Thursday Morning Web Giggles

First of all, the best t-shirts I've seen in a while…  Band Geek Hero.  I know what you're thinking: "Finally!  I can get a Glockenspiel Hero t-shirt!  If only they will come out with the video game now!"

Second: Sexy People Portraits.  Regrettable portraits of people in the past.  Tread with caution, lest you find yourself in there. 

Last but not least, The Dairy Arch, a blog put together by my actor/comedian/performer/blogging cousin.  It gathers together some of the funniest stuff (according to him… but I trust him) out on the web.

Myachi – Yes, it is a Reference to Mr. Myagi

Just heard about "Myachi" a new hand game that is catching on rapidly.  This is one of those crazy things that crops up once in a while that kids latch onto and could quickly become a national obsession.  Past examples: hacky sack, Koosh balls, wall crawlers…  those are just the ones I think of from my childhood. 

The official web site is here, but it really doesn't explain the concept very well.  For a better view of what it is all about, do a search for Myachi on YouTube.  With only 678 videos as of this writing, it still is a young phenomenon (compare that to a search for "Diet Coke and Mentos" which brings up over 7,000 videos). 

It looks cool.  Looks like they are making a ton of money off of it as well – all that a Myachi bag consists of is a small 3-inch rectangular bean bag.  By the time Christmas rolls around, there should be a national shortage of them, schools will be banning them and parents will be standing in line at Toys R Us at seven in the morning to get their hands on the latest shipment. 

Oh, and the name?  A combination of "Mr Myagi" from the Karate Kid and Tai Chi.  And yes, the whole thing was originally conceived of as a drinking game.  Further proof that I should drink more often and write down my ideas while doing so.

For Barbecue Wonks Everywhere

Its not secret that I'm a barbecue nut, and while I'm not exactly at the cutting literary edge with this book review, I figured it was worth mentioning in hopes of exposing it to a few new pople who might be interested in it.  Cornbread Nation 2: The United States of Barbecue is one in a serious of books that collects essays, poems and short stories about Southern Cooking, and in this specific case, all about barbecue.

In reality, most of hte book is abou tbarbecue – there is about 1/4 of the book that is about Southern food in general, including everything from ice cream trucks in the Virignia area, to the history of Ruth Chris' Steakhouse to geophagists - people who eat dirt.   It is all very interesting though, especially for a foodie who loves Southern food and is all well written. 

One Order of Dirty, Complicated Food Please

After watching the latest seasons of both "Top Chef" and "The Next Food Network Star," you can't help but notice that EVERYONE is concentrating on "clean, simple flavors" which got me to wondering…  at what point did food get so muddied and complicated that this trend started? 

I guess you could make an argument that heavy sauces that mask the flavor of the main protein are a distraction, but if you've ever had a good Bearnaise sauce, then you know its really not anything to complain about.  If I'm going to a fine dining establishment, I want complicated and complex food that makes me go "WOW!" not a couple of sliced tomatoes and a basil leaf that gets passed off as a marinara sauce.