Arts A Lung, a Nail, and an Intentionally Generic Name
Here’s a nice story about Guy “Bud” Hart, the man from Placerville, CA who just coughed up the nail that had been loitering in his lung since 1970.
Placerville, by the way, is an intentionally generic name. The town was dubbed Dry Diggins during the Gold Rush, then Old Hangtown because of all the vigilante hangings there (it had a conveniently large oak tree). By 1850, the more upright citizens tried to give the town a friendlier name. The City of Placerville was incorporated in 1854.
AND Hangtown is home to the famous "Hangtown Fry" or "Hangtown Strata" (a dish of eggs and oysters whose name has puzzled me for years.) Apparently, "it got its start when a wealthy miner walked into the El Dorado Hotel, asked for the most expensive meal, and was served this creation because:
A. Canned oysters had to be shipped in from Boston, eggs were as scarce as pig feathers, and bacon was just as expensive.
B. Eggs, bacon, and oysters were the only ingredients the chef could find. Chickens were portable so the camp had eggs early on, oysters were prolific in San Francisco Bay at that time, and bacon would keep without refrigeration." (From http://comspark.com/chronicles/hangtownfry.shtml.)