FPcast! The Fruitless Pursuits Podcast for November 3rd 2014! Meet John Wick!

This week we dissect and discuss Marvel's announced movie plans for the next bazillion years. We review the absolutely beautiful new Studio Ghibli film The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and the slick Keanu Reeves revenge flick, John Wick! And, as promised, we eat a bizarre selection of American Halloween treats! Put what we put in our mouths in your ears!

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Nerd History: The American Tradition of the Hot Dog Eating Contest

I'm not sure what anyone else will be doing tomorrow, but I know what my plans are - to watch the yearly Hot Dog Eating Contest. The event goes back to 1916, when a group of immigrants started the contest to show their patriotism for the Independence Day holiday, and it's become a worldwide event with national live coverage. If you're unaware of this weird American tradition, the 2007 event is above, and I'd imagine there will be copious amounts of coverage tomorrow. Hopefully you can ketchup with this tradition!

Hawk Krall Illustrates Hot Dogs!

After having a random discussion about hot dogs on Twitter, I learned about Colombian hot dogs. And while I've only seen pictures, I can say that they are pretty insane. A bunch of sauces, crushed potato chips and pineapple, all LOADED on top of a hot dog. My description doesn't even compare to this photo.

So I searched deeper and deeper into the depths of Google, looking for a local hot dog place to try one... and I found something that might be the next best thing to actually eating one of these.

I stumbled across the artwork of Hawk Krall.

Hawk is an artist from Philadelphia who writes about food and then illustrates it. Digging through his site, you'll find various hot dogs, hamburgers, custom restaurant menus, magazine covers and the random Frank Reynolds illustration. Hawk also details the illustration process with multiple in-progress images for each illustration.

Check out http://www.hawkkrall.net as a home base for his art blog, food blog, and print shop. Click through the jump for a gallery of his wonderful hot dog illustrations, showcasing some of the best hot dogs in the world.

SWEET!

Gone. Then back. Gone. Then back.

Guess what?

Now I'm back. Here to stay. For now. Mwuhahahahahaha!

My kid seems to be leveling off. He had almost become feral there for a while. Werewolfian in nature. It was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Bennett.

I gotta tell you...being a Special Needs Dad can suck it sometimes. But? And there is always a but...it can also bring you intense amounts of joy, teach you shitloads about the kind of man you are, and show you what you are actually made of.

Though I am not recommending you run out and try it, by any means, all I am saying is that there is, like any slice of Hell's Pizza, something to be said for at least having something to EAT that is yummy, delicious...and really, really bad for you.

I don't expect anybody to understand that. I just like talking about food.

Mameshiba: Japanese Trivia Bean Dogs!

Mameshiba! I'd seen these things around Chinatown and thought nothing of them other than "they're pretty cute". But what exactly are they?
The official website says: "They're not quite a bean, nor a dog but rather a hybrid of both. They love to appear out of nowhere and offer random bits of trivia whether you asked for it or not..."

That is EXACTLY what happens in this video:

I love the ungrateful reaction on that kid! More after jump!

Han Solo Salt & Vinegar: Odd Combinations of Star Wars and Food

While walking aimlessly through Wal-Mart, I started to realize that I was seeing Star Wars everywhere I looked. The new Blu-ray promotion has gone way beyond just the films. The action figure aisle was pretty beefed up (same old stuff though?) as well as the Lego aisle. But what really caught my eye was this...

If the combination of Star Wars and Pringles isn't weird enough (although they are two things that I love very, very much) look closer at the Pringles character (??) on each can.

Banned in the USA! Here's Your Contraband Kinder Surprise!

America has a lot of awesome things. Old men carved in mountains, a giant lady made of copper, bald eagles, and Kat Dennings. But it doesn't have Kinder Surprises!

These delicious chocolate eggs each contain a small buildable toy! But Uncle Sam doesn't want you to have these. Oh no, he thinks the parts are too small, and that putting something inedible inside something edible is tempting fate. Simply put, he doesn't trust you or your parenting. And that makes this American Indian cry:

But don't fret, Dear American Readers! I got your back, bro! I have smuggled a couple of Kinder Surprise onto the Internet and I'm more than happy to crack them open and show you exactly what you're missing. Join me after the jump!

Burger King... ur doin it wrong

In a move reminiscent of SyFy's attempted reinvention of itself, Burger King has decided to ditch the "creepy king." Their new ad campaign is geared towards visuals and suggestions of fresh food being chopped up and fresh guacamole fantasies.

"The economic downturn has battered its core customer — young males have been particularly hard hit by unemployment — and Burger King is looking to boost declining sales by appealing to the mothers, families and others that rivals like McDonald's Corp. have successfully courted."

Personally (as a mother and family member), I think the creepy king was probably the best thing Burger King had going for it. And clearly, creepiness works in some markets...

Brilliant Japanese Sushi Chef Oki Carves Grand Moff Tarkin Out of Vegetables!

Oki is a sushi chef who, is his own words, does his best every day to make sushi and delicious food. He's also my new personal hero after his last week of creations alone! Check out this delightfully inventive Grand Moff Tarkin - or as Oki likes to call him "Man of Death Star" made completely out of vegetables.

Oki has this to say about his creation:

He cause many people pain. But.... He is a legendary top Commander. He may be a bad person. But... We thank for his existence. We love him.

And his newest work is a plate that recreates the battle of Hoth and features a glorious AT-AT (pronounced @ @ ! YEEEAH!).

These images are really just a tease - please read his own comments and see all of his process pictures at My Sushi World.