Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Fly" (1986)

      My favorite month, October, is upon us!  So I thought I'd kick things off by doing yet another one of my deep trivia dives on some classic horror movies.  Today's choice is 1986's "The Fly," directed by Canadian sci fi/horror maven David Cronenberg.  This is a unicorn film--a remake that surpassed the original, in this case, the 1958 movie of the same name.  (That version was good, don't get me wrong, but it pales in comparison to this Cronenberg version.)  Anyway, it's the usual setup--questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.  And just as a preview, I'll be running a horror movie quiz that's actually from the 21st century during this month, so younger fans might feel more involved.

Questions:

1)    Aside from seeing his world-shattering invention, what consumable does Seth offer Ronnie to get her to go back to his lab/home with him?

2)    According to Seth, why is this consumable top quality?

3)    How many other interviews does Ronnie say she has to do before leaving the science convention?

4)    Seth mentions he gets motion sickness in every mode of transportation.  Including what, as a child?

5)    Upon seeing Seth's telepods for the first time, what does Ronnie think they are?

6)    According to Seth's telepod computer, what are the components of Ronnie's stocking?

7)    What company is financing Seth's project?

8)    What brand of tape recorder does Ronnie use?

9)    What science magazine does Stathis Borans edit?

10)   Stathis jokes to Seth that he wouldn't mind Seth disappearing one of Stathis's employees.  Who?

11)   When Stathis initially thinks that Seth is a conman, what magazine does Ronnie consider taking the idea to?

12)   What is the "one magic word" that Seth says to get Ronnie to talk to him further?

13)   How far away from each other are the two telepods?

14)   Stathis says that at age 20 Seth was the leader of a team that almost won the Nobel Prize for psychics.  Name this team.

15)   To throw Stathis off the scent Ronnie lies and says she's going to do a story for another magazine.  Name it.

16)   What brand of video camera does Ronnie use to record Seth's progress?

17)   Seth has five sets of the same outfit, so he doesn't have to waste time thinking about what to wear.  Who does he say he learned this idea from?

18)   What is the vanity license plate of Stathis's car?

19)   Ronnie suggest a vacation while they're waiting for the teleported baboon to get back from its lab tests.  Where to?

20)   What type of food does Seth suggest eating to celebrate the successful teleportation?

21)   According to Stathis, how long has Seth been working on the teleportation project?

22)   How did Ronnie first meet Stathis?

23)   What beer brewery signs are visible at the bar where Seth meets Tawny?

24)   What does Seth order at this bar?

25)   Seth gorily beats a man at the bar at arm wrestling.  What is this man's name?

26)   And what famous Canadian athlete played this man?

27)   How much money does Seth bet that he can beat this man at arm wrestling?

28)   What cab company do Seth and Tawny use to get back to his home/lab?

29)   What are this cab company's two phone numbers?  (They're on the cab's outside.)

30)   After their fight, how many weeks does it take before Seth calls Ronnie?

31)   What publishing company owns the magazine which Stathis works for?

32)   Stathis compares the stricken Seth to a famous historical figure.  Name them.

33)   How much does Seth weigh?  (He says it when he realizes he's becoming a fly-like monster.)

34)   What is the name of the doctor who Stathis implores to abort Ronnie's fetus?

35)   Using his corrosive vomit, Seth severely injures Stathis.  What are his two main injuries?

36)   Director/co-writer David Cronenberg plays a character in the movie.  Name it.

37)   What is Ronnie's full first name, and last name?  (The last is only in the credits.)

38)   What happened to the fly that shared the telepod with Seth?

39)   So if it wasn't for the fly, would Seth have been fine teleporting?

40)   If Seth's plan to splice himself with Ronnie and their unborn baby had happened, would this have been a success?  (Conjectural)

41)   What piano piece does Seth play when he invites Ronnie to his lab/home for the first time?

42)   What kind of gun does Stathis use to shoot the telepod, and which is later used to kill Seth?

43)   What city, and country is this story set in?

44)   What famous comedian served as a co-producer for this movie?

45)   What Academy Award did this movie win?

46)  What famous person is Seth Brundle named after, reportedly?

Answers:

1)    Cappuccino.

2)    Because he has a restaurant-quality machine to make it, a Faema brand.  (Which is a real brand.)

3)    3.

4)    A tricycle.

5)    Designer telephone booths.

6)    Polyamid-nylon, silicon, miscellaneous fibers, and a very slight amount of organic matter.

7)    Bartok Science Industries.

8)    Sony.

9)    Particle Magazine.

10)   An assistant editor who's outlived his usefulness.

11)   Omni.  Which was a real, but now defunct magazine

12)   "Cheeseburger."

13)   15 feet.

14)   The F 32 team.

15)   Psychology Today.  Which was, and still is, a real magazine.

16)   Again, a Sony, a Super Betamax camera.

17)   Albert Einstein.  I tried to confirm if this was real, and couldn't.  Some sources say it was, others not.  At any rate, it appears Einstein didn't wear the same outfit all the time, for his whole life, at least.

18)   Particle, or the name of his magazine.

19)   Florida, or someplace else warm.

20)   Chinese food.

21)   6 years.

22)   He was one of her college teachers when she was a science major student.

23)   Budweiser and Miller.

24)   Scotch.  Although, like many movie characters, he doesn't mention a particular brand.

25)   Marky.

26)   Heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo.  Chuvalo had a distinguished career.  He finished with a record of 73-18-2, with 63 knockouts.  He beat foes such as Jerry Quarry and Cleveland Williams.  He lost to famous boxers such as Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terell, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Muhammad Ali twice.  Amazingly, he was never knocked down in a fight.

27)   $100.

28)   Co-op Cabs.

29)   364-8161 and 364-7111.  So they didn't use the fake, movie "555" exchange.

30)   4.

31)   Monolith Publishing.

32)   Typhoid Mary.

33)   185 pounds.

34)   Dr. Brent Cheevers.

35)   He dissolves Stathis's left hand, and then his right ankle, taking off the foot.

36)   He plays the gynecologist who delivers Ronnie's hideous maggot baby in her nightmare.

37)   Veronica Quaife.  Her surname is supposedly inspired by an automotive powertrain made by a British motorsports company.  Cronenberg is into auto racing, and motorcycles.

38)   Seth actually catches it in his hand, but then unfortunately lets it go right after.  We never see it again, or learn anything else about its fate, unlike the memorable scene in the original 1958 movie, when the fly/human hybrid meets its fate.  But was this fly now more human like?  Did it become Lord of the Flies, with its greater intelligence and such?  I'd like to think so.

39)   By the rules of movie, no.  (And I realize the baboon seems fine, but still, hear me out.)  Because all humans have tons of tiny living organisms living on, and in them.  Mites, for example.  Or if single cell creatures count, billions upon billions of bacteria.  Unless he somehow took antibiotics, and then killed off all of his many parasites using ultraviolet light or something, Seth would have been spliced with untold billions of other organisms.  Still a great movie, though.

40)   It's unknown, obviously, but it seems like it would be a horror show.  Two conscious humans, plus the fetus in one brain seems fraught with problems.  Plus, with Seth and the fly it appears that the fly, despite its diminutive size, had somehow gotten strong and substantial and was dominating Seth's mind and character.  Maybe it would have eventually done the same with the Seth/Ronnie/Fetus/Fly hybrid.  All in all, it appears highly unlikely that it would have ended well.  Admittedly, Seth was desperate, and not thinking straight, but his plan was doomed, in my opinion.

41)   It's nothing recognizable.  Evidently it's to show that Seth is creative and independent, so he doesn't play someone else's song.  Apparently elements of it were used in this movie's soundtrack, though.

42)   It's a Browning 12 Gauge Over/Under, double barreled shotgun.

43)   Technically they never say, there's only a reference to the conference being in North America.  Other details are a bit conflicting.  The beer signs in the bar are American brands, for example.  But, in the background you can pick out many Toronto landmarks, since it was filmed there, such as the CN Tower, and the Kensington Market.

44)   Mel Brooks.  Really!

45)   Chris Walas and Stephen Dupuis shared the Oscar for Best Makeup.  Despite several critics lauding Goldblum's performance, he wasn't nominated for an acting award, and this was the only nomination the movie received.

46)   He's reportedly named after Formula 1 racing driver Martin Brundle.  Like I mentioned before, for Question #37, Cronenberg loves cars, motorcycles, and racing.

 

   

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Canadian/American Herring

      Recently I picked up a jar of Vita brand herring in sour cream.  Which I've done dozens (hundreds?) of times before, dating back at least 20 years, if not longer.  But, this time I happened to read the label, and saw that while it was an American company, the herring was from Canada.  So I decided to write about it, finally.

     Regarding the history of the Vita company, this time the problem wasn't a lack of information--it was that there was too much, and some of it was conflicting.  I'll include both of the major accounts, and the readers can decide for themselves which seems more plausible.  According to the Vita's official website, it was started by two (unnamed) immigrants in 1898, in the town of Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada.  Then we jump to 1968, when Brown and Williamson bought up the company.  In 1978 Dean Foods acquired Vita. In 1982 the business was sold to an unnamed private investment group.  In 1997 Vita became a publica company.  Moving on, in 2001 Vita Foods bought up the Virginia Honey Company (which sold honey and salad dressings), and then a year later they bought The Halifax Group Inc.  Also in 2002 the Vita Specialty Foods, Inc., (which I think is a division of Vita Foods) was started to combine two acquisitions, and was headquartered in Virginia.  Finally, in 2009 Vita Foods became a private company again, and the headquarters were moved to Chicago, Illinois, where they still remain.  However, another website noted Vita's founding date as being 1911, not 1898.  Then I read a post on "The Herring Maven" blog/website, which bills itself as "Your source for all things herring."  This post had a different origin story for Vita's.  According to it, two young Czech men, Victor and George Heller, immigrated to New York City in the early 1900's.  They got employment at a Yorkville delicatessen, which catered to the neighborhood's largely German, Polish, and Jewish population.  By 1915 the Hellers opened their own deli.  Noting how well herring sold, they decided to start a packing business, selling the fish in kegs, baskets, barrels, and finally, jars.  World War I slowed things down significantly, since Victor went off to fight, and their usual herring sources were otherwise occupied as well.  In the 1920s their company rebounded.  The brothers bought up the former Richard Schnibbe Company's facility in Brooklyn, and started smoking their fish.  And in 1930 they founded the Vita Foods Company, with "Vita" being Latin for "health."  (According to the translating website I used, it means "life," but maybe they used the ancient Latin meaning, or something.)  By the 1950's and 60's their business boomed.  The Hebrew word "Maven" was incorporated in their advertising campaigns for quite some time.  (The article maintains that "maven" means "understand," but I was unable to confirm this.)  Overall, the "Herring Maven" version did seem more detailed, but it obviously was different than the official Vita website one.  As for the conflicting founding dates, the Hellers bought up some other companies over the years.  Maybe one of them had started in 1898, so that's why this date is used.  Anyway, whichever story is the accurate one, Vita has several brands under its umbrella.  The basic Vita one is various jarred seafood, mostly herring.  Vita Classic is packaged, but non-jarred salmon offerings.  Elf is more pickled and jarred herring types.  Grand Isle is smoked salmon.

Vita herring in sour cream.  It looks like chunks of silvery fish with sour cream on them, along with occasional pieces of onion.  There is a fishy odor, but the sour cream muffles this a little.  The taste is strong, and very sour, not shockingly.  A soft, slightly chewy texture.  It's very nice.  Although in fairness I'm a major fan of eating pretty much anything that lives in water, so it would be more surprising if I didn't like it.  If you like heavy, oily "fishy" types of fish, you'll probably enjoy this, too.  It seems to be especially popular in the Midwest, as I've seen it as a common choice at salad bars.  I've surely consumed hundreds of pounds of this in my life so far, and plan to eat still more.  High recommendation.

     I was very amused to discover that there is an entire blog/website devoted to herring.  In an odd way, I admire someone who can be so interested (perhaps even obsessed?) with one food or drink.  "The Herring Maven" post I consulted for this was from 2011, but it's still active as of late 2025.  Good for you, Howie "Herring Boy"--I salute your endearingly weird focus on one kind of fish.  Keep it up!

  

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Jerky Made Out of Mushrooms

      Okay, admittedly this one isn't that exotic, but it is kind of weird, at least.  I've reported on various kinds of jerkies before, such as on January 4th, 2025, and one on vegetarian jerkies on September 25, 2021.  But today I thought I'd cover one made from mushrooms.  Specifically, the original mushroom jerky from Pan's.

     For a change, I was easily able to learn some about the history of the Pan's brand, and the company behind it, which is Panco Foods, Inc., out of Portland, Oregon.  In 2006 Michael Pan visited some relatives in Malaysia.  The folks were vegetarian Buddhists, so clearly they didn't eat meat.  But they did make a dried snack out of mushrooms.  Michael was dazzled by this, and remembered the great taste when he returned back home to Oregon.  He was an engineer by training, and he continued this career for quite some time.  However, in 2018 he launched Pan's mushroom jerky, inspired by his relatives' creation.  Initially there were four flavors, but this has expanded since.  In late 2020, Pan was a guest on the ABC television program "Shark Tank."  Once the judges and potential investors tasted his mushroom jerky, they were interested enough to get involved.  Mark Cuban made a deal with Pan, and others invested as well.  That financial boon, and the national exposure helped Pan's business spread, and thrive.  As of now, beside the one I tried, Pan's also makes mushroom jerky flavors of teriyaki, curry, salt & pepper, applewood barbecue, zesty Thai, and a limited edition kind that uses sichuan mala mushrooms instead of the usual shiitake mushrooms as the base.  The Pan mushroom jerkies are also obviously vegan-appropriate, and free of gluten, soy, and GMOs.  Additionally, they're "Earth Kosher," which I just learned is an organization founded in 2004 that assists companies in earning kosher certification in an affordable and accepted manner.  (I don't know if some super hardcore Jews refuse to accept this Earth Kosher designation, so that's up to the consumer to decide, I guess.)  There is a warning on the Pan label about California's Prop 65 act, based on the safety legislation from 1986.  Pan claims that the mushrooms they use may absorb minute amounts of cadmium, lead, and mercury from the soil they're grown in, but that these levels are not high enough to be dangerous for people.  Again, I suppose potential customers can research this and decide for themselves if they want to eat Pan's products.

Pan's mushroom jerky, original flavor:  Had a brownish-black color.  Earthy odor.  It was stems and caps chopped up, so the shapes and sizes were variable.  The texture was quite chewy, even though the pieces were dry.  Pretty good.  I like mushrooms in general, so this wasn't a big surprise.  This was a new, and different way to enjoy them.  Kind of odd, but more than decent.  I would definitely recommend them, unless you really hate mushrooms.

     Pan's website mentions that their mushroom jerky is "satisfyingly umami."  Which, once more, I had to look up.  Well, umami is a word coined by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda.  In 1908 he identified a fifth basic taste, to go along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.  Umami is savoriness, as is produced by glutamate and some nucleotides like inosine monophosphate and guanosine monophosphate.  These substances help form the overall tastes in foods like beef, cheese, seafood, and soy sauce.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two French Mini Toasts

      One of the additions to my local grocery store in the past year or two is a new, expanded specialty cheese section.  To go along with this, they also started selling more crackers, spreads, etc.  A few months ago I saw that they'd begun selling mini toasts.  From the names of the products, Joan of Arc and Egalite, along with the French flag colors on the latter's label, I assumed that they were probably French in origin.  A closer read of the labels confirmed this.

     I wasn't able to find out much of anything about the makers of the Joan of Arc toasts.  The label read "Since 1918," but that about it for the history of the company.  After a while of online sleuthing, I was unable to discern the name of the company that made them, even (assuming it wasn't also "Joan of Arc").  All I got was that they are distributed by the mammoth cheese company Saptuo, of whom I've covered many time before on this blog.  (See my post on June 27th, 2020 for more info on Saputo's history.)  The Egalite story (or lack thereof), was similar--no details at all about the actual manufacturer, and a bit about the distributing company, Gourmet Foods International.  For that, Russell McCall started working as a Greenwich, Connecticut cheese shop at the age of 16.  Eight years later, in 1967, he knew enough about the cheese game that he opened his own cheese shop.  Then he borrowed money from his grandmother to open up another store in Atlanta, Georgia.  However, due to the industry switch to wholesale businesses becoming hugely successful, McCall sold his retail stores in 1971.  From then on out his company focused on importing and distributing European cheeses and gourmet specialty items.  There are now 10 Gourmet Foods International distribution centers around the U.S.  The firm sells cheeses, lunchmeats, crisps, crackers, and pates.  And like I mentioned, I wasn't able to discover anything about the French baker of the toasts--not even the start date, like for the Joan of Arc ones.  But I can tell you that "egalite" is French for "equality."

Egalite mini toasts:  The toasts were about 3.5 cm square, or about 1.5 inches.  They were a whitish yellow color, with a light brown crust.  There was no real odor.  They looked like tiny squares of toasted bread.  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  No strong flavor to them.  With some fruit spreads on them they tasted better, but still not great.  With cheese on them they were much improved, but isn't everything?  In conclusion, there are many better canape bases than these.  Unless you really like Melba-like toasts such as these, I wouldn't recommend them.  Use a cracker or something to put your cheese or jam on instead.

Joan of Arc mini toasts:  These were about the same size, shape, and color as the Egalite ones.  Maybe a tad more darker yellow.  The texture was also the same--dry and crunchy.  And very bland when eaten plain once again.  With fruit spread on them, and then cheese, the taste was improved, but like the previous one, the overall effect wasn't great.  They were probably a little bit better than the Egalites, but still not enough for me to recommend them, unless you're mad for Melba like toasts.  To me, toasting bread, especially twice, almost always is worse than just having the bread fresh, and nice and soft.

     Since this post has been so light, I thought I'd go on a tangent about the food type itself.  The mini toasts I ate strongly appear to be a form of Melba toast.  Which, refreshingly, I was able to learn a few facts about.  Back in 1897 the famous opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, was ill while in France.  A sympathetic hotel chef, Auguste Escoffier, came up with a dish that she could eat in her delicate state.  It was a variant of rusk, or dry and crunchy twice baked bread.  Auguste took some sliced bread and grilled it on both sides.  Then he sliced it laterally and did it again, resulting in tiny, thin, hard and crunchy bread pieces.  Hotel owner Cesar Ritz suggested that Escoffier continue making this concoction, and they decided to name it after Ms. Melba.  Enough people enjoyed it that it spread to other countries, and continents.  It's apparently called "French toast" in the U.K., while we Americans save this moniker for the soft, syrupy, breakfast treat.  Escoffier seemed to have a lot of respect for, or perhaps an obsession with Ms. Melba, since he named three other invented dishes after her.  These were Peach Melba (a peach, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream combo), Melba Garniture (chicken, truffles, and mushrooms stuffed into a tomato, with a savory sauce), and Melba sauce (a raspberry and red currant puree).  The chef also named dishes after actress Sarah Bernhardt, actress Gabrielle Rejane, and composer Gioachino Rossini.  Nellie Melba had a long and distinguished career, living from 1861-1931.  And Nellie Melba was a stage name, as she was born Helen Porter Mitchell, in Australia.  The "Melba" from her stage surname was a tribute to her home city of Melbourne.  Finally, I couldn't determine this exactly, but I think Nellie Melba might hold the record for most food dishes named after a person, excluding royals like kings and queens.

  

Horrorsmith: The Magazine Issue #3 is Out!

     I've been talking about pending magazines or anthologies that are scheduled to publish one of my stories for months now.  Well, the day is finally here for one of them.  My story, "Blissful Knowledge," is part of the most recent issue of Horrorsmith: The Magazine.  "Blissful Knowledge" is a throwback zombie tale, back in the pre-George Romero days when zombies were forced labor in the Caribbean.  But, with enough twists to keep things interesting, I think.  I actually wrote this story back in 2001, so it's nice to see it finally get a home in print.

     The cover above lets you know several of the authors featured in this issue, along with their story titles, as well as some other writing-related articles.  But, I'll let you know some of the other tidbits in the magazine.  There's a story titled "The Vulture King," by James Oakley.  There are also two publisher spotlights, one for Slashic Horror Press, and the other for Crystal Lake Publishing.  Additionally, there are two reviews of recent horror/thriller books--Dathan Auerbach's "Bad Man," and William Rose's "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  Then there are a Recent Releases section, and an article about the Best Indie Book Covers.  All of this was spearheaded by Horrorsmith's Editor in Chief Lyndsey Smith.  So, do yourself a favor and head on over to Horrorsmith's website ( https://www.horrorsmithpublishing.com ), and pick yourself up a copy.  There's no risk, since the magazine is free.  And while you're on this website check out Horrorsmith's many available books, in a range of categories.  Their imprints include Fear Forge (horror), Thrill Forge (thriller), Teen Forge (young adult), and Spiced Forge (romance).  Or, something for practically everyone.

     

     Switching topics a bit, speaking of published stories, my other accepted story for this year, with RDG Books, now has a scheduled release date of October 10th, 2025.  And I believe some of my co-contributors for this anthology may be doing an interview or two on my blog.  So get ready to read about this upcoming anthology quite a bit in the coming weeks.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Organic Snack/Protein Bars Made by a Killer

      A while ago I was shopping for protein bars, and saw something new.  I'd seen television ads for Dave's Killer Bread before, and had even seen some of its loaves on the shelf.  But I didn't know they also made bars.  The label had some rather startling information about the Dave of the brand's name, saying he had an extensive criminal background.  This was different enough, so I got a couple of them.  I tried the oat-rageous honey almond organic snack bar, and the peanut butter chocolate chunk amped-up organic protein bar.

     I often complain that the companies whose food and drinks I'm trying have little to no information about the business's histories, and founders.  Sometimes it's not even included on the official company website, and I have to track it down elsewhere online.  Well, Dave Dahl, who founded Dave's Killer Bread, is admirably forthright that he's an ex-con.  (Although some of the finer criminal details were found elsewhere, to be sure.)  So here's the history.  In 1955 Jim and his wife Wanene Dahl bought the Midway Bakery, in Oregon.  In 1984 Jim renamed it NatureBake.  Evidently he was ahead of his time in some ways, such as experimenting with sprouted wheat bread, and using organic ingredients long before it was popular.  In the interim, one of the Dahl's sons, Dave, had a troubled childhood, and troubled young adulthood.  (I guess the rest of this paragraph should all be "allegedly," since I read it from sources other than the Dave's Killer Bread official website.) Born in 1963, Dave started using drugs as a teen, and became addicted.  He was jailed in 1987 for burglarizing a home.  A few years later, during a stint in Massachusetts, he again was convicted and incarcerated, this time for armed robbery.  While in prison, he received treatment for his drug addiction, and behaved well enough that he got an early release in about 2004.  Dave, along with his nephew Shobi, went back to work for the family bakery in Oregon.  In 2005 he developed a new kind of organic bread, which he started selling at the Portland Farmer's Market.  Since it was so appreciated, he started his own company, calling it Dave's Killer Bread.  The business prospered.  So much so that when Dave sold the brand to Flower Foods in 2015, he got $275,000,000.  By 2016 the bread was being sold in Mexico and Canada.  Alas, Dave's brushes with the law were not over.  In 2013 a friend called the police because Dave was having a mental health crisis.  When they arrived he tried to flee, and rammed two cop cars, and then fought with the arresting officers.  In 2014 he was found guilty except for insanity of two counts of assault, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.  Because he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he avoided jail because he agreed to be put under the supervision of the Psychiatric Security Review Board, and to avoid driving and going into bars.  (Presumably if he avoids treatment or meds or whatever he would void the agreement and return to jail.)  I also read that at some point in his life, perhaps the 1980's or 90's, he was convicted of drug distribution.  But, fortunately, since this incident he appears to have cleaned himself up entirely.  And I don't mean to be cruel--people sometimes change, and Dave certainly seems to have done so.  And I used the title I did for sensationalistic purposes, since no source held that Dave really killed anyone.  It's "Dave's Killer Bread," after all, not "Killer Dave's Bread."  (And presumably the bread itself hasn't murdered anyone, either.)

     So, that's more interesting and exciting than most founder's bios, isn't it?  Not shockingly, given his personal history, Dave is more than willing to hire ex-cons at his company, in their Second Chance program.  You can read the histories of many of these employees on the official website.  Other products made by Dave's Killer Bread include, not shockingly, several kinds of bread, such as "21 whole grains and seeds," "white bread done right," and "100% whole wheat".  Many of these are also sold in a thin slice version.  Furthermore, the brand also markets various kinds of bagels, English muffins, burger buns, sandwich rolls, and snack bites.  Alternate flavors of the protein/snack bars include cocoa brownie blitz, trail mix crumble, amped-up chocolate coconut, and amped-up blueberry almond butter.  All of the Dave's products lack GMOs, and all but some of the snack bites are vegan-appropriate.  But all have gluten.

Dave's Killer Bread oatrageous honey almond organic snack bar:  It was square, about 2.25 inches by 2.25 inches (or about 5.5 cm. by 5.5 cm), and was a light brown color.  The outer appearance was rough and there was a slight oat-y odor.  It had a dense, chewy texture.  It did taste oat-y.  But it wasn't very sweet.  I couldn't really detect the almonds, or the honey.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't that good.  It was bland, and too tame.

Dave's Killer Bread peanut butter chocolate chunk amped-up organic protein bar:  This one was the same size and shape as the other one.  It also had a rough appearance, this time with visible chocolate chunks.  The smell was like peanut butter, slightly.  Once again, the texture was dense and chewy. And also once again, the flavor was lacking--it didn't have a very strong taste.  I usually enjoy peanut butter and chocolate combos, but this one was bland.  So also disappointing.

     Overall I was quite underwhelmed by these bars, and wouldn't recommend them.  But, to be fair, I didn't try Dave's specialty, which of course is bread.  I'll try to scare up a loaf, and report back on it.  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Canadian/American Flavored Liqueur

      A week or two ago I decided to do some browsing in the hard liquor aisle at one of my local liquor stores.  I've seen various Dr. McGillicuddy offerings over the years, but I didn't really take much notice.  But this time I did.  And I saw that it was made in Canada.  Which is exotic enough, I think.  So I got one--the apple pie flavor.

     According to the label on my bottle, Aloysius Percival McGillicuddy was born in 1808.  He was a barkeep and part owner of the Shady Eye Saloon.  In his will he bequeathed his home, livestock, and half interest in the saloon to his 5th wife, Hermione, aged 22.  To his (unnamed) son, he left his watch, dueling pistols, and favorite pipe.  And then, to quote it exactly, "To the world I present the recipe for Dr. McGillicuddy's, whose refreshing taste has made me a bit of a legend in these parts.  To your fortune!"  The bottle also is embossed with "Est. 1865."  And the provided info on the official website adds that the "Dr." title might be honorific rather than literal.

     Except, none of the above is true.  Ha!  I had a little fun with you.  Dr. McGillicuddy is the invented character for a liquor brand.  The real history of the brand is much more murky than the fictitious one.  It started as Dr. McGillicuddy's Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey in the mid 1980's, for the Seagram company.  However, in 1989 Seagram sold it to the giant Sazerac liquor firm, of which I've reported on a few times before, on December 19th, 2020, and June 11th, 2022, and March 22nd of this year.  This brand makes quite a few flavored liqueurs, and some flavored whiskeys.  Examples of the former are root beer, cherry, peppermint, raw vanilla, coffee, mentholmint, peach, butterscotch, and wild grape.  Examples of the latter are honey whiskey, peach whiskey, apple whiskey, and blackberry whiskey.  Also, if you're curious about what you would look like with various old timey mustaches, the official Dr. McGillicuddy website has a "mustache machine" feature where you can see this, using 6 different styles, and several different hair colors.

Dr. McGillicuddy's apple pie liqueur:  It had a strength of 21% alcohol, or 42 proof.  The drink had an apple-y odor, and a yellowish hue, like apple juice.  It tasted....like apple pie.  It starts off tasting strongly of apples, and ends with a cinnamon, somehow pastry-like flavor.  So, overall it was very good and I quite enjoyed it.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting a different kind of shot, especially if they like apple pie.  (Which, when you get right down to it, doesn't pretty much everybody?)  So unless you really hate sweet alcoholic drinks or something, you'll probably like this.  I plan to try other Dr. McGillicuddy offerings in the future, as well.

     After I checked around a bit on the official website, I tried to figure out if there had been an actual person named Dr. McGillicuddy, or at least a historic inspiration.  And I think I have a good candidate.  There was a Valentine Trant McGillycuddy, who lived from 1849-1939.  He was a graduate of a real medical school, and spent much of his life as a surgeon.  He went into the American West, acting as a doctor, topographer, and surveyor, on various expeditions.  Initially he seemed unusually progressive about American Indians.  He tried to save Crazy Horse after he was mortally wounded, and lobbied the American government to treat Indians better.  Alas, later, when he was the Indian Agent at the Pine Ridge Agency (in South Dakota), his reputation with the Indians plummeted.  They accused him of mismanagement, and various forms of corruption.  Still later, in 1879, he was the first Surgeon General of South Dakota.  And in 1897 he was briefly mayor of the South Dakota community of Rapid City.  When World War I broke out McGillycuddy re-enlisted, and helped treat influenza patients in the Western states and Alaska.  I can't be positive that Dr. McGillycuddy was the impetus for the fictional liquor brand Dr. McGillicuddy, but the similarities sure seem suspicious.