Comments on: Bonus Footage - Frankenstein Fats

By: TonyNZ

TonyNZ — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:55:53 +0000

I’ve never heard of Melba toast, never knew that kiwis had tried to claim the lamington, and the kiwifruit is so named because it looks like a brown kiwi without feet or beak. It also happens to grow well in New Zealand, which is why we export so many.

I really don’t know nor care about pavlova either, for that matter.

Melba toast brings bad memories of my parents dieting.

By: Michael Richards

Michael Richards — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:15:30 +0000

Oh and the current round of the IPL is happening right now in S Africa of all places, for security reasons while India holds its election, which takes months and we now know the result. I cannot watch it as it’s late at night our time and I’d rather get laid rather than neglect the little woman while I watch teams with silly names go 20 overs each. Whether Bernie bankrolled the last lot, I have no idea, but the Texas Cowboys cheerleaders were imported to add further dash and sex to the Bollywood pizzaz.

Basta! Genug! Bas! Enfin! This correspondence is now closed.

By: Michael Richards

Michael Richards — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:58:52 +0000

5 Days? That’s just for a single match! A series (the most famous of which is The Ashes) lasts 5 matches!! Each round of The Ashes these days is followed by a billion people (mostly in India) even though the series only takes place in Australia and England. It’s England’s turn this year.

OK, so I don’t watch every minute of the Ashes, but at work people gather around the plasma at crucial stages. It actually gets quite exciting, a bit like watching a performance of The Ring at Bayreuth.

Pavlova? If you insist. Who cares! You can’t have Melba Toast. Or the Lamminton! And now that China is back in the assendency, they’re gonna reclaim their goosberry, SO THERE!

Sorry Mr Tom for inflicting you with our antipodean squabbles. What we’re talking about are these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(food)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melba_toast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamington
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwifruit

No problem, I enjoy the squabbles. And we have kicked around the idea of emigrating somewhere, though it’s not likely … yet.

Not to start a political debate (I generally reserve those for the tomnaughton.com site), but if the current crop of American politicians keeps saddling my kids with trillion-dollar debts to pay, I will de-saddle them by raising them elsewhere. My skills are portable. I may have to learn to appreciate cricket, yachting uniforms and all.

By: TonyNZ

TonyNZ — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:23:04 +0000

Twenty20 cricket is 20 overs (120 balls) per side, takes a couple of hours.

One day cricket is 50 overs (300 balls) per side, takes…one day (6-7 hours of play).

Test cricket each side gets 2 innings, where they bat until they are all dismissed or declare. This can sometimes take 3 days, though often it reaches 5 days, after which, if not all innings are complete, it is a draw.

I can see the appeal of going to a game for the atmosphere, but 5 days in a row… no thanks.

By: TonyNZ

TonyNZ — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:05:34 +0000

Michael, wasn’t the IPL bankrolled by that Texan guy who got done for fraud and was on the run for a while (not entirely sure whether he got caught in the end). Stanford or some such.

I watch cricket via highlights. I can’t justify dedicating 5 days to a test match that quite often doesn’t produce a result. I can also only stand to watch the first 2 min and last 2 min of a yacht race too, so maybe there are more parallels than just the clothes.

And also, we in New Zealand can buy bananas for $3 per kilo. The prevalence of Thai food absurdly high here too… not that I’m complaining. I also see that you didn’t fall for the pavlova bait.

Pardon my ignorance of the sport, but do cricket matches last five days?!

I sat through a lot of baseball games at Wrigley field when I lived in Chicago, and yes, baseball can be slow … but it’s a gorgeous ballpark, you can sit in the stands and have cold beers delivered to your seat by strolling vendors (in L.A. you have to go to the vendor’s booth and stand in a long line), and the human scenery is pretty good too.

(Since my wife reads the blog, I should mention I was single in my Wrigley field days … ahem.)

By: Michael Richards

Michael Richards — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:02:49 +0000

Hmmmm, going to a yaght club, eh?
Well, the Indians have solved that problem, with their Indian Premier League nonsense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Premier_League
All the best Australian players are members of the IPL. Besides the huge heaps of money involved, there are other benefits:
http://www.page03.com/page03/sizzling-hot-beauties-katrina-kaif-and-deepika-padukone-with-dravid-for-ipl-video/
(Still from promo for the Bangalore Royal Challengers)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_Royal_Challengers
And, yes, I used to be a member of the Royal Motor Yacht Club!
Cheers, and we should stop meeting like this.

Sounds a bit like the best Japanese and Central American baseball players being recruited (read: big money) by the American major leagues.

We call our baseball championship the World Series, but don’t play anyone outside of the two U.S. leagues. Kind of embarrassing when you think about it.

It’s a bit like baseball fans oohing and aahing over all the records set by Babe Ruth — impressive, yes — but forgetting that he never had to face some of the best pitchers of his era, who were relegated to what were then called The Negro Leagues.

By: Michael Richards

Michael Richards — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:29:57 +0000

Sounds like you’ve got the skills. Though I’d have to test whether you actually have true cold-pouring skills in reality. Also you would have to put up with the amazingly wide range of Asian and Mediteranian food and fresh produce. Life can be tough.
However, the Kiwi above didn’t mention the essential prerequisite: The Department of Immigration will require that you be able to eat Vegemite sandwiches, or you will not be allowed to stay. Also, to fully mimic the Australian palate, you have to eat everything with loads of Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce or Indonesian Kecap Manis. (These are available in every supermarket here. The result of every person and his or her dog going to Phuket or Bali. Kecap Manis is particularly leathal wrt to carbs.) It is not compulsory that you watch, follow or even understand cricket: you are after all a Yank and therefore have limitations in this regard.
Mind you, emigration used to be easier: my great, great, ……, great grandmother was sent over here for stealing “a small quantity of lace”. I don’t think such a deal is available these days.
Cheers.

Rats … I was hoping I could steal a small quantity of lace and make it a done deal. And yes, as a Yank, I’m resistant to learning the rules of any sport where the participants appear to be on their way to the yacht club.

Although I once tried, upon request, to explain the rules of American football to a Swede and suddenly realized what a stupid game it is. But I still get emotionally involved.

By: TonyNZ

TonyNZ — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:47:17 +0000

Australia was founded as a British convict colony, so at least they’ll empathise with not respecting English laws…

If Aussie is like New Zealand, which I suspect it is (we are pretty alike, just a lot of rivalry), if you have something to offer the skill base and make an effort to fit in you should be fine. There was a case here a couple of years ago about a person with a doctorate from the states (not ivy league, but still respectable) being turned down because her BMI was over 30 and she was flagged as a health risk, kicked up quite a media storm. Ironically she specialised in weight identity psychology if I remember rightly.

Basically, if you can shout your neighbour a beer and help them build a DIY deck on the weekend you should fit in no trouble. And the pavlova is a kiwi invention.

I’m all thumbs with tools, but pretty good at pouring a cold one …

By: Michael Richards

Michael Richards — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:33:56 +0000

How lucky I feel to live in Australia where lard is available at the major supermarkets (Woolworths & Coles):

http://www.fonterrafoodservices.com.au/product.php?id=78

And for a giggle, check out the dropdown “Nutritional Information” which consists entirely of the following:

Kosher………. No
Halal…………. No

No surprises there, I guess!
P.S. Whenever I use this in a stirfly for guests I never tell them what the secret ingredient is, but everyone says it’s the most delicious stirfry they’ve ever tasted! Heh heh!

My grandmother used to fry with lard. Best chicken I ever tasted.

How does Australia feel about Americans emigrating? Would it help if I explained that my family is mostly Irish and didn’t always respect the English laws?

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:47:16 +0000

Nice vid.
Been making my own Lard for a year, it’s the best.
Thanks for posting, keep up the great work.

Jay

Homemade lard. I’m going to have to give that a try someday.