Page 30 - Flathead Beacon // 2.10.16

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’
GUEST COLUMN GREG JERGESON
PSC COMMISSIONER’S CRITIQUE OFF-BASE
KELLYN BROWN
TOP CHEFS
LIKE MANY TEENAGERS, I ENTERED THE real world through the kitchen. I had just turned 16 and Dad said I needed a real job other than my paper route. So I perused the “Help Wanted” ads, hopped in my car and began dropping o applications. The rst business to call me back was Ron’s Drive Inn.
Ron’s may not be as famous as Dick’s or Zip’s, but if you have ever lived in Spokane, Washington, you know it’s an institution on Sprague Avenue. So, when I was o ered the fry cook position, I jumped at the opportu- nity. Thus, my short culinary career began.
This was the mid-90s, when many restaurants had already installed kitchen computer screens that dis- played orders to remind cooks what they should cook. Not Ron’s – not yet, anyway. When a customer placed an order, the teller simply yelled into a microphone how many shes, fries, chickens and burgers someone wanted. Then the fast-fooding commenced.
The process worked well enough for small orders, but less well for a large family with a large appetite. After the rst day, ego bruised and clothes stained with grease, I told my parents I was quitting. They responded like parents do and told me that wasn’t an option.
I returned to my station the next day, and the next. I fried corn dogs and halibut and prawns and chicken tender bites. I watched a coworker manning the grill pass out from the heat. My rst foray into the real world was overwhelming and I didn’t last long. Less than one year into my tenure, I quit. Not out of spite, but to take a post at the city library stacking books in the non ction section – my dream job, which I kept until high school graduation.
Still, working behind the fryer for that short time, even at a drive-inn restaurant, instilled in me respect for the men and women who make us food. It’s often a thankless job that has only recently begun earning the accolades it deserves.
Now, television is littered with shows focused on cooking, whether through competition or technique. I consume many of them and read books on methods to improve my dishes. And I mostly fail. Cooking well is hard, and it’s even harder to make a living doing it.
Just last week, National Public Radio aired a story on the intense pressure high-end chefs are under in pursuit of perfection. Eric Ziebold, who worked for years at Napa Valley restaurant with the coveted three Michelin stars, told Morning Edition’s Renee Mon- tagne, “In the kitchen there’s an incredible physical pressure; it’s not uncommon for it to be an 18-hour day.”
Of course, not every restaurant is chasing Michelin stars. They are, however, seeking to make a strong rst impression with food, whether casual or gourmet fare. The competition is erce. Many restaurants and chefs come and go. Those who last have often sacri ced much of their social lives and a little of their mental health.
We reap the rewards. There’s little better than beginning a weekend at a comfortable restaurant with a unique spirit and a hearty dish. And there are plenty of local options to do just that.
In this, our third annual Food Issue, we highlight just a few of the locals who make our food and drinks and do it well. They have spent years honing their skills in a stress-inducing business so people like me can enjoy the weekend a little more. And whether it’s a fry cook, or world-class chef, each of them deserves a cheers for that.
JUST LIKE A STOPPED CLOCK THAT GETS THE time correct twice a day, PSC Commissioner Roger Koopman’s critique (Jan. 20 Beacon: “Federally Imposed Renewables Come at a Cost”) of my earlier column on the Montana response to the EPA Clean Power Rules had one thing right – I do like hamburgers, preferably made with Montana beef. Oth- erwise, the representations he makes in his column indicate he didn’t even read my column, much less examine the data available at the Public Service Com- mission upon which I based my column.
Readers can be excused for being confused when a current member and a former member of the Montana Public Service Commission o er two perspectives on the electricity consumer consequences of the federal EPA clean air rules. I based the observations in my col- umn on the data available at the Public Service Com- mission where I served as your full-time PSC Commis- sioner for eight years.
Despite Commissioner Koopman’s assertion to the contrary, I never claimed that the EPA rules would not have any rate consequence to consumers. I did dispute the assertion from Americans for Prosperity that util- ity rates would inevitably increase to unbearable lev- els with a reduced reliance on coal- red generation. I used as my evidence the experience with the costs of the resources in NorthWestern Energy’s portfolio. I stand by my numbers.
While some fuels, like coal, wind, and water are rela- tively inexpensive, even free, the price of any electricity from those resources is dependent on the capital costs of those generation facilities. Those capital costs can be enormous, either for a new build or when the prop- erty changes hands, because both investments can be huge. It is when those transactions are capitalized, amortized and paid for over time by the consumer that utility rates are a ected. Two di erent coal- red plants with the same capacity, built at di erent locations and times, can have vastly di erent cost bases. The same would be true of two di erent wind-powered genera- tors. Each proposal has to be judged on a case-by-case basis to derive the e ect on consumers. The premise of my original column was that there are no “rule of thumb” answers to the very complex and complicated business of electricity generation, and the subsequent costs that get passed along to the consumer.
I clearly acknowledged that the EPA rules pres- ent challenges for the people of our state. What I did express con dence in, however, is the ability of Mon- tanans to tackle the problem and come up with solu- tions that will not necessarily raise rates to customers nor reduce employment opportunities. It is unfortu- nate that Commissioner Koopman has so little faith in the talents and skills of our science, engineering, and business leaders in this state.
L
AST WEEKEND, I WENT TO THE OPERA. NOT just any opera either. I saw The Metropolitan Opera’s spectacular performance of Turandot
for the $4 billion government entities make in yearly arts allocations.
Money spent on the arts stays local and that’s key for revenue-strapped communities. It makes sense. When we spend $100 on Amazon, that money e ec- tively leaves the community. But if we buy tickets for a local theater or symphony production, the money stays local. If we also go out to dinner, hire a babysitter or have drinks after the show, a large chunk of that money gets recycled back into the community as well. So not only do the arts contribute to improving the overall amenities of a location, it’s pretty easy to see how arts are a great nancial investment for urban centers and small towns alike.
But back to the Met. From big cities to Ellsworth, Maine (pop. 7,875), Berlin, Wisconsin (pop. 5,478), Eads, Colorado (pop. 609), Lander, Wyoming, (pop. 7,732) and here in the Flathead, lots of us can now watch live performances of the Metropolitan Opera without ever getting on an airplane. And as broadcasting and streaming technologies advance, live performances of all types become more feasible than ever, even in out of the way communities.
The White sh Arts Council is the volunteer organi- zation that spearheaded the fundraising necessary to bring the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts to the Flat- head. WAC volunteers sta ticket and snack sales on opera days. Even local high school students attend, oftentimes as a result of tickets donated by our own opera-supporting neighbors. It’s a great example of small-town innovation and hard work. Proving yet again that when collaboration meets creativity, win- win solutions result. Just about anywhere.
Greg Jergeson served for eight years on the Montana Public Service Commission, six as chair. He also served in the State Senate for 24 years.
AMERICAN RURAL DIANE SMITH
AT THE OPERA. YES, THE OPERA.
by Puccini at Lincoln Center. The voices, the costumes, the drama! It was transcendent. And the best part? I never left the great state of Montana.
With about 100 other opera fans, I watched a live broadcast of Turandot at the White sh Performing Arts Center. In high de nition! It was awesome. In addition to the actual live performance which included the famed aria Nessun Dorma (translation – None Shall Sleep), we were treated to interviews with the perform- ers, fascinating backstage shots, and commentary from renowned soprano Renee Fleming.
Even if you’re not an opera bu , this is a great story for lots of reasons. Like so many arts organizations, the Metropolitan Opera needed to grow revenue but had a serious limitations; ticket sales were limited to the number of seats available at Lincoln Center in down- town New York City – not much room for growth there. Simultaneously, there’s been a growing recognition among communities nationwide that the arts are a big economic booster, even in small towns. Voila; a little collaboration, some fundraising, and a win-win solu- tion emerged.
According to Americans for the Arts, in 2010 the nonpro t arts and culture industry accounted for 2.25 million full-time equivalent jobs, $61.1 billion in spending by nonpro t arts and culture organizations and $74.1 billion in spending by their audiences. The nonpro t arts industry generates $22.3 billion annu- ally in revenue for local, state, and federal govern- ments. This re ects a whopping return on investment
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FEBRUARY 10, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM