Hypocrites are bad, but liars are worse

It's been over a month since the Queen of Locovores, Alice Waters, announced to the world that out of all the foods she would choose as her last meal shark fins soup. This in itself was somewhat amusing giving Ms. Water's philosophy of eating locally; and it would've been just that if she'd left it there. However, when Anthony Bourdaine quipped that this was not "local", she responded, "[n]ow, I don't know, I've never gone out there, but we know there's sharks off the California coast. I'd be getting someone to take those fins off." Um, ok. So, shed get someone to go cut off fins from sharks just so she can have someone make her some shark fin soup???

Unsuprisingly, the hypocrisy of her response, not to mention the inhumane tone of it, landed her in hot PR water.

And here is where I get really annoyed.

Through a press relase through the Humane Society, Ms. Waters claimed that she'd only recently learned that "every year tens of millions of sharks, their fins brutally sliced off, are thrown back into the ocean to die." Um, Alice, wasn't this very thing you said you had wanted someone to do for you? Not to mention, how believeable is that that a well-traveled and experienced chef, esp. one in SF with its sizeable Chinese population, didn't know where shark fins come from?

It's one thing to say something surprisingly ignorant, it's another to later lie about it. The lying really gets me. That's probably why I had such a visceral reaction upon seeing her photo for an article she'd written about her start-up days in SF. Goodness I wanted to punch that smiling face of hers.

Vandalism I can Support

and my favorite:
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Just when I was ready to call bulls***

It turns out that the story about "man saving baby falcon" was in fact true. Apologies to the AP for a story that I for certain thought was bulls*** especially since all the local outlets replicated the same AP feed with no additional reporting.

That is, until today.

The NY Post ran this lovely follow-up about our little friend, Alice, (pictured here) who is certain to learn that revenge is a dish best served cold.

Watch out sky rats, your time is near!

B.R. 8/15/09 -- Nanerbread

It's been a while since the last baby report, but I'm happy to report that both the baby and MisterMister are doing just fine. In fact, the b has just returned from a two-night slumber party at Enn's. While there, the b had a wonderful time getting a full-on lint roll massage that lifted her away her excess hair and left her coat feeling soft and plush. She also enjoyed a relaxing walk that took her around the many sights in the downtown area. The only part of her slumber party that she did not seem to like was when Ames and Enn made nanerbread. For some reason the making of nanerbread was disturbing enough to her that she hid underneath Enn's bed. Maybe she thought that Enn was going to try to feed her all that chocolate like she did with the grapes. Anyway, I'm sure MisterMister would be proud to hear that the b picked up on this littl trick of his.

Speaking of MisterMister, I think he enjoyed not having to compete with the b for attention, or having the b lick his face. Oh well, maybe one day the b will win him over.

Live baby report: The baby is curled up on a pillow with semi-closed eyes. MisterMister is behind my head, resting on the back of the sofa. Max, a puppy who lives down the hallway, is getting his nightly lecture, "Max! Maaax! Maaaax!"

Stuff that I thought was obvious...

Example number 1: When we refer to someone as “yellow”, we consider them to be what? Not a trick question people; but evidently for one child it was rather tricky. I wonder if the set got a little chilly after that.

Example number 2: What does one refer to these types of Roman numerals -- "i", "ii", "iii"? Romanettes, of course. I thought everyone knew this, esp. someone who's probably spent the past couple of decades, if not more, reading, writing, and referring to them.

I dunno. Am I expect too much?

Why I never get anything done

Two-pronged attack...

above

and below

Synergy Fail

I'd like to meet the brains behind this nonsensical example of synergy, cuz you know when I think G.I. Joe, I think Norton Internet Security and vice versa:


Not that the whole "synergy" thing in the corporate context isn't completely bollocks anyway; but i found this example particularly egregious.

Gummy

And I thought *I* had a gummy smile.

Casu Marzu -- WTF???

I thought I loved all things Italian, at least with respect to food. That is until I read about casu marzu, i.e. rotten pecorino cheese. I mean I'm all for appreciating cultural differences and traditions, but this goes waaaay too far. I mean anywhere else in the world one would know that one's food is nass and rotty cuz it's populated by maggots, but in Sardinia that's how one knows that one's casu marzu is ready to eat. They actually want the little buggers in there! They want flies to infest the cheese and lay their eggs there, so that their larval spawns will eat their way throughout the cheese leaving broken-down digested fats that is the essence of casu marzu. Btw, you'd know that your casu marzu was bad if all the maggots are dead. how's that for irony? As if all that isn't bad enough, the maggots don't always die when you eat them (yes, you eat them with the "cheese") since they can survive stomach acid, they *can* live on in your stomach for some time causing lacerations with their nasty little mouthhooks. O_O!!!

Wanna watch the whole nass process of how the cheese is made and consumed? Click here if you're sure.