AdamH

I win I win! But we all lose!

This came from Luke originally but I've forwarded it to probably 100 people over the 3 years I've had it around.

It remains my #1 favorite forward of all time

If ever there were decade for people who love cocaine,

it was the 80's; the sh!t was everywhere. At the same

time, if there was ever a decade where it sucked to

smoke pot -- and believe me, a decade where it sucks

to smoke pot is like a decade where it sucks to be

rich, it was still fuÇking awesome -- it was also the

80's.

The backlash against marijuana began largely because

people who use cocaine and those who use pot often

operate in the same circles, and coke users -- because

it is stronger and more expensive than marijuana --

began to look down on the folks who liked to smoke

pot, largely as a faux-elitist rejection of the hippie

lifestyle they associated with the drug.

This strange cross-section of drug culture hierarchy

came into play backstage at the legendary Madison

Square Garden; just moments after Hall & Oates had

completed a performance that could be described only

as "masterful", on the evening of one March the first,

1985.

It was less than year after Transformers had debuted

in America, and we couldn't have been hotter. Through

contacts at Hasbro, Prowl and I were able to get four

front-row seats to the H&O concert the day it took

place, even though tickets for the show had been

unavailable for months.

We invited Beast Man, whose program He-Man was also

hot as hell at the time, and Pidge from Voltron, who

Beast Man was a total dick to all night (Beast Man is

a good guy, but it was early 1985 and the Voltron

cartoon hadn’t really caught on here in the states

yet, so he thought Pidge would to kill any celebrity

vibe he, Prowl and I might have with concert-going

females).

The show itself rocked. We had gotten down big time

before hand on some primo cocaine that Beast Man

scored through his manager. The four of us were across

the street at a bar before the show and Beast Man just

reaches inside this cheap Hawaiian shirt he’s wearing

and pulls out a freezer bag full of cocaine; he didn’t

even know how it weighed out. He said he asked his

manager to score him some coke and the dude went in

the other room for a minute and then came back with

the bag.

Needless to say, we all got rocked, although Beast Man

tried to snub Pidge until Prowl smacked him on the

back of the head and told him to be “Less a beast, and

more a man.â€

Noses powdered, we made our way to the show where Hall

& Oates proceeded to rock the hallowed foundation of

MSG to its core. It was as if Zeus himself,

accompanied by John Oates, had stepped down from Mount

Olympus to preside over the greatest rock/R&B

spectacle of all time, and we ticket-holders were but

mere mortals who, by some random stroke of fate,

happened to bear witness to a feat of heavenly grace.

Men shook, women collapsed and all but the most

stone-hearted among us wept openly, happily.

As soon as Beast Man saw the beginnings of a tear take

shape in Pidge’s eye, he punched him in the chest.

It was during the encore, and H&O were really rocking

out on “You Make My Dreams Come True†(a personal

favorite); Prowl was furious. He grabbed Beast Man by

the collar of his cheap Hawaiian shirt and growled

that he would “feed him to Triklops†if he didn’t stop

dicking around. I didn’t know that Triklops was a

cannibal, but it seemed to scare the sh!t of Beast Man

so I never mentioned it. I’d still like to find out,

actually.

As soon as the encore finished, a couple of security

guards approached Prowl and myself and told us that

John Oates was a big fan, and that he wanted to know

if we would come backstage and meet him. Of course we

agreed, and we were taken behind the scenes to a small

room where Daryl Hall was unwinding after the show.

Oates, according to the one guard, was “fuÇking around

with the bandâ€, but would be there soon. He led us

inside.

It was dark; the room was lit by candle, and the scent

of frankincense which lingered in the air bestowed

upon us a sense of calm as we entered. The door

closed.

In the candlelight, Daryl Hall took a drag of his

cigarette then spoke.

“You’re Optimus Prime?â€

“Yeah,†I responded.

“Cool.â€

Hall mashed out his cigarette and passed me a

Heineken. “Oates is fuÇking around with the band,†he

told the four of us, “He’ll be here soon.â€

I sipped my beer and then nodded at Hall, who nodded

back. It went on like that for a bit, until Prowl

shoved Beast Man and told him to take out the fuÇking

yayo, but then instead just reached inside Beast Man’s

cheap Hawaiian shirt and yanked out the yayo himself.

He dumped a huge pile on the small glass coffee table

in the center of the room, and we all crowded around

it and began chopping out lines.

Oates walked in as we were finishing, and what was

cool was that not only was he a fan of Transformers,

but he also had seen Voltron while on tour in Japan

and told Pidge that he thought the show would be huge

in the United States. Beast Man asked Oates if he had

seen He-Man, and Oates said no, but that he only

watched shows with giant robots.

We all laughed and Oates switched on the lights; Beast

Man offered him the coke, but he said no thanks.

Instead, Oates opened his guitar case and removed a

bong. It was simple -- 14 inches, plastic, green; the

kind of bong you would find in any head-shop, or dorm

room, or drum circle –- but what made it special was

that this bong was covered, from the top of the tube

to its base, in stickers which commemorated concerts

spanning the entire run of Hall & Oates.

It was, in short, glorious.

Oates informed us that the bong was named “Sara†after

“Sara Smileâ€; he packed it, pulled a huge hit, and

then passed it to Hall, who repeated the process, then

passed it to Pidge.

This circle progressed smoothly until the bong reached

Beast Man, who looked Oates dead in the eye and said,

“I’ll pass. I don’t smoke pot.â€

In part, this was true; Beast Man had become a coke

snob and, as a rule, did not smoke pot but he had done

it frequently, on “special†occasions, and therefore

Prowl and I believed he was only saying “no†to piss

off John Oates.

And it worked.

Oates was livid. He snatched the bong from Beast Man’s

hands and sneered, “Is this because I didn’t want any

of your fuÇking coke? Is that what this is about?â€

Beast Man was taken aback; before he had a chance to

respond, Oates pushed him aside, dug into the coke and

shaped out a massive line.

“You think I don’t do coke, you son of a bitch?†he

snapped; and, with a deft smoothness that suggested

experience, he placed his nose to the powder and

inhaled.

Satisfied, Oates slammed both fists against the table

and whipped his head toward Beast Man. “How do you

like me now mother-fuÇker?†he shouted, springing to

his feet.

“And how do you like this?" he asked, now inches from

Beast Man's face. “I have seen your show, but about

mid-way through I switched the channel because I

realized that homo-eroticism isn’t my bag!"

Beast Man gasped; neither Prowl nor I dared speak and

Pidge was wise enough to sense our discomfort. The ego

of Beast Man was fragile, and it had just been pierced

by a bitter lance.

Even at that time, it was well known throughout the

entertainment industry that He-Man was homo-erotic

camp; however, people associated with the show were

extremely sensitive about the subject; among the

performers themselves, to even mention it was taboo.

All involved with the He-Man program insisted it was

strict science-fiction fantasy and contrary notions be

damned.

Without knowing, John Oates had just forced Beast Man

to do what so many of friends, out of either courage

or kindness, could not: face reality. And, as so many

friends had predicted, reality shattered him.

Beast Man attempted to speak but could form no words.

Pathetic and befuddled, he searched the room for a

sympathetic face but could find no refuge.

If Beast Man questioned his bullying ways at all

during that cruel silence I do not know, for he will

not discuss it to this day. However, I tell you this,

in that moment he learned humility.

At long last, the quiet was broken by Daryl Hall who

asked “Wait, he’s the guy from that gay show?â€

What made Prowl and I burst into laughter, thus

destroying any opportunity Beast Man had to end the

evening with a sliver of dignity, was that Hall wasn’t

using gay an insult, but rather asking if Beast Man

was on a program for gay folks.

Seconds later, Pidge began to laugh as well. And why

not? The bully had been bullied.

I wish I could tell you that this story had a happy

ending -- that Beast Man and John Oates hugged and

became dear friends -- but I’m afraid that I cannot.

What actually happened was that a broken and defeated

Beast Man sat in the corner while myself, Pidge, Prowl

and Hall and Oates smoked pot and snorted his cocaine

I hated EatMore a.k.a "Official candy bar of the Calgary Stampede" but I bet if I had it now I'd like it.

I am partial to peanut butter/chocolate combinations so I usually choose a reese's peanut butter cup when I feel like a chocolate bar.

I have to add to the "Big Turk is fucking retarded" sentiment. I can't beleive they still make that shit.

Good news! Tommy has his own official website now:

http://www.tomcruise.com/

It is completely worth a visit for the video montage and the personal note.

It's one of the better movies I've seen lately. Interesting storyline and very good dialogue.

http://www.brickmovie.net/

Reislings are on the sweeter side of things. Although you will be made fun of, I actually think Black Tower is more than passable for a sweet german white.

Ontario makes plenty of sweet wines but it really depends on what style of sweet you like, and whether you're looking ofr some less dry reds as well.

Any particular reason you're asking...or is it relative to a certain food or just personal preference?

Yeah make a thai soup. get the tom yum paste and dilute it with water (or stock) and add your coconut milk to it along with any veg you want, maybe shrimp or tofu. One of my favorite winter standbys.

The portions were always huge and the prices always a little bit higher than other places.I don't remember it ever being under $10 when it was in Chinatown.

The waiting is the hardest part (cue T.Petty). It's so incredibly slow that the only reason I wait it out is because the food is great. The new location is not really an ideal spot for foot traffic but I'm sure people seek it out.

Have any of you been to Groovy's on Montreal Road? It's about as good as CF though the atmosphere is a bit less interesting.

That's gotta be a fake.

They trialed a Saturday farmer's market last year..I believe it was over 4 saturdays...and now they've decided to it full time. They had some of the same vendors from the Landsdowne market. It's a bit smaller but it's around the corner from my house so I figure I'll keep going to it.

It means you're wagering something valuable (dollars) for something invaluable(donuts) because you're so confident that "xxx"

You're so sure of yourself that you'd trade your dollars for someone's donuts - that's how I read it most times.

Nice one. Thanks for your tips.

Sweet.

There's going to be a Saturday farmer's market at St.Paul's throughout the summer this year...or so the Germans would have us believe.

dave-o: yes.

In The rebar cookbook they make a club (not a blt) with, from bottom to top:

Sourdough slice

Chipotle mayonnaise

smoked salmon

a few poached shrimp

sourdough bread

chipotle mayonnaise

avocado

red onion

red pepper

chipotle mayonnaise

sourdough bread

It's insanely good.

How'd you know I was going for a bachelor party?

Gonna be there Saturday. Bars? Restaurants? anything?

Who's watching this fantastic show right now? I watch Hell's kitchen because it's there but top chef is way more fun and way more about the food.

Interesting note: In a number of episodes you'll see Padme actually lick her knife at the table. Some kind of gastronome!

Ah...another ww person!

I think it made about 6 servings. Our batch was very thick so we added a bit of water to give it a more normal consistency.

It's not my top dressing by any means but by WW standards it's pretty good and the garlic ives it lots of flavour. There's also plenty of room to improvise it with other herbs or with a different vinegar.

The probe in the vent trick has always worked well for me. I'm assuming it's a weber kettle that you have? You could try and mimic a smoker by adding a bowl of water on the lower grill..the moisture will help the smoke settl einto the meat, it might help with keeping a stable temperature too.

I would start a pile of coal and grey them out and then add 2-3 fresh ones on top of that whenever the temp. dips a bit lower than you want.

I saw the port/madeira/sherry finishes the other day at the rideau LCBO, I might give those a try.

Where can you go to sample some of these brands before buying? I noticed that the manx has a pretty good selection of scotches...anywhere else in town?

The turnout was mediocre for this but the band was really good. They had an original sound that borrows more form Wilco than the oter two listed....I really like them.

Nice Topic Brad.

I've just polished off an 18-year old Talisker that I bought at the House of Scotch shop in Heathrow. It was acceptable but way way way too smoky for my taste. I'd previously had some 10-year talisker and bought this vintage because I'd thought the smoke would mellow but in fact it was really strong.

When I was in Ireland I tried a couple of Irish whiskeys - nothing too exciting but maybe I didn't hit onto the right thing.

I keep Glenmorangie around the house for general consumption but I'd love a few suggestions (Brad, anyone) for something with an aggressive nose but that's not as woody and smoky as what I've had in Talisker.

Predictable choices, most or all have michelin stars.

Places like Per Se and Alinea...maybe it's just my tastes...but the molecular gastronomy thing for me is about as passé as roasted red pepper soup and sundried tomatoes.

I know that making "smoked salmon bubbles" and "frozen steak tartare" or whatever takes skill, I just can't help feeling like it's novelty and not real cooking.

Katie's on weight watchers so we've been making this one..it fits your dairy/vegan criteria, and it's very different-tasting:

2 heads of roasted garlic

1 cup apple juice

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp oil.

salt

pepper

Put it all in a blender or in a food processor.

It's very thick because of the garlic. It's also extremely garlicky. Come to think of it I'm not that fond of this dressing but you might be..and as I said no animals were harmed in its production.

Best wishes - You'll make it through this.