Straight, No Chaser

My name is Eric Thomas. I am from Omaha, Nebraska.

This is Omaha…

But when I tell people I’m from Omaha, they think…

Omaha, NE. Home of ConAgra Foods, which produce such brands as Hunt’s Ketchup, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, and Manwich canned Sloppy Joe Mix among other famous food brands.

The Reuben. The Reuben sandwich was likely invented in Omaha by Reuben Kulakofsky. According to one version of the sandwich’s disputed history, it was first introduced to the world in 1925 on a menu in one of the Blackstone’s restaurants. Butter brickle ice cream was also first introduced to the world at the Blackstone.

Malcolm X. I have been infatuated with Malcolm X ever since I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley in high school (and then again in college). Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in North Omaha, at 3348 Pinkney Street, three blocks south of Druid Hill Elementary (where I went to school).

Enrollment Statistics for Druid Hill Elementary School:

Browline glasses. Invented in 1947 by Jack Rohrbach, browline eyeglasses made up almost half of all the eyeglasses sold during the 1950s. As of 2008, Shuron is still producing these frames.

Dead Writers. Ernest Hemingway took his own life on the morning of July 2, 1961 at his home in Ketchum, Idaho with a shotgun blast to the head. In 1964, Hunter S. Thompson traveled to Ketchum in order to investigate Hemingway’s suicide. Thompson stole a pair of elk entlers above the front door of Hemingway’s cabin. On February 20, 2005, Hunter S. Thompson died from a self-inflicted gunshot sound to the head.

Wu-Tang. Wu-Tang Clan’s love affair with chess is well documented. Wu leader RZA is a certified Chess King, and he’s got the 20-pound, gold-plated leather belt to prove it.

Kool Keith. First emerged as part of the legendary New York crew, the Ultramagnetic MCs, back in 1987. From the Ultramags to his own solo releases under a number of different identities (i.e. Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, and Dr. Octagon), Kool Keith has been responsible for now-classic hip-hop records, each one a testament to his bugged out sensibility and lyrical genius. On the critically-lauded Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996), Kool Keith played the role of a sexually deviant doctor.

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Fin.