Mack Duncan
The puppeteer, filmmaker and founding member of The Torch Theatre improvises with Apollo 12, Die Puppet Die and Mack Duncan: 1-Man Show. Some of his upcoming performances may be found at www.thetorchtheatre.com
What'd you eat for dinner last night? The second half of the Little Ceasars pizza I bought for lunch. When you're craving pizza, don't want to spend more than $5 and don't want to make it yourself, then one can chew a little cardboard.
Favorite food: Nothing will ever beat my mom's spaghetti. Although, a good baked ziti comes pretty close.
Least favorite food: I have the eating habits of a 12-year-old, so I've never been into anything "healthy." I have unpleasant reactions to the texture of bananas and even the smell of oranges. I have to find clever, creative ways of "tricking" myself into consuming things with vitamins because the natural routes have met with disaster.
Favorite dessert: I really enjoy baking brownies and chocolate marble cakes. I have these at my parties and appreciate having the leftovers for myself. And when Reese (or whoever) decided to mix chocolate with peanut butter, they created the greatest chemical combination in the history of Western civilization.
Favorite local restaurant and meal to order there: I've recently been introduced to Maizie's, which is directly across the street from the soon-to-be-open Torch Theater (Central Ave., just south of Camelback Road). I've loved everything I've eaten there. The winner, though, is the Pizza Burger. It's a burger with mozzarella cheese cooked INSIDE the meat, topped with marinara sauce.
Favorite local bar and cocktail to order there: Having spent a lot of time performing at Space 55 over the past few years, I've spent a lot of time at The Lost Leaf and The Rose and Crown. I default to beer, and both places are good for a Newcastle. When I'm at the Trunk Space, I'll step into the Bikini Lounge and share a pitcher of PBR with other improvisors. Now that the Torch is opening up on Central, I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time at Hula's and George and Dragon. I usually get what's on tap, or sample a rum and Coke.
Favorite thing to cook at home: I keep it simple. I keep bread, cheese and cold cuts on hand for simple sandwiches. If I'm feeling a little more ambitious, I'll whip up a pot of mac n' cheese.
Favorite memory involving food: I can't get too specific... but one can never go wrong bringing someone breakfast in bed.
Recipe or food tip to share: I always get an excess of leftovers from my parents whenever I go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. One recent holiday had me coming home with an armload of ham. There are only so many ham sandwiches I could stand in a short period of time, but I couldn't let it all go to waste. So, I cooked up a pot of tomato soup and mixed in chunks of ham slices and made a sort of poor man's stew. Not a terribly complicated or even spectacular recipe, but one I'll probably go to again.
