Da Da…

Da Da…

DaDaDaDaDaDa…

In Thailand, the typical greeting is called the wai, hands pressed together in front of you accompanied by a slight bow. It’s so normal there that even Ronald McDonald knows how to welcome you in…

Lobster is one of those foods that you don’t eat often, that’s intimidating to cook because it’s expensive and can oh so easily be overdone, that is perfectly at home in a high-class restaurant or a road side roll.

Lobster was one of my dad’s favorite foods. And he’d make it on special occasions like Valentine’s Day or New Years before I became too cool to spend those at home. And, because of that, the rare treat became one of my favorite foods.

Lobster was one of those things my ex boyfriend had cooked for me for an anniversary or birthday where I refused to let him use the flambe recipe he had because I didn’t want him to burn my rental down. It was delicious none the less.

Lobster was the only reason I made my friends sit through a weird John Waters film, because the box had made it sound more like a horror film than it was…

Lobster is a creature that you’d think would be frightening when mutatedly huge, towering above you, with gigantic claws. But, with it’s cunning smile, how can anyone be afraid of this giant lobster hanging out by the pier in Barcelona?

Homenatge al Llibre
Joan Brossa (1994)
At Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, Spain

Everywhere you turn in Seville, Spain, you’ll probably come across another statue. There are statues devoted to historical figures, opera, bullfighters. Here is a sampling of the many, many statues you might find around Seville.

Statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Statue of Pepe Luis Vázquez, a famous bullfighter.

Statue of Curro Romero, a famous bullfighter.

La augusta senora Condesa de Barcelona statue.

Statue of Manolo Vasquez.

Statue of Carmen.

Flamenco statue.

I had a hard decision to make when I left on my ’round the world trip. Do I take my beloved jackalope, and Silly America’s mascot, Flopsy? Or, do I leave him behind?

In the end I decided that Flopsy would be better off at home. On road trips he mostly stays in the car except to come out to see roadside attractions and the like. But traveling through Europe he’d have to endure time in my backpack and numerous hostels and trains and planes and buses. The risk of him getting lost was just too high. And, besides, he’d have to spend a heck of lot of time in quarantine to even be allowed into some of these countries!

So, alas, I left poor Flopsy behind. He’s been doing fine, keeping busy with his friend Goat the monkey. They invented a game called “play with this piece of green string.” But Goat is a homebody, and Flopsy likes to see America.

So sometimes when the cat is away the Jackalope will play, and Flopsy took off this weekend for a road trip to Milwaukee. And boy did he have a good time…

Visiting the Golden Pyramid House.

Apple Picking.

Belgians love their frites: salty fried sticks of potato covered in mayonnaise or whatever your particular poison happens to be. If you’ve ever stared at a fry and wondered “how was this made” or “where did potato fries come from,” you’ve either spent a little too much time in neighboring Amsterdam or you should made a detour to Bruges.

Not only is Bruges a cute little town of winding streets, but it’s also home to the Frietmuseum. Here you can trace the history of the fry, find out how Belgian fries are made, learn about different condiments, and more. If the tour makes you hungry (and it most certainly will) you can even stop in the basement to get some frites of your own.

Just don’t try to eat any of the fries you see before you get to the end. They’re probably made of plastic.

Random silly things in Brussels, Belgium!

A statue of a man with a dog.

A giant traffic cone.

A sculpture of a cat on a bicycle.

Giant flower pots.

Cartoon walls.

Old woman statue.

Giant trumpet.

Falling man statue.

Giant clothespin.

If you have a statue of a peeing boy. And you have a statue of a peeing girl. The only logical thing to do is add a peeing dog!

Zinneke Pis is a mongrel designed by Tom Frantzen. The dog’s mixed breed represents the mix of cultures in Brussels.

He stands on three legs on a street corner in Brussels. The fourth leg is raised so he can do his business on a nearby pole.

The pup actually works as a fountain, but alas he must not have had to pee too much when I was there because he wasn’t working.

Even a dog needs a break. I guess.

So, with Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis and now Zinneke Pis, I think Brussels pretty much has the peeing fountain market covered.

What do you think their next peeing statue should be? Have you seen any peeing statues from Brussels or anyone else in the world?