By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
December 28, 1999
The winter issue of National Geographic Adventure includes a fascinating article written by Phil Caputo, who recounts what it was like returning to the battlefields of Vietnam to make peace with the ghost of the 23-year-old platoon leader he once was_and with the past that haunts him still.
“My thoughts travel back to a night of relentless rain and monsoon wind in mid-December, when a squad of marines from my platoon and I were inside the schoolhouse, smoking our smokes, drying off and resting up after a night patrol,” Caputo writes.
“The villagers had warned us to stay out of there at night. Years before, during the French-Indochina War, the local teacher had been executed by Vietminh guerrillas for his loyalty to the French colonial government, and, the villagers said, his unquiet Ghost often returned in the hours of darkness. We ignored their warning, though not necessarily because we were skeptical about the ghost’s existence. With such an abundance of enemies from this world – those flesh-and-blood phantoms called the Vietcong – we couldn’t worry about those from the world beyond.”
The beautifully designed magazine also includes features on snowboarding, diving and the six best mountains to ski.
The January issue of US magazine features an introduction to Wall Street stock broker-turned model-turned actor Rick Yune. The 28-year-old stars opposite Ethan Hawke as a war hero accused of murder in “Snow Falling on Cedars,” which opens here next month. One of his first “acting” gigs was serenading Cindy Crawford four years ago in a European pasta commercial. “I try to pick her up and she ignores me,” Yune says in the article. “. . .Typical.” Anyone who heard Crawford croak her way throughher Pepsi commercial can be thankful that she wasn’t the one singing in this one.
The January issue of Chicago includes a comprehensive, but highly readable cover story on Chicago’s best health care facilities: “About 100 hospitals serve metropolitan Chicago, and most of them regularly provide their patients with high-quality health care. When a medical need arises_be it delivering a baby, setting a child’s broken arm, or coping with the inevitable aches and pains that accompany the onset of old age_these are dependable institutions that people can turn to withconfidence. But there are a handful of local hospitals that provide a level of care . . . recognized as exceptional not just here in Chicago, but nationally and abroad.” Among those cited for their excellence are the University of Chicago Hospitals,Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rush Neuroscience Institute.
Tired of paying $3 for a cup of designer coffee? You can get a similar taste for a fraction of the cost by making it at home. As to whether the more expensive brands taste better than the cheaper ones, Consumer Reports ran a taste test in its January issue: “This report will help guide you to the choicest coffees at the best price. We rated 59 coffees based on taste tests by two expert consultants. We included national brands like Folgers and Maxwell House and their respective brandmates,Millstone and Yuban; supermarket labels like Albertson’s, Eight O’Clock; . . . and gourmet products, including Gevalia, Green Mountain, Starbucks, and Trader Joe’s, sold via speciality shops, mail order and Web sites.”
Millstone ($8.45/11 oz.) and Starbucks ($10.65/pound) took the first two spots in the dark roast categories for both caffeinated and decaffeinated. For regular roasts, Gloria Jean’s (at $10.59/pound) beat out Gevalia ($11.90/pound), with Folgers ($2.98/11.5 oz.) filling out the No. 3. slot.
And the best thing about having coffee at home? There’s no tip jar begging for a contribution!
