The Continuing Fall of VF and Doug Phillips is a tool-Part 4

[gustava]

For a non-Cliff Notes but very absorbing version of this, read Albion's Seed, by David Hackett Fischer (http://www.amazon.com/Albions-Seed-Brit ... 0195069056). It's a long haul of a read but really interesting if you want to understand why Anglo Whites in the US are so different & bizarre.

Although I don't agree that

Anglo Whites in the US are so different & bizarre

. Albion's Seed is excellent.

[duplessis3]

Yes, Albions Seed.is.fantastic. And sorry if I stepped on toes in my pro John Brown post. My youngest portrayed him in second grade

[Marian the Librarian]

I wonder what life has been like in the Manse since all this broke? Doug sitting in his library...crying. Beall trying to pretend like everything is normal....The kids running around in Doug's cast off costumes being obnoxious....

I can see Doug singing a version of "What do the simple folk/fundies do" from Camelot....

I'd be willing to bet Beall isn't making her world-famous peanut soup this year...

[WonderingInWA]

I'd be willing to bet Beall isn't making her world-famous peanut soup this year...

Peanut soup? I don't believe I've ever heard that story. Of course, if she's making any kind of nut soup this year, it's Doug-nut Soup. Guess there won't be any more little blessings in that family...

[Marian the Librarian]

Peanut soup? I don't believe I've ever heard that story. Of course, if she's making any kind of nut soup this year, it's Doug-nut Soup. Guess there won't be any more little blessings in that family...

Doug published her recipe on the VF blog several years ago. Let's see if I can find it...aha! Here 'tis, with all of Dougie's fabulousness of description thrown in for good measure:

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Recipe for Greatest Thanksgiving Day Soup in the World

Every true-blue Virginian with a love for the great providence of God in the history of the Old Dominion knows that the most delectable delicacy of country cooking antiquity is none other than peanut soup. Forget your chowders and forsake your cheese, chilled, and cream soups. Away with your bisques, borscht, bouillabaisse, bouillon, and broths. Those patriotic palates who relish genuine gustatory glory know that only the peanut can produce a soup of such historic and culinary excellence that could rightly deserve the title — “America’s Soup.â€

I first learned of peanut soup while a student in Williamsburg, Virginia. At the time, I was sufficiently impoverished such that I was able to prevent the onset of addiction by limiting my intake to about two bowls a month. In those days, I discovered that the greatest cooks from the finest dining establishments in Williamsburg secretly compete for status of “grand master peanut soup chef.â€

When I married my wife, there was really only one culinary condition: Interview the greatest chefs in Williamsburg. Bribe them if necessary, but whatever you do, capture their secret recipes, test them against each other, then present to your husband a well-executed bowl of peanut soup for Thanksgiving Day. (Of course, even a code-red mission like this one is no problem for “super-wife.â€)

Beall went to Williamsburg, reconnoitered, conducted covert meetings with top chefs (I am dead serious), talked them into relinquishing their secret recipes, returned home, entered her kitchen laboratory, and conducted experiments until her own peanut potion was perfected. She is now an expert in peanut soup cookery — and I am a very delighted and satisfied husband of a woman who has blessed her household and truly taken dominion over soup. For that I am grateful.

And the drum roll, please.... To the uninitiated, the thought of drinking peanuts may seem a bit daunting. Fear not, neither fret thy taste buds, O weary Pilgrim. This is American soup at its best — a simple soup for the common man, but distinguished with such peanutty accents as to satisfy the most discriminating palates.

For this Thanksgiving Day, I am pleased to reveal the secret recipe for the first time:

Peanut Soup (makes 10-12 servings)

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cup butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 quarts chicken stock or canned broth

1 cup smooth peanut butter (only natural, please)

1¾ cups heavy cream

1½ cups peanuts, chopped (only the best Virginia peanuts, please)

Sauté onion and peanuts in butter until soft, but not brown. Add cream and bring to a soft boil. Stir in flour until well blended. Add chicken stock or broth and salt, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and rub through a sieve. (I have never rubbed it through a sieve. I always put it in a blender until the consistency is fairly smooth.) Add peanut butter, stirring to blend thoroughly, almost boil. Return to low heat, but do not boil. Serve hot or cold, garnished with chopped peanuts.

[Dysfundamental]

That's...um. I have had plenty of peanut soup/groundnut stew in my life, and it's always had spices in it! Beall's version sounds bland as anything. I usually make something similar to the [link=http://www.food.com/recipe/west-african-peanut-soup-134219]Moosewood Cookbook[/link] recipe, but add some turmeric and coriander (seed, ground).

[WonderingInWA]

Wow, Beall's recipe is a snoozer! I've had only African Peanut Soup and it's got, you know, spices in it to give it some kick. Never made it myself.

Good or bad soup, Dougie's write-up makes me want to barf. He was probably just then starting to cheat on her. And the sad part is, the description of how satisfied he was with her soup probably made her feel like a million bucks. Asshole.

[Loveday]

Doug published her recipe on the VF blog several years ago. Let's see if I can find it...aha! Here 'tis, with all of Dougie's fabulousness of description thrown in for good measure:

Pffft. This recipe doesn't sound like any peanut soup I've ever had in or near Williamsburg. I seriously doubt any Williamsburg chef--from Marcel Desaulniers at The Trellis to the fine chefs of the Williamsburg Inn, Chowning's Tavern, or Christiana Campbell's--would have given up their peanut soup recipes to Be-All. :roll:

And as usual with Doug Phillips is a tool, an ounce of verbose pretension is worth at least a pound of peanuts manure.

[ladyamylynn]

Doug published her recipe on the VF blog several years ago. Let's see if I can find it...aha! Here 'tis, with all of Dougie's fabulousness of description thrown in for good measure:

So you track down the best chefs for their recipe, then don't follow it? :roll: Also, this soup sounds bland as fuck.

[feministxtian]

That does NOT sound like a Williamsburg recipe. AT ALL. Too bland. Everything would have at least salt and pepper to taste.

However...the true test...does she make sausage gravy from a mix or is she smart enough to make it from scratch???????

***I am a native of Newport News VA, transplanted to the Sonoran Desert. I can provide schools, names and dates for anyone who might not think I'm for real on the NNVA native thing.

[bionicmlle]

That does NOT sound like a Williamsburg recipe. AT ALL. Too bland. Everything would have at least salt and pepper to taste.

However...the true test...does she make sausage gravy from a mix or is she smart enough to make it from scratch???????

***I am a native of Newport News VA, transplanted to the Sonoran Desert. I can provide schools, names and dates for anyone who might not think I'm for real on the NNVA native thing.

Hold up…. there is a MIX for sausage gravy? WTF? How does that even work???

[Mama Mia]

I haven't read much about Vision Forum, so maybe it's been covered...but, wow, his Peanut Soup recipe description sounds exactly like the Seinfeld Catalog company that Elaine worked for ( which was a spoof of Banana Republic IIRC) . Funny.

[nelliebelle1197]

I haven't read much about Vision Forum, so maybe it's been covered...but, wow, his Peanut Soup recipe description sounds exactly like the Seinfeld Catalog company that Elaine worked for ( which was a spoof of Banana Republic IIRC) . Funny.

Ummm.... no. Elaine worked for J. Peterman. J. Peterman was and is real

http://www.jpeterman.com/!zjoS!CLqcmZc6JJXAAOtzg!/

[feministxtian]

Hold up…. there is a MIX for sausage gravy? WTF? How does that even work???

I saw it in a local grocery store...and I know they have it in the Food Lion there. I think it's flour and pepper. Hell, they even have INSTRUCTIONS on how to make it! I personally think that is blasphemy!!!!!!!!

[NurseNell]

Doug published her recipe on the VF blog several years ago. Let's see if I can find it...aha! Here 'tis, with all of Dougie's fabulousness of description thrown in for good measure:

Excuse me but the title of America's Soup surely goes to Campbell's Tomato Soup. :cracking-up:

I've never had peanut soup. I love peanuts and peanut butter but peanut soup just doesn't sound very good.

[love2scrap]

Does anyone else follow Doug on instagram? He used to be public but went private once the scandal blew.

He posted a couple of pics last week of the kids. one of them has Beall in it...

[PennySycamore]

Be-all's recipe is very much like that of the King's Arms Tavern that I've got in the Williamsburg Cookbook that I got on mu honeymoon 34 years ago. The recipe in the cookbook differs in that it adds 2 ribs of celery, chopped and browned along with the onion; ups the peanut butter content to 2 cups, and uses light cream rather than heavy cream. It does not specify natural peanut butter.

This cookbook has lots if soup recipe beside that one: chowders, bisques, bouillions, gumbos and so forth. I got the book for the recipe for Colonial Game Pie which was delicious!

[Green Glass]

I'm sorry that he didn't celebrate Christmas, because we would've gotten so much snark material out of it. Not this year, but in years past, I'm sure a Tool Christmas would have been hilariously amazing.

[Peas n carrots]

I'm sorry that he didn't celebrate Christmas, because we would've gotten so much snark material out of it. Not this year, but in years past, I'm sure a Tool Christmas would have been hilariously amazing.

Not to mention another cosplay opportunity for him. I could see him caroling with the family in mid 19th century Dickensian garb.

[nausicaa]

Excuse me but the title of America's Soup surely goes to Campbell's Tomato Soup. :cracking-up:

I've never had peanut soup. I love peanuts and peanut butter but peanut soup just doesn't sound very good.

As a born and bred Virginian (I can also provide credentials!), I'm gonna have to defend my beloved peanut soup from Doug's tooliness (I am so pissed that he has somehow associated himself with my native dish). Peanut soup is the bomb-diggity. Creamy with a little crunch. Doug, despite all of his high-falutin floridity, has made it sound terrible. And it doesn't sound like Beall got the right recipe, which is likely since most Virginia restaurants keep as tight a hold over their formulas as the Coca-Cola Company.

I am so glad this dude moved to Texas. Please, just stay there.

[yewnique]

Doug published her recipe on the VF blog several years ago. Let's see if I can find it...aha! Here 'tis, with all of Dougie's fabulousness of description thrown in for good measure:

Is DP aware how awkward and affected alliteration is?

[Mary C Doates]

Is DP aware how awkward and affected alliteration is?

I suspect he thinks he's emulating the writing style of 19th century authors. Too bad that author Is Edward Bulwer-Lytton, after whom an award for excessively florid writing is named.

Doug Phillips is a tool.

[PhiMuLady]

Does anyone else follow Doug on instagram? He used to be public but went private once the scandal blew.

He posted a couple of pics last week of the kids. one of them has Beall in it...

I see a pic from yesterday and the day before, not sure if it's the same ones you're seeing...

[Hane]

I suspect he thinks he's emulating the writing style of 19th century authors. Too bad that author Is Edward Bulwer-Lytton, after whom an award for excessively florid writing is named.

Doug Phillips is a tool.

Yup. He's one of those fundies who think that fancy-schmancy, overly formal verbal bloviation equals intellectualism and sophistication. Reminds me of Jo March reproving Amy for using fancy words she didn't understand, telling her that it was a form of showing off, like "wearing all your bonnets and gowns and ribbons at once, that folks may know you've got them."

[Mary C Doates]

Yup. He's one of those fundies who think that fancy-schmancy, overly formal verbal bloviation equals intellectualism and sophistication. Reminds me of Jo March reproving Amy for using fancy words she didn't understand, telling her that it was a form of showing off, like "wearing all your bonnets and gowns and ribbons at once, that folks may know you've got them."

Exactly! I can envision Doug (Phillips who is a tool) dressed in his velvet smoking jacket, writing by candlelight with a quill and pot of ink. He probably kisses his own hand after writing a particularly pretentious phrase, impressed by his own cleverness.

The young Amy March would fit right in with the VF crowd.

Edited to add that Doug Phillips is a tool.