October 17, 2023 - Revisits, Radishes, Stretching, Waffling
This week I waffle on if I should stretch myself to world-record levels, or just write more about bears.
Nuggets of Information: Updates to earlier articles
Fat Bear Week is over, and we have a winner! In a landslide victory, 128 Grazer beat 32 Chunk by a vote total of 108,321 – 23,134. Grazer is an adult female, a very defensive mother who has raised two litters of cubs, and an adept salmon catcher. In this video, Explore.org contributor Mike Fitz shares just how fierce this protective mama bear is. Congrats to Grazer and her family!
In the same issue, I wrote about the ICC Cricket World Cup. On Sunday, one of the biggest upsets in sports history occurred, when Afghanistan defeated England by 69 runs. Some context here - Afghanistan had only won one World Cup match EVER, and England is the defending world champion. the Player of the Match trophy went to Offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who dedicated it to “the people who were affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan.” Back on October 7th, western Afghanistan suffered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.
In the June 27, 2023 Boo’s N.E.W.S., I discussed the trademark dispute over America’s favorite weekly holiday “Taco Tuesday”. Taco Bell had sued Taco John’s, owner of the trademark, arguing that “Taco Tuesday” should belong to the world. And now it does! Taco John’s dropped their trademark, and even donated $40,000 to CORE – Children of Restaurant Employees. As a sign of good will, I will be releasing my trademark of “Fajita Friday” and will drop my lawsuit against Uncle Julio’s.
Our most popular post to-date, August 22, 2023 – Boone, Sisters, Moving, Change focused on our older daughter Samantha’s drop off at college. Since then, we have tried to sit back and let her contact us, and while it may not happen as often as we would like (hourly), we have had some heart-warming Facetime calls. She’s doing great! The big update is that she came home this week for Fall Break! After attending the App State-Coastal Carolina football game (Mountaineers lost another close one) she drove home last Wednesday, and we’ve delighted in spending time with her! It is so good to have our home full again, even if only for a few days.
Enrichment: Getting Your Daily Allowance of Fruits & Vegetables
Bears aren’t the only ones celebrating Body Positivity this week. At the 50th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay California, grower Travis Gienger broke the world record with his entry “Michael Jordan” which weighed in at 2,749 pounds. Good Gourd Almighty! It broke the previous record by 47 pounds. According to Gienger, the pumpkin is named after “the greatest basketball player of all time and is now the greatest pumpkin of all time.” Travis won $30,000 in first-place prize money, which is about double what he spent growing Michael Jordan.
Other noteworthy produce world records, according to Guinness World Records:
The heaviest watermelon weighed 350.5 lb and was grown by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee in 2013.
The largest bunch of bananas, containing 473 individual bananas, was grown by Kabana SA and Tecorone SL on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain and weighed 287 lb on 11 July 2001.
The longest scallion measures 8 ft 3.68 inches in length and was achieved by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Zhangqiu District of Jinan City (China) in Jinan, Shandong, China, on November 15, 2020. The event took place at the opening ceremony of the 18th Zhangqiu Scallion Culture Tourism Festival. I don’t know much about Scallion Culture Tourism, as I choose to focus on my role as an Underground Radish Culture Ambassador (URCA).
The heaviest Brussels sprout was grown by Bernard Lavery of Llanharry, Rhondda Cynon Taff, U. in October 1992. It weighed in at 18 lb 3 oz.
The heaviest potato weighed 10 lb 14 oz and was grown by Peter Glazebrook. It was weighed at the National Gardening Show at the Royal Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, UK, on September 4, 2011.
The world's heaviest sweet potato weighed 81 lb 9 oz on March 8, 2004, and was grown by Manuel Pérez Pérez (Spain) in Güime, Lanzarote, Spain.
Speaking of radishes (which I am always happy to do) the heaviest radish on record was 101 lb 1.8 oz and was grown by Manda Fermentation Co., Ltd. (Japan) as verified at HAKKO Park in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan, on February 22, 2023. That radish weighs the equivalent of a baby hippo!
The longest radish was grown by Joe Atherton (UK) and measured 21 ft 11.89 in long. He presented it at the UK National Giant Vegetable Championships held at the Malvern Autumn Show, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK, on September 23-24, 2017.
The record for the most people unearthing radishes simultaneously is 492, achieved by Tokyo Aoba Agricultural Co-operative and Nerima City (both Japan) in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, on 3 December 2017. Each participant unearthed at least one Nerima daikon, a local variety of the daikon radish.
Workshop: Setting Stretch Goals
The other night at bowling, I was talking with my teammate Scott R., who in addition to being an excellent bowler is also a massage therapist, about some stiffness in my lower back. He knows how I walk every day, and asked if I stretched before walking in the morning. “Nope - I roll out of bed and immediately go on my walk.” He shook his head and said that my generation doesn’t stretch enough. For all the things my generation should be known for (pet rocks, pop rocks, Yacht rock), “not stretching enough” doesn’t seem quite as glamorous. Tom Brokaw refers to us as “The Tightest Generation.” But Scott’s words weren’t a surprise to me – I know I need to stretch more.
The benefits of stretching to people of all generations are numerous:
Improves flexibility - stretching helps to lengthen your muscles and tendons, which can increase your flexibility. This can make it easier to do everyday activities, such as reaching for something on a high shelf or tying your shoes.
Reduces the risk of injury - tight muscles are more likely to be injured. Stretching can help to keep your muscles loose and flexible, which can reduce your risk of injuries, such as muscle strains and pulls. This is why I need to stretch – bowling isn’t for the tightly-wound. Elite athletes stretch for optimal performance.
Improves posture - important for overall health and well-being. Stretching can help to reduce back pain, improve breathing, and boost energy levels, and can help to improve your posture by aligning your muscles and joints in their correct positions.
Relieves stress and tension - relax your muscles and release tension. This can be beneficial for both your physical and mental health. Stretching can also help to improve your sleep quality.
Improves circulation. Stretching can help to increase blood flow to your muscles and joints, which can help to improve your circulation and overall cardiovascular health.
There are lots of activities that incorporate stretching. Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi all incorporate stretching and breathing exercises to help loosen and warm up your muscles and joints. Dancing, martial arts, and water aerobics also help keep you loose and flexible.
You may be asking “What about people who only have 8 minutes for a stretching routine and AREN’T flexible?” Check out the video “8 Minute Stretching Routine for People Who AREN’T Flexible”
What is your stretching routine like? Let us know in the comments!
Selected Content: Scattered, Smothered, Covered and Chunked
In the Sept. 26, 2023 issue, I wrote about eggs, and mentioned my love for Waffle House’s omelet. But my love doesn’t end there. Waffle House is a national treasure, like Dolly Parton, or Nic Cage (who also starred in the movie National Treasure).
Founded in that Atlanta suburb of Avondale Estates back in 1955, Waffle House has grown to over 1900 locations in 25 states. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner fare 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Waffle House employees over 40,000 people and realizes revenue of over $1 billion a year.
The urban myth that Waffle Houses have no locks on their doors isn’t true, but their ability to operate even during the worst natural disasters has led to F.E.M.A.’s Waffle House Index, which bases the severity of a disaster on how it impacts Waffle House’s operations.
The index has three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:
GREEN: full menu – Restaurant has power and damage is minimal or absent.
YELLOW: limited menu – Power is either absent or delivered by a generator, or food supplies are running low.
RED: the restaurant is closed – Indicates severe damage or severe flooding; Severe destruction to the restaurant.
Another Atlanta-based restaurant has close ties to Waffle House. According to Wikipedia: In the 1960s, S. Truett Cathy, the owner of a local diner called the Dwarf House, contracted with Waffle House to sell his proprietary chicken sandwich, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. However, the Chick-fil-A sandwich quickly overtook Waffle House's own items in sales and Waffle House ended the deal, prompting Cathy to spin off Chick-fil-A into its own chain.
One of my favorite stories about Waffle House came from Andrew Knowlton, a contributor to Bon Appétit magazine. He approached his editor about writing an article on Waffle House, with Andrew working an 8-hour shift. His editor agreed, but only if Knowlton worked 24-hours in a row. This article and video is delightful. I’m a little jealous!
One piece of Waffle House magic that always impresses me is how the servers call out the orders to the line cooks, and how those cooks get the complex orders right. In this video, Waffle House Area Vice President Greg Hall shares their “Pull Drop Mark” calling method. Fascinating stuff!
Living in Atlanta, it isn’t uncommon to be asked your hash brown order. I like mine Scattered, Smothered, Covered and Chunked. Here are the options:
Scattered - on the grill
Smothered - with grilled onions
Covered - with melted cheese
Chunked - with hickory smoked ham
Diced - with grilled tomatoes
Peppered - with jalapeno peppers
Capped - with grilled mushrooms
Topped - with Bert’s Chili
Country - with sausage gravy
How do you like your hash browns? Comment and share!
Make that two for “scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked”!
Just scattered. I love hash browns so much that I wouldn't think of adulterating them with foreign ingredients. I just want that pure salty, greasy, Maillard-reacted potato delight.