Sunday, September 17, 2006

Phuket! It's just Beer...

Maybe some of you know this beer, probably most of you don't. I was at an international food festival yesterday in Sakai prefecture when I saw this beer from Thailand, so I got a chuckle out of the name which is, of course, similar to the popular English expression "FUCK IT". The label depicts a parrot. I don't know if there's a TV ad, but I just picture an ad spot of that parrot just repeating "Phuket, Phuket, Phuket"...

Anyway, the beer itself is really quite tasty, so next time you're in an international liquor store, pick up a bottle or two, hell, even a case, and say "PHUKET!!!" really loud in the store to show your respect to Thailand. Check out their website at http://www.phuketbeer.com.

Friday, September 15, 2006

DEVIL'S PICNIC

It would be well worth it to check out this detailed tour of forbidden fruit by Canadian writer/traveller Taras Grescoe, who travels to 7 countries in one year trying everything that is illegal or taboo to the palette in other countries

He goes to Norway first to try Norwegian moonshine, next to Spain to try Spanish bull testicles and other various gut wrenching foods. Next, he smuggles chewing gum and poppy seed crackers into Singapore, one of the most strict countries in the world with the highest death penalty rate in the world. I have learned you can get fined for walking naked in your own apartment and for not flushing toilets in Singapore. He visits small French villages in search of "Epoisse"s cheese, a raw milk cheese banned for import into the U.S. by the FDA. Then it's back to North America, where he hits San Francisco and New York examining the public smoking bans.

There's also a chapter about Absinthe. He first goes to France to meet a guy who claims that HIS absinthe is the only authentic one in the world only to find out after traveling to Switzerland that Absinthe was first made and perfected by the Swiss. One thing is for sure, the so-called Absinthe that has been available in North America is shit. Not the real thing, completely stripped of it's essential wormwood and other quality herbs.

The subsequent chapter opens with a history of caffeine and what constitutes addiction before ending up in the Basque town of Bayonne. Grescoe briefly samples the town's famous chocolate and points out how the chocolate trade was hijacked by the town elders from the Jews who had made it famous.

In Bolivia, Grescoe checks out the coca leaf, in both its brewed and chewable forms. This allows for a scathing discussion of America's so-called "War on Drugs", highlighting its simultaneous futility and hypocrisy.

The journey ends with the ultimate nightcap, a trip to Switzerland to meet with a firm which offers assisted suicide services to those living in other countries where this is not permitted (aka suicide tourists).

The descriptions of what he's eating are magnificent, sometimes mouthwatering, sometimes pretty disgusting. Grescoe uses food as a pretext to lead readers on a heady quest to corroborate the libertarian principle of free will. Through his well-researched history lessons, readers learn of the birth and evolution of nine different foodstuffs, and the politics behind their prohibition.

The book is very well researched supported by an impressive number of interviews with important players in a variety of countries, from important government figures to people on the street. Every chapter was engaging in this book and it was hard to put down. The facts, history and current status of these substances are cleverly woven together with wonderful writing, colorful interviews and a good sense of humor.

Excellent book, so read it!

Monday, September 04, 2006

The latest Japanese English

Here's a few strange little items I found at Fanbi Town here in Osaka while shopping with my wife the other day. This just further confirms the weirdness of the Japanese.

OK, first we got a new product called "CUBIC FLOG" which is some kind of candle holder or something. Anyway, doesn't matter, it's spelled wrong you tits! FROG is spelled F-R-O-G. If you're going to do a branding job, check the spelling before you name your product. I had a good laugh over that one.

The next 2 are T-shirts. I took the photos with a cellphone, so I couldn't blow them up any bigger. If you can't read them, one has a 70's style illustration of a girl being held by her boyfriend from behind, the caption says "At least I'm not pregnant". What the fuck are the implications of that?

The other shirt is a cartoon-style drawing in the "Bewitched" style with a woman holding up a cake with a caption saying "Dangerous Delight" and then "No Remorse" at the bottom. Lemmy from Motorhead might sue if he sees this one.

You really gotta hand it the Japanese, they try so hard to make the world a big ball of super happy fun joy...

Sunday, September 03, 2006

GRAVITY'S RAINBOW

Well, what can I say about this book. I've heard so much about it and the reclusive and eccentric author, Thomas Pynchon over the years and how difficult his books are to get into. Many people have apparently failed to finish the book because it took too much effort to understand what was going on, some people gave up after as little as 100 pages.

It is true, this is not an easy book to follow. And it's an enormous book, at almost 800 pages with small text. Although this is the first book I've read by Pynchon, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. Start with "V" first. It's more accessible with less references and not so many random characters as Gravity's Rainbow. I'm about two thirds finished that book as I write this.

Next thing. Forget trying to understand everything the first time you read. Don't worry if you can't follow the many side paths the story takes or keep track of every minor character that pops up. Just revel in Pynchon's brilliant prose the first time around and his inimitable style. There are so many fucked up scenes that defy description in this book and that alone makes it worth reading once at least. His imagination is impossible to describe. Just follow what you can the first time through, which fortunately is a lot.

When you boil it all down the plot is quite simple. Will Slothrop find the mysterious Rocket 00000. Pynchon's jokes are hilarious all throughout the book, some that will leave you almost pissing, or crying, depending on your mood, I guess.

If you want to read a pretty good overview of GRAVITY then go HERE, this is about as concise a description as I could find of roughly what the book is about.

There's also a companion to the novel that will help you with all the various historical references written by Steven C. Weisenburger. See more info here. Next time I read this novel, I think I'm going to obtain this book and read it through first, or have it handy while I'm reading the book.

I'm very much looking forward to checking his other books out like MASON AND DIXON and THE CRYING LOT OF 49. He has a new book coming out in November actually, his first book in quite awhile title AGAINST THE DAY.

Here's a few other useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity's_Rainbow
http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/gravity/index.html