seat of my pants (do something without planning) and to cook something by instinct (acting according to what feels right or natural to me).  That means I’m not very good at following recipes (instructions for cooking a dish).  Since I have so little experience, you can probably imagine how well that usually turns out (results).

Despite my bumbling (behaving awkwardly and without skill) in the kitchen, one of my favorite TV shows these past couple of years is Top Chef.  This is a cooking competition reality show (show with real people, instead of actors) where some of the best chefs (professional cooks) in the country are selected to compete in cooking challenges (games; competitions) on each episode.

I’m very surprised that I like watching this show.  I don’t like traditional cooking shows where a chef shows you how to cook a dish step-by-step.  I suppose I don’t actually want to learn to cook a dish.  Instead, I enjoy seeing people who are at the top of their game (among the best in a field of work, study, or play) being creative and having to do so under the gun (on a deadline; with limited time).

Are you a good cook?  Do you like watching cooking shows or cooking competition shows?

~ Lucy

* “Food for thought” is something, such as an issue or idea, that is given to someone for him or her to think about.  For example:

• “Learning about different careers is good food for thought for students entering the university.”
• “Seeing so many stories on the TV news about the dangers of house fires was food for thought.  I now think we should do more to protect our home.”

Photo Credit:  White House Chefs – From Wikipedia