I must admit that one of you sent me the correct answer to the Guess Where I Am quiz just hours after my first post. But before I honor our winner(s), let me share with you the two remaining photos I was going to post if a few more days passed without a winner:
Yes, the correct answer is Rome–a city known for its cats. So the cat theme in my photos was a hint. But if no one clued in on it, I figured that “lost cat” flyer written in Italian would give away my location. (The striking-looking black cat in the penultimate photo was hanging out on the Appian Way. He was one of about a dozen cats that I saw on my walk, and most were just looking for a scratch under the chin. Here’s another one:
Anyway, loyal reader Detlef K correctly identified my location simply from that first photo of a large sculpture of a black cat. Detlef calls it a “voluptuous cat,” and discovered that the artist has an exhibit in Rome. So kudos to him!!
Voluptuous Cat
Special recognition also goes to loyal reader Ron P, who nailed it when I posted the second photo (of a painting of a cat seated at the feet of a bearded old man). Evidently Ron sensed the Italian vibe in the painting–or maybe he saw the “cat” theme emerging and thought of Rome.
Childless Cat Grandpa
Honorable mention goes to loyal reader Rev Deb, who correctly identified Piazza San Lorenzo as the site of Voluptuous Cat. Either she knows a lot about art or she’s skilled with Google Image Search. Either way, she’s not eligible to play as she already knew I was going to Rome.
Thank you everyone who participated! I will be back in The States next week, assuming I don’t first expire from taking in about 3 packs a day of second-hand smoke.
Hallow-Month begins in 10 days!
Once again I will be turning over this blog to daily Ghost Posts (TM) throughout the month of October. This year I’m broadening the theme beyond Halloween and spookiness, to also include anything pumpkin-related. Details will appear soon. Break out the candy corn and enjoy the month with this blog!
Also, we’ll have a big announcement in early October about Poe Fest in Baltimore. There’s a lot going on next month–you won’t want to miss a single post!
Write your guess as to the city I’m visiting in the comments. I will post a new picture each day. Individuals whom I’ve told about my trip are not eligible!
The next morning I awoke with a most peculiar feeling, and I immediately resolved to share my latest thoughts on our immortality experiments and the public presentation thereof. These thoughts were so recent that they had not yet fully formed in my mind, but I nevertheless went to my study (which had become Prof. Glauben’s bedroom) with the full intention of announcing my new opinions as they revealed themselves to me.
When I entered the room, which was bathed in the soft sunlight of morning, I saw the earthly remains of Prof. Glauben occupying the armchair in the same position in which I had left him the previous night. I walked over to the skeleton, a pleasant smile on my face, and listened to myself speak.
“My dear Professor, upon careful consideration, I have chosen to accept your suggestion that we present our discovery–and yourself–to a suitable audience.” The skull inclined upward to me with, I imagined, a look of bewilderment. “Does you mean zhis, Venwick?” I searched for a reply, but I was not even certain of what I had just said. My mouth, however, replied immediately. “Of course I mean it,” I heard myself say, “and the presentation shall be tomorrow night.” Prof. Glauben’s skull displayed an expression of disbelief, then of hope, and finally of elation. He jumped up from the chair and embraced me with his cold, bony arms. “You have chosen vell, mein boy! Sank you! Ve vill be famous und revered scientists!”
I must admit that I was affected by the emotion of the moment. I was pleased that I had lifted my friend from his misery. To look back on the conditions under which the poor creature suffered touched my heartstrings, and it hurt me worse to remember that so much of it was brought about by me. He had spent time in prison, not I, though we were both equally guilty of our wretched volunteer’s death. He alone had to suffer the horrors of a premature burial. He had been forced, by me, from the solitude and peace of the grave, only so that he could hide as a recluse away from his fellow man. And to make his misery complete, I had tried to deny him some much-deserved recognition of his work. It was with relief, therefore, that I now assured his tormented bones that I would begin making immediate preparations for tomorrow’s presentation, with him as the guest of honor. I went to bed that evening much relieved, yet with a vague feeling of dark foreboding.
Last weekend our sons Michael and Ian, as well as Ian’s wonderful bride Katelyn and close family friend Veronica, all came out for a visit. We ended up (as one does) playing a game that required us to sequence a collection of commercial snack foods in order, from earliest date of introduction to latest. One snack food in that list was unfamiliar to me: Takis.
The young ‘uns all insisted that Takis were a delectable snack, something akin to Doritos but in a different shape with different flavors. I should try some, said they. I accepted the challenge, and this afternoon I plunked down $4.99 at Safeway for my own 9.9 ounce bag. My analysis will be revealed in this blog post. But let’s just say that, for intrigue, controversy, and divisiveness, Hunter Biden’s laptop ain’t got nothing on Takis.
First, let me acknowledge that this blog is nominally about road trips, but surely we can all agree that a significant component of the Road Trip Experience (RTE) is consuming gas station snacks. And that has Takis written all over it.
For those of you (like me) who have been unaware of the existence of Takis, they are a “rolled corn tortilla chip snack” made by a company called Barcel, which is a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo, the Mexican international food company. You may have seen their mascot on delivery trucks.
Is that the ghost of Winnie the Pooh?
Anyway, according to Wikipedia, Takis were “invented” in Mexico in 1999, and introduced to the US market in 2004. They are said to be a “rolled tortilla chip” that is “fashioned after a taquito.” Now, given that two of my favorite foods are tortilla chips and taquitos, pounding a bag of Takis sounded like a no-brainer. So I dutifully made my way to the “chips and pretzels” aisle of our neighborhood Safeway and was faced with many, many different flavors of Takis. Indeed, according to Wikipedia, there are 29 distinct flavors of Takis, including such intriguing names as “Angry Burger” (spicy hamburger and dill pickle) and “Kaboom” (ketchup and sriracha). I went with “fuego” (hot chili pepper and lime, which Wikipedia calls “the spiciest of all varieties, as well as the most popular flavor”).
Goodbye cruel world.
I got home, poured myself a Scotch, and opened the bag. The shape of the Takis is indeed reminiscent of a (very small) taquito. But half of the true taquito experience (TTE) is burning your tongue with the mystery-meat magma that oozes from the rolled tortilla when you bite into it. The Taquis, by way of contrast, just crumble apart and release a dozen chemicals (including malodextrin, MSG, hydrolyzed soy protein, and disodium inosinate) onto your tongue. The experience is somewhat similar to eating a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but (1) it’s not quite so hot, (2) the texture is crispier and denser, and (3) your fingers do not get as stained.
Delivery system for disodium inosinate.
For me, the good folks at Barcel do a good job of approaching the “bliss point” for sugar, salt, and fat, thus triggering the release of endorphins and encouraging you to consume more. These Takis are addictive! But, at least for the “fuego” flavor, the high level of spiciness stops you from pounding an entire bag. Seriously; after eating maybe a third of the bag, I had sweat beads collecting on my forehead and my esophagus felt like it’d been sandpapered. But maybe forcing me to stop was a good thing: just one ounce of these things constitutes a serving, which is 150 calories. So an entire bag clocks in at 1,485 calories. And a bag also provides 100 percent of your daily recommended fat. And 178 percent of your sodium.
But let’s say that you’re one of those rare people who can stop after just one ounce. For you, I think these are a worthy snack. They have intense flavor, a crunchy and satisfying mouthfeel, and a perfectly-sized shape. But who’s going to limit themselves to one ounce on a road trip?
Earlier I mentioned some controversy about Takis. It seems Takis (and similar snacks, like some Cheetos) give rise to gastritis and ulcers. Indeed, a number of schools around the country banned the sale (and, in a few cases, possession) of Takis on campus. Some claim that Takis are as addictive as street drugs. In my humble opinion, it makes sense to impose some standards for food that’s sold at school. But surely Takis are no worse than many, many other snack foods. Do they ban Red Bull? Ding-Dongs? Pepsi? Starbucks?
Anyway, my final word on Takis is that they are indeed an intensely tasty snack, but I wouldn’t want to make them a habit. Scotch, on the other hand, is a whole different story.
UPCOMING ROAD TRIPS:
I realize I haven’t posted any road trips recently, and no doubt that’s caused considerable disappointment among my loyal readership. Never fear: In a couple of weeks, I will be heading north for a nostalgic trip to Eagleville. Stay tuned.
And then, in late September, I’ll be making a motorcycle tour along the southern Italian coast. I am not making this up. All will be revealed soon enough.
Finally, you will recall that each October I turn over this blog to a Halloween-themed series of posts. This October I will be continuing that tradition. But the specific theme will be, I think, especially intriguing. Make sure to block out the entire month for reading my blog.
Chasing Phantoms 