Tweet of the Year

pic.twitter.com/HWIxhWn55Z

— Orli Matlow (@HireMeImFunny) November 30, 2018

Iggy Pop and Anthony Bourdain

H/t to Alan.

Eating the Globe: Saudi Arabia

I got a box of 12 individually wrapped Saudi date-filled cookies. They kind of tasted like Fig Newtons, but flakier. It smelled a bit like alcohol too. The ingredients are all natural: wheat flour, dates, butter, sugar, yeast.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

World Leaders Cars: Update

I'm making great progress. The research has been a lot easier than my first go at this a decade ago.

The remaining countries fall into two categories: tiny countries and rich countries with leaders who have large car collections (Brunei, Monaco, Saudi Arabia).

I am still trying to find the rides of the following countries:

• Andorra
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Grenada
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Mozambique
• Palau
• Palestine
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu

World Leaders Car (17)

161. Antigua and Barbuda: Lincoln Town Car. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

162. Bahamas: Lexus LS. 2008 car: Cadillac DTS.

163. Bahrain: Mercedes S-Class. 2007 car: Maybach.

164. Cabo Verde: Toyota Prado. 2007 car: Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

165. Congo: Mercedes G-wagen. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

166. DR Congo: Toyota Land Cruiser. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

167. Ecuador: Hyundai Genesis. 2008 car: Nissan Patrol.

168. Greece: Audi A6. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

169. Iraq: Chevy/GMC Suburban/Yukon. 2007 car: BMW 7-Series.

170. Solomon Islands: Toyota Prado. 2008 car: Toyota Land Cruiser.

Tally
Mercedes S-Class: 45
Toyota/Lexus Land Cruiser: 33
BMW 7-Series: 15
Audi A8: 10
Lexus LS: 10
Toyota/Lexus Land Cruiser Prado: 9
Chevy Suburban/GMC Yukon: 7
Mercedes Gelandewagen: 7
Jaguar: 2
Land Rover Discovery: 2
Range Rover: 2
Audi A6: 1
Aurus Senat: 1
BMW X5: 1
Cadillac: 1
Chevy: 1
Citroen DS7 Crossback: 1
Hongqi: 1
Honda Accord: 1
Hyundai Equus: 1
Hyundai Genesis: 1
Hyundai Santa Fe: 1
Isuzu MU-X: 1
Lancia Thema: 1
Lincoln Navigator: 1
Lincoln Town Car: 1
Mercedes E-Class (old): 1
Mercedes E-Class convertible: 1
Mercedes GL: 1
Mercedes-Maybach: 1
Mercedes ML/GLE: 1
Proton: 1
Rolls-Royce: 1
Skoda: 1
Toyota 4Runner: 1
Toyota RAV4: 1
Toyota Sequoia: 1
VW Touareg: 1
VW Transporter: 1

Chinese in Brunei

I'm continuing my search for world leaders cars and came across this video while looking for the Sultan of Brunei's official car. I had no idea that Chinese people make up the second largest ethnic group there.

The people of North Sentinel Island

On Thanksgiving, I read about an American Christian missionary/adventure blogger who surreptitiously visited the forbidden North Sentinel Island (administered by India) and got himself killed by locals armed with bows and arrows. Here is a good thread about the island's history. And here is video of a previous government-sanctioned contact.

Driving the Suzuki Kizashi from Japan to LA

Twitter pointed me to a 2010 Motor Trend story about a couple of relatively stock Kizashis that drove, with factory support, from Japan to Russia to Alaska to Los Angeles. Traveling the Kolyma Highway from Yakutsk to Magadan is on the top of my travel bucket list right now, and after reading the tale, I'm convinced that it's really not that hard to do. The challenges:

• Bad drivers
• Unsafe cars and trucks on the road
• Poor dirt roads
• Poor paved roads
• Isolation
• Lack of service
• Cold weather (Susuman is the coldest town on the planet in the winter)
• Fording rivers (probably just one or two rivers in the summer)

Other than the rivers part, it's not particularly worse than parts of the Pan-American Highway. If I ride in a Land Cruiser with an experienced crew equipped with a satellite phone, I should be fine.

Here is the Motor Trend story, with 275(!) photos.

And here is Motorweek's review of the rare car.

Eating the Globe: Vatican City

I went on Amazon and bought a box of communion wafers. Before you get upset, I checked with my godson's father, a lifelong Catholic. He told me that as long as it has not been blessed by a priest yet, it's just bread.

It tasted like paper.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Eating the Globe: Andorra

Yesterday, I made escudella. It's a hearty stew/soup consisting of ham, sausage, ham bone, chicken, cabbage, garbanzo beans, and white beans (and pasta and rice). There are no herbs or spices other than just salt and pepper. The meal is meant for cold January evenings. It's a bit too heavy and rich for me. Crusty bread might have gone well with it, but because pasta and rice were already in the dish, I chose not to buy bread.

Vatican City is next!

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

VW electric racer up Pike's Peak

I'm so behind on the news. Here's the record-breaking run. Kudos to the helicopter pilot and cameraperson!

White Porsche collection

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been super-busy at work and the smoke from the fire has me feeling down. I should be eating a Vatican City meal this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy this crazy collection.

Eating the Globe: Dominica

This is Calypso chicken. I overcooked the chicken and put too much ginger in. 

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Huell's Gold podcast interview

I recently became a huge fan of the Huell's Gold podcast. Chris and Allan discuss one classic Huell Howser TV episode every week, dissecting every location, wardrobe, and guest with humor, fondness, and nostalgia. The duo was kind enough to answer questions from this Huell Howser superfan.

Huell's Gold podcast link.
Twitter link.
Instagram link.

1. How would you describe Huell Howser to someone who had never heard of him before?

Huell, first and foremost, is an historical booster. California had many types and styles of boosterism throughout its history. People and organizations that aided in cementing the legacy of culture and history, embellished or otherwise, even before California was a state. Huell was the last great California booster, with his show, as seen through the eyes of a Tennessee transplant, California was shown less for its glitz and beaches, and more for its people. Huell was the last television booster but the first California people booster, because that's what his show was really about. The people. 

2. What prompted you to start a podcast about his shows?

It all started after a visit to the Chapman University Huell Howser Exhibit. My wife, her family and I (this is Chris talking) had went on a Disneyland trip in 2016. It was a pilgrimage of sorts, as I had had a dream that many fans of California's Gold had...running into Huell and Louie out on the streets, or on a trail, or on a mountain, filming a segment of the show. After Huell's death, that obviously wasn't possible, so the Exhibit became the closest I could ever come to that. It did not disappoint. 

After returning home, and binging Huell for hours, I started to think about how KCET and PBS could continue the work Huell had started. I knew a reboot or replacement could and should never be attempted. Then in a flash, it hit me...I had been recently listening to the Seincast podcast. A retrospective on all 9 seasons of Seinfeld, one episode a week. I thought, someone should do that for California's Gold.....Why don't I do it! Within a matter of seconds I was on the phone with Allan, whom I've been friends with for years and always had long historical, economical, philosophical, musical, even gastronomical debates and discussions with. It took only a matter of minutes for him to agree and off we were planning for our January 2018 debut. 

3. What is the goal of your podcast?

Goal....I don't think we really set out with a specific goal. At first, it was to see if we could even make a podcast. Neither of us had done anything like it, but thought, "hey, if it sucks, we'll delete and tell no one." After a few weeks of doing the show, we realized that, as small of a piece of the Huell puzzle as we are, we had now entered into the "Huelliverse" as we call it. Which is simply anything or anyone who felt compelled to do something Huellish, travel, talk to interesting strangers, find out interesting California historical tidbits, or even analyzing the work Huell left behind. 

4. What is your favorite episode and why?

Wow, that's like asking to pick a favorite kid, or pet. Now, not to say that every episode is 100% gold. Despite our bias as heavy Huellheads, we know that not all episodes are created equal. However, we are pretty partial to any episodes shot in our back yard of Bakersfield/Kern County. Huell seemed to really have a soft spot in his heart for this area and he always shown it in the brightest of lights. Our area of California gets a lot fo flack, and we know it's not perfect, but the perceived notion that Bakersfield is the "armpit" of California is laughable to us. 

5. What has been Huell's impact on California and Californians?

Hmmm, his most lasting impact has got to be the way he went about his show, and just life in general...See this big place we live in, see it for yourself, and find the beauty and positivity in all of it. No episode of California's Gold ever was based on the premise of tearing down a place, a person, or a thing. All shows began with, and ended with an excitement that to most, is infectious. Now, we know some people are Huell Haters, and that's fine...but just know, it says something about you if you hate something so pure and joyous as California's Gold and Huell Howser. 

6. How many hours a day do you think Huell worked out?

In the early days, every day. We have been in touch with old friends of Huell's from his early days at KCET, and a number of them mention having met Huell at the gym. To have made so many friends at the gym, you must go A LOT!!

7. Was Huell's on-screen persona the same off-screen? Did he have a dark side in real life?

From everything we have heard from Luis Fuerte, former employees of Huell Howser Productions, and even people interviewed on the show, one things holds true...The person you saw on camera was the real deal. Luis Fuerte did pull the curtain back on some Huell idiosyncrasies, but no dark side...With that being said, we have watched a lot of Huell Howser television, and when you peel back the persona slightly, and really try and analyze Huell the man, as opposed to Huell the host, small things start to seep through. 

One episode in particular gave us this impression. It was episode 11012 "Neptune Pool" and on the surface it is a great, fun episode. It features Huell getting to live a lifelong dream of swimming in the famous Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle. Once Huell does get in the water and is swimming with the family that allowed him to join (they had won a contest to get to swim in the pool) It began to dawn on us, Huell seemed lonely. His interactions with the family shown a small glimpse into a life that was dedicated to his craft and his work. When reading Louie's book, or watching "A Golden State of Mind" the PBS documentary on Huell, talk of friends and family are slim, and one can only believe that Huell considered everyone to be his friend. And I guess, when looking at it that way, maybe he was never lonely at all. 

8. Most of Huell's programs are archived by Chapman University. He also left his estate to the school. What was his connection to Chapman?

From what we can tell, he went to Orange to do a story on the school and really loved the campus and the faculty, and stayed in touch with them for a number of years. Toward the end of his life he was given an Honorary Doctorate from Chapman and was even the key note speaker at that year's graduation. I think Huell wanted to entrust his legacy to a place that would continue to cherish California and Chapman seemed like the place to do that. 

9. Huell had always been apolitical. What would he make of the current environment we live in?

You know, that has been a subject we have tried to study when rewatching shows. Very few glimpses of Huell's political leanings are ever visible. But, the episodes of Visiting he did after the 9/11 attacks really opened Huell up to his audience as far as his patriotism is concerned. Huell always had a smile and a positive attitude and I think shifts in politics or culture really didn't phase him. Huell was Huell, and the world could change around him, but it couldn't change him too much, 

10. Why do you love Huell Howser and his programs so much?

That really is one of those intangible type of things. Huell either grabs you, or he doesn't. It seems like his infectious attitude and excitement for everything California grabbed a lot of peoples attention over the years. When you think about the fact that he was a semi-regional public television host, with thousands of shows that all looked and felt nearly identical, that were all very low-tech, about things as minuscule as a woman's lawn, or an old cabin, or even yes, an avocado eating dog, it really is AMAZING that he made the impact he did. Huell really seemed to quantify and simplify the art and science of television down to a simply quote he said for years "TV ain't rocket surgery." But it wasn't TV that made Huell the person he was, it was just...him. Good ol' Huell. 

Macron and Merkel

To the people outside America: We are not even looking for an inspirational leader anymore. We are fine with someone who is just not a total asshole.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveil commemorative plaque at the spot where the Armistice ending World War One was signed 100 years ago #armistice100https://t.co/DQkmIoqdap pic.twitter.com/SaxkbAjcSS

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 10, 2018

Lewis Hamilton's younger brother

Middle Eastern airlines can't fly the shortest routes

This is a hilariously sad article. Here's a summary:

• No one flies over Syrian airspace for obvious reasons, except Lebanon's Middle East Airlines, which doesn't give a shit.
• Qatar Air can't fly over Saudi Arabia.
• Due to insurgents, no one flies over northern Sinai.
• Libyan and Yemeni wars make flying to Africa difficult.
• No Arab airline flies to Israel other than Egypt (which uses a subsidiary jet with no livery) and Royal Jordanian (which cannot fly over Israel to get to Lebanon).
• For El Al planes to go to East Asia, it has to fly down the Red Sea to the Horn of Africa, and then turn east.

Chinese government admits to Uyghur re-education camps

After months of denials, this 15-minute news documentary aired on CCTV. It's a re-education camp near the city of Hotan, where the "guests" are indoctrinated and given vocational training. You don't need to understand Chinese to see what's going on there. All the young people interviewed say how their parents are happy for them and they are happy for themselves. And that they never want to go back to their past lives.

It's maddening to see an entire people erased before our very eyes. And the Uyghurs in charge of the camps-- there's a special place in heck for these collaborators.

Here is a Guardian article about the video.

Eating the Globe Update

I've made a lot of progress!

No disrespect to Catholics, but if I have a communion wafer, can I count that as Vatican City?

There are not that many local restaurants left:

Haitian https://www.yelp.com/biz/caribbean-spices-san-francisco

Senegal https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-baobab-san-francisco-3

Cameroon https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-baobab-san-francisco-3

Eating the Globe: Niger

Having exhausted virtually every foreign restaurant in the Bay Area, I will try to cook one foreign meal every weekend. Today, I made djerma stew, the national dish of Niger. It's basically chicken stew with a big dollop of peanut butter mixed in. The boy really enjoyed it.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

2018 Land Cruiser walkaround

Enough bad news for today. Let's watch something light-hearted.

The only non-Korean Korean lawmaker

Jasmine Lee was born in the Philippines and married a Korean man. She became the first non-Korean to join the legislature.

The world's economic center of gravity

Via The Economist.

Yemenis fled to South Korean resort island that did not require visas

10% of New Caledonian residents are Algerians

The Algerian fighters who resisted French rule in the 1870s and were exiled to New Caledonia. Now, citizens will vote on the independence of the Pacific island. Full film: https://t.co/eWw1CkPCZ6 pic.twitter.com/HoquQjKhPP

— Al Jazeera World (@AlJazeera_World) October 31, 2018

Full documentary here.

Sultan of Oman welcomes Bibi

Geopolitics is weird. Also, Qaboos looks bad. With no successor in sight, what will happen to Oman after he dies? And finally, I love the news anchor's hat/helmet!

Eating the Globe: Uruguay

Last night, I made a Uruguayan lentil stew. In retrospect, it's very much like the Jewish Tunisian dish shakshouka, but with lots of bacon. I wonder how Uruguay adopted this dish. From Jewish immigrants, Middle Eastern immigrants, or original Spanish settlers?

I found a wine shop that carried Uruguayan wine. This $20 bottle came highly recommended, but it just tasted like generic table wine.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

If classic F1 races had modern graphics