Today's Entertainment

A nyone who has ever wondered why fries are French or whether chicken soup can really cure what ails you will want to take note of a new series debuting this week on Cooking Channel. In "Food: Fact or Fiction," premiering Monday, Oct. 26, host Michael McKean ("Better Call Saul," "This Is Spinal Tap") explores longstanding adages about food and seeks to debunk or prove some of the most common food myths. Along the way, he delves into the history of some common comestibles and reveals fascinating stories about them. "It's a lot of stuff I didn't know," he says. "And the more we talked about it (in creating the six episode, half-hour series) and the more we went through it, the more we realized just axiomatic things about food have entered the language but we don't know where they came from." One popular food legend explored is how fried potatoes became known as French fries. McKean explains it actually dates back to an 18th century conflict between France and Germany. "There was a Frenchman who was captured by the Germans," he says. "And when he was thrown into military prison, he was being fed potatoes, and at first he wouldn't eat them because it's pig food. ... But he developed a taste for it and he came back to Paris with this idea of, 'We can do all these things with potatoes. Look at this stuff. We can chop them up and fry them.' And nobody would put it on the menu because it was pig food. Everybody knew what a potato was. "But the French street peddlers got ahold of the idea," he continues, "(and) they started making French fries, basically fried potatoes, and it became a huge hit. And it was kind of a street-level food, kind of a popular food. Rather than cordon bleu, it was just good. It was just throw a little salt on there – Jesus, c'mon, I could go for a stack of fries right now. "So anyway, (the show is) not just mythology," McKean says, "it's stuff that you just plain didn't know." What book are you currently reading? "I'm reading two books right now, kind of juggling them depending on my mood. I'm reading a 1970 novel by R.F. Delderfield. ... And the book is called, 'God Is an Englishman,' and it's kind of a wonderful Dickensian novel. ... And I'm also reading a book of science fiction stories by Paolo Bacigalupi ... who's this very good science fiction writer." What did you have for dinner last night? "For dinner last night, my daughter made a rice and bean and green salad with some kind of Asian dressing on it. All my gals cook like crazy. It's great. My wife (actress Annette O'Toole) is a very good cook, both the girls are. But yeah, she fed me good last night." What is your next project? "I'm going to take a little time off, unless something comes up, and just do some writing at home and kind of take care of some business. And we're going to do a family vacation this Christmas and we don't know quite what we're going to do but we're going to have some fun." When was your last vacation, where and why? "We went to Hawaii a year ago – in December of 2014, and it was the six of us and we had a real blast. ..." BY GEORGE DICKIE Page 8 October 26 - November 1, 2015 Nobody Knows Our Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE

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