Frenzy 6

Well, we're still in London, and with some fortuitous global synchronicity given the recent announcement that our man in Havana, Fidel Castro, will be stepping aside, we're looking for Cuba. Cuban rum, that is, and more precisely, where one might find the best Mojito in London.

Before


As those of you outside the US may or may not be aware, the right-wing nut-jobs who dominate foreign policy decided decades ago that the best way to punish Fidel for his crazy commie ways would be to enact an embargo against Cuban goods. The most famous result, other than the inexcusable decimation of the Cuban economy and the relegation of millions of innocent civilians to lives of abject poverty, is that Cuban cigars may not be imported, bought, sold, or possessed in the US.

Less famously, and much more unfortunately for the majority of folks who don't smoke cigars, is a similar ban on Cuban rum, which is undeniably some of the finest in the world. For those fortunate enough to live close to Mexico or Canada, which don't enforce this pointless and counterproductive embargo, it's relatively easy to get a taste of this fine, fine elixir, but for the millions of Americans stuck in the heartland of the continent, most simply have no idea what they're missing.

During


Luckily for me, I have a friend in London, formerly of Cork, with a fondness for the fine rum concoction known as The Mojito, and a burning desire to find a quantity of the same. It's a quest for which we were able to find a happy resolution, as the photos you're viewing will testify. I'm going to protect her innocence by not naming her here, although the pics might tell a different story of "innocence"...

OK, so here it is: You're going to London, and you need the best mojito you can find, and you'll settle for nothing less than Cuban rum. You'd like to find a place that recalls a bar in Old Havana where legend has it the mojito was invented, a place where Papa Hemingway spent his afternoons sipping rum shaded from the lazy sun in the 1940s...but you're not in Old Havana. Where might you find such a place in present day London? Tell me the name of the restaurant/bar, and if you have any interesting Cuban or rum-related tidbits, rumors, tall tales, or outright lies you'd like to share, toss 'em in as well, and you might earn the coveted extra flavor squirt for your frosty goodness!

Salud!

After

Frenzy 5 - Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

Winner: Thad McCullough

Well, Holy Freakin' Full-Moon Lupinosity! I was hoping for some interesting submissions on this one, but Thad weighs in with an honest-to-god actual Irish family curse and reveals that not only does he know the song referenced in the photo, but that he actually IS a WEREWOLF!! How the hell can anyone top that? Well....they can't. Thad earns a snocone, and maybe a double cone with some extra blood red squirts, or....hell, anything he wants. I'm not gonna mess with a fucking werewolf! All of a sudden his legendary halloween costumes come into much sharper focus...

If you haven't read Thad's story, check the comments on the last post for the gory details.

As for the photo, Lee Ho Fook's is indeed mentioned in Warren Zevon's novelty hit, Werewolves of London. I stumbled by the restaurant last month during a brief visit to London, and it took me a few minutes to snap to what i was seeing - I knew I knew it, but I didn't know I knew it like I really knew it, if you'll pardon my unfortunate channeling of Don Rumsfeld there for a minute.

Once I understood what I was looking at, I immediately entered intent on securing a plate of Beef Chow Mein, as per the song. Unfortunately, the reviews you might find on the web regarding the restaurant are apparently accurate: the service was abysmal; the restaurant was less than half full around 8pm, and I was told, after waiting about 5 minutes for someone to greet me, that there were no tables available and I would have to wait a half hour. Uhhh.....ok. No thanks. I'll go elsewhere. Bummer.

So, no photos to share of beef chow mein or the like. But, I have found a link on the web to a Warren Zevon concert originally taped for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in Philadelphia way back in 1980. For those of you who don't know the song (and especially those of you in London that have no idea who Warren Zevon is), and maybe even more for those of you who do know the man and his work, check out the concert at the following link - amazing show with a great band and an artist at the top of his form. As you'll discover, "Werewolves" is one of the lesser tunes in his catalog - many of the versions from his Excitable Boy album are just smokin' hot.

To steal AC/DC's thunder: For those about to rock, we salute you!

Warren Zevon Live in Philly

Note: You may have to create an account at Wolfgang's Vault to listen to the show. Do it - it's free, and you'll get access to thousands of live shows of artists in numerous genres from the last half century. Great way to explore humanity's sonic past. You'll be glad you did.

Frenzy 5

This should be fun. I'm going to give you the location in the photo below, but instead of just telling me where it is, tell me what its significance is. A hint - there's a reference to modern pop culture in the photo. Tell me the who, where, why, etc. of the piece of pop culture that you can find here. Quote anything interesting you find. Tell a story. The more interesting the response, the more likely you are to have some frosty goodness in your future...so the first response won't necessarily win. Here goes - good luck!

Frenzy 4 - Bryce Canyon National Park

Winner: Jennifer Rae Atkins

Bryce Canyon is Mother Nature at her most ostentatious. She holds back neither in her palette, nor in shapes, shadows, patterns, whispers, screams, scents, or feathery touch, but most clearly, she allows her imagination to run wild, and in so doing, allows a visitor's to do the same. You should go. Really. Until you do, here's some link-y info:

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon Pics (nice slide show)

Jennifer Rae Atkins is another of Mother Nature's remarkable achievements. While her story is every bit as compelling as that of previous winners, involving as it does remote ice caves and pizza parlors in Iceland, and a direct link to the legend of the creation of the Land of Enchantment, as her home state of New Mexico is now known, I'm going to save that for another post so that I may bring to your attention something TRULY remarkable.

Jennyrae, as she is also known, has undertaken a project unparalleled in human history. This is not hyperbole. As visitors to her website, The Daily Mammal, are aware, Jennyrae has embarked on a journey that is projected to last over 14 years, and will surely earn her a place in human history: she is going to draw every known mammal on the planet.

Wow!

Head to the back of the bus, Mr. Audubon. Amateurs need not apply.

I could go on and on - there are so many facets to this amazing enterprise, but the best way to be wowed is to visit the site and wallow in the riches as would a hippo in the muddy womb of the Congo. Do it now. Click on the link above. Or this one right here: The Daily Mammal. Seriously. You'll be glad you did.