Pie Fridays!

Yes, not only is it great that it is Friday and the end of the work week- but I just discovered that every Friday at The Ritespot is
PIE FRIDAY!!

Tonight, they had maple pecan and apple blackberry - since I was with a friend, we tried both, of course. They are made from scratch by the bartender - and we signed up on her e-mail list to get advance notice of what kinds of pie will be on the menu. Score! It was a great follow-up to the very tasty tacos we had earlier at the infamous Tonayense taco truck in the Mission (it was my first time there, and the tacos were very good and I will be back again for sure). I will definitely be stopping by on another Friday very soon for tacos, happy hour AND pie.

Kewpies

I have always been fascinated with Kewpie dolls (and have collected them for awhile), and just discovered some freaky cell phone dongles...the bottom one is Kewpie in Japanese rope bondage......nice:

This Japanese site, StrapYaWorld, sells ONLY dongles and offers an absolutely overwhelming variety of Kewpie dongles dressed as every anime character you can imagine:


Is this Kewpie sperm?

On that note...have a great weekend everyone!

I Love Livestock Portraits

I am currently obsessed with 1800's era British Livestock portraits like this one by R. Whitford, Pen of Theaves:


The paintings depict sheep, cows, pig and the like but are just a little bit off in their representation - these sheep, for instance, are pretty oddly shaped, and their asses are unusually rounded (not that I'm an expert on what sheep butts look like). Apparently in the 1800's, livestock painters would go from farm to farm to paint livestock...sort of like traveling salesmen. These artists were not very highly regarded in the art world, either, but I think their works are charming...
I actually found an even better painting by W.H. David in a back issue of Gastronomica- but I haven't been able to find a photo of that one online to share unfortunately... Check out Thomas Weaver's alarmingly rectangular ram...did it swallow a bathtub?:

I would not want to eat a pig that looked like this portrait by W. Gwynn. Engr. W. Wright, Shropshire Pig:


And this bull below....there's...just...something...strange...:

Anyways, I want to cover my kitchen walls with these oddities!! Check out the above works and more at The Museum of English Rural Life.

J-E-L-L-O

Now you can make a dessert that all your dinner guests will enjoy:This is the Eat Your Face Gelatin Mold Kit - this handy kit will allow you to serve your face as a tasty treat (and apparently, leave an unfortunate stain on your face in the process). The site touts "Family fun for any holiday or special occasion: Dad can take a bite out of Mom's beautiful face, Sis can finally bite off her pesky brothers nose, and Grandma and Grandpa can give each other an instant gelatin face lift." The mold also comes with a money back guarantee...how you can you lose?

Did you know there is a Jell-o Museum, located in LeRoy, New York? Not only can you learn about the history of this very American dessert- you can buy the Jell-O themed golf balls and golf shirts you have always wanted:

While the museum's website describes Jell-O as 'Delicate, Delightful and Dainty', really, if you think about what it's made of it really ain't: Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs, and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, and horses.
Y-U-M.

The Bitten

Last night, I went to The Crucible to see a fire ballet, Dracul: The Prince of Fire - which was a spectacle that I highly recommend! The Crucible is a non-profit industrial arts organization located in West Oakland. They teach a variety of classes from welding, blacksmithing, ceramics, neon, to jewelry making.

The set for the ballet was made mostly of metal, and there were lots of pyrotechnics - in fact, there was not much traditional stage lighting and fire was used mostly instead. The aerial acrobatics were most impressive! The performances continue this weekend and next so if you can, check it out!