Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mile high birthday bash

In this week's Food for Thought Nancy Leson and I talk about favorite venues for birthday bashes.  My birthday was double-10 day, October 10th -- a birthday I share with both Thelonious Monk and Dorothy Lamour, who once told me "There ain't room enough in this sarong for the two of us."

This year my wife, the Lovely and Talented Cheryl DeGroot and I celebrated a mile up in a hot air balloon and back on the ground we knocked back the traditional  champagne toast. 

Kurt, our pilot with Morning Glory Balloon Toursexplained that the tradition began when an 18th century  pioneer balloon pilot came down into a field of frightened angry peasants who attacked him with traditional pitchforks.  Since then balloonists have always brought a bottle of bubbly to appease the locals.

Back at the station I found a swell present from Nancy waiting in my mailbox.  The Hakka Cookbookby Linda Lau Anusasananan.  This is going to be a good one.  I've already made one of the recipes from it -- the garlic noodles with shrimp and vegetables and it was grrrreat.   You can see some pictures of it up above.  Thanks, Nance!  She also include a box of pickle flavored gum-balls but I haven't gotten my nerve up for them yet.

All in all, I'd have to say this last one was my most memorable birthday celebration.  What are yours?

"There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents and only one for birthday presents, you know."

– Lewis Carroll

Dick Stein joined KNKX in January 1992. He retired in 2020 after three decades on air. During his storied radio career, he hosted the morning jazz show, co-hosted and produced "Food for Thought" with Nancy Leson and wrote and directed the Jimmy Jazzoid live radio musical comedies and 100 episodes of Jazz Kitchen.