Thursday update

Got a lot of news today, but I’ll start off with a trivia question, one I discovered yesterday as I was studying for Blind Bear trivia. Last night had a round titled “Eggcellent Eggs.” The question wasn’t among those asked, but I wanted to share it anyway because the answer was rather surprising.

Chicken eggs can be either white or brown. What is the factor that determines the color of the egg? Answer at the end of this post.

The big news is that the DA in Minneapolis has announced new charges in the George Floyd case. Derek Chauvin, the officer who had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes, has had his murder charge upgraded from third-degree to second-degree. The three other officers who were on the scene were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Let’s hear it for the good guys: Downtown Express food mart at Second and Madison opened their doors to the protesters last night and offered free drinks and snacks.

The Daily Memphian has a recap of last night’s protest march. The tone of the marches has changed, and it sounds like they are about people of all races coming together to love and support one another.

Organizer DeVante Hill announced to the group that there will be no protest tonight or tomorrow night, and they will meet up Saturday at the I AM A MAN Plaza at 6:30. There will also be a “family day” protest at 4 PM Sunday and churches are encouraged to bring families and children.

Mayor Strickland announced that city leaders will meet with Hill and fellow organizer Frank Gottie several times over the next few weeks to come up with ways to end structural racism and change police policies.

The second big piece of news today is that Memphis Tigers assistant coach Mike Miller is stepping down. He wants to spend more time with his family. He has two sons in high school who both play basketball. Miller had been a star recruiter for Penny Hardaway, able to flash NBA championship rings to show where playing for Penny can lead you. Geoff Calkins: With Miller gone, pressure increases on Hardaway

The third big piece of news is that the NBA has announced a plan for restarting the season to be submitted to its Board of Governors. Here are key points of the plan:

  • All play would happen in a tightly-controlled environment in Orlando, in an attempt to keep the coronavirus out.
  • 22 teams of the NBA’s 30 would be invited to Orlando, the cutoff being teams that were within 6 games of a playoff spot when the season was suspended in March.
  • Around July 31, teams will play out an 8-game end to the regular season.
  • There could be a play-in series to determine the number 8 seeds, giving the number 9 teams an opportunity to steal the seed from the 8th place team at the end of the regular season.
  • The NBA Finals would likely be in October.

The Grizzlies, currently in 8th place in the West, would be invited under the terms of the plan, but they would have to fight through the 8-game regular season and possibly the play-in games to retain their playoff spot.

Announcements from MATA:

The Memphis Farmers Market Crop Hop 5K is going virtual this year. Run a 5K June 20 or 21, submit your time to the website, and post a selfie of you with hashtag #crophop5k. Registration is $20 and includes a MFM tote bag and a $3 coupon for use at the Market.

Regina’s Cajun Kitchen in the Lincoln-American Tower posted that when you dine in, you get a free five-piece Mango Habanero (wings, I’m assuming) when you spend $10 or more.

Cat’s Ballroom will present a free beginner dance class outside the Downtown Memphis Commission building at Main and Adams Friday, June 12 from 8 to 9 PM. Bring a partner and learn a few steps on a romantic, safe date night. Masks are required and they will space people out.

Cordelia’s Market will host The Giving Grill Saturday from 11 AM to 1 PM. This is a community grill-0ut to benefit 275 Food Project.

117 Prime has re-opened for dinner. Key things to know:

  • 5 PM to 10 PM (but keep in mind there’s a 10 PM to 6 AM curfew currently)
  • Bar will open an hour early, at 4 PM. Happy hour at the bar 4 to 7 PM, with $1 Gulf oysters, $5 cocktails and glasses of wine, and $3 local and domestic beers (last time I was in there they didn’t have PBR).
  • Curbside and to-go menus still available 11 to 3 for lunch and 4 to 9 for dinner.
  • Limited capacity
  • Employees will wear PPE and wash their hands frequently
  • When you enter, a non-invasive temperature check is done and you have to sanitize your hands
  • Masks are not required, but guests are encouraged to wear them anytime not at the table

Speaking of those temperature checks… someone I know went to a restaurant this week and had his temperature taken with one of those forehead thermometers. He was told, “98.6… you just barely made it. Point-4 more and we’d have to ask you to leave.” 99.0 seems like an awfully low threshold. Bodily temperature fluctuates and it’s possible for it to be in the low 99s at times, after exercising for example. 99.6 or 100.0 sound like much more reasonable limits.

Edible Memphis has updated its black-owned restaurants guide. Some of Downtown’s best restaurants are black-owned, including Alcenia’s, Cozy Corner, LUNCHBOXeats, Sage, and many more.

From Lifehacker: The phone settings you need to know before protesting. These settings are especially relevant here in Memphis, where police have been known to violate consent decrees in their tracking of protesters and activists.

Robusto by Havana’s Mix will host a My Father Cigars event Friday, June 19 from 5 to 9 PM. This smokers’ event is the perfect opportunity for you to pick up some cigars for your father for Father’s Day.

A new graphic novel called Pandemica came out this week. At the time it was written, the author had no idea there would be an actual pandemic at the time of the release.

Silly Goose is known for its pizzas, but they have pasta too. Any pizza topping can be a pasta ingredient, but several of my friends have had great success with this formula:

  • Ask to speak to Dylan
  • Tell him what color you prefer (red, white, or green – meaning sauce)
  • Tell him if there’s anything you don’t eat
  • Answer a few questions of his as to what you like

Do this and about 10 minutes later you’ll have delicious pasta in front of you. Dylan is one of those chefs were “make me something good” is a great way to order. He enjoys it and you get to discover new pasta dishes. By Health Department regulations, all food has to be served in disposable containers, so don’t be surprised when your pasta comes out in a foil-lined pizza box rather than a bowl.

Trivia answer: The color of the egg is determined by the color of the hen that lays it. White hens lay white eggs, and red and brown hens lay brown eggs.

Jeannette took reservations for Blind Bear trivia, even bar stools, to enforce the 6-foot rule. She wanted us to come up with team names in advance so she could put them on the reservation signs. I had trouble coming up with anything good, but then my socially distant troll pointed out that we were under house arrest the entire month of April. Therefore, anything that happened that month was fair game to use as a name. I thought back to that time the president of the United States suggested we ingest disinfectants to prevent the coronavirus.

That was good for a $10 gift card for Best Team Name. I must have studied the wrong eggs, though, because we didn’t finish in the top three.

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.