Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An Israeli Pseudo Matzo

      A while ago I had a bit of a brush from the past.  As a child, my family and I would occasionally eat matzah.  I liked it, but didn't love it, as I recall.  So I kind of forgot about it, mostly.  It is sometimes part of gefilte fish (see my post on April 6, 2013), which I've enjoyed frequently as an adult.  But I haven't had it separate from the ground up gefilte fish in decades.  Anyway, I saw some on the shelf, and decided to revisit it.  The fact that it was made in Israel sealed the deal.  However, there is a big caveat.  What I tried here was not technically matzah--it was a gluten-free approximation of it.  Or, as the box put it, "Matz-style squares."  From the Yehuda Matzos company, out of Jerusalem.

     The reason the company was so adamant about calling their product "matzo-style" instead of "matzo" is because the food is very strictly defined.  Most notably, almost all Jewish groups agree that matzah must be made using one of five accepted grains--wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or oats.  Along with water that's usually it, for the ingredients.  Some sects allow the addition of egg, and/or fruit juices, but that's about it as far as variants go.  Also, if you're confused about the spellings I've used so far, accepted renderings for this food are "matzah," "matzo," and "mazzah."  Looking at the allowable grain bases used for matzah, you might have noticed a huge problem for those with celiac disease or gluten allergies.  Wheat, spelt, rye, and barley all contain gluten.  Oats do not, but there's still potential snags.  Some Jewish groups don't think that oats are permissible as a grain base for matzah, and claim that their inclusion is based on a mistranslation of holy texts.  And, even if oats are allowed, they're often made into matzah in facilities that also process gluten-containing grains, so there's a strong potential of contamination.  And since even miniscule amounts of gluten can cause misery for celiac and gluten-allergy sufferers, they're in quite a dilemma.  So, gluten-free versions like the Yehuda Matzos type I tried seek to solve this problem.  (Although some rabbis don't accept them.  So depending on how strict you are, this product might not qualify as being acceptable.)  It's complicated, as you can see.  For the record, the matzo I ate for this post was made from tapioca starch, water, potato starch, potato flakes, palm oil, honey, egg yolks, natural vinegar, and salt.  And the box notes that it's "not a replacement for matzo at the Seder."  As for the information about the manufacturer's origins, there's not much.  Yehuda Matzos dates back to 1921, when the Ludmir family started making it in the Israeli town of Safed.  In 1949 the business moved its headquarters to Jerusalem.  Aside from the gluten-free matzo-style squares, the company also makes real matzo, matzo flour, cookies, biscuits, and coated biscuits (coated in chocolate).  And the importing company was the Kenover Marketing Group, out of New Jersey.

Yehuda Matzos original gluten-free matzo-style squares:  These pieces measured about 6 inches by 5.5 inches, or about 15.5 cm. by 14 cm.  (So they weren't technically squares, but they were close, to be nitpicky.)  They looked like the typical matzah I recall, like a whitish cracker with many small holes in it and rib like ridges, with brownish marks near the edges from the cooking.  The texture was dry and crunchy.  Again, it was quite some time ago, but these tasted pretty much like I remember the official matzah tasting--a bit bland plain, with some saltiness.  Kind of similar to a saltine cracker.  Some ketchup on it improved the taste, and with cheese on it the matzah was a proper canape, and very good.  It was a little more crumbly than most canape bases, but still effective.  So, to my mind this is a very credible and nice substitute for those folks who can't have gluten but want to eat matzah, or something very similar to it, to be technical.  I would definitely recommend it, and I'll try to sample this company's "real" matzah and cookies/biscuits if/when I encounter them.

     A few days ago I recorded a Zoom video interview with Rod Gilley, who is the owner and publisher of RDG Books and served as the host.  As regular readers hopefully recall, RDG put out "It's Dark in Their Minds Vol. II" back in October of 2025, and this horror anthology contains one of my stories, "Wet Nightmare."  As soon as this segment is edited and available for viewing I'll post the link here.  I'm hoping this will be soon, perhaps by next Saturday, or even before.  Stay tuned!

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A French Cookie

      Today we'll be discussing a cookie, or to some, a biscuit, from a French company.  Specifically a raspberry tartlet from the Bonne Maman brand, which in turn was manufactured by the St Michel company.

     Normally I strive not to repeat myself, when it comes to brands and companies.  As in, once I cover one brand and/or company, I won't do another post about it.  Instead, if I have another product from this original company, I'll go back to the original post and add to it. This post in an exception.  Way back on May 22nd, 2015 I reviewed a fruit preserve made by Bonne Maman.  However, back in those days, over a decade ago, I didn't usually mention much detail about the manufacturing company.  As such, in the 2015 post, I didn't go into detail about the company at all.  So, this will be new information when I do so now.  Plus, technically the preserves of the 2015 post were made by Bonne Maman, while the tartlets today were made by another company, St Michel, in a partnership with Bonne Maman.  So I think it's different enough, and appropriate for my purposes.

     As it turns out, there is very little detail about the history of the Bonne Maman brand and company.  Fortunately, there is some about St Michel.  (In case you're wondering, I'm not misspelling this--St Michel does not include a period after the "St", for reasons not commented upon,)  Back in 1905 a pastry chef named Joseph Grellier created a new kind of pastry, the galette.  Reportedly the people of the village where Josepf made them, Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef, really enjoyed them.  In 1908 Joseph's wife Constance had the idea of selling these galettes on the nearby beach, to visiting women.  This was a huge boon to their popularity.  In 1919 a biscuit factory was started, and production amped up.  In addition to cookies St Michel also makes other kinds of cakes, pastries, and appetizers.  In 1994 the company was sold to the German company Bahlsen.  Then in 2006 Bahlsen sold St Michel to Monna Baie Biscuits, who then promptly changed their company name to St Michel Biscuits.  But for now let's review the actual cookie itself.  A section about an ugly controversy concerning this company will follow.

Bonne Maman raspberry tartlets:  These were oval shaped, about 6 cm. by 5 cm. (about 2.25 inches by 2 inches).  They were also formed like a dish, with an outer rim enclosing an inner "cup."  The outer part was yellowish-brown in color, while the inner part was a red gel.  The outer pastry part was good, a very decent example of the genre.  And the inner raspberry filling part was also tasty, with a nice sweet and tart flavor.  So, unlike a lot of European biscuits I've had, this one was not bland.  It had a full, bold flavor.  I really like these, and would heartily recommend them.

     I'll preface this next account by stating I got this information from online sources, including Wikipedia, so for legal reasons I'll say all of this is "alleged."  But, that said, back in the 1990's, St Michel did a curious, and to many (hopefully most) people an offensive thing.  They partnered up with a zoo, which was then called Safari Africain, to recreate an Ivory Coast (an African country) village, which they named Bamboula's Village.  To accomplish this, they hired a couple of dozen Ivory Coast citizens to serve as actors.  So, essentially a human exhibit in a zoo.  However, "Bamboula" is an old colonial term, which by the late 20th century was considered a racial slur.  But it gets worse.  The Ivory Coast employees were paid less than minimum wage, and were forced to appear bare-chested even in foul and cold weather conditions.  Their children received no schooling or tutoring during this time.  And their passports were confiscated so they couldn't leave the zoo premises, forced to live in tiny hut replicas.  Obviously, for many reasons, various civil rights organizations and labor unions were appalled by this, and look legal action against the zoo.  It was closed after less than a year, in September of 1994, and the zoo/St Michel were fined a token one Franc fine, plus legal expenses.  (Which may have well been expensive, but I didn't see any exact amounts.)  So this was weird promotion, huh?  "Enjoy this racist exhibit, put on by oppressed employees, and then be sure to buy our pastries."  Hopefully whoever decided that this was an acceptable idea was fired long ago.  And to be fair, it was over 30 years ago.  But still, even for the time it was pretty messed up.  Sorry to get all depressing in this blog post about a cookie, but sometimes that's where the complete story takes us.

     

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Canadian Dried Cranberry Snacks

      I found these randomly in the grocery store a while ago.  When I saw they were cranberry based, I was intrigued, since I like this fruit.  When I discovered that these products were Canadian in origin, that clinched it.  These were the raspberry flavored sour dried cranberries, and the watermelon flavored sour dried cranberries, both from the Patience brand.

     Patience is a brand of the Fruit d'Or company.  This company's roots go back to 2000, when three families, including the Le Moines, started to organically farm cranberries in the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes area in Quebec, Canada.  Reportedly, they were one of the first organic cranberry farmers at this time.  Later, in 2015, this collective began the Patience brand, which consisted of cranberries, and to a lesser extent blueberries, in quite a few of their forms.  Most are dried, but some are organically grown, while others are traditionally grown, and some have sugar added, while others don't, and others have non-sugar sweeteners added.  Additionally, some are sour versions of these fruits.  For the record, the co-founders name I could locate were Martin Le Moine (who is the current company president) and Sylvain Dufour (who is the current VP of business development).  Aside from the Patience brand, Fruit D'Or also markets other cranberry and blueberry products, such as juice concentrates, and also nutraceuticals, meaning supplements and cosmetic/personal care products, again which are either based on cranberries or blueberries.

Patience sour cranberries, raspberry flavored:  These looked like typical dried cranberries, or tiny, red, wrinkled cranberries.  They had a cranberry-like odor, not shockingly. And a chewy texture.  The taste was very tart, but in a good way.  I could detect the raspberry additives.  Overall I liked these quite a bit.  I enjoy cranberries, and cranberry-flavored products in general, and these dried ones, with a raspberry flavor added, were also tasty.  I would strongly recommend these, unless you really hate cranberries.

Patience sour cranberries, watermelon flavored:  These looked and smelled like the previous kind, and had an identical texture.  The taste was similar as well.  Maybe slightly less tart.  I don't usually like watermelon, or watermelon-flavored products, but this one was still good.  Not as good as the raspberry ones, but still better than average.  I'm guessing the fact that they're sour certainly helped.  I would recommend these, too.

     As so often happens when I sample a new product, I'm amused by the company's obsession with one, or a limited few, food types.  In this case, cranberries and blueberries.  I wonder if the Fruit D'Or company is offended by the scene in "The Departed" when characters make certain sex-based assumptions about those who enjoy cranberry juice.  I'm guessing, probably.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Still Yet Another Spanish Cheese

      Happy new year!  I thought I'd start off 2026 with an example of my favorite food type ever--cheese.  Today's offering is the black garlic infused sheep's milk cheese from the Solera brand.  Which, as the title informs, is based out of Spain.

     I couldn't find an official website for Solera.  However, there was one for its American importer and distributer, Specialties, Inc., out of New Jersey.  Alas, it provided no real information on Solera's origins.  But, after Googling it I was able to learn a bit.  Solera was founded in 1967, by the husband and wife team of Mariano Verdeju Solera, and Generosa Monfort Orti.  And their factory was based in---oops.  That's what the AI explanation was.  However, a little more online checking indicated that this was for another company of the same name.  One which appears to be involved with connectors, mounting, breakers, and other electronic products.  I've heard that AI is often questionable with its accuracy, and this seems to be the case here.  Anyway, I couldn't find out much of anything about the cheese-making Solera company.  So, moving up the chain, the incredibly generically-named Specialties, Inc. company began in 1991, and its focus is on importing and distributing European cheeses and cured meats.  Aside from the Spanish Solera, which includes both cheeses and meats, the brands handled are Bellentani (Italian meats), Hotos (Greek cheese), and two French brands--Ermitage (cheese), and La Bistro (meats).  Other Solera products include Manchego cheese, Iberica cheese, Mahon cheese, and two infused goat cheeses--Winey Goat and Rosey Goat.  Plus more cheese made from three different animals' milk--one infused with chili, one with red berry, and one with truffles.  Also, if you're curious, "solera" is Spanish for "on the ground," but it refers to "a process for aging liquids, by fractional blending," chiefly used with wines, brandies, beers, sherries, and vinegars.  (The "on the ground" part indicates the lowest level of barrels used for the mixing.)  So either this cheese company wanted to associate its cheeses with fine mixed wines and spirits, as some of its cheeses are also mixed and blended, or maybe the founder's name was Solera, just like the other company named Solera.

Solera black garlic infused sheep's milk cheese:  This had a pale yellow color, with streaks and edges of black.  It had a mild cheese odor.  The texture was semisoft.  The flavor was mild, with the garlic taste evident but not overpowering.  I had some of this plain, and some as part of a sandwich.  Overall it wasn't among the best cheeses I've had, but it also wasn't among the worst.  And, as I've stated many, many times, even the "worst" cheeses are still pretty good--none that I've tasted are actually bad.  But this one was a more mild cheese, without a strong, distinctive flavor.

     I should be doing a video interview with the publisher of my last anthology, "It's Dark in Their Minds," soon.  Details forthcoming.  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Moroccan/American Canned Seafoods

      I've been on a canned seafood phase lately, so when I saw a new brand on the shelves in Shop-Rite recently, I checked them out.  Specifically, the sardine fillets, and the mackerel fillets from the Season Brand LLC company, out of New Jersey.  However, both types of these fish were actually caught in Moroccan waters.  And there are other Moroccan connections, too, which I'll get into.

     The official company website history of Seasons is one of the more terse ones.  A Polish man named Isaac Epstein immigrated to the U.S. in an unspecified year.  (But presumably in the late 1910's or early 1920's.)  He started the Seasons company in 1921, and it was designed to "sell specialty fish to grocers in the Northeast (U.S.)."  At some unnoted date the company was acquired by RAB Food.  Then in mid 2021 the business was sold to a Moroccan company named Mutandis.  Aside from sardines and mackerel Seasons also offers yellowfin tuna, anchovies, kippers (which are herring of a certain age), and mock caviar made from seaweed.  (If this last product sounds familiar, it's because I covered "CaviArt" in my post on March 11th, 2023.  CaviArt is made by the Jens Moller Products company, based in Denmark, which clearly has a partnership with Seasons to sell the pseudo caviar in addition to their regular fish products.)  The Seasons official company website is also proud that their fish are free of GMOs and their packaging lacks BPA.  They also use sea creatures that are fished in sustainable ways.  But, the focus of Seasons seems to be about how healthy their fish is.  The website goes into some detail about how protein-rich their fish is, and how some are low in salt.  Plus, most notably, how their products are so high in Omega 3 fatty acids.  (Seriously, the Omega 3 notation is on the front of their boxes, even.)  Otherwise, the labels on the boxes of their seafood mention the exact species that customers are eating--in my case the Scomber Colias (aka Atlantic chub mackerel) and Sardina Pilchardus (aka European Pilchardus, and more commonly, one of the many species called "sardines").  (As I think I mentioned before, "sardines" aren't an actual individual species of fish--they're a catchall term used for over a dozen small fish commonly used as human food.  In this case young Pilchardus are called "sardines," while older members of the species are known as Pilchardus.)

Seasons mackerel fillets, in water:  Had a tuna-like odor.  The color of the fish itself was light brown.  The texture was soft and chewy.  The flavor was a little dry and blandish.  Not as good as the oily mackerel I've had as sushi or pickled.  To be fair, I did eat this plain, not as a sandwich or anything.  But, in the past I usually eat canned fish plain, and it tastes better than this.  Overall it wasn't bad, but it was disappointing, since I typically enjoy canned fish significantly more.

Seasons sardine fillets, in water:  These fillets, like the previous one, filled the can, or were about 3 inches long (about 7.5 cm.), with a brown and off-whitish color, and a fishy odor.  The texture was chewy and soft.  These tasted like typical sardines, or good.  They were blander than sardines packed in oil, or with seasoning or a sauce, but still, they were pretty good.  If you like sardines in general, you'll probably like these.  In closing then, I would recommend the Seasons sardines, but probably not the mackerel.  But I will look for other Seasons offerings--maybe the packed-in-water mackerel are a kind of negative anomaly.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Couple of Pre-Mixed Cocktails

      I've been seeing these for quite some time at liquor stores, and recently I finally decided to give them a go.  These were BuzzBallz cocktails, from the LLC of the same name.  I tried the berry cherry limeade, and the grapes gone wild flavor.

     As the origin story on the official BuzzBallz website revealed, this company was begun by one person, a woman named Merrilee Kick.  While working toward her Master's degree, in the early 2000s, she was also employed as a teacher (or maybe as a teaching assistant?  It's unclear.).  While grading papers by her pool one hot summer day, Kick desired an adult concoction, an alcoholic beverage.  Specifically one served in a plastic container rather than in a glass, since the latter is more breakable.  Kick thought it over, and was inspired by a glass votive she'd gotten on a vacation.  (Votives are religious offerings, such as candles, etc.)  Her resulting drink container was, well, a ball shape.  The easy open top was then inspired by the tops of a typical tennis ball can.  Anyway, Kick finished off her MBA, at Texas Women's University, and then started researching the alcoholic beverage industry in earnest.  With some financial help from her family, Kick founded BuzzBallz in 2009.  Since then the business has flourished.  BuzzBallz makes four types of drinks, with the main difference between them apparently being the size of the bottle.  Chillers are 187 mL, or 6.32 ounces.  The mixed drinks are 192 mL, or 6.5 ounces.  Cocktails are 200 mL, or 6.76 ounces.  And the Biggies are 1.75 liters.  All the drinks are 15% alcohol, or 30 proof.  The flavors are often a bit unusual for an alcoholic drink, and may be combined flavors.  Some examples include a passion fruit martini, pineapple jalapeno, espresso martini, horchata, forbidden apple, and choc tease.  Some flavors, like the grapes gone wild, are available in more than one size.  Also, Buzzballs was acquired by the mammoth liquor company Sazerac in 2024, although Kick is still the reigning CEO.

BuzzBallz cocktails, berry cherry limeade flavor:  Had a blue color, and a limey odor.  I didn't taste any berry, nor cherry flavors.  I did detect the lime flavor, though.  It still was pretty decent.  Not great, but pretty good.  So it didn't have most of the advertised flavors in it, to my palate, but the one that was there was well expressed.  I would recommend it slightly.  If anyone cares, the liquor base to this was vodka.

BuzzBallz cocktails, grapes gone wild flavor:  This was a purple hue, obviously, and smelled of grapes.  The taste was grape-y too.  I would have preferred a slightly stronger grape flavor.  This one also tasted boozier--it didn't hide the alcohol as well as the previous one.  Overall the grapes gone wild variety was only mediocre--it wasn't as good as the berry cherry limeade.  However, since there are so many alternate flavors, some quite odd, I do plan on trying more.  If/when that happens I'll amend this post.

     While looking into BuzzBallz LLC, I did learn that the company has its detractors.  Some people, and organizations, accuse it of targeting underage customers.  They cite its bright colors, bright labels, drink names, and overall design as being overly appealing to adolescents.  I didn't see BuzzBallz's, or Merrilee Kick's response to this--presumably they/she would point out that other drinks have eye-catching, vibrantly-hued labels and bottles, with fun and unusual names, and they're just trying to attract drinkers of legal age.  Additionally, Generation Z (typically this generation is defined as being those born between 1997-2012) BuzzBallz consumers allegedly have a dare, or game attached to a BuzzBallz product.  Individuals try to consume an entire Biggie container (or 1.75 liters) in one sitting.  Which, given its size, and alcohol content, is foolhardy, and could result in a trip to the hospital, or even death by alcohol poisoning.  So I'm certainly strongly recommending against attempting this.

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.