Show a f e Salt al Section W Sunday December i f I4 ” Ji' i r r r 13 1987 Page ' ‘ ' W-- 2 W-1- 2 1 ff4 i v J a 5i Cl t a 'MK4 r n c -J ' var v - O Tribune Stuff Photos by Jeff Allred ' Design: Dennis Green i'irll-- ' (P Mssklan extraordinaire Ricklen Nobis also makes music in the kitchen where he creates fare for friends I" f t v ' By Donna Lou Morgan ' at-ho- dining In the midst of Christmas madness Ricklen Nobis musician extraordinaire enjoys opening his home — and heart — to good friends for impromptu featuring relaxation stimuand great food lating conversation The incredibly busy Mr Nobis spends most of his waking hours producing magnificent music He is the principal keyboardist (piano and harpsichord) for the Utah Symphony A composer of note he is also musical director for Repertory Dance Theatre and spends long hours at instrumental designing and implementing for Film Composers Laboratory at Robert Redford’s Sundance He is musical director of the annual Vivaldi Candlelight Concert Mr Nobis produces and hosts the afternoon classical music show on KUER-FAnd that’s not all He can cook Dressed in finest performing attire smiling Mr Nobis greeted h home Marvelous aromas announced great us at his things were happening in the tiny efficient kitchen — made better with background “Nutcracker” music from the stereo The musical score of "Toccata” was open on the countertop surrounded by pots and pans As we chatted with and took photos of Mr Nobis seated at his grand piano he periodically stroked the keys playing along with the “Nutcracker” recording y ' 5 : “Here’s where the Russians dance — turn turn” he hummed along Back to the food “Let’s call it ‘classic cuisine’ for my classic friends” suggested the tuxedo-cla- d cook ladling irresistible Oyster Stew into a tureen “A steaming bowl of this a thick slice of freshly baked Whole Wheat French Bread Vegetarian Pate a healthy wedge of mellow sharp Cheddar cheese and some fresh fruit that’s what great eating’s all about” he said adding that this is his idea of a perfect menu to serve the crowd at hungry times like between matinee and evening “Nutcracker” performances Editor "V Ditsy dinners in fancy restaurants hold little charm during the holidays Tis the season to enjoy the cozy comfort of r Tribune Food Mr Nobis sampled the Oyster Stewr "Mmmm the oysters are wonderful” he exclaimed “I guess I cook because I love to eatood food” Cooking did not become an important part of his life until he was on his own “My mother iw'a great cook and taught me the basics But I didn’t pay much attention to this until I was 18 and left our home in Spirit Lake Idaho to attend Whitworth College Spokane Wash Suddenly I was hungry and needed to do something about g sandwiches” it I was tired of east-benc- f - asj yniViftiii nrrjiunti’M § I i'li 1 -s- f s‘ wi “ “rtraMh v ’I ' -- Lif ©Style pibtmr W - as JUMBLE FASHION iwHiirar t sfag-' r siflad-dressin- Simple hearty recipes with lots of leftovers became the name of his cooking game (“And still are”) as he survived two years at Whitworth four years at San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ricklen Nobis knows nothing pleases guests more than tasty Oyster Stew cheese slices See iamCTBasaBi?taa9B8seew h fen frA-nf- "tft rill V lit f '5 ft mkm dl r -i &?£ " frlti Tr nt rrtnti W-1- 0 Column 1 f Selling vinyl siding to owner of brick home isn’t easy Two clues told me it was a telephone salesman: ‘ The first clue was that the voice on table I don’t know how they can time it like that but they do the phone asked me if I was “Mister Taylor" Mister Taylor calls are al- ways telephone salesmen My wife kept her name for professional reasons when we were married (and not because she wasn’t anxious to prostrate herself at the feet of male superiority) She is on even more sucker lists than I am When they call for her and a man answers they assume it is either her husband or the houseboy It is both of course And naturally they assume she is appropriately servile and has changed her name to mine which makes me Mr Taylor The other reason I knew instantly — without even picking up the phone — that it was from a telephone salesman was because it came just as chicken dinner was being put on the Nonetheless I’m always a little torn when I receive a call I don’t want from a total stranger just as I am sitting down to dinner On the one hand it is a rude thing for one human being to do to another so I am inclined to snarl at them On the other hand such people have to earn a living though I wonder dewhy they can’t go into some more their like of work cent line selling bodies on the street semi-civiliz- My prime quarrel is with the employers of telephone salesmen — the people who take advantage of a salesman’s need to feed his family and hire him to harass innocent people during dinner I also realize that these telephone sales people must stimulate a lot of understandable anger with their untimely calls A lot of people must really let go and tell them what I would like to tell them It’s a rough way to earn a living However it’s also a rude way to earn a living and rudeness usually reaps its natural reward But I’m a wimp So I don’t snarl at them I usually sigh interrupt the spiel as soon as I can with a heartfelt and get back to my chicken dinner But this clown the other night tested my customary inhuman patience For starters he had a mean growly It sounded like the voice of a man who has spent too many hours drinking whiskey smoking cigarettes and working in telephone boiler rooms between stints in the state pen I suppose in reality he is a deacon in his church who growls because he was injured in the throat while winning the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Battle of the Bulge But it was not a friendly voice He wanted to sell me vinyl siding whatever that is It sounds Uke a big Tupperware bowl that holds your whole house Worse we have a brick house We have no intention of covering our brick house with siding wkether it is Tupperware plastic wrap or leather What really frosted me was that it was the second call I had received from the same outfit wanting to sell me siding for a brick house while I was to eat my dinner voice trying I told him that and asked him to strike our name from the sucker list — as a favor to himself if not to me I would think people who interrupt dinner for a living would want to remove all the brick-hous- e people from the list It’s more efficient Talk about selling refrigerators to the Eskimos Selling plastic siding to the owners of brick houses isn’t easy But I don’t think it was the sales challenge that motivated this guy to refuse to be cooperative with my explanation of why he should remove list He was me from the vinyl-suckas fast as he the phones working could and he didn’t want to get hung up on correcting glitches in the list Let somebody else worry about that He only wanted a couple of days work between stints in the state pen anyway He just wanted to finish this call to the brick jerk and get on to the next er customer I didn’t like his attitude The lion who lurks inside any wimp welled up in me: “Listen buster” I’ll admit is a 1 said using what pretty strong word “take me off the list or I’ll call the attorney general” I was answered by the cold hum of a phone line with nobody on the other end He had hung up on me Worse he had hung up before I had got the whole hard insult out of my mouth I threw a verbal brick at him He smothered it in vinyl And to think a chicken had to die for an evening like that Bill Hall is a columnist and editorial page writer for the Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho a Salt Lake Tribune group newspaper |