Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Trading Places" (1983)

      This is one of my very favorite movies.  I think it's the one I've actually seen the most times, incredibly, as it's the kind of film that when I've encountered it while channel-surfing over the past several decades, I pretty much had to finish watching it.  It's a perfect comedy--well written, well acted, well everything.  Anyway, let's get to it--the usual format, questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.

Questions:

1)    We see many of Philadelphia's famous statues and monuments throughout the movie, and especially in the opening credits.  What's the first one seen?

2)    A very large prop from another movie is briefly shown during the opening credits as well.  Name it.

3)    Louis Winthorpe is greeted repeatedly as he enters the Duke & Duke building.  Who is the only person he mentions by name in his return greeting?

4)    Randolph Duke reads an article in a magazine that sets in motion the events of the whole movie.  What is the name of this periodical?

5)    Winthorpe makes the right call on pork bellies in an early scene.  According to Randolph, how much money didhe thus make for the Dukes?

6)    What is the name of the private social club that the Dukes and Winthorpe belong to?

7)    When was this organization founded?  (It's posted on the plaque outside.)

8)    The Dukes are seen giving their cheap Christmas gift to a butler at this club.  What is his name?

9)    During the movie we see two checks made out to Clarence Beaks.  How much are they for, total?

10)   Winthorpe's fiancé Penelope is related to the Duke brothers.  How? 

11)   Billy Ray Valentine aggressively hits on a woman while pretending to be a disabled vet.  What movie does he reference during this flirtation?

12)   According to Billy Ray, as he talks to the police, how did he lose his eyesight?

13)   In the same diatribe, where does Valentine say he was stationed in Vietnam?

14)   Also in the same diatribe, what part of the military was Billy Ray a member of?

15)   How many guns does Billy Ray have pointed at him as he emerges from under the table at the club?

16)   What do the police charge Valentine with?

17)   What is Penelope's last name?  (Louis says it once.)

18)   According to Billy Ray in prison, what kind of belt does he have in kung fu?

19)   What later famous actor plays Cellmate #2 during this scene?

20)   According to Valentine, how many cops (plural) did he beat up?

21)   What cell number, and on what floor is Billy Ray being held?

22)   What yearly salary do the Duke brothers offer Valentine?

23)   Billy Ray accidently breaks a vase in his new home, but in doing so the Dukes say he made a profit, as it was insured for more than what it's worth.  How much was it worth, and how much was it insured for?

24)   What organization is Clarence Beaks officially employed at?

25)   In his lie about Louis, Beaks say Winthorpe stole paper money marked with "X's" on it.  What denomination were the bills, and how many?  

26)   What famous writer/director plays the cop who finds the (planted) drugs in Winthorpe's clothes?

27)   What five types of credit cards does Winthorpe possess, according to the police?

28)   What opera does Louis have two tickets to?

29)   What is Winthorpe's prison number?

30)   How much money does Billy Ray owe Terry the bartender?

31)   How much does Beaks pay Ophelia to pretend that Winthorpe is her drug dealer?

32)   What bank do we see Louis futilely try to get cash from?

33)   According to Winthorpe, how much money did he have in this account?

34)   What five visual aids do the Duke brothers show Valentine to explain their jobs?

35)   What three men does Ophelia greet right outside her apartment?

36)   How old does Ophelia say she is?

37)   Where is she from?

38)   How much money does Ophelia have saved up, in T-bills earning interest?

39)   How much longer does she say she'll need to spend as a prostitute before she can retire?

40)   How much money, in cash, will Louis owe Ophelia in exchange for her help?

41)   At the racket club, four of Winthorpe's friends serenade their girlfriends (including Penelope). What four women do they mention in this joke song?

42)   Aside from Todd (the one who moved in on Penelope), who are the other three of Louis's male friends?

43)   Winthorpe sells his watch at the pawn shop.  What brand is it?

44)   How much money does Louis say this watch retails for, and how much does the pawn shop owner give him for it?

45)   What six other cities does Winthorpe say his watch simultaneously tells time in?

46)   What three reasons does Valentine give to George to not go long on April wheat?

47)   When is this movie set?  (We see the exact date printed on Beak's later check.)

48)   What illegal drugs and paraphernalia does Louis plant in Valentine's desk?

49)   Where are the Dukes and Beaks going to meet at midnight to exchange the crop report and the money?

50)   Jim Belushi has an early role at a guy on the train dressed in a gorilla costume.  What is his character's name?

51)   What book is Beaks reading on the train?

52)   What fake names do the costumed Winthorpe, Valentine, Ophelia, and Coleman adapt on the train?

53)   What commodities does Louis mention to Billy Ray at the stock exchange?

54)   What amount does the price of frozen concentrated orange juice open at (presumably per share)?

55)   And at what price do Winthorpe and Valentine start selling at?

56)   What is the final price of the orange juice?

57)   How much money do the Duke brothers need to pay at the stock exchange for the margin call?

58)   What is the name of the butler serving Coleman at the tropical beach in the final scene?

59)   One of Jamie Lee Curtis's relatives plays a role in the movie.  Name her, and her character.

60)   Winthorpe still has his drug, embezzlement, and theft charges hanging over him.  How is he able to travel to the tropics?  This place is definitely out of state, and possibly in another country. (Conjectural)

  

Answers:

1)    It's either called the Benjamin Franklin, Craftsman statue, or Young Benjamin Franklin.

2)    The statue of Rocky Balboa, from "Rocky 3."

3)    Folsey.

4)    The rather generically named "Science Journal."

5)    $347,000.

6)    The Heritage Club.

7)    1776.

8)    Ezra.  Who mocks the Dukes by noting the $5 could pay for a single movie ticket.

9)    The first check is for $50,000, and the second for $10,000, so $60,000 total.  Although Beaks doesn't actually receive the second check, of course, since he's kidnapped and all.

10)   She's the grandniece of Randolph and Mortimer Duke.

11)   "Porgy and Bess."  Which was a 1925 novel, then a play, movie, but most famously, an opera.

12)   He claims it happened when he stepped on a landmine in "Vietcong" in 1972.

13)   Sang Bang, Dang Gong, and then "all over the place."

14)   He says he was a Green Beret, special unit battalion commando, airborne tactic--specialist tactics, unit battalion.  "Really hush hush."

15)   6.

16)   Assault, attempted robbery, and resisting arrest.

17)   Witherspoon.

18)   A chain belt.  Which I don't believe is a real belt.

19)   Giancarlo Esposito.  Who, long before he was Gus Fring in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," was in this movie, and such films as ""Do the Right Thing" (1989), "Malcolm X" (1992), "The Usual Suspects" (1995) and "Ali" (2001).

20)   10.

21)   Cell 4, on the 9th floor.

22)   $80,000

23)   They claim it's worth $35,000, but was insured for $50,000, so he made them a $15,000 profit.

24)   Lyndhurst Security.

25)   Three $50 bills.

26)   Frank Oz.

27)   Mastercharge, American Express Gold Card, Visa, Diner's Club, and Carte Blanche.

28)   La Boheme.

29)   74745058.  Which was the same as the prison number of John Belushi's character in "The Blues Brother" (1980).

30)   $27, which he pays back, with unspecified interest.

31)   $100.

32)   First National.

33)   Over $150,000.

34)   Coffee, bread (made from wheat), bacon (made from pork bellies), frozen concentrated orange juice, and gold.   

35)   Rachim, Mohamed, and Larry.

36)   24.

37)   A small miserable mining town Louis has probably never heard of.

38)   $42,000.

39)   3 more years.

40)   Five figures, or at least $10,000.

41)   Muffy, Margaret, Susan, and Constance.

42)   Harry, Andrew, and Phillip.

43)   A Rochefoucauld.  Which is a fictional brand.

44)   $6955, and $50.  To be fair, Louis didn't have the receipt for it.

45)   Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.

46)   One, Russian wheat isn't going to be as bad as everybody thinks, two, (we don't hear what Valentine and the others are saying for a moment), and three, judging from the jewels around his girlfriend's neck, he'll need every penny he's got to keep her happy.

47)   The check is dated December 24th, 1982.  Although the movie continues a bit into January of 1983.

48)   Marijuana joints, pills, quaaludes, valium, yellow ones, red ones, a cocaine grinder and drug needles.

49)   The parking garage in the Hilton Hotel, Parking Level D, Section 4, which is the Orange Section.

50)   Harvey.

51)   "Will," which is the autobiography of G.Gordon Liddy.

52)   Respectively, Lionel Joseph, Nanga Eboko, Inga, and Coleman is an unnamed Irish priest.

53)   Gold, silver, platinum, heating oil, propane, cocoa, sugar, cotton, and, of course, frozen concentrated orange juice.

54)   102.

55)   142.

56)   29.

57)   $394,000,000.  Which, clearly, the Dukes can't pay.

58)   Demitri.

59)   Surprisingly, it's not either of her famous actor parents, Tony Curtis or Janet Leigh.  It was her sister Kelly Curtis, who played Muffy--one of the 4 women at the racket club.  Who I think only says, "And she stepped on the ball."

60)   The optimistic theory is that once Winthorpe became rich again, he was able to hire a talented lawyer.  Who maybe got the D.A. to drop the charges, since the drugs were so clearly planted.  And/or, perhaps Winthorpe and co. bribed the same cop again, to say he was mistaken or to "lose" the evidence.  As for the embezzlement charges from Duke & Duke, maybe since they're bankrupt and homeless they didn't follow up on these charges, and they were dropped.  Or Winthorpe's good lawyer challenged this obvious setup, and got them dropped for that reason.  As for the theft charges at the club, Clarence Beaks went missing, so maybe this screwed up that case.  Or, more pessimistically, Winthorpe went on the lam, and is currently in a place that won't extradite him back to the U.S.  And I know, I'm reading too much into this--we wanted a happy ending.  I'm just looking for the in-universe explanation.

 

 

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An "Adorable" Dairy-Free Frozen Dessert

      Originally I was going to discuss and rate two kinds of non-dairy frozen desserts.  Alas, after checking into it, one of my potential choices wasn't new--I'd already covered the So Delicious company's wares back on April 24th, 2023, about yogurts.  So, it'll just be one product today--the Cuties from the Tofutti company, based out of New Jersey.

     The Tofutti company was founded by David Mintz.  Mintz, who'd been born in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, had been the proprietor of a Kosher restaurant called Mintz's Buffet.  While at this establishment, Mintz wanted to help out his Kosher customers who required non-dairy substitutes.  Mintz recalled the tofu he'd first tried from Chinatown in the early 1970's, and developed non-dairy items using this as a base.  In 1981 Mintz made the manufacturing of these new products his main business.  Currently Tofutti makes dairy-free versions of cream cheese, sour cream, dips, cheese slices, ricotta, and frozen desserts.  If you're curious, and/or have specialized dietary needs or food allergies, all Tofutti wares lack dairy (including byproducts) and eggs.  Any lactic acid used comes from vegetables, and not animal sources.  Sesame and coconut are also absolutely not utilized.  However, some Tofutti wares do have wheat and gluten, and some also contain peanuts and tree nuts.  Notably, all of their products have soy, tofu, and corn.  And sugar, although this is not processed with bone char.  (I didn't know what this meant, so I looked it up.  Some (most?) sugar gets its bleached white color from being filtered through incinerated cow bones.)  As you might have already guessed from the references to Kosher consumables, Mintz was Jewish, and apparently very devout.  He contributed to many Jewish charities.  He passed only a few years ago, in February of 2021, at the age of 89.

Tofutti Cuties, vanilla flavor:  These are mock ice cream sandwiches, or chocolate "bread" pieces enclosing a vanilla ice cream filling.  They were about half the size of a typical ice cream sandwich, being only about 7 cm. by 4.5 cm. (about 2.75 inches by 2 inches), rectangular in shape.  And they tasted like....regular ice cream sandwiches.  The chocolate outer halves were tasty, and the inner "ice cream" was very good as well.  So these were a triumph, a more than competent imitation of a familiar treat.  They did have a slightly different aftertaste, but this was only slight.  If you like ice cream but are looking for a substitute, for religious, moral, or health reasons, these Cuties are a very good choice.  And even if you still enjoy dairy, but want to eat a bit healthier sometimes without sacrificing the flavor, there's also good.  I'll have to seek out some other flavors of Cuties, or other Tofutti products to see how they are.

     Just as a preview, I will be doing another movie quiz next week.  Not shockingly, it will be associated with Christmas.  More in the "Die Hard" sense--as in it's set at Christmas time, but it doesn't really incorporate Christmas themes in the plot or anything.  See you next week.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A "Revolting" Candy

      Several months ago, I saw a dramatic candy.  It was labeled "Rotten," with a monstrous character on the front label, who had a mohawk, hideous bulging eyes, and very sharp teeth.  The candy itself was gummy worms, to be exact.  Anyway, it will surprise no regular readers that I picked some of this candy up at once.  Specifically, I bought the original gummy worms, and then some sour gummy worms, from the Rotten brand, based out of Santa Monica, California.

     Like some other products--the one that springs to mind is Dr. McGillicuddy from the booze of the same name (see my recent post on August 23rd, 2025 for more info on that brand), Rotten's "creator" is fictitious.  Only this time it's much easier to tell this.  Allegedly, Rotten gummy candy is made by a Doctor Rufus P. Rotten, who along with his clones has developed a candy which can "release your freak in a flash."  If you go by the official company website, that's all you get.  However, I read an interview with the actual creator on another website, which is much more mundane and businesslike.  Michael Fisher was a student at Stanford University, who graduated with a degree in management science and engineering.  He was a big fan of gummy candy, but at the same time he wanted to eat in a healthier manner.  To try to solve this contradiction, after graduating Fisher teamed with some food science partners to do some research and development, in 2021.  A Kickstarter project in 2021 was beneficial, and by October of 2023 Rotten was launched.  Fisher was inspired by brand names such as Liquid Death (see my post on April 15th, 2023 for my take on this water brand), as well as late 20th century brands like the Garbage Pail Kids, and Creepy Crawlers.  Meaning he decided that calling a food "rotten" had a reverse, cool kind of cache to it.  He embraced this philosophy across the board.  Among his company merchandise offerings are a line of "un-fresheners."  And if you join the company's club it's called a "slimescription."  But perhaps paradoxically, Rotten candies are healthier than most.  They use 60% less sugar to sweeten their candies, utilizing alternate sweeteners such as monk fruit and allulose.  Furthermore, their wares have more fiber and protein than typical candies, and Rotten avoids using artificial colors, sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup.

Rotten original gummy worms:  These had a fruity odor.  They were shaped like traditional gummy worms, or worm-shaped.  They were multi-hued, being either orange-yellow, black and red, or red and green.  They were about 1.75 inches long (about 4.5 cm.).  The texture was chewy.  The outer colors didn't seem to affect the taste, as all of them seemed identical.  The flavor was fruity, but not extremely so.  I would have preferred a stronger taste.  Overall then, they were disappointing.  I guess I could really tell that they had less sugar than a typical, better-tasting gummy.

Rotten sour gummy worms.  These were the same size, shape, and color schemes as the previous.  The only difference was that these worms were shiny, and dusted with powder.  They were also noticeably sticky to the touch.  The flavor was improved from the original ones.  Nicely tart.  Once again, the particular colors of the worms didn't change the taste.  I enjoyed these.  In conclusion then, I would recommend the sour worms, but wouldn't recommend the originals.  But I did appreciate the morbid artwork and character, though.

     Rotten did receive some blowback from other "Big Gummy" competitors.  Rotten has reportedly gotten some threatening letters from Nerds, through their parent company Ferrara.  Although, since gummy candy isn't unique, nothing apparently came of this--it appears to have been an empty threat.  Moving on, according to its official company website, I was amused to read that Rotten candy does cause some side effects--namely, "neon tongue" and "uncontrollable spewing of slime."  Clearly this is a joke, but I like that type of levity in a world where businesses are usually much more paranoid about lawsuits and such.  For the record, after eating the Rotten worms I did spew some slime, but it was only in moderate amounts, and very much under my control.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Couple of Prebiotic Sodas

      When it comes to beverages, my intake is very limited.  I basically drink three things--water, beer, and Powerade Zeroes.  I'm particularly opposed to sodas/soft drinks--I haven't regularly had them in well over a decade.  There is one caveat, though--I do try a few exceptions to these big three every year.  But really only for blog posts.  Anyway, today's exception is a couple of prebiotic sodas from the Olipop line--their cherry vanilla kind, and their peaches & cream one.

     The Olipop origin story is refreshingly easy to find online, and is detailed and complete.  One of its co-founders, Ben Goodman, was already in the beverage business in the early aughts.  But, by 2008 he wanted to start his own drink business, so he quit his position at a kombucha-making company.  The source I consulted claimed he spent $300,000 of his own money developing his own probiotic drink, utilizing a homemade laboratory and the services of a microbiologist.  (Which implies that Goodman had either saved a substantial nest egg from his previous job(s), and/or he was independently wealthy.)  The result of this was a probiotic drink that Goodman dubbed Obi, and he started marketing it in 2012.  In 2013 Goodman had a fruitful meeting at a coffee shop with David Lester, which concluded with Lester becoming a business partner.  Alas, Obi never really was successful, so by 2016 the pair decided to sell it, for an undisclosed amount.  Goodman and Lester then founded Olipop in 2018, using $100,000 they'd gotten from the Obi sale.  Setting up in Oakland, California, Olipop's initial line was three flavors--cinnamon cola, strawberry vanilla, and ginger lemon.  Their territory in the early days was Northern California, but once they made deals with the mammoth Target and Walmart chains their drinks were available across the U.S.  Periodically Olipop gets funding from outside investors, including several celebrities in 2022.  These were actress Gwyneth Paltrow, writer/actress Mindy Kaling, and musicians the Jonas Brothers.  As of August of 2025 Olipop reportedly has 373 employees, which is much more precise than the numbers I usually discover online.  Somewhat unusually for a soft drink, because of its ingredients Olipop sodas need to be refrigerated constantly.  If you didn't know the distinction, probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that (hopefully) live in human digestive systems.  Prebiotics are what these bacteria feed on.  So, Olipop's key ingredients are the meals for the "good bugs" that help folks digest food efficiently.  Finally, the name for this company is a portmanteau of the beginning of the prebiotic fiber oligosaccharide and "pop," (which means soda/soft drink).

Olipop soft drink, peaches & cream flavor:  This had a fruity odor, and a light yellow color.  The taste was good--both peachy and creamy.  Not an intensely strong flavor, but not bland, either.  Solid, but not great.  If you're looking for a healthier soda alternative, this seems to be a good choice.  So I'd give it a slight recommend. 

Olipop soft drink, cherry vanilla flavor:  This offering had no real odor, and a deep red color.  The taste was decent--I could detect both the cherry and vanilla flavors.  So it was similar to the previous one--good but not spectacular.  Although it was a bit better than the peaches & cream.  Another slight recommendation.  Also, both of these drinks were much better, calorie-wise, than most sodas, as they only had 45 or 50 calories for a 12 ounce/355 mL can, instead of the typical 150 or more. 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An American/Ugandan?/Sri Lankan? Jackfruit

      A few months ago I was browsing the dried fruit/snack aisle in my local grocery when I saw a blast from the past.  Jackfruit.  Regular readers may recall that I have covered jackfruit a couple of times--most recently on July 6th, 2024.  I decided to give the fruit another chance.  It was from the Mavuno Harvest company, based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

     To explain the question marks in this post's title, the label for this food had a first for me.  Instead of simply stating where the product came from, it read, "Product of Uganda or Sri Lanka."  Or?  They don't know where it came from?  This still puzzles me.  But more on that later.  Anyway, Mavuno Harvest founder Phil Hughes was a Peace Corps volunteer, and he served them in the rural Kenyan village of Miti Mingi in 2005.  Where he noticed that the local farmers grew a lot of fruit, but due to lack of storage, processing facilities, transportation, etc., up to two thirds of their harvest went to waste.  Depriving potential customers of delicious and nutritious food, and the Kenyans (and other Africans) of a viable source of much-needed income.  So, Hughes decided to correct this.  He started Mavuno Harvest in 2011.  And the company purchases the excess fruit from the African farmers and dry it, and then process it, and ship it around the world.  The business is heavily focused on conducting fair trading, paying the farmers fairly, and promoting sustainable agriculture.  Alternate Mavuno dried fruits include dates, bananas, coconuts, papayas, pineapples, and mangoes.  The company also markets a line of dried fruits that are covered in dark chocolate.  Along with a dry roasted nut line, and "fruit bites."  These products, not shockingly, are free of GMOs and are 100% organic.  If you're curious about the name, "mavuno" is a word in Swahili that means "harvest" or "first fruit."  It can also refer to "fruits of labor," and a celebration of the harvest.  So it makes perfect sense for a name of a business that markets dried fruit and such.  Finally, while it's possible that the jackfruit I ate came from Sri Lanka, it seems that Mavuno mainly uses products from Sub-Saharan Africa.  Which would make it more likely to have originated in the African nation of Uganda.  (Also, I already discussed Sri Lanka in my July 6, 2024 post, so I wanted to now talk about Uganda a bit.  So it's partially that, too.)

Mavuno Harvest dried organic jackfruit:  The fruit was a yellowish-orange color.  Cut into thin strips, about the size of a typical potato chip.  They had a sweetish odor.  The texture was dry and chewy.  There were no sweeteners added, and it shows.  The strips were somewhat sweet, but kind of blandish.  But, these jackfruit strips kind of grew on me as I kept eating them.  By the end I thought they were okay.  Not great, but alright.  So I would recommend them, but not in a very enthusiastic way.

     Now let's talk about some famous Ugandans, or at least folks with some Ugandan heritage.  There's Irshad Manji, who was born in Uganda, to parents of Indian and Egyptian heritage.  Canadian by citizenship, she's an author and educator primarily focused on a reformist view of Islam.  Next up is David Kato, who was born and lived in Uganda, and was a LGBT civil rights activist, who sadly was murdered in 2011.  In the world of film, there's Phill Lewis, who was born in Uganda to American parents.  He's arguably best known for roles in films such as "Heathers" (1988), "How I Got into College" (1989), "City Slickers" (1991), "Bowfinger" (1999), "Wish I Was Here" (2014), and on television programs like "Scrubs" (2005-09), where he played Hooch, who may have really been crazy.  Moving to athletics, three Ugandans have played in the NFL.  Twin brothers Kato and Wasswa Serwanga were both cornerbacks.  Kato played for the New England Patriots, Washington (then Redskins) and New York Giants from 1999-2003, starting 3 of 58 total games.  He accumulated 3 interceptions, 4 recovered fumbles, and 3 sacks, for a career AV of 9.  His brother Wasswa played for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings from 1999-2001.  Wasswa's totals were 23 games, 2 starts, and a career AV of 1.  The most accomplished Ugandan NFL player was Mathias Kiwanuka.  He played linebacker/defensive end for the New York Giants from 2006-14.  He started 82 of 120 total games, and intercepted 3 passes, recovered 3 fumbles, achieved 38.5 sacks, and a lifetime AV of 43.  He also played for the Giant's Super Bowl winning team of 2007.  Switching to the Olympics, 4 Ugandans have won gold medals, all in Summer Game events.  John Akii-Bua won in the 1972 Games, in the men's 400 meter hurdles.  In 2012 Stephan Kiprotich took gold in the men's marathon event.  Peruth Chemutai won gold in the 2020 Games in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase.  She also won a silver medal in the same event in 2024.  Joshua Cheptegei won gold in the men's 5000 meter in 2020, and then in 2024 in the men's 10,000 meter.  (Along with winning silver in the men's 10,000 meters in 2020.  More impressively, he holds the world's record time for both of his gold medal winning runs.)  Finally, in the sport of boxing, there's John "The Beast" Mugabi.  He first won silver in the 1980 Games, as a welterweight boxer.  After he went pro, he totaled a record of 42-7-1, with 39 knockouts.  He was also the WBC super welterweight champion from 1989-90.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An American/Italian Cracker

      My local Shop-Rite has been on an especially big Italian food kick of late, and this week's post is yet another example of this.  (This isn't that surprising, given how many folks with Italian heritage live in my state.)  Anyway, today I'll be talking about the garlic crostinis from the Di Bruno Bros. brand.

     I picked these up mainly because the label on the bag read, "Made in Italy," but this is a further example of a product technically made in another country, but for an American-based business.  So that's why I went with the country combo in the title.  Moving on, the Di Bruno Bros. company dates back to 1939, when (of course) brothers Danny and Joe Di Bruno began a shop in the city of Philadelphia, PA, in the historic Italian Market.  The business mainly imported goods--mostly cheeses, gourmet meats, and specialty items.  Most of these were from Italy, not shockingly, but a few were from other nations.  The initial store was successful, so the Di Brunos opened up several other ones in the general area, eventually adding a catering service.  Most of the Di Bruno Bros. meats are typical Italian fare, such as salamis, pepperonis, hams, and prosciuttos, but a couple are more exotic--a prosciutto made from duck, and guanciale, a pork jowl cut said to be smoother than bacon.  Aside from the crostinis I had, the specialty Di Bruno Bros. offerings include chocolate bars, olives, roasted peppers, honeys, cashews, olive oils, and sauces.  Also, I learned the probable reason why I just noticed this product recently--Di Bruno Bros. was acquired by Wakefern in October of 2024.  And Wakefern is the parent company of the Shop-Rite supermarket chain.

     In case you're wondering what crostinis are, they're a traditional Italian appetizer, which usually are pieces of toasted or grilled bread.  Toppings are often added to this, such as meats, cheeses, olive oil, or sauces.  Looking at photos online, these crostinis appear to be very similar to bruschetta.  The history of crostinis is thought to be old, dating back to medieval times, when bread was used in lieu of a plate.  The ones I had, as you're about to read about, were not really bread-like, but instead were crackers.  So evidently there is a little bit of variation about what officially constitutes a "crostini."

     

Di Bruno Bros. garlic crostinis:  These crackers were yellow in color, rectangular in shape, and about 1.5 inches by 1.25 inches (about 3.5 cm. by 3 cm.).  They didn't have an odor.  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  The garlic flavor was strong.  I had some plain, and some with a dip on them.  They were better with the dip on them, but still okay plain.  Overall they were a decent snack, and I would recommend them.  Not spectacular, but pretty good.

     The official Di Bruno Bros. website was mostly the typical product lists and such, but it did have a few unusual tidbits.  Firstly, Philadelphia-area native Cheri Oteri has a partnership with Di Bruno and offers a "Cher-cuterie" gift box.  Oteri is probably best known for her time as a performer on "Saturday Night Live" from 1995-2000, but she also was in such movies as "Liar Liar" (1997), "Small Soldiers" (1998), "Surveillance" (2008), "Bad Parents" (2012), and "Benjamin" (2019).  Secondly, Tenaya Darlington, who also goes by the alias "Madame Fromage," joined with Di Bruno in 2013 to make a book about their cheeses, titled "Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese Catalog."  (It has very good reviews, too--Goodreads has it as a 4.2 out of 5 based on 78 ratings, and Amazon lists it as a 4.6 out of 5 from 57 ratings.)  Thirdly, late chef/journalist Anthony Bourdain did a segment on Philadelphia food for his Travel Channel show "The Layover" which featured Di Bruno Bros. fare.  It aired in December of 2012.

 

"It's Dark in Their Minds: Horror Anthology Volume II" is Out!

 

     I'm delighted to announce that "It's Dark in Their Minds: Horror Anthology Volume II" is out as of today.  This is the anthology I've been discussing for the past several months, which also features one of my stories.  As you can see from the above image, it can be picked up at the RDG Books Press official website, which is:   https://rdgbookspress.com ,or on alternate places such as Amazon.  First and foremost, I'd like to thank Publisher/Editor Rod Gilley for bringing together this anthology.  Next I'd like to list the authors, one by one, along with the titles of their stories within this book.  So here we go:

1)   Paul Lonardo---"Abandoned"

2)   Leslie Kurt--"Prey for Me"

3)   Toshiga Kamei--"Selkie's Call"

4)   Mark Robinson--"Worst Case Scenario"

5)   Pia Cook--"It's Just a Box"

6)   Katie Marie--"Where the Wall are Thin"

7)   Bryan Stubbles--"The Destroying Angel"

8)   R.P. Stein--"Please Be Gentle with This Heart of Mine"

9)   Stacey L. Pierson--"What Rough Beasts"

10)  David McLachlan--"A Family Should Be Together"

11)  Paul Stansfield--"Wet Nightmare"

     

     Also, if you'd like to hear some reviews of the individual stories (with no spoilers), you can check out Arron Hook's review of this anthology on YouTube.  (And that's not a typo--that's how Arron spells his first name.)