Zeke’s fry pan

 




Zeke’s fry pan


Don't wash the cast iron skilletDon't drink and drive, you'll spill itDon't ask too many questions or you'll never get to sleepThere's a hole inside you, fill it

                   -Jason Isbell

    Sometimes these words just pop out of the subconscious and remain in memory  for many decades. This innocent description stems from a visit to the Bay area when Paul Knowlton was working in Alameda for Hughes aircraft. He was a true Gate hero and the nice brother of Johnny and Paul. Paul and I had gone to grammer school, high school, community college and college together so our bond was ironclad. We also were roomates in several  domiciles over the 1960's and 70's. Greg, loving Frisco went along with myself and Ed Carroll to visit our old pal in northern california. Over the years Paul had earrned a few nicknames including "the snail" which I never used and "the Prince" by Jack's friends because he was such a thoroughly nice guy. However, because he was such a plain speaking and straight-shooting tall man we began calling him Zeke which fit him. He had his typically neat and functional apartment in Alameda where we arrived to have a weekend of celebration. When Paul and I lived together at Midvale and Ohio we did not have a stove so he managed to cook out of an electric frying pan where spaghetti sauce, chop sui and tacos were prepared by the steady hand of our man Zeke. In his Bay area digs he had progressed to having an actual stove with a few cooking utensils he had picked up from home or a thrift store. As we walked through the kitchen we spotted a sturdy cast iron skillet and Greg blurted out in an Appalachian accent "that's Zeke's fry pan!" From then on the phrase was used to describe any trusty cooking vessel or just for the hell of it. Zeke has a new nickname Powerball Pete but he is the same plain speaking fry pan cooking man we always knew.

 



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