Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Pulp Fiction"

      Usually my movie trivia quizzes are about horror/sci fi movies, but this is another one of the exceptions.  "Pulp Fiction" is tough to categorize, but it's definitely not horror--maybe crime drama/dark comedy?  Anyway, writer/director Quentin Tarantino has had a long and storied career, but to me "Pulp Fiction" is still his best film.  It'll be the usual format--questions followed by the answers.  SPOILERS abound, and these questions are true trivia--unimportant details, mostly in the background.  So for diehard fans and obsessed eccentrics, basically.  Let's begin.

Questions:

1)    The film opens with a definition of the phrase "pulp fiction."  From what dictionary?

2)    According to Pumpkin (played by Tim Roth), how much do busboys earn per hour?

3)    Jules and Vincent talk about Tony Rocky Horror's alleged dalliance with Mia Wallace, and how this caused her husband Marsellus to violently respond.  What is Tony's real name?

4)    And how many floors did Tony fall after being pushed out his window?

5)    Vincent is asked to take out Mia Wallace while Marsellus is out of town.  Where is Marsellus going?

6)    What kind of beverage did Brett get to accompany his Big Kahuna burger, which Jules samples?

7)    Aside from Jules and Vincent, how many guys were in the room, counting Brett and inside man Marvin?

8)    By what name does Jules identify himself to Brett?

9)    What round in the boxing match was Butch supposed to take his dive in?

10)   What two boxing-related derogatory names does Vincent call Butch?

11)   How much is the pack of Red Apple cigarettes that Butch buys in Marsellus's club?

12)   How many piercings does Jody (Lance's wife) say she has?

13)   What three types of heroin does Lance offer Vincent?

14)   How much per gram do these three cost?

15)   How many grams does Vincent purchase, and what kind does he choose?

16)   What is the name of the other woman at Lance and Jody's house?

17)   How long was Vincent in Amsterdam?

18)   What kind of alcohol does Vincent drink at Mia and Marsellus's house?

19)   Jack Rabbit Slim's has many 1950's and 60's movie posters on its walls.  Most of them are crime dramas, but only one is a sci fi/horror film.  Name it.

20)   What is Vincent's order at Jack Rabbit Slim's?

21)   And what is Mia's order?

22)   Describe the five members of Fox Force Five, the characters in the TV pilot that Mia was a part of.

23)   According to Mia, why did Marsellus have Tony Rocky Horror thrown out of his window?

24)   What kind of cereal is Lance eating when Vincent calls about Mia's overdose?

25)   Name Butch's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, and what happened to them.

26)   What is the name of the airman who returned the Coolidge family watch to Butch's dad?

27)   How many years, total, did the watch spend up a soldier's ass?

28)   What is the full name of the boxer that Butch kills?

29)   What boxing weight class is Butch in?

30)   What 2 boxers are on the undercard match of Butch's bout?

31)   What is the nationality of Esmarelda Villa Lobos, who is the cab driver for Butch?

32)   What cab company does Esmarelda work for?

33)   What is Butch's final fare?

34)   Where are Butch and Fabienne staying on the night of his final fight?

35)   What two Spanish language phrases does Butch say to Fabienne, and what do they translate to in English?

36)   What motorcycle movie is Fabienne watching when Butch wakes up in the morning?

37)   What does Fabienne say she's going to have for breakfast?

38)   What does Butch make for his breakfast, back at their apartment?

39)   A dazed Marsellus accidentally shoots an innocent bystander while trying to hit Butch. Where on her body is she wounded?

40)   What is the name of Zed's chopper (motorcycle)?

41)   What day of the week is it during Marsellus and Butch's adventure in the pawn shop?

42)   Zed and Maynard sexually assault Marsellus in a room named after someone.  Name them.

43)   What three objects does Butch choose for weapons, and then discard, before going with the samurai sword?

44)   What does Marsellus say the crackhead torturers will use on Zed?

45)   What kind of pancakes did Fabienne end up having for breakfast?

46)   Where does Jules' friend Jimmie live?

47)   While washing up, Vincent mentions a brand of soap.  Name it.

48)   What year, make, model, and color of car is Jules driving?

49)   Jimmie tells The Wolf that the bedding that will be used to cover up the carnage in the car was a wedding present.  From whom?

50)   Jimmie gives Vincent a college t-shirt to wear.  From what institute of higher learning?

51)   What are the two phone numbers for Monster Joe's Truck and Tow?

52)   Where do Vincent, and then Jules live?  (Or, two separate places.)

53)   What is the name of the restaurant where Honey Bunny, Pumpkin, Jules, and Vincent all meet?

54)   What are Honey Bunny and Pumpkin's real names?

55)   About how much money does Jules give to Pumpkin and Honey Bunny?

56)   What famous actor/actress plays themself in the movie?

57)   What two real life siblings play roles in "Pulp Fiction"?

58)   What role does "Pulp Fiction" producer Lawrence Bender play in the movie?

59)   Who keyed Vincent's car?

60)   What later detail do we learn about the Jack Rabbit Slim's dance contest (during a radio broadcast in Butch's segment)?

61)   What very stupid risk does The Wolf make while getting rid of the car with Marvin's body?

Answers:

1)    The American Heritage Dictionary, the New College Edition.  (This is a real dictionary.)

2)    $1.50.

3)    Antwan Rockamora.

4)    4, and also through a glass, greenhouse-like structure.

5)    Florida.

6)    Sprite.

7)    4.  Marvin, Brett, "Flock of Seagulls" (real name Roger), and "Fourth Man," hiding in the bathroom.

8)    Pitt.  Which is wrong, since his name is Jules Winnfield.  Some speculate it's to rhyme with the rest of his statement--"your ass ain't talking your way outta this shit."

9)    The 5th round.

10)   Palooka and Punchy.

11)   $1.40.

12)   18.  If you're curious, she has 5 in each ear, then 1 in her left nipple, 2 in her right nostril, 1 in her left eyebrow, 1 in her belly button, 1 in her lip, 1 in her clit, and 1 in her tongue.

13)   Panda (from Mexico), Bava, and Choco (from the Hartz Mountains in Germany).

14)   $300 per gram for both the Panda and Bava, and $500 per gram for the Choco.

15)   3 of the Choco, although he indicates he'll buy 2 more later if he likes the first batch.

16)   Trudi.

17)   3 years.

18)   McCleary blended Scotch whisky.  A fictional brand, also used in the 1987 movie "Barfly."

19)   "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" (1958).

20)   A Douglas Sirk steak, cooked bloody as hell (rare), with a vanilla Coke.  (Sirk was a German born movie director, most noted for his films in the 1950's and 60's.)

21)   A Durward Kirby burger, cooked bloody, with a Martin & Lewis (vanilla) $5 milkshake.  (Kirby was a TV host/announcer, also most famous in the 1950's and 1960's.)

22)   The blond Somerset O'Neal is the leader, the Japanese Fox is a kung-fu master, the black Fox is the demolitions expert, the French Fox's specialty was sex, and Raven McCoy (played by Mia) was an expert with a knife, and also knew many old vaudeville jokes.

23)   She says the foot massage story is false--the only thing Tony touched on her was her hand at her wedding.  She claims no one save Marsellus and Tony know why he did it.

24)   Fruit Brute, part of General Mill's  Monster Cereal line, along with Count Chocula, Boo Berry, etc.  Fruit Brute was made from 1974-82, and later reintroduced in 2013-14, and 2022.  Tarantino reportedly loved this kind, and saved a box, which he puts in movies occasionally.

25)  Butch's great-granddad was Private Erine Coolidge, who bought the watch, and fought in World War I, and survived.  His son was Dane, a Marine who died at Wake Island in World War II.  Butch's dad was a Major, and died of dysentery in the POW camp in the Vietnam War.

26)   Winocki.

27)   7.  5 in the ass of Major Coolidge, and 2 more in the ass of Captain Koons.

28)   Floyd Ray Wilson.

29)   Wilson is announced as weighing 210 pounds, so he and Butch are heavyweights.

30)   Vossler versus Martinez.  (It's on the marquee outside of the arena.)

31)   She's Colombian.

32)   The Big Jerry Cab Company.

33)   $45.60.  Although he gives Ms. Villa Lobos another $50 or $100 to stay silent about him.

34)   The River Glen Motel.

35)   He says, "Donde esta el zapateria?" ("Where is the shoe store?") and, "Que hora es?" ("What time is it?").

36)   "The Losers" (1970).

37)   Blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, eggs over easy, 5 sausages, a tall glass of orange juice, a black cup of coffee, then a slice of blueberry pie with a slice of melted cheese on it for dessert.

38)   Two Sam's Frosted Cinnamon Toaster Pastries.  He doesn't get to eat them, though.

39)   Her right hip.

40)   Grace.  It's written on "her," and Zed refers to her by name.

41)   Thursday.  (Meaning Zed's chopper can be safely parked out front of the store.)

42)   Russell.  Presumably a former captive?

43)   A claw hammer, a baseball bat, and a chainsaw.

44)   A pair of pliers and a blowtorch.

45)   Buttermilk, as they didn't have blueberry pancakes.

46)   Toluca Lake, near Burbank Studios.

47)   Lava.  A real brand.

48)   A 1974 Chevrolet Nova, green.

49)   His Uncle Conrad and Aunt Ginny.

50)   The University of California--Santa Cruz.  Team name is the banana slugs.  (Really!)

51)   555-7908, and 555-7909.  Or both fictitious numbers.

52)   Vincent lives in Redondo, and Jules lives in Inglewood.

53)   The Hawthorne Grill.

54)   Honey Bunny is apparently named Yolanda.  We never hear a name for Pumpkin, although Jules calls him "Ringo."

55)   $1500.

56)   Kathy Griffin, who is seen helping Marsellus after Butch hits him with his car.

57)   Rosanna Arquette played the pierced Jody, and Alexis Arquette played "Fourth Man," the guy in the bathroom who miraculously (?) shoots at and completely misses Jules and Vincent.

58)   He plays Long Hair Yuppie-Scum, I think in the diner scene.

59)   Tarantino has confirmed it was Butch.  Evidently he didn't like Vincent's insults at the club.

60)   When Butch is walking to his apartment, a radio is (barely) heard discussing that the dance trophy was stolen.  So Mia and Vincent didn't win fair and square.

61)   Speeding.  I get it, it's funny earlier in the movie when we hear Jimmie's place is 30 minutes away, but he'll be there in 10 (or less)--it makes him seem badass.  But when you're driving a car with a dead body in it, the last thing you would want to do is attract attention from the police.  By say, driving really fast, as The Wolf says he will.  So anyone but an idiot would drive the speed limit for a trip like that.

 

 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Greek/American Baba Ghanoush

      Looking back on it, I've realized I've been discussing Greek foods quite a lot lately.  I try to vary the origin places for the foods and drinks I cover, but alas, I am limited by what I can find here in Southern New Jersey.  Anyway, today's post is about baba ghanoush, which is a savory spread.  It was actually made in Greece, but distributed by an American company named Esti Foods.

     Readers with excellent memories may recall that I first reported on baba ghanoush back on October 24th, 2020, in a post about various Mediterranean foods from a local restaurant.  I did give a very brief description of this dish then, but I'll expand upon it a little today.  Basically, baba ghanoush (which, incidentally, can be spelled many different ways) is an appetizer which originated in the area comprising the modern areas of Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.  (Some think it actually originated in Lebanon, but this isn't conclusively known.)  However, neighboring areas in the Mediterranean also adapted this food--obviously, since the kind I tried was from Greece.  Baba ghanoush is a spread, made from chopped up and roasted eggplant, tahini (which is made from sesame seeds), olive oil, lemon juice, and various seasonings.  The last ingredient is usually the one that differs the most, depending on where you're eating it--some people like their baba ghanoush to be blandish, others prefer it spicier.  Arabic folks have a similar dish called mutabbal, which includes the eggplant, tahini, and lemon, but also has salt, garlic, and more potent spices.  The name baba ghanoush appears to be Arabic as well.  "Baba" means "daddy," and together with "ghanoush" is translated into something like, "an old daddy who is indulgent, or pampered, or spoiled, or coquettish (i.e. flirty)."  Which is, frankly, a weird and somewhat creepy title for a savory spread, but whatever.  Perhaps there is some cultural reference or history that I'm not familiar with, or wouldn't really comprehend.

     As for the company that distributed the food, I wasn't able to learn much.  The official Esti Foods website is very limited.  It basically just contains a product list and recipes.  Alternate business-related websites indicated that Esti began in 2016, and that the current CEO may be Edward Tessier.  Another noted that their number of employees is between 11-50, and their (presumably annual) revenue is $5,000,000,  So this is all I have about the company's history.  Esti's products include grab 'n' gos (essentially different kinds of snacks, mostly pita chips combined with other things), several kinds of yogurt, several kinds of dairy-free yogurt, plant-based foods (meatless "burgers," "hot dogs," "meatballs" etc.) pizza, and feta cheeses.  And the company is based out of Rutherford, NJ, which is near to where the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets play their home games.  Finally, according to what I saw online, "esti" in Greek means "to be" in the third person singular, or it's similar to "is" in English.

Esti baba ghanoush:  The color of this spread was greenish-brown, with visible red pepper chunks.  The texture was like a paste, rather smooth and creamy.  I tried some plain, and then some as a dip with bread.  It had some spice bite.  It was pretty good.  Not great, but solid.  I enjoyed it more this time than the previous occasion--I think the extra seasoning made the difference.  So overall it's a decent spread, and I would recommend it.  Also, the Esti kind had garlic and salt in it, along with the peppers, so maybe it was closer to a mutabbal than a baba ghanoush.  I'll let Mediterranean spread purists fight it out over this.

The Worst Cy Young Awards Winners, Both Seasonal and Career

      Back on November 11, 2023, I did a post about Rookies of the Year Award winners in Major League Baseball--both the worst ones, and some of the best.  Today I'd like to do something similar, only using the Cy Young Award.  This award is given annually to the best pitcher in each league.  It's not as old as the Rookie of the Year, since it was only given out since 1956, and up until 1967 there was only one winner for all of baseball, and not separate American and National League winners.  Like before, I'm going to make the statistic WAR (for Wins Above Replacement) my primary determiner of pitching effectiveness.  WAR is very complicated to compute, but I'm going to use Baseball Reference's version.  Essentially, below 0.0 is very bad, as in "shouldn't be in the majors" poor.  0.0--2.0 is substitute level, over 5.0 is All Star caliber, and over 8.0 is Most Valuable Player (MVP) level.  Meaning, since the Cy Young winner is supposed to be the best pitcher in the league, their seasonal WARs should be well over 5.0, and probably at least 7 or 8 or above.  Alas, especially in the past, voters for this award seemed to focus mostly on pitcher wins.  Which in my opinion, as well as arguably every knowledgeable fan's view, is very flawed.  Because a pitcher can earn a win even if he pitched terribly, and can get credited with a loss even if he pitched great.  Wins and losses are team dependent, based on how well your team hits and fields.  Anyway, enough setup, let's get to it.  Let's start with the worst Cy Young seasons, as determined by WAR.  Oh, and unless noted each pitcher was primarily or totally a starter.

1)    2.3  Steve Bedrosian, relief pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies, 1987.

2)    2.8  Early Wynn, Chicago White Sox, 1959.

2)    2.8  Pete Vuckovich, Milwaukee Brewers, 1982.

4)    2.9  Bob Welch, Oakland Athletics, 1990.

4)    2.9  Dennis Eckersley, relief pitcher, Oakland Athletics, 1992.

6)    3.0  Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds, 2020. (a)

7)    3.1  Mike Marshall, relief pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1974.

8)    3.2  Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians, 2020. (a)

9)    3.6  Bob Turley, New York Yankees, 1958.

10)   3.7  Whitey Ford, New York Yankees, 1961.

10)   3.7  Sparky Lyle, relief pitcher, New York Yankees, 1977.

10)   3.7  LaMarr Hoyt, Chicago White Sox, 1983.

10)   3.7  Eric Gagne, relief pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2003.

    (a)  Note that Bauer and Bieber were pitching in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, which was only 60 games instead of the usual 162 games.  Therefore, their low WARs are not their fault, and would have presumably been much higher if they'd played a full season.

     So let's attempt to fix these mistakes, and list a few pitchers more deserving of the Cy Young Award in these previously mentioned seasons.  Again, these are starters unless mentioned otherwise.

1)    Instead of Bedrosian in 1987, two Los Angeles Dodgers, Bob Welch, (7.1 WAR), and Orel Hershiser (6.4 WAR) were better picks, or Chicago Cub Rick Sutcliffe (6.0 WAR)

2)    Instead of Wynn in 1959, Washington Senator Camilo Pascual (7.8 WAR), Baltimore Oriole Hoyt Wilhelm (7.6 WAR), or St. Louis Cardinal Larry Jackson (7.3) would have been better choices.

3)    Instead of Vuckovich in 1982, Toronto Blue Jay Dave Stieb (7.6 WAR), Cleveland Indian Rick Sutcliffe (5.7), or Toronto Blue Jay Luis Leal (5.1 WAR), had better seasons.

4)    Instead of Welch in 1990, Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens (10.4 WAR), California Angel Chuck Finley (7.7 WAR), or Baltimore Oriole Mike Boddicker and Toronto Blue Jay Dave Stieb (both 5.9 WAR) were better picks.

5)    Instead of Eckersley in 1992, Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens (8.7 WAR), Baltimore Oriole Mike Mussina (8.2 WAR), or Kansas City Royal Kevin Appier (8.0) had more effective seasons.

6)    Bauer's selection in 2020 was a good choice--no arguments here.

7)    Instead of Marshall in 1974, New York Met John Matlack (9.1 WAR), Atlanta Brave Phil Niekro (7.9 WAR), and San Francisco Giant Jim Barr (6.3) all were better choices.

8)    Like with Bauer, Bieber's 2020 Cy Young seems like a strong choice.

9)    Instead of Turley in 1958, Detroit Tiger Frank Lary (6.7 WAR), St. Louis Cardinal Sam Jones (6.3 WAR), or Philadelphia Phillie Robin Roberts (6.3 WAR) were arguably better.

10)   Instead of Ford in 1961, Chicago Cub Don Cardwell (6.1 WAR), Minnesota Twin Jack Kralick (6.0), or Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax (5.7 WAR) were probably better picks.

11)   Instead of Lyle in 1977, California Angels Frank Tanana (8.3 WAR) and Nolan Ryan (7.8 WAR), or Baltimore Oriole Jim Palmer (7.3) were better choices.

12)   Instead of Hoyt in 1983, Toronto Blue Jay Dave Stieb (7.0 WAR), Kansas City Royal reliever Dan Quisenberry (5.5 WAR), or Baltimore Oriole Scott McGregor (5.3) had better seasons.

13)   Instead of Gagne in 2003, Chicago Cub Mark Prior (7.4 WAR), San Francico Giant Jason Schmidt (6.7 WAR), or Montreal Expo Livan Hernandez (6.3 WAR) were better picks.

     I pretty much always thought this, but this research has just solidified my position--relief pitchers should never be Cy Young winners--they simply don't pitch enough innings to justify winning over a starter.  (And even when they did pitch a lot of innings, like Mike Marshall in 1974, there were still better candidates.)

Let's switch to another stat, ERA, or Earned Run Average.  This is an older, more basic stat.  Still limited, but not as bad as pitcher wins and losses.  Let's look at the Cy Young winners with the highest ERAs in a season, ever.  Some of these were in years where all pitching ERAs were higher, due to better hitting, such as in the heavy steroid years (the late 1990's to early 2000s). but still, let's take a look.

1)    3.66  LaMarr Hoyt, Chicago White Sox, 1983.

2)    3.51  Roger Clemens, New York Yankees, 2001.

3)    3.48  Bartolo Colon, Los Angeles Angels, 2005.

4)    3.37  Jack McDowell, Chicago White Sox, 1993.

5)    3.34  Pete Vuckovich, Milwaukee Brewers, 1982.

6)    3.25  Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays, 2003.

7)    3.23  Steve Stone, Baltimore Orioles, 1980.

8)    3.22  Pat Hentgen, Toronto Blue Jays, 1996.

9)    3.21  Whitey Ford, New York Yankees, 1961.

9)    3.21  CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians, 2007.

     Now let's try and determine what Cy Young winner had the least impressive total career.  Again, going by WAR.  Some of the guys on this list are still active, so obviously their WAR totals can improve dramatically, or I guess decrease if they decline markedly, or get injured or something.  Also, obviously even great relievers will have relatively low WAR totals, since they pitch fewer innings than a starter.   Here we go.

1)    7.9  Mark Davis, mostly a reliever, played for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, etc. in a 15 year career.  Cy Young in 1989.

2)    11.7  Eric Gagne, mostly a reliever, played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, etc., in a 10 year career, Cy Young in 2003.

3)    12.1  LaMarr Hoyt, played for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres, in a 8 year career, Cy Young in 1983.

4)    13.2  Bob Turley, played for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, etc., in a 12 year career, with his Cy Young coming in 1958.

5)   *13.5  Corbin Burnes, active, played for the Milwaukee Brewers, and as of now the Baltimore Orioles, 6 year career as of 2023, Cy Young in 2021.

6)    14.3  Jim Lonborg, played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, in a 15 year career, with his Cy Young Award coming in 1967.

7)    14.5  Steve Bedrosian, mostly a reliever, played for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, etc. in a 14 year career, Cy Young in 1987.

8)    16.4  Pete Vuckovich, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, etc., in a 11 year career, Cy Young in 1982.

9)    16.7  Guillermo (aka Willie) Hernandez, mostly a reliever, played for the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, etc., in a 13 year career, Cy Young in 1984.

10)   17.0  Steve Stone, played for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, etc. in a 11 year career, Cy Young in 1980.

10) *17.0  Shane Bieber, active, played for the Cleveland Indians/Guardians, in a 6 year career as of 2023, Cy Young in 2020.

12)  *17.6  Robbie Ray, active, played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, etc., in a 10 year career as of 2023, Cy Young in 2021.

13)   17.8  Randy Jones, played for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, in a 10 year career, Cy Young in 1976.

14)   18.2  Mike Marshall, mostly a reliever, played for the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, etc., in a 14 year career, Cy Young in 1974.  

     Now let's flip things.  Here's a list of the pitchers with the highest lifetime WAR, many of whom are in the Hall of Fame, but who never won a Cy Young Award.  Obviously this is guys who pitched after 1956--great pitchers like Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young himself pitched and completed their careers well before 1956. 

1)    95.9  Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, etc. Hall of Famer.

2)    94.5  Bert Blyleven, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, etc.  Hall of Famer.

3)    86.2  Robin Roberts, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, etc., Hall of Famer. (a)

4)    82.8  Mike Mussina, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Hall of Famer.

5)    81.3  Nolan Ryan, New York Mets, California Angels, etc.  Hall of Famer.

6)    79.5  Curt Schilling, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, etc.

7)    69.5  Rick Reuschel, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, etc.

8)    67.8  Kevin Brown, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, etc.

9)    66.7  Don Sutton, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, etc., Hall of Famer.

10)   66.1  Luis Tiant, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, etc.

11)   62.9  Juan Marichal, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, etc., Hall of Famer.

12)   62.3  David Cone, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, New York Yankees, etc.

13)   61.6  Tommy John, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, etc.

  (a)  Roberts played about half his career before the first Cy Young was awarded in 1956, so he had some, but limited opportunities to win one.  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An English Ginger Beer

      One of my earliest posts ever was about an English ginger beer, way back on June 9th, 2013 (along with another, fruity flavored English soft drink).  Anyway, let's explore another.  This one was from Fentiman's, out of Hexham, Northumberland, U.K.

     Fentiman's is moderately old, dating back to 1905.  At this time, Thomas Fentiman was offered a ginger beer recipe in return for a granted loan, to an unidentified person or persons.  Thomas was an iron puddler by trade.  If you didn't know (I didn't), an iron puddler was a person who converted pig iron into wrought iron, via a furnace.  Anyway, this unnamed loanee didn't repay the money to Thomas, so he set about making and selling the ginger beer himself.  (Evidently the life of an iron puddler wasn't very lucrative.)  Fentiman started by selling his ginger beer door to door, using a distinctive ceramic container.  The label on this container had a picture of a dog, which was Thomas's faithful dog named Fearless.  (Fearless can be seen on the label today, in fact.)  The company thrived for decades.  Alas, in the mid 1960's sales had plummeted, and the company closed.  However, in 1988 Eldon Robson, who was the great-grandson of Thomas Fentiman, reopened the business, using some of the original recipes.  The company has been reinvigorated, and is now doing well.  Currently, aside from the flagship ginger beer, Fentiman's also markets various sorts of lemonade, cola drinks, a lemon shandy, several kinds of tonic waters, a dandelion and burdock concoction, and a sparkling elderflower beverage.  Fentiman's has expanded in scope, too, as its wares are now exported to Japan, several nations in South America, Canada, Russia, and the U.S.  There are at least 2 manufacturing centers in the U.S., one in Pennsylvania, and one in Delaware.

     As far as controversy goes, I encountered two.  Firstly, in the past year or so Fentiman's has started using an artificial sweetener, notably steviol glycosides.  Some customers are irate about this, and think it's negatively affected the taste of the drinks that use it.  Secondly, one of Fentiman's products, their Victorian Lemonade, has an alcohol content of between 0.3-0.5%.  The state of Maine in the U.S. prohibited sales because of this, even though it would be almost impossible for even a small child to become intoxicated off of this, given its small, but discernable booze content.

Fentiman's ginger beer & muddled lime:  This drink came in a small bottle, only 6.7 ounces (or 200 mL).  It had a dull yellow color, and a ginger-y odor.  The flavor was pretty good.  Nice ginger spice bite.  Not as great as America's Cock 'n Bull, or England's Idris Fiery Ginger Beer (again, see my post on June 9th, 2013), but tasty.  If you like ginger flavors, I would definitely recommend this to you.

     Finally, if you're a fan of the Netflix series "The Last Kingdom," as I am, Fentiman's comes from a region that's mentioned throughout the show.  Northumberland (aka "Northumbria," in ancient times), is the area where star Uhtred is originally from.  His home castle/town of Bamburgh/Bebbanburg is in this part of England.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Chinese/Mexican/American Pepitas

      Okay, I was a little sneaky today, by using this title.  "Pepitas" are something I've already discussed on this blog--pumpkin seeds.  Yup, even though the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons are long over, I want one more crack at pumpkins.  My previous foray into pumpkin seeds was marred by the misdeeds of the company that made them (see my post on November 4, 2023).  So, therefore, I wanted to try pumpkin seeds with a clearer conscience.  Today's pepitas came from Paramount Foods, out of NJ.  The seeds themselves were grown in Mexico and China, hence the title.

     "Pepita" means "little seed of squash" in the Mexican dialect of Spanish.  And, if you're not aware (I wasn't), squash, gourds, and pumpkins are all closely related, so much so that they're essentially subvariants of each other, and not separate species.  As it turns out, pumpkin seeds usually have white outer husks, which some folks eat, and others don't.  Some farmers have even bred subspecies of pumpkins that don't form the husks, which must save considerable time and effort of de-husking.  Also, speaking of breeding, pumpkins/gourds/squashes were all domesticated very long ago, between 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.  Or at least 4,000 years before corn (maize) and beans were.  This was done in Mesoamerica, or, essentially, the region comprising southern Mexico and most of Central America.  Although, currently pumpkins and their kin are grown around the world, including, obviously, in China.  Additionally, pumpkin seeds are very nutritious.  They contain large amounts of protein, fiber, fat, niacin, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese.  And they have moderate amounts of riboflavin, sodium, potassium, folate, pantothenic acid, and various fatty acids.  They can be eaten in various ways, too.  Many people eat them raw, or else roasted and salted, as a snack.  Others use the seeds as ingredients in sauces or salsas.  Or, some folks press out the oil, and then utilize this on salads, or as a cooking oil.  They can also be made into a seed butter, or as a flavoring for booze.

     Since I just talked about the Paramount Foods company fairly recently, I won't repeat myself here.  So if you're curious, you can read more about the business in my post on August 12, 2023.

Paramount Foods pepitas, roasted and salted:  These were an olive green color, indicating that they'd had their white husk removed.  They were crunchy, and slightly salty.  A tiny bit oily, too.  Kind of reminiscent of sunflower seeds.  Initially I thought they were kind of bland, but then they grew on me.  Now I rather like them, and have bought more than just the initial bag.  Also, it escaped me before, in my earlier samples, but I clearly prefer my pumpkin seeds to be shelled, to have the white husk removed.  Therefore, I would recommend these.  They're not awesome or anything, but they're decent.  And probably healthier than a lot of snacks.

     One final tidbit about pumpkin seeds/pepitas, that's kind of both interesting and disgusting.  Before better, more effective medical substances were developed, eating pepitas could help expel tapeworms.  So that was a win-win, huh?  You could crunch up a nice snack, and then rid your intestines of invasive worms, all at the same time!   

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Dutch Sweet Treat

      For once, I didn't find the food I'll be discussing today at either my local, or the secondary Shop-Rite.  Instead, I first encountered this one at a random gas station/minimart while on a day trip with a friend (Hi Leon!).  Anyway, this was stroopwafel.  From the Daelmans company, from The Netherlands.

     In essence, stroopwafel is the breakfast food times two, as a sandwich with a syrup filling.  The history of this food is a bit vague.  The French were making waffle "sandwiches" with a cheese center as early as 1393.  And had their own sweet version, called gaufre fourree lilloise by the 1800's or so.  But we're concerned with the Dutch kind.  Its origins are in the late 18th/early 19th century.  Some propose that a baker named Gerard Kamphuisen invented stroopwafel, during the time between 1810 to 1840.  Others maintain that it was created by bakers using waffle scraps that were left over, which were then sweetened and sold.  Whoever developed it, by the 1870's the dish was well established, and very popular.  The southern Dutch city of Gouda (yes, the one associated with the cheese of the same name) is particularly renowned as a stroopwafel center.  The name "stroopwafel" is a Dutch rendition of "syrup waffle" from the English.  Others call it "coffee topper" because of a common way of eating it.  A tradition holds that a stroopwafel needs to be "awakened" before consumption.  This is accomplished by putting it atop a hot drink mug, holding coffee or tea, for 2 minutes.  This will cause the syrup filling to become appropriately nice and gooey, perfect for eating.

     As I was researching this blog topic, something kept nagging at me.  The Daelmans name seemed vaguely familiar.  Well, my memory was correct--I've actually covered this company before, back on August 12, 2017 to be exact.  On that occasion I sampled some their cookies/biscuits.  Anyway, I won't repeat myself very much here.  Daelmans is a bit over a century old, and in addition to several additional stroopwafel flavors (chocolate, coffee, honey, maple, mini), the business also markets cookies/biscuits, cakes, a pastry called speculaas, and puff pastries.  It employs over 300 people, and exports to at least 30 nations around the world.

Daelmans stroopwafel, caramel flavor:  They were a round shape, about 9 cm./3.5 inches in diameter.  Their color was brownish-yellow, and they had the typical cross-hatched waffle pattern.  Plus, as mentioned before, each one consisted of two waffles pressed together, with a brownish syrup-y filling.  The texture was very chewy, and soft.  And they tasted like....particularly sweet waffles.  Or pretty good overall. Quite pleasant.  I didn't learn about the putting-them-atop-a-hot-drink-mug-to-melt-them procedure until later, so I can't comment on that.  (And given my disdain for hot drinks of all kinds, I wouldn't want to try them that way.)  All in all, stroopwafels are a neat kind of cookie-type pastry, and I would recommend them to everyone, save folks who hate waffles, or sweet pastries, I guess.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Finnish-Style Cocktail

      A little while ago I was browsing in my local liquor store, and saw something new.  It was called "Long Drink," or less abbreviated, "The Finnish Long Drink, Legend of 1952."  Well, clearly I couldn't resist this come on.  For the record, I had the traditional citrus flavor, and the business behind this was The Long Drink Company, headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

     The name "long drink" is actually kind of generic.  In general, a "short drink" (aka "shooter") is a mixed drink with some non-alcoholic ingredients combined with one or more alcoholic drinks, as a kind of a large shot.  It's usually served in a large, double shot glass, or a small glass.  A long drink is also a mixed drink, only for this one the non-alcoholic elements are a much larger portion, and the overall creation is put in a tall glass.  Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get into the history of the Finnish Long Drink.  Back in 1952 Finland was set to host the Olympic Summer Games.  Therefore, huge international crowds of sports fans were scheduled to invade Helsinki and its surrounding area, and these people would naturally want copious amounts of adult refreshments.  Finland hadn't had much of drinking tradition in a while.  It had Prohibition from 1919-32, and then World War II had clearly disrupted Finland's supplies of alcohol, as well as everything else.  Anyway, Finland realized it had to change this up, fast.  The government thus relaxed some of the more restrictive laws about alcoholic beverages, and encouraged businesses to create 2 new drinks for the incoming customers.  One of these was a cocktail combining brandy with a local soft drink called Pommac.  That beverage was only semipopular at best, and was mostly discontinued in the 1970's, until a later revival in the 21st century.  The other drink, which combined gin with a grapefruit-flavored soft drink, was huge.  It became known as the Long Drink, and quickly became Finland's favorite alcoholic drink, period.  In Finland Long Drink is rendered as "lonkero," which is a Finnish approximation of the English words "long drink."  (Confusingly, lonkero is also a Finnish word meaning "tentacle," but this is evidently just a coincidence.)  Lonkero is usually between 5 to 8.5% alcohol, and is sometimes flavored with cranberry or lime.  Also, after Finland joined the EU in 1995 its government relaxed its alcohol production laws even further, so even more companies started making their own versions of lonkero.  Some of these use some different ingredient, such as using orange or lemon flavoring, or utilizing cider as the base instead of gin.  Currently the most popular brand of lonkero is made by Hartwell.  Lonkero/Finnish Long Drink had begun to be introduced to other nations--now folks in China, Japan, Taiwan, Estonia, and the U.S. are starting to embrace it.  Additionally, it should be mentioned that lonkero isn't that unusual or innovative.  Another drink, the "greyhound," predates it, and a greyhound is gin (or sometimes vodka) mixed with grapefruit juice, instead of a grapefruit flavored soft drink.  And in Mexico the Paloma (see my post on November 14, 2020) mixes tequila with a grapefruit-flavored soft drink.  So there were/are other very similar drinks made in other places.

     The history of The Long Drink Company was a little harder to learn.  However, I did discover that the company was begun in 2017 by 3 Finnish guys and 1 American.  The former were Ere Partanen, Sakari Manninen, and Mikael Taipale, with the latter was Evan Burns.  The official company website also notes that actor Miles Teller, musician DJ Kygo, and golfer Rickie Fowler are involved with Long Drink, both as spokespeople and investors.  The Long Drink Company has a partnership with Matt Brewing in New York to make and can their drinks--Matt is also known for making the Saranac and Utica Club brands of beer.  Aside from the traditional citrus one that I sampled, Long Drink also makes a Zero flavor (zero carbs or sugar), a Strong one (8.5% alcohol as opposed to the other's 5 to 5.5 %), and a Cranberry flavored kind.

Long Drink, traditional citrus flavor:  Had a citrus-y, lemon-ish odor, and was cloudy--it kind of resembled lemonade.  And it tasted like a lemon soda (soft drink).  Pretty good.  Not awesome, but good enough.  I couldn't taste the alcohol, either.  (It was 5.5%.)  So overall a decent hard soft drink, if I can make up an oxymoron.  After I had some I looked at the label, and that's when I first discovered that it was gin, with grapefruit and juniper flavors.  Which shocked me.  I despise gin, grapefruit, and juniper.  So the fact that I didn't loathe this is a ringing endorsement of sorts.  Therefore, I would heartily recommend this to those who like gin, grapefruit, and juniper, and would recommend even those that don't like these flavors to at least give it a try.

     If you're curious, Miles Teller is arguably best known for roles in such films as "Rabbit Hole" (2010), "Whiplash" (2014), the "Divergent" series (2014-16), "Fantastic Four" (2015), "War Dogs" (2016), and "Top Gun:  Maverick" (2022).  Kygo is a well-regarded, Norwegian DJ.  Rickie Fowler is still active, and to date has won 10 golf titles, although he's still looking for his first Major win.  His highest career ranking was #4 in early 2016.  Finally, in the 1952 Olympic games in Helsinki, the top medal totals by country were the U.S. with 76, the Soviet Union with 71, Hungary with 42, Sweden with 36, and host Finland with 22.  Individual stars include Soviet gymnast Viktor Chukarin, who won 4 gold medals, and Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zatopek, who won 3 golds.