Chicago: More Bars in More Places

PS That article is really painful to read, and the movie failed as a "summer blockbuster thriller event movie" too.

I will be renting the Simpsons movie. But probably not before I break down and buy another season of the show. I have seasons four and five -- definitely a sweet spot -- and I'm still debating whether to get three or six. I'm leaning towards six. Three is classic, but I think six has more re-watchability. Maybe.

i agree with nick -- not enough peripheral characters, too much "family"

I've heard people say the opposite: that the reason it was good was that it focused squarely on the family and didn't get carried away with pointless Bumblebee Man cameos.

the one time i larfed (and no one else did) was when lisa was waxing on about the glories of "colin" or whatever his name was and she said, "And he's REAL!"

I don't like bumblebee man but i love moe and milhouse

Yes, it was good because it didn't get carried away with actually being funny.

i think like SPRINGFIELD more than i like THE SIMPSONS

superintendent chalmers

Whatever, I don't like the movie enough to defend it.

I guess what we've learned is I was disappointed because I actually expected a Simpsons movie to be funny and have jokes, when actually I should have been expecting an action movie/family-centered drama.

I did like Homer's spiderpig song.

xpost I used to do a bit where I'd impersonate Superintendent Chalmers and Agnes Skinner both yelling at Seymour.

There were actually more decent gags than I thought.

I am going to party in Oshkosh B'Gosh, WI tonight. We have a gig in the morning but hotels and small-town college bars tonight!

I am missing midwestern baked goods SO MUCH today. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about when I say "bear claw", as in the pastry? There seem to be a lot of croissant-ish ones in my GIS but I'm talking about the coffee cake ring with some sections flipped out and some flipped in, with almond paste and silvered almonds in it.

Yes. Yum.

For some reason I was always under the impression that the paste in a bear claw was dates.

Hmm. Dates don't seem very...Swedish? Or Northern European in general. But it would be funny if I've been eating dates all this time and never knew it.

You're probably right about the almond paste.

Who said that bear claws were Swedish/N. European, though?

Wikipedia: A bear claw is a sweet breakfast food, popular chiefly on the West Coast of the United States. It is an almond-flavored, yeast-raised pastry shaped in a large, irregular semicircle with slices around the outside, evoking the shape of a bear's claw. Bear claws often contain almond paste or raisins.

That's weird about the western thing, because bear claws were the standard "coffee cake" at my Swedish church. Not, like, that cinnamon cake stuff that you can buy a box mix version of.

You know what I almost bought at Harvestime the other day was one of these:

http://www.neweuropemarketplace.com/NEMImages/HomePage/Jans-Poppy-Seed-Roll.gif

Except it had gross-looking icing on top.

Speaking of baked goods, what would you be more likely to buy at a bake sale?

1. Vegan cookies w/ chocolate chips, nuts, oatmeal
2. Extra-spicy ginger molasses cookies
3. An entire pie (of the apple or pumpkin variety)
4. Individualized servings of apple crisp
5. Baby-sized pies of possibly varied contents (apple, cherry, etc.)

Me? The cookies, both varieties.

1. Vegan cookies w/ chocolate chips, nuts, oatmeal- Hell fucking no.
2. Extra-spicy ginger molasses cookies - Probably.
3. An entire pie (of the apple or pumpkin variety) - No.
4. Individualized servings of apple crisp - Yay.
5. Baby-sized pies of possibly varied contents (apple, cherry, etc.) - OH MY YES!!!!

Would you be more likely to buy a plate of cookies or a package of two or three?

Also: the vegan cookies are so awesome that you wouldn't know that they were vegan unless you were told. John's had them before, I think. He can attest to their excellence!

Yes, I saw the Simpsons Movie, and it made me laugh more than any film since perhaps... Kung Fu Hustle?

How many on a plate?

Ginger molasses: yes yes!

Pies and choco chip cookies: no, because I make those and only really like my own.

Everything else: meh.

here is an example of the size of the little pies on an average-size dinner plate:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/360520804_f27b3c9822_m.jpg

also, I don't know how many to a plate? Perhaps a dozen seems like a good number?

1. Yes, I know bear claws. Also elephant ears.
2. Kelsey, I would buy the tiny pies and 2-3 cookies. Non-vegan cookies (or else they would have to be the best vegan cookies ever).

I would buy a dozen cookies. I know I would want more than 2-3.

SO cute! I would buy these pies.

THEY ARE THE BEST VEGAN COOKIES EVER!

I think the pies might do well as a novelty item if nothing else. Question about the pies: How many to sell at once? A pack of two? Only one? A set of four?

I believe you about the vegan cookies Kelsey. I guess. But I don't believe that they couldn't be made better with the addition of real live butter.

I bought a cookie at the Landmark theatre--it looked amazing, all soft and big. But then I bit into it and it was vile. Then I read the package closer and saw that it was vegan. Turns out that all the cookies they sell are vegan. WTF. Way to go, do-gooder Landmark assholes.

Jesse, I'm finding recipes for bear claws made with danish dough and dates and raisins and stuff -- I think the dried fruit thing is part of the same tradition as the ones I'm thinking of, since it can be stored over the long winter when you can't get anything fresh.

This is, if it wasn't obvious, for a bake sale at work. I've been dying to bake as I never can justify making stuff for just Leaf & I seeing as how we will eat all of it. I might be tempted to make more than one thing just so we can have some leftovers!

John, you have tried my vegan cookies, right?

I HAD AN ELEPHANT EAR LAST WEEKEND OMG. I love those things, the East Coast forms of fried dough do not impress.

Why bother making a vegan cookie? I guess for a bake sale it would be good to get the vegan buck. But why create such a thing at home?

I think I've had them. I remember them being quite delicious.

I would sell everything individually, with the exception of a special dozen cookies price.

Is this a bake sale where people will be likely eating their purchases on site? This is key.

The tiny pies are great, because I'm not tryin' to eat a whole pie by myself.

Yeah, I agree with Sarah. Or, you know, you could sell the cookie batches 6 to a package, cos just based on expectations you can charge more per cookie that way. You know? Because at the same unit price, a dozen starts to look kind of expensive, whereas half doz isn't so guilt-inducing.

I was vegan for almost a year which is why I was experimenting with recipes. They're so good I keep making them. Other than that, I suppose if you consider fake butter to be healthier than real stuff and are offended by eggs, then maybe you can say that they're healthier? They are cholesterol free but they still have fat in them.

Kesley, I believe your cookies are delicious, but I have been burned by vegan cookies in the past.

Er. Does...anyone consider fake butter to be healthier? I thought there was a big scandal in which margarine was shown to have serious QA problems (made in aluminum vats, etc) and unforseen health effects?

I'm also probably not in charge of pricing.

Also, all this anti-vegan cookie sentiment makes me want to mail people care packages!

In that case, I don't believe vegan cookies could possibly be any good!

;-)

ha! i always have these fantasies about sending people little care packages that never come into fruition. i should start a movement to revive the care package in the lives of adults.

I always want to send care packages to my sister in Paris, but it's SO FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE to mail anything over there. Also, a lot of packages get detained or lost. The most reliable method has been sending her stuff via priority mail, but it's $28 for the smallest size package.

damn that is expensive!