It seems I've got a million of 'em! You know, eating establishments that are off both the beaten path and the more predictable list of popular franchise restaurants. I suppose there may be some benefit to selecting a place like Chili's on a routine basis when you are on the road and not sure of your options.

Even then, I'm the guy who wants to try the local beanery.

During a trip to Chicago this summer, we found a "dawg house" that specialized in "encased meats" of various kinds. I ordered a craw fish and pork dog -- never eaten one better!

Anyway, given the option, I always go with what I respectfully refer to as "the joint."

Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto is more than just insightful; it’s truly revolutionary. But then, would we expect anything less?

Pollan’s book sets out to defend food in a world where food products are increasingly pushing whole food out of our diet. And it’s a deadly diet at that. Scientists have attributed some of our society’s most prevalent (and deadly) chronic diseases to what Pollan calls the “Western diet,” including stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Pollan blames “nutritionism,” defined as the process of “adjusting various nutrients (lowering the fat, boosting the protein) and fortifying processed foods rather than questioning their value in the first place.” Further, he points to a medical community that helps people to live with these diseases instead of solving the root of the problem: the Western diet.

What if we all had our own stimulus plan? Something to get us through the tedium, the slogging through the days, not only through the current hard time but through future difficulties?

Here’s part of my personal stimulus plan. Naturally, a little extra time at the gym is included, as well as sane servings, fruits, vegetables, of course, everything below is made from scratch when possible.

Warning: I am an omnivore, verging on carnivore. I am known for my reverence of the refined carbohydrate, and also of steak. You may not like my list, but hey, it’s my list.

Like you, I'm absolutely disgusted with George Bush's veto of the children's healthcare legislation. He keeps saying that SCHIP was supposed to be for kids in poverty. But, that's a lie! It's not true. Medicaid is the program for the poor kids. SCHIP is for the "working poor" - that is, the disadvantaged uninsured children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but, not enough to afford insurance.

The truth is that the number of "working poor" in the U.S. has grown tremendously in the ten years since SCHIP was first implemented. That's why we need to grow SCHIP now. So, that SCHIP can do what it was intended to do - provide health insurance to the children whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid but don't make enough money to afford insurance. There are millions of uninsured children that are currently not helped by SCHIP because SCHIP is out of money. And, SCHIP would have the money, if Bush hadn't vetoed the SCHIP legislation. I couldn't be more angry or more fed up. I'm heartbroken.

The wrongs in our nation live with me every day. Sometimes I'm so absorbed by the grave problems facing my neighbors, I often miss the beauty that surrounds me daily. We need both. The beauty gives us strength to face the horrors. To build up my energy to fight for the rights of my less fortunate friends, this week, I'm taking a brief hiatus to turn my attention to the color green. It's just a little vacation to renew my energies. Come with me!

The green in my life is overwhelming me in a very good way. I began saying my goodbyes to luscious greens on Monday. That's when I picked big baskets of green tomatoes thinking that a frost was on its way.

The freezing temperatures I feared haven't come yet, so I'm still in my kitchen puttering around and still engaged in contemplating answers to the world's greatest problems while simultaneously giving homage for the last of this year's green.

Seems that a good condiment might be just the right thing to have in hand. I've got piles of green things, such as mint leaves, bunches of cilantro and bowls of all kinds of hot peppers. Naturally, then, I'll be whipping up a fresh batch of my special mint chutney for you. If you've never had my chutney before, prepare to fall in love.

This week, I say goodbye to luscious green. Oh, do I really have to? Yes, frost is coming and maybe in just a matter of days. It's the same sad bittersweet time. My heart is filled with gratitude for such bounty and all the lovely hours spent solving the world's problems while piddling and puttering in the garden. Every day a garden changes. Now, I feel the sorrow of its looming end. Every plant, every season, becomes a friend.

Yes, I know, next March and especially next April (if God's willing and the creeks don't rise), I'll be smiling and dancing when the new green things poke through the frosty mulch in my gardens. There will be so much much anticipation and promise in the spring. Oh, but, it's only October now - and March seems so far away!

This week, I welcome you to join me in my kitchen. After harvesting buckets of green tomatoes, mint, basil, thyme, eggplant, rosemary, and hot green and red peppers of all kinds, these gorgeous last picks of autumn will fill my kitchen with the color green. With your help, I'll be making chutneys, sauces and roasted veggies in hopes of properly honoring these last gifts from my garden...