Thursday, July 17, 2008

Salem, MA, lunch, history and giggles

I had lunch today in Salem, Ma (Witch City) at a place that I would recommend to anyone visits the city that was once the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne and where every year they celebrate Halloween with more pomp and circumstance than Christmas.

Some claim that in 1876, the first telephone call was made from just around the corner at the site of the Lyceum Bar and Grill by Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant Mr Watson who was in Cambridge...


Red's Sandwich Shop

After lunch I had to take a picture of a Liquor Store Sign that has always struck me funny..




The Bunghole !

I think I'd change my name even if I did know that:

A bunghole is a hole bored in a liquid-tight barrel. The hole is capped with a large cork-like object called a bung

Bungholes were first used on wooden barrels, and were typically bored by the purchaser of the barrel using a brace and bit. Bungholes can be bored in either head (end) of a barrel or in one of the staves (side). With the bung removed, a tapered faucet can be attached to aid with dispensing. When barrels full of beer or wine were shipped, the recipient would often bore new bungholes of the most suitable size and placement rather than remove the existing bung.

I think I'd call my liquor store "The Keg"

3 comments:

PG said...

There was a recent episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe was working at a winery.

They had some solid bunghole laughs on that episode.

Dawtch said...

Ahhh Salem! One day I may actually make it there! Didja think bout me..?
bb
dawtch

Anonymous said...

There is another "Bunghole Liquors" in Peabody, MA on Lowell St. Neighbors had a petition to get them to change the name of the store, but they were unsuccessful! Maybe they should have called it "Down the Hatch!" it might have gone down better with the neighbors! Ha! Ha!