THE SECOND BARREL

This is crackerbarrel chitchat, certainly livelier than the interminable weather forecasting and crop speculation that went on then. When you see Americana first with Sloane you learn that sirloin comes from a slice of meat dubbed ""Sir Loin"" by an English monarch; that Chop Suey was originated by an Italian dishwasher; that the average lightning bolt is 3(apple) miles long with a core (apple) inch in diameter; that Indians didn't have tom toms until they copied the white army's military drums (their instruments were the flute and the rattle); that it's almost impossible to get a shave in a barbershop unless you do it yourself. And the latter is just one of the grievances the author has against the present -- a poor reflection of our past. Which Mr. Sloane recaptures with his usual commonsense and humor.