Gomorran Stew

     Page Sixty-Seven.
     Some time ago, I was traveling in the Middle-East. I'd stayed in Gomorrah for a couple of days and then I went on to Sodom. As those two cities were known for not being hospitable to strangers, I was a bit nervous about visiting them. But like so much gossip and hearsay, my experiences were nowhere near as bad as I was anticipating. In fact, I did actually make some friends with whom I stayed in contact for many years following.
     I was staying in hostels on my trip, just to save money, and one night in Sodom, my roommate was Florence Nightingale. We talked until all hours. Then, on another night, I had two roommates, Thomas Jefferson and Angela Davis, who were traveling companions. (I was really surprised by how much they argued, considering the fact that they chose to travel together.) While staying in Gomorrah one night I met Rudolph Valentino. He wasn't staying in my room but he was in another room on my floor and I met him downstairs in the lobby. (Everybody was fawning all over him but he didn't seem to mind.)
     The highlight of the trip though, was one evening when I was out dancing at a disco in Gomorrah. I happened to meet a young women named Pipsi who was in University to become a social worker. She'd just taken her finals earlier that day and was out blowing off steam. We got to talking and she mentioned that she wanted to work with disturbed youth. I told her of my experiences as a live-in nanny and we instantly had much in common. (Though none of the kids I've even nannied were certifiably "disturbed", working so closely with youth is a distinction, none-the-less.) After the disco closed we went to this little place around the corner. It was really a hole-in-the-wall, but it was the only place that was open, so in we went.
     Pipsi ordered some taco-style pizza and I got some stew. Well, I have to tell you this was some of the best stew I've ever had in my life. I simply inhaled the stuff. It was too good for words. I just couldn't figure out what it was about the stuff, so I asked the waiter. He told me that this stew was one of the house's signature dishes and it was really very well known. In fact, every time Genghis Khan came to town he ordered it for his entire army. The stew was served with hot, seeded rye bread and a very good side salad which was unusual in that it was topped with cold, cooked green beans, peas, asparagus and feta cheese.
     But, really, I couldn't get over how good the stew was. After much badgering, the waiter finally gave me the secret. (The waiter knew 'cause his father was the chef/owner of the joint.) Here it is:
     Fry up a few pieces of bacon. Then remove the bacon to a separate dish and add one whole sliced onion to the bacon fat and saute until glossy. (If there isn't enough bacon fat to comfortably saute, add a little butter to the pan.) While the onions are cooking, chop the bacon into small pieces. When the onion is done, add it along with the bacon to a typical stew recipe. Then to the stew add one can of beer, one tablespoon of brown sugar and a few shakes of caraway seeds. Cook this stew for a normal amount of time, until the beef is tender. (If your stew recipe calls for onions omit them, because of the cooked onions you've just added. Also, omit some of the cooking liquid from your recipe 'cause of the 12 ounces of beer in the Gomorran recipe.)
     That's it. I'm telling you, this combination of stuff is deadly good.
     I kept in touch with Pipsi for a while, but she eventually married and moved to Machu Picchu to work with Incan youth. Just recently we friended each other on Facebook and she wants me to come for a visit. Maybe one of these days...