In addition to great food, In-N-Out has some really crazy and awesome products

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the people at In-N-Out marketing start tossing around ideas for new products.

 

There's the burger mug I mentioned in a previous post:

 

This attention-grabbing beach towel:

 

Your dog can dress just like an In-N-Out associate (they don't call them employees):

 

 

Even if you're not the kind of person who dresses up your dog, your furry buddy can still sport some In-N-Out accoutrements:

Can't lie, I really like these bags:

 

 

 

All these and more can be yours at the In-N-Out Burger Company Store.

 

Recent reading: "Mastering the Art of French Murder"

Mastering the Art of French Murder: An American in Paris Mystery

by Colleen Cambridge

 

This is the first in Cambridge's Tabitha Knight series, set in post-World War II Paris and featuring a young American woman who has been invited to the City of Lights by her French grandfather. Living on the same street are Julia Child, a student at Le Cordon Bleu, Julia's sister Dorothy, and husband Paul, who works at the American embassy in France. Although Tabitha is pretty inept in the kitchen, she's getting help in this area from Julia as the two women have become close friends.

 

I had a little trouble getting immersed in this story, which begins with Tabitha and Julia perusing a French Market. I don't know if I thought it was a bit presumptuous to use someone like Julia as a major character. Cambridge did a good job of writing Julia, at least as far as I know about her from Julie & Julia and her autobiography. Still, I don't know how Julia (or any other chef) would really feel if her chef's knife was used in a murder.

 

I took the book with me to a lengthy hair appointment yesterday (color/conditioning/cut/blowout) and that's when I really got sucked into the mystery and I finished it today. Tabitha herself, along with Julia, Dorothy, and a group of Dorothy's local American theater friends who had partied at Chez Child with the victim are all suspects, so like any good amateur sleuth Tabitha lets her curiosity get the better of her as she embarks on her own investigation to clear her and her friends names.

 

One thing that I did find really interesting is that as Tabitha's investigation continued, what seemed like a simple murder evolved into a much deeper espionage plot involving Paul Child's place of employment. It was really unexpected and really expanded the depth of the mystery. And of course, the title is a nod to Julia Child's famous cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

 

Mastering the Art of French Murder is the first in a series of historical mysteries with Tabitha and Julia. Cambridge knows her post-WWII Paris and this story worked well not only as a mystery, but also as a fascinating history of the beautiful city emerging from the throes of occupation. 

 

The McDonald's CEO/Big Arch fiasco

So this has been all over the internets lately, popping up repeatedly on my social media and I finally have to offer up my two cents.

 

First up let me say that I don't know who in the CEO's office or Golden Arches marketing watched this video and thought it would be a good idea to send it out into the world, but they did and the backlash has been pretty much universal. Some of the observations I keep seeing (and agree with): 1) The guy doesn't look like he's eaten red meat in his life, 2) He takes the tiniest bite ever, and that plus his unconvincing enthusiasm gives the impression that he can't stomach the burger, 3) He refers to it as a "product" instead of food. Overall, it's a disaster.

 

 

 

A few more of my own observations:

• The burger looks like it's been roughed up. It's lopsided and flat. How do you as a McDonald's employee serve this sorry-looking thing to your CEO? And how, as CEO, do you put in on camera? I know that's probably how it would realistically look by the time you get it home from the drive-thru, but you'd think for this video they would make sure it looked pristine. I mean, check out how they present it on the website - quite a difference:

Now THAT'S a big burger!

• How to "attack" it? It doesn't appear to be any bigger than a Big Mac, which has been around for decades. Plus, they already sell a double-quarter pounder, so having two of those patties isn't anything new. If they're trying to pass this off as massive compared to those two, it isn't working, especially when you compare the burger in the video to the image from the website. And him saying he took a big bite when he barely made a dent in it is just too obviously false.
• The fry carton is only partially filled. Again, is this what we can expect our large fry order to look like when we get home? Staging, people.
• Overall, he does a terrible job of describing what's on the burger that makes it unique, like he's seeing it for the first time. The Big Mac was famously launched with an ad campaign jingle that was simply a list of it's unique ingredients, so earwormy that people of a certain age (me) can to this day tell you exactly what makes up the Big Mac: 🎵 Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun 🎵 Couldn't they have just given him the list from the website?

The guy is just not persuasive in terms of selling the Big Arch as a heavenly burger experience. He may be good behind a desk, but not on camera. I don't for one minute believe this guy enthusiastically tucks into McDonald's food on a regular basis. Like many other people who watched this video, I don't think he eats this stuff at all. He honestly looks repulsed at having to consume his "product". 

 

I also notice they're promoting it as a limited time item, but given this anemic launch (more attention being paid to the flawed video than the burger itself) I don't think this is going to be the next McRib. I also wonder why it's limited time. Do they not have enough faith in it to launch it simply as a new addition to the menu? Is it a ploy to cover their butts if it's not successful and has to go away without admitting it flopped? Sure seems that way. 

 

Bottom line, I have more questions than appetite about this launch, which is the exact opposite of the effect it should have on me, the consumer.

 

Not gonna lie, this sounds tempting

 

I remember reading something where the question of why not convert abandoned malls into housing, and a lot of it had to do with plumbing not being in place, because the places were set up as stores, not homes with sinks, showers, and toilets.

 

Having said that, I still think this is a cool idea, especially with the classic films and food courts. I'd consider it.

 

Via Remembering the Goold Ole Days on FB.

 

I could do this

Totally doable:

 

Ooooh, swirly!

I like trying non-traditional desserts for the holidays. I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with pumpkin pie, it's always welcome, but this Thanksgiving I went with pumpkin cake. And because I love Bundts...

 

 

Snagged recipe from here. Also, if you use a bundt instead of the pan in the recipe, it needs a lot longer than 30 minutes in the oven. More like 50-ish. Use the toothpick test to determine doneness. The result: well-baked on the outside, incredibly moist on the inside. And remember, dusting with powdered sugar makes everything prettier!

 

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Hope it's a fun one!!!

 

 

Oh. My. GAWD!!!

In-N-Out does it again. Seriously, I hope whoever designed this got a big, fat bonus. Knowing In-N-Out, they're already really well paid.

 

Now we can all get the Double Double Mug!!!

 

I don't need more mugs, but damn this is tempting! On the other hand, since I don't eat cheeseburgers, this one might be more my style:

 

June Words of Wisdom

Solitude is dangerous. It's very addictive. It becomes a habit after you realize how peaceful and calm it is. It's like you don't want to deal with people anymore because they drain your energy. (Jim Carrey)

The poison was never forced - it was offered gently, until you forgot it was poison at all. (Mark Twain)

 

And the wise Queens went on with their business, having no time for fools, fakes, and fuckery. (Ann Marie Eleazer)

 

If you want to know where your heart is, look to where your mind goes when it wanders. (Walt Whitman)

 

So I therefore dedicate myself to my art, my sleep, my dreams, my labours, my sufferances, my loneliness, my unique madness, my endless absorption and hunger because I cannot dedicate myself to any fellow being. (Jack Kerouac)

 

It's hell writing and it's hell not writing. The only tolerable state is having just written. (Robert Haas)

A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity. (Franz Kafka)

Feeling different, feeling alienated, feeling persecuted, feeling that the only way to deal with the world is to laugh - because if you don't laugh you're going to cry and never stop crying - that's probably what's responsible for the Jews having developed such a great sense of humor. The people who had the greatest reason to weep, learned more than anyone else how to laugh. (Mel Brooks, who celebrated his 99th birthday on Saturday. What a gift to the world he has been.)

Happy Dad's Day to all the Dads!

My Dad died the month before Father's Day, so this marks the 15th Father's Day without him. Crazy to think about that, it's just mind-boggling how time marches on. 

One of his favorite treats was See's Peanut Brittle. After he moved to Hawaii in the mid-1990's I would often send him this peanut brittle for Father's Day and his birthday. Eventually, thanks to the joys of technology, he could order it for himself. 

 

There's a See's in my town, so I thought that in order to celebrate Dad (and the end of a particularly brutal semester) I would get a box. Also, these are great excuses to get some great chocolate. Win Win!

 

Sophie approves. Pic is dark thanks to dreary coastal fog.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and all the Dads out there.

Yeah, I used the same pics every time. They're my faves.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've seen a number of variations on this concept due to the recent spike in egg prices, but this one is the best. The tag line cracked me up.

 

Works for me!!!

 

Rough week for celebs

Rest in peace to some talented individuals who left us recently.

Oscar-nominated actress Gena Rowlands (June 19, 1930 - August 14, 2024) due to complications from dementia.

 

French star Alain Delon (November 8, 1935 - August 18, 2024) from natural causes.

Peter Marshall, host of The Hollywood Squares (March 30, 1926 - August 15, 2024) due to kidney failure.

 

Singer-songwriter Greg Kihn ("The Breakup Song") (July 10, 1949 - August 13, 2024) due to Alzheimer's complications.

 

Famous Amos (Wally Amos), successful talent agent turned cookie mogul (July 1, 1936 - August 13, 2024) due to complications from dementia.

 

How scary is it that three of those five were afflicted with Alzheimer's/dementia? Has that devastating condition always been so common?

And sadly, it looks like Matthew Perry's drug overdose death last year could have been avoided, at least at the time: arrests have been made in connection with his death. 

Oh, and speaking of unnecessary deaths, I hope these guys fry. Unfortunately, Los Angeles has a "DA" (cough *George Gascon* cough) who loves felons and will probably let them off with a slap on the wrist.

Updated 8/19/24: Adding one more...

Daytime TV talk show icon Phil Donahue (December 21, 1935 - August 18, 2024) following a long illness (undisclosed at the time of the announcement).

The Portland "Pie Guy". And the more I think about it, the more (evil) genius it is.

Genius or rip-off artist? Given what the economy is like these days, I'm gonna add survivor to the list of possibilities.

 

 The full thread is here.

Buying in bulk.

Spray painted sign = artisan street cred, apparently.

Another satisfied customer?

So yeah, this guy goes to his local store, buys a bunch of mass-produced pies, labels them as "artisan", then sells them at his local farmer's market for $10 per slice. And apparently, people buy into it, no pun intended.

Let's do the math:

At my local Ralphs, their "bakery fresh" pies go for $5-$6 each. We're talking the usual, apple, peach, pumpkin. Some of the fancier ones are in the $10 range. Say you get six slices from each pie and sell them for $10 each, you've made a profit of roughly $55 per cheap pie, $50 per fancier pie. For argument's sake let's say he takes ten pies and sells all 60 slices. That means (not factoring in the cost of the space, plates, and plastic forks) he would make about $600 in one day. If he only does one market per week that's $2,400 per month, more if he does additional markets. Not too shabby.

Not to mention, it's probably all cash. I wonder if he has a business license or needs one to rent a space at the market. I don't know how these things work, but there seems to be a lot of untraceable, tax-free potential there.

Not gonna lie there's a certain genius to this, although in a way it's a bit unfair to the actual small bakeries at the market. Also, I live in L.A. and I think $10 per slice is a lot, but like one of the commenters said, the pie is worth what people are willing to pay. But even if you sold the pies for $5 per slice, if nothing else that's a nice supplemental income with no actual work/baking involved. 

There's a small-biz bakery where I live and they sell their actual artisan pies for $62 for a full-sized pie, $13.25 for a mini-pie, and $9.25 per individual slice, and I think those prices are astronomical. And they have the cost of a physical location, employees, and a baking facility. Mr. Portland Pie Guy seems like he would have little overhead. Probably a one-man operation.

If the economy and job market were booming, I would say this guy is a slick con artist, but given how expensive and tough everything is these days, I have to laud him for finding a way to make a living. So, I personally am going to give him a pass. Plus, I have to admit that I kind of wish I'd thought of it first.

 

February Words of Wisdom

Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about un-becoming everything that really isn't you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place. --Paulo Coelho

 

Some losses set you free. --Unknown

Anger is the part of yourself that loves you the most. It knows when you are being mistreated, neglected, or disrespected. It signals that you must take a step out of a place that doesn't do you any justice. --Unknown

 

Showing your emotions to people is like bleeding next to a shark. --Unknown 

 

Be careful who you trust. Salt and sugar look the same. --Unknown

Success is a decision. You get what you work for, not what you wish for. --Unknown

 

People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food. --Wendell Berry

Recent reading: "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"

 

The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California's First Drive-Thru and How It Became a Beloved Cultural Icon 

by Lynsi Snyder

 

It may sound weird (especially if you've never had the pleasure of eating at In-N-Out) but one of the best things about being a Californian - especially in this sorry age of the not-so-Golden State - is the ability to claim the In-N-Out Burger chain as our own. 

Lynsi Snyder had the great fortune to be the only In-N-Out heir born into her generation and after her uncle, father, and grandparents passed away, she inherited the successful and beloved chain while only in her twenties. Now forty-one, she has stepped up and grabbed the baton, continuing the high standards set by previous generations and has led In-N-Out to even greater growth than ever imagined, and without any compromise. After reading this book, I have a great deal of admiration for her. She works hard, she works smart, she holds herself to high standards, and she doesn't let it overwhelm her. If you check out her social media, you'll find someone who is having a blast and living her best life.

 

Lynsi repeatedly praises the In-N-Out workers (known as associates) and the customers, always giving them credit for the continued success of the company. Before I even finished this book, not only was I craving their food, but also found myself wondering why I never applied to work there. My first-ever real job as an unskilled sixteen-year-old was at McDonald's, which is the perfect place for someone unskilled and inexperienced. It was actually pretty good training. But In-N-Out is on another planet in terms of how they train, treat, pay, and promote their associates. The examples of In-N-Out's beyond the call of duty way of doing things are too numerous for a blog post - read the book and learn.

To her credit, Lynsi also addresses some of the issues that have plagued her family, including drugs and abuse, her ill-advised early and unsuccessful marriages, and she does it simply, without apology, and with grace. She is currently in a happy, healthy place, and has become the great leader that In-N-Out needed after losing both members of the second Snyder generation before their time, leaving the company in a potentially vulnerable position. She has also dedicated her company and herself to multiple non-profit organizations that combat against and aid victims of child abuse, substance abuse, and human trafficking.

Snyder has four children of her own and I imagine they are being groomed to continue the glory that is In-N-Out Burger without compromise for generations to come. And that is great news for Californians and fans of great burgers, amazing service, and high quality food. 

From the book:

Together with my team, I began studying our menu on the most intricate level to see if we could improve quality even more, making items better and healthier. We discovered a number of practices we were using were outdated. For instance, we worked with all our bakers to remove calcium propionate (a mold inhibitor) in our buns and replaced it with natural enzymes. With our chilis and pickles, we removed artificial Yellow 5 and replaced the additive with natural turmeric. In our strawberry shake syrup we removed artificial Red 40 and replaced it with natural fruit juice. In our vanilla shake we removed ethyl vanillin and replaced it with natural vanilla. In all our shakes and lemonade we cut out high fructose corn syrup and replaced it with natural sugar.

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

 

May we all have much to be thankful for, a wonderful day to enjoy it, great people to celebrate it with, and of course, all the yummy food to cap off the day!

And just like that, it's October

This whole year has flown by, but September especially seemed to go so fast. It was supposed to start so well with the long-awaited San Diego Bouchercon, but that didn't exactly pan out the way I'd hoped. Then there was the fire that seriously scared the living daylights out of me. I'm still so grateful to have my home to come home to. 

 

But finally, September did end on a higher note than the rest of the month: I got to see what my apartment will look like after the upcoming renovations and holy moly, is it going to be gorgeous! The renovations have been in the works for almost ten years, and previous plans were not well received by residents, so we've been dreading it for ages. But the plans have been revised to make a lot more sense, and after a Zoom call and an open house of an already renovated unit, most of our fears have been eased. A few residents still have concerns, but for me personally pretty much all my issues have been resolved. Not only will the move-out/move-in be less disruptive than anticipated, I'm actually looking forward to getting it done while I had previously dreaded it. 

 

This is a huge complex and my building isn't in the first wave of renovations, but they'll get to me eventually. I think that possibly a year from now my apartment could be updated. Improvements include all wood floors, snazzy new cabinets and countertops, A/C and my favorite part, a washer and dryer in the unit. We're also losing our apartment-sized appliances and getting big stainless steel gas stoves (we currently have electric) and a huge, double-sided stainless steel fridge. I'm finally going to have the kitchen of my dreams that I've wanted since culinary school. 

Most importantly, it eases the dread of having to figure out where I would move next. I figured I'd either be priced out at some point (costs of apartments in the L.A. area continue to soar) but during the period I lived away from the beach this complex went under some kind of rent control and part of the agreement for the renovations includes not raising the rents for current tenants when our apartments are upgraded, and subsequent annual increases are limited. I got my first increase since moving back here earlier this year and it was much less than I was expecting. God knows what they'll charge new tenants for the fancy new apartments, but that won't affect me. I can probably count on living here indefinitely if not forever, which despite the downward trajectory Los Angeles has been on is still comforting for me. It's just easier for me than having to wonder where I'll go. I'm still dragging a bit on the writing thing, but I'm a huge homebody so knowing my home will be mine pretty much as long as I want is making me feel more positive than I've felt in a while.

Ask and you shall receive: In-N-Out Burger Edition

A few months back I read a book on In-N-Out Burger that was published in 2010 and mentioned that I hoped for an update at some point. 

Lo and behold!

From the Amazon description:

Discover the official story of In-N-Out Burger––how three generations have created a thriving, family-owned company, why its fans are so wildly loyal, and what led to its explosive growth and evolution into an iconic part of American culture––as told by In-N-Out Burger’s president, Lynsi Snyder.

When Lynsi Snyder's grandparents founded In-N-Out Burger in 1948, they built it with a passion for quality and service that Lynsi embraced at a young age. After starting as a store associate at age seventeen, she then worked in other departments, gaining first-hand experience with almost every aspect of the family business until she became president in 2010. She has led the company through explosive growth––today, there are three-hundred and eighty stores and counting––and is deeply committed to the well-being of the In-N-Out Burger family.

 

I am really looking forward to this book. It will be interesting to see if there's a difference between the previous book and this one, written by a family member, plus it will be up-to-date. The book will be released in October and is available for pre-order now.

Loving the new Twitter, but there's still room for improvement

I'm one of those people who returned to Twitter after Elon Musk bought it last year. Regardless of what you think of Musk (or why) my personal experience since returning is  that it's a better, freer place since it came under new ownership.

 

I had actually been off Twitter for about a year and a half when I decided to give version 2.0 a shot. I had previously been on Twitter (and pretty much addicted to it) for more than ten years when I finally gave up on it in early 2021. It had turned from an amazingly open, informative and enjoyable experience into a slanted, toxic pit that just wasn't fun anymore. At all. Even more telling, I never felt like I was missing out on anything during the period I was gone. But Twitter is fun, interesting, and informational again.

However, there are still signs of the old, fun-adverse, truth-adverse Twitter. Somewhere along the line someone thought it was a good idea to give users a condescending "warning" when they post what some clearly objective (*sarcasm*) bonehead has decided is "potentially harmful or offensive language".

"Most Tweeters don't post replies like this" - Yeah, they post worse. Also, condescending much?

This was my response to a Tweet criticizing a protest outside of a McDonald's that had been organized to lambast the fast-food behemoth for not paying "living" wages. The original tweet pointed out the obvious, that burger-flipping is a job for unskilled teenagers (as I was when I worked there back in the day) and basically, I agreed. And yes, any idiot can be taught to do it. There's nothing harmful or offensive about pointing that out. It's the truth. McDonald's was designed that way. Unless you're the manager or franchisee, it's not meant to be a living wage career. It's a starter job, a pocket money job, it's not something you raise a family on. 

 

Expecting McDonald's to throw money at unskilled labor is like starting your career in a bottom rung, foot in the door job and never rising above that level, but expecting your salary to rise to the same level as someone who is actually moving up in the world. Basically, the protest is that McDonald's isn't paying high-skilled wages for menial, entry-level jobs. And that doesn't make sense. All that I and the original poster did was point out that obvious fact.

And in terms of the content of my tweet, there's the issue that you don't have to spend much time on Twitter to see much worse, to see posts that are genuinely vile, vicious, and at times even threatening. My tweet is one of the milder things you'll see on Twitter, which is much more open to a variety of opinions these days, but still retains some of its crazy, wild-west aspects from the old days. And I got a warning about (I assume) using the word "idiot"?

In case you're wondering, yes, I did hit the edit button, but not to edit my tweet. I added that the tweet had gotten the stupid Twitter warning and then posted it as originally written because no, there was nothing harmful or offensive about it.

And if you think that burger-flippers and other low-skilled workers deserve big bucks, there's these shining examples of the law of unintended consequences, but that's a conversation for another day.

As for Twitter, it's great to have it back, but there's still a little tweaking to do.