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By Bob Lipinski

Bob Lipinski

When I’m out enjoying a meal, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a few cocktails, I expect to be pampered; after all, I am spending my money, right? The flip side of this expectation is when service falls short, a meal can become memorable for the wrong reasons. Here are some restaurant situations that pushed my patience to its limit. Some of them may sound familiar…

I was recently in a restaurant when the server said, “Would you like to see a menu?” “No,” I replied, “I’ll just start naming foods and you let me know if the chef can prepare them.”

Don’t hand me a menu containing five pages, then come back two minutes later and inquire if I’ve decided. And can someone please tell whoever writes food menus that not every one of us can read some fancy calligraphy or script type in a dark restaurant (even with glasses)!

How about the “auctioneer” meal delivery system: “Who gets the pork chop at this table?” Or when, after putting down the main course, the server immediately pulls out a giant pepper mill and asks, “Do you want pepper on it?” “I don’t know,” I like to reply, “I haven’t tasted it.” One time I even said, “Are you telling me the chef didn’t properly season the food in the kitchen?”

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You would think managers would notice that a particular table or chair “rocks.” Don’t sneak under the table with a package of sugar or matchbook to balance my table. Practice your mechanics on your own time. Do restaurateurs buy the tables that way? Are they cheaper?

Will someone please instruct servers how to pour water into glasses without ice cubes tumbling all over my glass, shirtsleeve, or tablecloth?

Don’t ask if everything was okay after I’ve finished my dinner; come while I’m eating. And definitely do not present the check while I’m still eating.

Why are sugar and NutraSweet left on the table from appetizer through dessert; do restaurateurs believe I might like some in my soup?

I constantly hear about the “food specials” of the day or even of the week. But about the wine specials … don’t restaurants want to sell more wine?

Why can’t servers present the wine list at the same time they present the food menu; doesn’t the restaurant want to sell wine? I’m often asked, “Would you like something to drink?” I probably do, so what do you have?

So, there you have it … I like to complain, don’t you?

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].

Chips

This week’s shelter pet is Chips (also fondly known as One-Eyed Jack), currently up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. Loving and outgoing, Chips came from a home where he lived with kids and other animals. Chips had severe upper respiratory infections as a kitten that caused him to lose one eye and have significant scarring in the other. He will never see well, but that does not slow him down.

He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on his vaccines. If you are interested in meeting Chips, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with him in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room.  

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Shelter operating hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.smithtownanimalshelter.com.

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Post-pandemic thoughts for parents, teachers and administrators

By Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan

Huge sighs of relief can be anticipated when local public schools reopen their doors this September — exclamations of relief not only from children and teenagers eager to resume in-person learning full time alongside their friends, not only from teachers exhausted from long hours shaping lessons onto distance-learning platforms, not only from parents, weary from assisting struggling students glued to laptops, iPads  or iPhones at home while juggling or, worse yet, resigning from paid jobs, and also from business owners glad to have their employees back.  

But will pre-pandemic and post-pandemic classroom learning be the same, and should it be? Should “distance learning,” supported by expanded technological resources, be granted a larger role within the classroom, with less teacher-led instruction? Which medium of delivery ensures a greater payoff of maximum learning for the resources invested?

Two Three Village residents, educators at the top of their profession — Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, professor emerita of Teaching, Learning and Technology, Hofstra University, and her spouse Martin Brooks, executive director of Tri-State Consortium, an association of over 40 school districts in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — agree that the key to whether or not learning takes place is not how information is delivered but if knowledge is constructed. Whether it is a teacher or a book or a computer that provides a formal lesson, the students must connect the lesson to what they already know or have experienced for true learning to occur.

“Content alone is insufficient as a motivator for student learning: It must be combined with purpose … seen as meaningful by learners. Students learn best when engaged in learning experiences rather than passively receiving information,” according to the authors.

That theory of learning, called “constructivism,” suggests that you cannot directly impart knowledge, but you can facilitate experiences in which students construct knowledge. Jacqueline and Martin Brooks agree that the job of the teacher is to create meaningful experiences that enable the learner to do just that.

“There are kids who struggle to learn if what is being taught is not offered in a way that is particularly relevant to them. In order to figure out ways for them to have ownership of their learning, skilled teachers, interacting in person with these students, focus not only on content but concentrate on approaches that lead to critical and creative thinking.” 

What many parents and children learned during the pandemic is that at-home distance learning in front of a laptop, iPad, or iPhone cannot replace in-person classroom experiences created by skillful teachers. Virtual classrooms also denied children the opportunity to develop social skills through interaction with their peers. When schools reopen in September, students, parents and teachers will welcome the opportunity for true learning to begin again. 

Further reading: “Schools Reimagined: Unifying the Science of Learning with the Art of Teaching,” by Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Martin G. Brooks (Teachers College Press, 2021).

Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan is the former director of education at the Three Village Historical Society and an educator, writer and lecturer on art, artists and American history.

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a conversation I imagined having with an alien who I  envisioned landing in my backyard. Here’s how I figure a conversation between an alien who speaks the language of my dog and our beloved pet would go:

Alien: Tell me about those humans?

Dog: They talk to each other constantly.

Alien: Does the noise bother you?

Dog: It’s not particularly problematic, but it is hypocritical.

Alien: What do you mean?

Dog: When we’re in the backyard or out for a walk, they tell us to be quiet or something much meaner when we speak to other dogs. They don’t want us to bark with other dogs, and yet they talk nonstop like they have so much to say. 

Alien: What else is different about humans?

Dog: They never smell each other’s butts. By the way, do you mind if I hump your tentacle?

Alien: That’s fine. So, why is smelling each other’s butts important?

Dog: We get all kinds of information, about where the dog has been, what grass it’s eaten. Speaking of which, are you planning to feed me sometime soon? I’ve been making those cute eyes at you during our entire ride and you haven’t felt the need to toss me food.

Alien: So, what do humans do all day?

Dog: They seem to be slaves to some small object they hold. Every time it buzzes or beeps, they immediately look at it, as if they will get in trouble if they don’t. Sometimes, they say something, like “Oh my gosh, I forgot,” or “Oh no, you don’t,” and then they run somewhere. I think that object gives them directions.

Alien: Are they pleasant?

Dog: Sometimes. They seem incredibly happy when they scratch our bodies and we move our legs. Once in a while, I do it if I think one of them is having a tough day.

Alien: Do they seem intelligent?

Dog: Hard to say. They don’t understand the value of sleep. They spend hours each day with the things in their hands or staring at a flickering screen. At night, they look at another screen on the wall in their bedroom.

Alien: What’s your favorite game to play with them?

Dog: There’s a big difference between my favorite and their favorite game. They love to play something they call “fetch.” They can be pretty simple and easy to please. When they like something, they keep doing it.

Alien: And your favorite game?

Dog: I call it the “mud game.” When everyone is wearing something fancy, nice or white, I go into the backyard and find the darkest mud. I come in and jump on them or spread mud on the floor.

Alien: Any other observations?

Dog: Just as they start to bring compelling smells into a room, they spray or roll on the scent of flowers over their bodies. I tried to copy them by rolling in the flowers outside, but they didn’t like that.

Alien: What do they say to you?

Dog: They seem especially fond of the word “sit.” Whenever someone comes into the house and they don’t know what to say to the other person, they tell me to “sit” and the other person laughs and nods. 

Alien: Do you like humans?

Dog: Humans, in general, are fine. I am not all that fond of those people who make unhappy faces and say they are not a “dog person” but a “cat person.” Who could possibly find those hissing creatures more appealing than dogs?

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Vacations are wonderful. That’s stating the obvious. But vacationing now, in largely post-pandemic times, brings a special kind of joy. I felt it because I have just come back from vacation with a sense of happiness and peace that I wish I could bottle. And I just happened to read an article that speaks to this very subject, the “rush of a real vacation.” 

Now you might think it’s the result of breaking out after almost a year and a half of pandemic distancing, of masking and zooming and otherwise limiting and isolating ourselves. We did that, these last 10 days, driving up the New England coast slowly and spending quality time in Maine. We certainly enjoyed the freedom of the open road, stopping where we had a notion, taking back country routes on impulse, drinking in those picturesque harbor towns, eating lobster rolls, taking pictures of lighthouses. After relative confinement, that was exhilarating. 

But there was more to the experience than that. The article I read, “There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing,” by organizational psychologist Adam Grant in the July 10 issue of The New York Times, talks of collective effervescence. This is a concept introduced in the early 20th century by the sociologist Emile Durkheim describing “the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose.” 

So if you are participating in a brainstorming session with colleagues, enjoying a baseball game or a movie with new seatmates or even chatting with a stranger on a train, there is the joy of connection. That didn’t happen during the dark days of COVID-19, although there was some of that early in NYC when people were clapping and banging pots and pans with spoons at 7 p.m. every night to honor hospital workers. And it didn’t happen on Zoom, where the common response after several meetings was fatigue.

We stopped for dinner one night on the way up the seashore in Portland, where we met with an editor who had worked at The Village Times 30 years ago. She took the ferry over from one of the offshore islands and had a lobster roll with us in DiMillo’s restaurant. That eatery used to be the Martha Jefferson, a Mississippi River paddle cruiser for sightseeing and parties on Port Jefferson harbor more than 50 years ago. The present owners bought the old boat, tidied it up, anchored it permanently at the Portland docks and have over the years turned it into a seafood palace.

We spent three days in Camden, a charming fishing village with loads of tourist stores to wander in and out of, which we didn’t do but did enjoy a sailboat ride in a 36-foot schooner that we shared with a family from Alabama. There were a number of people visiting from the Deep South whom we met and chatted with, several owning summer homes in Maine. They drove the considerable distance, like us, enjoying the liberating journey. I want to salute an especially fine restaurant there, in Rockland, called Primo, started by a woman originally from Long Island, that serves farm-to-table food in delicious fashion. Diners can also tour her lush gardens in the rear. Ask for the Russian kale salad for an unusual treat. And if it’s your thing, enjoy the Farnsworth Art Museum, with its impressive collection of three generations of Wyeths.

We loved our time in Bar Harbor (or as they say, Bah Hahbba), and especially Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. If you go, know that you will need a ticket in advance if you wish to see a famed sunrise or a sunset from the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

I have always enjoyed chatting with strangers while waiting in lines or riding in elevators, among other conducive situations. I learn all sorts of information, usually useless but not always, this way. Friends I have been with will bear witness to this voluble habit. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed those casual conversations until this trip. I certainly agree with the theory of collective effervescence put forth by Durkheim a century ago. And we awarded the title of best lobster roll, after many samplings, to McLoons Lobster Shack of South Thomaston, in the friendly state of Maine.

Media Origins captured the fireworks from the Village of Asharoken.

Fourth of July is a time meant to be spent with friends and family while barbecuing some of the best American meals.

It’s also the one holiday a year where lighting off fireworks from morning to night time is completely acceptable — even encouraged. 

This countrywide celebration of America may be enjoyable for most but for others, such as combat veterans and first responders suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, it can be an extremely stressful day. And when fireworks are set off on other days, it can be even more unnerving for them and others. 

Is celebrating this national holiday at the cost of our own heroes? 

According to a National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, 87% of veterans have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event and experience on average of 3.4 such events throughout their service. The National Institutes of Health also recorded that an estimate of 400,000 first responders in America have at least some symptoms of PTSD.

The degree of exposure varies from person to person, therefore affecting the magnitude of their illness.

The sounds of fireworks — loud, sudden and reminiscent of traumatic events — may trigger PTSD, making it difficult for some who experience symptoms to enjoy their holiday. Lighting off fireworks throughout the month or late at night could additionally put a veteran or first responder into a bad spot. 

Even weeks after the Fourth of July is over, sleeping troubles or nightmares may persist.  

Paws of War, located in Nesconset, rescues and trains shelter dogs to become service dogs for Long Island veterans and first responders. With the mental pressure of dealing with the holiday, a service dog can also serve as a calming aide to those coping through a PTSD episode.

One way to make sure a veteran doesn’t become triggered is to involve them in lighting the fireworks so the shock of hearing the fireworks won’t be unexpected. Many veterans choose to light fireworks for their family. 

There are many other ways to celebrate the Fourth of July and summer that don’t involve setting off fireworks. Fishing, boating, visiting historical parks, watching patriotic movies and barbecuing are just some of the alternate options that families can do together to celebrate. However, if you’re still itching for fireworks, sparklers are noise free and easy to bring anywhere you go.

So next Fourth of July, being sensitive to veterans and first responders could turn their nerve-racking holiday into a happy one. 

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

I recently spoke with several scientists about work they were doing for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. In chatting with them, it became clear that researchers love acronyms the way my dog loves anyone willing to toss him a few morsels of food.

I was just thinking about how much time I’d save in my life if I could start my own set of acronyms, all designed to create word efficiency and to develop the equivalent of an insider’s club.

For starters, how about OKWAM? As in, this place is definitely OK without a mask because they don’t mind if you walk around with your face uncovered.Then, perhaps, there’s MAPH as in masks are preferred here. You don’t necessarily have to wear a mask, as you might on, say, a commercial airliner, but you would make the owners of the establishment happy and feel safer if you did.

In the world of politics, President Joe Biden (D) merits his own set of acronyms. If you think he’s bringing back civility, you might appreciate the chance to tell someone that you believe BMAC, for Biden makes America civil.

Now, of course, Biden, as with his predecessor, has numerous detractors. The New York Post is as eager to capture his daily verbal stumbles as the left-leaning papers and news organizations were to seize on former President Donald Trump’s (R) “covfefe” and other scrambled words. In that case, you might see Biden as a PINOE, as in a president in need of an editor, or a PINOC, as in a president in need of a compass.

Trump deserves his own set of acronyms. Borrowing from the redundant wording of the movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (2004), supporters of the 45th president might say TIARA, as in Trump is always right, always.

Those who find the former president slightly off kilter, however, might believe he has a FANTS problem, as in facts are not Trump’s strength.

TOSID seems appropriate for both sides. That one stands for the other side is deceptive. That applies to Democrats and Republicans, each of whom sometimes reflexively suggest that the other side can’t possibly be honest because, if they were, the argument they’d like to make isn’t as powerful.

In the wonderful world of summer weather, how about HEFY, as in hot enough for you, or perhaps, CIRN, as in can’t it rain now?

Yankee fans are probably bracing for another mediocre, at best, half of the baseball year. Sure, we have talent, and we get periodic glimpses of adequacy, but we wind up looking like a fourth-place team. I have the feeling it’s NOY or not our year.

Parents have spent almost two years struggling with child care, education and their sanity amid a pandemic that has caused their children to become more like home-based barnacles than school-based students. To that end, and you can pronounce this one however you’d like, how about FCTKSIS, for fingers crossed to keep school in session?

Children, of course, couldn’t control whether their schools opened, which left them even more powerless to act out against the rules, tests or social pressures that follow them around like Pigpen’s dust storm from the Charlie Brown comics. They are now struggling with the need to EFTEW, or to emerge from the electronic world.

Many of us made normal hygiene habits optional. These days, we should consider recommending a SMIYL to our friends, as in a shower might improve your life.

While disconnecting during a phone call, turning off our video momentarily or covering our computer camera were options from home, we sometimes find ourselves stuck in conversations or interactions that aren’t working for us. We might need to beg someone to SAM or stop annoying me.

Photo by Daniel Dunaief

POSING IN POQUOTT

Daniel Dunaief discovered this frog friend on an evening walk with the dog in Poquott last week. He writes, ‘The frog, and the dog, stayed still long enough to allow us to get a close up using a phone light on one side and a camera on the other. After the photo, the dog ambled home and the frog hopped away.

Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]

 

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Mouthwatering barbeque options can decrease health risks

By Daniel Dunaief

Dr. David Dunaief

What better way than the unofficial launch of summer holidays – and summer barbeques – to kick-start you on the path to preventing chronic diseases? In the past, I have written about the dangers of processed meats in terms of causing chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. These are foods commonly found at barbeques and picnic meals. Therefore, I think it is only fair to talk about healthier alternatives and the evidence-based medicine that supports their benefits. The Mediterranean-style diet is a key to success. It is composed of thousands of beneficial nutrients that interact with each other in synergistic ways. 

The Mediterranean-style diet, as I have mentioned previous articles, includes green leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, whole grains and small amounts of fish and olive oil. We all want to be healthier, but these are the summer holidays – doesn’t healthy mean tasteless? Not at all!

At a memorable family barbeque, we had a bevy of choices that were absolutely succulent. These included a three-bean salad, mandarin orange salad with mixed greens and a light raspberry vinaigrette, ratatouille with eggplant and zucchini, salmon fillets baked with mustard and slivered almonds, roasted corn on the cob, roasted vegetable shish kebobs, and large bowl of melons and berries. I am drooling at the memory of this buffet. Let’s look at the scientific evidence that explains why these foods help us.

Cancer prevention

Fruits and vegetables may help prevent pancreatic cancer. This is very important, since by the time there are symptoms, the cancer has spread to other organs and the patient usually has less than 2.7 years to live (1). Five-year survival is only five percent (2). In a case control (epidemiological observational) study, cooked vegetables showed a 43 percent reduction and non-citrus fruits showed an even more impressive 59 percent reduction in risk of pancreatic cancer (3). Interestingly, cooked vegetables, not just raw ones, had a substantial effect.

Garlic plays an important role in reducing the risk of colon cancer. In the IOWA Women’s Health Study, a large prospective (forward-looking) trial involving 41,837 women, there was a 32 percent reduction in risk of colon cancer for the highest intake of garlic compared to the lowest. Vegetable consumption also showed a statistically significant reduction in the disease, as well (4). Many of my patients find that fresh garlic provides a wonderful flavor when cooking vegetables.

Diabetes – treatment and prevention

Fish plays an important role in reducing the risk of diabetes. In a large prospective study that followed Japanese men for five years, those in the highest quartile of intake of fish and seafood had a substantial decrease in risk of type 2 diabetes (5). Smaller fish, such as mackerel and sardines, had a slightly greater effect than large fish and seafood in potentially preventing the disease. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with some grilled fish on the “barbie” to help protect you from developing diabetes. 

Nuts are beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. In a randomized clinical trial (the gold standard of studies), mixed nuts led to a substantial reduction of hemoglobin A1C, a very important biomarker for sugar levels for the previous three months (6). As an added benefit, there was also a significant reduction in LDL, bad cholesterol, which reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The nuts used in the study were raw almonds, pistachios, pecans, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts and macadamias. How easy is it to grab a small handful of unsalted raw nuts, about 2 ounces, on a daily basis to help treat diabetes?

Stroke prevention

Olive oil appears to have a substantial effect in preventing strokes. The Three City study showed that olive oil may have a protective effect against stroke. There was a 41 percent reduction in stroke events in those who used olive oil (7). Study participants, who were followed for a mean of 5.2 years, did not have a history of stroke at the start of the trial.

Though these are promising results, I caution you to use no more than one tablespoon of olive oil per day, since there are 120 calories in a tablespoon. 

It is not difficult to substitute the valuable Mediterranean-style diet for processed meats, or at least add them to the selection. This plant-based diet offers a tremendous number of protective elements in the prevention of many chronic diseases. So this Independence Day and beyond, plan to have on hand some mouth-watering healthy choices.

References:

(1) Nature. 2010;467:1114-1117. (2) Epidemiol Prev Anno 2007;31(Suppl 1). (3) Cancer Causes Control. 2010;21:493-500. (4) Am J Epidemiol. 1994 Jan 1;139(1):1-15. (5) Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep;94(3):884-891. (6) Diabetes Care. 2011 Aug;34(8):1706-11. (7) Neurology. 2011 Aug 2;77(5):418-25.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com. 

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By Barbara Beltrami

This is the season for taking advantage of being outdoors, being super casual and feeling no guilt over not slaving over a hot stove. It’s a time when our appetites crave things that sing and taste of summer…things like seafood and fresh veggies, salads and sandwiches that require a minimum of work, much of it before the sun gets too high in the sky, so we can just sit and enjoy ourselves wherever we are. 

I’m going to tell you about a few of my favorite easy summer dishes, and in fact, there are so many I want to share that I may keep doing this for a few weeks. This week I’m going to start with fish. Here are recipes for savory and spicy fish tacos, a refreshing shrimp and avocado salad and a little riff on the ever popular New England lobster roll, this one with scallops. 

I hope there will be something for everyone’s taste buds and lifestyle.

Fish Tacos

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 1/2 pounds grouper, cod or hake fillets 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt to taste

Eight 6” tortillas

1 medium tomato, diced

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

1 cup shredded purple cabbage

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Freshly squeezed juice of one lime

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; place fish fillets on sheet. In a small bowl combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and kosher salt, then rub mixture fish fillets; bake for 13 minutes or until fish is flaky and cooked through; remove from oven; set aside to keep warm. In a large bowl toss together the tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, cabbage, onion, oil, lime juice and salt and pepper. In a large skillet warm tortillas on both sides; place on platter. With a fork or your fingers, break fish into bite-size chunks and divide evenly among tortillas; top with veggie mixture. Serve with sour cream, tomato salsa and ice cold beer. 

Shrimp Salad with Avocado and White Beans

YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, boiled and chilled

12 to 16 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion

One 14-ounce can of white beans, drained, rinsed and drained again

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange or mango juice

2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon mayonnaise

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 ripe avocado

Bibb, Romaine or red leaf lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS: 

In a medium bowl combine shrimp, tomatoes, scallion, and beans. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, juices, herbs, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper; pour over shrimp mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour. Line a serving plate or bowl with lettuce leaves, scoop shrimp salad onto them. Immediately before serving, peel and slice avocado and arrange on top. Serve with focaccia and a crisp dry chilled white wine. 

Scallop Rolls

YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound cooked sea scallops, chopped, chilled

3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/3  to 1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 to 6 split top hot dog rolls

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS: 

In a medium bowl thoroughly combine the scallops, lemon juice, salt and pepper, celery, dill and mayonnaise. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. While it is heating, open rolls so they are butterflied, spread the insides with butter and put them face down on the hot surface; cook them about 30 seconds on each side until they are crispy and golden; transfer to plates, fill with scallop mixture and serve with wedges of lemon, potato chips and iced tea.