Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Beef Tips


Episode 28: Beef Tips
Starring: Constance
~A Contented, Collegiate Cow of Northfield~

   Constance tries her hoof at Advice Columnist...



Beef Tips
Episode 28 of Left Field
Published November 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide
Aided and Abetted by a semi-fictional character named James Dime

Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party  
by Sherri Faye (c) 2010

Advice columns have always intrigued me, and I have toyed with writing one. So, why not have Constance do it? I am particularly fond of brutally honest, witty, and direct ones. A good advice column is a bit like therapy, a best friend, a stand-up comic, the Oprah show, and common sense combined. City Pages boasts a couple of them, including “Savage Love” - that knocks intimacy advice out of the ballpark. While the hilarious guidance in the Onion’s  purely satirical “Ask...” column features ever-changing titles. Ranging from “Ask A Former Touring Drummer For The Pointer Sisters” to “Ask A Conspiracy Theorist”, humor abounds. I love that the credentials for every one of the fictional columnists are exactly the same. Dear Abby and her sister, Ann Landers, paved the way for readers around the globe to publicly confess their troubles and accept the advice of a complete stranger. Comparatively dry, when held up against today’s no-holds-barred columns, they still stand as solid evidence of the human need to bare our souls while hoping a magic pill will solve our problems in the form of good advice. Throw in the humor and honesty of Erma Bombeck, and helpful Hints from Heloise mixed with a bit of Miss Manners’ direction, and the grass was truly “greener over the septic tank” of the world because of them. Now let’s see what Constance can do from Left Field, shall we?


For advice send an e-mail to: beeftips.leftfield@gmail.com
Or post it on this blog. 

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A $15 Gift Certificate Could Be Yours
~ for a local Northfield area merchant, store, restaurant, or watering hole ~
Got a burning question that needs a little bovine wisdom, cow comedy (or maybe just some cranberry juice)? Send it to this blog or to one of my email addresses listed below. If your question is featured in a Left Field/Beef Tips comic strip you will receive an “Aided and Abetted by” credit (can use an alias if requested) and a $15 gift certificate the week of publication. Ideas and contributions for future general Left Field comics also qualify.
Caution: Take advice at your own risk. May cause laughing. Right to use artist’s license and writer’s whim reserved.

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(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap, cow gifts, cow junk, cow stuff! 
Get cow gifts for the cow fans in your life, click below!

View the published version of Left Field in the Northfield Entertainment Guide magazine. Check out all the events going on in greater Northfield - you might be pleasantly surprised!

Contact Constance (or Conrad) for advice:

Visit some of my other online stores and blogs:



Contact me directly at:

Hi M.O.M.

Episode 27: Hi M.O.M.
Getting ready for a Halloween Costume Party...
Enter: Conrad, superhero.  
(c) Sherri Faye 2010   All Rights Reserved
                                                                        
Hi M.O.M.
Episode 27 of Left Field
Published October 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide
Aided and Abetted by Matt Scheisl

Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party
by Sherri Faye (c) 2010

Holy Cow Capes, Batman, have I ever wracked my brain for over a year figuring out how to incorporate Malt-O-Meal into my comic strip!  Many moons ago, a friend of mine suggested that I drum up Left Field mayhem featuring the beloved cereal company. Matt (said friend) and I occasionally hoist a brew or three at a little hangout in Dinkytown, known as the Blarney Pub & Grill. While recently enjoying a barley pop together we talked about how much we love the smell of  the Malt-O-Meal factory. Matt descends upon Northfield for business from time to time. He described it as a very pleasant, almost popcorny smell wafting through town. Some days it has a delectable chocolatey scent - that’s my favorite. I think Malt-O-Meal lends itself to Northfield in an almost “Willie Wonka” kinda way. Can’t you just picture it? Imagine rivers concocted of breakfast food running through the place. Gondola’s careening about that are constructed of giant cereal bowls, with big ol’ spoons for oars.  I bet some wild-haired guy is in charge of the whole shebang, with little Malt-O-Peeps scurrying about doing his bidding. Oh, the things we can think! I wonder if I can get a tour? Maybe Malt-O-Meal will have a golden ticket in a box of good ol’ fashioned hot cereal.


(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap, cow gifts, cow junk, cow stuff! 
Get cow gifts for the cow fans in your life, click below!

View the published version of Left Field in the Northfield Entertainment Guide magazine. Check out all the events going on in greater Northfield - you might be pleasantly surprised!

Contact Constance (or Conrad) for advice:

Visit some of my other online stores and blogs:



Contact me directly at:

Got Bail? or Mug Shot


(c) Sherri Faye 2010 All Rights Reserved





























Got Bail? or Mug Shot
Episode 26 of Left Field
Published September 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide

Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party
by Sherri Faye (c) 2010

Does anyone else use the “Cow-On-A-Stick” as a directional tool to and from the Northfield area? I realize it’s not a cow, but for both obscure and obvious reasons, the phrase ‘cow-on-a-stick’ simply flows better than ‘bull-on-a-stick’. I get a kick out of it... this bovine beast hovering above the land. It’s unique, hilarious, and makes an otherwise non-descript landscape become an intersection boasting a landmark of Paul Bunyonesque proportions. A bit further down the road is the side of a building advertising three products in a run-on sentence of sorts. You know the one, boldly proclaiming “Apple Cider Cheese Fudge”.  My daughter, Staci, and I always chuckle, remarking something to the effect of “Hmmm, must make for an interesting flavored fudge.”  I love anomolies that set a place apart from the rest o’ the world. I also immensely enjoy annual town festivals. Among my favorites - The Strawberry Festival in Pungo, Virginia. And, of course, The Defeat of Jesse James Days!  This year, Left Field will be there with cowbells on! (literally) We’ve secured a craft fair booth. See you there!
(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap! Cow gifts for cow fans!





Cow-On-A-Stick or State Fare

Cow-On-A-Stick or State Fare
Episode 25 of Left Field
Published August 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide
(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap! Cow gifts for cow fans!





Kobe or Not Kobe

Kobe or Not Kobe
Episode 24 of Left Field
Pubished July 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide

Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party
by Sherri Faye (c) 2010
After my last column about grass-fed beef, my mind
segued to “Kobe Beef”. A year or so ago I noticed signs
popping up on restaurant table tops and grocery store
windows proudly announcing “We have Kobe Beef!”. I
was thinking (in the voice of Anchorman, Ron Burgundy)
“This must be kind of a big deal... Maybe Kobe Bryant
has a new gimmick or the meat sellers of America have a
real problem with that guy.” But, I digress. Realizing
quickly that was not likely the case, I did what every
modern woman does and I googled it. (Note: I believe a
petition should be submitted to the Vatican to canonize
Google as “St. Google, the Patron Saint of Information”).
I did my homework about this Kobe Beef. The Japanese
really have it down. They have outdone themselves with a
zen approach to pre-preparing tasty burgers. Applying the
tenets of Buddhism in my life, this makes me more
comfortable about possibly consuming this Tajima treat.
Renowned for it’s tenderness, flavor, and marbled texture,
Kobe Beef is virtually the Nirvana of steaks. Cattle are
pampered like guests at a 5 star spa in Dubai replete with
massages, beer mash and copious amounts of sake.
Nothing but the best, they are treated like royalty until it’s
time to become one with the cleaver. These cows must
think they have found bovinian bliss (obviously they
haven’t been to Northfield - that is, until they arrive as
filet mignon). If I come back as a cow, I want to be one of
those kuroge Wagyu and live like a bovinae princess,
blissfully unaware of the nature of my impending demise.
I expect a bon-bon is served after each days heavenly
massage. Mmmm, bon-bons are great. Support your local

Friday, September 3, 2010

Corned Beef or Tongue in Cheek 2

                       Sherri Faye (c) 2010 All Rights Reserved.  IMAGINEnation by Sherri Faye

Corned Beef or Tongue in Cheek
Episode 23 of Left Field
Published June 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide


Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party 

by Sherri Faye ©2010

Grass-Fed vs. Corn-fed.
Sounds like a serious court case in Iowa or something ~ one that would be oft referenced in both classroom and courtroom for decades to come. I guess there's a huge difference in taste, which seemingly correlates with the ethical treatment of bovine as well. We, as the giant, fat, lazy nation of the globe, are attempting to become more consumption- conscious. I, for one, am all for it. I may produce a comic strip about personified cattle. And I am a mo-geterian (mostly vegetarian). But I am not opposed to the consumption of animals in moderate amounts.  Humans are omnivores, designed to survive on both fauna and flora. I'm in favor of healthy choices. Including the manner and method in which the care and feeding of animals in general is conducted (pets or protein sources). Let cattle run in grassy fields, eating cow-salad to their hearts content. Strapping a corn-feed bag to their faces, keeping them tightly corralled until execution day, to achieve the goal of a nice, juicy, tender steak from a fat, flaccid animal is, at the very least, inhumane. We've proven the old adage of "you are what you eat" to be true. Now the trick is to make grass-fed beef more cost effective. Run free cows! Run free! Eat grass and be happy until you arrive on our dinner plates! Meanwhile, I'm on a diet.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Milk Shake























Milk Shake
Episode 22 of Left Field
In Memory of Ray Barton
Published May 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide




Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party 
by Sherri Faye ©2010

I just couldn’t resist - what can I say? Seriously, I am not totally hacking on California. As those of you who follow my comic strip or column know, I lived there for a while. I’ve lived in the south, the north/midwest, and on both coasts. Every place in the country, or the world for that matter, has its pros and cons. From tornadoes, blizzards, and floods to earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, there is no such thing as a complete weather nirvana. Sometimes it just gets annoying listening to The Golden State tout itself as the origin of all that is ‘cool’.  Occasionally it needs to be reminded that it is neither utopia, nor the center of the known universe. No hard feelings, California.  

Speaking of shakes… I am dedicating this comic strip to Ray Barton, who recently passed away at age 80Anyone who follows the Twins or reads the Star Tribune may be aware that Ray Barton was the cartoonist responsible for “Minnie and Paul” – the two cartoon baseball players representing each of the Twin Cities that have been the Minnesota Twins official emblem since 1961. They are depicted shaking hands across the Mississippi River, and now grace the new Twins Stadium, a.k.a. Target Field, in Minneapolis. When a homerun is hit, Minnie and Paul actually shake hands. Pretty cool, huh? 

What’s really cool is that Ray Barton was one of my art instructors at HTC in the 70’s, where I graduated from the Commercial Art program. He was instrumental in bringing out my inner cartoonist and caricaturist. I always wanted to thank him, and tell him about my work published in books, magazines, the City Pages, the Chicago Reader, and the Northfield Entertainment Guide, etc... So, thanks Ray! I hope you’re enjoying perfect conditions, wherever you are.


Click here to read about Ray Barton: http://www.startribune.com/local/91704699.html


(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap! Cow gifts for cow fans!





Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Define Happiness






















Define Happiness

Episode 21 of Left Field
Published Apr. 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide


Simply Fodder For Your Next Cocktail Party  by Sherri Faye ©2010

Happy cows come from California? Seriously, I can’t be the only one around here who finds this slightly absurd. It’s one thing to air that commercial on the west coast and surrounding areas. But here? Right next to the beating heart of “America’s Dairyland”? Apparently the marketing genius behind that ad campaign has not heard of Wisconsin. They must stick their head under a seaside rock when the close up of a Wisconsin license plate is magnified about a thousand times in “That 70’s Show” reruns. Clearly California has some nice things about it, but “Happy cows come from California.” is a bald faced lie. Do they have cheese huts every 5 feet? I think not. Do cows thrive in sand dunes? Nope. They are blissful in dells and pastures. Everyone knows that Dairy Queen’s roots are in the Midwest, not Napa Valley. California has enough. Now they are trying to abscond with our dairy business? Hey! California! You have wonderful wine and dancing raisins! You have Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world! You have Oxnard (seriously, who names a town Oxnard – an under-tapped resource for jokes if you ask me), famous for artichoke production! You have Disneyland! Fine, go ahead and have your own cows, but keep your attempts to monopolize milk consumers to your  own crumbling corner
of  the world! Let us have our dairy foothold, for Pete’s sake. What next? Elbow Georgia out of peaches and peanuts? Bump Vermont out of the maple syrup industry? Whew… Okay, I’m done. I just had to get that off of my chest, now I feel better. I’ve found that letting go of anger minimizes wrinkles and prevents ulcers. Define your happiness, speak your truth,  be ulcer-free, support  local farmers!  - Peace



(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap! Cow gifts for cow fans!





Saturday, March 6, 2010

Brand Name


Brand Name

Episode 20 of Left Field
Published Mar. 1, 2010 in the Northfield Entertainment Guide

Simply Fodder for Your Next Cocktail Party
By Sherri Faye ©2009






What’s the big deal with brand names anyway? When it comes to couture or material goods, I couldn’t possibly care less. What matters most to me is whether or not I like it. Does it suit me? Does it say “This is totally Sherri Faye”?  Maybe it’s being over 50, but I really don’t give a rip about what the latest fashion is, or what anybody else thinks about what I wear, what I drive, or how I style my hair.  I never have really cared too much, as long is I was being true to myself and my own style. I have always been my own person. There is a certain kind of comfortable, priceless freedom in that. 
When I moved back from California, I fetched my Dodge Intrepid (which I loved) from Winterhaven Ranch where it had been safely stowed during my ‘sabbatical’. On my way home the engine fried out. So, from another location I retrieved a long abandoned ’93 Olds I had gotten for one of my daughters when she was an undergrad at the U (the condition and circumstances that I found that car in is a whole other story…  involving mice). I wasn’t bothered that I was now driving a slightly dented, run-down version of what I originally purchased… however, I soon realized I needed to ‘brand’ that car as mine. Since I also paint murals, I chose to make this little clunker work for me.  I cleaned it up, tuned it up and made it into an art car, painting a “Strawberry Fields Forever” motif on the whole doggone vehicle! It gets the best reactions - people wave, give me the peace sign, and say “Cool car!” What makes me happy is that I like my car, and I truly enjoy communicating positively with interesting people. My silly art car is now part of my ‘brand’ – it’s an extension of who I am. It’s the perfect catalyst for entertaining, joyful exchanges with folks who appreciate it. My car has gotten me a few painting gigs (not to mention a couple of dates) to boot!
My branded car matches my personality and my tattoo theme of birds and, you guessed it, strawberries! Just like art cars, tattoos aren’t for everyone. But, unlike scars, they can be chosen. Mine serve as footnotes, demarking specific, sometimes profound, times in my life - which includes a 20 year stint in the Navy.
I yam what I yam, and that’s my own brand. And I like it.
Be the brand you wish to see in the world, and you will make it a better place by being you!



Aided and Abetted by Sandy Budziak.



(c) 2010 Sherri Faye  All Rights Reserved.
Buy cool cow crap! Cow gifts for cow fans!