Those coming here today looking for a story about sloppy civic leadership will be disappointed. This post is literally about butchers, more specifically, some butchers at Allentown Meat Packing Company. A few days ago, while at the Fairground's Farmers Market, I learned that Bobby had passed away. Bobby was the "kid" who worked at my father's meat market on Union Street. Bobby grew up in an orphanage, a hardship which my father respected. One meat cutter that I knew nothing about was Lamont, other than he lived at the WestEnd Hotel. He was a bear of a man, who could carry a beef quarter from the cooler with no effort. I never saw Lamont in the market portion of the shop, he always remained in the back, either in the large cooler or the adjoining cutting room. While my father insisted that people working on the counter change their meat coat and apron several times during the day, no such rule was imposed upon Lamont. Although he would look over the trays of meat before being taken out to the display cases, he never spoke. Last time I spoke to Bobby, he told me that he appreciated that my father had taught him a trade, which he used throughout his life.
reprinted from February of 2014
Geez!
ReplyDeleteJust reading the title, I thought you were writing about the Parks Department and those who pull their strings! Amazing how shabby many areas look. No excuse for that.
As a young lad, my Grandmother took me along to the old Five Points Meat Market in Bethlehem. She lived across the street (where the bank is now). Highly regarded place with everything prepared EXACTLY how she wanted it. As a bonus, one butcher always handed me a raw hot dog to enjoy while we waited. Never forgot that.
Fred Windish
fred@9:21, a hot dog for the kids was a standard at all the meat markets. today they would have to tear open the cyro pack.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately the parks look that way by design. they are following the Wildlands Conservancy's riparian buffer recommendations. come fall, they will have to cut the stream banks anyway, to control the invasive species growing all summer. all they accomplished is blocking the view and access all summer. they approach all new park directors with their agenda before they even start the job in allentown. pawlowski should be ashamed of himself, so should the trexler trust, which now is a good old boy crony group.