AMAZON:  The Spirt of Memphis, Isaac Hayes Box Set

Before Isaac Hayes dove into Scientology and became Chef on South Park, he was not just the guy who sang the “Theme from Shaft.”  There is a new box set out that will enlighten and brighten your musical horizons… It’s called The Spirit of Memphis (1962-1976).  As the “refined guy” put it, “It’s as good a Hayes primer as you’re likely to find in this galaxy.”  The Spirit of Memphis covers Isaac’s early days as a songwriter and arranger at Stax Records.  The set follows with a look at his solo career.  Included are various covers and outtakes.  If you are broke, you catch all this on Spotify and check it out.  Otherwise, here is the link to purchase.

  
Overseas Golf
 

An American businessman is entertaining some overseas business guests on the golf course.
 

The first guest, who is from Italy, tees off and hits a good shot 200 yards down the fairway. As the American businessman knows a small amount of Italian he says: “Buon tiro”, which means “Good shot”. The Italian businessman replies: “Grazie”.
 

The second guest, who is from France, tees off and hits a fantastic shot that lands on the green thirty feet from the hole. As the American businessman knows a small amount of French he says: “Tir fantastique”, which means “Fantastic shot”. The French businessman replies: “Merci”.
 

The third guest, who is from Japan, tees off and amazingly the ball goes straight in the hole, a hole in one! The American businessman doesn’t know many Japanese words or phrases but when he dated a Japanese girl during his overseas business trips she used to moan when he made love to her and she would shout out “Ura-ana, ura-ana”, and which he repeats to his Japanese guest. The Japanese businessman replies: “What do you mean, wrong hole?”

 
     
GRILLING WIRTH MISTRESS BIANCA
 
Grilled Corn with Coconut Cream
 
INGREDIENTS
6 large ears of corn, husks removed

  
Coconut Cream:
  1 cup unsweetened coconut cream (preferably boxed)
  1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  1 fresh or frozen pandan leaf (optional), tied into a knot

Rice bran oil (or other mild oil with a high smoking point), for oiling grill
 
6 lime wedges (preferably key lime), for serving

  
COOK THE CORN
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the corn, and cook until it's tender and no longer raw, about 8 minutes. Drain well. (You can boil the corn up to several hours before you plan to finish cooking it on the grill or even a few days in advance; just make sure to shock the corn in ice water as soon as the ears leave the boiling water.)

  
MAKE THE COCONUT CREAM
Combine the coconut cream, sugar, salt, and pandan leaf in a small pot. It's fine if the pandan leaf isn't completely submerged. Set the pot over high heat, bring the mixture to a simmer (don't let it boil), then decrease the heat to low. Cover and cook until the cream has thickened slightly and is infused with pandan flavor, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the pandan leaf.

  
GRILL THE CORN
Prepare a grill, preferably charcoal, to cook over medium heat; oil the grates. Or preheat a lightly oiled grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop.

Pour the cream mixture onto a large plate or platter. One or two at a time, add the corn, and rotate the ears to lightly coat them in the mixture. Grill the corn until it's lightly charred in spots, occasionally turning the ears and brushing the corn with the cream mixture (or transferring the corn to the plate with the cream mixture and rotating it again), 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve the corn with a drizzle of the remaining cream mixture and lime wedges for squeezing.