Herb Week: Lovage a many splendored thing, also

Herb Week rolls on (and don't be surprised if next week is Herb Week 2,) with Lovage (Levisticum officinale.)

Lovage leaves are used to flavor food, especially in South European cuisine. It has a very distinctive taste, something similar to celery. It is also used to make a liquor of the same name. Haven't tasted it, but it was referenced in a Broadway play "Lettice and Lovage."

Did you watch the debate last night? I tried to listen in the car on the way home from church choir, but I couldn't get past her voice. Pretty shallow of me. All I could think of was Tina Fey on "Saturday Night Live" doing Palin, then back on the radio, I couldn't decide if it really was Sarah or Tina. I turned it off and practiced with my Midwest Vocal Express CD.

True to form, all the right talkers felt she "won" and all the left bloggers felt Sen. Biden ("Can I call you Joe?") "won."

I found the response from conservative pundit, Kathleen Parker, entertaining.

The VP Debate: She Won Fersure, Also

Well, darnit all, if that dadgum girl (wink, wink) didn't beat the tarnation out of Joe Biden. Maverick Sarah Palin fersure surpassed expectations and said everything under the sun, also. And Biden smiled and smiled.

Palin is a populist pro. She hit all the notes that resonate with non-elite Americans: family (Hi Mom and Dad!), "Can I call ya Joe?" personal responsibility, Wall Street greed, children with special needs. Her most effective technique was speaking directly to the American people and letting Joe know that's what she was gonna do, doggonit.

Stylistically, she used the language of the people to great effect. And, you know what? If you want to know what the American people care about, you can go to a kid's soccer game on Saturday and ask parents how they feel, and "I'll betcha you're going to hear some fear."

I'll have to go to the transcript to figure out what Palin actually said and try to figure out whose facts were right. But there's no question: She won the debate on popularity. She did her homework, studied hard, and delivered with spunk. Still, I had the uneasy feeling throughout that I was witnessing a data dump from a very appealing droid. Even the winks and jaw juts seemed slightly programmed.

And the question remains: Is she ready to be president should the need arise?